STATES HAVE RIGHT TO DISAGREE WITH CENTRE, CANNOT BE FORCED TO IMPLEMENTCAA: CONGRESSAmid a debate over the implementation of the amended Citizenship Act, theCongress on Sunday said states have the right to challenge the Centre andcannot be "forced" to implement the "unconstitutional law" till the petitionin the Supreme Court is decided.Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said in a statement that theCAA is an attack on India's Constitution and the people's movement againstthe act shall continue "courageously and fearlessly".The Congress' assertion comes a day after senior Congress leader Kapil Sibalsaid there is no way a state can deny the implementation of the CitizenshipAmendment Act (CAA) when it is already passed by Parliament."Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have become livingsymbols of 'sectarianism, bigotry and fanaticism' using the instrument ofstate to attack India's ethos and its Constitution," Surjewala alleged. Heaccused Modi and Shah of using the CAA as a "manipulative smoke-screen" to"divide and rule".Surjewala also posed several questions to the prime minister and the homeminister, asking why are Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, Parsisand Muslims of Sri Lanka, Tibet (China) and Myanmar (the three borderingcountries) being excluded from being given Indian citizenship. "Why areHindus or other communities of Nepal and Bhutan being denied India'sCitizenship under the present CAA?" he asked.INDIA'S NEW CITIZENSHIP LAW UNNECESSARY: BANGLADESH PM SHEIKH HASINABangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has termed the Citizenship AmendmentAct (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) "internal matters" ofIndia, but at the same time said the Act was "not necessary"."We don't understand why (the Indian government) did it. It was notnecessary," Hasina told the Gulf News in an interview, referring to India'snew citizenship law.Bangladesh, where 10.7 per cent of the 161 million population is Hindu and0.6 per cent Buddhist, has denied any migration to India because ofreligious persecution, the paper said.Hasina, who is in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi, also said that there hasbeen no recorded reverse migration from India. "No, there is no reversemigration from India. But within India, people are facing many problems,"she said. "(Still), it is an internal affair," Hasina said."Bangladesh has always maintained that the CAA and NRC are internal mattersof India," Hasina said. "The Government of India, on their part, has alsorepeatedly maintained that the NRC is an internal exercise of India andPrime Minister (Narendra) Modi has in person assured me of the same duringmy visit to New Delhi in October 2019."She said the relationship between Bangladesh and India is currently at itsbest, with cooperation in a "wide spectrum of areas".INDIA SUCCESSFULLY TESTS ITS 3,500KM-RANGE K-4 MISSILEThe Indian strategic forces got a major boost on Sunday after the DefenceResearch and Development Organisation (DRDO) tested a 3,500-kilometre rangesubmarine-launched K-4 ballistic missile off the Vizag coast, with thenuclear weapon meeting all its target objectives, officials with directknowledge of the matter said.The three-metre-tall missile carries a nuclear warhead of over one tonnewith a circular error probability (CEP) far lower than that of Chineseballistic missiles. The CEP of the Indian strategic missile is less than 100metres as compared to the 1-2 kilometre range of the Chinese equivalent.Only the US, Russia and China have submarine-launched ballistic missiles of3,500-kilometre range. The INS Arihant is already equipped with a700-kilometre range B-02 nuclear missile, with the second nuclear submarineINS Arighat on way to becoming operational.The missile was fired off a pontoon between 12 noon and 1pm off the Vizagcoast in Andhra Pradesh and the delivery platform was tracked over 1,500kilometres before it shifted to ship-based radars.The submarine-launched ballistic missile is the most important part of theair, land and sea nuclear triad and is at the front of India's second-strikecapability. With the K-4 and the Agni-5 missiles in its nuclear arsenal,Indian strategic forces now have a deterrent against all adversaries to thenorth and south, besides capability of protecting the Indo-Pacific.CAA FALSEHOODS BEING SPREAD BY KEEPING WOMEN IN FRONT: YOGI ADITYANATHUttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday hit out at theCongress and SP for the protests against the new citizenship law, accusingthem of "financing the miscreants". The CM also said false informationregarding the law is being spread by "putting women at the front".Speaking at a rally at MP Inter College in Gorakhpur as part of the BJP'sawareness campaign on the new law, he said the country is being "rippedapart by the propaganda against the CAA".The Chief Minister's remark comes days after women started gathering in OldLucknow to protest against the new law on the lines of the sit-in at ShaheenBagh in Delhi. . "The conduct of Congress and SP is condemnable andirresponsible. These parties have financed the miscreants for opposing theCAA," said Adityanath.Accusing the Congress, SP and other Opposition parties of "spreading lies tomislead the nation just like what the Left parties did after Independence",he said, "The way people of the country understood the lies of the Left andburied them forever, on the same lines, these parties are also standing ontheir last political rung."The CM also blamed the Congress for the exodus of Kashmiris Pandits from theValley."It was because of Congress's sin that 4.5 lakh Kashmiri Pandits were forcedto flee Kashmir. Today is the 30th anniversary of it (the exodus).Adityanath also accused the Congress of delaying the verdict in the Ayodhyaissue. "For 500 years, every Hindu wanted the construction of a Ram Templein Ayodhya. First the Mughals, then the British kept delaying it. TheCongress also wanted to delay it, but the Supreme Court gave a historicjudgment. People used to say that rivers of blood will flow when the verdictcomes, but we said that not a mosquito will die," Adityanath added.IRAN BACKTRACKS ON PLAN TO SEND FLIGHT RECORDERS TO UKRAINEThe Iranian official leading the investigation into the Ukrainian jetlinerthat was accidentally shot down by the Revolutionary Guard appeared tobacktrack on January 19 on plans to send the flight recorders abroad foranalysis, a day after saying they would be sent to Kyiv.Hassan Rezaeifar was quoted by the state-run IRNA news agency as saying theflight recorders from the Ukrainian Boeing are in Iranian hands and we haveno plans to send them out.He said Iran is working to recover the data and cabin recordings, and thatit may send the flight recorders - commonly known as black boxes - toUkraine or France. But as of yet, we have made no decision. The sameofficial was quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency on January 18 assaying the recorders would be sent to Ukraine, where French, American andCanadian experts would help analyse them. Iranian officials previously saidthe black boxes were damaged but are usable.It was not immediately possible to reconcile the conflicting accounts. Iranmay be hesitant to turn over the recorders for fear that more details fromthe crash - including the harrowing 20 seconds between when the first andsecond surface-to-air missiles hit the plane - will come to light.EXPERTS WARN OVER SCALE OF MYSTERIOUS CHINA SARS-LIKE VIRUSThe true scale of the outbreak of a mysterious SARS-like virus in China islikely far bigger than officially reported, scientists have warned, ascountries ramp up measures to prevent the disease from spreading.Fears that the virus will spread are growing ahead of the Lunar New Yearholiday, when hundreds of millions of Chinese move around the country andmany others host or visit extended family members living overseas.Authorities in China say two people have died and at least 45 have beeninfected, with the outbreak centred around a seafood market in the centralcity of Wuhan, a city of 11 million inhabitants that serves as a majortransport hub.But a paper published on Friday by scientists with the MRC Centre for GlobalInfectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College in London said the number ofcases in the city was likely closer to 1,700. The researchers said theirestimate was largely based on the fact that cases had been reported overseas-- two in Thailand and one in Japan.The virus -- a new strain of coronavirus that humans can contract -- hascaused alarm because of its connection to SARS (Severe Acute RespiratorySyndrome), which killed nearly 650 people across mainland China and HongKong in 2002-2003.China has not announced any travel restrictions, but authorities in HongKong have already stepped up detection measures, including rigoroustemperature checkpoints for inbound travellers from the Chinese mainland.The US said from Friday it would begin screening flights arriving from Wuhanat San Francisco airport and New York's JFK -- which both receive directflights -- as well as Los Angeles, where many flights connect.19 INDIANS SEAFARERS KIDNAPPED BY PIRATES RELEASED, ONE DIED IN CAPTIVITYNineteen Indians, kidnapped by pirates from a merchant vessel from the highseas off the western coast of Africa last month, have been released whileone died in their captivity, according to the Indian mission in Abuja,Twenty Indian crew members were kidnapped from the vessel MT Duke in thehigh seas off the western coast of Africa on December 15.The High Commission of India in Abuja on Sunday tweeted that 19 Indiannationals were released on Saturday while one died in the captivity of thepirates in "adverse conditions".India thanked the Nigerian authorities for their assistance in the releaseof the abducted Indians."Indian Govt and Mission gave highest priority and worked with @NigeriaGovon release of 20 Indian seafarers kidnapped on 15 Dec from MV Duke. 19 werereleased yesterday. One sadly died in captivity in adverse conditions. Ourdeepest condolences. Mission assiting in speedy return," the Indian HighCommission tweeted.CAA PETITION IN SC: KERALA GOVERNOR SEEKS REPORT FROM LDF GOVTKerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has sought a report from the stategovernment for moving the Supreme Court against the Citizenship AmendmentAct without informing him.Khan said he will not remain a mute spectator. "This is not a personalfight. What is important is the Constitution and law of land," he said.The LDF government had on January 13 moved the top court challenging the Actand had sought to declare it as ultra vires of the Constitution.Attacking Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Khan had earlier said the publicaffairs and the business of the government cannot be run in accordance withthe "whims of an individual or a political party" and everyone has torespect the rules.TDP CHIEF NAIDU ASKS CM JAGAN REDDY NOT TO SHIFT CAPITAL FROM AMARAVATIAhead of a special session of Andhra Pradesh Assembly called to decide on aproposal to have three capitals, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu on Sundayurged Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy not to shift the state capitalfrom Amaravati, warning that about Rs 50,000 crore committed investmentcould be withdrawn and also make farmers suffer.Denying any "irregularities" in the decision-making for Amaravati as capitalduring his tenure, Naidu asserted he does not have any "vested interest" inAmaravati, saying his party is fighting to control further damage to thestate.Alleging that Andhra Pradesh is on "the path of destruction", Naidu said ifthe present government-which is already in debt-does not honour theagreements, it will dent the image of the state and investors will loseconfidence for future investment.The YSRCP government, which took over in May last year, has allegedirregularities by the previous Naidu government in awarding contracts and inallotting prime lands to those close to the then chief minister.Today, the three-day special winter session of the Assembly is scheduled tobegin to approve the report of the High-Powered Committee (HPC) on"distributed capital functions". The chief minister wants to have executivecapital at Visakhapatnam, legislative capital at Amaravati and judicialcapital at Kurnool."10 GUARANTEES OF KEJRIWAL", AHEAD OF DELHI POLLSChief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday released a "guarantee card" listing10 promises, including free bus rides for students and deployment of"mohalla marshals" for women's safety, that his AAP will fulfil if it isre-elected in Delhi.The card, "10 guarantees of Kejriwal", also promises to continue the schemefor free electricity up to 200 units, free health facilities, to plant twocrore saplings, clean Yamuna river and reduce pollution in Delhi over thenext five years."I am giving 10 guarantees to the people of Delhi. This is not a manifesto.We will launch a comprehensive manifesto in 7-10 days. The manifesto willhave more things specifically for students, teachers, among others. Thiswill be for everyone," Kejriwal said.The "guarantee card" also promises more than 11,000 buses and to increasethe length of the Delhi Metro network to over 500 km.Kejriwal released thecard by signing it.SHIRDI BANDH WITHDRAWN, AHEAD OF TALKS WITH CMResidents of Shirdi in Maharashtra called off Sunday midnight the day-longbandh, observed in the temple town amid a row over the birthplace of 19thcentury saint Saibaba.Leaders representing the Shirdi residents said the decision to call off theshutdown was taken at a 'gram sabha' on Sunday evening in view of themeeting called by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai on Monday todiscuss the issue.They, however, warned that if the meeting with the CM fails to bring anysatisfactory solution, an aggressive protest will be launched.The bandh, which began after Saturday midnight, was observed to protestagainst Uddhav Thackeray's announcement of grant of Rs 100 crore fordevelopment of facilities at "Sai janmasthan" (birthplace) at Pathri inParbhani district, nearly 273 km from Shirdi in Ahmednagar district.GENERAL CARIAPPA IN 1971: SCRAP CONSTITUTION, NEED MILITARY RULEWeeks after Indira Gandhi won a landslide victory in the Lok Sabha electionsof 1971, the first Indian to head the Indian Army, General K M Cariappa, whowas later made Field Marshal, underlined in a clarificatory note that he wasin favour of "a military rule, only as a temporary measure to put thingsright in the country".Exhorting Indians to "wake up" and "SPEAK", he asserted that 90 per centwould "vote for a President's cum Military Rule to save Democracy".The signed note of April 7, 1971 was recently discovered in Karnataka'sstate archives. It was written as a clarification for the public afterCariappa had met the then Prime Minister, Home Minister and the Speaker ofLok Sabha following a Parliamentary debate about his comments advocatingthese measures while informally speaking to the press in Dhanbad in March1970.Cariappa was heavily criticised for those remarks, including in Parliament.It was then reported that he had met these leaders to apologise for hisremarks, which he denied, asserting that he had "not gone back one inch".In the four-page typed note, Cariappa also advocated scrapping theConstitution, all political parties and linguistic states, and restrictingadult franchise on the basis of "literacy". He wanted only three politicalparties, on the lines of Labour, Liberal and Conservative in the UK, and anew Constitution to be framed after a general election is held when militaryrule had restored law and order and "things are going on well in thecountry".After a new Constitution is framed, he believed, "the President's cumMilitary Rule would end and Democracy would re-enter in its pure form".Blaming linguistic states for sounding "the death-knell for the unity of thecountry," he proposed dividing "India into zones for administrative andeconomic convenience on the lines of the Army, such as Army Commands, ArmyAreas, Army Sub-areas and so on".General Cariappa was a highly respected and renowned military officer, whoseascension as the first Indian to the post of Commander-in-Chief iscelebrated as Army Day on January 15, and had retired from active service in1953. He had contested two Lok Sabha elections after his retirement, losingin both his attempts, and was made a Field Marshal by the Rajiv Gandhigovernment in 1986. He died in 1993 at the age of 94.WEALTH OF INDIA'S RICHEST 1% MORE THAN 4 TIMES THAT OF 70% POOREST: OXFAMIndia's richest 1 per cent hold more than four-times the wealth held by 953million people who make up for the bottom 70 per cent of the country'spopulation, while the total wealth of all Indian billionaires is more thanthe full-year budget, a new study said on Monday.Releasing the study 'Time to Care' here ahead of the 50th Annual Meeting ofthe World Economic Forum (WEF), rights group Oxfam also said the world's2,153 billionaires have more wealth than the 4.6 billion people who make up60 per cent of the planet's population.The report flagged that global inequality is shockingly entrenched and vastand the number of billionaires has doubled in the last decade, despite theircombined wealth having declined in the last year.ROHIT SLAMS CENTURY, KOHLI 89 TO HELP INDIA CLINCH 2-1 SERIES WIN OVERAUSTRALIARohit Sharma and Virat Kohli paced a tricky run chase with sublime knocks asIndia wrapped the series 2-1 with a comfortable seven-wicket victory in thedecisive third ODI against Australia, here on Sunday.Rohit (119 off 128) was due for a big score in the series and he deliveredin the all-important game for his 29th ODI hundred.India had a point to prove against Australia, having lost the home series tothem in March last year. The 10-wicket drubbing in Mumbai did not deterIndia as they posted emphatic victories in Rajkot and here at theChinnaswamy Stadium.Following Rohit's fall, Kohli (89 off 91) anchored the chase as Indiacantered to the win in 47.3 overs. Shreyas Iyer remained unbeaten on 44 off35 balls.The 137-run stand between Rohit and Kohli effectively won the game forIndia, who overhauled the 287-run target with 15 balls to spare.Steve Smith's ninth ODI hundred helped Australia score 286 for nine afterAaron Finch opted to bat. Indian bowlers, led by Mohammad Shami (4/63), didwell to limit Australia to under 300.