QBullet: Modi Pushes NSG Bid; EU Referendum Results Today and More
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1. Consider India on “Its Own Merit”: Modi on NSG Bid
Following Prime Minister Modi’s meeting with the Chinese Premier Xi Jinping on Thursday, the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) failed to arrive at a consensus in Seoul regarding India’s membership, reported The Indian Express.
While countries like China, Ireland and Switzerland have raised concerns regarding membership of countries who haven’t signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), countries like France and the US have openly rallied in India’s support. Discussions on the issue will continue on Friday.
During the meeting on Thursday, Modi asked Jinping to consider India’s application on “its own merit”. Following the 45-minute-long talk, Ministry of External Affairs said:
2. EU Referendum: Polling Closes, Britain Awaits Results
Voting on the referendum which will determine whether or not Britain stays in the European Union began on Thursday 11 am (IST) and ended at 2:30 am on Friday (IST). This is the third nation-wide referendum in the history of United Kingdom.
Individual results seem more in favour of ‘Remain’, but in terms of the over-all percentage, Leave has a lead. Final results can be expected to be declared before afternoon on Friday.
3. Shooting Incident in Germany, Culprit Shot Dead by Police
In the wake of the Orlando shooting, a similar incident took place in Viernheim, Germany, where a man, armed with a gun, took hostages in a cinema complex on Thursday.
According to authorities, the shooter seemed ‘disturbed’. There were no casualties in the incident, but about 25-30 people were injured because of tear gas the authorities used against the culprit. He was eventually shot dead.
4. AAP Hires PR Company to Work on Its ‘Image’
The Aam Aadmi Party’s decision to hire a PR company has given its opponents something more to talk about, reported Hindustan Times. The company has been hired to work on the media image of the party.
Arvind Kejriwal’s media advisor Arunodya Prakash confirmed that the party has appointed ‘Perfect Relations’ as its media consultant.
The cost of hiring will be met from within the Rs 200 crore allocations for the department in the 2016-17 budget.
5. J&K: No Bill for Reservation of Women in Govt Jobs
Life for women in Jammu and Kashmir seems to have got harder as the State Legislative council rejected a private member’s bill asking for 20 percent reservation for women in government jobs through direct recruitment in the state.
The government while opposing the bill said many steps have been taken for the empowerment of the women in Jammu and Kashmir and that there is no need to pass the bill.
6. 100 Percent FDI Will “Kill Indian Brands”, Says Mamata Banerjee
The West Bengal Chief Minister commented on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on Thursday and said that 100 percent FDI in sectors like manufacturing, agriculture and the pharma sector will “kill Indian brands”.
7. Jat Quota Stir: State Govt Announces 100 Percent Rebate in Property Tax
As a great relief for all property that was damaged during the Jat agitation, the Haryana government has announced 100 percent rebate in property tax for residential, commercial, institutional and other properties, reported The Indian Express.
Additionally, electricity dues for current and impending billing cycles have also been waived by the government. The waiver is for all consumers whose residential or commercial properties were damaged in any manner during the agitation earlier in February 2016.
8. VHP Prepares List of Hindu Families Who Left Agra Due to “Muslim Threats”
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) prepared and submitted a list of 354 Hindu families which migrated from Agra after receiving threats from “fear of persecution”, reported The Times of India.
The VHP carried out surveys in nine localities of Agra and concluded that over the last decade, no Muslim family has migrated, while hundreds of Hindus have.
Vice-chairman of Congress’ minority wing in Agra, Haji Jamiluddin Qureshi, however, punctured these claims and called them politically motivated.
9. Bangladeshi Activist Looks to India to Protect Sundarbans from Coal Power Plant
Noted Bangladeshi economist and political activist Anu Muhammad on Thursday dubbed the proposed Rampal coal power plant in world’s largest mangrove forest Sundarbans as “an illusion of development” and urged people in India to stand up against the project, saying it would have a ripple effect on their side too.
Rampal project is a proposed 1,320 MW coal-fired power station at Rampal subdistrict in Bangladesh.
(With agency inputs.)
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