TODAY NEWS ON  May 13, 2023
News Headlines

Home Ministry prepares Model Prisons Act 2023 to replace British-era law
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has prepared the ‘Model Prisons Act 2023’ that will replace a British-era law to overhaul the prison administration that will focus on the reformation and rehabilitation of inmates, it said on May 12. Among the salient features of the model Act are provisions of punishment for prisoners and jail staff for use of prohibited items such as mobile phones in jails, establishment and management of high security jails, open jail (open and semi-open), and provisions for protecting the society from the criminal activities of hardened criminals and habitual offenders.

Welfare without discrimination is true secularism: Modi
Giving a thrust to his welfare model, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that his government does not look at the religion or caste of beneficiaries while reaching out to them with various schemes and welfare programmes and there is no greater social justice than working for the happiness and convenience of the masses. He was in his home state Gujarat on Friday, for a day, to inaugurate and lay foundation stones for projects worth around ₹4,400 crore.

Indo-Pacific is a reality: S. Jaishankar in Dhaka
The vision of the Indo Pacific Is reality in the 21st century External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar said on Friday in Dhaka. Addressing the 6th Indian Ocean Conference-2023 in the Bangladeshi capital Mr. Jaishankar noted the “Indo Pacific Outlook” of Bangladesh that was announced recently and cautioned against countries that do not want the region to become dynamic.

Supreme Court flags ‘serious lapses’ in implementation of Protection of Women from Sexual Harassment Act
The Supreme Court on May 12, in a judgment, said there are “serious lapses” and “uncertainty” in the implementation of the Protection of Women from Sexual Harassment (PoSH) Act, leaving many working women no choice but to leave their jobs. A Bench of Justices A.S. Bopanna and Hima Kohli, in a 62-page judgment, said the “sorry state of affairs” concerning the anti-sexual harassment at workplace law even after a decade of its introduction was “disquieting”, and it was time for the Centre and States to take affirmative action.

Air India fined ₹30 lakh after pilot invites lady friend into cockpit
The DGCA on Friday imposed a fine of ₹30 lakh on Air India and suspended a pilot-in-command for a period of three months after he entertained a lady friend in the cockpit and demanded that she be served alcohol and snacks. “The CEO of Air India received a complaint from one of the operating crew members of the flight. However, the organisation did not take prompt corrective action despite this being a safety sensitive violation. Anticipating delayed response, the complainant approached the DGCA,” the regulator said in a press statement.

Cyclone Mocha to be stronger than expected
Cyclone Mocha, currently located in the eastern Bay of Bengal, is likely to be stronger than initially forecast but poses little threat to India, with all of its fury likely to be concentrated in Myanmar and parts of Bangladesh, suggests the latest forecast from the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Ten Kuki MLAs from Manipur demand ‘separate administration’
As many as 10 legislators from the hill districts of Manipur, which includes those from the ruling BJP have demanded a separate administration as the “State miserably failed to protect” them when the violence started on May 3. In a press statement, the 10 MLAs said the Government of Manipur tacitly supported the “unabated violence” by the majority Meitei community against the Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zomi hill tribals, which has already partitioned the State and effected a total separation from the State of Manipur.

Gyanvyapi mosque case: HC allows revision plea for scientific survey of  Shiv Ling
The Allahabad High Court on May 12 allowed a revision petition demanding a scientific survey to determine the age of the purported Shiv Ling found inside the Varanasi-based Gyanvyapi mosque. The survey will be done by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) which, in its affidavit submitted in the court, maintained that it cannot do carbon dating of the structure due to technical reasons but offered to do the carbon dating of the embedded portions of the Shiv Ling along with some other ways like Ground Penetration Radar (GPR), excavation to name a few.

Elon Musk picks advertisement executive Linda Yaccarino as Twitter CEO
Elon Musk on May 12 said he has chosen top advertisement executive Linda Yaccarino as CEO of Twitter as he fights to reverse fortunes at the struggling platform he bought for $44 billion last year. In a tweet, Mr. Musk said he would remain in charge of design and technology at Twitter, with Ms. Yaccarino focusing primarily on business operations and turning Twitter into an “everything app” called X.

Fierce Gaza fighting renews as truce hopes fade
Israel and Gaza militants traded heavy fire Friday as hopes faded of securing a truce to end days of fighting that have killed dozens, all but one of them Palestinian. The violence has been met with international calls for de-escalation, with the European Union pushing Thursday for an “immediate comprehensive ceasefire”. Israel announced it was “striking Islamic Jihad targets” in the densely populated Palestinian territory, while AFP journalists saw air strikes hit Gaza City.

Erdogan rival says has evidence of Russia’s online campaign ahead of Turkey vote
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, main challenger of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, said on Friday his party has concrete evidence of Russia’s responsibility for the release of “deep fake” online content ahead of Sunday’s presidential elections. Asked why he tweeted on Thursday that Russia was responsible, he told Reuters: “If we did not have it [concrete evidence], I wouldn’t have tweeted.” The party did not contact the Russian embassy in Turkey over the issue, he added.

Adani-Hindenburg row | Supreme Court confirms receipt of J. Sapre panel report
The Supreme Court on May 12 said it will use the weekend to pour over the report submitted by an expert committee led by former of apex court judge, Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre, on Hindenburg Foundation’s allegations of manipulation of share prices and fraud against the Adani group before taking a call on a request by Securities and Exchange Board to grant it a “minimum” of six months to complete its investigation. “We have received Justice Sapre’s report in the Registry. We did not have the time to read it. We will read it during the weekend and list your [SEBI] application for Monday,” a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud addressed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and advocate Pratap Venugopal, representing the market regulator.

SC stays promotion of 68 judicial officers in Gujarat
The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the promotion of 68 judicial officers in Gujarat, including that of Surat Chief Judicial Magistrate Harish Hasmukhbhai Varma, who had convicted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case and sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment. A Bench led by Justice M.R. Shah said the promotion of the judicial officers was in violation of the “merit-cum-seniority principle”. Two senior civil judge cadre officers, Ravikumar Maheta and Sachin Prataprai Mehta, had approached the apex court against the selection of the 68 judicial officers to the higher cadre of district judges.

SIT constituted to probe sexual harassment allegation against WFI chief: Delhi Police to court
The Delhi Police on Friday informed a special court here that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the allegations of sexual harassment levelled by women wrestlers against WFI president Brij Bhushan Singh. The submission was made before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Harjeet Singh Jaspal in response to the court’s earlier order directing the police to file a stratus report.

The Kerala Story row | SC seeks response of Tamil Nadu, West Bengal Government
The Supreme Court on May 12 sought replies of the West Bengal and Tamil Nadu Governments on a plea of the producers of The Kerala Story challenging the ban in the two States. A Bench of Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice P.S. Narasimha questioned the West Bengal government saying the film is being screened in the rest of the country without any problem and there appears to be no reason for the ban.

Delhi HC asks Centre to respond to U.K.-based journalist’s plea challenging OCI card cancellation
The Delhi High Court on May 12 asked the Centre to respond to a plea by a U.K.-based Indian-origin journalist challenging cancellation of her OCI card for her alleged involvement in “detrimental propaganda against the Indian Government”. Justice Prathiba M. Singh issued notice to the ministries of Home Affairs, External Affairs and the High Commission of India in London on the petition filed by 82-year-old Amrit Wilson.

North-east riots: court acquits three citing lack of evidence
A court here has acquitted three men in a 2020 north-east Delhi riots case about vandalism at two properties citing the lack of evidence. While acquitting Dinesh Yadav, Sandeep and Tinku, Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala said the statements made by prosecution witnesses were “based on hearsay only”. The case was based on an FIR lodged at the Gokalpuri police station in February 2020 based on the complaints of Aakil Saifi and Irfan about a mob vandalising their properties. The accused were identified by the testimonies of the victims and eyewitnesses.

Top Rajasthan Congress leaders in huddle over Pilot’s march against corruption
Top leaders in the Congress’ Rajasthan unit went into a huddle on May 12 to chalk out a strategy to tackle the challenge thrown by Sachin Pilot, who has launched a foot march against corruption in the State. Senior party leaders, including the Congress’ Rajasthan in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, state unit chief Govind Singh Dotasra and co-in-charges Qazi Muhammad Nizamuddin, Amrita Dhawan and Virendra Rathore were present at a meeting at the party’s Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Road office during which they are likely to discuss Mr. Pilot’s march.

Delhi excise scam | Court extends Manish Sisodia’s judicial custody till June 2
A Delhi court on May 12 extended, till June 2, the judicial custody of AAP leader Manish Sisodia in a corruption case related to the alleged excise scam. Special Judge M.K. Nagpal extended Sisodia’s custody after the former Delhi deputy chief minister was produced before the court on expiry of his judicial custody.

Khalistan referendum event cancelled by city council in Australia’s Sydney
A city council in Sydney has cancelled a Khalistan propaganda event planned for next month due to security reasons, a media report said on May 11. Acting on security agencies’ advice, permission for the event organised by the ‘Sikhs For Justice’ group in Blacktown City was revoked by the city council, The Australia Today newspaper reported.

Islamabad HC grants two-week bail to Imran Khan in corruption case
A special bench of the Islamabad High Court on May 12 granted bail to former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for two weeks in a corruption case. A Division Bench comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz heard the Al-Qadir trust corruption case, a day after the Supreme Court termed Khan’s arrest from the IHC premises on Tuesday as “invalid and unlawful”. Pakistan’s former PM Imran Khan arrived at the court for his pre-arrest bail in a graft case amid tight security and underwent the biometric identification process and other formalities.

China to send special envoy to Ukraine, Russia as part of peace efforts
China is sending a special envoy to Ukraine and Russia starting next week in an effort to help reach a political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, its Foreign Ministry said on May 12. Li Hui, who is China’s special representative for Eurasian affairs and a former Ambassador to Moscow, will also visit Poland, France, and Germany, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.

Zelenskyy barred from addressing ‘nonpolitical’ Eurovision Song Contest
This weekend’s Eurovision Song Contest will have Ukrainian flags, Ukrainian musicians and Ukrainian fans — but not the country’s wartime leader. Organisers rejected a request from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to make a video address to the final of the pan-continental music competition on May 13. He was expected to urge the world continue its support for Ukraine’s fight to repel Russian invasion. The European Broadcasting Union, which runs Eurovision, said that letting Mr. Zelenskyy participate would breach “the nonpolitical nature of the event.”

Retail inflation slides to 4.7% in April; IIP grows just 1.1% in March
India’s retail inflation slid to 4.7% in April, staying below the Reserve Bank of India’s 6% tolerance threshold for price rise for the second successive month, aided by the base effects from last April when it had hit a eight-year high of 7.8%. The retail inflation based on Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 5.66% in March 2023 and 7.79% in the year-ago period. Retail inflation in April is the lowest since October 2021 when it was at 4.48%.

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