WEDNESDAY CCI FEELS DISNEY-RELIANCE MERGER CAN HARM COMPETITION: REPORT AUGUST, 2024 According to Reuters, CCI feels the merger of Reliance and Disney assets harms competition due to their power over cricket broadcast rights 21 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard WAR CRIME 99-YR-OLD EX-NAZI’S SENTENCE UPHELD In what could be the last such verdict in Germany, the ex-Nazi camp secretary lost her appeal against conviction for complicity in murder of over 10,000 people PAGE 9 MERGER TO CREATE MEDIA BEHEMOTH A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS NEW DELHI J8.00 The Competition Commission of India’s view is a setback to the two firms, whose proposed merged entity would have lucrative rights worth billions of dollars for the broadcast of cricket. Antitrust experts point out that the proposed merger will create India’s biggest entertainment player with a combined strength of 120 TV channels and two streaming services | P10 PAGES 12 LATERAL ENTRY QUOTA COMING Proposed hiring nixed; PM wants to rework scheme to apply reservation for those posts too RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi Police personnel negotiating with protesters blocking railway tracks at Badlapur in Thane district on Tuesday | PTI Thane erupts over sex assault of minor girls in private school S U D H I R S U R YAWA N S H I @ Mumbai MASSIVE protests broke out on Tuesday at Badlapur in Maharashtra’s Thane district over the alleged sexual assault of two girls, aged 4 and 6, at a private English medium school by the school sweeper. Hundreds of protesters blocked railway tracks at Badlapur station. With the protesters occupying tracks, 15 longdistance trains were diverted while local train services were suspended for about 10 hours. The police resorted to baton charge after the protesters refused to disperse and started pelting stones at cops. Meanwhile, another group of protesters, many of them parents, vandalised the school building to express their anger and disgust over the assault. The protesters demanded harsh punishment for the accused, 23-year-old Akshay Shinde. The incidents took place on August 12 and 13, but the accused was arrested only on August 17. The parents of the girls were allegedly made to wait 11 hours at the police station before the FIR was filed. Police sources said the investigation revealed several lapses on the part of the school. There was no female attendant or cleaner for the girl’s toilet, a basic safety requirement. The accused was entrusted with cleaning the girl’s toilet, where the alleged sexual assault took place. The police said most of the CCTV cameras installed at the school were not working. KOLKATA HOSPITAL HORROR National task force to frame norms on safety of docs: SC DESCRIBING the ongoing protests against the horrific rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a government hospital in Kolkata as a moment of national catharsis, the Supreme Court on Tuesday constituted a 10-member National Task Force headed by surgeon-major R P Sarin to formulate guidelines for ensuring the safety security and facilities to doctors and health, care staff in hospitals across India. A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud termed the incident “horrific and horrendous”, adding that it indicated a systemic failure of the state machinery . The court hauled up the Kolkata Police and the state government for its inaction in the case and allowing a mob to vandalise RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Chief Justice of India where the victim was murdered. D Y Chandrachud The CJI questioned West Bengal’s CBI PROBE counsel Kapil Sibal as to how RG Kar’s STATUS REPORT Sandip Ghosh was appointed head of another college hours after he stepped The court directed down as principal; why Ghosh initially the CBI to file its tried to pass the death off as suicide; why probe status report by August 22, when it the registration of FIR was delayed; what was the police doing when the hospital would take up the was invaded by a mob; and why did the matter further. The police fail to secure the crime scene? task force has been While urging the agitating healthcare asked to submit its interim report within practitioners to return to work, the court warned the West Bengal government not three weeks take punitive action against them. “Let the power of the state not be unleashed on them at all. Please deal with them with sensitivity This is a moment for national . catharsis,” the court said. The task force was asked to prepare an action plan on preventing violence, including gender-based violence against medical professionals; and an enforceable national protocol for dignified and safe working conditions for interns, residents, senior residents, doctors, nurses and all medical professionals. Expressing anguish, the CJI said, “What is equality under the Constitution if women cannot be safe in their workplace.” P4 & 7 I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi nixes advert on filling 45 posts CANCELLED AS REQUESTED BY THE REQUISITIONING AUTHORITY, SAYS UPSC 2ND ARC OKAYED LATERAL ENTRY IN LINE WITH SIXTH PAY PANEL REPORT INTRODUCING TRANSPARENCY Lateral entry was endorsed by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) constituted in 2005, Jitendra Singh said The second ARC was chaired by Veerappa Moily. The recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission in 2013 were also in the same direction While most of the lateral entries before 2014 were ad-hoc, the NDA tried to make it institutionally driven, transparent, open, Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to explore the possibility of introducing quota in lateral entries as well, he indicated. Singh wrote to UPSC Chairperson Preeti Sudan following Modi’s directive to cancel the advertisement, so that marginalised communities get their P R A SA N TA M A Z U M DA R & J I T E N D R A C H O U B E Y @ Guwahati/New Delhi Screengrab of the landslide at Dipudara in Gangtok district on Tuesday | EXPRESS A massive landslide struck Sikkim on Tuesday, damaging parts of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation’s 510-mw hydroelectric project on the Teesta river at Dipudara in Gangtok district. Gangtok collector Tushar Nikhare, who visited the site along with other officials, told this paper that the gas-insulated substations (GIS) building of the project was damaged. ‘Your last day on earth’: Hosps, malls get bomb threats U J W A L J A L A L I @ New Delhi AT least six hospitals and a shopping mall in the city received bomb threat emails on Tuesday afternoon prompting security agencies to conduct search operations. However, the threat was declared as hoax as nothing suspicious was found. Delhi Fire Service director Atul Garg told this newspaper that they received five SOS calls from multiple places, including hospitals, following which they rushed multiple fire tenders to the spot. The police and bomb disposal squads were also pressed into service and search operations were launched. According to a senior Delhi Police officer, multiple hospitals received a similar kind of threat as the sender had marked e-mail copies to them. The email, seen by this newspaper, claimed that the sender had placed explosives inside the building, wrapped in a black backpack, which will explode in a few hours and “all will end up in a pool of blood”. “Everyone inside the building will lose their lives. I incessantly have nothing other than scorn for humanity Today will . be your last day on earth,” the email read. It also claimed that a group named ‘COURT” is behind this activity “We won’t . stop causing terror,” it read further. In May several schools, hospitals, Tihar , jail, airport, and even the MHA had received threatening emails multiple times. The threats to the schools were suspected to have originated from Budapest. EXPRESS READ waterlogging. The weather department has done its bit by warning Delhiites about the sameness of rain this week. The IMD has forecast light rain until Saturday, with the possibility of an isolated spell of moderate rain on Wednesday and Thursday. The IMD has issued a ‘yellow alert’. The Monday downpour resulted in waterlogging at Minto Bridge, IP Marg, Mundka, Mangi Bridge, Chatta Rail Chowk, Nigam Bodh Ghat, Railway Under Bridge, Ram Bagh Road, and Azad Market. The traffic police issued an advisory warning commuters to plan their journey . rightful representation in government services. Hours later, the advert was withdrawn. “This aspect (no quota for single-cadre posts) needs to be reviewed and reformed in the context of the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s focus on ensuring social justice,” Singh said. Sikkim landslide hits Teesta project S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi 3 kids rescued as school bus stuck in waterlogged Minto Bridge underpass EACH spell of rain is a leveler for the capital city This morn. ing, the rain came with yet another grim reminder: Minto Bridge in central Delhi is a no-go area, notwithstanding civic officials’ claims. Three children were rescued from a school bus that got stuck in the waterlogged Minto Bridge underpass on Tuesday following morning rain, officials said. An autorickshaw was also stuck there, they said. Officials said no one was injured as rescue teams quickly reached the spot. The interludes of relief from severe humidity were the only saving grace for a city that struggled to stay afloat amid BARELY three days after the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) announced 45 vacancies for lateral entry of officers into the bureaucracy the , Centre killed it, heeding to concerns from within the ruling NDA and outside. The decision came ahead of assembly elections in J&K and Haryana amid the Opposition’s attack over the lack of quota for those positions. The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and the Janata Dal (United), both NDA allies, too, shared their concerns over the proposed recruitment. Quota is a political hot potato that parties can ignore only at their peril. “Since, these positions have been treated as specialized and designated as single-cadre posts, there has been no provision for reservation in these appointments,” Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh reasoned. However, Sources said comments of all stakeholders would be taken into account by the government to find out whether or not reservation can be applied to lateral entry recruitment. Dilating on the matter, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Railways, said, “UPSC adopted a very transparent method for lateral entry Now we have de. cided to apply the principle of reservation in that too. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji has always shown his commitment towards social justice,” he said. “We gave constitutional status to the OBC Commission which was earlier an ordinary body Be it NEET, Sainik Vidya. laya or Navodaya Vidyalaya, we have implemented the principle of reservation everywhere,” Vaishnaw added. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, however, said it was due to the campaign by Rahul Gandhi and the INDIA bloc that the government was forced to take a step back on the matter. P7 Aug 28 last date to submit possession of exotic species The environment ministry has announced August 28, 2024 as the last date for declaration of the possession of exotic wild species listed under Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. The application should be submitted via the PARIVESH 2.0 portal to the chief wildlife warden. Last year’s glacial lake outburst flood had damaged the power station and it was under construction. NHPC said the Teesta basin region has been witnessing landslides during the ongoing monsoon season. “Today’s incident also occurred due to subsidence/landslide over Tail Race Tunnel outlet structure and behind GIS building. This has affected TRT gate hoist structure and part of the GIS building,” it said. According to experts, manmade activities triggered the landslip. “The area received deficient rainfall in the past two weeks,” said G N Raha, scientist, Met Centre Gangtok. “There was no vegetation over the slid hills; also, the hills slope is above 45° inclined, which shows soil erosion due to manmade activities from both sides i.e. above the hills, residential buildings causing pressure over fragile phyllite stone and from downward NHPC’s construction,” said professor Manasi Debnath of Nagaland University .
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