India has scored a hat-trick of election wins at the United Nations ahead of the General Assembly's 75th session, which will be held virtually due to Covid-19 pandemic.
India beat China to win a four-year term on the UN's Commission on the Status of Women (CWS), a prestigious wing of the world body's Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
India also won a seat each, through endorsements, to two other ECOSOC bodies — the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC) and the Commission on Population and Development (CPD).
Terms will begin 2021 when India will also start its two-year stint on the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member.
UAE, Bahrain Sign US-brokered Diplomatic Pacts with Israel
Declaring "the dawn of a new Middle East", US President Donald Trump presided over the signing of historic diplomatic pacts between Israel and the Arab states of UAE and Bahrain, which he hopes will lead to a new order in the Middle East and cast him as a peacemaker ahead of the November 3, 2020 election.
The deals, denounced by the Palestinians, make UAE and Bahrain the third and fourth Arab states to take such steps to normalise ties since Israel signed peace treaties with Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994.
The signing of the deals, called the Abraham Accords, capped a dramatic sequence of events when the UAE and Bahrain agreed to reverse decades of ill will towards Israel without a resolution of its decades-old dispute with the Palestinians.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined Emirati foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah Al Nahyan and Bahrain's foreign minister Abdullatif Al Zayani for the signing ceremony.
Yoshihide Suga Elected as Japan's New Prime Minister
Japanese ruling party leader Yoshihide Suga was elected prime minister in a parliamentary vote, becoming the country's first new premier in nearly eight years.
Suga's ruling Liberal Democratic Party used its majority in the powerful lower house of parliament, which is empowered to pick the premier, to elect him to lead the world's third largest economy as it tries to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
Suga's appointment, after he was selected as LDP leader, brings the curtain down on outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's record run of almost eight consecutive years in the country's top job.
RBI Mandates Automated Recognition of NPAs, Provisioning by June 2021
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) mandated the automation of bad-loan recognition by banks by June 30, 2021. The processes of provisioning calculation and income recognition will also have to be automated and banks will be required to upgrade their systems accordingly.
In its circular, the central bank said banks had earlier been advised to have appropriate information technology (IT) systems in place for identification of non-performing assets (NPA) and generation of related data/returns, both for regulatory reporting and banks' own management information system (MIS) requirements.
SBI General Insurance, YES Bank Ink Corporate Agency Agreement
SBI General Insurance and YES Bank have signed a corporate agency agreement for the distribution of the general insurer's retail products to customers of the private sector lender.
SBI General has been doing meaningful associations with banks, payments apps, e-commerce players, brokers to strengthen its distribution footprint across the country.
The partnership will be committed to offering customers a broad range of non-life insurance products and services and deploying technology across the customer value chain to facilitate superior experiences for them.
Rajasthan Government Signs Pact with Sidbi to Develop MSME Ecosystem
Rajasthan's Department of Industries and Sidbi will work together to provide financial, technical, marketing and export support to MSMEs in the state, Industries Minister Parsadi Lal Meena.
The Small Industries Development Bank of India (Sidbi) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Rajasthan government to develop the MSME ecosystem in the state.
Meena said the MSME Act was amended to promote industries and exempt such businesses from all kinds of permissions and inspections for three years.
Now, the establishment of large industries will also become easy with the coming of a single window one-stop shop, he said.
YouTube has rolled out a new short-form video creator called YouTube Shorts in India and this has been done to give competition to Chinese video-sharing application TikTok.
Shorts will allow people to make 15-second videos and it can be set to music as well.
Astronomers Discover Possible Signs of Life in Clouds Above Venus
The search for life beyond Earth has largely revolved around our rocky red neighbor. NASA has launched multiple rovers over the years, with a new one currently en route, to sift through Mars' dusty surface for signs of water and other hints of habitability.
Now, in a surprising twist, scientists at MIT, Cardiff University, and elsewhere have observed what may be signs of life in the clouds of our other, even closer planetary neighbor, Venus. While they have not found direct evidence of living organisms there, if their observation is indeed associated with life, it must be some sort of "aerial" life-form in Venus' clouds — the only habitable portion of what is otherwise a scorched and inhospitable world.
Essential Commodities Amendment Bill passed in Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha passed the Essential Commodities Amendment Bill by a voice vote. The Bill proposes to deregulate the production, storage, movement and sale of several foodstuffs, including cereals, pulses, edible oils and onions, except in the case of extraordinary circumstances.
With thousands of farmers rising up in protest against the Bill in Punjab, one of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) allies, the Shiromani Akali Dal MP and president Sukhbir Singh Badal, expressed concerns and misgivings about the proposed legislation during the debate in the House.
He questioned the manner in which the Bill was brought without consultation with farmers' organisations. Punjab farmers were the worst affected, he said, adding that they feared multinational players would initially offer lucrative deals and then dominate the market to the detriment of farmers.
Aircraft (Amendment) Bill cleared in Rajya Sabha
A Bill that gives three aviation regulators statutory powers and enhances the fine for violations from Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 1 crore in a bid to improve aircraft safety, was passed by Parliament after a heated discussion in Rajya Sabha over privatisation of airports.
The Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020, which was passed by the Lok Sabha on March 17, was passed by the Upper House by voice vote in September 2020.
The Bill gives statutory powers to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri said the changes were necessary in view of the growth of the sector.
The Bill empowers the aviation watchdog DGCA to levy penalties of upto Rs. 1 crore on airlines, airports and other aviation entities.
New Parliament Project: Tata's Bid Lowest
Tata Projects Limited's financial bid of Rs. 861.90 crore for the construction and five-year maintenance contract of a new Parliament building was the lowest of the two bids opened by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), according to the bid documents.
Citing security concerns and the nature of the project, the CPWD had opted for pre-qualification of potential bidders before inviting financial and technical bids.
The project, which is a part of the HUA Ministry's larger Central Vista redevelopment plan, is scheduled to be completed in 21 months from the start of construction, according to the CPWD's invitation for bids.
French Firm EDF Looks to Set up 'Centre of Excellence' in Civil Nuclear Space in Maharashtra
France-based EDF Group has signed a memorandum of understanding with I2EN and city-based educational institute VJTI to conduct a pre-feasibility study for the establishment of a centre of excellence in the civil nuclear sector in Maharashtra. The I2EN is an umbrella organisation that brings together French stakeholders involved in nuclear education and training.
EDF, which is engaged in the development and construction of the biggest nuclear plant in the world, with six EPR (European Pressurised Reactor) reactors totalling close to 10,000 MW at Jaitapur, along with state-run NPCIL, is aiming to develop a large pool of diversified skills in India to support the project.
Great Learning Ropes in Virat Kohli as Brand Ambassador
Great Learning, the edtech company for professional and higher education, has announced the appointment of Virat Kohli as its brand ambassador.
The captain of the Indian cricket team will serve as the face of the Great Learning brand and lead the brand's latest 'Power Ahead' campaign, which underlines the importance of lifelong learning and showcases how high quality learning at the right time can help professionals and students power ahead in their career.
Sachin Tendulkar Becomes Brand Ambassador of Paytm First Games
Digital payment company Paytm said, "Its gaming subsidiary Paytm First Games (PFG) has roped in cricket personality 'Sachin Tendulkar' as its brand ambassador. Now he will be looking to raise awareness about the world of fantasy sports in the country.
Digital payments company Paytm said, besides Fantasy cricket, he is also going to promote PFG sports including kabaddi, football, and basketball. The company has said that its partnership with Sachin Tendulkar could extend its reach to smaller cities and towns. PFG's parent company Paytm is India's most valuable unicorn with $16 billion.
International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
September 16 was designated by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.
This designation had been made on December 19, 2000, in commemoration of the date, in 1987, on which nations signed the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
Malaysia Day
Malaysia Day is a public holiday held on 16 September every year to commemorate the establishment of the Malaysian federation on the same date in 1963.
This event saw the union of Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore into a single state.
Indian-origin Writer Avni Doshi's Novel Shortlisted for 2020 Booker Prize for Fiction
Burnt Sugar, Indian-origin writer Avni Doshi's debut novel about love between mother and daughter, is among six books shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize for Fiction. The winner will be announced on November 17, 2020.
The shortlisted authors each receive £2,500 and a specially bound edition of their book.
The winner will receive a further £50,000. The shortlist was selected from 162 submitted books published in the UK or Ireland between October 1, 2019 and September 30, 2020.
Aditya Puri conferred Lifetime Achievement Award by Euromoney Awards of Excellence 2020
In a first-of-its kind recognition for an Indian corporate leader, Aditya Puri, MD, HDFC Bank was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award by Euromoney Awards of Excellence 2020.
The publication has recognised the iconic leader for his skills in building a world-class Indian bank at a time where there were no similar institutions in existence.
The coveted honour from the global financial magazine in recognition of his illustrious career in banking comes just ahead of his retirement.
The British police handed over to India ancient idols of Lord Ram, Lakshman and Sita that were stolen from Tamil Nadu in 1978, as part of growing efforts to return artefacts of India's cultural heritage from across the world.
The idols, being sent back to Tamil Nadu, were stolen from a temple built in the Vijayanagar period in the Nagapattinam district.
They were voluntarily handed over to the police by an unidentified UK-based collector when informed that they were stolen property.
+91-85588-96644
