NATIONAL NEWS
1.Parliament passes National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Bill:-
Parliament has passed the National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Bill, 2019 with the Rajya Sabha approving it today unanimously.The Lok Sabah has already passed the bill. Thelegislation aims at enhancing the jurisdiction of NIA to investigate scheduled offences committed outside India targeting Indians as well as Indian assets abroad. The latest amendment will enable the NIA to additionally investigate offences related to human trafficking, counterfeit currency, manufacture or sale of prohibited arms, cyber-terrorism and offences under the Explosive Substances Act, 1908.It also provides for constituting special courts for the trial of scheduled offences such as human trafficking and cyber terrorism.Replying to a debate on the bill, Home Minister Amit Shah assured the House that the NIA will be able to deal with the cases related to terrorism against Indian citizens abroad and against the interest of the country. He said, it is not appropriate to raise fingers on the efficiency of this agency. Mr Shah also assured the House, the Narendra Modi led government will not allow misuse of the Act.Mr Shah said since 2014, a total of 195 cases were registered by NIA, of which charge- sheet was filed in 129 cases. Out of the 129 cases, judgement came in 44 cases and of them, punishment were given in 41 cases. He added that 184 accused have been convicted in these cases.On a query by Congress’ Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Mr Shah defended the government for not filing an appeal against the acquittal of the accused in Samjhauta Express blasts case. He said, the charge-sheet was filed by the previous Congress led UPA government without proof.He alleged that the case was registered out of political vendetta. He emphasised that the base of any case is the charge sheet and if it is weak and without proof, it will not stand in the court of law.Earlier, Moving the bill, Minister of State for Home, G Kishan Reddy said, the legislation will strengthen the legal framework of NIA to counter-terrorism. He also said, it will ensure harsher punishment for terrorists. Vivek Tankha of Congress raised question on the bill. He said that constitutionality of a body like NIA is under challenge since policing is under state jurisdiction.
2.Govt’s ”Find the Incredible You” campaign wins PATA award:-
The “Find the Incredible You” campaign of the Tourism Ministry, has won the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Award, 2019.The campaign focuses on digital and social media and the promotion of niche tourism products of the country.An official release said this year’s awards attracted 198 entries from 78 organisations and individuals worldwide.The campaign won the award under the “Marketing – Primary Government Destination” category.The statement said, the Ministry of Tourism, as part of its promotional initiatives, annuallyreleases Global Media Campaigns under the ‘Incredible India’ brand-line in the television, print, digital and social media platforms, in key and potential source markets overseas.To take the campaigns to the next level, the ‘Incredible India 2.0’ campaign was launched in September 2017.As part of the 2.0 campaign, five new television commercials were produced by the ministry, which were aired globally on television and social media.The campaign strategy was to shift the focus from the external experience of tourist destinations to the internal experience of travellers themselves.This series of transformative experiences was brought alive through unique storytelling in the format of autobiographies of travellers, with the tagline “Find the Incredible You.
The release said, the series of films received a good response and have registered over 153 million views on social media.PATA Gold Awards are given to tourism industry organizations and individuals making an outstanding contribution towards the successful promotion of the travel industry throughout the Asia Pacific Region.
3.ICJ rules in favour of India; stays Kulbhushan Jadhav’s execution:-
International Court of Justice, ICJ today ruled in favour of India and stayed Kulbushan Jadhav’s death sentence. In its verdict today, the Court has directed Pakistan to provide effective review and reconsideration of his conviction and sentences. Court affirmed Jadhav’s right to consularaccess and notification and directed Pakistan to give him consular access. 15 out of 16 judges rules in favour of India on merits in the case relating to Indian national Kulbushan Jadhav who is currently on death row in Pakistan.The ICJ said that Kulbushan Jadhav’s death sentence should remain suspended until Pakistan effectively reviews and reconsiders the conviction and sentence in light of Islamabad’s breach of Art 36(1) that is denial of consular access and notification.In its order, ICJ said that Pakistan deprived India of the right to communicate with and have access to Kulbhushan Jadhav, to visit him in detention and to arrange for his legal representation and thereby breached obligations under Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.A retired Indian Navy officer, Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017. India approached the Hague based-ICJ in May 2017 against Pakistan for denying consular access to Jadhav.India has welcomed the verdict of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its favour in the case relating to Kulbushan Jadhav. In a statement, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, said, the court by a vote of 15-1 has upheld New Delhi’s claim that Pakistan is in egregious violation of Vienna Convention on Consular Relation, 1963 on several counts. He said, India appreciates the direction by ICJ that Pakistan should review and reconsider conviction and sentence given to Mr Jadhav by Pakistani military court.Mr Kumar said, New Delhi also noted that the Court has directed that Pakistan is under an obligation to inform Mr Jadhav without further delay of his rights to get access to Indian consular officers in accordance with Vienna Convention.The spokesperson said, India expects Islamabad to implement the directive immediately. He said, the judgement validates India’s position on the case and it will continue to work vigorously for Kulbushan Jadhav’s early release and return to India.Prime Minister Narendra Modi has welcomed ICJ’s verdict in the Hague and congratulated the ICJ for a verdict based on extensive study of facts. In a tweet, the Prime Minister said, truth and justice have prevailed. He said, he is sure Kulbhushan Jadhav will get justice. Mr Modi said, his government will always work for the safety and welfare of every Indian.Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat also welcomed the ICJ’s judgement calling it decisive and momentous decision. In a tweet, Mr Shekhawat said, India fought and won to defend its citizen in ICJ.Congress has also welcomed the ruling by the International Court of Justice in the Kulbhushan Jhadhav case. The party said, it is a big win for India and will continue to pray for his early return.External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar spoke to Kulbhushan’s family. In a tweet, Dr Jaishankar said, he applauds their courage.
4.IFFI Has Been Scheduled To Be Held From 20-28 November 2019 In Panaji, Goa:-
The Golden Jubilee Edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) has been scheduled to be held from 20-28 November 2019 in Panaji, Goa.The Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting PrakashJavadekar announced the schedule regarding IFFI 2019.IFFI 2019 is to be organised jointly by the Directorate of Film Festivals and state-run Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) in Panaji.The celebrations in the year 2019 will mark the 50th edition of IFFI. Russia is to partner with IFFI.
International Film Festival of India (IFFI):IFFI was founded in 1952. The film festival is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia.IFFI is being organised in Goa since 2004 under the leadership of Chief Minister of Goa.The International Film Festival of India became globally competitive after its 35th edition.
5.World Bank Planned To Offer $250 Million To Kerala:-
World Bank would offer a loan of $250 million to the Kerala Government for the Resilient Kerala project.The main aim is at enhancing the state’s resilience against the impacts of natural disasters and climate change in the wake of last year’s floods.The World Bank recently signed a $250 million loan agreement to help Kerala enhance its resilience against natural disasters and climate change.
Kerala
Governor: P. Sathasivam
Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
6.Ebola outbreak declared global health emergency in DR Congo:-
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo a public health emergency of international concern.The WHO made the declaration yesterday following a meeting of its emergency committee in the Geneva. The UN health agency made the announcement days after the virus was confirmed in Goma, a major regional crossroads in northeastern Congo on the Rwandan border.In a statement, WHO director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, it was time for the world to take notice of the epidemic and called for a redoubling of efforts to battle it back.A WHO expert committee declined on three previous occasions to advise the United Nations health agency to make the declaration for this outbreak, even though other experts say it has long met the conditions.More than 1,600 people have died since August in the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak in history, which is unfolding in a region described as a war zone.This is the fifth such declaration in history. Previous emergencies were declared for the devastating 2014-16 Ebola outbreak in West Africa that killed more than 11,000 people, the emergence of Zika in the Americas, the swine flu pandemic and polio.
7.India, Italy To Set Up Fast-Track Mechanism To Facilitate Investment:-
A fast-track system would be set up for companies and investors of India and Italy to facilitate investment proposals in both countries.The main aim is to facilitate Italian companies and investors in India and Indian companies and investors in Italy and to decide to establish a fast-track system for companies and investors of both countries.The key objectives of the system in India will be to pave the way for and identify and solve problems faced by Italian companies and investors with their operations in India.They serve as a platform for discussing general suggestions from the point of view of Italian companies and investors with regard to ease of doing business in India.The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), under the ministry will represent Indian side in this system.The department will facilitate the participation of other relevant ministries and authorities on a case by case basis.
SPORTS NEWS
8.Athletics: Hima Das wins fourth gold in 15 days :-
Star Indian sprinter Hima Das clinched her fourth gold in a fortnight as she won the 200m race with a creditable timing in the Tabor Athletics Meet in Czech Republic yesterday.Hima won the race in 23.25 seconds, which had a mediocre field with most of the competitors representing clubs of Czech Republic.Hima’s compatriot VK Vismaya was second with a season of best 23.43 seconds.Hima has a 200m personal best of 23.10 seconds. This was 19-year-old Hima’s fourth gold since July 2 when she ran her first competitive race in Europe.In men’s 400m, Muhammad Anas won in 45.40 seconds, while compatriots Tom Noah Nirmal came second with a season-best effort of 46.59 seconds. KS Jeevan was third with a timing of 46.60 seconds and MP Jabir finished fourth in 47.16 seconds.
9.Deepika Kumari clinches silver at 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games test event:-
India’s top-ranked woman archer Deepika Kumari today clinched silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games test event. Ranked fourth in the qualification round, Deepika went down to Korean An San in straight sets. The second seed San produced fine shooting including a flawless third set to clinch the match 6-0 in her favour.This was Deepika’s first individual final in a world event since she won a gold at the third stage of the World Cup in Salt Lake City in June last year. In the men’s category, India had a forgettable outing with country’s top-ranked Atanu Das making a second round exit, losing to Bae Jaehyeon of Korea 4-6.
BUSINESS NEWS
10.India permits 1,239 tonnes raw sugar export to US:-
The government has permitted the export of 1,239 tonnes raw sugar under its tariff-rate quota (TRQ) to the US, which enables shipments to enjoy relatively low tariff.TRQ is a quota for a volume of exports that enter the US at relatively low tariffs. After the quota is reached, a higher tariff applies on additional imports.Directorate General of Foreign Trade in a public notice said that additional quantity of 1,239 tonnes of raw cane sugar to be exported to US under TRQ up to September 30, 2019 has been notified.The country enjoys duty-free sugar exports to the US for up to 10,000 tonnes annually under preferential quota arrangement.
11.No Changes Made In ITR Forms After April 1 2019: CBDT:-
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has announced no changes have been made in any of the Income-tax Return (ITR) forms since the notification made on 1st April this year.There were reports in social media that the taxpayers were facing difficulties in filing return of income in ITR-2 and ITR-3 due to large scale changes in the ITR form.The impression that the taxpayers are not able to file a return due to changes in ITR form is not correct as over 1 crore 38 lakh taxpayers have already filed their returns till date.The software utility for e-filing of all the ITR forms has been released long back.The software utility is a dynamic process and is continuously taken up as per the feedback received from the filers to ease their experience in electronic filing of returns.
