Spain threatened to suspend Catalonia’s autonomy if it followed through on its threat to break away as an independent country.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy vowed to do everything in his power to prevent Catalan secession after a banned referendum in the region, which remains divided over independence. He later gave Catalonia’s separatist leader five days to clarify his position.
Thailand Bans Smoking on Tourist Beaches
Thailand is introducing a smoking ban on popular beaches across the country including Phuket.
The measure will apply to up to 20 popular tourist beaches.
The ban, which will come into effect next month, will apply to beaches in the provinces of Phuket, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chon Buri and Songkhla and included the popular resorts of Koh Samui and Pattaya.
The penalty for violating the ban is up to a year in prison or a possible fine of up to 100,000 baht ($3,000).
The Cabinet approved a cargo-swapping arrangement with Japan as part of a broader bilateral pact to create a gas exchange that could reduce India’s logistical costs for natural gas import.
Havells Eyes Venture with European Firm
Havells India, an electrical goods maker, plans to set up a joint venture with an European firm to tap the power of Ethernet.
This will help Havells to take on competition and increase its revenue from the unit by 40% in the fiscal year ending March 2018.
Direct Tax Collections Rise
Net direct tax collections for the first half of the financial year, at Rs. 3.86 lakh crore, were 15.8% higher than the collections in the same period of the previous year.
Net Direct Tax collections represent 39.4% of the total Budget Estimates of Direct Taxes for financial year 2017-18 (Rs. 9.8 lakh crore).
Gross collections, before adjusting for refunds, increased 10.3% to Rs. 4.66 lakh crore during April to September 2017.
The UAE Space Agency has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Luxembourg, defining a framework for collaboration and the exchange of information and expertise in space science, research and technology.
The MoU promotes cooperation in various aspects of space exploration, including space science, research, technology, remote sensing and navigation. In addition to this, the MoU encourages collaboration in space policy, law, regulation, and personnel training for space activities.
The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet has appointed 11 new secretaries to various government departments.
Environment secretary Ajay Narayan Jha will succeed Ashok Lavasa as the secretary in the expenditure department in the Finance Ministry.
Health and Family Welfare Secretary C. K. Mishra will replace Jha as the new secretary in charge of environment, forests and climate change.
The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet also appointed Sports Secretary Injeti Srinivas as the new corporate affairs secretary in the Finance Ministry.
Gopal Krishna, serving in his home cadre of West Bengal, has been appointed as the Shipping Secretary while Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS officer Rahul Prasad Bhatnagar will be the new Sports Secretary.
Preeti Sudan, Secretary of Department of Food and Public Distribution, has been assigned the charge of health and family welfare.
Current Shipping Secretary Ravi Kant will take up her role in the Food Ministry.
Alok Shrivastava, currently Special Secretary in the Shipping Ministry, has been appointed as the new secretary in the Department of Justice.
Other cabinet secretary appointments include K. V. Eapen (Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances and Pensions and Pensioners` Welfare), Shakuntala Gamlin (Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities) and Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha (AYUSH Ministry).
New FTII Chairman
Actor Anupam Kher has been appointed as the new chairman of Film and Television Institute of India. He has replaced former television actor Gajendra Chauhan.
Kher has acted in over 500 movies and is a well-known name in theatre too.
Kher was awarded Padma Shri in 2004 and Padma Bhushan in 2016. He has also held the post of chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification and the National School of Drama in India.
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