The Evening Wrap: NATO sends ships, fighter jets to eastern Europe

NATO said Monday that it’s putting extra forces on standby and sending more ships and fighter jets to eastern Europe as Russia continues its troop build-up near Ukraine. It said that it’s beefing up its “deterrence” presence in the Baltic Sea area. A number of members of the 30-country military organisation have offered troops and equipment. Denmark is sending a frigate to the Baltic Sea and deploying F-16 war planes to Lithuania. Spain is sending ships to join NATO’s standing maritime force and considering sending fighter jets to Bulgaria. France stands ready to send troops to Bulgaria, NATO said. “NATO will continue to take all necessary measures to protect and defend all Allies, including by reinforcing the eastern part of the Alliance. We will always respond to any deterioration of our security environment, including through strengthening our collective defence,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement. Julian Assange granted appeal in UK to fight extradition to US WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s battle to avoid extradition to the US will go to Britain’s Supreme Court after he was granted the right on Monday to appeal a lower court ruling. The High Court in London allowed Assange to appeal its decision that he could be sent to the US to stand trial on espionage charges. The decision is the latest step in Assange’s long battle to avoid trial on a series of charges related to WikiLeaks’ publication of classified documents more than a decade ago. Just over a year ago, a district court judge in London rejected a US extradition request on the grounds that Assange was likely to kill himself if held under harsh US prison conditions. US authorities later provided assurances that the WikiLeaks founder wouldn’t face the severe treatment his lawyers said would put his physical and mental health at risk. The High Court last month overturned the lower court’s decision, saying that the US promises were enough to guarantee Assange would be treated humanely. The court on Monday gave Assange permission to appeal that ruling to the Supreme Court. Group opposes protection from caste discrimination in California Varsity’s faculty union A group of faculty in the California State University (CSU) system has written to the Board of Trustees asking that caste not be added as a ‘protected category’ to the system’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA), on the grounds that it would apply to Indian-origin faculty alone and single them out for targeted scrutiny. A protected category in the U.S., refers to a category that has specific protections against discrimination. The proposed changes to the agreement with the union follow from a change across the system’s 23 campuses announced on January 20, in which caste was specifically made part of the institutions’ anti-discrimination policy. The faculty letter, a copy of which was released by the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), was, according to the writers, written by over 80 CSU faculty (the list of names was withheld, so the number has not been verified by The Hindu). The letter requests that the CBA only be approved after caste, as a category, is taken out. Meetings to ratify the agreement between the CSU and the union (the California Faculty Association or CFA), are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. The letter’s signatories say that union leaders, whom they met on January 14, “had no understanding” of the issue and were unable to answer “basic questions” such as, how many Indian and South Asian faculty were consulted before the change, whether existing policy – which already covers national origin, ethnicity, and ancestry — failed to provide protection, and how caste would be defined and adjudicated. Thenmozhi Soundararajan, Executive Director of Dalit rights organisation Equality Labs, says that caste is already covered by other categories but explicitly including it as a category will spur institutions to action, including collecting data. “The reason why caste oppressed people are asking for the category to be made explicit, is that when institutions make it explicit, they’re extending the existing rights more clearly, for caste oppressed people,” she told The Hindu on Monday over the phone. “Because once it’s listed, institutions then will build competency around it.” The faculty letter alleges that Equality Labs is an “anti-Hindu activist organization” and that a member of the group was called in as a witness to the January 14 Union meeting. The CSU faculty letter also points to a 2021 survey report by the Carnegie Endowment and others, which says an Equality Labs 2018 study on caste used a non-representative sample as it dropped respondents who did not provide their caste, thus potentially skewing responses towards those who have strong views on the subject. The Carnegie report’s data suggest that 5% of respondents (Indian Americans) encountered caste discrimination. Equality Labs research says that 1 in 4 Dalits experience physical or verbal assault and 1 in 3 experience discrimination in universities, and that this data is borne out by student experiences at Cal State (CSU). With the change already enacted earlier in January, the University will now collect data and measure discriminatory harms. Organisations working in the rights space are helping to inform Americans of caste-based discrimination (an unfamiliar concept to many) and to include caste as a protected category in institutions. In December, Harvard University ratified a contract with its Graduate Student Union that included caste as a protected category. The signatories of the letter to the CSU Board urge the body to engage in “due diligence” about the role of caste in the university system and say that it will find that “…rather than redressing discrimination, [including caste as a protected category] will actually cause discrimination by unconstitutionally singling out and targeting Hindu faculty of Indian and South Asian descent as members of a suspect class because of deeply entrenched, false stereotypes about Indians, Hindus, and caste.” “Anyone that looks at this letter sees it for what it is, which is dominant caste fragility. And fear mongering and misinformation and gaslighting,” Soundararajan said, explaining that adding caste as a protected category doesn’t discriminate against any other category. Lawyers for HAF have also sent the CSU Board of Trustees and Chancellor as well as the CFA President letters about the issue. However, the California Trade Justice Coalition, an alliance of unions and rights organisations, is also sending a letter to CSU and CFA leadership, commending the addition of caste as a protected category. “We strongly believe that attempts to discredit these vulnerable stakeholders and their demand for equity and safety are rooted in casteism and make it even clearer that these institutional protections are imperative to ensuring equity,” their letter says. Former Zimbabwe batsman Brendan Taylor admits receiving money from Indian businessman for spot-fixing Former Zimbabwe batsman Brendan Taylor is facing a ban from the International Cricket Council (ICC) after admitting he received a $15,000 “deposit” for spot-fixing, though he said he was blackmailed and never went through with the arrangement. Taylor said he was coerced into accepting the money from an Indian businessman in October 2019 and that it took him four months to report the incident to the ICC anti-corruption unit because he feared for his safety. Taylor travelled to India to discuss the launch of a new T20 competition in Zimbabwe with the promise of $15,000 as payment. “We had drinks and during the course of the evening, they openly offered me cocaine, which they themselves engaged in. I foolishly took the bait,” Taylor said in a statement released via Twitter on Monday. “The following morning, the same men stormed into my hotel room and showed me a video taken of me the night before doing cocaine and told me that if I did not spot-fix at international matches for them, the video would be released to the public.” Taylor said he was handed $15,000 as a deposit, and promised he would receive another $20,000 when the job was complete. “I would like to place on record that I have never been involved in any form of match-fixing. I may be many things, but I am not a cheat,” he said. “That being said, the ICC are taking the decision to impose a multi-year ban on my international cricketing career. I humbly accept this decision.” Taylor added he would check into a rehabilitation facility on Tuesday to treat his substance abuse. The ICC and Zimbabwe Cricket have not responded to requests for comment. The 35-year-old Taylor, who played for Zimbabwe in 34 Tests, 205 one-dayers and 45 T20s, retired from international cricket in September. Former Zimbabwe all-rounder and coach Heath Streak was banned by the ICC for eight years last April for his role in revealing inside information which could be used for betting purposes. Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 3,95,44,512 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 4,89,903. In Brief: The NDA on Monday announced its seat-sharing arrangement for the Punjab Assembly polls, with the BJP to fight on 65 seats, the Captain Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Loktantrik Congress on 37 seats, and the Akali Dal (Sanyukt) led by Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa fighting on 15 seats. Punjab Assembly has a total of 117 seats. Making the announcement, and flanked by allies Singh and Dhindsa along with Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Shekhawat, party in-charge for the Punjab polls, BJP president J P Nadda said that the seat-sharing could be adjusted for a seat or two this way or that, but that largely this would be the broader contour of seat-sharing between the parties. The domestic equity market on Monday logged the steepest single-day drop in about two months, with the benchmark Sensex crashing nearly 1,546 points to crack below the 58,000-level due to panic selling across counters tracking subdued global stocks. The BSE Sensex started the session on a weak note and got further overwhelmed by panic selling as the trade progressed and tanked over 2,050 points to touch the day’s low at 56,984. The index finally settled at 57,491.51 – clocking a massive 1,545.67 points or 2.62% drop. A gunman injured several people in a shooting inside a lecture hall at Heidelberg University in southwestern Germany on Monday, police said, adding that the perpetrator was now dead. “A lone perpetrator injured several people in a lecture hall with a long gun. The perpetrator is dead,” Mannheim police said in a statement. German media reported that the gunman had killed himself and that he appeared to have no religious or political motive. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 24 JANUARY 2022 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( NATO sends ships, fighter jets to eastern Europe as Russia continues troop build-up near Ukraine [NATO said Monday that it’s putting extra forces on standby and sending more ships and fighter jets]( to eastern Europe as Russia continues its troop build-up near Ukraine. It said that it’s beefing up its “deterrence” presence in the Baltic Sea area. A number of members of the 30-country military organisation have offered troops and equipment. Denmark is sending a frigate to the Baltic Sea and deploying F-16 war planes to Lithuania. Spain is sending ships to join NATO’s standing maritime force and considering sending fighter jets to Bulgaria. France stands ready to send troops to Bulgaria, NATO said. “NATO will continue to take all necessary measures to protect and defend all Allies, including by reinforcing the eastern part of the Alliance. We will always respond to any deterioration of our security environment, including through strengthening our collective defence,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement. [underlineimg] Julian Assange granted appeal in UK to fight extradition to US WikiLeaks founder [Julian Assange’s battle to avoid extradition to the US will go to Britain’s Supreme Court]( after he was granted the right on Monday to appeal a lower court ruling. The High Court in London allowed Assange to appeal its decision that he could be sent to the US to stand trial on espionage charges. [Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks. File]  The decision is the latest step in Assange’s long battle to avoid trial on a series of charges related to WikiLeaks’ publication of classified documents more than a decade ago. Just over a year ago, a district court judge in London rejected a US extradition request on the grounds that Assange was likely to kill himself if held under harsh US prison conditions. US authorities later provided assurances that the WikiLeaks founder wouldn’t face the severe treatment his lawyers said would put his physical and mental health at risk. The High Court last month overturned the lower court’s decision, saying that the US promises were enough to guarantee Assange would be treated humanely. The court on Monday gave Assange permission to appeal that ruling to the Supreme Court. [underlineimg] Group opposes protection from caste discrimination in California Varsity’s faculty union A [group of faculty in the California State University (CSU) system]( has written to the Board of Trustees asking that caste not be added as a ‘protected category’ to the system’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA), on the grounds that it would apply to Indian-origin faculty alone and single them out for targeted scrutiny. A protected category in the U.S., refers to a category that has specific protections against discrimination. The proposed changes to the agreement with the union follow from a change across the system’s 23 campuses announced on January 20, in which caste was specifically made part of the institutions’ anti-discrimination policy. The faculty letter, a copy of which was released by the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), was, according to the writers, written by over 80 CSU faculty (the list of names was withheld, so the number has not been verified by The Hindu). The letter requests that the CBA only be approved after caste, as a category, is taken out. Meetings to ratify the agreement between the CSU and the union (the California Faculty Association or CFA), are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. The letter’s signatories say that union leaders, whom they met on January 14, “had no understanding” of the issue and were unable to answer “basic questions” such as, how many Indian and South Asian faculty were consulted before the change, whether existing policy – which already covers national origin, ethnicity, and ancestry — failed to provide protection, and how caste would be defined and adjudicated. Thenmozhi Soundararajan, Executive Director of Dalit rights organisation Equality Labs, says that caste is already covered by other categories but explicitly including it as a category will spur institutions to action, including collecting data. “The reason why caste oppressed people are asking for the category to be made explicit, is that when institutions make it explicit, they’re extending the existing rights more clearly, for caste oppressed people,” she told The Hindu on Monday over the phone. “Because once it’s listed, institutions then will build competency around it.” The faculty letter alleges that Equality Labs is an “anti-Hindu activist organization” and that a member of the group was called in as a witness to the January 14 Union meeting. The CSU faculty letter also points to a 2021 survey report by the Carnegie Endowment and others, which says an Equality Labs 2018 study on caste used a non-representative sample as it dropped respondents who did not provide their caste, thus potentially skewing responses towards those who have strong views on the subject. The Carnegie report’s data suggest that 5% of respondents (Indian Americans) encountered caste discrimination. Equality Labs research says that 1 in 4 Dalits experience physical or verbal assault and 1 in 3 experience discrimination in universities, and that this data is borne out by student experiences at Cal State (CSU). With the change already enacted earlier in January, the University will now collect data and measure discriminatory harms. Organisations working in the rights space are helping to inform Americans of caste-based discrimination (an unfamiliar concept to many) and to include caste as a protected category in institutions. In December, Harvard University ratified a contract with its Graduate Student Union that included caste as a protected category. The signatories of the letter to the CSU Board urge the body to engage in “due diligence” about the role of caste in the university system and say that it will find that “…rather than redressing discrimination, [including caste as a protected category] will actually cause discrimination by unconstitutionally singling out and targeting Hindu faculty of Indian and South Asian descent as members of a suspect class because of deeply entrenched, false stereotypes about Indians, Hindus, and caste.” “Anyone that looks at this letter sees it for what it is, which is dominant caste fragility. And fear mongering and misinformation and gaslighting,” Soundararajan said, explaining that adding caste as a protected category doesn’t discriminate against any other category. Lawyers for HAF have also sent the CSU Board of Trustees and Chancellor as well as the CFA President letters about the issue. However, the California Trade Justice Coalition, an alliance of unions and rights organisations, is also sending a letter to CSU and CFA leadership, commending the addition of caste as a protected category. “We strongly believe that attempts to discredit these vulnerable stakeholders and their demand for equity and safety are rooted in casteism and make it even clearer that these institutional protections are imperative to ensuring equity,” their letter says. [underlineimg] Former Zimbabwe batsman Brendan Taylor admits receiving money from Indian businessman for spot-fixing [Former Zimbabwe batsman Brendan Taylor is facing a ban from the International Cricket Council (ICC)]( after admitting he received a $15,000 “deposit” for spot-fixing, though he said he was blackmailed and never went through with the arrangement. Taylor said he was coerced into accepting the money from an Indian businessman in October 2019 and that it took him four months to report the incident to the ICC anti-corruption unit because he feared for his safety. Taylor travelled to India to discuss the launch of a new T20 competition in Zimbabwe with the promise of $15,000 as payment. “We had drinks and during the course of the evening, they openly offered me cocaine, which they themselves engaged in. I foolishly took the bait,” Taylor said in a statement released via Twitter on Monday. “The following morning, the same men stormed into my hotel room and showed me a video taken of me the night before doing cocaine and told me that if I did not spot-fix at international matches for them, the video would be released to the public.” Taylor said he was handed $15,000 as a deposit, and promised he would receive another $20,000 when the job was complete. “I would like to place on record that I have never been involved in any form of match-fixing. I may be many things, but I am not a cheat,” he said. “That being said, the ICC are taking the decision to impose a multi-year ban on my international cricketing career. I humbly accept this decision.” Taylor added he would check into a rehabilitation facility on Tuesday to treat his substance abuse. The ICC and Zimbabwe Cricket have not responded to requests for comment. The 35-year-old Taylor, who played for Zimbabwe in 34 Tests, 205 one-dayers and 45 T20s, retired from international cricket in September. Former Zimbabwe all-rounder and coach Heath Streak was banned by the ICC for eight years last April for his role in revealing inside information which could be used for betting purposes. [underlineimg] Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 3,95,44,512 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 4,89,903. [underlineimg] In Brief: The NDA on Monday announced its seat-sharing arrangement for the Punjab Assembly polls, with the BJP to fight on 65 seats, the Captain Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Loktantrik Congress on 37 seats, and the Akali Dal (Sanyukt) led by Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa fighting on 15 seats. Punjab Assembly has a total of 117 seats. Making the announcement, and flanked by allies Singh and Dhindsa along with Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Shekhawat, party in-charge for the Punjab polls, BJP president J P Nadda said that the seat-sharing could be adjusted for a seat or two this way or that, but that largely this would be the broader contour of seat-sharing between the parties. The domestic equity market on Monday logged the steepest single-day drop in about two months, with the benchmark Sensex crashing nearly 1,546 points to crack below the 58,000-level due to panic selling across counters tracking subdued global stocks. The BSE Sensex started the session on a weak note and got further overwhelmed by panic selling as the trade progressed and tanked over 2,050 points to touch the day’s low at 56,984. The index finally settled at 57,491.51 – clocking a massive 1,545.67 points or 2.62% drop. A gunman injured several people in a shooting inside a lecture hall at Heidelberg University in southwestern Germany on Monday, police said, adding that the perpetrator was now dead. “A lone perpetrator injured several people in a lecture hall with a long gun. The perpetrator is dead,” Mannheim police said in a statement. German media reported that the gunman had killed himself and that he appeared to have no religious or political motive. [underlineimg]  Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. Today's Top Picks [[Daily Quiz | Open Source Projects and Products] Daily Quiz | Open Source Projects and Products]( [[Smriti Mandhana named ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year] Smriti Mandhana named ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year]( [[Revamped CGHS website and mobile app launched] Revamped CGHS website and mobile app launched]( [[What you need to know about the 2022 Goa polls | Talking Politics with Nistula Hebbar] What you need to know about the 2022 Goa polls | Talking Politics with Nistula Hebbar]( Copyright @ 2021, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. If you are facing any trouble in viewing this newsletter, please [try here]( If you do not wish to receive such emails [go here](