1. 'Bibi-Narendra' Blunts Thorn
From water, agriculture and defence, India and Israel on Monday moved to new areas of cooperation in energy and cyber security with Prime Ministers Benjamin Netanyahu and Narendra Modi agreeing to not allow divergent views on Palestine eclipse the bilateral relationship.
As the two premiers met for the official part of Netanyahu's six-day visit, they continued with their public display of bromance: hugging at least thrice during the brief statements they had for the media at Hyderabad House after the delegation-level talks.
Modi first addressed the visitor as "my friend, Bibi" and Netanyahu reciprocated with "My friend, Narendra" while reminiscing about them wading barefoot into the Mediterranean Sea last July.
Netanyahu has come bearing the mobile desalination unit that he had shown his friend at the Mediterranean last summer as a gift, and showered praise on Modi's "revolutionary leadership".
Source: The Telegraph
2. Four Judges Who Criticised CJI Dipak Misra Not on Bench to Hear Seven Key Matters
Three days after four senior judges questioned the conduct of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra in the allocation of cases, the Supreme Court Monday put out a list of seven cases which will be heard by a Constitution Bench starting 18 January. Not one of the four judges — Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph — figure in this Bench.
The Constitution Bench, formed earlier to hear the matter of the challenge to Aadhaar, comprises CJI Misra and Justices AK Sikri, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and Ashok Bhushan.
Two petitions demanding an independent probe into the 2014 death of CBI Special Judge BH Loya too will come up before a bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Mohan M Shantanagoudar on Tuesday. The matter was listed for Monday but was moved to Tuesday since Justice Shantanagoudar was not available.
Source: The Indian Express
3. After Stormy Morning Meeting, Supreme Court Judges Get Back to Work
After Friday's tumultuous press conference by the four most senior judges of the Supreme Court where they alleged that sensitive cases were being assigned to 'select benches', all the judges gathered for the first time on Monday morning for the customary tea before the day's work.
Even as attorney general KK Venugopal and Bar Council of India chairman Manan Mishra claimed that the crisis, arguably the most serious one to have faced the top judiciary, had blown over, tensions hung heavy as the judges sat together for the first time since the insurrection on Friday.
The strain was obvious when the uneasy calm was broken by a barrage of angry words from a 'junior judge' who took on the 'famous four' for "bringing disrepute" to the institution and providing "hawkish politicians" a handle to scheme and plot in the judiciary's affairs.
Source: Times of India
4. 'Missing' VHP Leader Pravin Togadia Found in Ahmedabad Hospital
Vishwa Hindu Parishad international working president Pravin Togadia, who went missing from Ahmedabad after a Rajasthan police team came to arrest him in relation to a 2015 case, was found later on Monday in a hospital. Reports said the Hindutva leader was found in an Ahmedabad hospital.
The VHP leader was reportedly brought to Chandramani Hospital by medical emergency service 108 after he was reportedly found lying unconscious by a passerby.
Earlier in the day, the VHP blamed the Rajasthan Police, saying Togadia went missing after he was detained by them. However, the police team said they could not find the VHP chief at his residence when they came to execute an arrest warrant against Togadia under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the IPC in an old case.
Source: Indian Express
5. Jallikattu: Bull Gores Spectator, 26 Injured in Madurai
Tragedy struck Jallikattu celebrations at Palamedu village in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai district on Monday, after a bull gored one person to death and injured 26 people.
Despite foolproof arrangements, some spectators came in the way of a running bull near the collection point, nearly half a kilometre from the playing area, and were injured.
S Kalimuthu (19), a spectator, succumbed to injuries at a government hospital in Madurai. He hailed from Sanarpatti village of Dindigul district.
Another person who suffered serious injuries was among the six admitted to the hospital, according to the police inspector Palamedu who was investigating the case.
He said from Palamedu police station that he had received a complaint from the mother of the deceased and was investigating.
Source: Hindustan Times
6. China Slams Gen Rawat's Remarks as "Unconstructive", Says They Contradict Xiamen Consensus
China on Monday slammed comments by the Chief of Army Staff Bipin Rawat as “unconstructive,” and said his remarks did not conform to the spirit of September talks in Xiamen between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
During last week’s press conference, Gen Rawat had said that India needed to shift its military focus from its western border with Pakistan to its northern border with China. He had also observed that if China was strong, India was not weak either.
Besides this, Gen Rawat had highlighted the possibility of the return of Chinese troops to Doklam — an area that was the scene of a tense 73-day standoff between Indian and Chinese troops last year.
Source: The Hindu
6. Aadhaar to Read Face
Facial authentication, along with any one of the other existing features, will be allowed as a verification method for Aadhaar from July to help those with worn-out fingerprints and the aged.
"This facility is going to help in inclusive authentication of those who are not able to biometrically authenticate due to their worn-out fingerprints, old age or hard work conditions," the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which issues the Aadhaar cards, said in a statement.
It added that the feature would be allowed "only in fusion mode" along with one more authentication factor – either fingerprints, iris or one-time password – for successful authentication of an Aadhaar holder. The new method will also be allowed "on need basis".
Source: The Telegraph
7. Major Among Seven Pakistani Soldiers Killed in LoC Firing: Army
The army said on Monday that seven Pakistani soldiers, including a Major, were killed in action along the Line of Control in Janglote area opposite Mendhar sector.
Identifying the dead Pakistani Army officer as Major Amjad, sources said the action was carried out in retaliation to the unprovoked firing from across the LoC. Official sources in Delhi confirmed that there was no raid across the LoC, and the casualties on the Pakistani side occurred during effective counter to a ceasefire violation.
On Saturday, Lance Naik Yogesh Muralidhar Bhadane, 28, from Dhule district of Maharashtra, was killed during firing from across the border in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district. Sources said the dead and injured Pakistani soldiers are from 801 Mujahid Battalion, under Pakistan’s 3 PoK Brigade.
Source: The Indian Express
8. Focus on Education, Health: In NDMC Budget, Bike Stations, Stack Parking, Free Sanitary Pad Machines
Fifty bike sharing stations, cycle tracks, redevelopment of markets, stack parking at Khan Market and Connaught Place, hostels for daughters of martyrs, and sanitary napkin vending machines were the focus of the New Delhi Municipal Council’s budget for 2018-19, presented on Monday.
The priorities in the Rs 3,935.91 crore budget for areas under the NDMC — which has the upscale Lutyens’ Delhi, Lodhi Road, Parliament House and Supreme Court — are education, health and non-motorised transport. An area of 43.7 km falls under the NDMC. Several old proposals, such as WiFi connectivity, smart parking management system, geo-tagging of public toilets, and ‘solar trees’, were repeated in this year’s budget.
Source: The Indian Express
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