WTO dispute over India's tariffs on ICT goods
The US has sought establishment of a dispute panel by the World Trade Organization's (WTO) in a case against India's import duties on certain ICT products, including mobile phones.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21539-wto-dispute-over-india-s-tariffs-on-ict-goods.html
#WTO #ICTgoods #settlementmechanism #US #WTOnorms


NATGRID to be ready by early 2020
The NATGRID - a robust intelligence gathering mechanism related to immigration, banking, individual tax payers, air and train travels - is likely to be operational by January 2020, officials said on 22 September 2019.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21538-natgrid-to-be-ready-by-early-2020.html
#NATGRID #NationalIntelligenceGrid #AmitShah #traintravels


7th frigate in P17A series
The Navy has planned to name the seventh ship in the P17A frigate series as 'Mahendragiri'.The first of the seven frigates, christened 'Nilgiri', is slated to be launched in Mumbai on September 28 in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21537-7th-frigate-in-p17a-series.html
#P17Aseries #NilgiriHills #Mahendragiri #INSNilgiri


Genes implicated in bipolar disorder identified
A study by researchers from the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) and the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), in Bengaluru, identifies two specific genes which may be related to bipolar disorder, a neuropsychiatric disorder that has been studied widely.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21536-genes-implicated-in-bipolar-disorder-identified.html
#NIMHANS #JNCASR #JawaharlalNehru #Bengaluru


Rules of trade remedies
The government will soon make changes in the rules of trade remedies such as antidumping and safeguard, for making them more effective to protect the domestic industry.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21535-rules-of-trade-remedies.html
#Rules #traderemedies #WorldTradeOrganization #LDR

Common payment system
Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, a group of major emerging economies known as BRICS, back the idea of developing a common payment system, a Russian official said.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21999-common-payment-system.html
#RDIF #BRICS #G20 #SouthAfrica #India #KirillDmitriev

ICC approves probe for Rohingya
The International Criminal Court approved a full investigation into Myanmar's alleged crimes against the Rohingya, as the southeast Asian nation faced mounting legal pressure worldwide over their fate.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21998-icc-approves-probe-for-rohingya.html
#ICC #Myanmar #ICJ #AungSanSuuKyi #genocide #Rohingya

Rules under insolvency law notified
The government on 15 November 2019 notified rules under the insolvency law to deal with resolution of financial service providers, excluding banks.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21997-rules-under-insolvency-law-notified.html
#insolvency #CIRP #FSPs #Bankruptcy #Rules #FinancialServiceProviders

UNICEF report
India had the second-highest number of deaths of children under the age of five in 2018 due to pneumonia, a curable and preventable disease that claimed the life of one child every 39 seconds globally, according to a new report by the UN.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21996-unicef-report.html
#UNICEF #Nigeria #India #ChildhoodPneumonia #UHC #Pakistan #Congo

Committee for liabilities between J&K, Ladakh
The Centre has constituted a three-member committee for division of assets and liabilities of Jammu and Kashmir between two successor Union territories, which came into existence on October 31.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21995-committee-for-liabilities-between-j-k-ladakh.html
#ICAS #Article370 #AjayKumar #liabilities #Ladakh #AnandSharma

Today's Headlines - 02 August 2023
Dark web’s dangerous AI for cybercrime
GS Paper - 3 (ICT)

The world witnessed the boundless possibilities of AI and also came up close with its potential threats in terms of misinformation, deepfakes, and loss of human jobs. From ChaosGPT to the dark web harnessing the power of AI to wreak havoc, all have been dominating news feeds in the past few months. Reportedly, FraudGPT is a bot that is used for offences such as creating cracking tools, phishing emails, etc. It can be used to write malicious code, create undetectable malware, detect leaks, and vulnerabilities.

What is FraudGPT?

A screenshot of the bot that is making the rounds on the Internet shows the screen of the chatbot with the text ‘Chat GPT Fraud Bot. Bot without limitations, rules, boundaries.”
On the Dark Web, FraudGPT is described as a cutting-edge tool that ‘is sure to change the community and the way you work forever’.
The promoter also claims that with the bot, the sky’s the limit and that it allows users to manipulate it to their advantage and make it do whatever they want.
The promoter also claims that there have been over 3000 confirmed sales so far of FraudGPT.

What can FraudGPT do?

FraudGPT has been perceived to be an all-in-one solution for cybercriminals considering it can do a range of things, including creating phishing pages and writing malicious code.
A tool like FraudGPT can now make scammers look more realistic and convincing and can cause damage on a larger scale.
Security experts have been emphasising the need to innovate to combat threats posed by rogue AI like FraudGPT that can end up causing more harm.
Unfortunately, many in the domain feel that this is just the beginning, and there is no limit to what bad actors can do with the power of AI.
Earlier this month, another AI cybercrime tool, WormGPT, came to the surface. It was advertised on many forums on the Dark Web as a tool to launch sophisticated phishing and business email compromise attacks.
Experts had called it a blackhat alternative to GPT models, designed to carry out malicious activities.

#upsc #news #headline #dark #dangerous #cybercrime #fraud #GPT #malware #leaks #vulnerabilities #emails #malicious #rules #web #woem #gpt #sophisticated #blackhat

Today's Headlines - 25 August 2023
Vehicles bear ‘caste and religious stickers’
GS Paper - 2 (Polity)

The Noida and Ghaziabad Police, over the past few days, issued challans to 2,300 people for putting ‘caste and religious stickers’ on their cars as part of a special drive that started. The challan for putting such a sticker on the car is Rs 1,000 and Rs 5,000 for placing it on the registration number plate. The police also said that similar drives will be conducted in future.

What does the law say?

While there is a clear rule against putting any stickers on the registration number plate under the Motor Vehicle Rules 1989 governments in different states have issued orders against putting stickers that signify caste and religion even on the body of the vehicle.
The Uttar Pradesh transport directorate, in its order issued on 10 August 2023, said a special drive to challan vehicle owners for using caste-specific and religion-specific stickers will be held between 11 and 20 August 2023.
According to the Motor Vehicle Rules, “stickers and adhesive labels” in registration number plates are not permitted.
The rules also state the specifications of the number plate. According to the Section , the number plate ‘shall be a solid unit made of 1.0 mm aluminium’ and ‘should bear the letters “IND” in blue colour on the extreme left centre’.
If the number plate is not as per the rules, which includes putting labels or stickers on it, Section 192 of the MV act, has the provision of a fine of up to Rs 5,000 for the first offence. For subsequent offences, they can be imprisoned for up to 1 year and fined up to rupees 10,000.
In the case of stickers on the body of the vehicles, the police are issuing challans under Section 179 of the Motor Vehicles Act 1988.
The section has the provision for fines in case of ‘disobedience of orders, obstruction and refusal of information’.
Whoever wilfully disobeys any direction lawfully given by any person or authority empowered under this Act to give such direction, or obstructs any person or authority in the discharge of any functions which such person or authority is required or empowered under this Act to discharge, shall, if no other penalty is provided for the offence be punishable with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees, the section states.

#upsc #news #headline #vehiclesbear #caste #religious #stickers #polity #noida #ghaziabad #police #law #orders #uttarpradesh #transport #motorvehicle #rules #adhesivelabels #aluminium #disobedience #refusal #authority #empowered

Today's Headlines - 10 September 2023
Self Regulatory Organisation for fintechs
GS Paper - 3 (Economy)

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das has asked fintech entities to form a Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO). An SRO can help in establishing codes of conduct for its members that foster transparency, fair competition, and consumer protection. It can act as a watchdog and encourage members to adopt responsible and ethical practices. It can provide a link between the regulator and market participants through a less formal set-up.

What is an SRO?

An SRO is a non-governmental organisation that sets and enforces rules and standards relating to the conduct of entities in the industry (members) with the aim of protecting the customer and promoting ethics, equality, and professionalism. SROs typically collaborate with all stakeholders in framing rules and regulations.
Their self-regulatory processes are administered through impartial mechanisms such that members operate in a disciplined environment and accept penal actions by the SRO.
An SRO is expected to address concerns beyond the narrow self-interests of the industry, such as to protect workers, customers or other participants in the ecosystem.
Regulations, standards, and dispute resolution and enforcement by an SRO get legitimacy not just by mutual agreement of its members, but also by the efficiency with which self-regulation is perceived to be administered.
Such regulations supplement, but do not replace, applicable laws or regulations, according to the Reserve Bank of India.
What is the need for an SRO?

As regulators continue to contemplate, implement, and refine regulations for the orderly development of the fintech sector, SROs could play a pivotal role in the fintech industry by promoting responsible practices and maintaining ethical standards.
There have been many instances where a few fintech players were involved in unethical practices such as charging exorbitant higher interest rates and harassment of borrowers for recovering loans.
What are the benefits of an SRO?

SROs are widely considered experts in their fields and so have in-depth knowledge of the markets they operate in. This is helpful to their members as they can be called in to participate in deliberations and learn more about the nuances of the industry.
Formation of SROs ensures member organisations follow a certain standard of conduct that helps promote ethical ways of doing business, which can lead to enhanced confidence in the ecosystem.
They can serve as a watchdog to guard against unprofessional practices within an industry or profession.
What are the functions of an SRO?

The recognised SRO will serve as a two-way communication channel between its members and the RBI.
It will work towards establishing minimum benchmarks and standards and help instil professional and healthy market behaviour among its members.
SROs will impart training to the staff of its members and others and will conduct awareness programmes. It will establish a uniform grievance redressal and dispute management framework across its members.

#upsc #news #headline #self #regulatory #fintechs #Economy #RBI #shaktkantaidas #organisation #consumer #protection #watchdog #ethical #regulator #link #SRO #enforces #rules #stakeholders #mechanisms #industry #workers #resolution #dispute #laws #supplement #india #sector #grievance