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December 19, 2024 9:01 AM

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Morning News

THE HEADLINES:

 

  • Government to refer Bills related to One Nation One Election to Joint Parliamentary Committee today.

 

  • Union Home Minister Amit Shah to chair a high-level security meeting on Jammu and Kashmir in New Delhi.

 

  • India presses for fair and mutually acceptable settlement of border dispute with China.

 

  • Twenty-eight Tamil Nadu fishermen released from Bahraini jail return home.

 

  • SEBI extends suspension of derivatives trading in seven agricultural commodities till January 2025 to rein in prices.

 

  • In Women’s Cricket, third and final T20 International match between India and West Indies to take place in Mumbai this evening.

 

 

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The Government will refer the Bills related to One Nation One Election to the Joint Parliamentary Committee today comprising 31 parliamentarians. The proposed JPC will comprise of 21 Lok Sabha members and 10 Rajya Sabha members. The MPs include BJP leaders PP Chaudhary, Anurag Singh Thakur,  Parshottambhai Rupala, Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi and Manish Tewari, TMC’s Kalyan Bannerjee, NCP (SP)’s Supriya Sule among others.

The Bills are officially named as the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024.

 

 

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair a high-level security meeting in New Delhi today. The meeting will primarily focus on critical security issues, with a special emphasis on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha will also attend the meeting, which aims to review strategies to ensure peace and stability in Jammu and Kashmir.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Director, of Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, Senior Army Officers including the Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi, Director General of CAPFs, Chief Secretary, DGP of Jammu and Kashmir and other senior officers are expected to attend the meeting.

 

 

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah hit out at the Congress accusing the party of presenting facts regarding his remarks on Dr Ambedkar in a distorted way in the Rajya Sabha. Briefing media at the party headquarters in New Delhi last evening, Mr Shah condemned this, alleging the Congress of being anti-BR Ambedkar and against reservation and Constitution.

 

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit back at the Congress over its allegation against the remarks saying Amit Shah has exposed the Congress’ dark history of insulting the architect of the Indian Constitution.

The opposition parties staged a protest in the Parliament House Complex against Mr. Shah’s remarks on Dr. BR Ambedkar.  Talking to media, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said through his remarks, Mr. Shah has insulted the architect of the Constitution.

 

 

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The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 met in New Delhi yesterday under the  Chairpersonship of Lok Sabha MP Jagdambika Pal and heard the views and suggestions of All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) on the Bill. Talking to reporters after the meeting, Mr Jagdambika Pal said during the meeting, the members of  the Board  presented their views on this bill. He added that the members of the JPC have also sought response on some questions from the All India Shia Personal Law Board  regarding the proposed amendments.

The Bill is aimed at reforming the management and regulation of Waqf properties across the country.

 

 

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At least 13 persons including three defense personnel lost their lives in a boat tragedy off the Mumbai coast yesterday. Meanwhile, an FIR has been registered in colaba police station in connection with the incident against the Navy speed boat driver and others.

 

According to the Indian Navy, a Navy craft undergoing engine trials lost control and collided with a passenger ferry off Karanja, Mumbai at around 4PM. The ferry was carrying passengers from Gate Way of India to Elephanta Island. The accident led to the tragic loss of 13 lives including 1 Naval personnel and 2 Original Equipment Manufacturers onboard the Naval craft. Search and Rescue efforts were immediately launched by the Navy in coordination with the Coast Guard and Marine Police. Four naval helicopters, 11 naval craft, one Coast Guard boat and three Marine Police boats were pressed into service. 103 passengers were rescued who have been admitted to various hospitals. Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis has announced that an aid of Rs. 5 lakh will be provided to the families of the deceased.C PRARTHNA, NE, RNU, MUMBAI.

 

President Droupadi Murmu, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have expressed condolences to the families who lost their lives in the mishap.  Mr Modi has announced an ex-gratia of 2 lakh rupees for the kin of the deceased and 50,000 rupees for the injured.

 

 

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India has pressed for a fair and mutually acceptable settlement of border dispute with China at the 23rd Meeting of the Special Representatives. The meeting was held between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his Chinese counterpart and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing yesterday. The External Affairs Ministry said, the two sides underlined the need to ensure peaceful conditions on the ground so that issues on the border do not hold back the normal development of bilateral relations.

The MEA said, Mr Doval and Mr Wang agreed on the salience of “stable, predictable and amicable” India-China relations for regional and global peace and prosperity. Mr Doval reaffirmed India’s readiness to engage in pragmatic communication with Beijing and emphasized New Delhi’s commitment to create the necessary conditions for a “final resolution” of the dispute. Mr Doval and his Chinese counterpart held extensive talks focusing on “positive” direction for crossborder cooperation including resuming the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, river data sharing and border trade.

 

 

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Twenty-eight Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district have returned home following successful diplomatic efforts that led to their early release from detention in Bahrain. The fishermen, who were arrested in September 2024 for allegedly entering Bahraini territorial waters illegally, had their six-month sentence reduced to three months following a swift legal appeal. The Indian Embassy in Bahrain played a crucial role by immediately appointing legal representation for the fishermen. Indian Ambassador to Bahrain, Vinod K. Jacob, expressed gratitude to Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other authorities for their cooperation in providing consular access and assistance throughout the process.

 

 

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United States has sanctioned four Pakistani entities, including the state-owned flagship aerospace and defence agency National Development Complex (NDC) on charges of contributing to Pakistan’s ballistic missile programme. Amid the continuing proliferation threat of Pakistan’s long-range missile development, the US State Department said, it has designated four entities for sanctions, as these entities have posed a risk of proliferation of mass destruction weapons and transportation or usage of such items.

 

 

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Expressing a sense of urgency on the escalating crisis of human rights violations in Bangladesh, an Indian American Congressman has called on the US Departments of Treasury and State to impose and enforce sanctions on those perpetrating these heinous acts against minorities in Bangladesh. Indian American Congressman Shri Thanedar said, Bangladesh plunged into political turmoil since the ouster of the Sheikh Haseena government. He said, the Hindu, Buddhist and Christian minorities are bearing the brunt of violent acts towards their people and places of worship by a majority Muslim population.

 

 

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Nepal’s Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba will arrive in India today on a three-day visit.  During her visit in New Delhi, she will deliver the keynote address at the Indo-Nepal Conference, jointly organised by the EGROW Foundation and Kathmandu University – Nepal Centre for Contemporary Studies. The main objectives of the conference, scheduled for Friday, are to showcase India’s economic growth, promote regional cooperation, and strengthen ties among the countries of the region. She also has health checkups scheduled, which are follow-ups of her surgery conducted earlier this year in March.

 

 

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In Jammu & Kashmir, a gunfight broke out between security forces and terrorists in the far flung Kadder area of Kulgam district. Police said the encounter started after a joint team of security forces launched cordon and search operation in the area following specific intelligence inputs about presence of terrorists. As the forces reached the suspected place, the hiding terrorists fired indiscriminately triggering gunfight.

 

 

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Market regulator SEBI has extended the suspension of derivatives trading in seven agricultural commodities, including wheat and moong, till January 2025 to rein in prices. The other agricultural commodities where trading is suspended by SEBI  are paddy (non-basmati), chana, crude palm oil, mustard seeds and their derivatives and soya bean and its derivatives.  This move is aimed at curbing excessive speculation and volatility in the commodity markets, particularly in these essential agricultural products, which have a significant impact on food prices and inflation.

 

 

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In Gujarat, Masali village in Banaskantha district has become country’s first solar border village. Masali village, with a total population of 800, is located 40 kilometers from the Pakistan border. Following the efforts of district administration, Masali has emerged as 100 percent solar powered village in the country.

 

Under PM Suryaghar Yojana, solar rooftops have been installed on a total of 119 houses in Masali village having population of 800 people. All these houses are generating more than 225 kilowatts of electricity. Talking to Akashvani, Banaskantha collector Mihir Patel said, Under the Border Development Project, the administration has also taken the initiative to make 11 border villages in Vav taluka and six in Suigam taluka, as entirely solar powered villages.Aparna Khunt/AkashvaniNews/Ahmedabad.

 

 

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The third and final match of T20 International series between India and West Indies women’s teams will take place at DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai today.

 

The third T20 international between India and West Indies women will begin at 7PM IST, this evening. The series is tied at 1-1, as Harmanpreet-led India won the series opener by 49 runs, while West Indies won the second match by 9 wickets. Some news from the range of Shooting, Indian Navy’s Kiran Ankush Jadhav beat Paris Olympic bronze medallist Swapnil Kusale and Olympian Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar to clinch the men’s 50 metre rifle 3 positions title at the 67th National Shooting Championship in Bhopal yesterday. Moving on to Squash, India’s former national champion Janet Vidhi recorded first-round 3-0 win over her Malaysian opponent Vinikasheinie Kulasegaran in the 79th Western India Slam squash tournament in Mumbai, yesterday. As per the sports calender, Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships 2024 will begin today in Doha, Qatar. In India’s 28-member weightlifting contingent, Moreover, the World Tennis League Season 3 will also kick off in Abu Dhabi today.  For Akashvani News, Akhila, Sports Desk.

 

 

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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,

 

  • With amicable ties and six consensus points between India and China along with resumption of Kailash Mansarovar yatra on cards “India stresses on peace in key meet after thaw ” cites Hindustan Times.
  • “Outgoing US government relaxes H-1B visa rules” making it easier for American companies to hire foreign workers with special skills, states The Pioneer.
  • Business Standard quoting the World bank writes At 129 billion dollars, India top recipient of remittances this year.”
  • “End of the road for Team India’s top match-winner” is a headline in Hindustan Times as off-spinner R Ashvin declares retirement from his glittering career.
  • And Finally, “Country’s ‘longest golf course’ inaugurated in Dwarka in the National Capital with ‘pay-and-play facility’ ” notes The Indian Express.

 

 

 

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN-

 

  • Government to refer Bills related to One Nation One Election to Joint Parliamentary Committee today.

 

  • Union Home Minister Amit Shah to chair a high-level security meeting on Jammu and Kashmir in New Delhi.

 

  • India presses for fair and mutually acceptable settlement of border dispute with China.

 

  • Twenty-eight Tamil Nadu fishermen released from Bahraini jail return home.

 

  • SEBI extends suspension of derivatives trading in seven agricultural commodities till January 2025 to rein in prices.

 

  • In Women’s Cricket, third and final T20 International between India and West Indies to take place in Mumbai this evening.

 

 

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