Siddaramaiah made Karnataka CM, D.K. Shivakumar his deputy
Ending days of suspense, the Congress on May 18 announced Siddaramaiah as the next Chief Minister of Karnataka and D.K. Shivakumar as his only deputy in the soon-to-formed Cabinet. The two leaders, who were in a tight race for the top post, would take oath along with other Ministers on May 20 and leaders of all like-minded parties will be invited for the swearing-in ceremony. Announcing the decision taken by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge after hectic parleys ever since the party emerged victorious on May 13, General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal said all leaders, including the top leadership, worked very hard to make Karnataka victory a reality.
The Kerala Story | Supreme Court stays Bengal ban, asks Tamil Nadu to provide security to theatres
The Supreme Court on May 18 set aside the ban imposed by the West Bengal government on the scewwning of The Kerala Story and recorded the producer’s submission to clarify in the movie disclaimer that the film is a “fictionalised account of events” with no “authentic data” to back the suggestion that 32,000 women were converted to Islam in Kerala. A three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud recorded the submission by the Tamil Nadu government that there is no ban, tacit or explicit, on the screening of the movie in the State. The court directed the State to provide adequate security measures in theatres and for moviegoers.
Responding to unfolding humanitarian situation from the capsized Chinese fishing vessel Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028 with 39 crew onboard, Indian Navy on May 17 deployed P-8I aircraft in the Southern Indian Ocean Region approximately 900 NM from India for Search And Rescue efforts that other countries in the region have also joined in. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority was coordinating the rescue effort in waters located around 5,000 km from Australia and 1,300 km south of Sri Lanka.
Kiren Rijiju divested of Law portfolio, replaced by Arjun Ram Meghwal
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal has been appointed as the Minister for Law and Justice and Kiren Rijiju has been moved to the Ministry of Earth Sciences, a press communique from the Rashtrapati Bhavan said on May 18. The communique said the President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has reallocated the portfolios. While the move is certainly an elevation for Mr. Meghwal, the sudden announcement is a surprise one for Mr. Rijiju, the Lok Sabha member from Arunachal Pradesh, whose new portfolio is being seen as a demotion.
Supreme Court upholds laws allowing Jallikattu, Kambala
The Supreme Court on May 18 upheld the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act of 2017 and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Conduct of Jallikattu) Rules of 2017, saying that the traditional bull-taming sport ‘Jallikattu’ has been going on in Tamil Nadu for the last century. The five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Justice K. M. Joseph, however, did not deliver into the question whether Jallikattu was an “integral” part of the culture of Tamil Nadu. Justice Bose held that this question cannot be answered through judicial proceedings and requires greater study, representation and participation of the people.
Tamil Nadu spurious liquor tragedy | CB-CID takes over probe
The Crime Branch-CID has taken over the probe into the deaths of 22 persons who had consumed spurious liquor in the two districts of Villupuram and Chengalpattu. In the Villupuram case, Additional Deputy Superintendent of Police Gomathi has been appointed as the investigation officer while Additional Deputy Superintendent of Police Maheshwari has been named as the investigation officer in the Chengalpattu case. According to the police, the two separate incidents of spurious liquor deaths were reported in the northern districts of Tamil Nadu in which 22 people have lost their lives since May 12.
Gyanvapi mosque case | Supreme Court to hear plea against carbon dating of ‘shivling’ on May 19
The Supreme Court on May 18 agreed to urgently list on May 19 a petition challenging an Allahabad High Court direction to determine the age of the “shivling” allegedly found in the Gyanvapi mosque premises at Varanasi through carbon dating. Appearing before a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, for Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Varanasi, the mosque’s caretakers, pleaded urgency.
Supreme Court refuses to intervene against HC stay on Bihar caste-based survey
The Supreme Court on May 18 refused to immediately lift an interim stay directed by the Patna High Court on a caste-based survey in Bihar. A Bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Rajesh Bindal said the High Court has scheduled the main case for hearing on July 3, and the apex court should not intervene at this point. The court listed the Bihar government’s appeal against the interim stay on July 14. The Bench said it would consider the plea for interim relief in case the High Court does not take up the matter on July 3.
Kuki MLAs, civil society groups decide against dialogue with Manipur’s Biren Singh Government
At least eight tribal MLAs from Manipur and various civil society organisations decided not to engage in any dialogue with the N. Biren Singh’s Government running the northeastern State which was recently rocked by ethnic violence, according to a statement issued by them. Several civil society entities belonging to Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zomi-Hmar ethnic groups in Manipur and the tribal legislators from there, including BJP MLAs, held a meeting in Mizoram’s capital Aizawl on May 17 to discuss the tension in the neighbouring State.
More villages evacuated as Italy counts cost of deadly floods
Authorities in Ravenna issued an immediate evacuation order on May 18 for three villages threatened by floods after heavy rains left nine people dead across northeastern Italy. Buses were being sent to help residents leave Villanova di Ravenna, Filetto and Roncalceci after the river Lamone burst its banks. Nearly two dozen rivers and streams have flooded across the southeast of the Emilia Romagna region following downpours earlier this week, submerging entire neighbourhoods and farmland.
Pakistani police besiege Imran Khan’s home as deadline for him to hand over suspects is to expire
Pakistani police kept up their siege around the home of Imran Khan as a 24-hour deadline given to the former premier to hand over suspects allegedly sheltered inside was about to expire on May 18. The siege and the authorities demand for the suspects, wanted in violent protests over Khan’s recent detention, has angered the former Prime Minister’s many followers and is raising concerns about more clashes between them and the security forces.
Deutsche Bank to pay $75 million to settle lawsuit by Epstein accusers
Deutsche Bank AG has agreed to pay $75 million to settle a lawsuit by women who say they were abused by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, and accused the German bank of facilitating his sex trafficking. The accord resolves claims in a proposed class action in Manhattan federal court by Epstein’s accusers, and was confirmed by their lawyers late on Wednesday. Court approval is required. Epstein had been a Deutsche Bank client from 2013 to 2018. He died in August 2019 in jail while awaiting trial for sex trafficking, in what New York City’s medical examiner called a suicide.
Russia targets Kyiv, Odesa with missiles, Ukraine says most were shot down
Russia launched cruise missiles at Ukraine’s capital and the Odesa region early on May 18, officials said, in an escalation ahead of a much-anticipated counteroffensive. Most of the missiles were shot down, and one death was reported from the attacks. Loud explosions were heard in Kyiv, and falling debris caused a fire in a nonresidential building. It was the ninth Russian air raid that targeted the capital this month, a clear escalation after weeks of lull and ahead of a much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive using newly supplied advanced Western weapons.
International credit card usage to come under RBI’s LRS; 20% TCS to be charged July 1
Spending in foreign exchange through international credit cards will be covered under the RBI’s liberalised remittance scheme (LRS), under which a resident can remit money abroad up to a maximum of $2.50 lakh per annum without the authorisation of the Reserve Bank, as per a Finance Ministry notification. The Ministry on May 16 notified the Foreign Exchange Management (Current Account Transactions) (Amendment) Rules, 2023, to include international credit card payments in the LRS. Any remittance beyond $2.5 lakh or its equivalent in foreign currency would require approval from the RBI.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) would need to review their bowling plans while Rajasthan Royals (RR) will have to live up to their high potential when both inconsistent teams make a last-ditch effort to keep their slim playoff hopes alive in the IPL in Dharamsala on May 19. Considering their superior net run rate, Royals are better placed than Punjab Kings ahead of their final league game but both will have to rely on other results after an up-and-down season. The season has told a familiar story for perennial under-performers Punjab Kings, who once again could not seize the crucial moments in the business end of the tournament.
Archery World Cup: India crash out of recurve team events
It was a familiar script for Indian archers as they were eliminated by heavyweights Korea in the quarterfinals of the men’s recurve team event in the World Cup Stage 1 in Shaghai on May 18. The Indian trio of Dhiraj Bommadevara, Atanu Das and Neeraj Chauhan suffered a lopsided 0-6 (54-55, 56-57, 54-59) defeat at the hands of the top-seeded Korean team of Lee Woo Seok, Kim Je Deok and Kim Woojin. The eighth seeded Indian men’s recurve team began its campaign with a hard-fought 5-3 (57-57, 56-58, 57-56, 58-51) win over Chinese Taipei. The women’s trio of Simranjeet Kaur, Avneet Kaur and Ankita Bhakat, which got the fourth seeding in team qualification, put up a sloppy show to make a first-round exit. They lost out to lower-ranked Indonesia 1-5 (54-57, 57-57, 50-52) in a one-sided affair.
