Junior Digest

Tehran,Nov 15,2022: A court in Tehran has issued the first death sentence to a person involved in Iran’s ongoing protests and handed out prison terms to several others.

The Iranian judiciary said late on Sunday that an unnamed individual has been sentenced to execution for “setting fire to a government centre, disturbing public order and collusion for committing crimes against national security” in addition to “moharebeh” (waging war against God) and “corruption on Earth”.
Five more unnamed people, who authorities described as “rioters” – a word the government uses to describe the ongoing protests and those participating in them – were handed between five and 10 years in prison on national security-related charges.

The judiciary noted that the sentences were preliminary and would need to be confirmed by an appeals court for them to be considered final and for details to be made publically available.

The judiciary had previously said that more than 1,000 indictments have been issued in Tehran alone, with hundreds more brought against people arrested across the country.

The first public courts related to the protests were held in late October in Tehran, with leading members of the political establishment calling for fast-tracked courts to punish “rioters” and deter further protests.

NEW DELHI,Nov 18,2022: Contending that the order directing the release of the convicts who had assassinated the former Prime Minister of the country was passed without affording an adequate opportunity for hearing to the Union of India (UOI), the Centre has moved SC seeking a review of Top Court’s order.

On November 11, a bench of Justices BR Gavai and BV Nagarathna had directed for forthwith release of six convicts who were serving life sentences for more than three decades in the Rajiv Gandhi Assassination case.

The six convicts are, S Nalini, RP Ravichandran, Jayakumar, Suthenthiraraja @ Santhan, Murugan and Robert Pius.

While ordering their release, the bench took into consideration the Tamil Nadu State Cabinet’s recommendation for the premature release of convicts to the Governor on September 9, 2018, which was not acted upon by the Governor. The Governor kept the state’s recommendation pending with his office for more than 2.5 years and thus forwarded the same to the President of India on January 27, 2021 which remains undecided by the President for one year and nine months. The court also noted that they were found to have “satisfactory conduct” and had “acquired various degrees” while being in custody.
The Centre’s submitted before the court that, “It is extremely crucial to mention here that out of the six convicts who have been granted remission, four are Sri Lankan Nationals. Granting remission to the terrorist of a foreign nation, who had been duly convicted in accordance with the law of land for the gruesome offence of assassinating the former Prime Minister of the Country, is a matter which has international ramifications and therefore falls squarely within the sovereign powers of the Union of India,” centre’s plea states.

It has been argued in the petition that “the absence of UOI assistance to the apex court while adjudication of the present matter has resulted in admitted and glaring breach of principles of natural justice and has, in fact, resulted in a miscarriage of justice.”

The Centre has also argued that procedural lapse on part of the convicts had resulted in non-participation of the Union in subsequent hearings of the case. It had thus said that in such a sensitive matter the assistance of Union of India was of paramount importance as the matter has huge repercussions on the public order, peace, tranquillity and criminal justice system of the Country.

“Convicts, while filing the present SLP had not made Union of India a party respondent to the said SLP despite it being a necessary and proper party. It is evident that the principles of natural justice, the aim of which is to secure justice or to put it negatively to prevent miscarriage of justice have been grossly compromised vide Order dated 11.11.2022,” the plea also stated.

On November 11, the top court had ordered the premature release of six convicts, including Nalini Sriharan, who had hosted the assassin, noting the Tamil Nadu government had recommended remission of their sentence.

Nov 17,2022:Elon Musk said on Wednesday he expected to reduce his time at Twitter and eventually find a new leader to run the social media company, adding that he hoped to complete an organizational restructuring this week.
Musk made the remarks while testifying in a Delaware court to defend against claims that his $56 billion pay package at Tesla was based on easy to achieve performance targets and was approved by a compliant board of directors.

Nov 14,2022:Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russian soldiers of committing war crimes and killing civilians in Kherson, which was retaken by Ukraine last week.

“Investigators have already documented more than 400 Russian war crimes. Bodies of dead civilians and servicemen have been found,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address on Sunday, without specifying the locations where the bodies had been discovered.
“The Russian army left behind the same savagery it did in other regions of the country it entered,” he said.

It was not immediately possible to verify Zelenskyy’s allegations. Russia denies its troops intentionally target civilians.

Mass graves have been found in several places across Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion, including the bodies of civilians showing evidence of torture discovered in the northeastern Kharkiv region and in Bucha, near the capital Kyiv. Ukraine has accused Russian troops of committing the crimes.

A United Nations commission in October said war crimes had been committed in Ukraine and that Russian forces were responsible for the “vast majority” of human rights violations in the early weeks of the war.

Nov 15,2022:The UN has estimated that the world’s population might reach 8 billion people today – November 15, 2022, considering it a milestone in human development. The latest projections by the United Nations suggest that the global population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050, and 10.4 billion in 2100.
The annual World Population Prospect report, released on Monday to coincide with World Population Day, also notes that the global population is growing at its slowest rate since 1950, having fallen to less than one percent in 2020.
While it took the global population 12 years to grow from 7 to 8 billion, it will take approximately 15 years–until 2037– for it to reach 9 billion, a sign that the overall growth rate of the global population is slowing.

In 2022, the two most populous regions were both in Asia: Eastern and South-Eastern Asia with 2.3 billion people and Central and Southern Asia with 2.1 billion. China and India, with more than 1.4 billion each, accounted for most of the population in these two regions.

More than half of the projected increase in global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in just eight countries: Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Tanzania.

According to UN estimates, India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country during 2023.
Speaking about the milestone, Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General said, “This is an occasion to celebrate our diversity, recognize our common humanity, and marvel at advancements in health that have extended lifespans and dramatically reduced maternal and child mortality rates.”

He further added, “At the same time, it is a reminder of our shared responsibility to care for our planet and a moment to reflect on where we still fall short of our commitments to one another.”

November 15, 2022: Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined the need for not promoting any restrictions on the supply of energy and called for ensuring stability while once again emphasising on resolving the Ukraine conflict through diplomacy.
In an address at the G-20 summit here, Modi said that climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, the developments in Ukraine and the global problems associated with it have caused havoc in the world as the global supply chains are in “ruins”.
The Prime Minister’s call for not putting any restrictions on energy supplies came amid the West’s call against procurement of Russian oil and gas in view of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

“India’s energy-security is also important for global growth, as it is the world’s fastest-growing economy. We must not promote any restrictions on the supply of energy and stability in the energy market should be ensured,” Mr. Modi said at the session on food and energy security, also attended by world leaders like US President Joe Biden and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov on behalf of President Vladimir Putin.

Nov 16,2022:Donald Trump entered the 2024 US presidential race on Tuesday, making official what he’s been teasing for months just as many Republicans are preparing to move away from their longtime standard-bearer.
Minutes before an event to announce his candidacy, Trump’s campaign filed federal paperwork that he’s running again. He’s the first major contender from either party to formally declare.

“In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States,” Trump, 76, said in a gilded ballroom at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

The timing could not be worse for Republicans. Candidates endorsed by Trump floundered in key races in last week’s mid-term elections, as voters rejected election-deniers and others with extreme positions on social issues like abortion rights and education.

That cost Republicans their chance to reclaim the US Senate and left them short of the significant majority they had hoped to win in the House, though they were within one seat of gaining control as the former president spoke.
Many key Republicans and donors now wantTrump to make way for a new standard-bearer like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who was reelected in a landslide last week.
He complained — as he often does in his rallies — about what he sees as America’s decline without him at the helm and said: “We are here tonight to declare it does not have to be this way.”

He also squarely took aim at President Joe Biden’s biggest vulnerabilities: inflation and energy prices.

Nov 14,2022:One week into this year’s U.N. climate summit in Egypt, frustrations were starting to flare as negotiators worried about resolving myriad details in time for a deal by the summit’s scheduled close on Friday.
With a long list of demands for COP27, country delegates said on Sunday there had been little progress so far on the technical details of how to deliver on deals and pledges made in previous years.

Those pledges include making steep cuts in climate-warming emissions within this decade and contributing to hundreds of billions of dollars needed each year by developing nations already struggling to cope with the impacts of climate change.

One frustrated senior negotiator, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the slow pace so far meant the second week of talks, being held in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, would be bogged down with too many unresolved agenda items.

That could also complicate the talks among government ministers on the so-called cover decisions – which make up the core political deal from the two-week summit.
COP27 featured no public events on Sunday, dubbed by organizers as a “day of rest,” during which thousands of attendees hit the local beaches and tourist shops.

National negotiators, however, continued their work.

“There’s just a lot to get done in five days,” said Tom Evans, a policy analyst for the E3G non-profit think tank.

“We haven’t seen huge solidarity between the developed and developing countries” but instead “disappointing commitments and action this year, which has dented trust.”

‘LOSS AND DAMAGE’

This year’s talks for the first time include the thorny issue of what is known in COP parlance as “loss and damage” – financial support for developing countries already being hit by climate-fueled disasters, such as floods or crop-withering drought.
For some countries, the outcome on funding will determine whether the summit has been a success.

“A lot needs to be done to ensure that the finance commitment is going to be new, additional, and accessible,” Rwanda negotiator Ineza Umuhoza Grace said.

Developing nations have demanded that COP27 agree to launch a special fund to address loss and damage. The United States and other rich nations are wary of this idea, saying these rapid funds are better channeled through existing programs.
“Developing countries continue to push for the set up of a finance facility for loss and damage to make it fully operational by 2024,” said one negotiator from Latin America, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks.

Nov 18,2022:United States regulators approved a plan Thursday to demolish four dams on a California river and open up hundreds of miles of salmon habitat in what will be the largest dam removal and river restoration project in the world when it goes forward.

The unanimous vote by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on the lower Klamath River dams is the last major regulatory hurdle and the biggest milestone for a $500m demolition proposal championed by Native American tribes and environmentalists for years. The project would return the lower half of California’s second-largest river to a free-flowing state for the first time in more than a century.
Native tribes that rely on the Klamath River and its salmon for their way of life have been a driving force behind bringing the dams down in a wild and remote area that spans the California and Oregon border. Barring any unforeseen complications, Oregon, California and the entity formed to oversee the project will accept the licence transfer and could begin dam removal as early as this summer, proponents said.

“The Klamath salmon are coming home,” Yurok Chairman Joseph James said after the vote. “The people have earned this victory and with it, we carry on our sacred duty to the fish that have sustained our people since the beginning of time.”

The dams produce less than 2 percent of PacifiCorp’s power generation — enough to power about 70,000 homes — when they are running at full capacity, said Bob Gravely, spokesperson for the utility. But they often run at a far lower capacity because of low water in the river and other issues, and the agreement that paved the way for Thursday’s vote was ultimately a business decision, he said.

PacifiCorp would have had to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in fish ladders, fish screens and other conservation upgrades under environmental regulations that were not in place when the ageing dams were first built. But with the deal approved Thursday, the utility’s cost is capped at $200m, with another $250m from a California voter-approved water bond.
“We’re closing coal plants and building wind farms and it all just has to add up in the end. It’s not a one-to-one,” said Gravely of the coming dam demolition. “You can make up that power by the way you operate the rest of your facilities or having energy efficiency savings so your customers are using less.”