HC upholds ban on single-use plastic products

The Madras High Court on July 11 upheld a Tamil Nadu government order banning the use of throwaway plastic, but lamented its poor implementation, saying plastic products were still freely available. Dismissing a batch of PILs, the HC ordered the state government to stop supplying Aavin brand milk in plastic packets and use bottles or find any other means. The PILs had sought to quash the June 2018 order of the environment and forest department and a consequential letter of December 8, 2018 in so far as it banned non-woven polypropylene carry bags. The PILs had also sought a direction to the government to not interfere with the petitioners’ manufacturing, storing, supplying, trading of the products. The ban on single-use plastic in TN came into force on January 1.

Max speed limit at 120 km/h on expressways

The maximum speed limit for cars has been fixed at 120 km/h on expressways, while for buses it is 100 km/h. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said the speed  limit was fixed as per the recommendation of a committee. Keeping in view of the better engine technology and improved road infrastructure, a committee was constituted to review the speed limit of motor vehicles, he said. “The committee had submitted its report and as per the recommendations of the committee, the maximum speed of buses has been fixed as 100 km/h on expressways and 90 km/h on four-lane and above divided carriageway. The max speed of cars has been fixed as 120 km/h on expressways,” he said.

NITI lays out roadmap for electric vehicles

To ensure rapid transition towards electric mobility, NITI Aayog has proposed that two-wheelers below the capacity of 150 cc sold after March 31, 2025, should be electric ones only. Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said the Aayog has also proposed that three-wheelers sold should be electric ones only after March 31, 2023. He said the government has started working on meeting the demands of electricity for the new set of electric vehicles (EVs). “NITI Aayog has proposed that after March 31, 2023, only electric three-wheelers (with lithium-ion and other advanced battery chemistry only) shall be sold under the category of two-wheelers and after March 31, 2025, all new sales under the category of two-wheelers,” Gadkari said.

France adopts tax that targets tech giants

France has adopted a pioneering tax on Internet giants such as Google, Amazon and Facebook, despite US threats of new tariffs on French imports. The final vote in favour of the tax in the French Senate on July 11 came hours after the Donald Trump administration announced an investigation into the tax under the provision used last year to probe China’s technology policies, which led to tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese imports. The tax amounts to a 3 per cent annual levy on the French revenues of digital companies with yearly global sales worth more than €750 million and French revenue exceeding €25 million. The tax primarily targets those that use consumer data to sell online advertising.

UN report shines light on poverty fight

India lifted 271 million people out of poverty between 2006 and 2016, recording the fastest reductions in the multidimensional poverty index values with strong improvements in areas such as assets, cooking fuel, sanitation and nutrition, according to a UN report. The 2019 global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) from the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative was released on July 11. The report said that in the 101 countries studied - 31 low-income, 68 middle-income and two high-income - 1.3 billion people are “multidimensionally poor”, which means that poverty is defined not simply by income, but by a number of indicators, including poor health, poor quality of work and the threat of violence.

UN to probe Philippines drug war deaths

The UN Human Rights Council voted on July 11 to set up an investigation into mass killings during Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s so-called ‘war on drugs’, a step that activists said was long overdue. Duterte’s government says police have killed about 6,600 people in shootouts with suspected drug dealers since he was elected in 2016 on a platform of crushing crime. Activists say the toll is at least 27,000. The first-ever resolution on the Philippines, led by Iceland, was adopted by a vote of 18 countries in favour and 14 against, including China, with 15 abstentions, including Japan. Philippine activists say tens of thousands are being killed as police terrorise poor communities, using cursory drug “watch lists” to identify suspected users or dealers, and executing many in the guise of sting operations.

Newsmaker

Senior diplomat Vikas Swarup has been appointed as Secretary, Overseas Indian Affairs. Swarup, a 1986-batch IFS officer, is at present India’s High Commissioner in Ottawa.