| 1. 'Come back with some result or there will be problem' |  | A deadline- Taking a dim view of 86 collegium recommendations for judgeship pending with the Centre as also transfer of 26 high court judges and appointment of Chief Justice of one high court, the Supreme Court on Tuesday set a deadline of October 9 for the central government to come back with "some results" or be ready to face "problem".
No progress, why?- A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia said that nothing has been done by the Centre in the last seven months since the last hearing in the case in February. The bench said that names were pending before the government for the last 10 months.
- "You will have to come back with something, otherwise there will be (a) problem for you. Come with some results. The matter is being listed after seven months but nothing happened in the seven months. Names recommended by high courts have not reached the Supreme Court," the bench told attorney general R Venkataramani who sought one week's adjournment in the case.
'I am quiet today but...'- The bench thereafter gave details of the pending names before the Centre, which includes 70 names sent by high courts, nine names sent by the SC collegium for the first time and seven more names that were reiterated by the collegium after the Centre sent the recommendations for reconsideration.
- "There is a lot to say but I am holding myself back as the attorney general seeks one week's time... I am quiet today but I will not be quiet on the next date," Justice Kaul said while requesting the AG to use his good offices to convince the government not to delay the process.
- The court said it would keep monitoring the development and the case would be listed after every 10 days to take stock of the situation.
An old tussle- The judiciary and the government have been at loggerheads for a while.
- Tensions between the two escalated after the Parliament passed a law in 2014 for setting up the National Judicial Appointments Commission to handle appointment of judges and replace the collegium system.
- While the top court struck down the Act in 2015, tensions have prevailed between the two and keeps surfacing now and then, mostly over judge appointments.
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| 2. India's oblique swipe at Canada |  | Jaishankar at UN- External affairs minister S Jaishankar steered clear of India's row with Canada over the killing of a Sikh separatist leader but made an oblique swipe at how other countries respond to "terrorism" as he addressed world leaders at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
- He said that the world must not "countenance that political convenience determines responses to terrorism, extremism and violence".
Canada is the new Pak?- India has often lashed out at Pakistan at the UN for sponsoring terrorism. But this time, the comment could also be seen as a swipe at Canada.
- Canada is yet to provide any public evidence of alleged Indian involvement in the slaying of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. New Delhi termed the allegation levelled by Canadian PM Justin Trudeau as "absurd" and accused his country of harbouring "terrorists and extremists." Watch here
'A delayed investigation'- At least six men and two vehicles were involved in the killing of Nijjar outside a gurdwara in British Columbia in June, according to a video reviewed by The Washington Post and witness accounts, suggesting a larger and more organised operation than has previously been reported.
- Members of the local Sikh community, meanwhile, say authorities have told them little about their investigation of the June 18 killing.
- They said police were slow to the scene, and disagreement between agencies caused further delay.
- Several business owners and residents near the gurdwara say investigators have not visited to ask questions or request security video, according to the report.
Defence ties- The ongoing diplomatic row between India and Canada is not going to adversely impact the bilateral defence ties, Canada's deputy army chief Major General Peter Scott said on Tuesday.
- Scott, currently on a visit to India primarily to attend the Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs' Conference, told PTI that the matter should be resolved at the political level and it should not have a bearing on India-Canada military cooperation. Watch here
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| 3. Net ban back in Manipur after students' protest |  | Students take to streets- At least 50 students were injured in Manipur's Imphal Valley on Tuesday as police fired tear gas shells and baton-charged a mob protesting against the killing of two youths who were last seen on a motorbike on July 6.
Schools to remain shut- All government and private schools will remain closed until Friday in view of the prevailing law and order situation, according to a government notification.
Net ban back- The state government on Tuesday reimposed the ban on internet services for the next five days, barely 72 hours after lifting the country's second longest mobile data blackout at 143 days.
- The internet ban that was imposed in Jammu and Kashmir on August 4, 2019 -- hours before the abrogation of Article 370 -- lasted a record 552 days.
'Abduction' and killing- The students of Valley-based schools and colleges took out the protest rallies hours after photos of the bodies of the two youths went viral on social media, demanding arrest of those involved in the killing.
- Phijam Hemjit (20) and Hijam Linthoingambi (17) had been missing since July.
- According to the CM's secretariat, an investigation is on "to determine the circumstances surrounding their disappearance and to identify the perpetrators who murdered the two students".
- The case has already been handed over to the CBI, it added.
What police said- The Manipur police had previously said that the whereabouts of the two were not known and their mobile phones were found switched off.
- The last location of their handsets was traced at Lamdan near the winter flower tourist spot in the Churachandpur district.
'One force, one district' policy- Meanwhile, the Union home ministry has decided to overhaul the deployment of central forces in various districts of Manipur to ensure better coordination.
- Under its 'one force, one district policy', BSF is being solely deployed in the districts of Churachandpur, Tengnoupal, Ukhrul, Imphal East and Kakching while CRPF gets Kangpokpi, Imphal West and Bishnupur districts.
- ITBP and SSB are being sent to Churachandpur and Bishnupur.
- At present, 214 companies of central armed police forces remain deployed in the state with CRPF being the biggest force with 121 companies.
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| 4. Why BJP had to pull out big guns in Madhya Pradesh |  | A keen contest- The BJP has thrown open its leadership in Madhya Pradesh, deploying several of its big guns for the upcoming assembly polls in the state where it is facing a keen challenge from the Congress.
- The party has given tickets to seven of its MPs, including three union ministers - Narendra Singh Tomar, Prahlad Singh Patel and Faggan Singh Kulaste.
- It is also going to field its national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, long seen as an aspirant for the CM's chair.
- Two of the ministers and three other MPs will be contesting seats that were won by the Congress in 2018.
Leadership question- Amid a view that CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who led the BJP to massive wins in 2008 and 2013 before found wanting in 2018, is no longer the same political force, the party has sought to keep the leadership issue open by pitting many of its big names in the contest in a signal to those supporters who may no longer be drawn to Chouhan but remain sympathetic to BJP.
- The party has not announced Chouhan's seat in the two lists released so far, naming candidates in 76 out of 230 seats, but it has also dismissed speculations about Chouhan being sidelined.
'Prove your mettle'- Undeniably, there are clear signs of anti-incumbency. Several senior BJP leaders are of the view that the leadership has sought to send out a strong message with their choice of candidates, while acknowledging the strong challenge the BJP faces from the Congress, which had bettered its tally in the state assembly in 2018 for the first time after 1998.
- The message, they say, is that even senior leaders have to prove their mettle by ensuring a good show for the party before their leadership claim is considered sympathetically by its top brass.
- Thin crowds and poor management in the party's campaign events in Madhya Pradesh over the last one month, along with internal surveys, are believed to have set alarm bells ringing in New Delhi.
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| NEWS IN CLUES | | 5. Identify this Indian actress | Clue 1: She acted in Telugu and Tamil films before her first Hindi film in 1956
Clue 2: She is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan
Clue 3: She rose to prominence with Guru Dutt’s ‘Pyaasa’ and ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’
Scroll below for answer
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| 6. How to reduce uncertainties for arbitrators |  | What- The Supreme Court on Tuesday set up a seven-judge bench to revisit a five-judge bench's six-month-old ruling saying the decision was causing "limitless uncertainty" to arbitrators across the country.
Why- The aim is to provide impetus to resolution of corporate disputes through arbitration that is globally linked to the index of ease of doing business.
The argument- Senior advocate Arvind Datar told a bench led by CJI D Y Chandrachud that the five-judge bench's April 25 decision allowed constitutional courts to examine the validity of an agreement containing an arbitration clause if stamp duty was not paid.
- This means even if there is a valid arbitration clause under which a dispute is referred to an arbitral tribunal, constitutional courts can, at any time, examine the validity of the agreement and annul reference of the dispute to arbitration.
- Datar said, a larger bench must examine the impact of non-stamping of agreements on arbitration.
- Datar also said in 99% cases, the main contract provided for resolution of disputes through arbitration.
- Once that provision was there, courts should not get into the stamping aspect and leave determination of validity of the arbitration to the arbitral tribunal and not keep the tribunals hanging by deciding to examine the validity of the main agreement, he said.
What the court said- CJI Chandrachud agreed with Datar and said the issue emerging from the five-judge bench's decision in the N N Global case was too important to be adjourned to an uncertain future.
- "Legitimacy of arbitration institutions is a far more important issue than getting into technicalities. After the N N Global ruling, arbitrators across the country are confronted with limitless uncertainties," the CJI said.
- In its order, the bench referred the issue to a seven-judge bench and said, "The larger bench will consider the correctness of the decision in the N N Global case."
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| 7. India breaks a jinx after four decades |  | Another gold- India claimed the team dressage gold in equestrian sport at the Asian Games in Hangzhou on Tuesday, breaking a 41-year-old jinx in the continental event.
The top-3- The team comprising Divyakriti Singh astride Adrenalin Firfod, Hriday Chheda (Chemxpro Emerald) and Anush Agarwalla (Etro) aggregated 209.205 percentage points on way to the top podium finish, leaving behind China (204.882 %) and Hong Kong (204.852%).
- Sudipti Hajela was also part of the team, but only the top three scores were counted in the event.
How it works- In dressage, the horses and riders are judged on how they perform a series of movements.
- Each movement is marked on a scale of 10.
- Each rider gets an overall score and from that a percentage is worked out.
- The rider with the highest percentage is the winner of his class.
- Top three scorers in a team are taken into consideration to determine the overall winner.
A long wait- It is the first time in the history of the sport, India secured a team gold in dressage event.
- The last medal in dressage, a bronze, came during the 1986 edition.
- India last won a gold in equestrian in the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi.
There's more- Other than the gold, India also clinched a silver and a bronze medal on the third day of the Asian Games 2023 at Hangzhou.
- Teenager Neha Thakur opened the sailing medal tally by clinching silver in the girl's dinghy. Eabad Ali followed with a bronze in men's windsurfing.
- The Indian men's hockey team showcased another top-class attacking display with a 16-1 win over Singapore.
- While the men's squash team won back-to-back matches, the women's team beat Pakistan in their campaign opener.
- India now has 14 medals in total, including three golds.
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| 8. After India, US flags concern over Chinese spy ship |  | An unexpected guest- The US has conveyed its concerns to Sri Lanka about the likely visit of a Chinese research ship next month that could also cause worries in India, as New Delhi in the past has reacted strongly over docking by China's spy vessels.
No permission- Sri Lankan foreign minister Ali Sabry on Monday said that Colombo has not given permission to a Chinese vessel to dock, adding that Indian security concerns are "important" for Sri Lanka.
What Lanka says- US Under Secretary Victoria Nuland, who met Sabry in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session, raised concerns about the upcoming visit of the Chinese research vessel 'SHI YAN 6', as per a report by Daily Mirror newspaper.
- Minister Sabry briefed her that Sri Lanka, as a neutral country, had worked out the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to be followed by foreign ships and aircraft in carrying out any activity in Sri Lankan territory.
Purpose- The Chinese research vessel is expected in Sri Lanka in October to carry out research along with the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency.
Not a first- China despatches its research/surveillance vessels to Sri Lanka on a regular basis.
- In August this year, the Chinese warship HAI YANG 24 HAO arrived in the country on a two-day visit. The arrival of the 129-metre-long ship was delayed for five-days due to concerns raised by India.
- In August last year, a similar visit by the Chinese ballistic missile and satellite tracking ship, 'Yuan Wang 5', which arrived in the southern Sri Lankan port of Hambantota, elicited strong reactions from India.
- India had expressed its security concerns over the docking of the vessel at the Sri Lankan port as it was shown as a research vessel with the capability of mapping the ocean bed, which is critical to anti-submarine operations of the Chinese Navy.
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| 9. How fast is India heading towards a cashless future |  | A landmark- Digital payment through Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has seen a multi-fold jump with transactions crossing a landmark figure of 10 billion in August primarily driven by Person-to-Merchant (P2M) transactions.
- The number of UPI transactions in January 2018 was 151 million, and it reached 9.3 billion in June 2023, primarily driven by the growth in P2M transactions, the report by Worldline said.
More micro transactions
- Another indicator that predicts the future of UPI growth and particularly P2M transactions is the average ticket size (ATS), it said, adding, ATS for P2M transactions has reduced from Rs 885 in January 2022 to Rs 653 in June 2023.
- This indicates that UPI is now being increasingly used for micro transactions, indicating a further entrenchment of UPI. Also, there has been greater penetration of UPI in rural India.
Value & volume
- Frequently visited in-store merchant categories such as grocery stores, restaurants, service stations, clothing stores, government services, pharmacies and hospitals accounted for around 65% of total transaction volume and nearly 50% of total transaction value.
- Mobile payments, which are transactions done using mobile phone apps, have seen solid growth taking the transactions in the first half of 2023 to 52.15 billion compared to 33.55 billion in the first half of 2022.
Drivers at ease- Drivers across the country can testify how easier it has made driving on roads and this steady adoption is reflected in the number of tags issued which has grown from 45.97 million in January 2022 to 71.92 million in June 2023, a 56.5% growth, according to the report.
- The number of tags issued has grown from 45.97 million in January 2022 to 71.92 million in June 2023, a 56.5% growth.
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| Answer To NEWS IN CLUES |  | Waheeda Rehman: The 85-year-old veteran actor, known for her performances in films including "Pyaasa", "CID", "Guide", "Kaagaz Ke Phool", and "Rang De Basanti", will be honoured with this year's Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest recognition in Indian cinema. PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday congratulated her on being conferred with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Lifetime Achievement Award for her stellar contribution to Indian cinema.
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