The Evening Wrap: Chinese build-up clearly visible: Ladakh leader

The Hindu Newsletter - Here are the latest updates and the big news stories to follow today [The Hindu Logo](yO4B9HlHIB91HtGAABeY2pl/link17) [Facebook](yO4B9HlHIB91HtGAABeY2pl/link1) [Twitter](yO4B9HlHIB91HtGAABeY2pl/link3) [Youtube](yO4B9HlHIB91HtGAABeY2pl/link35) [Linkedin](yO4B9HlHIB91HtGAABeY2pl/link15) [Instagram](yO4B9HlHIB91HtGAABeY2pl/link14) Sunday 10, January 2021 [alt_text](yO4B9HlHIB91HtGAABeY2pl/link33) The Evening Wrap Here are the biggest news stories of the day [alt_text](yO4B9HlHIB91HtGAABeY2pl/link28) Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. We hope you are staying safe. Chinese build up at LAC clearly visible, says Ladakh leader Konchok Stanzin, a councillor from Chushul in eastern Ladakh said Chinese infrastructure that could not be seen from border villages earlier is now clearly visible as [China continues to hold positions in areas within India’s perception of the Line of Actual Control](yO4B9HlHIB91HtGAABeY2pl/link23). In an interview given to The Hindu, Mr. Stanzin said residents have witnessed a large number of Chinese tents, bunkers and vehicles very close to the border villages in Chushul, Merak and Khakted, in clear departure from the past. Mr. Stanzin said nomads who live in villages close to Pangong Tso (lake), one of the multiple locations where Indian and Chinese troops are engaged in a standoff since April-May 2020, have not been able to access winter grazing grounds this year due to heavy troop deployment. Mr. Stanzin, who won as an Independent in the recently concluded Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), is part of a delegation from the Union Territory that has been camping in Delhi for the past one week to get their various demands heard by the Central government. They have met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Ladakh was declared a Union Territory without legislature after the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir was downgraded and bifurcated into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019 by Parliament. “At Black Top in South Pangong, where in the year 2018, only a camera existed on the Chinese side, today we regularly see Chinese vehicles and tents. While in other areas where they could reach the top in their vehicles, we cannot even take our horses and porters due to unfavourable terrain,” Mr. Stanzin said. He added that there are many spots in the Finger area that have been occupied by the Chinese and if an aerial survey is conducted it extends up to the upper reaches of Finger 2. As reported earlier by The Hindu, China has ingressed about 8 km in the Finger area and Indian troops have not been able to patrol beyond Finger 4 since the last week of April 2020, when China started amassing troops. Earlier, Indian troops could patrol up to Finger 8. Supreme Court to review verdict upholding Aadhaar tomorrow A five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court led by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar [will examine on Monday seven petitions](yO4B9HlHIB91HtGAABeY2pl/link24), including one by Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh, seeking a review of the court’s majority verdict upholding the Aadhaar programme as a reasonable restriction on individual privacy to fulfil the government’s “legitimate aim” to provide dignity to the poor. The majority view held by the Constitution Bench declared Aadhaar an “unparalleled” identity proof that could not be duplicated unlike PAN, ration card, and passport. In his dissent, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud called Aadhaar “unconstitutional”. On January 11, five judges, who include Justices Khanwilkar and Chandrachud, Justices Ashok Bhushan, S. Abdul Nazeer and B.R. Gavai would consider the review pleas in the chambers at 1.30 p.m. The court is considering the review pleas almost two years after some of them were filed. [ ] Mr. Ramesh’s petition, one of the earliest of the lot, highlighted the passage of the Aadhaar Act as a Money Bill by superseding the Rajya Sabha. He said this was a “fraud on the Constitution”. Justice Chandrachud had said that though this may been done out of political expediency, the fact that it was a “subterfuge” and debasement of constitutional authorities could not be overlooked. Protests ransack venue of Haryana CM’s meeting on farm laws Scores of people, most of them farmers protesting against the Centre’s farm laws, on Sunday [ransacked a venue at Kaimla village in Haryana’s Karnal](yO4B9HlHIB91HtGAABeY2pl/link25) where Chief Minister Manohar Lal was scheduled to address a farmers’ gathering (“kisan mahapanchayat”). The event was called off after the agitating farmers reached the venue, breaking several layers of barricading, and ransacked the event site by breaking the stage, chairs etc. The Chief Minister’s programme was about highlighting the advantages of the new farm laws. [ Police use water cannons to disperse farmers who were protesting against Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s “Kisan Mahapanchayat” rally at Kaimla village in Karnal on January 10, 2021. ] Police use water cannons to disperse farmers who were protesting against Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s “Kisan Mahapanchayat” rally at Kaimla village in Karnal on January 10, 2021. Ahead of CM’s event, police resorted to use of tear gas and water cannon to disperse agitating farmers at Kaimla village after the latter attempted to forcefully break barricades. Hundreds of agitating farmers waving black flags against the Centre’s agriculture sector laws were stopped by the police, which had erected barricades at all entry points to the village. The protesters were marching to reach the proposed site of the event. Centre confirms bird flu outbreak in seven States The Centre on Sunday said a [bird flu outbreak has been confirmed in seven States](yO4B9HlHIB91HtGAABeY2pl/link22) — Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, while test results are still awaited for Delhi and Maharashtra samples. No samples have been confirmed positive in wild birds from Balod district, Chhattisgarh which were tested earlier, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying said in a statement. After confirmation of avian influenza (bird flu) positive samples in poultry (two poultry farms) of Panchkula district of Haryana, the State government has deployed nine Rapid Response teams, and containment operation is underway in both the epicentres. [A worker spraying disinfectant while sanitising trays at the Ghazipur Poultry market in New Delhi against the spread of Bird Flu in New Delhi on January 10.]A worker spraying disinfectant while sanitising trays at the Ghazipur Poultry market in New Delhi against the spread of Bird Flu in New Delhi on January 10. Samples of crow/wild birds have been confirmed for avian influenza from Surat district of Gujarat and Sirohi district of Rajasthan. “Further, reports of unusual deaths of 86 crows and 2 egrets were received from Kangra district (Himachal Pradesh),” the statement said. "Reports of unusual mortality of wild birds have also been received from Nahan, Bilaspur and Mandi (Himachal Pradesh) and samples have been sent to the designated laboratory for testing," it added. The Department has issued advisories to the affected States to avoid further spread of disease. Nepal wants ‘equality-based friendship with India, says Oli [Nepal wants “equality-based friendship” with India](yO4B9HlHIB91HtGAABeY2pl/link21), said Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli on Sunday.Sharma Oli on Sunday. Addressing an extraordinary session of the Upper House of Parliament, Mr. Oli said Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali will visit India on January 14 to discuss the dispute related to the border and several other issues. He maintained that dissolution of the Lower House, Pratinidhi Sabha, was necessary and that the government under his leadership will seek a fresh political mandate to ensure stability. “We have made great progress in the arena of international relations. I want to be a real friend of India. Nepal wants equality-based friendship with India and take it to a new height...Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali will travel to India on January 14 to discuss the issue related to our boundary, and several other matters as we want good bilateral relations,” said Mr. Oli who accused his rivals and critics inside the party of trying to destabilise the Himalayan country. The announcement has put an end to weeks of speculation about a breakthrough visit to help revive the relationship which was hit by the Kalapani territorial dispute for nearly a year. The dispute erupted after India published a new political map in November 2019 which prompted Nepal to introduce a map which claimed Pithoragarh’s Kalapani-Lipulekh-Limpiyadhura region. ICC condemns alleged racism incident, asks Cricket Australia for report The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday [condemned the alleged incidents of racism against Indian players](yO4B9HlHIB91HtGAABeY2pl/link31) that took place during the ongoing third Test match between Australia and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The international cricket body has also asked for a detailed report from Cricket Australia who are investigating the matter. ICC chief Manu Sawhney, in a media statement released on Sunday, said that there is no space for racism in cricket. Under the ICC Anti-Discrimination policy, Cricket Australia will now be required to investigate the issue and provide a report to the ICC on the incident and any action taken to ensure the issue has been dealt with appropriately. On Day 4, play was halted for a few minutes after Indian team complained that few spectators allegedly used racial slur at Mohammed Siraj during the second session. [Mohammed Siraj stops play to make a formal complaint to umpire Paul Reiffel about some spectators in the bay behind his fielding position during day four of the Third Test match in the series between Australia and India at Sydney Cricket Ground on January 10, 2021.]Mohammed Siraj stops play to make a formal complaint to umpire Paul Reiffel about some spectators in the bay behind his fielding position during day four of the Third Test match in the series between Australia and India at Sydney Cricket Ground on January 10, 2021. "We have faced racism in Sydney earlier too. It needs to be dealt with iron fist," off-spinner R. Ashwin told reporters at the post-day press conference. Local media reported that six people were expelled from the ground by the security during the nearly 10-minute halt in the on-ground proceedings. Australian coach Justin Langer also condemned the unsavoury incident. Covid watch: Numbers and Developments The [number of reported coronavirus cases from India](yO4B9HlHIB91HtGAABeY2pl/link20) stands at 1,04,62,762 at the time of publishing this newsletter with the death toll at 1,51,185. In Brief: At least four NGOs working for the survivors of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding that the ongoing [clinical trials for Covaxin, an indigenously developed Covid-19 vaccine, be stopped](yO4B9HlHIB91HtGAABeY2pl/link26) in the Madhya Pradesh capital in view of the "gross violation of laws and guidelines". In the letters addressed to the PM and Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, these NGOs have also sought punishment for the "responsible parties who were negligent in ensuring the safety, well being and the rights of the trial participants". Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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