ANTI-CAA STIR: DEATH TOLL IN UP VIOLENCE RISES TO 15With violence in Rampur leaving one dead and five injured on Saturday, thetotal number of deaths in the three days of protests against the CitizenshipAmendment Act in Uttar Pradesh has reached 15, including an eight-year-oldboy.Earlier, four deaths were reported from Meerut, two each from Firozabad,Kanpur, Sambhal, Bijnor, and one each from Lucknow and Varanasi.In the evening, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath made an appealto religious leaders and intellectuals to help the administration maintainpeace and to spread "actual information" on the CAA. Internet has beensuspended in several major cities of the state, including Lucknow.Violence was also reported from Bihar, with at least 24 people receivinginjuries, including bullet injuries. There was large-scale vandalism anddisruption of rail and road traffic during a bandh called by oppositionparties against the CAA.In Delhi, that saw violent clashes Friday, security remained tight in theaffected areas of Old Delhi and Seemapuri. Bhim Army chief Chandra ShekharAzad, who had evaded police all through Friday, was finally arrested around2 am on Saturday after he emerged from the Jama Masjid and surrendered. Hewas sent to judicial custody for 14 days.Uttar Pradesh DGP O P Singh maintained that no death had taken place in thestate due to police firing. "All the deaths have been in cross-firing andthis will become clear in postmortem. Women and children were used asshields by protestors," he told reporters in Lucknow Saturday. "We are clearon this. If anyone died due to our firing, we will conduct a judicialinquiry and take action. But nothing happened from our side."Calling the violence "pre-planned" and "premeditated", District Magistrate,Rampur, Aunjaneya Kumar Singh said the protesters tried to break the policebarricades and when police tried to stop them, started pelting stones. Therewas also firing when police used force, a senior officer said.AS PROTESTS CONTINUE, BJP, OPPN WATCH WITH FINGERS CROSSEDThe week of nationwide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act andthe proposed National Register of Citizens is yet to ring serious alarmbells within the BJP or government.As the demonstrations spread from Darbhanga to Malegaon, the BJP has largelydismissed the protesters as "a coalition of the marginalised minority andthe liberal losers of 2014 and 2019"On Saturday, the BJP announced a "massive contact programme", to be heldover the next 10 days, to clear "confusion" over the CAA, claiming it hasbeen spread by vested interests. As part of the campaign, it will hold pressconferences at 250 places across the country.BJP working president JP Nadda also held a meeting of party office-bearersfrom states on Saturday to chalk out a strategy.The BJP gambit is projecting the protest as limited to a "varg vishesh (aselect set)", and the violence as instigated by the Opposition. "What publiccause are these protestors espousing over which common cause can be made?"is one BJP line. The other being, "Those who are organising these protestshave always been opposed to us. So what is new in this?"However, a growing section in the BJP also realises that if violent imagesmay hurt the movement's popularity, the counter images of police action, andany casualties, could backfire on its government. Allies like the JD(U) andLJP have already expressed their disquiet, while the Akali Dal reiterated onSaturday that Muslim refugees should not be kept out of the CAA concessions.The developments also come at a time when the BJP, just months into itssecond term, is already battling below-expectation performance inMaharashtra and Haryana elections and a deepening economic slowdown.On the other hand, the Opposition is trying to frame the CAA debate as arich vs poor issue, underlining repeatedly that it is the latter who wouldhave to stand in lines, like during the note ban, to prove theircitizenship. While it keeps a distance from the protests, which remain aloosely coordinated and organic effort among different sections disaffectedwith the ruling establishment, it hopes these will gather momentum like theAnna Hazare-led anti-corruption drive of 2010, which fed into the resentmentagainst the UPA-II government.The Opposition is also well aware that any wrong move on its part couldeasily play into the hands of the BJP, and used by it as a polarising issue.TIGHT SECURITY FOR PM'S RALLY IN DELHI TODAYElaborate security arrangements have been made for Prime Minister NarendraModi's rally on Sunday at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan, which is a little over akilometre away from Old Delhi's Daryaganj that was hit by violence on Fridayduring the protest against the amended Citizenship Act.Senior officials remained in huddle till 5 am on Saturday to discuss thesecurity arrangements.A multilevel security arrangement will be in place on Sunday, with CCTVsurveillance of all the routes leading to the venue and snipers beingpositioned atop buildings to ensure security, they said.In a statement, senior BJP leader Vijay Goel said preparations for therally, which is being organised to thank PM Modi for giving ownership rightsto 40 lakh residents of 1731 unauthorised colonies, are in full swing. Atotal of 11 lakh signatures by residents of unauthorised colonies will behanded over to Prime Minister Modi as a thank you gesture, he said.TOP MALAYSIAN DIPLOMAT SUMMONED TO MEA OVER MAHATHIR'S COMMENTSIndia on Saturday summoned the Charge d'Affairs of Malaysian embassy andlodged a strong protest with him over Malaysian Prime Minister MahathirMohamad's comments criticising the new citizenship law.The senior diplomat was summoned to the External Affairs Ministry and wastold that the Malaysian prime minister's comments were not in sync withestablished diplomatic practice of non-interference in any country'sinternal affairs, official sources said.The Malaysian prime minister, at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur onSaturday, criticised the citizenship law and voiced concerns over"difficulties" being faced by minorities in India, according to reports.Reacting to his earlier comments on the issue, the External AffairsMinistry, in a statement on Friday, had termed them as "factuallyinaccurate". "We call upon Malaysia to refrain from commenting on internaldevelopments in India, especially without a right understanding of thefacts," it said.U.S. SANCTIONS COMPANIES BUILDING RUSSIA'S GAS PIPELINE TO GERMANYUS President Donald Trump has signed into law a $738 billion defence Billwhich includes controversial provisions calling for sanctions against Russiaand Turkey.Trump approved the 2020 National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA), whichwill increase the US military spending by about $20 billion, or about 2.8per cent.The sprawling legislation has stirred up opposition overseas as it containspunitive provisions against Russia, Turkey and other countries.The Bill notes that the "(NDAA) protects European energy security byimposing sanctions related to Russian energy pipelines Nord Stream 2 andTurkStream".Despite facing potential sanctions, Russia and Germany have reaffirmed theircommitments to complete the Nord Stream 2 project and put it into operation.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last week in Washington that"neither Nord Stream 2 nor TurkStream will stop".The Bill also renewed a decision to exclude Turkey from the US-led F-35fighter jet program in retaliation against Ankara's acquisition of Russia'sS-400 air defence system. It also claimed that the Trump administrationshould impose sanctions on Turkey over the S-400 purchase.GOOGLE FINED $167 MILLION IN FRANCE AMID CRACKDOWN ON ONLINE ADVERTISINGGoogle was fined 150 million euros ($167 million) in a French antitrust caseinvolving online advertising as regulators throughout Europe criticize thetech giant's business practices.The French authority found Google abused its dominant position in searchwhen it set "opaque and difficult to understand operating rules" for itsGoogle Ads advertising platform that it applied unfairly and randomly. It'sthe first time France's Autorite de la concurrence has fined Google, itspresident Isabelle de Silva told reporters at a Paris press conferenceFriday.Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc. said it will appeal, arguing that itsadvertising policies were designed to protect people from "exploitative andabusive ads."INDIA, CHINA RESOLVE TO INTENSIFY EFFORTS TO RESOLVE BORDER ISSUEIndia and China on Saturday resolved to intensify efforts to achieve a"fair", "reasonable" and mutually acceptable solution to the vexed boundaryissue and agreed that its early settlement will serve the fundamentalinterests of both countries.There was a consensus during "constructive" border talks here betweenChinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and National Security Adviser Ajit Dovalthat both sides should respect each other's sensitivities and concerns inorder to build mutual trust, according to the External Affairs Ministry.It said the two sides also underlined that the boundary question should beapproached from the strategic perspective of India-China ties while agreeingthat maintaining peace and tranquility along the border was important.Both sides shared the view that stable and balanced development ofIndia-China relations is a positive factor for peace and prosperity in theregion and the world, the MEA said after the 22nd round of Sino-Indiaboundary talks under the framework of Special Representatives' dialogue.Doval and Wang are the designated Special Representatives of the twocountries for the boundary talks.AMID CAA ANGER, ASSAM READIES LAND RIGHTS FOR ITS INDIGENOUS PEOPLEAs anger builds in the state over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, seen as athreat to its culture, the Assam government on Saturday announced a slew ofmeasures to protect the interests of the indigenous people of the state,including giving them rights so that their land is not sold to"infiltrators", and safeguarding of Assamese language and culture."In the coming Assembly session, the government will bring in two new laws.First one will be for securing land rights of indigenous people. Theoutlines of the law were discussed in the Cabinet today. After we bring thelaw, an indigenous person can sell his/her land to an indigenous persononly, not to anyone else," Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said at apress conference Saturday.The second law, he said, will be regarding preserving land surrounding theheritage sites of Assam, including the Vaishnavite monasteries known asXatras, preventing any kind of illegal occupation or sale of it.WHICH COUNTRY IS PM TALKING ABOUT? CONG ON PM REMARKSThe Congress today said the vitals of Indian economy were weak and askedwhich country Prime Minister Narendra Modi was talking about when mentioninga robust financial foundation for building a $5 trillion economy.Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma while responding to PM's address toAssocham on its centenary celebrations, said "I don't know whether the PM isserious because, it sounds like a joke. We all know what economics is. Fiveyears ago the economy was strong. National investment rate, industrialproduction, capital formation and jobs creation was good. But now we see adeepening economic crisis. It is not a slowdown."Sharma cited a range of economic parameters to argue that industrialproduction was the lowest in seven years and GDP had fallen to a seven-yearlow of 4.5%.1,100 ACADEMICIANS, INTELLECTUALS SUPPORT CAA, 'CONGRATULATE' PARLIAMENTEven as the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests continued across thenation on Saturday, with the toll in demonstrations rising to 11 in UttarPradesh alone, 1,100 academicians, scholars and intellectuals from variousuniversities of India released a statement in support of the Act."The Act fulfills the long-standing demand of providing refuge to persecutedreligious minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan," thestatement read, going on to congratulate Parliament for "standing up forforgotten minorities and upholding the civilisational ethos of India" and"providing a haven for those fleeing religious persecution.""We also note with satisfaction that the concerns of the northeastern stateshave been heard and are being addressed appropriately. We believe that CAAis in perfect sync with the secular Constitution of India as it does notprevent any person of any religion from any country, seeking Indiancitizenship," the statement read.The statement noted "with deep anguish that an atmosphere of fear andparanoia is being created in the country through deliberate obfuscation andfear-mongering leading to violence in several parts of the country." Thestatement ended with an appeal to every section of society to exerciserestraint and to refuse to "fall into the trap of propaganda, communalism,and anarchism."MAHARASHTRA GOVT ANNOUNCES NEW FARM LOAN WAIVER, MEALS FOR RS 10Apart from announcing a loan waiver of upto Rs two lakh for farmers, theShiv Sena-led Maharashtra government on Saturday came up with a slew ofother decisions that included making available a full meal at just Rs 10 andsetting up of 'chief minister's offices' at the divisional-level with an aimto "decentralise power".On the last day of the Winter Session of the state legislature, ChiefMinister Uddhav Thackeray also announced restructuring the outstanding loansof farmers from October 2019 onwards, setting up of Krishi Samruddhi Centresacross the proposed 'Balasaheb Thackeray Samruddhi Corridor' for employmentgeneration. He also committed a steel plant at Surjagad in Gadchirolidistrict.Thackeray told the Legislative Council that 'Nagpur-Mumbai SammruddhiExpressway' will be named after his father and Shiv Sena founder late BalThackeray. "Initially, 50 outlets of 'Shiv Bhojan' will be set up for peoplewhere a full meal will be available at Rs 10. We will expand the number ofsuch outlets phase-wise dependent on the feedback," the CM told theAssembly.TELANGANA HC ORDERS A SECOND AUTOPSY OF ACCUSED KILLED DURING POLICEENCOUNTERThe Telangana High Court on Saturday directed re-postmortem of the bodies offour accused in the gang-rape and murder of a woman veterinarian nearHyderabad in November. The accused were killed in a police encounter on 6December.The bodies of the four accused are preserved in the state-run GandhiHospital in the city as per earlier orders of the High Court, after somepetitions were filed alleging extra-judicial killing of the men and claimingit was a fake encounter among others.The High Court directed the state government to request AIIMS Delhi toconstitute a medical team with three expert forensic specialists to conducta second postmortem of the bodies of the four men.JNU SPRINGS EMAIL EXAMINATIONSJawaharlal Nehru University has kicked off year-end semester examinations bysending question papers to students through email and asking them to submitanswers through return mail or WhatsApp in an "alternative" - and rare -format aimed at dealing with the situation on the protest-hit campus.Students of most schools and centres under the varsity have decided not towrite the exam while academics and parents have dubbed the decision a"mockery" of the process of evaluation.The campus has been in turmoil since varsity authorities recently announceda steep hike in hostel charges and introduced several new fees.The varsity eventually decided to partially roll back the fee hike but theunrelenting students called for a boycott of the semester exams that werescheduled to begin from December 12.HERE LIES YOUR DATAPatalganga, a Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation area in Panvelnear Mumbai, is home to a Reliance petrochemical plant and textileprocessor, a Hyundai Mobis engineering facility, and a Cipla pharmaceuticalsfactory. Just off it, lie rice fields.Now, this industrial belt is entering the Information Age. In April, theHiranandani Group began gutting the inside of one of its 8.2 lakh sq ftcommercial towers to build the country's largest-ever data centre. The Rs1,000-crore tower called NM1 (Navi Mumbai 1) is part of the Mumbai-basedreal-estate developer's Rs 15,000 crore investment plans, to raise five suchbuildings. The 12-storey NM1 tower will hold 7,200 'data racks' - shapedlike tall computer servers - with plans to go live on the last day of thisyear. Altogether, the five buildings will have 30,000 data racks covering 30lakh sq ft.Compared to some of the world's data centres, including the 63 lakh sq ftfacility in China that is right at the top, NM1 is minuscule. But for thesunrise data economy in India - which now holds more than 10% of the world'sInternet users, but only 1.8% of its data centre infrastructure - it marks amilestone.the DATA Protection Bill, making its way through a Joint Select Committee inParliament, signals a clear mandate to store sensitive data within thecountry. But the data localisation signals have been long in the making,spurring exponential growth in the country's sunrise data centre economy.However, as the market forces grow, there are still many roadblocks andethical arguments against localisation.At almost 10 GB per month, Indians now use the most data in the world persmartphone, according to Nokia and Ericsson - a figure that will go up asthe number of Internet devices continue to mount.NORTH INDIA REELS UNDER COLD WAVEIntense cold wave conditions on Saturday gripped north India, includingKashmir where snowfall in the upper reaches of the valley marked thebeginning of 'Chillai-Kalan'-the 40-day period of harshest winter.In the national capital, foggy conditions and a cloud cover prevented thesunlight from heating the ground. The cold air trapped pollutants, officialssaid. At 4 pm, the overall air quality index of the city stood at 418, whichfalls in the severe category.The city recorded a low of 9.5 degrees Celsius and a high of 18 degreesCelsius, which was three notches below the normal.The minimum temperature in Amritsar, Ludhiana and Patiala was recorded at6.6, 7 and 8.6 degrees Celsius, up to three notches above normal,respectively.In Haryana, Ambala, Hisar and Karnal braved cold wave conditions at 8.3, 8and 9.6 degrees Celsius.