MADRAS HIGH COURT STRIKES DOWN OBJECTION TO FEES FOR INSOLVENCY PROFESSIONALS

The Madras High Court has dismissed a writ appeal challenging the Regulation 7(2)(ca) of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI), which specifies the prerequisite that the Insolvency Professionals (IP) should pay an expense calculated at 0.25% of the professional charge earned for services delivered as an IP in the previous money related year.

The petitoner, CA. Venkata Siva Kumar, is a CA and has enrolled himself as an IP with the IBBI. He expressed in his writ appeal that the guidelines of the IBBI (Insolvency Professionals) Regulations, 2016 are violative of Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution and has the right to be struck down.

The principle dispute of the petitoner was that Section 196 of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 doesn’t give power to IBBI to demand expenses based on the yearly compensation or the yearly turnover of the IP or IPE and that an enrollment fee of Rs 10,000 is charged every five years after the declaration of registration is granted.

The division bench of Chief Justice A.P. Sahi and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy held that plainly Section 196(1)(c) and 207 of the IBC and the IP Regulations are expected to satisfy the object and purpose behind the IBC with respect to the working of the IBBI.

“The IBC contains adequate safeguards to guarantee that the Parliament viably administers all rules and principles with the ability to change or even invalidate the same,” the seat said.

“The IBBI offers noteworthy types of assistance, including connections to IPs, and that there is an expansive correlation between charges and administrations. Given the way that chief arithmetical connection as between the charge got and service delivered isn’t necessary particularly with regards to administrative expenses, we are of the view that Regulation 7(2)(ca) of the IP Regulations doesn’t suffer the ill effects of constitutional infirmity by virtue of the absence of quid pro quo,” the bench said.

SC WORKING ON RESTORING 4G INTERNET CONNECTION IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR

The Supreme Court today today asked General Tushar Mehta to ask for directions from the Centre on the chance of opening 4G internet services in certain parts of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Manoj Sinha has been named the new LG of Jammu and Kashmir after G C Murmu left the post.

Fast Internet service in J-K has been suspended since August 2019 when the Centre had revoked  its special status and bifurcation of the state into two UTs – Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.

The top court said that with the new  LG, nothing changes as the special panel is there to investigate the issue.

The top court was hearing a plea of the NGO looking for inception of contempt proceedings against the Union Home Secretary and Chief Secretary of J-K for their claimed “wilful defiance” in conforming to the court’s May 11 request.

At the beginning, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, showing up for the J-K organization advised the bench that he needs to accept directions as the LG has changed there and new LG has assumed control over yesterday.

The bench said that with the difference in LG, nothing changes as the high powered panel is there to investigate the issue.

It said that the court can’t state what the circumstances are on the ground level yet the issue is that the matter should not be postponed.

The seat asked Mehta to take directions on whether 4G administrations can be reestablished in specific zones.

Mehta said that there is no goal to postpone the issue as the top court’s structure has been conformed to in letter and soul and he would take guidelines.

The bench, including Justices NV Ramana, BR Gavai and Subhash R Reddy, was hearing a content appeal recorded by Foundation of Media Professionals, looking for sure quick restoration of 4G in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir.

The contempt petition was recorded to bring the Court’s focus to the obstinate failiure of government authorities in complying with the order of the Supreme Court, in spite of 29 days having passed  since the judgment was conveyed on May 11, 2020.

Advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, representing the applicants, presented that during the past hearing the SG had looked for time to go through the reply documented by the petitioners presenting that they have followed the court’s directions. However, they have not reacted at this point.

 

The bench, in any case, said that it was not saying anything at the moment, as the petitioners have depended on the statement of the Governor, however now the Governor has changed.

The bench additionally said that it will decide whether there is contempt or not after they get a reply from the centre.

 

On July 28, the Center and the J-K organization had told the top court that it will check the statements made by the Lt Governor of Jammu and Kashmir and BJP politician Ram Madhav that 4G Internet administration can be reestablished in the Union Territory, and asked for time to document an answer to the response oath recorded by a NGO.

 

 

MOVIE RECOMMENDATIONS – THE CELEBRATION AND BEING JOHN MALKOVICH

  1. The Celebration (1998)

The Celebration (Festen) is directed by Thomas Vinterberg. In this movie a rich family comes together to celebrate the patriarch’s 60th birthday. On the dinner table where many people have gathered, while making a toast, the eldest son reveals a wrongdoing that his dad indulged in, his confession causes chaos. There are two kinds of reactions by the people at the party, either they pretend that they didnt hear anything or they try to shut him up.

This the first film of the Dogma 95 movement started by Thomas Vinterberg and Lars Von Trier. The manifesto of this movement was basically that films will be made on a low budget – they will be shot on location, a handheld camera will be used, no props will be allowed on set and no external audio would be added after the movie is done.

This film is really well written. At it’s core it shows how people use culture to deal with unpleasantness. It points fingers at some of the negative aspects of the Danish culture. I loved how this film portrays human dynamics. It shows how this guy who’s the victim of something heinous has to face a night of humiliation either because people dont believe him or because they want to live in denial. The film is shot on a handheld camera that makes the film look like a home video. And I think that’s perfect for the film, because it is set around a family gathering, so it makes it look real. There is also use of dark humour that I thought was very well done. The film is about an uncomfortable subject, so the humor adds some light.

The Celebration is a great example of minimalist filmmaking. Do check it out,  it may make you uncomfotable at times but it’s all very well done.

 

  1. Being John Malkovich (1999)

Being John Malkovich is directed by Spike Jonze and written by one of my favourite screenwritesr, Charlie Kaufman. John Cusack plays a down on his luck puppeteer. So he takes up a job. Once while working late at night he comes across a portal that can take you inside the head of actor, John Malkovich.

This is one of the most crazy concepts to have ever graced the big screen. This film is an example of surrealist cinema done right. All thanks to Charlie Kaufman’s masterpiece of a screenplay. Charlie Kaufman is known to subvert all the typical Hollywood tropes. His films dont even follow the traditional three act structure, he likes to experiment and finds the traditional structute boring. So all his films are extremely original.

This film is really meta, the dialogues are smart, the character arcs are extremely well done. The film shows a lot of stuff that I couldn’t even imagine being put on the screen. But Kaufman and Spike Jonze find a way. It has a lot of twists and turns from beginning to end and all of them surprised the hell out of me. There are also some statements on our existence that will make you think. I loved how weird the characters are, John Cusack is this pervert of a puppeteer, Cameron Diaz is unrecognizable as his wife. She plays this kinda nerdy woman who works at a pet store. When i saw this film for the first time, this film made me realiise how great of an actress Catherine Keener is. She is more or less the negative character in this couple’s lives. There is this very weird and unconventional love triangle between them which I dont want to spoil for you. John Malkovich is fantastic as himself and I’m really glad that he picked this weird and ballsy film.

In the end I’d just like to say that Being John Malkovich is one of the best films I’ve ever seen. It’s an extremely original and funny film that will keep you entertained and would surprise you at every turn.

FOREIGN MOVIE RECOMMENDATIONS – DAMNATION (HUNGARY) AND CLOSE UP (IRAN)

  1. Damnation (Karhozat) (1987)

Damnation (Karhozat) (1987) is directed by the great Hungarian auteur Bela Tarr. It is set in an unnamed town in which a man named Karrer is in love with the local bar singer, but she’s married. They have an affair for a while but then she leaves him. Karrer is offered a smuggling job by the bartender of the same bar but he gives it to the singer’s husband to get him out of the way. But things dont go as he expects and he faces a few hurdles.

The film has minimal dialogues and it is full of Bela Tarr’s signature style of long takes of mundane things. For example, there is a three minutes long take just of our lead staring out of his room’s window. The film is shot in black and white and has this sad and bleak atmosphere. The cinematography and framing are impeccable. The film deliberately moves at a snail’s pace. The shots are slow and winding. In this film, the camera’s movements are more important than the plot. The film delivers the plot visually. One of my favourite scenes was one in which our lead characters are fighting, and the crying baby’s noise in the parallel room acts as the background score. I dug the upbeat classical music throughout. It showed how the hopeless inhabitants of this town try to find joy by dancing and partying.

This film is more about the mood and the atmosphere. It’s a film about nothing but I was absorbed. I felt like I was there in this rainy and muddy shithole of a town where everything was dark and gloomy. Showing the mundane lives of these people reminded me of the films of Michaelangelo Antonioni. The topics that our characters talk about are full of philiosophy and subtext,   they are deep and powerful.

Damnation is a highly stylized film that is not for everyone. The film progresses at a snail’s pace. But I didnt mind it because I was hypnotised by what I saw. I loved how the plot of the movie is told visually and the way it shows this sad and dreary world. This film is more of a sensory experience that I had a blast with.

 

  1. Close Up ( 1990)
In Abbas Kiarostami’s Close up (1990) a guy named Sabzian impersonates director Mohsen Makhmalbaf and convinces a rich family that he will take them in his next movie. He runs this ruse for a while but eventually his truth comes out and he is taken in by the authorities. The film revolves around his trial.

 

Close Up is based on a true story and the people involved in the real story are playing themselves, this is so unique! The film is a reenactment of the real events. It is shot like a documentary so it comes under the category of docufiction.

 

The way Kiarostami has captured human emotions and motivations of the character, is really beautiful. The convict is shown in an empathetic light and you are made to understand his motivations. You even side with him and just hope that the judge grants him a lighter sentence. He loves the arts and cinema and he relates to the suffering that director Makhmalbaf shows in his films. So he wants to make a film about his suffering.

 

There is also commentary on the class divide in Iran – how impersonating this director made people treat Sabzian respectfully, and that made his life worth living.

 

I loved how the film portrays humanity and society in general, and takes us to the depth of human nature. It also talks about compassion and forgiveness.

 

Close Up is often considered to be the best film to come out of Iran. It is a film about a film buff like us. This movie is so uniquely made that I’ve never seen anything like this.

A French soap opera is about to unfold

The world’s richest woman just died. If you didn’t know this, please stop focusing on the tweets and turn your attention to more weighty matters of the world.
Liliane Bettencourt passed away four days ago at the age of 94. She was the heiress to the founder of L’Oréal, the world’s largest cosmetic company; the only child of Eugène Schueller who founded L’Oréal in 1907. She herself worked in the company from the age of 15 and rose to become its deputy Chairperson.
The future of L’Oréal is now in play. And therein lies a story that could give a beating to any soap opera on television.
In 1974, fearing that France would nationalise the company, Bettencourt did a deal with Nestle wherein she offloaded about half her holding in exchange for shares in Nestle. Since then Nestle and Bettencourt have had one of the longest tangos in business history. Nestle, a food company, with no presence at all in cosmetics, had a 30% stake in the world’s largest cosmetics company (now down to 23%). But in an agreement with Bettencourt, Nestle remained a sleeping partner and promised not to acquire any more shares or to bid for Bettencourt’s own shares as long as she was alive. Presumably Nestle had thought that she would not live so long. But they kept their word and until now have not interfered at all in the business just pocketing the dividends and biding their time. So much so that very few outside the business world probably even know that Nestle is a major shareholder in L’Oréal.
In the meantime Bettencourt’s life over the last decade has been another soap opera all by itself. Sometime in 2007, at the  ripe age of 84, she took a fancy to her photographer and started to bestow gifts to him worth over €1 billion. Her daughter filed a complaint with the police that her photographer was taking advantage of her weakened psychological stake to amass a personal fortune. She and her daughter had an extremely public spat with each accusing the other of having gone mad. The courts finally made Bettencourt’s grandson as her overseer and the fortune was vested with her daughter and her two grandsons. But everything was in a state of limbo as long as she was alive.
Cue the events in Nestle. Nestle , for long, has waited patiently to consummate what was really a delayed acquisition. Both the last two Chairmen of Nestle sit on the L’Oréal Board. They were probably waiting for the death of Bettencourt to acquire L’Oréal . But alas they now have an activist shareholder in Dan Loeb who has a fair stake in Nestle and is pushing it to do the opposite – sell the stake in L’Oréal and return the money to shareholders. So there is no saying what Nestle will ultimately do – acquire L’Oréal or divest !
There are other big fish circling. Given how cheap debt is , there are enough and more funds of various stripes, including probably the notorious 3G Capital and their close friend Warren Buffet, who are getting all excited. Also interested would be two giants in the cosmetics field – Unilever and Procter & Gamble, who have long eyed Nestle’s stake with envy and made noises about what a Foods company is doing with a stake in a Cosmetics company.
Complicating this will be nationalism, for after all L’Oréal is (very) French. Would Macron be willing to let a French institution fall into the hands of the ugly Americans ? If he interfered, the tweeter in chief would surely have something to say !!
And what will Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, Liliane’s daughter and the two grandchildren to whom the 30% stake in L’Oréal passes, do ?  Would they act in concert. Or would they go their own ways ? Would they buy ? Or sell ?
Every investment banker is drooling and shivering with anticipation. It is fair to assume that no first class seats are available on all flights to and from Paris, London, New York and Lausanne !
Watch this space. The knives will be out on 18th March when the six months period after Bettencourt’s death ends and  all agreements expire.    Bettencourt’s life was colourful to say the least – marrying a Nazi sympathiser, losing money with Bernie Madoff,  a strange affair with her photographer, being declared mentally incompetent, accused of giving cash stuffed envelopes to Nicolas Sarkozy,  having numerous Swiss bank accounts …… But even by those standards, what will follow in the fight for L’Oréal will be, to put it mildly, interesting.

    WHY THE GOVERNMENT WANTS YOU TO STOP WEARING N95 MASK

    In today’s World, face masks have become an important part of our lives. Even though they cause immense discomfort, it has become A safety necessity. This necessity has led to several types of face Masks being available in the market- You get cheap face masks being made of fabric, you get fancy ones with valves in it And you even get funny ones with Smiley images printed on them. , And recently, the indian health ministry has Issued a warning that highlights what you should and should not do with your mask and one of the Is to stop sailing face masks with respirator As they might not be COVID-19 safe As we thought they might be. Rajiv Garg, DGHS, In a letter to all the states and union territories, States, “It is to bring to knowledge that the use of Respirator N95 masks Are detrimental to the For preventing the spread of As it does not prevent the virus from escaping out of the mask.”
    “In view of the above I request you to instruct all concerned to follow the use of face/mouth cover and prevent inappropriate use of N95 masks”,he added.
    As highlighted by TOI, the problem with N95 mask is the valve that comes fitted with them. N95 masks are essentially a type of PPE that is designed for health care workers as well as for workers at the construction site. The mask is made of material that filters air which is coming in. Most of these masks are fitted with a valve at front that enables better ventilation so it doesn’t feel exhausting to breathe . However, most masks that are circulating in the market only have a one-way valve. Which means, while it does filter the air coming from the outside, it isn’t preventing your breath, from staying in. The valve is acting like an unfiltered outlet to spread outside. The safest, which has been suggested by health ministry is home made masks – washing it in boiling water with salt for five minutes and drying it properly before use.

    Robotics Process Automation

    According to Chris Huff, chief strategy officer at Kofax- “RPA is software that automates rules-based actions performed on a computer.” It is an advanced technology where the machine records a specific task done by human and then perform the same task whenever required without any human intervention.

    Every RPA system must include the three capabilities stated below:

    • Communicating with the other systems in either way screen scrapping or API integration.
    • Decision Making
    • Interface for bot programming.

    One of the most amazing things about this is that it doesn’t need any prior coding knowledge, in fact neither this requires the development of code, nor it does require direct access to the code or database of any application. So, do not have to worry if you don’t know how to code or if in case you don’t like to code much, you can still learn this.

    Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is the use of computer software ‘robots’ to perform routine, rule-based automated activities such as filling in the same information in various locations, downloading data, or copying and pasting.

    RPA operates by collecting knowledge from current IT systems. There are several ways RPA software can work with the applications. One choice is to connect to databases and corporate network resources in the backend. Another is via front end or laptop interfaces, which have several types.

    What is the safest way? It depends on the organization and the needs that the solution must tackle. With backend networking, automation can reach applications and resources under the power of a process automation server. This is most widely used for unattended automation, where the automated robots handle back-office functions such as reviewing insurance claims on a scale.

    Types of RPA: 

    • Attended Automation: This requires human intervention while performing any task assigned.
    • Unattended Automation: This tool doesn’t require any human intervention while performing any task they are designed to have decision-making capabilities.
    • Hybrid RPA: This has the combined capabilities of both attended and unattended Automation.

    Now, are RPA and any desktop application the same? And the answer is no, and the difference will be identified with their decision-making capability. Some general functions of RPA include

    • Opening different applications like emails, moving files, etc.
    • Integration with the existing tools.
    • Collecting data from different web portals.
    • Processing data which includes calculations, data extraction, etc.

    Tools for RPA:

    • Blue Prism
    • Uipath
    • Automation Anywhere
    • Pega
    • Contextor
    • Nice Items

    Ten years is a long time to forecast and RPA is a fairly young and developing market. Yet RPA has certainly proved it’s worth and will continue to expand rapidly. With these development tools, RPA deployment is becoming more of an area for creators of mobile robots, not just for casual business users. The RPA career is considered to be very successful. Emerging students should comfortably predict a substantial share of job opportunities in the country. Pay packages for specialists with skill sets in this area are often comparatively higher compared to other fields.

    Industries that use RPA:

    • BPO.
    • Finance & Banking.
    • Insurance.
    • Healthcare.
    • Telecom.
    • Manufacturing.
    • Public Sector.
    • Retail & CPG.

    Resources to learn RPA:

    • UiPath Academy. No learning cost its free for everyone, Complete UiPath RPA Developer Course.
    • Udemy. Complete UiPath RPA Developer Course.
    • Edureka!
    • IntelliPaat.
    • EpsilonAI Academy.

    Hope you guys enjoyed this. Happy learning!

    Flexible design course

    The session today got us a bit further with planning. I like the idea of a personal learning plan, and this will be a dynamic work in action and help people to focus on the areas they are interested in. The trick will be to ensure people are well supported as they are taken out of their comfort zones…even modelling new ways of teaching and learning can frighten people.

    we have plenty of actions and have made a start on the Blackboard shell. I am not that keen on putting dates on the buttons and using the what, how, why, when labels might throw a lot of people.
    An idea has come to me as I write this. I believe we need to pin them down to the type of plan they envisage right at the start of the course…it may only be the name of a course they teach in but it will ground them in something real. and I think we need to extend the initial discussion about flexible learning to include the plan…what they hope to end up with. smetimes for the holistic learners they need to see the big picture first – where they are heading.

    the personal learning plans will help them with the what, how and why they will get there. I would like to use a self-questioning matrix to help them plan, monitor and evaluate their activities – we can start them off with some sample questions which can be used in the f2f consultation about the plan, and then get them to start doing this sort of reflective process themselves as they go. some may prefer to use concept mapping to plan how they go about their activities

    Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry observes World Biofuel Day

    Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry today organised a webinar on the occasion of the World Biofuel day with the theme Biofuels towards Atmanirbhar Bharat.

    World Biofuel Day is observed every year on 10th August to create awareness about the importance of non-fossil fuels as an alternative to conventional fossil fuels.

    Speaking on the occasion, Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Tarun Kapoor said that there is large amount of agricultural residues available in the country and therefore the scope of producing Biofuels is immense.

    He said that there are three major areas of Biofuels- Ethanol, Bio-diesel and Biogas.

    He added, if these three sources are exploited, dependence on import of crude and also gas can be reduced to a very large extent.

    EPFO ensures hassle free service delivery through UMANG app during COVID-19 pandemic

    Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation, EPFO has ensured hassle free service delivery through UMANG app during COVID-19 pandemic.
     
    Labour and Employment Ministry said, presently a PF member can access 16 different services of EPFO on their mobile phone using the Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance, UMANG App.
     
    The Ministry said, on UMANG app a member can raise claim, track claim and know the status of claim raised.
     
    During the COVID-19 pandemic period from April to July, a total of over 11 lakh claims were filed online through UMANG App.
     
    This was a whooping 180 per cent increase compared to pre-Covid 19 period from December last year to March 2020, where only around four lakh claims were submitted through the app.
     
    To ensure safe and secure delivery of its services at the door steps on its 66 lakh pensioners, EPFO brought the facility of View Pensioner Passbook as well as updation of Jeevan Pramaan Patra on UMANG app.

    NEP 2020 is blend of tools enabling students to compete with global world: Union Education Minister

    Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has said that National Education Policy 2020 is a blend of tools enabling the students to compete with the global world, as well as to grasp the Bharat centric values, culture and languages.

    Participating in a webinar on Atma Nirbhar Madhya Pradesh – Health and Education’ in New Delhi today, Mr Pokhriyal said, the policy aims to revamp all aspects of India’s education system that were in place over three decades and bring it closer to the best global standards of education.

    The National Education Policy has maintained a balance between the traditions and the interdisciplinary approach. He said, the policy has a clear vision and defined objectives. Mr Pokhriyal said, the reforms proposed can only be implemented collaboratively by the Centre and the states.

    The Minister congratulated the Madhya Pradesh government for swiftly responding to the current COVID crisis by introducing a series of interventions across all sectors.

    During the current lockdown, the School Education Department of Madhya Pradesh has proactively taken upon the task of ensuring that children do not lose out on any opportunity to learn and to continue their academic progress by providing access to tech-enabled learning sources.

    Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar slams Rahul Gandhi for raising objections on draft EIA

    Hitting out at senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has said that those raising objections to the draft environment impact assessment, EIA notification are the same people who took big decisions without consultations when they were in power.

    Speaking to  media on the sidelines of an event in New Delhi today, Mr Javadekar questioned their protest against the draft saying it is not final notification.

    The Minister said, it was kept for public consultation for an extended period of 150 days because of COVID-19.
    He said, Government has received thousands of suggestions which it welcomed and will consider them.

    He added that then Government will take a call and come out with final draft. Mr Javadekar said, some people jumping just on the draft is not fair practice.

    Gandhi yesterday had said that EIA 2020 draft is a disaster and it seeks to silence the voice of communities who will be directly impacted by the environmental degradation it unleashes.

    The Congress leader  also called for its withdrawal, saying it will lead to further environmental destruction.

    Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launches various initiatives of DPSUs & OFB through digital link

    Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today launched the initiatives of a number of modernisation and up-gradation of facilities as also new infrastructure creation by Defence Public Sector Undertakings, DPSUs and Ordnance Factory Board OFB through digital link in New Delhi.

    It was part of the of the Atmanirbhar Week celebration of the Ministry of Defence.

    Speaking on the occasion, Mr Singh recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clarion call for Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan and his 5-I formula of ‘Intent, Inclusion, Investment, Infrastructure and Innovation’ will put the economy on high growth trajectory.

    The Minister said, Government has made timely and thoughtful interventions during Covid-19 times like issuing negative list for import, increase in FDI limits, separate budget for domestic capital procurement and emphasis on indigenisation.

    He said, the ban on imports of 101 items by Defence Ministry is a big step towards an Atmanirbhar Bharat.

    This list of negative items contains not only small items but weapon systems of high and critical technology. He said, more such items will be added to this list shortly which will save crores of rupees in imports.

    The Defence Minister said, more steps will be taken towards, indigenisation, investment in defence infrastructure and expansion in defence manufacturing capability.

    He said, these steps will create big opportunities for the Indian defence industry. 

    Mr Singh said, in keeping with the vision of the Prime Minister, the Department of Defence Production, DPSUs and OFB have shown great enthusiasm and commitment in ushering in a truly Atmanirbhar Bharat.

    He said, Defence industry has always been the forerunner of cutting-edge technologies world across and hence self-reliance in Defence is a tall task which needs whole hearted involvement of all to be fruitful. 

    The Minister said, the defence industries have been the force behind the Armed Forces.

    Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik, Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, Secretary Defence Production Raj Kumar and senior officials of OFB, DPSUs participated in the event through video conference links.

    Lebanon’s PM Hassan Diab resigns following public outrage over major blast in Beirut last week

    Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab has resigned from his post in the wake of major blast in Beirut that has triggered public outrage. In a brief televised speech after three of his ministers resigned, Mr Diab said he is taking a step back so he can stand with the people and fight the battle for change alongside them.
     
    The Prime Minister’s resignation follows a weekend of anti-government protests after the August 4 explosion in Beirut’s port that decimated the facility and caused widespread destruction, killing more than 160 people and injured about six thousands. Diab’s government was formed in January this year after his predecessor, Saad Hariri, stepped down in October last year in response to the demonstrations. It took months of bickering among the leadership factions before they settled on Diab.
     
    President Michel Aoun has accepted the resignation of the  Diab government and asked it to stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new cabinet is formed.French President Emmanuel Macron hosted an international donors’ conference on Sunday. US President Donald Trump and 15 other heads of state were present, pledging nearly 300 million dollars in aid to Lebanon.

    BJP-led coalition government in Manipur wins trust vote

    In Manipur, N. Biren Singh-led government won the trust vote during one-day State Assembly session yesterday. The BJP led-coalition headed by Chief Minister Singh won the confidence vote by a margin of 12 votes in the house. Eight Opposition Congress MLAs skipped the session defying the party whip.
     
    The 60-member house has an effective strength of 53, including Speaker Y Khemchand. The Congress had submitted a notice of No Confidence Motion against the government on 28th of July. Days later, the State Government submitted a notice to the Speaker for a trust vote.