The Daily Brief – 7th March, 2017

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• The Supreme Court has asked the government to respond on why it went back on its promise to extend the date of deposit of demonetised notes to March 31, 2017 keeping in consideration the genuine concerns of citizens. A Bench of Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar, D.Y. Chandrachud and S.K. Kaul gave the government time to respond to a bunch of petitions filed by companies and individuals that the Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Ordinance promulgated on December 13, 2016 also penalised those who deposit demonetised money after December 31, 2016.
• Taking note of the worsening law and order situation in Brazil, India has issued an advisory for citizens to follow local rules. The advisory came in view of the protests and riots that have been going on since January. Law and order has been a problem for Brazil which witnessed change of government last year. This is the first time in recent years that India has issued an advisory for citizens travelling to Brazil. The advisory also urged citizens to contact Indian missions over email.
• To coax establishments to use electricity more efficiently, the Union Environment Ministry is mulling laws that will require buildings — commercial spaces, airports, offices — to ensure that air conditioners function at pre-set temperatures. At a conference to discuss India’s roadmap to phase out particular gases used in refrigerants and air-conditioners because they contribute to global warming, M.K. Singh, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests said the government could bring in a notification, after due public consultation, and have rules that define operating parametres for ACs. This was because several places frequently set their air conditioners to extremely low temperatures — irrespective of whether the weather required it to be so — and thereby consumed an excess of electricity.
• In a blow to BJP leaders, the Supreme Court on Monday indicated it may consider reviving the conspiracy charge against them in the December 6, 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case. The sudden development came on an appeal filed in the Supreme Court by the CBI in 2011, during the UPA era, against the dropping of the conspiracy charge against L.K. Advani and other leaders such as Uma Bharti, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, Vinay Katiyar, Sadvi Ritambara, Giriraj Kishore and Vishnu Hari Dalmia.
• The Donald Trump administration issued a new executive order, temporarily banning travel from six Muslim-majority countries to the U.S, after an earlier order ran foul of the country’s judiciary. The new executive order bans travel from six countries — Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen, leaving out Iraq among countries that was in the earlier order’s list. In an attempt to pass the judicial scrutiny, the order says that current visa and green card holders from these countries will not be affected. It also explains the basis for including the six countries, trying to remedy a lacuna in the earlier version. Further, it avoids the preferential treatment offered to Christian refugees in the earlier order.

• Nuclear-armed North Korea launched four ballistic missiles in another challenge to U.S. President Donald Trump, with three landing provocatively close to America’s ally Japan. Under leader Kim Jong-un, Pyongyang has ambitions to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.
• Netflix announced partnerships with Bharti Airtel, Videocon d2h and Vodafone as the video streaming service provider looks to expand its reach in the Indian market. The U.S.-based firm faces competition from services such as Amazon Prime and HotStar in India.

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