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Hindustan Times, November 5, 2019 After refusing to join China-led trade deal, India supports talks with EU India should hold talks with the European Union for a free trade agreement, the government said on Tuesday, a day after it refused to join a China-backed regional trade pact for fear of a flood of cheap Chinese imports. Trade Minister Piyush Goyal said sectors such as gems, textiles and agriculture have pushed for a trade pact with the EU. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has also called for talks to restart to finalise an agreement. “We should engage in a FTA with the EU,” Goyal told a news conference where he explained the reasons for not joining the Regional Cooperative Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) that 15 nations concluded on Monday. Goyal said India had put forward “strong demands” on services, investments leading to the prolonged negotiations for the RCEP, which includes the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Japan, South

The Hindu, November 5, 2019 Is Delhi’s polluted air causing smog in Chennai? Chennai experienced haze and smog in many parts till late in the afternoon on Monday, causing concern among residents. As the debate about whether it was caused by pollution moving in from north India raged on social media, officials flat out dismissed the possibility but some of the city’s popular weather bloggers said it could not be ruled out. For most of the day, social media was abuzz with messages on polluted air from north India being pushed south. The Meteorological Department said the haze over the city was due to local pollution and had no connection with the pollution in Delhi. N. Puviarasan, Director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, Chennai, said polluted air travelling for such a long distance was not possible. Surface-level air could not travel such distances, he said, adding that it was purely a local phenomenon in Chennai as interior parts of the State had not experienced such haze.

The Hindu, November 5, 2019 Campaign against Twitter by Dalit activists Accused of promoting and condoning caste discrimination and hierarchy, social medial platform Twitter is in the eye of a storm as a campaign against it by Dalit, OBC and tribal activists and their supporters has been trending on the platform since Saturday. On Tuesday, #TwitterHatesSCSTOBCMuslims was among the top trends and on Monday, it was #JaiBheemJaiMandalJaiBirsa — denoting a coalition of Dalits, OBCs and Tribals hailing Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, B.P. Mandal of Mandal Commission fame, and Birsa Munda, tribal freedom fighter. Campaigners have trended #CasteistTwitter, #JaiBhimTwitter and #SackManishMaheswari since Saturday. Manish Maheshwari is the managing director of Twitter India. Meanwhile, another hashtag #TwitterParRajHinduKa — Hindus rule Twitter — had begun to trend by Tuesday afternoon. Activists say the immediate trigger for the campaign was Twitter’s abrupt decision to restrict the handle

The Telegraph, November 6, 2019 Birla Corp profit jumps five times Profits of Birla Corporation, the flagship company of MP Birla Group, jumped more than five times in the second quarter of this fiscal, beating the slowdown blues. The company, under the chairmanship of Harsh V. Lodha, attributed the spike to a better realisation from the sale of premium and blended cement and cost rationalisation. This is first quarterly result that BCL announced after the legal dispute over the ownership of the MP Birla group renewed with gusto between the Lodha and Birla family members. A court appointed committed entrusted to look after the estate of late Priyamvada Devi Birla, wife of late Madhav Prasad Birla, till ownership is conclusively decided by the grant of probate, decided not to support a formula of payment of profit linked remuneration to Lodha. One of the reasons the committee cited to vote against a resolution on the fixation of Lodha’s salary in the last AGM was decl

Hindustan Times, November 6, 2019 Households were rebuilding cash stash even a year after demonetisation Demonetisation, announced almost three years ago, on November 8, 2016, was primarily meant to purge unaccounted wealth in cash, but more than 99% of demonetised currency came back into the financial system. Now, three years later, data released recently by National Account Statistics (NAS) shows that Indian households were quick to accumulate significantly more cash after demonetisation than they previously held. This was done most likely to compensate for the depletion of their cash holdings caused by demonetisation. In 2017-18, savings in currency accounted for 25% of the total gross financial savings of households. This was the highest since 2011-12, the earliest period for which data is available under the new series. Correspondingly, the share of deposits in gross financial savings was 28% in 2017-18, the lowest since 2011-12. This suggests that people withdrew

The Indian Express, November 6, 2019 In Moscow, Rajnath Singh invites Russian companies to manufacture in India Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on a visit to Russia assured the defence industry there that India will give procurement orders of agreed quantities at mutually decided price for a period not less than five years if they decide to move their manufacturing to India. Inviting the Russian defence industry members to jointly develop defence equipment in India, Singh also said that he was hopeful that manufacturing under such agreement will lead to reduction in cost and timelines of the supplies, and also result in progressive indigenisation of spares. Advertising “We will soon share with the Russian side the list of spares and items, proposed to be manufactured in India,” Singh told the members of the Russian defence industry and added that he hoped that “Russia will identify the OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) in the next few months who can partner

Hindustan Times, November 5, 2019 Will resolve outstanding issues raised by India for not joining RCEP:China China said on Tuesday that it will follow the principle of “mutual understanding and accommodation” to resolve the outstanding issues raised by India for not joining the Beijing-backed mega Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). China also said it would welcome India joining the deal at an early date. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday conveyed India's decision not to join the RCEP   deal at a summit meeting of the 16-nation bloc, effectively wrecking its aim to create the world’s largest free trade area having half of the world’s population. “The present form of the RCEP Agreement does not fully reflect the basic spirt and the agreed guiding principles of the RCEP. It also does not address satisfactorily India’s outstanding issues and concerns. In such a situation, it is not possible for India to join RCEP Agreement,” Modi said. India has b

The Indian Express, November 6, 2019 Money laundering case: ED opposes bail plea of Yusuf, says he was acting on behalf of Mirchi The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has claimed that an original bank passbook and Income Tax documents of a Mumbai-based trust show that it was a ‘mere cover’ for late gangster Iqbal Memon alias Mirchi for three properties in Worli worth over Rs 200 crore. In its reply filed on Monday, opposing the bail application of Haroun Yusuf, who was the chairman of Mohamed Yusuf Trust, the ED said a letter was recovered, written by the Trust to the I-T department in 1994, which shows that an amount was received for the sale of the three properties. Advertising Deals of the three properties — Rabia Mansion, Maryam Lodge and Sea View — in Worli, were allegedly struck with Mirchi in 1986 but to ensure that they are not attached as proceeds of crime after Mirchi was declared an absconding accused in cases filed against him, the ‘real ownership’

Hindustan Times, November 6, 2019 Over 11,000 scientists around the world declare climate emergency Forty years ago, scientists from 50 nations converged on Geneva to discuss what was then called the “CO2-climate problem.” At the time, with reliance on fossil fuels having helped trigger the 1979 oil crisis, they predicted global warming would eventually become a major environmental challenge. The scientists got to work, setting forth proposals on how to attack the problem, setting the stage for the eventual creation of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world’s preeminent body of climate scientists. Their goal was to get ahead of the problem before it was too late. But after a fast start, the fossil fuel industry, politics and the prioritization of economic growth over planetary health slowed them down. Now, four decades later, a larger group of scientists is sounding another, much more urgent alarm. More than 11,000 experts from around the world are ca

Hindustan Times, November 6, 2019 Centre to facilitate onion imports from Egypt, Turkey, Iran amid soaring prices With supplies running short and onion prices at Rs 80 a kg, the Consumer Affairs Ministry said on Tuesday that the government will act as a facilitator for onion imports to ease the process and ensure a quick and healthy supply from other countries. This decision was taken at a meeting of the inter-ministerial committee on Tuesday as it again reviewed the prices and availability of onions. It was decided that the Union Government will act as a facilitator for the import of onions, the Consumer Affairs Ministry said. In this regard, the phytosanitary and fumigation requirements will be suitably liberalised to facilitate imports. Indian missions in Afghanistan, Egypt, Turkey and Iran have been asked to facilitate supply of onions to India. This is expected to facilitate immediate import of 80 containers and diversion of 100 containers in the high seas to

Hindustan Times, November 6, 2019 ISIS group attempted suicide attack in India last year, says US official The Khorasan group of the ISIS or the ISIS-K, which operates in south Asia, last year attempted a suicide attack in India, a top American official has told lawmakers. In fact, of all the branches of the ISIS, ISIS-K is the outfit that is of the most concern to the US, Russel Travers, Acting Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Office of Director of National Intelligence, said on Tuesday. “Of all of the branches and networks of ISIS, ISIS-K is certainly one of those of most concern, probably in the neighbourhood of 4,000 individuals or so,” Travers said in response to a question from Indian-origin Senator Maggie Hassan. “They have attempted to certainly inspire attacks outside of Afghanistan. They attempted last year to conduct a suicide attack in India. It failed,” Travers said when Hassan asked about the ability of ISIS-K to carry out terrorist att