The Directorate General of Civil Aviation(DGCA) on Thursday(20th Oct 2022) granted aerodrome licence to Odisha’s "Jeypore airport". The airport will now be able to handle scheduled commercial flights under the government’s regional connectivity scheme UDAN, or Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik.

 

The airstrip at Jeypore had became functional in 1962 at the time of inception of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at Sunabeda.

 

As of August 2022, Odisha has just one airport under UDAN - the Jharsuguda airport. Recently, the civil aviation ministry has been exploring more airstrips in Odisha for promoting wildlife and tourism in the state.

 

For the purpose of tourism, the ministry has considered Malkangiri and Hirakud under the next phase of UDAN. Similarly, the government has also considered Konark and Baripada in Odisha as an airstrip for promoting spiritual tourism in the state.

 

RCS-UDAN was formulated based on the review of The National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP), 2016, and it was planned to remain in force for a period of 10 years. It has a self-financing mechanism with the development of Regional Connectivity Fund (RCF).

 

Under UDAN, 68 underserved/unserved destinations which include 58 Airports, eight heliports and two water aerodromes have been connected..

Source : Mint

National award recipient director of Bengali films, Pinaki Chaudhuri, died at his Kolkata residence on Monday(24th Oct 2022) following a protracted illness, his family said.

 

Chaudhuri, who was 82, left behind his wife and a son.

 

He was suffering from lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system, and was admitted to a hospital one month back. He was discharged three days ago as the hospital authorities suggested that he be taken back to his residence in the last days of life.

 

Chaudhuri had varied interests in arts and music and made his foray into the world of films in 1983 when he directed Chena Achena' (Known and Unknown) starring Soumitra Chatterjee, Amol Palekar, Tanuja, Chhaya Devi among others.

 

He got two national awards for Shanghaath' (Conflict) in 1996 and for Ballygunge Court' in 2007.

 

Among his other notable films are Kakababu Here Gelen?' (Kakababu defeated?), Ek Tukro Chand' (A slice of the moon) and Arohan' (Ascension)..

Source : Business Standard

The Assam Government and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) 18th Oct 2022 launched the “Trees Outside Forests in India (TOFI)” Programme in Assam, to rapidly expand the forest cover, improve the resilience of farming systems and augment farmers’ revenue.

 

The Environment and Forest Minister of Assam – Chandra Mohan Patowary launched the programme, at a function organized by Centre for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry in collaboration with Assam Agroforestry Development Board at Assam Administrative Staff College.

 

Addressing the event, Patowary asserted that “Agroforestry is closely related with Assamese civilization. This programme will assist Assamese citizens in adopting the age-old technique of agroforestry in a way that combines productivity and profitability with environmental stewardship.”

 

He further added that the state government is striving to increase forest cover in the state from 36% to 38%.

 

The ‘Trees Outside Forests in India (TOFI)’ is a five-year joint initiative by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India.

With the united force of eight consortium partners led by CIFOR-ICRAF, the initiative is committed to expand the tree coverage outside of India’s forest lands for the benefit of ecosystem.

Kerala Chief Minister "Pinarayi Vijayan" on Saturday(22nd Oct 2022) launched the 'Kunjapp', a mobile application to prevent cyber crimes against children in the state.

 

Vijayan also inaugurated the training for the newly appointed Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) members at Kovalam near here.

 

Addressing the newly appointed members, the Chief Minister said children should not suffer physical, mental or sexual exploitation and the members should work together as they have an important role to play in protecting the children.

 

"The CWC and the JJB members should ensure that the society follows the laws in connection with the children and to make sure that those children who violate law are transformed into model citizens. The members play a major role in moulding the coming generation," he said.

 

Vijayan said the duty of the CWC and JJB members is to ensure the safety and security of the children.

 

"They (CWC and JJB members) take a decision on the safety and rehabilitation of children living under difficult circumstances. The training is to ensure that they work for the future of the children," he said.

 

The Left government had earlier in August told the state Assembly that the State Women and Child Development Department was coming out with a mobile app to prevent cyber attacks or crimes against children..

Source : Business Standard

The 91st General Assembly of INTERPOL will take place in Vienna, Austria in 2023, where the international criminal police organisation was officially created in 1923.

 

The 90th INTERPOL General Assembly was held in New Delhi from October 18-21, 2022.

 

The General Assembly of INTERPOL is a supreme governing body and meets once a year to take key decisions related to its functioning.

 

The Assembly meeting held in India after a gap of 25 years.

 

Andreas Holzer, Director of the Austrian Federal Police and Criminal Intelligence Service, praised India and the CBI for hosting the Assembly..

Source : The Hindu

Hollywood actor and comedian "Leslie Jordan" died on Monday(24th Oct 2022) after he crashed his car into the side of a building in Los Angeles. According to law enforcement sources` statement to TMZ, on Monday(24th Oct 2022)  morning, Jordan experienced some sort of medical emergency while driving in Hollywood and crashed his car into the side of a building. 

 

Leslie was famous for his work on popular TV shows like `Will & Grace,` `Hearts Afire,` `The Cool Kids,` `Call Me Kat,` and `American Horror Story.` During the pandemic, Leslie rose to fame on social media thanks to his humorous video posts, which helped him grow from having only 80,000 Instagram followers to 5.8 million. Leslie also acted in movies, including `The Help` and `Ski Patrol`. 

 

The Emmy-winning actor and comedian also announced the Academy Awards nominations for all 23 categories for this year`s ceremony. Born in 1955, Leslie Jordan started his career in 1986 as Malone in the adventure series `The Fall Guy`. More details about the car crash are awaited..

Source : Zeenews

Rishi Sunak will become Britain's first prime minister of colour on Tuesday(25th Oct 2022) after he won the race to lead the Conservative Party, tasked with steering a deeply divided country through an economic downturn set to leave millions of people poorer.

 

One of the wealthiest politicians in Westminster, Sunak, 42, will become the country's youngest leader in modern times - and its third in less than two months - as he takes over during one of the most turbulent eras in British political history.

 

He replaces Liz Truss, who only lasted 44 days before she said she would resign, needing to restore stability to a country reeling from years of political and economic turmoil and seeking to lead a party that has fractured along ideological lines.

 

He told his lawmakers in parliament on Monday(24th Oct 2022) that they faced an "existential crisis" and must "unite or die". He told the country it faced a "profound economic challenge".

 

Sunak, who will be appointed prime minister by King Charles on Tuesday(25th Oct 2022), will also have to work hard to hold Britain's dominant political party together after some accused him of treachery earlier this year when he resigned from the cabinet of former leader Boris Johnson, triggering his downfall too.

 

Other Conservatives say he is too rich to understand the day-to-day economic pressures building in Britain, and worry whether he could ever win an election for a party that has been in power for 12 years..

Source : Reuters

Every year, Global Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week 2022 will be observed from October 24 to October 31.

Global Media and Information Literacy Week Theme : UNESCO has announced the theme for this year’s MIL week as “Nurturing trust: A Media and Information Literacy Imperative." Nigeria will be the hosts this time.

 

Global Media and Information Literacy Week History : The first Global Media and Information Literacy Week was held in 2011 in Fez, Morocco. The concept for this initiative arose from the need for each individual to be equipped with media and information literacy abilities so that it assists in proper communication and availability of the right information, as well as to reduce misinformation. Media serves as a source of information, allowing people to connect and make better decisions.

 

Global Media and Information Literacy Week Significance : Misinformation, political polarisation, and contradictory messages create confusion and unrest among people. This is why Global Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week was conceived with the public’s well-being and the need to empower them with the right information in mind. The initiative aims to ensure and assess progress toward Media and Information Literacy around the world. Its goal is to skillfully alleviate the difficulties associated with misinformation and a lack of information..

Source : News18

Disarmament Week is celebrated from October 24 to 30 each year. One of the key goals of the United Nations is to achieve world peace.

To that end, the organisation marks October 24 to October 30 as Disarmament Week each year. Disarmament Week seeks to promote awareness and a better understanding of disarmament issues and their cross-cutting importance.

 

In the week, there would be an extensive discussion about safeguarding people from the dangers of guns. Countries have been observing disarmament week each year in an effort to create a more secure and safe world. In order to reduce crises and violent conflicts around the world, the UN has been instrumental in the disarmament of nuclear weapons.

 

Disarmament Week History : Starting on 24 October, the anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, the week-long annual observance was first called for in the Final Document of the General Assembly’s 1978 special session on disarmament (resolution S-10/2).

In 1995, the General Assembly invited governments, as well as NGOs, to continue taking an active part in Disarmament Week (resolution 50/72 B, 12 December 1995) in order to promote a better understanding among the public of disarmament issues.

 

The United Nations Disarmament Commission (UNDC) was established in 1952. It was tasked with creating proposal documents for treaties to regulate and reduce the number of armed forces and weapons possessed by nations..

Source : National Today

KP Ashwini On Friday(7th Oct 2022), the UN Human Rights Council(UNHRC) appointed the first Asian and first Indian as an independent expert on racism and related intolerance.

 

The 47-member UN human rights body, based in Geneva, endorsed the appointment of Dalit activist and professor of political science, Ashwini K.P. on Friday(7th Oct 2022). The vacancy for the Special Rapporteur (SR) on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance came up unexpectedly as the incumbent, Zambia’s E. Tendayi Achiume, resigned before the completion of her three-year term.

 

Special Rapporteurs are independent experts appointed by the UNHRC who serve personally and report on human rights from a thematic or country-specific perspective.

 

Ashwini’s name was part of a three-member shortlist recommended by the Consultative Group for the selection of the mandate holders to the President of the Council. Besides Ashwini, the shortlist included Joshua Castellino, also from India, and Botswana’s Unity Dow.

 

The UNHRC president then nominated her to the Council, which officially appointed her just before the conclusion of its 51st session on Friday. Ashwini’s three-year term will begin on November 1.

 

K.P. Ashwini, a Dalit scholar whose roots are in Kurabarahalli in Kolar district, Karnataka, has been appointed Special Rapporteur for United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC)..

Source : The Wire