A look at the headlines today:
1. Bharat Bandh announced by Bhim Army chief Chandrasekhar Azad today
Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad has called for a bharat bandh today. Azad is currently out on bail in the case of allegedly inciting people during an anti-CAA protest at Jama Masjid in New Delhi on December 20. Azad on Saturday asked RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to contest direct elections to test the actual public support for the "Manuvadi" agenda of the RSS. Addressing a meeting of Bhim Army workers at the Reshimbaug Ground located close to the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) headquarters, Azad demanded ban on the Sangh to end "Manuvad". "I want to give a suggestion to the RSS chief...Take out the veil of lies and come to the field. It is democracy.. contest direct elections with your agenda, and people will tell you if 'Manusmriti' or Constitution will run the country," Azad said. He said the new-citizenship law (CAA), the National Register of Citizens and the National Population Register (NPR) are the "agendas" of the RSS. On Friday, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court allowed the Bhim Army to hold a meeting of its workers at Reshimbaug ground with certain conditions, after the local police denied the permission fearing law and order issue.
2. People gather on major road in Delhi's Jaffrabad to protest against CAA, NRC
Around 500 people, mostly women, gathered near the Jaffrabad metro station in northeast Delhi on Saturday night in protest against the new citizenship law and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), blocking a major road. The women, carrying the national tricolour and raising slogans of 'aazadi', said they would not move from the site till the Centre revoke Citizenship (Amendment) Act. They tied a blue band on their arm and also raised 'Jai Bhim' slogans. There was heavy security deployment, including women police personnel, in the area. The women have blocked road No. 66 which connects Seelampur to Maujpur and Yamuna Vihar. Traffic was also blocked due to the sudden protest at the site. The police were trying to talk to protesters to clear the road. A woman, who identified herself as Bushra, said till the time CAA is not revoked, the protesters will not leave the site. Social activist Faheem Baig said there is a resentment within the people against the way the government is handling the issue. Shamim Ahmed, a local cleric, was in talks with the protesters at Jaffrabad to persuade them to leave the site. A protest is already going on near the main Seelampur road and Kardampuri against the amended Citizenship Act. The protest at Jaffrabad took place at a time efforts are being made to clear a road blocked by anti-CAA protesters at Shaheen Bagh.
3. Coronavirus: Mumbai airport starts screening passengers arriving from Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Nepal
The Mumbai airport on Saturday said it has started screening passengers arriving from Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Nepal for coronavirus in compliance with the central government's directives. The Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), which is the joint venture company managing and operating the city airport, said it is already screening passengers from China, Honk Kong, Singapore, Thailand and South Korea. Abiding by the recent directive issued by the central government, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has started screening passengers flying from Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Nepal to Mumbai as well for the coronavirus infection, the airport said in a statement. The ministry of health has tightened screenings and has issued an advisory requiring all passengers arriving from these countries to undergo screening for the infection, it said. Health counters have been set up and thermal scanners installed at the pre-immigration area for the arriving passengers by the Airport Health Organisation, the MIAL said in the statement.
4. Voting underway as Nevada Democrats weigh in on 2020 fight
Voting is underway across Nevada as the most diverse state so far has its say in the Democrats' nomination fight. Uniformed housekeepers and casino workers streamed into the Bellagio on Saturday, one of seven casino-resorts on the Las Vegas Strip among 200 caucus locations statewide hosting caucuses. Nevada is the third contest on a 2020 election calendar marked by chaos and uncertainty after the opening votes in Iowa and New Hampshire, overwhelmingly white, rural states. The first presidential contest in the West will test the candidates' strength with black and Latino voters for the first time in 2020. Nevada represents an opportunity for these candidates to demonstrate their appeal to a larger swath of our country, said state Attorney General Aaron Ford, a Democrat who is not endorsing a candidate. Nevada's population aligns more with the US as a whole, compared with Iowa and New Hampshire: 29 per cent Latino, 10 per cent black and 9 per cent Asian American and Pacific Islander. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a moderate who has struggled with minority voters, was already playing down the caucuses and looking past Nevada.
5. ISL: Battle for pride between Odisha and Kerala
Odisha FC will look to end their campaign on a winning note when they host Kerala Blasters FC in the Indian Super League today. The home side's hopes of making it to the play-offs ended when Chennaiyin FC piped Mumbai City FC to finish fourth. Josep Gombau is proud of the performance from his players throughout the season. "We have a good base here. There are good fans. For a young team, for a new team which has just moved to the city, it is good enough to finish fifth. Just the beginning of a very good project. "In the next season, the fields will be better, along with the training grounds. The young players will be more experienced," said Gombau. Manuel Onwu has been a revelation since his loan move from Bengaluru FC. The forward has netted four goals in three outings as opposed to none in over 370 minutes with the Blues. Meanwhile, Kerala Blasters didn't have a memorable campaign either. Injuries hampered their season with every foreign signing of the club spending sometime on the sidelines. Sandesh Jhingan was ruled out at the start of the season which didn't help their cause either. Coach Eelco Schattorie was forced to change his starting eleven in almost every match and it was difficult for them to get on a consistent run of positive results given the constant chopping and changing.
-Inputs from PTI
