December 28, 2019
Front page
General Rawat clears the air over his anti-CAA protests
To clear the misgivings about his comments on the anti-CAA protests, the out-going army chief, Gen. Rawat averred that the army has high regard for human rights, and will soon have an upgraded Human Rights Directorate in the army head quarters. He also said that the armed forces treat the human rights of their own personnel as jealously as they do for the adversaries.
Good words used .. Adversary, Clear the air, Misgivings
Gen V. K. Singh supports Gen. Rawat
Gen. V. K. Singh, a minister in the Modi cabinet, sided with Gen. Rawat in the on-going debate over the latter’s remarks about the CAA agitation
Amit Shah and Rahul Gandhi spar over CAA
Amit Shah and Rahul Gandhi have engaged in polemics to augment each other’s arguments for and against the CAA.
Good words used .. Polemic, Spar
An epic Somali film’s negative found in NFAI vault
The negatives of the Somali masterpiece, ‘The Somali Dervish’ have been found lying in a National Film Institute of India (NFAI) vault. The four-hour-long film was made by the Somali playwright and film maker Said Salah Ahmed.
PFI and SDPI may be banned, says minister
The Minister for Primary Education, Suresh Kumar, has hinted that a proposal to proscribe the People’s Front of India(PFI), and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) is on the anvil. The government found their involvement in the Mangaluru riots inciteful and disruptive. The government can’t countenance their presence in the state.
Good words and phrases used . Proscribe, On the anvil, Countenance
National
Not many takers for the downgraded version of CBSE Maths paper
Belying previous impressions of the authorities about students’ need for simpler mathematics paper, not many students opted for the CBSE’s simpler mathematics paper. This points to the enduring appeal of Mathematics among students in general. The myth that Mathematics petrifies many students, therefore, does not hold good.
Good words used .. Myth. Petrify, Enduring
Yediyurappa heading to Davos
The sojourn may impact Assembly session and derail cabinet expansion.
Good words used .. Sojourn, Derail
Anti-CAA agitation takes its toll in tourism
Tourists have generally avoided coming to premier tourist spots like the Brindavan Gardens in Mysore owing to frequent road blocks and a pervasive sense of fear.
Good words and phrases used .. Pervasive, Take one’s toll
Mig-27 jets of IAF fly their last sortie
The last squadron of the iconic MIG-27 aircrafts has retired. Due to technical obsolescence and operational issues, these vintage jets have flown into the sunset drawing the curtain down on a long period of meritorious service.
Good words used .. Sortie, Obsolescence, Vintage
Migratory birds descend on Pullicat as bird watchers feast their eyes
Large flocks of Pelicans, flamingoes, black-tailed godwits, and Kentish plovers have come to the sanctuary in the Nellore district. Ornithologists and government officials plan to celebrate their arrival by observing a Migratory Bird Festival in January first week.
Norwegian tourist asked to leave India
Irked by her participation in an anti-CAA protest, the government has asked the woman tourist to leave the country. Her departure is sure to raise eyebrows in Europe.
Good words and phrases used .. Raise eyebrows, Irk
Compulsory renewal of OCI cards abolished
In a major relaxation for overseas Indians coming to India, the need for people above 50 and below 20 to renew their Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cards on renewal of their passports will not arise any more. The Union Home Ministry has issued a notification to this effect.
Internet restored in Kargil
People in Kargil were elated to see internet services available again after a long period. However, the valley still remains without internet still.
Mukesh Ambani being probed by Income Tax department
The Mukesh Ambani group is under the scanner of the Income Tax officers for some overseas transactions that appear to be dodgy in nature.
Techies write to government against CAA
Many Indian engineers, consultants, analysts etc. working with MNCs like Google, Microsoft etc. have written to the government expressing concern about the CAA that has sullied India’s image abroad. They have urged the government to retrace its path and take measures to reassure the minorities about their equal status in the country.
Good words used .. Sully, Retrace
J&K will get statehood soon
Union minister, Ram Madhav, has indicated that J&K will get its statehood in not too distant a future. He also assuaged the concern of the locals that their rights will not be trampled upon, and their ethnic status will not be diluted.
Good words used .. Assuage, Trample
Friday prayers pass off quietly in UP
The fear among the public about renewed violence on Friday proved to be untrue as no untoward incident happened in the many cities and towns of the State. The elaborate precautions by the police to preempt violence bore fruit, much to the relief of the general public.
International
Plane crash in Kazakhstan kills 12
A Fokker aircraft cam down seconds after leaving the runway, and crashed into a nearby concrete structure. As many as 88 passengers and crew miraculously escaped death, although 12 perished due to the impact.
Netenyahu passes his first electoral hurdle with aplomb
Netenyahu seeking another term in office won his Likud Party’s internal elections overwhelmingly. After the win, he exuded confidence about winning the Israeli general election in March. Mr. Netenyahu is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister who has weathered many storms in his long political career.
Good words and phrases used .. With Aplomb, Exude, Weather as verb
IS carries out slaughter of 11 Christians in Nigeria in cold blood
As revenge for the killing of their chief, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi by U.S. special forces in Syria, the IS group shot and stabbed the Christians, claiming that the reprisal was a message to whole world.
Good words and phrases used .. In cold blood, Reprisal
Iranians side with the killed protestors in show of defiance
Iranians, defying the threat of the security agencies, headed to the cemeteries of the fellow citizens who were killed by the armed policemen during the protests. Their solidarity with the dead was spontaneous and widespread. The government agencies looked on nervously as the people expressed their disgust with the administration.
Good words used .. Cemeteries, Solidarity
Finance
Banks’ gross NPAs set to rise to 9.9% by Sptember, warns RBI
In an ominous warning, the Governor has said that the NPAs of India’s banks will touch 9.9% despite all the efforts made to rein in bad loans, and speed up recovery. He has said that in order for the economy to revive, consumption and investment must grow in tandem.
Good words used .. Ominous, In tandem
Plummeting revenue collection will increase fiscal deficit
Analysts have expressed their unease over the tepid revenue growth. This is bound to worsen the fiscal deficit position of the country. High fiscal deficit has a debilitating effect on the economy.
Good words used … Plummet, Tepid, Debilitate
Co-operative banks to report large loans to RBI
After the PMC debacle, the RBI has made it mandatory for co-operative banks to report their large loans to it, so that proper monitoring can be made.
Vistara passengers can avail mobile data on board
As an inducement for the passengers, Vistara is offering mobile data to its passengers.
Commercial trial runs start in the Freight Corridor
The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd. (DFCCIL) started trial run between Rewar in Haryana and Madar in Rajasthan. This is the first lap of the 1500 kilometer LONG freight corridor project.
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