Germany's Greens Meet Conservatives for Crunch Coalition Talks
Germany's Greens met Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives for talks to explore whether they and a smaller liberal party could form a new coalition government following last month's national election.
A close result in the election in September, when no party won an overall majority, has kicked off a round of coalition talks that could last months, with the conservatives and Social Democrats courting smaller kingmakers with the aim of securing power.
Unlike some other countries, where the President or Monarch invites parties to enter talks on forming a government, in Germany it is up to the parties themselves to find their own partners.
The centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), who narrowly won the election, were ready to move to three-way coalition talks with the Greens and business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP).
US Reveals Number of Nuclear Warheads
The US published the number of nuclear warheads the country stockpiles for the first time in four years, after former President Trump placed a blackout on the data. As of September 30, 2020, the military maintained 3,750 active and inactive nuclear warheads, down by 55 from a year earlier and by 72 from the same date in 2017. The figure was also the lowest level since the nuclear stockpile peaked at the height of the Cold War.
Romanian Government Falls after No-confidence Vote
Romanian Prime Minister Florin Citu of the governing National Liberal Party was ousted after a no-confidence motion in his government passed overwhelmingly, deepening an ongoing political crisis.
The motion censure was filed by the opposition Social Democrat Party (PSD) and supported by former coalition partner USR-Plus and the far-right AUR party. The motion passed with 281 votes; only 234 were needed.
The fall of the government caps a political crisis that began a month ago when Citu fired Justice Minister Stelian Ion of USR-Plus for not signing off on a regional development program. USR-Plus called the move an "abusive revocation" and quit the three-party cabinet.
President Klaus Iohannis will now consult with lawmakers on appointing a new Prime Minister, while Citu may remain at the government's helm as a caretaker for 45 days. Citu could be reappointed if lawmakers fail twice to agree on a new premier.
According to a report, the world's coral reefs are under attack by climate change and more will disappear if oceans keep warming.
The study by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), a U.N.-supported global data network, showed that 14% of the world's coral on reefs was already lost between 2009 and 2018, equal to about 11,700 square kilometres, an area 2.5 times the size of Grand Canyon National Park.
Corals face an existential crisis, as sea surface temperatures rise. The report spanned data for 40 years, 73 countries and 12,000 sites. Sharp spikes in warming are particularly damaging, a phenomenon is linked to human-caused climate change.
The study looked at 10 coral reef-bearing regions around the world and found that loss was mainly attributed to coral bleaching, which happens when corals, under stress from warmer water, expel the colorful algae living in their tissues, making them turn white.
Coinswitch Kuber raised USD 260 million (around Rs. 1,943 crore) in a fundraising round that values it at USD 1.9 billion. The company becomes the second crypto exchange to achieve the unicorn status after rival CoinDCX, even as deep concerns on the crypto currencies among the regulators continue.
In business parlance, a unicorn is a privately held start-up company valued at over USD 1 billion.
Coinswitch Kuber was founded only 16-months ago by Ashish Singhal, Govind Soni and Vimal Sagar. It is the 30th company to enter the unicorn club this year and the youngest company ever. Other young start-ups to enter the unicorn club include two-year-old Apna and three-year-old BharatPe that were valued over $1 billion this year. Ecommerce platform for business Udaan and Ola's electric vehicles (EV) arm Ola Electric turned unicorns when they were three year old.
DoT Slashes Bank Guarantee Requirement for Telecom Operators
According to a licence amendment note, the Department of Telecom has slashed performance and financial bank guarantee requirement of telecom operators by 80 per cent.
Under the amended norms, telecom operators will be required to provide a performance bank guarantee of up to Rs. 44 crore for each service for the telecom licence compared to Rs. 220 crore mandated under the old rule.
Similarly, telecom operators will need to provide a financial bank guarantee of maximum Rs. 8.8 crore per circle now, against the previous requirement of Rs. 44 crore.
The rule will not be applicable in cases where bank guarantees (BG) have been furnished due to any court order or are subject to any litigation.
The rules will not apply to telecom operators, who are currently going through the liquidation process.
Forbes India Rich List 2021: Mukesh Ambani Retains top Spot
Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani retained the title of richest Indian as he added $4 billion to his net worth (which has now reached $92.7 billion) in the year 2021, according to Forbes magazine's 100 richest Indians list, which was released on Thursday. It is the 14th year in a row since 2008 that Mukesh Ambani has been named the wealthiest man in the country.
On number two is Gautam Adani who is "now a close second with a $74.8 billion fortune, only $17.9 billion shy of Ambani," according to the list. Industrialist Shiv Nadar retained his third spot as the country's buoyant tech sector increased his wealth by $10.6 billion. His total net worth has now soared to $31 billion. Shiv Nadar is the founder and chairman of HCL technologies.
Meanwhile, Savitri Jindal, chairperson of OP Jindal Group, re-entered the top-10 club with $18 billion.
NASA to Launch Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission
American Space Agency, NASA has announced to launch "asteroid-killing Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft" in November 2021.
The spacecraft will be launched, aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.
It will be launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.
Under this mission, NASA will build advanced technologies which would protect the Earth from hazardous asteroid collision.
NASA is planning for this spacecraft because astronomers and scientists have been warning that; asteroids might cause most damage if proper defence system is not developed against them. For instance, an asteroid collision caused the extinction of dinosaurs from planet 66 million years ago.
India swept the International Hockey Federation's (FIH) annual awards with five players and head coaches of both the men's and women's teams claiming the top honours across different categories.
After a historic bronze medal-winning feat for the Indian men's team as well as the outstanding performance of the women's team, which reached the last four in Tokyo, Indian athletes and coaches dominated the FIH Hockey Stars Awards 2020-21.
Gurjit Kaur (Women) and Harmanpreet Singh (Men) fetched 'Player of teh Year' honour in their respective categories.
Anshu Malik First Indian Woman Wrestler to Reach World Championship Final
Anshu Malik created history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the World Championship final when she outclassed junior European champion Solomiia Vynnyk but Sarita Mor lost her semi-final and will fight for a bronze in Oslo.
Anshu the reigning Asian champion won by technical superiority in the 57 kg category to go into history books.
Only four Indian women wrestlers have won medals at the Worlds and all of them, Geeta Phogat (2012), Babita Phogat (2012), Pooja Dhanda (2018) and Vinesh Phogat (2019), have clinched bronze.
Nine judicial officers and advocates were appointed as High Court judges. They were among those whose names were recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium last month.
Four judges were appointed to the Jharkhand High Court and two to the Patna High Court.
One judge each was appointed to the High Courts in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala. Advocate-General of Madhya Pradesh Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav was appointed judge of the state HC. Notifications announcing their appointment were later issued by the Law Ministry.
Assam Govt. Launches App Fishwaale, India's First e-fish Market
Assam Fisheries Minister Parimal Suklabaidya launched an application, stated to be India's first e-fish market app.
The app, 'Fishwaale', provides one-stop solution for aquaculture. It will also help both buyers and sellers to place orders and sell fish, aquaculture equipment and medicine, fish feed and fish seed online.
Products such as Freshwater and seawater frozen fish, dry fish, fish pickles and processed fish items will be sold via the app, which was developed by Aqua Blue Global Aquaculture Solutions Pvt Ltd, in collaboration with the state fisheries department.
Lt Gen Anjum is New Pakistan ISI Chief, Replaces Lt Gen Hameed
In a surprise military shake-up, the Pakistan Army announced that the powerful spy agency ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed has been appointed as Peshawar Corps Commander, a crucial position in view of the Taliban's takeover of neighbouring Afghanistan.
Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum was appointed as the new Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in place of Lt Gen Hameed, who was transferred as Peshawar Corps Commander.
The ISI chief is appointed by the Prime Minister but as part of a tradition he executes this power in consultation with the Pakistan Army chief.
The post of ISI chief is considered one of the most important in the Pakistan Army, which has ruled the country for more than half of its 73 plus years of existence and has hitherto wielded considerable power in the matters of security and foreign policy.
Shailesh Dobhal Succeeds Shyamal Majumdar as Editor of Business Standard
Business Standard announced that Shailesh Dobhal has taken over as its new Editor.
Mr. Dobhal succeeded Shyamal Majumdar, who has retired.
Mr. Dobhal joined Business Standard in 2011 as Resident Editor in New Delhi, and has played a key role in building the newspaper and strengthening its digital operations as Digital Editor. Earlier, he was Senior Editor at The Economic Times and Associate Editor at Business Today.
Renowned Cartoonist C. J. Yesudasan Passes Away
Renowned cartoonist C. J. Yesudasan passed away at the age of 83.
Famous for his political cartoons, Yesudasan received the best cartoonist award from the Kerala government several times.
He also bagged honours like Swadeshabhimani Award, BM Gafoor Award, V Sambasivan Memorial Award, PK Manthri Memorial Award and NV Pylee Award.
Born in Bharaikkavu in Alappuzha district in 1938, Yesudasan had a long stint as a cartoonist with Malayala Manorama. He had also worked with Janayugom and Shankar's Weekly in the beginning of his career.
Yesudasan popularised the art of cartooning and was the author of the first pocket cartoon in Kerala.
India was represented by Finance Minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman represented India at the 13th Annual International G-20 conference.
During the conference, FM noted that, India is working for identifying the vacuum areas in international policy coordination, in the backdrop of assuming the G20 presidency in 2023.
India is also working for strengthening the effectiveness of institutions such as FATF (Financial Action Task Force)and IMF (International Monetary Fund).
According to FM, G20 presidency will provide an excellent platform for India for putting forward its vision regarding the future reflecting sustainability, innovation, inclusiveness and justice.
Emerging market economies will hold the presidency for G20 presidency till 2025. Indonesia will hold it in 2022 while India in 2023.
Annual International G-20 Conference
India was represented by Finance Minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman represented India at the 13th Annual International G-20 conference.
During the conference, FM noted that, India is working for identifying the vacuum areas in international policy coordination, in the backdrop of assuming the G20 presidency in 2023.
India is also working for strengthening the effectiveness of institutions such as FATF (Financial Action Task Force) and IMF (International Monetary Fund).
According to FM, G20 presidency will provide an excellent platform for India for putting forward its vision regarding the future reflecting sustainability, innovation, inclusiveness and justice.
Emerging market economies will hold the presidency for G20 presidency till 2025. Indonesia will hold it in 2022 while India in 2023.
World Cotton Day
World Cotton Day is observed on October 7 annually. This product is grown across 75 countries in 5 continents and sustains at least 28.67 million growers.
For millions, cotton is a major source of livelihood including women as it provides employment and income to some of the poorest rural areas in the world.
The aim of observing UN World Cotton Day (WCD) annually on October 7 is to raise awareness about the cotton sector and the critical role it plays in economic development, international trade and poverty alleviation. Cotton is the only agricultural crop to provide both food and fiber. The annual celebrations for WCD provide a unique opportunity to recognize the historic importance of cotton as a global commodity.
The World Cotton Day was launched by World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 2019 at the initiative of four sub-Saharan African cotton-producing states- Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali. This day offered an opportunity to countries to share knowledge and showcase cotton-related activities.
The theme for World Cotton Day 2021 was 'Cotton for Good'.
Benjamin List and David MacMillan are Winners of Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2021
The Nobel Prize for Chemistry was awarded to Benjamin List and David WC MacMillan.
They were cited for their work in developing a new way for building molecules known as 'asymmetric organocatalysis.'
The winners were announced by Goran Hansson, secretary-general of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
List and MacMillan in 2000 independently developed a new way of catalysis.
The prestigious award comes with a gold medal and 10 million Swedish kronor (over $1.14 million). The prize money comes from a bequest left by the prize's creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who died in 1895.
According to a UNESCO report, there are nearly 1.2 lakh single-teacher schools in the country, of which an overwhelming 89 per cent are in rural areas. The report projects that India needs 11.16 lakh additional teachers to meet the current shortfall.
The findings in the report, 'State of the Education Report for India-2021', focused on teachers, are largely based on analysis of Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) and the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) data.
Based on calculations of PLFS 2018-19 data, the report points out that across states there are 1,10,971 single-teacher schools, which translates to 7.15% of 11.51 lakh schools, employing 95 lakh teachers. "89 per cent of these single-teacher schools are in rural areas. States with a high percentage of single-teacher schools include Arunachal Pradesh (18.22 per cent), Goa (16.08 per cent), Telangana (15.71 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (14.4 per cent), Jharkhand (13.81 per cent), Uttarakhand (13.64 per cent), Madhya Pradesh ( 13.08 per cent), Rajasthan (10.08 per cent)," the report stated.
Centre Decides to Defer Change in NEET-SS Exam Pattern from 2022-23
In a relief to thousands of young doctors pursuing higher specialisation courses, the Centre told the Supreme Court that in the interest of students, it has decided to implement changes in the pattern of the NEET-Super Speciality (NEET-SS) examination from the academic year 2022-23.
The government indicated that it may defer the examination for the academic year 2021-22 by a couple of months as they have to start the process all over again.
World's 1st Malaria Vaccine Recommended by WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the widespread use of a malaria vaccine among children in Africa and other areas of high malaria transmission, a breakthrough in the long fight against the deadly disease.
The vaccine WHO has endorsed, called RTS, S, or Mosquirix, is more than 30 years in the making and works to prime the immune system against 'Plasmodium falciparum', the deadliest malaria parasite and the most common one in Africa.
According to WHO, it is the first vaccine to complete large-scale clinical trials and show that it can significantly reduce malaria, including life-threatening malaria, in young children in Africa.
Copenhagen's Noma is the Best Restaurant in the World, for the 5th Time
The best restaurant in the world is Noma once again. It has won the award four times in the past.
The world's most famous restaurant was number two on the 2019 list, and achieved the 2021 ranking although it spent almost as much time in 2020 operating as an outdoor burger joint as it did a fine dining restaurant. Noma re-opened on June 1, with a menu of summery, nature-evoking dishes like stuffed zucchini with bee larvae. In September, Noma was also awarded 3 Michelin stars for the first time.
The Number 2 on the list was Geranium in Copenhagen, which serves creative Scandinavian food from a football stadium; grilling specialists Asador Extebarri in Spain was number 3.
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