Daily Briefing / August 30, 2019

HK police round up democracy activists

Prominent democracy activists were arrested on August 30 in a dragnet across Hong Kong - a move described by rights groups as a well-worn tactic deployed by China to suffocate dissent ahead of key political events. The sweep comes after a major rally planned by a civil rights group on August 31 was banned by police on security grounds. Hong Kong has been locked in three months of political crisis, with increasingly violent clashes between police and protesters that have prompted an escalating public relations campaign from China. Protesters had planned yet another mass rally on August 31 - the fifth anniversary of Beijing’s rejection of a call for universal suffrage in the semi-autonomous city. It was a pivotal moment, sparking the 79-day Umbrella Movement in 2014, which seeded the ground for the current protests.

Bill against conversion by force, marriage

The Himachal Pradesh Assembly passed a Bill on August 30 against conversion by force, inducement or through marriages solemnised for the “sole purpose” of adopting a new religion. The Opposition supported the Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Bill, 2019, which was passed unanimously with a voice vote. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said a new stringent legislation was required as forced conversion was on the rise. The Bill proposes stiffer punishments - up to seven years in jail compared to the three years under the existing law. The Bill prohibits conversion by misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, inducement, marriage or any fraudulent means. Any marriage for the sole purpose of conversion will also be declared null and void under Section 5 of the Bill.

8.65 pc interest on EPF to be notified soon

The labour ministry will soon notify 8.65 per cent rate of interest on Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) for 2018-19 as the finance ministry does not disagree on this rate, said Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar. A notification by the labour ministry is required regarding the interest rate for crediting the interest amount into accounts of more than 6 crore subscribers. Besides, it would enable retirement fund body EPFO to settle on withdrawal claims on this rate. Now, the EPFO is paying an interest rate of 8.55 per cent for 2018-19 under PF withdrawal claims. In February, the EPFO’s apex decision-making body Central Board of Trustees had decided to raise the interest rate on EPF to 8.65 per cent for 2018-19 - the first increase in three years.

Mumbai ranked 45th on world’s safe cities list

Mumbai has been ranked as the 45th safest city on the Safe Cities Index (SCI), while Delhi stood at the 52nd position, said a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit. Cities in the Asia-Pacific (Apac) region made up six of the top 10 safest cities, with Tokyo taking the top spot. Along with Tokyo, Apac cities dominated the SCI 2019. Singapore and Osaka came second and third, while Sydney and Melbourne also made it to the top 10 cities list. Though Hong Kong dropped out of this group since 2017, Seoul has joined the top 10 cities' league taking eighth place with Copenhagen. The Safe Cities Index ranks 60 countries worldwide across five continents and measures the multi-faceted nature of urban safety, with indicators categorised as digital, infrastructure, health and personal security.

India’s plastic waste output is 9.46 mn tonnes

India generates 9.46 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, of which 40 per cent remains uncollected and 43 per cent is used for packaging, most of which is single-use, a study has found. It was conducted by Un-Plastic Collective (UPC), a voluntary multi-stakeholder initiative to eliminate plastic pollution and move towards a circular economy. “Globally, more than 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced since 1950, and about 60 per cent of that has ended up in landfills or in the natural environment,” it said. “India generates 9.46 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, of which 40 per cent, remains uncollected; 43 per cent is used for packaging.” The UPC was launched by the UN-Environment Program-India, CII and WWF-India at CII’s Sustainability Summit.

Trump launches US space warfare command

US President Donald Trump on August 29 launched the Space Command, which he said will defend America’s vital interests in “the next war-fighting domain”. Gen John W. Raymond is the commander of the US Space Command, which has been established as the 11th Unified Combatant Command of the American armed forces. Trump has identified Russia and China as the countries who pose a threat to the US in space. “Our adversaries are weaponising Earth’s orbits with new technology targeting US satellites that are critical to both battlefield operations and our way of life at home. Our freedom to operate in space is essential to detecting and destroying any missile launched against the US,” he said. The Space Command will soon be followed by the establishment of the US Space Force as the sixth branch of the US Armed Forces.