Today's News 31 March 2019

बेल्ट ऐंड रोड फोरम का बहिष्कार करेगा भारत
चीन ने अपने बेल्ट ऐंड रोड फोरम के कार्यक्रम में 100 देशों की मौजूदगी का दावा किया है। चीन ने अगले महीने शुरू हो रहे फोरम को लेकर कहा है कि इसमें 40 देशों के सरकार के प्रतिनिधियों समेत 100 से ज्यादा देश हिस्सा ले सकते हैं।
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants-hindi/19477-2019-03-31-02-52-26
#BeltandRoadForum #VladimirPutin #ImranKhan #GlobalTimes

बोलिविया के साथ आठ समझौता
राष्‍ट्रपति श्री रामनाथ कोविंद 28 मार्च, 2019 की शाम को बोलिविया के शांताक्रूज स्थित वीरू अंतरराष्‍ट्रीय हवाई अड्डे पर पहुंचे जहां उनका स्‍वागत बोलिविया के राष्‍ट्रपति श्री इवो मोरेल्‍स आईमा एवं अन्‍य गणमान्‍य व्‍यक्तियों ने किया।
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants-hindi/19476-2019-03-31-02-52-11
#Bolivia #RamnathKovind #lithiumbattery #Electriccars

Oxfam flags gender pay gap
Lack of quality jobs and increasing wage disparity are key markers of inequality in the Indian labour market, Oxfam India's latest report, 'Mind The Gap - State of Employment in India.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/19481-oxfam-flags-gender-pay-gap
#Oxfamflags #keymarkers #genderpaygap #Indianlabourmarket

Five coffee varieties get GI tag
The government on 29 March 2019 said it has awarded Geographical Indication (GI) tag to five varieties of Indian coffee including Coorg Arabica.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/19480-five-coffee-varieties-get-gi-tag
#GItag #CoorgArabica #GeographicalIndication #Indiancoffee

India offers millions credit to Bolivia
India has offered USD 100 million credit to Bolivia after President Ram Nath Kovind held productive and extensive talks with his Bolivian counterpart Evo Morales.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/19479-india-offers-millions-credit-to-bolivia
#Bolivia #RamNathKovind #EvoMorales #UNSecurityCouncil

Virtual reality and autism
Playing games in virtual reality (VR) may help treat people with neurological disorders such as autism, schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease, a study claims.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/19478-virtual-reality-and-autism
#autism #virtualreality #schizophrenia #Parkinsons

PM at EEF
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Plenary Session at the 5th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), said India will give a line of credit worth USD 1 billion for the development of the Far East.
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21402-pm-at-eef
#PM #EEF #NarendraModi #ActEast #FEFU #Gandhi #Russia

IoE status to 5 public institutions
The HRD Ministry on 5 September 2019, awarded Institution of Eminence (IoE) status to five public institutions including Delhi University, Banaras Hindu University, University of Hyderabad, IIT-Madras and IIT-Kharagpur.
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21401-ioe-status-to-5-public-institutions
#IoE #IITMadras #budget #Hyderabad #InstitutionsofEminence

Mysterious colourful lights spotted
NASA’s NuSTAR space observatory has captured extremely bright sources of X-ray light that appeared as bright blue and green spots. However, these colourful blobs disappeared days later.
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21400-mysterious-colourful-lights-spotted
#Mysterious #NuSTAR #NASA #ULX #LEOStar #brightblue #greenspots

India's Position in gold reserves
India has pipped the Netherlands to move into the list of top ten countries in terms of total gold reserves.
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21399-india-s-position-in-gold-reserves
#India #Netherlands #WorldGoldCouncil #IMF #GoldPrices

Peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan
India and Russia supported all efforts for an inclusive peace and reconciliation in war-torn Afghanistan. Addressing a joint press meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “India wants to see a Afghanistan which is safe, stable, peaceful, independent, undivided and democratic.”
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21398-peace-and-reconciliation-in-afghanistan
#Afghanistan #NarendraModi #JCPOA #VladimirPutin #Russia

Global Liveability Ranking 2019
One of Pakistan’s cities — Karachi — has been ranked among one of the least liveable cities on the earth. On the other hand, national capital Delhi does not even feature in the top 100 cities to live in, according to a recent report by the Economist Intelligence Unit titled Global Liveability Ranking 2019.
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21397-global-liveability-ranking-2019
#Karachi #GlobalLiveability #Ranking2019 #Pakistan #EIU

Black hole is ‘physically impossible’
Space scientists are analysing the signals provided by Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and Virgo interferometer that provide details of a big black hole which is so huge that until now has been thought to be physically impossible.
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21396-black-hole-is-physically-impossible
#Blackhole #LIGO #physicallyimpossible #Virgo

SC opens office of CJI to RTI
The Office of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) is a public authority under the Right to Information (RTI) Act and is liable to provide information sought in public interest, a five-judge Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi declared on 13 November 2019.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21980-sc-opens-office-of-cji-to-rti.html
#SC #CJI #SanjeevKhanna #RanjanGogoi #RTI #DeepakGupta

SC scraps Finance Act rules on tribunals
The Supreme Court on 13 November 2019 struck down provisions of the amended Finance Act 2017, which had changed the structure and powers of various judicial tribunals, such as the National Green Tribunal and Income Tax Appellate Tribunal.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21979-sc-scraps-finance-act-rules-on-tribunals.html
#SC #NGO #SAFE #ITAT #TDSAT #MoneyBill #NGT

Tiger Triumph
The first ever joint exercise involving the Army, Navy and Air Force of both India and the United States and commanded by each other, the tri-services joint exercise between the two countries, announced by US President Donald Trump during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s event in Texas in September, started in Visakhapatnam on 13 November 2019.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21978-tiger-triumph.html
#TigerTriumph #Navy #Army #NarendraModi #HADR #RAMT

11th summit of Brics
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Brazil for the 11th Brics Summit which has the theme 'Economic Growth for an Innovative Future'.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21977-11th-summit-of-brics.html
#Brics #NarendraModi #GDP #VladimirPutin #MEA

Mauritius PM takes oath
Mauritius's incumbent Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth was sworn in for a five-year term on 12 November 2019 after elections in which his coalition consolidated its grip on parliament.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21976-mauritius-pm-takes-oath.html
#Mauritius #PM #PravindJugnauth #Alliance #RenganadenPadayach

Ancient life in Jezero crater
NASA’s Mars 2020 rover will hunt for microscopic fossils, which could provide signs of ancient life on the red planet. The 2020 rover is yet to be named, and is expected to land on the planet by February 18, 2021.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21975-ancient-life-in-jezero-crater.html
#Ancient #Jezero #NASA #Mars2020 #JPL #microscopic

Creamy layer’s exclusion from SC/ST quota
The Union government on 2 December 2019 asked the Supreme Court to refer to a seven-judge Bench the question whether the creamy layer should apply or not to the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe people while providing them reservation in government promotions.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22252-creamy-layer-s-exclusion-from-sc-st-quota.html
#Creamylayer #ST #MNagaraj #Articles341 #SC #judgment

Promotion of endangered languages
The government has launched a scheme for the promotion of endangered languages in central and state universities, Union HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said in the Lok Sabha on 2 December 2019.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22251-promotion-of-endangered-languages.html
#Promotion #HRD #RameshPokhriyalNishank #UGC #LokSabha

India to get its second spaceport
The work on the country’s second spaceport has started in Tamil Nadu as Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is gearing up for increased launch activities in coming years.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22250-india-to-get-its-second-spaceport.html
#India #Isro #TamilNadu #PSLV #GSLV #SSLV #Kulasekarapattinam

Russia-China gas pipeline
Russia and China on 2 December 2019 launched a giant gas pipeline linking the countries for the first time, one of three major projects aimed at cementing Moscow's role as the world's top gas exporter.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22249-russia-china-gas-pipeline.html
#Russia #CEO #VladimirPutin #XiJinping #GasPipeline

Cybersecurity policy upgraded
India is ready to update its cybersecurity policy, and as a first step towards formulating the new document “National Cybersecurity Strategy 2020, the government is inviting suggestions from the citizens.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22248-cybersecurity-policy-upgraded.html
#Cybersecurity #NCSS2020 #space #RajeshPant #India

Pact sign for 5G in India
Optical fibre maker Sterlite Technologies on 10 December 2019 said it has entered into a pact with Indian Institute of Technology Madras for research and advancements in 5G communications technology in the country.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22308-pact-sign-for-5g-in-india.html
#STL #MoU #UCL #5G #IITMadras #AJPaulraj


Paris summit results in ceasefire
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky met face to face at a Paris summit. Mr Zelensky was downbeat, saying little had been achieved at the meeting and he had wanted to see more resolved.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22307-paris-summit-results-in-ceasefire.html
#Parissummit #VladimirPutin #Zelensky #Ukrainianforces


World’s oceans are losing oxygen rapidly
The world’s oceans are gasping for breath, a report issued at the annual global climate talks in Madrid has concluded.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22306-world-s-oceans-are-losing-oxygen-rapidly.html
#oxygen #Worldsoceans #oceans #Nature


Social Security Code Bill 2019
Millions of organised sector employees may soon have the option of reducing their provident fund contribution — currently at 12% of basic salary — and therefore increase their take home pay.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22305-social-security-code-bill-2019.html
#SocialSecurity #CodeBill #SocialSecurityCode #SecurityCodeBill


Russia banned from Olympics for four years
Russia was banned from the Olympics and world championships in a range of sports for four years on 9 December 2019 after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) ruled to punish it for manipulating laboratory data, a WADA spokesman said.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22304-russia-banned-from-olympics-for-four-years.html
#Russiabanned #Olympics #WADA #worldchampionships


Black holes have weaker magnetic fields
Black holes, known for their intense gravitational pull capable of gobbling up entire stars, may have significantly weaker magnetic fields than previously thought, a study has found.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22303-black-holes-have-weaker-magnetic-fields-2.html
#Blackholes #weakermagnetic #magneticfields #UF

First country to approve a Covid-19 vaccine
President Vladimir Putin said on 11 August 2020 that Russia had become the first country in the world to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing, a move hailed by Moscow as evidence of its scientific prowess.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/24960-first-country-to-approve-a-covid-19-vaccine.html
#Covid19vaccine #VladimirPutin #Russia #UPSCOnlineClasses #OnlineClassses #IASOnlineclasses

Today's Headlines - 02 September 2023
The Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)
GS Paper - 3 (Economy)

After Hindenburg, the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) has made fresh allegations of stock manipulation against the Adani Group. OCCRP’s report, published, claims that exclusive documents obtained by it show that “in at least two cases … [supposedly public] investors turn out to have widely reported ties to the group’s majority shareholders, the Adani family”, and helped manipulate Adani companies’ stock prices. The Adani Group has categorically rejected these allegations, terming them as a “concerted bid by Soros-funded interests” to “revive the meritless Hindenburg report”.

A global network of investigative reporters
OCCRP wasn’t really planned – it was born of necessity. We were all working on the same intractable problems in our own countries. But a couple of us realised this, and communicated. This is a quote from one of OCCRP’s co-founders, Drew Sullivan.
American Sullivan and Bulgarian Paul Radu, both investigative journalists, founded OCCRP in 2006, after they realised the similarities in their experiences of investigating and reporting on organised crime and systemic corruption.
Initially funded by the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF), the OCCRP network first opened an office in Sarajevo.
Over the years, the OCCRP has grown from six journalists working in five countries to more than 150 journalists in 30 countries.
The idea is to have a global network of journalists with easy communication and information-sharing so that global networks of corruption and crime can be better understood and exposed.
The OCCRP also collaborates with regional partners, including Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ), Centro Latino Americano de Investigacion Periodistica (CLIP), and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). It is a member of the Global Investigative Journalism Network as well.
Impact over the years

As per its own records, since 2009 reporting by the OCCRP has directly led to 398 official investigations, 621 arrests and sentences, 131 resignations, and $10 billion+ in fines levied and money seized.
It has been involved in many high-profile probes over the years, including multiple investigations on Russia’s oligarchs and Vladimir Putin.
The OCCRP also worked on the Panama Papers project with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, producing more than 40 stories on corruption through the use of offshore entities, which won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize Journalism.
The organisation has been nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize for its work “contributing to peace by unmasking political corruption and organized crime.”

#upsc #news #headline #organised #crime #corruption #project #OCCRP #economy #hindenburg #manipulation #Adanigroup #shareholders #soros #interests #investigative #global #network #reporters #PaulRadu #journalists #systemic #sullivan #bulgarian #UNDEF #Sarajevo #Arab #ARIJ #CLIP #RFE #Network #Russia #oligarchs #vladimirputin #Panama #pulitzer #NobelPeacePrize

Today's Headlines - 08 September 2023
G20 agrees to give African Union membership
GS Paper - 2 (International Relations)

Group of 20 nations agreed to grant the African Union permanent membership status, and leaders are expected to announce the decision during a summit in India. The move would give the 55-member African Union, which is currently classified as an “invited international organization,” the same status as the EU. It’s part of a drive to provide African countries with a stronger voice on global issues such as climate change and emerging-market debt, particularly as emerging markets in the so-called Global South take on a more prominent role in world affairs.

More about the News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is hosting the G20 summit, has made it a priority to grant the African Union full membership.
Countries like Germany, Brazil, and Canada have also expressed their support for African Union membership to the G20.
The G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum of the world's major developed and developing economies.
The members represent around 85% of global GDP, over 75% of global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.
The European Union is keen to take some credit for the G20 step. Leaders from the bloc plan to hold a high-level meeting with African leaders on the sidelines of the summit, which is being skipped by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Dubbed a “mini-summit,” the Europe-Africa meeting will include a discussion of the consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine on global food security — a situation that threatens to escalate after Putin refused to revive a UN-backed deal to allow grain shipments after talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Other topics include efforts to reform the global financial architecture, improving conditions for private investments and infrastructure projects in Africa, as well as the situation in the Sahel region.
Flashback
The African Union (AU) is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent.
It was officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU, 1963-1999).

#upsc #news #headline #G20 #African #union #membership #internationalrelations #20nations #leaders #climatechange #market #organization #global #south #news #primeminister #NarenderaModi #G20Summit #germany #brazil #canada #intergovermentalforum #GDP #world #population #european #vladimirputin #projects #AU #55members #unity