December 29, 2019
Front page
Somali capital, Magadishu, hit by vehicle bomb during peak traffic killing dozens
Magadishu, the capital of strife-torn Somalia, suffered a deadly terror attack when a truck laden with explosives was detonated at a busy traffic intersection. Nearly 90 have died and scores injured. Analysts say it’s a deadly warning from the Jihadists who will unleash more violence in the coming year. Somalia has a government which is weak, inefficient and corrupt. Its hold over the country is tenuous. Years of bad governance, poverty and lawlessness has made Somalia a breeding ground for terrorists of all hues.
Good words used .. Unleash, Tenuous, Hue
BHU to teach Bhoot Vidya (Ghost studies) to doctors
The prestigious Banaras Hindu University (BHU) will include a 6-month course of Bhoot Vidya to diagnose and treat patients suffering from psychosomatic disorders that blight their lives. The curriculum and the teachers will be provided by the Ayurveda Department of the university.
A study by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience (Nimhans) shows that nearly 14% of Indians are mentally ill. WHO says that one out of every five Indians suffers from depression.
There are just about 4,000 mental health professionals in the country of 1.3 billion people. Considering these factors, the introduction of Bhoot Vidya, though appearing bizarre, could bring succor to millions affected by this malaise.
Good words used .. Blight, Malaise, Bizarre, Succor
No additional charges for payments made through RuPay, UPI from January 1
In a major push to make people adopt digital payments, the Union Government has directed that no extra levy would be imposed on payments through RuPay and UPI from the beginning of the year 2020.
UP police arrest senior citizens under house arrest for rioting
In an incident that has caused widespread dismay and revulsion against police arbitrariness, old persons above 70 have been arrested from their houses in night raids. Those taken to custody have been slapped with rioting charges.
Good words used .. Dismay, Revulsion, Arbitrary, Slap
West Bengal government hands over Rs. 5 lakh checks to Mangaluru victims
Trinamool party MPs visited the homes of those who were killed in police firing to hand over checks of Rs.5 lakh to each family. The show of solidarity comes in sharp contrast to that of Karnataka state where the CM backtracked on his earlier offer saying the amount could be paid only after the police give a clean chit to the victims.
The year 2019 saw maximum mass murder by Americans of fellow citizens inside the country
The citizens of the U.S. saw the highest number of gruesome shootings by deranged Americans in public spaces. The number of people dead touched record level in the country’s history.
God words used .. Deranged, Gruesome
National
Jharkhand CM’s swearing in will see massive presence of opposition stalwarts
Mr. Soren is slated to be sworn in on Sunday. Chief Ministers, opposition politicians, and media persons will attend the ceremony in strength to highlight opposition unity, and demonstrate their upbeat mood after the BJP had to bite the dust in the elections.
Good words and phrases used .. Stalwart, Bite the dust, Upbeat,
Visitors from Bangladesh avoid coming to India due to CAA agitation
The continuous demeaning of Bangladeshis as intruders to India has vitiated the friendly atmosphere between the two countries. The tirade indulged in by government spokespersons has hurt the Bangladeshis, as a result of which they avoid coming to India.
Good words used .. Demeaning, Vitiate, Tirade
Kashmir regional parties demand Sheikh Abdulla’s birthday to be made a holiday
Sheikh Abdullah’s birthday was long observed as a state government holiday as a mark of respect for his service to the Kashmiri cause. Later, it was dropped from the holiday list by the party in power. Now the regional parties want it restored. And the day declared as a holiday again.
UP DGP asks Police to collect empty cartridges
Perhaps to buttress the argument that miscreants fired upon the police that forced the latter to resort to firing, the DGP has asked district police chiefs to have spent cartridges collected from the disturbed areas. The DGP has also asked the police force to record videos of 12/13-year-olds pelting stones at the police. These may possibly be used to counter allegations that the police resorted to un-provoked firing and used force with no restraint. There has been a public outcry against alleged police brutalities in the wake of the anti-CAA agitation.
Good words used … Buttress, Outcry
Meerut police chief in the eye of a storm for ‘Go to Pakistan’ remark
A video clip that shows Akhilesh Narayan Singh, the police chief of Meerut, angrily asking a few Muslim bystanders to go over to Pakistan has created a media uproar against the officer.
Good words and phrases used .. Bystander, Uproar, Eye of the storm
Muslims give Rs.6.27 lakh towards cost of government property damaged by rioters
Heeding the government order to pay reparation for the property damaged by vandals, the elders of the Muslim community handed a chck f Rs.6.27 lakh to the Chief Minister. They also beseeched the CM not to implicate the young men in police cases.
Good words used … Reparation, Beseech, Implicate
North India in the grip of intense cold
Life in most parts in the north of the country has become very difficult for the poor and shelter-less, especially those who have to work in the open. Mercury has plummeted to the century’s lowest level. People light fires during nights at the middle of roads and sit huddled around it to fight off the chill. Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned about colder days ahead.
Tejas to ply in the Ahmedabad- Mumbai route
Trial runs of the Tejas express will start in this route from January 19. The train will run six days a week. As with other sister Tejas trains, passengers will be covered by insurance against accidents and theft, and will be compensated for delays in journey.
Mahagenco coal mining project in Raigarh comes to a halt
The Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Ltd (Mahagenco) has been found to have flouted environmental rules, and obtained fraudulent ‘Consent letters’ from the displaced families in the Raigarh mines. The affected people of the coal mine area have waged a long battle for adequate compensation. They are yet to get it. Citing these concerns, the Central government has kept the mining work on hold indefinitely.
International
American books now under China’s ban
China has been retaliating against the U.S. ban on Chinese exports by taking similar counter measures against American products. The latest American product to be banned is books of U.S. publishers and authors. This harsh measure has riled Chinese students, academics and intelligentsia.
Ten Afghan soldiers killed after Taliban attack
The Taliban fighters stormed an Afghan army camp in the Singin area. The attackers dug a tunnel to enter the army camp and caught the 18 Afghan soldiers there by total surprise.
Arrests in Hong Kong after Mall protests
After large groups of students staged noisy demonstrations inside Hong Kong’s malls, the police moved in and arrested 15 of the agitators.
Kazakh air craft’s Black Box sent to Moscow for examination
The ‘Black Box’ of the ill-fated plane has been retrieved, and sent to Moscow for examination.
Finance
Insurance cover for bank deposits to increase
Responding to public demand to increase the present upper limit of Rs.1 lakh for deposits lost due to bank failures, the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation(DICGC) has moved to offer higher cover to depositors. The PMC debacle led to this move.
Banks are in better health, claims Finance Minister
Mrs. Nirmala SitHaraman, Finance Minister, has pointed out to the fact that 13 out of the 19 government bans have returned to profit. The Gross Non-Performing Assets (GNPAs) have gone down to 18%. She claimed that government- nitiated reforms are bearing fruit now.
FPI cross one lakh crores in 2019
According to data released by the National Securities Depository Ltd. (NSDL), Foreign Portfolio Investments (FPIs) in the year 2019 crossed Rs.1 Lakh crores.
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