Mostly, Pak issued raised at UNSC discussed along with scattered protest on CAA followed by the central Govt Decision to interact with people of JnK.

National

Pak failed to raise JnK Issue at UNSC for 3rd Times

Pakistan again failed to raise Kashmir issue in United Nations Security Council (UNSC) since abrogation of Art 370, and members said its bilateral matter.

India has slammed Pakistan for its effort again trying to raise the Kashmir issue in the UNSC where it failed to find any support again.

New Delhi asserted that Islamabad needs to focus on the hard tasks it has to address in order to ensure normal relations with India.

MEA, in a PC, said that Pak should avoid such frequent embracement at international forum, and suggested China that they should also not push Pak’s propaganda.

China, Pakistan’s ”all-weather ally”, on Wed made a request to deliberate on the Kashmir issue under the agenda of “Any Other Business Points.”

Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun said: “We had a meeting on JnK. And I’m sure you all know that FM of Pak wrote letters to the UNSC asking it to pay attention to the current situation in JnK.

Meanwhile Pak FM SM Qureshi, in his 3 tweets expressed his satisfaction about his meeting with President UNSC, President UNGA and UN Secy Gen, and he was happy as he could successfully apprised the situation of JnK to international platform.

He tweeted ‘For the second time in 5 months, UNSC members were briefed on the situation in occupied JnK at the request of Pakistan and with support of China.’

Lately, Government to launch campaign in JnK to list benefits of Art 370 move

The government is believed to spread the information through newspapers, radio and TV advertisements to reach out to people in JnK in multiple languages including Hindi, English, and Urdu.

A top official confirmed that IAS and KASH (Kashmir Administrative Service) officials would contact at least 20 families in the Valley to give them a first-hand explanation of how the move benefits them.

A team of 36 members of BJP including many ministers will go to Jnk from 18-26 Jan.

Many leaders have been questioning the Govt on the situation in Kashmir. Many leaders, citing media reports, claim that people in the Valley are living in fear. INC leader and former CM Gulam Navi Azad questioned the Govt as who is responsible for the lost occurred due to abrogation of Art 370.

UK: Pakistan Sponsoring Terror

Gareth Bayley, UK foreign and commonwealth office director for south Asia, said at an interactive session at Raisina Dialogue 2020, New Delhi, said “it is clear that terrorist groups are operating from within Pakistan, dangerous to S Aisa”.

He further added that Islamabad should do more to take “non-reversible” action against terrorism if it wants to prevent itself from being blacklisted by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

The FATF in 2018 placed Pakistan on the grey list and the watchdog has already granted Islamabad an extension till Feb 2020 during a meeting in Oct 2019.

CAA Row!

Scattered protests observed at various places in the country. A group of students from SFI (INC students wing, AISA, Left students wings) organized a protest in Delhi University. In Mangalore, people traveled by boat to hold protest against CAA and NRC, yesterday.

A group of protesters show Anti CAA Posters at an event of Muslim Rashtriya Manch, in presence of senior RSS woker.

Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) files two fresh petitions in SC seeking stay of the operation of the CAA notification issued by the Central Government.

Amid the protest going on, the clashes broke out Kanchanpur subdivision, between Bru tribe members and Hindu Bengalis. As refugees in the NE of Tripura, both communities have been on edge since India enacted a CAA.

Arif Mohammad Khan, Governor, on Kerala govt challenging #CAA in SC: This is breach of protocol and breach of courtesy. I will look into it whether the state govt can go to the SC without the approval of the Governor. If not the approval, they could have just informed me. (For detail see yesterday’s letter)

In Daryaganj violence case, Delhi Court grants conditional bail to Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad, a leader calming himself as leader of ‘Dalit’ (16.6%).

Meanwhile, Union HM Amit Shah addressed a rally in Vaishali, Bihar to explain the CAA. Besides Shah, many other BJP leader are working to explain the same, in various public meetings.

A step ahead, UP CM, Yogi Adityanath has forwarded to the central government a list of 32,000 people from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who have been living in the state on long-term visas, kicking off the process of identifying refugees for implementing the CAA.

However, later in media question as to on what basis this list has been prepared, Govt officials said “it’s an informal practice”

Meeting of Chief Secretaries of states and Census directors will be held tomorrow at Ambedkar Bhawan in Delhi. It will be chaired by MoS Home Nityanand Rai and Union Home Secretary A K Bhalla. Meeting will discuss next census and NPR.

However, WB CM Mamta Banerjee refused to participate in the meeting. Furthermore, she challenged Governor to dismiss her Govt.

All India Bank Employees Association: United Forum of Bank Unions has decided to observe 2 days strike on 31st Jan and 1st Feb, 2020 and 3 days strike on 11 to 13^th March, 2020, demanding early wage revision settlement which has been due since 1st Nov, 2017.

SC dismisses review petitions by various telecom companies challenging the Supreme Court judgement in the Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) case.

Security

Chhattisgarh: 12 suspected Naxals were taken into custody for interrogation following an encounter between District Reserve Guard (DRG) jawans and Naxals in the border of Dantewada and Bastar districts. One DRG personnel sustained minor injuries during the encounter.

While in Bijapur, Naxals torched 3 vehicles engaged in road-construction in Kutru.

As per ANI, Srinagar Police has busted Jaish-e-Mohammad terror module, averted major terror attack planned on 26th January and worked out 2 earlier grenade attacks. 2 terrorists have been arrested. Detail awaited

International

US Census Board includes Sikhs as separate ethnic group

US Census Deputy Director Ron Jarmin informed that “A separate code recognizes the unique identity of Sikhs and gives us an opportunity to have an accurate count of Sikhs in the US to better serve the community’s needs.”

This was awaited in 2 decades, advocated by a NGO, United Sikhs, said that “this development will also be instrumental in addressing major Sikh issues which included bias, racism, xenophobia, and hate crimes against the community”.

Iran rejects UK's call for 'Trump deal' to replace nuclear accord

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has dismissed UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s call for a new “Trump deal” to replace the 2015 nuclear agreement.

Boris Johnson said he recognized that Mr Trump saw the accord as “flawed” and suggested he could renegotiate it.

Rouhani warned that “all Trump has done is break promises”.

He also criticized the UK, France and Germany for triggering the nuclear deal’s dispute mechanism after Iran breached key commitments.

Iran’s economy was badly affected for several years by sanctions imposed by the international community over the country’s nuclear program.

As a result of the sanctions, Iran’s GDP contracted an estimated 4.8% in the 2018 and is forecast to shrink another 9.5% in 2019, according to the International Monetary Fund. The unemployment rate meanwhile rose from 14.5% in 2018 to 16.8% in 2019.

As per ANI: Moscow, Russian PM Dmitri A Medvedev and his Cabinet resigned on Wed after President Vladimir Putin proposed sweeping constitutional changes that could extend his hold on power for many years.

As per Russian News agency, Tass, Medvedev linked the unexpected resignations to an overhaul put forward earlier on Wed by Putin.

Political

Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena in Mumbai in his disclosure, said that many political people including late PM Indra Gandhi, used to come to meet Karim Lala, times were different back then. He was a leader of the Pathan community, he had come from Afghanistan. So, people used to meet him over the problems faced by the Pathan community.

Then Devendra Fadnavis, immediately asked to Congress that they must answer the people, association with criminals because of whom attacks have happened in Mumbai, I think there is nothing more defaming than this, Congress must clarify.

States

Bundles of Govt school books of session 2019-20 found in scrap shop in Banda. Harish Chandra Nath, Basic Education Officer says, “Some govt school books have been found in the scrap here. I will look into it and stern action will be taken against the people responsible for this.”

JnK

Five more political leaders have been released from detention. They were detained post abrogation of article 370.

The leaders included Ishfaq Jabbar and Ghulam Nabi Bhat (NC), Bashir Mir (Congress) and Zahoor Mir and Yasir Reshi (PDP).

Former CMs Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah continue to remain under detention.

Odisha

Chief Public Relation Officer (CPRO), East Coast Railway: 20 people injured after eight coaches of Lokmanya Tilak Express derail near Salagaon. No casualty reported till now.

Bihar

5 people killed, 2 seriously injured, after a train collided with a bullock-cart near Hasanpur railway station in Samastipur-Khagariya division

India in International Frame

BBC

MS Dhoni: Cricket legend MS Dhoni snubbed by India board

Reuters

India, U.S. closer to resolving some trade issues – Piyush Goyal

Aljazeera

In Tripura, Indian citizenship law reignites old hostilities.