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Monday 08, February 2021 [alt_text]( The Evening Wrap Here are the biggest news stories of the day [alt_text]( Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the dayâs biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. We hope you are staying safe. Parliament proceedings: PM sees âaandolan jeeviâ and a new âFDIâ Prime Minister [Narendra Modi on Monday coined two terms, âaandolan jeeviâ]( (professional protesters) and âForeign Destructive Ideologyâ to lampoon the Opposition and certain protesters and foreign individuals who have tweeted in support of the ongoing farmersâ agitation. While replying to the Motion of Thanks on the Presidentâs address in the Rajya Sabha, Modi said that India was not merely the worldâs largest democracy; it was the âmother of democracyâ. A new kind of FDI had emerged in the country and it was âForeign Destructive Ideologyâ. âWe need to be more aware to save the country from such an ideology,â he stated. Modi spoke about a new breed of protesters, âaandolan-jeeviâ, who could be seen at every agitation. âThese parasites feast on every agitation. When they are not in the front, they operate from behind the curtains, they cannot survive without agitation,â he observed. Calling upon everyone to educate the youth about the glorious history of the country, he said, âPeople who suspect Indiaâs democracy, I want to ask them to learn to understand it. Our democracy is not a western institution, it is a human institution. Indiaâs nationalism should be protected from multiple attacksâ. Recently, international pop star Rihanna shared a news article of the ongoing farmers agitation on Twitter, asking why it wasnât discussed enough. This prompted an unusual response from the government: it issued a press statement, stating that it was âunfortunate to see vested interest groups trying to enforce their agenda on these protests, and derail them.â SKM condemns PMâs remarks, calls it an âinsult to farmersâ [
BKU leader Rakesh Tikait addressing the media during ongoing farmers protest against new farm laws at Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border at Ghazipur.
] BKU leader Rakesh Tikait addressing the media during ongoing farmers protest against new farm laws at Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border at Ghazipur. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, which is spearheading the farmer protests, condemned Prime Minister Narendraâs remarks in Parliament on âandolan jeeviâ. In a press statement, the SKM âcondemnedâ PM Modiâs âinsultâ to farmers and said, âAndolans liberated India from the British and therefore we are proud to be âandolan jeeviâ. The BJPâs predecessors never did âandolanâ against the British and were always against andolans. Thatâs why they are still scared of public movements.â [Farmer leader Shiv Kumar Kakka, who is a senior member of the SKM, said they are ready for the next round of talks and the government should tell them the date and time of the meeting](. âWe have never refused to hold talks with the government. Whenever it has called us for dialogue, we held discussions with Union ministers. We are ready for talks with them (government),â Kakka said. Super Bowl features 30-second TV advertisement on farmersâ protest [
The advertisement was funded by the Sikh community of Fresno, a city in central California. Videograb: Twitter/@Kisanektamorcha
] The advertisement was funded by the Sikh community of Fresno, a city in central California. Videograb: Twitter/@Kisanektamorcha This yearâs [Super Bowl, a football championship game that is also one of the most-watched events on American television](, featured a 30-second commercial on the ongoing farmersâ agitation in India, terming it the âlargest protest in historyâ. The advertisement was funded by the Sikh community of Fresno, a city in central California, according to a grateful tweet from the Kisan Ekta Morcha handle, which is the official voice of the protesters. The 30-second spot in this yearâs Super Bowl cost $5.5 million, and last yearâs viewership of the championship was around 100 million. The commercial begins with a quote from Martin Luther King: âInjustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhereâ. Images from the farmersâ tractor parade and their border camps are overlaid with text alleging human rights violations against protesters. Punjabi music plays as âNo Farmers, No Food, No Futureâ flashes on the screen. It includes a message from Fresno mayor Jerry Dyer. âWe want you to know, our brothers and sisters in India, that we stand with you,â he says. Fresno has a large Sikh population, as high as 40,000, according to some local reports. Pop music icon Rihannaâs viral tweet on the protests also gets a mention. China calls V.K. Singhâs statement on LAC âan unwitting confessionâ [
File photo shows army convoy moves on the Srinagar-Ladakh highway. File
] File photo shows army convoy moves on the Srinagar-Ladakh highway. File Responding to [Union Minister of State for State Transport and Highways V. K. Singhâs comment]( on Sunday India has transgressed more times than China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), but the government does not announce it, Chinaâs Foreign Ministry, at a press conference today described it as âan unwitting confessionâ. âLet me assure you, if China has transgressed 10 times, we must have done it at least 50 times,â Singh has said, adding, âToday, China is under pressure, since we are sitting at places (along the border), where it does not like.â Asked to respond to this comment, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, âThis is an unwitting confession by the Indian side. For a long time, the Indian side has conducted frequent acts of trespass in the border area in an attempt tp encroach on Chinaâs territory and constantly created disputes and frictions, which is the root cause of the tensions at the China-India border. We urge the Indian side to follow through on the consensus, agreements, and treaties it reached with China.â The Chinese stateâs mouth piece Global Times, in an opinion piece published today, was quick to observe, âThe latest remarks from Singh not only embarrassed India, but also made the U.S. and other Western countries, which have been endorsing India for a long time, look bad. Just a few days ago, Emily J.Horne, spokesperson of the National Security Council, expressed Washington's concern over âBeijingâs pattern of ongoing attempts to intimidate its neighborsâ in the new U.S. administrationâs first response to the China-India border standoff. Yet Singh quickly proved who the real âintimidatorâ is.â South Africa sets aside 1 million doses of Covishield sent by India; to use Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines instead [South Africa has suspended the use of AstraZenecaâs Covid-19 shot](, Covishield, in its vaccination programme after data showed it gave minimal protection against mild to moderate infection caused by the country's dominant coronavirus variant. AstraZenecaâs vaccine is produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII) and marketed under the name Covishield. It is one of the two vaccines â the other being Bharat Biotechâs Covaxin â that India is using in its anti-Covid-19 immunisation programme. South Africa had intended to roll out the AstraZeneca shot to healthcare workers soon, after receiving 1 million doses of it from SII. However, it will now offer vaccines developed by Johnson &Johnson and Pfizer in the coming weeks while experts consider how the AstraZeneca shot can be deployed. âFrom next week for the next four weeks, we expect that there will be J&J vaccines, there will be Pfizer vaccines. So what will be available to the health workers will be those vaccines. The AstraZeneca vaccine will remain with us ... up until the scientists give us clear indications as to what we need to do,â South Africaâs Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said. Uttarakhand glacier disaster: Death toll crosses 15; setbacks to hydel power projects [
Rescue operations underway at Tapovan Tunnel, after a glacier broke off in Joshimath causing a massive flood in Chamoli, on February 8, 2021. ] Rescue operations underway at Tapovan Tunnel, after a glacier broke off in Joshimath causing a massive flood in Chamoli, on February 8, 2021. [At least 15 persons have been killed and over 150 are missing after a portion of the Nanda Devi glacier]( broke off in Uttarakhandâs Chamoli district on Sunday, triggering an avalanche and a deluge in the Alaknanda river system. The sudden flood in the middle of the day in the Dhauli Ganga, Rishi Ganga and Alaknanda rivers â all intricately linked tributaries of the Ganga â triggered widespread panic and large-scale devastation in the high mountain areas. Two power projects â NTPCâs Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project and the Rishi Ganga Hydel Project â were extensively damaged, with scores of labourers trapped in tunnels as the waters came rushing in. The Uttarakhand glacier burst has caused an estimated loss of â¹1,500 crore at the NTPC's 480 mw Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project and has put a question mark on its scheduled commissioning in 2023, Union Power Minister R.K. Singh said on Monday. The minister visited Tapovan on Monday to assess the extent of damage at the project site, a day after the glacier burst in Chamoli district. âThe project was scheduled to be commissioned in 2023. But there is a question mark now on how long it will take to desilt it as lakhs of tonnes of silt is lying at the project site,â Singh told reporters in Tapovan. âAs of now it is difficult to say when we will be able to resume work at the site and when the project will be commissioned,â he said. However, the Union Minister ruled out any possibility of the project being scrapped. SC rejects plea for imposition of Presidentâs rule in Uttar Pradesh [
A view of the Supreme Court of India in New Delhi. File
] A view of the Supreme Court of India in New Delhi. File The [Supreme Court on Monday rejected a plea to direct the imposition of Presidentâs rule]( under Article 356 in Uttar Pradesh, saying the lawlessness, especially against women, is higher than in other States. A Bench led by Chief Justice Sharad A. Bobde asked petitioner-in-person, advocate C.R. Jaya Sukin, the basis of his claim and challenged him to produce his research, comparing the crime rate in Uttar Pradesh with other States, on record. The court asked him how the alleged situation in Uttar Pradesh affected his fundamental rights, prompting him to file the petition. âI am a citizen,â Sukin replied. The Bench cautioned him saying it would impose heavy costs on him for wasting time. âA lot of extra-judicial killings, arbitrary killings are taking place in Uttar Pradesh,â Sukin submitted. âHave you studied the crime records of other States? Where is your research?â Chief Justice Bobde asked the lawyer. âOf the total number of crimes in India, more than 30% are in Uttar Pradesh,â Sukin claimed. His petition pointed to several incidents in the recent past, including the alleged gangrape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit girl at Hathras in the State. It also highlighted the detention of Dr. Kafeel Khan, the police excesses in the AMU, the name-and-shame banners of the anti-CAA protesters. Sukin said the State was âmost unsafe for womenâ. âAccording to the National Crime Record Bureauâs Crime in India 2019 report, Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of crimes against women. India reported 4,05,861 cases in 2019 and of these, Uttar Pradesh had 59,853 such incidents,â the petition said. HC dismisses Navlakhaâs appeal challenging rejection of statutory bail [
Gautam Navlakha. File Photo.
] Gautam Navlakha. File Photo. The [Bombay High Court on Monday dismissed the appeal filed by activist Gautam Navlakha]( from the Taloja Central Jail, challenging the rejection of his statutory bail by the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on July 12 in the Bhima Koregaon violence case. A division bench of Justices S.S. Shinde and M.S. Karnik was hearing the appeal filed through senior advocate Kapil Sibal on September 9. Sibal had argued that 34 of days of Navlakhaâs house arrest were not considered as detention and the NIA did not file its charge sheet within the stipulated period of 90 days as per the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). Hence Navlakha was eligible for default bail. However, senior advocate SV Raju, appearing for the Central agency, contended that the house arrest period could not be counted. âNavlakha was a free man as he was neither in custody nor on bail,â he had said. The bench had reserved the order on December 16. As per the charge sheet, Navlakha was involved in secret communications with Communist Party of India (Maoist) cadres. Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The [number of reported coronavirus cases from India]( stood at 1,08,38,341 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 1,57,719. India has so far provided Covid-19 vaccination to over 60 lakh health care and frontline workers with, no case of serious adverse events or deaths attributable to vaccination till date, said the Health Ministry on Monday. India has reported 22 deaths so far following vaccination, though none of these are attributed to the vaccine itself. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. Today's Top Picks [alt_text]( [Google paid $6.7 million in bug bounty rewards in 2020]( [alt_text]( [Watch | What is happening in Uttarakhand?]( [alt_text]( [âSpace Sweepersâ movie review: A largely entertaining space adventure that needed a tighter story]( [alt_text]( [Super Bowl features 30-second TV advertisement on farmersâ protest]( You are receiving this email because you are a user of [thehindu.com]( If you do not wish to receive any such emails, [unsubscribe here.](mailto:rm-0bfhe7umbf2f90kauhrxfebysa8hk4g@newsalert.thehindu.com?subject=Unsubscribe&body=You will be unsubscribed from our mailing list.) To ensure you continue to receive emails from The Hindu in your inbox, please add newsletters.th@newsalert.thehindu.com to your contact. If you can't see the mailer, please [click here.]( Group Sites [The Hindu]( | [à®à®¨à¯à®¤à¯ தமிழ௠திà®à¯]( | [Business Line]( | [BL on Campus]( | [Sportstar]( | [Frontline](
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