GLOBAL COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDS PAKISTAN'S DOUBLE STANDARDS: INDIASlamming Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for trying to paint an"alarmist" situation in Kashmir and seeking global intervention tode-escalate tension between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan at Davos, NewDelhi yesterday said his remarks show "growing sense of frustration".External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar ruled out third partyrole on the Kashmir issue, asserting any issue between India and Pakistanshould be resolved bilaterally and the onus to create a conducive atmospherethat could lead to meaningful engagement was on Islamabad.Apart from calling for global intervention to de-escalate tension betweenIndia and Pakistan, Khan in Davos said there were no terror groups left inhis country and some terror outfits were operating from Afghanistan."We are hardly surprised by the content and tone of his remarks. They arenot only factually inaccurate and contradictory, but also demonstrate agrowing sense of frustration," Kumar replied when asked about Khan'scomments. "Pakistan has to realise that the global community has seenthrough their double standards," he asserted. "They have to take credible,irreversible and verifiable action against terror groups operating from itssoil rather than making misleading and alarmist statements to divert theattention of the international community," said Kumar.POOR SHOW ON DEMOCRACY INDEX RED FLAG: CONGThe Congress yesterday said India's poor performance on the Democracy Index2019 was a red flag to everyone and a reminder that the nation needed to beeternally vigilant to preserve its democratic heritage.Former minister P Chidambaram said, "The world is alarmed by the directionIndia is taking and every patriotic Indian should be alarmed too."The Congress officially addressed India's decline by 10 ranks on the indexits worst ever performance to say, "We can feel happy that Bangladesh,Pakistan and China are behind us, but we need to ask ourselves whether ornot we have become a diminishing democracy post 2014?"Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said, "Democracy Index is the mostobjective analysis of democracies, but we don't even need the DemocracyIndex to tell us what is happening? We can list any number of parameters toshow India has become a diminishing democracy since 2014." Singhvi said fearwas pervasive and political vendetta a norm.SC RESERVES VERDICT ON REFERRING ART 370 PLEAS TO 7-JUDGE BENCHShould petitions challenging the nullification of Article 370 of theConstitution be referred to a seven-judge Constitution Bench of the SupremeCourt?A five-judge Bench headed by Justice NV Ramana on Thursday reserved itsverdict after hearing arguments from senior advocates Zaffar Ahmad Shah, CUSingh, Dinesh Dwivedi, Rajeev Dhavan, Sanjay Parikh and GopalSankaranarayanan for petitioners and Attorney General KK Venugopal andSolicitor General Tushar Mehta on behalf of the government.The Bench - which also included Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Justice RSubhash Reddy, Justice BR Gavai and Justice Surya Kant - is seized ofpetitions challenging the nullification of Article 370 and the Jammu andKashmir Reorganisation Act 2019, which divided the state into two unionterritories - Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.On Wednesday, Shah - representing Kashmir Bar Association - and Parikh -representing People's Union for Civil Liberties - had requested the Bench torefer the matter to a seven-judge Bench, contending that the Supreme Courtdelivered conflicting verdicts on Article 370 in Prem Nath Kaul versus Jammuand Kashmir (1959) and Sampat Prakash versus Jammu and Kashmir (1970). TheBench had said it would refer the matter to a seven-judge Constitution Benchonly if it was satisfied that there was a direct conflict between the twoverdicts.On Thursday, the Attorney General and the Solicitor General Tushar opposedthe idea of sending the matter to a larger Bench of seven judges.Senior advocates Dhavan and Singh - representing some of the petitioners -supported the government's view on this limited point even as they said theydidn't agree with the government's interpretation of the case law. Theremight be a miniscule discrepancy between the verdicts in the two cases butthey were not so wide so as to require referring the matter to a seven-judgeBench, they said.THIS YEAR, REPUBLIC DAY CEREMONY TO START FROM WAR MEMORIALChanging a decades-old tradition, the 71st Republic Day ceremony this Sundaywill not begin from India Gate, where the Prime Minister commemoratessoldiers who have died in combat for India. Instead, at 9.33 am, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi will lay a wreath at the National War Memorial, whichwas opened on February 25, 2019.The eternal flame that is lit under India Gate is also lit at the NationalWar Memorial, which mentions names of all Indian soldiers who have dieddefending the country since Independence.After laying the wreath, the Prime Minister will go to Rajpath for theRepublic Day parade, which will last for 90 minutes, starting 10 am.The parade will have 16 marching contingents from the armed forces,paramilitary forces, Delhi Police, NCC, 13 military bands and 22 tableaux.The motorcycle display this year will be performed by an all-woman team ofthe CRPF.President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro will be the chief guest at the paradethis year.BREXIT DEAL OFFICIALLY BECOMES UK LAW, QUEEN GIVES ROYAL ASSENTBritain's exit deal with the European Union has officially become a lawThursday a few days ahead of the country's departure from the bloc. OnWednesday, the legislation passed its final parliamentary stage, after overthree years of bitter wrangling over how, when and even if Brexit shouldtake place.Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday also formally approved the landmark law.Britain is due to leave the bloc at 2300 GMT on January 31. A consent votein the EU Parliament will take place on Jan 29.CHINA VIRUS 'TOO EARLY' FOR EMERGENCY DECLARATION: WHOThe viral illness in China that has sickened hundreds of people and promptedChinese authorities to effectively shut down three cities is not yet aglobal health emergency, the World Health Organisation said Thursday.The U.N. health agency issued its evaluation after Chinese authorities movedto lock down three cities indefinitely earlier in the day and canceled majorpublic celebrations and gatherings in Beijing during the Lunar New Yearholiday period to try to contain the evolving outbreak.During a news conference in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros AdhanomGhebreyesus said that while the epidemic was clearly a crisis in China, "ithas not yet become a global health emergency. It may yet become one."The steps taken by China to shut down cities with more than 18 millionpeople are unprecedented in public health, as countries typically shy awayfrom such extreme measures. Tedros said that while WHO's role is to providescience-based recommendations, "at the end of the day, a sovereign countryhas the autonomy to do what it thinks is right."WHO defines a global emergency as an "extraordinary event" that constitutesa risk to other countries and requires a coordinated international response.TRUMP ADMINISTRATION STEPS UP SCRUTINY OF PREGNANT VISA APPLICANTSThe State Department on Thursday moved to empower its visa officers to blockpregnant women abroad from visiting the United States in an effort to stop"birth tourism" - trips designed to obtain citizenship for their children.The new rule, to take effect Friday, will give discretion to consularofficers abroad to reject women they believe are entering the United Statesspecifically to gain citizenship for their child by giving birth. The visascovered by the new rule are issued to those seeking to visit for pleasure,for medical treatment or to see friends and family.Conservatives have long railed against what they call "anchor babies" bornon US soil and used by their parents to bring in other family members.President Donald Trump has also criticized the constitutional provision thatgrants citizenship to most babies born on U.S. soil.ANDHRA THREE-CAPITAL MOVE STALLED, FOR NOWAndhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy's move to establish threecapitals in the state has suffered a jolt, at least for the time being, withthe Upper House refusing to pass the Bill and instead referring the issue toa select committee.The Assembly, where the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has a brute majority with151 out of 175 legislators, on Monday passed the Capital Region DevelopmentAuthority Repeal Bill, 2020, and the AP Decentralisation and InclusiveDevelopment of all Regions Bill, 2020, to establish legislative capital atVijayawada, administrative capital at Visakhapatnam and judicial capital atKurnool.But when the Bill was sent to the Legislative Council, where the TDP has 38out of the 58 members and the YSRCP just nine, it was was held up and theCouncil Chairman announced the Bills were being referred to a selectcommittee.PAWAN VARMA FREE TO GO, SAYS NITISH KUMARWith senior JD (U) leaders Pavan K Varma and Prashant Kishor stepping upattacks on his alliance partner BJP, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumarstruck back Thursday, saying Varma was free to chart his future and "gowherever he wants". He did not, however, comment on Kishor.On Varma, the Chief Minister told reporters: "If anyone had any problem, hecould have discussed it at a party meeting or personally. This is not theway to do it. The way he spoke on certain things is not proper. Should I betelling you what he told me? But I have respect for him. He can go whereverhe wants. I wish him well."Two days ago, Varma went public with a letter he had written to Kumar.Questioning his party's decision to extend its alliance with the BJP "beyondBihar" and fight the Delhi Assembly elections together, Varma, who is alsothe party's national spokesperson, sought "ideological clarity" from Kumarwho he said had expressed "grave apprehensions" in private about the BJPleading the country into a "dangerous space".FINALITY KEY TO DEATH SENTENCE, CAN'T BE KEPT OPEN-ENDED: SUPREME COURTChief Justice of India S A Bobde Thursday said the "finality" of deathsentence is important and a condemned prisoner should not think thatsentencing remains "open-ended", and can be challenged whenever one wishes.He was heading a three judge-bench which was hearing a review petition filedby two convicts, Shabnam and her lover Saleem, handed the death sentence inUttar Pradesh for killing seven of her family members who opposed theirrelationship.Appearing for Shabnam, senior advocate Meenakshi Arora referred to reportsthat she had reformed while in prison and said this could be a mitigatingcircumstance. Stating that her client was a first-time criminal, Arora toldthe bench, also comprising Justices S A Nazeer and Sanjiv Khanna, that aheinous crime is different from the criminal.At this, the CJI said: "If one goes by the innocence of a human being, eventhe worst criminal has an innocent heart. There is no one who is a criminalat the deepest level." He said this is why the court punishes the crime andnot the individual. On her reformation in prison, the CJI wondered if thatwas enough after committing such a heinous crime. He said it was not thejudge, but the law that dealt with a criminal.GANGA CLEANER NOW, NOT A SINGLE DROP OF SEWAGE FLOWING INTO IT: YOGIADITYANATHFlagging off two raths (chariots) as part of the Ganga Yatra from hisofficial residence in Lucknow, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursdayclaimed that the river is now much cleaner and not a single drop of sewageis flowing into it. The yatra is aimed at sensitising people about riverpollution.He said 14 crore liters of sewage was discharged into the river throughSisamau drain in Kanpur for the past 128 years but it has now stopped due tothe Namami Gange Project.ABIDE WITH ME' TO REMAIN IN LIST OF TUNES FOR BEATING RETREAT CEREMONYChristian hymn 'Abide With Me', a favourite of Mahatma Gandhi, will continueto figure in the list of tunes to be played during the Beating Retreatceremony, amid uncertainty over its inclusion at the ceremonial event.The hymn will be the finale piece in the iconic ceremony at Vijay Chowk onJanuary 29.'Abide With Me' was written by Scottish Anglican Henry Francis Lyte and itwas the only western tune played at the event last year. Earlier the bandwas asked to discontinue practising the hymn 'Abide With Me', but in last2-3 days, instructions were given to again practice it. It will be thefinale piece as it has been traditionally.AMARINDER TIP FOR BRITISH ACTOR AFTER '1917' REMARK: READ SOME HISTORYPunjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has advised British actorLaurence Fox to "read some military history" and termed as "bunkum" hisremark that the featuring of a Sikh soldier in a scene in 1917 amounted to"forcing diversity" on viewers.Fox's remark on the movie, which has been nominated under the Best Picturecategory for the forthcoming Oscars, has triggered an uproar among Indiansin the UK.Amarinder, also a military historian, says that the Indian troops, whicharrived in Europe in 1914, played an important role in preventing a militarydisaster. "Two divisions went from here (India), the Third Lahore Divisionand Seventh Meerut Division. My regiment was part of Jalandhar Brigade,which comprised the 129th Baluchis, 47th Sikhs and 15th Sikhs. There wasalso a British Regiment, as after 1857, each brigade had one BritishRegiment as its part," he said.Amarinder said the Indian troops had been in contact with the Germans in theNorth. "We fought a delaying action right up to the Ypres line. We very muchfought alongside British troops. The whole system would have collapsed hadIndians not been there. The Indian troops fought for 66 days straightwithout proper food, sleep and they were deadbeat at the end of it," hesaid.NO COERCIVE ACTION AGAINST TELCOS NOT PAYING DUES: DOTOn a day when none of the telcos or non-telecom companies, barring RelianceJio, turned up to pay clear their adjusted gross revenues (AGR) dues, theDepartment of Telecommunications (DoT) Thursday evening issued a letterstating that there would be no coercive action against all licensees, bothtelecom and non-telecom, until further orders. The deadline for telcos andnon-telecom companies to pay the AGR dues was to end on Thursday.The letter by DoT was preceded by early morning correspondence from bothBharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea to the telecom ministry, in which the twocompanies said that they would not be paying any AGR dues as of now as thematter was "sub-judice".INDIA TAKE ON KIWIS IN FIRST T20I, IN AUCKLANDMerely five days after an ODI ended late on January 19 in Bengaluru, Indiawill be playing a T20 international all the way across in New Zealand aspart of a five-match series to kick-off a full tour that also features 3ODIs and 2 Tests.India left for Zealand on January 20 to reach the next evening, giving themonly three full days hardly any time before the series opening in NewZealand today. Virat Kohli is "sure" the travel time and the packed schedule"will be taken into consideration a lot more in the future", while alsoaccepting that that's how international cricket is these days.The Black Caps are always a competitive outfit, regardless of the names onthe team sheet, and India - who face them in five T20Is starting on Friday,followed by three ODIs and two Tests - will take them lightly at their ownperil. The Kiwis had a nightmarish tour of Australia recently. Ravaged byinjury and illness and up against a rejuvenated outfit, they were hammered3-0. But on their own turf, they will be a different proposition. Overall,their record in the longest format remains impressive, they are undefeatedin 10 of their last 12 Test series since 2016. Apart from doing well athome, of late they have had a 1-1 draw in Sri Lanka while getting the betterof Pakistan 2-1 in the UAE.AUS OPEN: RAIN SLOWS DOWN MARCH OF SEEDSRafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios reached the Australian Open third round todayafter the weather-disrupted tournament faced a new challenge: dirty rainwhich left courts muddy and unplayable.After a day of clean-up operations and delays, Australia's Kyrgios foughthis way past Frenchman Gilles Simon in a 6-2 6-4 4-6 7-5 victory, whileNadal notched up a 6-3 7-6(7) 6-1 win over Argentina's Federico Delbonis sawhim miscue a shot that hit a ballgirl in the head, but he melted hearts whenhe apologised and gave her a kiss on the cheek.Kyrgios and Nadal stay on course for a fourth round clash and the nextinstalment in their grudge match after the Aussie hit back at criticism fromthe "super salty" Spaniard last year.Elsewhere, Alexander Zverev downed Egor Gerasimov 7-6(7) 6-4 7-5, DominicThiem survived a scare against Alex Bolt before prevailing 6-2 5-7 6-7(7)6-1 6-2.In the women's draw, Simona Halep beat Dart 6-2 6-4 while Belinda Bencicknocked out Jelena Ostapenko 7-5 7-5. Garbine Muguruza ousted AjlaTomljanovic 6-3 3-6 6-3.