Top Stories on 24th May in a capsule

Cong-JDS MLAs locked up in luxury hotels ahead of today's trust vote

The Congress and JD(S) MLAs have been lodged in a luxury resort and hotel in Bengaluru City since the last nine days ahead of the trust vote scheduled to be held today. The Congress has lodged its MLAs at the Hilton Embassy Golflinks at Domlur, while their JD(S) counterparts are staying at Prestige Golfshire Resort off Devanahallion the outskirts of Bengaluru city. Amidst speculations in media about the MLAs not being allowed to even use mobile phones and contact their families, media cell in-charge Sadananda said, "Our MLAs will go back to their constituencies once the floor test is over. Nobody has taken away their mobile phones. They are freely talking to their family members."
______________

EC’s plan B for Simultaneous polls: one year, one election

The Election Commission (EC) has now suggested “one year one election” as an alternative to the “one nation one election” proposal, according to a report in The Indian Express. The EC has proposed the new plan in response to a letter from the Law Commission seeking the poll panel’s views on aligning state assembly polls with the Lok Sabha election. Speaking to The Indian Express, S K Mendiratta, former legal advisor to EC, said the suggestion for “one year one election” can be executed by amending Section 15 of the RP Act 1951. “If the six-month stipulation is extended to nine or 10 months, elections to all states, whose term is expiring in one year, can be held together,” he said.
______________

MP Farmer dies after waiting for days to sell produce

A 38-year-old Madhya Pradesh farmer Omprakash Patidaar suffered a cardiac arrest and died at an agriculture market in Rajgarh after allegedly waiting for three days in the scorching sun for his agricultural produce to be weighed and sold at a mandi (market) in Rajgarh district. Farmers staged a protest and also blocked National Highway-12 passing through the town following Omprakash's death. His death came five days after another farmer Moolchand Meena, 65, allegedly died under similar circumstances at Later Mandi in Vidisha district. The agitating farmers alleged that the Rajgarh district administration had made no arrangements for them to beat the scorching heat while waiting to sell their produce. The district administration, however, denied the allegations that he had waited in the market for three days.
______________

Maharashtra LC polls: BJP, Sena wins two seats; NCP retains one

The Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena alliance won in two and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) retained one seat, of the five state legislative council seats for which results were declared on Thursday. The BJP won both its Vidarbha seats, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) retained the Konkan seat. The Congress, however, did not win a single seat. Counting of votes was held on Thursday for five of the six local bodies seats where biennial elections to the Maharashtra Legislative Council were held on Monday. the BJP bagged Wardha-Chandrapur- Gadchiroli local bodies seat. The Shiv Sena won the Nashik and Parbhani-Hingoli local bodies seats. The NCP could retain only Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg and lost the Nashik seat to the Sena.
______________

Govt thinking to tax oil firms to reduce Petrol, Diesel rates for public

The government may levy an additional tax on oil producers like Oil and Natural Gas Corporation of India (ONGC) to permanently reduce the retail price of the product for the consumers. The tax, which may come in the form of a cess, will kick at the moment oil prices cross $70 per barrel. Under the scheme, oil producers, who get paid international rates for the oil they produce from domestic fields, would have to give away any revenue they earn from prices crossing $70 per barrel mark. The money collected from this cess will go to the oil retailers in order to maintain their current prices. The government may also ask the respective state governments to reduce sales tax and VAT to give more relief to the consumers.
_________________

Trump cancels summit hours after North Korea dismantles its Nuclear site

US President Donald Trump on Thursday cancelled the historic summit scheduled with North Korea stated to be held on June 12. Trump in a letter released by the White House to North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un wrote, "Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting." Earlier, North Korea had dismantled its nuclear test site, as a goodwill gesture to US. Pyongyang had announced its plan to dismantle the Punggye-ri facility in the country's northeast, inviting foreign journalists to witness the destruction. A series of explosions were carried out throughout the day, three of them in entry tunnels to the underground area, followed by explosions that demolished other structures.

___________________

Protests against police firing continue, DMK's Stalin detained outside secretariat

Tensions continue in Thootukudi on the third day of Sterlite protest with the imposition of section 144, even as shops remained shut and public transport didn't resume for the third day as the death toll in Thursday's police firing rose to 13. CM Palaniswami defended the action of the police terming it as a natural reaction and not a pre-planned move. A writ petition filed in the Supreme Court sought registration of FIR and investigation by the CBI against Thoothukudi Collector, Superintendent of Police and other police officials. DMK working president MK Stalin who was protesting against the police action was detained by police as he staged a protest outside the Tamil Nadu secretariat. Vedanta chairman Anil Agarwal too condoled the deaths in a video message on Twitter but said he would hope the plant continues to operate with the wish of the community. Meanwhile, 67 people who were detained in fresh the protests were released.

 _________________________

Siddarth Malhotra writes to PM Modi seeking stricter rules on animal safety

Bollywood actor Siddharth Malhotra on Thursday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on behalf of the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, requesting stricter penalties against people who commit crimes on animals. Sidharth pointed out that India’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, contains outdated penalties, such as a maximum fine of Rs 50 for convicted first offenders who abuse an animal, which he calls ‘barely equal to a slap on the wrist’. He also mentioned the fact that psychologists, sociologists, and law-enforcement officials have all documented that children who hurt animals often end up hurting other humans as well.
_________________

13 transgenders to contest 2018 Pakistan general elections

At least 13 people from the transgender community will contest the general elections in Pakistan this year with two of them contesting for the National Assembly and the rest for provincial assembly seats, media reports said on Thursday. Transgenders were first included in the Pakistani census in August 2016. The survey identified 10,418 transgenders out of 19 crores. A national level meeting was held by All Pakistan Transgender Election Network (APTEN) in collaboration with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to discuss inclusiveness and diversity in the parliament. Pakistan's election commission on Monday proposed July 25-27 as possible dates for holding the general elections in the country.

__________________________

Relocate Hafiz Saeed to a West Asian country: China to Pakistan

China has asked Pakistan to explore ways of relocating Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed to a West Asian country, media reports said on Thursday. China reportedly took this step in response to the mounting international pressure to act against him for his links with terror groups. Chinese President Xi Jinping suggested this course of action to Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi when they met for the Boao Forum in China last month. The Chinese President was keen on pressing the Prime Minister to find an early solution to keep Hafiz out of the limelight. Mr Abbasi has consulted the government’s legal team, which is yet to come up with a solution. 

___________________