News Wrap

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Under new land laws, the Jammu and Kashmir gov ernment is transforming 3000 acres of land to the industries and commerce department, to invite outside investors. But it has not provided even 300 acres of land for the rehabilitation of Kashmir Pandit refugees, who are living in exile for the past 32 years. Around 2 lac Pandits had migrated from the valley, at the peak of militancy. Members of the Kashmiri Pandit community have been on hunger-strike at some places. On 04 November 2020, the J and K government approved a Rs.201 crore plan for the construction of transit accommodation for Kashmiri migrant employees at six locations in Kashir Valley, under India's prime minister's development package for the community.

Statistics Of Crime
The West Bengal state government has failed to submit the statistics of crime to India's National Crime Record Bureau. The central government's view is that the citizenship Amendment Act will be implemented. The law is in place, and it is the commitment of the Union government of India. Since 2018, the West Bengal government has not sent the statistics of crime to NCRB. West Bengal top the chart in political killings. The district magistrate of Darjeeling was removed recently, after he met West Bengal's governor Jagdeep Dhankar.

Joe Biden
At a time of historic pandemic and a confluence of economic and social turmoil, on 07 November 2020, Democrat Joe Biden defeated Republican president Donald Trump, to become the 46th president of the United States. Requiring 270 votes to win, Biden aged 78 years touched 290 votes, with a win in Pennysylvania. Trump refused to concede, threatening further legal action on ballot counting. Biden was on track to win the National popular vote by more than 4 million, by connecting with working class voters. The 56 year old California senator Kamala Harris, the daughter of a Jamaican father and Indian mother, will be the first woman, the first Black Woman, the first Indian-American woman, and the first daughter of immigrants to be sworn in as vice-president. Across America, there were parties and prayer.

WMA and Taiwan
The World Medical Association (WMA), a confederation of National medical associations, representing some few million physicians has called to allow Taiwan to attend crucial annual meetings, to discuss to the Corona virus epidemic. Taiwan has reported just 573 cases and seven deaths on its population of 23 million. The World Health Organisation may claim it is bound by the decision of the United Nations which expelled Taiwan from its membership. But Taiwan was represented at the World Health Assembly until 2016. Now China raised an objection to Taiwan' participation after the election of President Tsai Ing-Wen in Taiwan, who does not accept Beijing's one-China claim, in extreme belligerence, China has repeatedly used its Air Force to make threatening moves. In October 2020, China allowed its officials to engage in a physical attack at Taiwan's National days event in Fiji. Global defence against China's expansionist moves have been largely lukewarm.

Frontier
Vol. 53, No. 28, Jan 10 - 16, 2021