NBDSA slaps fine on News18 for communalizing Hijab row in Karnataka
Says anchor Aman Chopra violated COC by linking panelists supporting Hijab to Al-Qaeda
New Delhi: News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA) on Wednesday imposed a fine of Rs. 50,000 on News18 over its coverage and communalizing of the Hijab row in Karnataka. The channel is owned by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries.
NBDSA has also said that the news anchor of the channel, Aman Chopra violated the Code of Conduct by linking panelists supporting the Hijab to Al-Qaeda.
Justice AK Sikri in his decision passed on Friday said that while the broadcaster was entitled to conduct debate on the issue after the Karnataka High Court’s decision, the problem lay with the narrative and tilt given to the program.
“NBDSA observed that while having a debate as to whether the wearing of a Hijab be allowed in the schools or not, there was no occasion to blow up the debate by making it a communal issue”, the order said.
The order was passed on a complaint by Tech Ethics and Safety professional Indrajeet Ghorpade filed in response to a program aired on News18 on April 6 in which the anchor, Aman Chopra, referred to the Muslim girl students as “Hijabi Gang”, “Hijabwali Gazwa Gang” and made allegations that they had resorted to rioting.
The Authority also recorded that Chopra had not only violated the guidelines and ethical standards but also failed to follow the decision of the Bombay High Court in the case of Nilesh Navalakha v Union Of India which calls for an anchor to apply his/ her mind and prevent the program from drifting beyond permissible limits.
“However, in the instant case, not only had the anchor failed to stop the other panelists from crossing the boundary but had given a platform to express extreme views which could adversely affect the communal harmony in the country,” said the order.
The NBDSA also directed News18 to take down the video of the offending program from its website and all platforms within 7 days. It told News18, if such violations are repeated in the future, the NBDSA might have to ensure the personal presence of anchor Aman Chopra before it.
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Rupee hits record low of 96.14/USD, settles at fresh closing low of 95.86/USD
Mumbai (PTI): The Indian rupee crashed below the 96/USD mark on Friday before closing at an all-time low of 95.86 (provisional) against the US dollar as elevated crude oil prices and inflation concerns added to the downside pressure on the rupee.
Rupee has registered over 6 per cent losses so far this year, and in the past six trading sessions, it has depreciated nearly 2 per cent as Iran war risk escalation pushed crude oil prices higher. The dollar index moved northwards after strong US retail sales and stable labour market data reduced expectations of aggressive Federal Reserve rate cuts.
Forex traders said global uncertainties, relatively high valuations, and the lack of AI-led investment opportunities have weighed on capital flows.
Moreover, weak net FDI inflows are likely to exert pressure on the balance of payments, while rising crude oil prices stoke inflation worries.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 95.86, then slumped to a record low of 96.14 in intraday trade, registering a fall of 50 paise from its previous close.
The USD/INR pair finally settled at 95.86 (provisional) against the US dollar, registering a fall of 22 paise from its previous close, helped by likely RBI intervention.
On Thursday, the rupee weakened to a fresh record low of 95.96 before closing with a marginal gain of 2 paise at 95.64 against the US dollar.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading at 99.15, higher by 0.34 per cent.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading up 3.14 per cent at USD 109.04 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex fell 160.73 points to settle at 75,237.99, while Nifty declined 46.10 points to 23,643.50.
Foreign Institutional Investors turned net buyers, purchasing equities worth Rs 187.46 crore on Thursday, according to exchange data.
Meanwhile, the country's exports in April rose by 13.78 per cent to USD 43.56 billion despite global challenges, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Friday.
Imports grew 10 per cent year-on-year to USD 71.94 billion in April. The trade deficit during the month stood at USD 28.38 billion.
"We expect the rupee to trade with a negative bias on elevated crude oil prices and inflation concerns. Strong dollar and FII outflows may also weigh on the rupee. However, any intervention by the RBI and hiking of import duty on gold and silver may support the rupee at lower levels. USD-INR spot price is expected to trade in a range of 95.60 to 96.20," said Anuj Choudhary, Research analyst at Mirae Asset ShareKhan.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump on Friday hailed their talks as "historic" and "landmark", as the American leader wrapped up his three-day visit on a high note, but no deals on any contentious issues were announced.
Both Presidents, who held several rounds of talks covering a range of global issues, including the Iran war and bilateral trade frictions, concluded their discussions with a private meeting at Zhongnanhai, the well-guarded compound in Beijing where top leaders reside.
