Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday(27th Oct 2022) the government will set-up branches of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in all the states by 2024 to deal with terrorism cases, even as he asked them (the states) to join hands with the Centre in dealing with borderless crimes, cross-border terrorism and organized crimes.

 

Delivering the keynote address at the first-ever Chintan Shivir (brainstorming) of home ministers of states in Surajkund, Haryana, Shah asked states to prepare a “joint strategy” for the internal and external security problems of the country.

 

“To achieve a decisive victory in the fight against terrorism, the legal framework is being strengthened, under which provision has been made to declare individual terrorists by amending the NIA and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act ( UAPA). e NIA has been given extra territorial jurisdiction powers as well as authority to confiscate the property acquired by terrorists. Now, we have decided that NIA branches will be established in all the states by 2024,” Shah said at the two-day conference.

 

Currently, NIA has 15 branches in Delhi, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Kochi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Kolkata, Raipur, Jammu, Chandigarh, Ranchi, Chennai, Imphal, Bengaluru and Patna. The federal anti-terror agency, formed in the aftermath of 26/11 Mumbai attacks, has so far registered 468 cases and has a conviction rate of 93.25%..

Source : Hindustan Times

BSE, or the Bombay Stock Exchange, launched Electronic Gold Receipt (EGR) on its platform on  24 October 2022. It introduced two new products of 995 and 999 purity during the Muhurat trading on Diwali.

 

How The Trading Will Happen : Trading will be in multiples of 1 gram and deliveries in multiples of 10 gram and 100 gram. The EGR market will remain open from 9:00 am to 9.30 pm. It will have T+1 settlement. EGR allows efficient price discovery and standardization of gold, transparency in gold transactions, promotion of India Good Delivery Standard and settlement guarantee to the Investors.

 

India & The Gold : India is the second largest consumer of gold globally, with annual gold demand of approximately 800-900 tones, and holds an important position in the global markets.

Despite being second only to China, in consumption of gold, India has remained only as a price-taker in the global markets. To address the issue, Government of India have authorized the introduction of a gold exchange where the metal will be traded in Electronic Gold Receipts (EGR) form on Indian exchanges (BSE, NSE etc.)..

Source : Business Standard

Every year October 28 is observed as International Animation Day (IAD), which is celebrated across the world. After getting noticed by the International Animated Film Association (ASIFA), which recognised it as a global event that is dedicated to animation.

 

It is an attempt by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. But the current scenario has animations in the form of 3D and 2D versions associated with it.

 

International Animation Day History : The beginning of International Animation day took place in the year 2002, whereas the birth of animation happened in the year 1892 when the first public performance showcased the moving images at the renowned Emile Reynaud's Theatre Optique in the city of Paris.

 

The day was first introduced by ASIFA, which is a member of UNESCO. ASIFA tries to push every time it gets a chance to put the art of animation into the limelight. For the past number of years there, this event has been extended to 50 countries.

 

International Animation Day 2022 Significance : The day plays a significant role in creating opportunities on this day for all the animators together by connecting them to the general public.

 

International Animation Day 2022 Celebration : Usually, a three-day program is organised during this day. Events take place at various cultural institutions that attend together for screening animated films, exhibit artwork and stills, and workshops. This helps in promoting animation and provides a technical demonstration for the upcoming learners in the field of animation..

Source : India Today

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh graced the ‘Shaurya Diwas’ celebrations in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) on October 27, 2022 to commemorate the 75th year of air landed operations of Indian Army at Budgam Airport in 1947, which ensured the first civil-military victory of Independent India.

On October 27, 1947, the Indian Army was inducted by the Indian Air Force at Budgam Airport to evict Pakistani forces from J&K, a day after the ‘Instrument of Accession’ was signed between Maharaja Hari Singh and Republic of India.

27th October is, hence, celebrated as ‘Infantry Day’. The event was organised as part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.

 

In his address, the Raksha Mantri paid rich tributes to the heroes of the Armed Forces & the people of J&K who laid down their lives to protect the unity & integrity of the country. 

 

He stated that it is because of their valour and sacrifice that J&K remained an integral part of India and will continue to be in the future. He asserted that despite a number of stumbling blocks, India has risen time & again because of the courage & sacrifice of our soldiers and today it is standing tall on the strong foundation laid by them. “The greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. The incident of 1947 is one such instance,” he said.

 

Shri Rajnath Singh recalled the valour of the first Param Vir Chakra recipient, Major Somnath Sharma, who despite being injured led a company & saved the Srinagar airfield from enemy clutches and in the process made the supreme sacrifice. 

 

He also paid glowing tributes to the bravery of other Gallantry award winners such as Brigadier Rajinder Singh and Lt Col Dewan Ranjit Rai, who gave away their lives to protect the motherland.

 

Raksha Mantri said, Major Somnath Sharma and other heroes will always remain a source of inspiration for every Indian and the Nation will forever be indebted to their sacrifices. He also remembered former Chief Minister of Odisha Biju Patnaik, who as a pilot during the war, made a valuable contribution to the movement of the troops. 

 

He commended the crucial role played by the people of J&K who helped the Armed Forces in forcing the enemies to retreat and protect the sovereignty of the country. Shri Rajnath Singh termed the campaign of October 27, 1947 as the one for safeguarding the country’s territorial integrity as well as the safety of the people..

Source : PIB

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday(26th Oct 2022) lauded Gujarat as the state was declared as 100 per cent 'Har Ghar Jal'.

 

Responding to a tweet by Gujarat Minister Rushikesh Patel on the 100 per cent completion of Har Ghar Jal, PM Modi praised the enthusiasm of the people of Gujarat.

 

To ensure the health and well-being of children by providing clean tap water in schools and Anganwadi centres in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 100-days campaign, which was launched by the Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on October 2, 2020.

 

Jal Jeevan Mission strives for the freedom of mothers and sisters from the centuries-old drudgery of fetching water for households and improving their health, education and socio-economic condition. The Mission is bringing 'ease of living and adding pride and dignity to rural families.

 

In 16 months, 8.47 lakh schools (82 per cent) and 8.67 lakh (78 per cent) Anganwadi centres across the country have been provided with potable tap water supply for drinking and cooking mid-day meals, handwashing and use in toilets. 93 thousand rainwater harvesting facilities and 1.08 lakh greywater reuse structures have been developed in schools across the country..

Source : NDTV

A special meeting of the United Nations Security Council’s(UNSC) Counter-Terrorism Committee will be hosted in Mumbai and Delhi on 28th and 29th of October.

 

The theme will be ‘Countering the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes’.

 

The meeting will begin with a ‘Soft Opening Session and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism’ in Mumbai on the  28th of October through a ceremony at Hotel Taj Mahal Palace.

Briefing media in New Delhi this afternoon, Secretary West Sanjay Verma said the current 15 and incoming 5 members of the UN Security Council will pay homage at the 26/11 memorial site on the occasion.

 

External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, along with member states of the UNSC, and senior UN Officials will lay a wreath at 26/11 memorial site and observe a minute’s silence in memory of the victims.

 

Statements in memory of victims will be read out by Dr Jaishankar and President of the UNSC. Select victims of the Mumbai terror attacks would also be addressing the participants separately. An informal briefing of the CTC will be held on the theme of ‘Combating Terrorism Financing in local and regional contexts,

 

The Special meeting of the CTC in Delhi on the 29th of October will commence with a high-level Ministerial plenary session. Discussions during the day will focus on three separate sub-themes..

Source : AIR

The 27th annual UN meeting on climate, COP27 (Conference of Parties) will take place in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt from November 6 to November 18, 2022. This will be the fifth time a Climate Conference is being hosted in Africa. Governments of more than 200 countries have been invited to participate.

 

The region's governments hope the meet will draw attention to the severe impacts of climate change on the continent. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC says Africa is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world.

 

COP27 will focus on three main areas, reducing emissions, helping countries to prepare and deal with climate change and securing technical support and funding for developing countries for climate activities. Some of the issues that were not fully resolved or taken up at the COP26 will also be taken up at this edition of the conference.

 

The issues included providing money to help countries recover from the effects of climate change, establishing a global carbon market to price the effects of emissions into products and services globally, and strengthening the commitments to reduce coal use.

 

There will also be days with specialized themes for focused talks and announcements on issues including gender, agriculture and biodiversity..

Source : AIR

Thundi and Kadmat beaches in Lakshadweep have received the Blue Flag certification and were added to the list of the cleanest beaches in the world.

This has taken India's tally of ‘Blue Beaches’ to 12.

Golden Beach of Puri is also Asia's first Blue Flag certified beach.

* It is awarded by a non-profit organisation known as Foundation for Environmental Education.

* It is an eco-label given to the cleanest beaches in the world.

New Zealand passed the Plain Language Act on Wednesday(26th Oct 2022), which will require the country’s officials to use simple, easily understood English language in official documents and on websites.

 

The final debate and vote on the Bill took place on October 19, 2022, when the Bill was passed. It received royal assent on October 21, 2022.

 

 

* The Labour Party’s Rachel Boyack, member of New Zealand’s Parliament from Nelson, introduced the Plain Language Bill in the Assembly last year, with the aim to “improve the effectiveness and accountability of the public service by requiring communications to be clear and accessible to the public”.

 

* Accessibility and inclusivity are the primary motivation behind the Bill.

 

 

* According to the Bill, plain language is language the intended audience can understand after reading it once. It is “clear, concise, and well-organised".

 

 

* The Bill does not specify which language “plain language” refers to specifically, but the explanatory note in the Bill says that it is intended to promote the use of “plain English”. Legislators think limiting the application of the Bill to English is a good idea.

At the same time, the Bill also noted that it will not restrict public service agencies from using Māori language, the language of the indigenous people of New Zealand, in their documents.

 

Requirements : The Plain Language Bill listed the following requirements under the Act :

 

* Using plain language in documents

* Appointing plain language officers

* Forming a reporting framework for to gauge if and how agencies are complying with the requirements of the Bill

* Provision of plain language guidance by the Public Service Commissioner

Source : The Hindu

Turkey's competition authority has fined Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) 346.72 million lira ($18.63 million) for breaking competition law, it said on Wednesday(26th Oct 2022).

 

The Turkish regulator said the company held a dominant position in personal social networking services and online video advertising and had obstructed competitors by merging data collected through its core services Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

In 2021, the competition authority launched an investigation into WhatsApp, and then Facebook Inc., after the messaging app updated its terms of service saying it was reserving the right of its owner Facebook Inc and its subsidiaries to collect user data such as phone numbers and locations, a change that was rolled out globally..

Source : Reuters