Russia’s deputy envoy uncertain whether Moscow, US will have new arms control deal before 2026

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August 6, 2022

It is hard to predict whether Russia will be able to reach an agreement with the United States on a treaty that would replace the New START before the latter’s expiration in 2026, Russia’s deputy envoy to the United Nations Andrei Belousov said at the Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

“As for reaching an agreement by 2026, it is impossible to make predictions here, because the dynamics of international relations, the military-political situation in the world is changing very quickly. And it’s hard to speculate about this,” Belousov, who is the deputy head of the Russian delegation at the 10th NPT review conference, told journalists.

He added that there is still enough time to reach a new agreement, but this requires political will and real intent.

US President Joe Biden said on Monday, ahead of the NPT conference, that his administration was ready to promptly negotiate a new arms control framework to replace the New START treaty with Russia when it expires in 2026, provided that Moscow demonstrates readiness to resume work on nuclear arms control with the United States.

Belousov stressed that Moscow will not accept any preconditions from Washin.

Varun Gandhi takes ‘muft ki revdi’ swipe at govt with a list of defaulters

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PTI

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August 6, 2022

BJP MP Varun Gandhi took a swipe at the government on Saturday over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ”muft ke revdi” (freebies) comment, saying loans up to Rs 10 lakh crore of corrupt businessmen were waived in the last five years.

Mehul Choksi and Rishi Agarwal top the list of those who received ”muft ki revdi”, Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi, sharing a government reply in Parliament about the top 10 defaulter firms. Choksi and Agarwal are associated with two of those firms.

”The same Parliament that expects the poor to express thanks at receiving five kg grains also says bad loans of Rs 10 lakh crore of corrupt businessmen have been waived in the last five years. Who has the first right over the government treasury?” Gandhi asked.

He was apparently referring to another Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP’s remarks during a debate in Parliament that Modi has been providing free foodgrains to 80 crore poor people since the COVID-19 outbreak. The government deserves praise for this, the MP had said.

The prime minister stirred a debate recently by criticizing some political parties for offering ”muft ki revdi” for electoral gains. This is very harmful for the country’s development, he had said.

Sanjay Raut’s wife Varsha appears before ED for questioning in money laundering case

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PTI

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August 6, 2022

Varsha Raut, wife of arrested Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, on Saturday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the redevelopment of a ‘chawl’ and related transactions.

The central agency had issued summons to Varsha Raut earlier this week. Accordingly, she reached the ED office located at Ballard Estate in south Mumbai at 10.40 am. She is expected to be confronted with her husband, who is currently in the ED custody, and some other accused involved in the case. Police personnel have been deployed in large numbers outside the ED office. The central agency is conducting a probe linked to a Rs 1,034-crore alleged land scam related to the redevelopment of the Patra ”chawl” in Mumbai’s Goregaon area. Sanjay Raut, a Rajya Sabha member, was arrested by the ED in this case on August 1 and a local court on Thursday sent him to further custody till August 8.

The ED had earlier told the court that Sanjay Raut and his family received ”proceeds of crime” worth over Rs 1 crore generated out of alleged irregularities in the housing redevelopment project. In April, the ED had provisionally attached assets worth over Rs 11.15 crore of Varsha Raut and two of associates of Sanjay Raut as part of its probe. The attached properties are in the form of land held by Pravin M Raut, Sanjay Raut’s aide and a former director of Guru Ashish Construction Private Limited, at Palghar, Saphale (a town in Palghar) and Padgha (in Thane district).

The properties also include a flat in Mumbai suburb Dadar held by Varsha Raut and eight plots at the Kihim beach in Alibaug jointly held by Varsha Raut and Swapna Patkar, the wife of Sujit Patkar, a ”close associate” of Sanjay Raut, the ED had said.

Guru Ashish Construction Private Limited was involved in the redevelopment of the chawl, which had 672 tenants living in tenements on 47 acres belonging to the Maharashtra Housing Area Development Authority (MHADA), the ED had said earlier.

Manipur Assembly adopts resolutions to establish a population commission, implement NRC

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PTI

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August 6, 2022

nrc registration — Manipur Assembly adopts resolutions to establish a population commission, implement NRC 5

The Manipur Assembly has unanimously adopted two private member resolutions to set up a state population commission and implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The resolutions were moved by JD(U) legislator Kh Joykishan on Friday, the last day of the budget session of the state assembly.

He claimed that the hill areas of the state saw a population growth of 153.3 per cent between 1971 and 2001, and it amounted to 250.9 per cent during the 2001-2011 period. The valley areas also recorded a population growth of 94.8 per cent from 1971 to 2001 and around 125 per cent from 2001 to 2011, Joykishan stated. The JD(U) MLA raised his concern over the alleged infiltration of outsiders into Manipur.

He claimed that there are restrictions on people from the valley districts for settling in the hills, and the whopping population growth, particularly in the hills, could be attributed to the alleged influx of people from outside. Manipur shares an international border with Myanmar. Chief Minister N Biren Singh participated in the discussion on the resolutions and said such motions to establish a population commission and implement the NRC in the state would serve the collective interests of all the members of the House.

Meanwhile, several civic bodies demanded an updated NRC with a fixed cut-off base year to identify illegal immigrants in the northeastern state.

Vice-Presidential Elections: PM Narendra Modi casts his vote at Parliament House

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ANI

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August 6, 2022

narendra modi vice presidential elections — Vice-Presidential Elections: PM Narendra Modi casts his vote at Parliament House 7

Voting for the Vice Presidential election in which the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate is pitted against the Opposition nominee Margaret Alva began at 10 am and will continue till 5 pm. All MPs of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, including nominated members, are entitled to vote in the vice presidential election. Votes will be counted today itself and the next Vice-President of the country will take the oath of office on August 11, a day after the term of the incumbent Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu ends.

Janata Dal (United), YSRCP, BSP, AIADMK and Shiv Sena have expressed their support for Dhankar. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) have expressed their support to Alva. the Trinamool Congress has said that is abstaining from the vote On July 18, Dhankhar filed his nomination papers before Returning Officer and Secretary General, Lok Sabha in the Parliament House.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, and BJP chief JP Nadda were present when Dhankar filed his nomination. The vice president of India, which is the second-highest constitutional post in the country, is elected through an electoral college consisting of members of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha.

Dhankhar, who is a lawyer by profession, joined politics in 1989. He became the governor of West Bengal in July 2019 and has made headlines since then over his tumultuous relations with the Mamata Banerjee government. He tendered his resignation as the Governor of West Bengal. On Wednesday, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) announced its support for the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar in the upcoming vice presidential elections.Earlier, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati announced her party’s support for Dhankhar.

Meanwhile, Alva filed her nomination for the vice presidential election on July 19. Opposition parties on July 17 decided to field the former Rajasthan Governor as their joint candidate for the vice presidential election. The decision to field Alva was taken at a meeting of Opposition leaders of 17 parties at the residence of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar. On Friday, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) announced to support Opposition candidate Margaret Alva for the vice-presidential elections. In 2017, the NDA nominated Venkaiah Naidu as its candidate for the vice-presidential election and his term ends on August 10, 2022.

Russia may reduce its grain export plan this year: Agriculture Ministry Dmitry Patrushev

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ANI

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August 5, 2022

Grain Productions — Russia may reduce its grain export plan this year: Agriculture Ministry Dmitry Patrushev 9

The Russian Agriculture Ministry sees risks that the country may not reach its grain harvest goal of 130 million tons this year, and may reduce its export plan, Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said on Friday.

“In total, all this creates risks in terms of achieving the grain harvest of 130 million tons. Of course, we will fully provide our market, there will be no problems with this. However, if the planned volumes are not achieved, we will have to revise our export plans of 50 million tons. And this may have a negative impact on the world grain market,” Patushev said, as quoted in the ministry’s Telegram channel.

130 cases of “Hate News” were reported on Social Media 2019 Lok Sabha election till latest Assembly polls

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ANI

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August 5, 2022

Parliament, Lok Sabha — Image: Representative / Agencies

A total of 130 cases of “hate news” were reported to social media platforms between the 2019 Lok Sabha election and the latest round of Assembly polls in five states held earlier this year, the government informed Parliament.

In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju also said the Election Commission has informed that no complaints were received from the political parties regarding data leaks during elections in the last five years.

“Total number of ‘hate news’ cases reported to social media platforms (since Lok Sabha elections 2019) is 130…,” he said.

During the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, 58 such cases were reported. During the Maharashtra and Haryana Assembly polls in 2019, only one such case was reported, Rijiju said.

No complaint was received during the 2019 Jharkhand Assembly polls and the 2020 Bihar election.

In the 2020 Delhi Assembly polls, 34 such cases were reported. In the Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry Assembly polls last year, 29 cases of “hate news” were reported, the minister said.

BMC chief reviews preparation for ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign

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PTI

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August 5, 2022

Mumbai municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal on Thursday reviewed the preparation for the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign and asked civic officials to speed up the distribution of flags.

Ten lakh national flags have been received and their distribution is underway through ward offices, while another 25 lakh flags were expected to be received in the next three days, said a release issued by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

Chahal appealed to city residents to hoist the tricolour at home by following the flag code. Once the campaign is over, the flag should be stored properly as a souvenir, he said, as per the release.

Sena MP Sanjay Raut’s wife Varsha Raut will appear tomorrow before ED

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ANI

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August 5, 2022

Enforcement Directorate,ED, Sanjay Raut, Varsha Raut — Image: Agencies

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday summoned the wife of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, Varsha Raut, for investigations in connection with the Patra Chawl case. The ED has called Varsha Raut to appear before it on Saturday

ED officials raided the Shiv Sena leader’s home on Sunday and after detaining and questioning him for several hours, arrested him in the early hours on Monday and produced him before a special sessions court which directed to send him to the ED’s custody till Thursday.

Raut is a close aide of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

Prior to his arrest, Sanjay Raut’s brother had said, “Sanjay Raut has been arrested. BJP is afraid of him and got him arrested. They have not given us any documents (regarding his arrest). He has been framed.”

Meanwhile, another FIR was registered against Sanjay Raut in Mumbai for allegedly threatening Swapna Patkar, the wife of Sujit Patkar who is believed to be a close aide of the Shiv Sena MP.

The case was registered at the Vakola police station under sections 504,506 and 509 of the Indian Penal Code. An audio clip had gone viral in which Raut was allegedly heard threatening Swapna Patkar.

Notably, Swapna Patkar is also a witness in the Patra Chawl land case in connection to which the ED detained Raut after conducting a raid at his residence.

According to sources, ED officials seized Rs 11.50 lakhs unaccounted cash from his residence during the raids.

Soon after the ED officials detained him in connection with the Patra Chawl land scam case, the Shiv Sena leader said that he “won’t be cowed down”. Speaking to media persons, Raut said, “False charges and documents are being framed against people. All of this is being done to weaken Shiv Sena and Maharashtra. Sanjay Raut won’t be cowed down. I will not leave the party.”

On June 28 this year, Sanjay Raut was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the prevention of the money laundering case pertaining to the Rs 1,034 crore Patra Chawl land scam.

Raut is being probed in connection with the re-development of Mumbai’s Patra Chawl. In April this year, the ED had attached immovable properties worth Rs 11.15 crore, including a flat at Dadar, held by Sanjay Raut’s wife Varsha and eight land parcels at Kihim near Alibag, jointly held by the latter with Swapna Patkar.

RBI raises repo rate by 50 bps to cool inflation, 3rd hike in row

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ANI

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August 5, 2022

The monetary policy committee of the Reserve Bank of India has raised the repo rate by 50 basis points to 5.40 per cent in order to contain the persistently high inflation.

Raising interest typically suppress demand in the economy, thereby helping inflation to decline.

The three-day monetary policy committee meeting commenced on Wednesday.

Today’s hike takes the repo rate above pre-pandemic levels of 5.15 per cent.

In line with the global trend of monetary policy tightening to cool off inflation, the RBI has so far hiked the key repo rates — the rate at which the central bank of a country lends money to commercial banks — by 140 basis points.