China Slams US for Delisting Xinjiang's ETIM as Terrorist Outfit
China criticised the US for delisting Xinjiang's separatist militant outfit East Turkistan Islamic Movement from its list of terrorist organisations, saying it reflected Washington's double standards on fighting global terrorism.
In a major policy shift, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lifted the ban on East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which was designated as a terrorist organisation by the UN's 1267 counter-terrorism committee in 2002 for its alleged association with al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden and the Taliban.
China accuses ETIM, which is entrenched in Uighur Muslim-majority province of Xinjiang, of being responsible for numerous violent attacks in the province and outside, including one at the Forbidden City in Beijing, killing several people.
Suu Kyi's Party Expected to Win Second Term
Myanmar's citizens go to the polls in an effort to sustain the fledgeling democracy they helped install just five years ago.
There are about 37 million registered voters, though turnout is expected to suffer because of a recent surge in coronavirus cases.
In 2015, excitement was high over the opportunity to end more than five decades of army-directed rule.
The National League of Democracy party of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi roared to a landslide election victory and she became her country's leader after many hard years at the forefront of a non-violent struggle against military dictatorships that won international admiration.
This year, her party is expected to again top the polls, but some critics feel her administration has failed to embrace democratic principles.
WhatsApp Gets Nod to Start Payment Services in India
WhatsApp is rolling out its payments services in India after receiving nod from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
In 2018, the Facebook-owned company had started testing its UPI-based payments service in India, which allows users to utilise the messaging platform to send and receive money. The testing was limited to about a million users as it waited for regulatory approvals.
NPCI — which runs the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) used for real-time payments between peers or at merchants' end while making purchases — allowed WhatsApp to start its payments service in the country in a "graded" manner, starting with a maximum registered user base of 20 million in UPI.
Now, people across India will be able to send money through WhatsApp. This secure payments experience makes transferring money just as easy as sending a message.
Amazon to Invest Rs. 20,761 cr in India
Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced setting up of its second data centre region in India in Telangana that will be operational by mid-2022, and will see the tech giant investing about Rs. 20,761 crore.
Telangana IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao said that this is the largest FDI in the history of Telangana. After a series of meetings, AWS has finalised investment of Rs. 20,761 crore ($2.77 bn) to set up multiple data centres in Telangana.
Amazon Web Services said the new 'AWS Asia Region' will consist of three Availability Zones (AZs) at launch and join the existing nine AWS Regions and 26 AZs across Asia in India, Australia, Greater China, Japan, Korea and Singapore.
Saudi's Public Fund Invests in Reliance Retail
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani-run Reliance Industries Ltd's retail arm raised Rs. 9,555 crore from Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia, taking total fund raise in the last two months to Rs. 47,265 crore.
PIF will take a 2.04% stake in Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL). The investment values RRVL at a pre-money equity value of Rs. 4.587 lakh crore. This is second investment by the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund in an Ambani firm. It had previously picked up 2.32 per cent stake in Jio Platforms, the digital and telecom arm of Reliance, for Rs. 11,367 crore.
This investment will further strengthen PIF's presence in India's dynamic economy and promising retail market segment.
Voting for the by-elections to four assembly constituencies in Manipur is underway amid tight security and strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocol.
Around 1.35 lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes in 203 polling stations in the by-elections to Lilong and Wangjing-Tentha seats in Thoubal district, Saitu in Kangpokpi and Wangoi in Imphal West.
The fate of 11 candidates will be decided in Manipur by-elections the four seats.
The by-elections were necessitated after Congress MLAs of the four constituencies had resigned from the state Legislative Assembly and also quit the party. They had joined the BJP.
PM to Attend Virtual SCO Summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will share screen-time with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistan PM Imran Khan during the virtual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
The SCO summit, to be chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin, is scheduled for November 10, 2020 will also seek participation by leaders of four Central Asian states as well.
Though bilateral disputes are not aired at the SCO, the preparatory meetings and events have had their share of drama. At a virtual meeting of SCO National Security Advisors, the Pakistani representative pointedly hung a map incorrectly depicting its boundaries from India's point of view. This led to a symbolic walkout by NSA Ajit Doval.
India also did not participate in an SCO military drill that had Chinese soldiers as it took place in the middle of an aggressive confrontation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
Bihar Assembly Election 2020
The political future of 12 ministers of the Nitish Kumar government is at stake in the third and final phase of the Bihar assembly elections. In the third phase, elections for 78 seats will be held. In this phase, voters will also decide the political future of several veteran leaders of the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance).
In this phase, more than 235 crore voters will exercise their franchise in 78 assembly constituencies in 15 districts for which 33,782 polling booths have been set up.
The constituencies of this phase are located in the Kosi and Seemanchal regions. The main contest in this phase is being considered between the NDA and the Grand Alliance, but former MP Pappu Yadav`s party, the Jan Adhikar Party, the Lok Janshakti Party and the AIMIM have also fielded candidates, which has increased the worries of both the major alliances.
Armed Forces Need to Embrace Change, Adopt Cutting Edge Technology
According to Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, the need of the hour for the armed forces is to embrace change, adopt cutting edge technology, and aim for greater operational efficiency.
Rawat was speaking at a webinar session titled 'India's Security Horizon: The Coming Decade' and highlighted the structural reforms underway in the armed forces to face the contemporary challenges.
The webinar was organised by the National Defence College (NDC) as a part of its Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
Afghan National Army Receives Military Vehicles from the United States
The Afghan National Army has received 429 military vehicles from the US as part of Washington and the NATOs continued support to the war-torn country's forces.
According to Deputy Defence Minister Shah Mahmoud Miakhil, the military equipment and the vehicles received will be used to ensure the safety of the people.
According to Mikhail, 215 of the Humvees were received in Kabul and 214 others were handed to the Ministry of Defence in Kandahar.
Afghan forces have received 1,383 Humvees, 55 Mobile Strike Force vehicles, 10 helicopters and 4 A-29 aircraft from the US so far.
The US will transfer $102 million more in equipment in near future.
Information Commissioner Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha was administered the oath as the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) by President Ram Nath Kovind.
Journalist Uday Mahurkar, former Labour Secretary Heera Lal Samariya and former Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General Saroj Punhani were administered the oath as the Information Commissioners by Sinha.
The selection of Sinha, Mahurkar, Samariya and Punhani was done by a three-member committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Besides Modi, leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Home Minister Amit Shah are members of the panel.
Sinha joined as the Information Commissioner on January 1, 2019. He has served as India's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka.
PM Modi Holds Virtual Summit with Italian Counterpart
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Italian counterpart Giuseppe Conte discussed wide-ranging issues pertaining to the bilateral ties, and ways to deal with adverse impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
In his opening remarks at the virtual bilateral summit with the Italian leader, Modi said that it is clear that the COVID-19 epidemic will remain a watershed in history just like the Second World War.
A key country for India in Europe, Italy is the fifth largest trading partner of India in the European Union and both sides are further keen to expand the economic engagement in a range of areas.
Italy has been seeking two-way investment in a wide range of areas including green and circular economy, energy, health and pharma, food processing, infrastructure and advanced manufacturing given the high degree of complementarities between the two economies.
National Cancer Awareness Day
National Cancer Awareness Day, in India, is observed on 7th November every year. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), cancer is the second leading cause of death globally. In 2018, approximately 18 million cases were there globally, of which, 1.5 million were in India alone. In 2018, there were around 0.8 million cancer deaths in India against 9.5 million globally. By 2040, the number of new cases is estimated to be double in India.
National Cancer Awareness Day was first announced by the Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan in September 2014. Therefore in 2014, the day was celebrated for the first time and focuses on the early detection and cure of cancer.
In 1975, the Indian government had initiated the National Cancer Control Programme to provide cancer treatment facilities in the country. In 1984-85, the programmed aimed at prevention and early detection of the disease.
Kerala Tourism Wins Award for Exemplary Activities during Covid- 19
Kerala Tourism was bestowed the coveted 'Highly Commended' Award by World Travel Mart London, as a recognition for its remarkable activities aimed at promoting Responsible Tourism (RT) during the challenging times of COVID-19 pandemic.
Kerala's Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission received this recognition in the category of 'Meaningful Connections.'
The RT Mission received the award for its innovative work on 'Wok at Home Videos' and storytelling audio and video series produced and presented by various Mission units in the state during the pandemic that has posed multiple challenges to the tourism sector.
Haryana Assembly Passes Bill Approving 75% Job Quota in Private Sector
The Haryana Assembly passed a bill to give 75% job reservation to the local job seekers in the private sector; it was one of the key poll promises made by the ruling alliance government.
The Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Bill, 2020 provides job quota for local people in private sector with a salary offer of less than Rs. 50,000 per month. The bill covers private companies, societies, trusts and partnership firms and others located in the state.
The bill states that only 10 per cent of the recruitment by a private company needs to be from the district in which it is located while the rest of the quota can be filled from other districts of the state. The quota will initially apply for 10 years.
Foreign Contribution Amendment Bill 2020
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2020 amends the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010. The Act regulates the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contribution by individuals, associations and companies. Foreign contribution is the donation or transfer of any currency, security or article (of beyond a specified value) by a foreign source.
Under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, certain persons are prohibited to accept any foreign contribution. These include: election candidates, editor or publisher of a newspaper, judges, government servants, members of any legislature, and political parties, among others.
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill adds public servants (as defined under the Indian Penal Code) to this list. Public servant includes any person who is in service or pays of the government, or remunerated by the government for the performance of any public duty.
UNICEF and the World Health Organisation issued an urgent call for funding to avert measles and polio epidemics as Covid-19 continues to disrupt immunisation services worldwide, leaving millions of vulnerable children at heightened risk of preventable childhood diseases.
The two organisations estimate that US$655 million (US$400 million for polio and US$255 million for measles) are needed to address dangerous immunity gaps in non GAVI (Global Vaccine Alliance) countries and target age groups.
Covid-19 has had a devastating effect on health services and in particular immunisation services, worldwide.
In recent years, there has been a global resurgence of measles with ongoing outbreaks in all parts of the world. Vaccination coverage gaps have been further exacerbated in 2020 by Covid.
IIT-Guwahati Researchers among World's Top Scientists
Twenty-two faculty members and researchers of Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, feature in the list of world's top two per cent scientists.
The list prepared by experts at Stanford University, USA, has names of over 1,00,000 scientists, whose published research manuscripts have accelerated progress in their respective fields and influenced productivity of other researchers as well, read a statement issued by IIT-Guwahati.
The institute's Director TG Sitharam and other faculty members were listed and ranked for their research publications for the year 2019 and their lifetime contribution to their respective fields of research.
IIT-Guwahati faculty members featuring in the list are from the departments of Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Chemical Engineering, Biosciences and Bioengineering, Chemistry, Electrical and Electronics.
IIT-Kharagpur to Set-up Centre of Excellence for Indian Knowledge System
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur will set-up a Centre of Excellence for the Indian Knowledge System, the Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' announced while inaugurating the international webinar titled 'Bharata Tirtha' organised by the institute.
IIT-Kharagpur has attempted to introspect on the spirit of India, her challenges in the present times, and taken the right measures through an initiative like Bharata Tirtha and research. The first challenge in front of us is that we need to make our coming generation aware of the glorious past of the Vishwaguru and its spirit.
During his address, Pokhriyal also emphasised education through the mother tongue and rejuvenation of Sanskrit to ease the educational process for the diverse people of India and draw from the rich educational heritage of India.
+91-85588-96644
