Today News Diary on 2 March 2021

1. Plea in SC against 8-phase Bengal polls
2. India tells Pakistan to stop state-sponsored cross-border terrorism
3. Telecom spectrum auction ends with ₹77,815 crore bids; Jio top buyer with ₹57,122 crore
4. Blockchain transaction tested in space
5. Sri Lanka now clears Indian investment at another Colombo Port terminal
6. In 2020, world added 3 billionaires every 2 days; India added one every week
7.Jack Ma loses title as China’s richest man after coming under Beijing’s scrutiny
8. Virat Kohli becomes first cricketer to have 100 million followers on Instagram
9. ICC 'Player of the Month': Ashwin, Root, Mayers in contention among men
10. Mandhana slips 2 places to 6th among batters; Goswami still at 5th among bowlers in ODI rankings
11. ‘Pawri’ clip brings India-Pak closer: Dananeer Mobeen says ‘grateful for all the love across the border’
12. Delhi Airport once again emerges as the Best Airport in ACI-ASQ Award for 2020
13. Dhaka and New Jalpaiguri- Bangladesh Railways
14. Myanmar Committee of parliamentarians announces acting ministers

Synopsis

National

Unemployment high in India due to govt's "ill considered demonetisation decision": Manmohan Singh

Thiruvananthapuram: Attacking the Centre, former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said unemployment is high in the country and its informal sector is in shambles following the "ill considered demonetisation decision" taken by the BJP-led government in 2016.

Identity politics gaining ground in West Bengal ahead of assembly polls

With the stage set for a high- octane assembly election in West Bengal, key stakeholders said the state will witness a communally charged electoral battle with fairly large doses of identity politics for the first time since Independence.

J-K Cong protests against Azad for weakening party for personal gains'

Congress activists on Tuesday set ablaze an effigy of senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad here and accused him of conspiring against the party at the behest of the BJP to weaken it for personal gains .

International

COVID-19 pandemic fuels attacks on health workers globally

Washington: Two Nigerian nurses were attacked by the family of a deceased COVID-19 patient. One nurse had her hair ripped out and suffered a fracture. The second was beaten into a coma.

Dutch PM's popularity high but eroding as election looms

After more than a decade in power and a year spent battling the virus, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte''s popularity boosted by his handling of the pandemic remains high two weeks before a general election.

Hong Kong resumes court hearing for 47 democracy activists

A court hearing for 47 democracy activists charged under Hong Kong''s national security law resumed on Tuesday, following a marathon session that was adjourned well past midnight after one defendant appeared to collapse and was taken away in an ambulance.

Pfizer, Oxford vaccines reduce severe COVID-19 in elderly, study finds

The Pfizer and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines for COVID-19 are highly effective in reducing severe coronavirus infection among people aged 70 years and above, according to a study.

Nigerian governor says 279 kidnapped schoolgirls are freed

Hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls abducted last week from a boarding school in the northwestern Zamfara state have been released, the state''s governor said Tuesday. Zamfara state governor Bello Matawalle announced that 279 girls have been freed.

Business

Sebi to auction Arise Bhoomi Developers' properties on Apr 1

New Delhi: Capital markets regulator Sebi will auction properties of Arise Bhoomi Developers and its directors on April 1 for a reserve price of Rs 4.8 crore.

Indian economy on 'upswing'; govt set to spend more along with pro-growth reforms: Panagariya

India''s economy is on an "upswing" and the government''s plans for increased spending comes in the backof pro-growth reforms, former Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya said on Tuesday even as he opined that it might take longer to become a USD 5 trillion economy due to the coronavirus pandemic-induced disruptions.

Legal

Plea in SC raises issue of discrimination against transgenders

New Delhi:  A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Centre and others to establish a transgender welfare board to address their social welfare issues and also appoint a committee to promptly probe reports of their alleged gross abuse by the police.

Toolkit case: Court grants one week to Delhi Police to file reply to Nikita Jacob

A court here on Tuesday granted a week''s time to the Delhi Police to file reply to the anticipatory bail plea of Nikita Jacob, a co-accused along with Disha Ravi in connection with allegedly being involved in sharing a "toolkit" on social media related to the farmers'' protest.

Rs 9.37 lakh compensation to kin for son's death in accident

Thane: The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) here in Maharashtra has awarded a compensation of Rs 9.37 lakh to the parents of a 20-year-old man who died in a road accident in 2018.

UP: Awadh Bar Association members extend abstention from judicial work

The Awadh Bar Association has extended the abstention from judicial work in the Allahabd High Court till Tuesday, following its demand to extend territorial jurisdiction and establishment of different tribunals in the state capital.

Entertainment

Parineeti Chopra-starrer Saina Nehwal biopic to release in March

Mumbai: Actor Parineeti Chopra''s next film, a biopic on ace badminton player Saina Nehwal, is scheduled for a theatrical release on March 26, the makers announced Tuesday.

'Ant-Man 3' won't feature rapper TI

The third installment of Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly-fronted "Ant-Man" series will not feature rapper TI.

Shira Haas to lead TV series about former Israel PM Golda Meir

"Unorthodox" star Shira Haas will headline an upcoming TV series about the life of former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir.

Taylor Swift calls out Netflix series for 'deeply sexist joke' over her past relationships

Taylor Swift has lashed out at Netflix after the streaming platform''s series "Ginny and Georgia" took a tasteless jibe at the pop singer''s dating history.

Frank Grillo to star in action-thriller 'MIA'

Actor Frank Grillo is set to play the lead role in upcoming action-thriller "MIA".

Ariana Greenblatt joins cast of 'Borderlands' movie

Child actor Ariana Greenblatt, best known for playing a young Gamora in the Marvel blockbuster "Avengers: Infinity War", is set to star in Lionsgate''s "Borderlands" feature film.

Nick Jonas exits 'The Blacksmith' over scheduling issues

Singer-actor Nick Jonas is no longer set to headline the upcoming action thriller "The Blacksmith".

Sports

Ravi Shastri receives first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad: The Indian cricket team''s head coach Ravi Shastri on Tuesday received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at a city hospital here.

Stimac names 35 probables for matches against Oman and UAE, to prune list to 28 later

National football coach Igor Stimac on Tuesday named 10 new players in his 35-member list of probables for India''s back-to-back international friendlies against Oman and the UAE to be played in Dubai on March 25 and 29 respectively.

Parents had asked what will you gain from boxing? giant-slayer Deepak Kumar answers

"Padhai likhai kar lo, boxing se kya milega (What will you gain from boxing)?" Deepak Kumar distinctly remembers this question that his parents and grandmother had posed when he decided that he belonged in the ring back in 2008.

US Soccer council member removed after controversial speech

The U.S. Soccer Federation''s Athlete Council removed one of its members, a day after incendiary comments he made at the federation''s annual general meeting against removing an anti-kneeling policy.

Leach eager to learn subtleties of spin bowling from Ashwin, Axar in 4th Test

By his own admission, England''s Jack Leach is in awe of the exploits of Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel during the pink ball Test and he is eager to learn the nuances of spin bowling from the Indian duo in the fourth and final match, starting here on Thursday.

News in Detail

1. Plea in SC against 8-phase Bengal polls

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court to “prohibit” the conduct of Assembly elections in West Bengal in an “unequal manner” in eight phases.

The petition filed by advocate Manohar Lal Sharma also sought a CBI probe into the use of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ as a rallying slogan on religious terms by the BJP in the run-up to the elections.

Mr. Sharma, a Supreme Court advocate, has arraigned Union Home Minister Amit Shah, West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari as respondents. The petition said the CBI should launch a probe under the Indian Penal Code, the Representation of People Act.

He said they raised the religious slogan of ‘Jai Shri Ram’, “creating disharmony”. This was “an attack upon the citizen of India for provoking, effecting their mind to fight among themselves and to give vote in their favour for electoral benefits”.

The lawyer has also made the Election Commission of India, the Union of India and the CBI as respondents in the petition.

Mr. Sharma said the political parties that used the religious slogan should be debarred from participating in “any election in the country”.

The eight-phase polls in West Bengal was declared “without disclosing valid reasons respondent cannot declare voting in different style/phase/manner to facilitate political demand for a specific party, is, BJP”.

2. India tells Pakistan to stop state-sponsored cross-border terrorism

India also slammed Pakistan for deliberately misusing the Council for its malicious propaganda against the country

India on March 2 hit out at Pakistan, a country in dire economic situation but provided pensions to dreaded and listed terrorists out of state funds, and asked Islamabad to stop state-sponsored cross-border terrorism.

Using its Right of Reply at the ongoing 46th Session of the Human Rights Council in response to a statement by Pakistan’s representative, India said Pakistan should also end institutionalised violation of human rights of its minority and other communities in the country.

India also slammed Pakistan for deliberately misusing the Council for its malicious propaganda against the country.

“Pakistan, a country in dire economic situation, will be well advised to stop wasting time of the Council and its mechanisms, stop state-sponsored cross-border terrorism and end institutionalised violation of human rights of its minority and other communities,” said Pawankumar Badhe, First Secretary of India’s Permanent Mission in Geneva.

India also rejected the Organisation of Islamic Conference’s (OIC’s) statement on Jammu and Kashmir, saying the bloc has no locus standi to comment on such matters.

“We reject the reference to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in the statement of the OIC. It has no locus standi to comment on matters related to Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral and inalienable part of India,” the Indian diplomat said.

The Jeddah-headquartered 57-nation bloc, which is the second-largest intergovernmental body after the U.N., has usually been supportive of Pakistan and often sided with Islamabad on the Kashmir issue.

“It is regrettable that OIC continues to allow itself to be exploited by Pakistan to indulge in anti-India propaganda,” Mr. Badhe added.

3. Telecom spectrum auction ends with ₹77,815 crore bids; Jio top buyer with ₹57,122 crore

India's first auction of telecom spectrum in five years ended on Tuesday with ₹77,814.80 crore of airwaves being bought, mostly by billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio.

Over 2,250 MHz of spectrum, that carry telecom signals, in seven bands worth nearly ₹4 lakh crore at the reserve or start price, was offered for bidding in the auction that began on Monday.

Telecom Secretary Anshu Prakash said 855.60 MHz of spectrum was bought for ₹77,814.80 crore in the two-day auction.

Reliance Jio bought ₹57,122.65 crore worth of spectrum while Vodafone Idea Ltd picked ₹1,993.40 crore worth of airwaves.

Bids were received in 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz and 2300 MHz bands but there were no takers for the airwaves in the premium 700 and 2500 MHz bands.

About one-third of the spectrum being auctioned is in the 700 MHz band, which was completely unsold during the 2016 auctions.

This, analysts said, was mostly because operators are unlikely to diversify into a new spectrum band that would require incremental investment in equipment, when other sub-GHz bands are available at lower prices.

4. Blockchain transaction tested in space

It is the world’s first bank-led tokenised value transfer in space, executed via smart contracts on a blockchain network, established between satellites orbiting the earth.

JP Morgan has successfully tested a blockchain transaction in space using Danish space firm GomSpace’s satellites.

It is the world’s first bank-led tokenised value transfer in space, executed via smart contracts on a blockchain network, established between satellites orbiting the earth, GomSpace said in a release.

The transaction was executed between two GOMX-4 satellites in the low Earth orbit (LEO), which validated the approach towards a decentralised network where communication with the earth is not necessary.

This breakthrough opens the door to a potential peer-to-peer satellite marketplace in the long term, allowing data transfers between satellites against payment, as private companies prepare to launch their own constellations, the release noted.

“We are proud to have supported J.P. Morgan as they explored this novel use case of a space-based payment infrastructure utilising blockchain technology,” GomSpace CEO Niels Buus, said in a statement.

Blockchain is a distributed ledger that records data in individual blocks which are linked to one another using cryptography, making it very difficult to tamper with the data in one block without altering all the following blocks. The technology can have various applications such as driving cryptocurrency transactions, and was used by Satoshi Nakamoto to create Bitcoin.

5. Sri Lanka now clears Indian investment at another Colombo Port terminal

A month ago, India and Japan were ejected from a 2019 tripartite agreement to jointly develop the East Container Terminal, amid port unions' resistance to ‘foreign involvement’.

Sri Lanka on Tuesday said it will develop the West Container Terminal (WCT) at the Colombo Port along with India and Japan, in a near-360 degree policy turn from a month ago, when the two partners were ejected from a 2019 tripartite agreement to jointly develop the East Container Terminal (ECT), amid port unions' resistance to “foreign involvement”.

Briefing the media on decisions taken at Monday’s weekly Cabinet meeting, spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said approval had been granted to develop the WCT with investors nominated by India and Japan. While India has named Adani Ports, which was earlier nominated to invest in the ECT, Japan is yet to respond, the Minister said.

After Sri Lanka reneged on the 2019 agreement, signed by the former Maithripala Sirisena-Ranil Wickremesinghe government, Colombo offered the WCT as an alternative, allowing the foreign investors to hold a higher stake. In the ECT project agreed upon earlier, the Sri Lanka Ports Authority was to hold 51 % stakes. In the WCT proposal, cleared now, India and Japan will be accorded 85 % stakes, similar to the nearby Colombo International Container Terminal, where China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited holds 85 % stakes, authorities said.

6. In 2020, world added 3 billionaires every 2 days; India added one every week

The world added 607 new billionaires or more than three billionaires in two day, while India added 55 new billionaires or more than three billionaires every two days in 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, as per the 10th Edition of Hurun Global Rich List 2021 released on Tuesday.

Tesla’s Elon Musk added $151 billion to become the richest man in the world for the first time with net worth of $197 billion, followed by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos with $189 billion in net worth, the Chairman and CEO of LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton Bernard Arnault ($114 billion), Microsoft’s Bill Gates ($110 billion) and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg ($101 billion).

Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, who emerged as the richest man in India with net worth of $83 billion, came in at number eight in the global rich list 2021.

7.Jack Ma loses title as China’s richest man after coming under Beijing’s scrutiny

Ma and his family had held the top spot for China’s richest in the Hurun Global Rich List in 2020 and 2019 but now trail in fourth place.

Alibaba and Ant Group founder Jack Ma has lost the title of China’s richest man, a list published on March 2 showed, as his peers prospered while his empire was put under heavy scrutiny by Chinese regulators.

Ma and his family had held the top spot for China’s richest in the Hurun Global Rich List in 2020 and 2019 but now trail in fourth place behind bottled water maker Nongfu Spring’s Zhong Shanshan, Tencent Holding’s Pony Ma and e-commerce upstart Pinduoduo’s Collin Huang, the latest list showed

Ma’s recent woes were triggered by an October 23 speech in which he blasted China’s regulatory system, leading to the suspension of his Ant Group’s $37 billion IPO just days before the fintech giant’s public listing.

Regulators have since tightened anti-trust scrutiny on the country’s tech sector, with Alibaba taking much of the heat; the market regulator launched an official anti-trust probe into Alibaba in December.

Chinese regulators also began to tighten their grip on the fintech sector and have asked Ant to fold some of its businesses into a financial holding company to be regulated like traditional financial firms.

8. Virat Kohli becomes first cricketer to have 100 million followers on Instagram

The 32-year-old India skipper is also the fourth most followed sportsperson on Instagram

India captain Virat Kohli has recorded another century, albeit not on the pitch this time, as he became the first cricketer in the world to have 100 million followers on social media platform Instagram.
The 32-year-old Kohli is also the first person in the Asia-Pacific region to achieve the feat.

"Virat Kohli - the first cricket star to hit 100 million followers on Instagram," the ICC tweeted.

Kohli is also the fourth most followed sportsperson on Instagram.
Portugal football star Cristiano Ronaldo tops the chart with 265 million followers, ahead of Argentina football captain and FC Barcelona legend Lionel Messi and Brazil's Neymar, who are second and third in the list with 186 million and 147 million followers respectively.

The others in 100 million club are Hollywood actor and former pro-wrestler Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson, American singer-songwriter Beyonce, and Ariana Grande. Kohli, regarded as the one of the best batsmen in the world, has 27 centuries in Test matches and 43 tons in ODI cricket.
For over two years now, Kohli has been the most followed person on Instagram in India.

9. ICC 'Player of the Month': Ashwin, Root, Mayers in contention among men

Seasoned India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin along with England captain Joe Root and West Indies' new batting sensation Kyle Mayers were on Tuesday nominated for the ICC 'Player of the Month' for their exceptional performances in February.

Ashwin played three Tests against England and scored 106 in the second innings of India's second Test victory at Chennai and took his 400th Test wicket in the third Test victory at Ahmedabad.

"Scoring a total of 176 runs across these games with taking a total of 24 wickets, Ashwin is the deserving candidate to be nominated in the men's category for February," the ICC release stated.

"England Test captain Joe Root makes it to the list of nominations again this month for his outstanding performance with the bat and the ball. He scored a total of 333 runs and took 6 wickets overall in the 3 Tests that he played against India," it further stated.

Root started the series with a superb 218 in the opening Test.

From the West Indies, Test debutant Mayers played two matches against Bangladesh and had a match-winning knock of 210 to help his team successfully chase a target of 395 at Chittagong.

In the women's section, Tammy Beaumont and Nat Sciver of England along with Brooke Halliday of New Zealand have been nominated.

10. Mandhana slips 2 places to 6th among batters; Goswami still at 5th among bowlers in ODI rankings

Besides Goswami, Poonam Yadav, Shikha Pandey and Deepti Sharma are the other Indian bowlers in the top-10.

Indian opener Smriti Mandhana slipped two places to sixth among batters but Jhulan Goswami retained her fifth spot among bowlers in the latest ICC women's ODI Players' rankings issued on Tuesday.

Another veteran Mithali Raj – with 687 points – remained at 9th to be the second Indian batswoman in the top 10. Mandhana has 732 points.

England opener Tammy Beaumont has rocketed five places to grab the top position after an excellent display in the three-match series against New Zealand which her team won 2-1.

Beaumont has overtaken the likes of West Indian Stafanie Taylor and New Zealand's Amy Satterthwaite to top the list and now leads Australia captain Meg Lanning by 16 points.

Besides Goswami (691), Poonam Yadav (679), Shikha Pandey (675) and Deepti Sharma (639) are the other Indian bowlers in the top-10. All of them retained their previous ranking spots.

Jess Jonassen of Australia continued to top the bowling chart with 804 points, followed by compatriot Megan Schutt (735).

Among the all-rounders, Deepti Sharma retained her fourth spot with 359 points in the list headed by Ellyse Perry of Australia with 460 points.

11. ‘Pawri’ clip brings India-Pak closer: Dananeer Mobeen says ‘grateful for all the love across the border’

Pawri ho rahi hai, pawri viral video, dananeer mobeen, pakistan pawri girl, pawri power india pakistan, pawri memes, pawri ho rai hai challenge, indian express

A 19-year-old Pakistani student who shot to fame after her five-second video went viral on social media across the subcontinent, hopes numerous renditions of her monologue will translate into more dialogue between rival neighbours India and Pakistan.

The short video shot by Dananeer Mobeen in the Nathaigali mountains of northern Pakistan and uploaded onto Instagram shows a group of youngsters enjoying themselves by a roadside.

Swinging around the device she is filming on, Mobeen gestures behind her and says in Urdu, “This is our car, this is us, and this is our party taking place.”

Seemly innocuous, she deliberately mispronounces the English word “party” as “pawri” to poke fun at South Asians who adopt Western accents. It immediately struck a chord in both India and Pakistan, sparking top trending hashtags on social media, and garnering millions of views and hundreds of spin-offs.

“It was the most random video. I initially had no intention of uploading it,” Mobeen said, expressing surprise at how viral it had gone and adding the trend showed the power and reach of social media.

“Pawri” monologue renditions have been used by police in India and the Delhi Commission for Women in their social media outreach campaigns.

In one video, two Indian soldiers deployed in snowy mountains give it their own spin with “This is us, this is our gun, and we are patrolling here”, while popular Bollywood actors Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone each did a version that also went viral.

12. Delhi Airport once again emerges as the Best Airport in ACI-ASQ Award for 2020

Annual ASQ Awards 2020 recognises Delhi Airport in over 40 MPPA category in the Asia-Pacific region.

Delhi Airport retains the best airport position under the highest category for three consecutive years- 2018, 2019 and 2020 in Asia-Pacific region. Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), a GMR led consortium, today announced that Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has once again emerged as the ‘Best Airport by Size and Region’ in Asia-Pacific for 2020. The airport’s efforts have been recognised by Airports Council International (ACI) for Airport Service Quality (ASQ) awards in the category of over 40 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA).

Delhi Airport became the first airport in Asia Pacific Region to achieve Level 4+ Accreditation under ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation in the present COVID-19 pandemic times. The accreditation is the outcome of the rigorous assessment of DIAL to reduce carbon emissions as per the latest scientific developments and meet stakeholder expectations. Furthermore, DIAL is also in the process of commissioning various operational infrastructures and multiple passenger connectivity networks around the airport which will further help in achieving the ambitious target of becoming net zero emission airport by 2030.

13. Dhaka and New Jalpaiguri- Bangladesh Railways

New passenger train service to start between Dhaka and New Jalpaiguri- Bangladesh Railways

A new passenger train service between Dhaka and New Jalpaiguri is set to start from March 26 marking the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Bangladesh.

According to an official release by the Bangladesh Rail Ministry issued on Tuesday, the direct train between Dhaka and New Jalpaiguri will run through the Chilahati-Haldibari cross border rail route.

However, other details like the schedule of the train, fair and immigration and its name will be decided later through discussion between the officials of the two countries.

There are two passenger trains currently running between Bangladesh and India. The Matiree express runs between Dhaka and Kolkata and Bandhan express links Khulna with Kolkata.

14. Myanmar Committee of parliamentarians announces acting ministers

The committee of parliament members elected to the Myanmar parliament in the Nov. 8 elections last year have announced a list of acting ministers for the country.

Calling the military overthrow of the government headed by State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi as unjust and illegitimate, Committee Representing the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), consisting of the elected representatives who are opposed to the military government, on Tuesday came out with a list of four ‘acting union ministers’.  The CRPH  announced names for Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of President’s office, planning, investment and economic relations and labour, immigration and education.

Earlier, the military government of Myanmar warned the CRPH with legal action. The Chairman of the State Administration Council (SAC) of Myanmar Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said on Monday that the action is being taken against the CRPH which is an illegal body funded from foreign organisations.