Daily Bulletin: UNSC likely to designate Masood Azhar a global terrorist; election trail heats up as candidates lists appear; day's top stories

UNSC likely to designate Masood Azhar a ‘global terrorist’ unless China blocks motion The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is expected to pass a France-led proposal backed by the United States of America and the United Kingdom, to have Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar designated as a global terrorist. China, on Monday, had said that a “responsible solution” of the issue can only be reached through discussion. Beijing also said security issues constituted an “important topic” in its talks to ease tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pulwama terror attack. [caption id=“attachment_5070401” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Masood Azhar. AFP[/caption] The chair of the UNSC sanctions committee has notified that unless he hears any arguments to the contrary by 12:30 am on 14 March, he will assume that its members have no objection to the addition of Azhar to the 1267 Sanctions List. India has engaged in frantic parleys with key players like the US, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Turkey to ensure that the Jaish chief is designated as a global terrorist. Priyanka addresses first rally, Congress to kick off poll campaign in Tamil Nadu Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday criticised the Narendra Modi government for failing to provide jobs as promised and urged the audience to cast their votes wisely. Addressing her first political rally in Gujarat after assuming charge as Congress general secretary, Priyanka said: “Your vote is a weapon, think and decide — those who talk big in front of you, where are the jobs he promised? What about women’s safety?” The Congress president will also address the UPA’s first rally in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari district on Wednesday. Leaders of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and its allies, including MK Stalin and Vaiko, will share the stage with Rahul. This comes a week after Modi held the first NDA rally in Chennai where All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Pattali Makkal Katchi and other allies shared the stage with the Bharatiya Janata Party. In another development, leaders of a prospective Bihar mahagathbandhan or grand alliance – Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav, Jitan Ram Manjhi and Upendra Kushwaha – are scheduled to meet at Delhi on Wednesday to decide on a seat sharing formula in the state for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. EC forms committee on black money use in polls The Election Commission (EC) has formed a committee to check the use of black money in the upcoming election. The committee will include the heads of various financial institutions. The chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes, the director of the Enforcement Directorate and the heads of other financial investigation agencies are to be part of this team. The committee will have its first formal meeting on 15 March. Meanwhile, following the imposition of the Model Code of Conduct, several government websites, including that of the Prime Minister’s Office, have taken down pictures of the prime minister and other Union ministers. In a letter written to the cabinet secretary and the chief secretaries of states, the EC had asked to ensure that photographs of “political functionaries” on official websites are removed or hidden immediately. Meetings, party switches mark pre-poll atmosphere as candidates lists come thick and fast West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday announced a list of Trinamool Congress candidates for all the 42 Lok Sabha seats of the state, dropping 10 sitting MPs. She also attacked the BJP and Centre over a host of issues including the Rafale deal, farm distress and shrinking employment opportunities. The son of the Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly, Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, joined BJP on Tuesday  in the presence of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. Afterwards Sujay Vikhe Patil said he was aware that he had gone against his father’s wishes. The Bahujan Samaj Party reiterated once again that it will not have any alliance with Congress party in any state in the upcoming elections. The Congress’s first candidates list for Assam is expected, as is the Left’s candidate list for West Bengal. Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party is set to burn the BJP’s 2014 poll manifesto in a symbolic gesture. Ram Madhav, the national general secretary of the BJP, is scheduled to visit Tripura to review the poll preparation in the state and hold dialogues between leaders of the saffron party and Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura. Special court to begin hearing ED plea for confiscation of Vijay Mallya’s properties After declaring Vijay Mallya a Fugitive Economic Offender, a special court will start a hearing on the Enforcement Directorate’s application, seeking permission to start confiscation of Mallya’s properties. Late in 2018, UK’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court had  ordered the extradition of the fugitive liquor barron, whose failed airline Kingfisher Airlines owes around Rs 10,000 crore to a clutch of banks, to face charges of loan default and other financial irregularities linked to alleged diversion of bank money. Triggered by Mallya’s loan defaults, capital markets regulator SEBI recently asked the government to amend the Companies Act to ensure that a director declared by it as a disqualified person should immediately vacate the position. India bans Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft India has banned the use of Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft by the country’s airline companies and the decision on the issue may be taken Wednesday, a senior official of aviation watchdog DGCA said on Tuesday. The UK, France and Germany have already banned the aircraft. On Sunday, a 737 MAX 8 aircraft operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed near Addis Ababa killing 157 people, including four Indians. “We are likely to ban the use of 737 Max 8 by Indian airlines. The final decision is going to be taken by Wednesday. The discussions are ongoing,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official told PTI. SpiceJet has around 12 such aircraft in its fleet, while Jet Airways has five, which are currently grounded. India take on Australia in the fifth and deciding ODI at Delhi India and Australia lock horns one last time in the five-match ODI series, which is currently level at 2-2 after Australia’s successful chase at Mohali. For India, the match is an opportunity to test themselves in a high-pressure situation in what is their final game before the World Cup. Australia, on the other hand, will look to bring to an end a losing run that spans seven consecutive ODI series. Redmi Note 7 Pro to go on sale for the first time today Xiaomi’s latest budget smartphone powerhouse, the Redmi Note 7 Pro goes on sale for the first time at 12 pm today on Flipkart and Mi.com. Pricing starts at Rs 13,999 for the 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage variant and Rs 16,999 for the 6 GB RAM 128 GB storage variant. Dave Franco’s directorial debut The Rental to star Dan Stevens and Alison Brie Dave Franco will soon make his directorial debut with horror thriller titled The Rental, which centres around two couples who rent a vacation home on a weekend getaway, according to Deadline. Beauty and the Beast actor Dan Stevens and Alison Brie, who has starred in Netflix’s GLOW will headline the film. Sheila Vand and Jeremy Allen White are also part of the cast. Bankrolled by Black Bear Pictures, The Rental will be produced by Franco’s Ramona Films and will start shooting in April.