Yogi Adityanath Vows to Make Uttar Pradesh Corruption Free and 5 Other Updates

1. Yogi Adityanath Vows to Make Uttar Pradesh Corruption Free

The new Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, who is known for triggering controversies with his strong Hindutva views, tried to allay fears about his hardline religion based politics and during his Lok Sabha speech said that he will focus only on the development agenda. Adityanath promised to work for all the sections of the society and create “a new structure of progress”. He further vowed to deliver a corruption and riots free state. He also insisted that the Gorakhpur constituency, where he has won five consecutive times, not had a single riot in the past five years.

2. Jayalalithaa Should Be Convicted Even After Death, Says Karnataka Government

The Karnataka Government has questioned Supreme Court’s order to suspend all the charges against former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in the disproportionate assets case after her demise in December 2016. The Supreme Court in February set aside the Karnataka High Court’s ruling which discharged Jayalalithaa and her aide VK Sasikala. Sasikala was asked to surrender before a Bengaluru court immediately after her conviction. Karnataka’s Special Public Prosecutor BV Acharya said, “The judgment was reserved only for the convenience of the judges. Since she cannot serve jail time, the Rs 100-crore fine that would have been imposed on Jayalalithaa should be sourced from her estate”. He further added that it is against the law to abate charges against Jayalalithaa just because she died.

3. Two Held In Delhi on Rs 8000 Crore Black Money Charge

In a country-wide repression on shell companies laundering black money, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested two market entry operators who allegedly have laundered close to Rs 8,000 crore in the last three months. The entry operators were identified as Surendra Kumar Jain and Virendra Kumar Jain, and were produced before a court on Tuesday. The court has granted 10-days custody to the agency. The duo would allegedly accept black money through mediators and convert the amount into share premium transactions via shell companies for a commission.

4. Seoul Confirms Pyongyang Missile Test Failure

A North Korean missile test-launch on Wednesday ended up in a failure, but it is unclear how many missiles were fired or what exactly was being tested, South Korean defence officials said. A US Pacific Command spokesperson also confirmed that US military detected “a failed North Korean missile launch” in the vicinity of Kalma, North Korea. Earlier this month, the Pyongyang fired four missiles that flew about 1,000km (620 miles) and landed in Japanese waters, however, United Nations has banned the nation from any missile or nuclear tests. North Korea is believed to be developing an intercontinental ballistic missile able to strike the US in response to the ongoing annual US-South Korea military drills that Kim Jong-un sees as preparation for an attack on his country.

5. Election Commission to hear Sasikala and OPS Factions Over AIADMK Symbol

The Election Commission will hear O. Panneerselvam and Sasikala’s factions over the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) party symbol issue on Wednesday and will also give a decision about which faction is the lawful claimant to the AIADMK poll symbol.

6. Market Opens In Red, Rupee Loses Against US Dollar

BSE’s Benchmark Sensex fell by 221.71 points during the early trade on Wednesday due to sustained selling by investors and weak trends in Asian markets. The 30-share barometer came to 29,263.74 points with 25 of its constituents trading in red including in pharma, auto and oil stocks. NSE’s Nifty also lost 80.40 points but managed to float above the 9000-mark at 9,041.10. Indian Rupee, on the other hand, weakened by 27 paise against the US Dollar and the green currency was valued at Rs 65.57 during the early trade.