NATIONAL NEWS
Centre amends Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules 2011
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has amended the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules 2011 for increasing protection of consumer rights. The amendments will come into effect from April 1, 2022. The Consumer Affairs Ministry omitted Rule 5 defining Schedule II determining the pack sizes of different types of commodities. The Ministry introduced a new provision for indicating the unit sale price on pre-packed commodities to enable easier comparison of prices of commodities at the time of purchase. TheThe amendment makes it mandatory to declare the date of manufacturing on the pre-packed commodities for pre-packed commodities. TheThe amendment has also made declaring MRP in Indian currency inclusive of all taxes. The removal of illustration has simplified the provisions for manufacturers for declaration of MRP on the pre-packed commodities.
Malayalam actress Kozhikode Sarada passes away at 75
Veteran Malayalam actress Kozhikode Sarada passed away at the age of 75 on November 9, 2021. Sarada was admitted to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital on November 7 after she reported difficulty in breathing. OnOn November 8, Sarada suffered cardiac arrest while she was undergoing treatment. She died at the same hospital where she had worked as a nursing assistant for 27 years. SaradaSarada had made her acting debut with Angakkuri movie in 1979. She had acted in several TV serials and more than 100 movies.
Ghosts of aircraft deals past
Past aircraft deals are coming back to haunt the government again with two such deals back in focus today. The first is the Rafale deal, in which the Indian government purchased multi-role combat aircraft from the French company Dassualt. The French investigative website Mediapart has now alleged that a middleman, Sushen Gupta, was paid at least 7.5 million euros by Dassault between 2007 and 2012 to secure the purchase. Apparently, the payment was facilitated through a shell company in the Mauritius which was “overbilled” for IT contracts. A more stinging allegation is that the CBI has not probed this even though the papers on this have been available since October 2018. The Mauritian Authorities had sent the papers to the CBI when in connection with the probe into the AugustaWestland VVIP chopper kickback deal case. Sushen Gupta, who is said to have facilitated the kickback payment in that deal, was arrested by the ED in 2019 in the same case. Coincidentally, this news comes a day after news reports about the government lifting the ban on the Italian Defence company involved in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal. The procurement ban was lifted just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with his Italian counterpart Mario Draghi on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Rome.
Regional NSAs to arrive today for dialogue on Afghanistan
Security Czars of Russia, Iran and five Central Asian countries will arrive in Delhi on Tuesday ahead of the “Delhi regional security dialogue” on Afghanistan chaired by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who will also meet his counterparts bilaterally. Officials involved in the dialogue said that the meeting, which Pakistan and China have declined to participate in would seek to share a “common understanding of concerns” shared by Afghanistan’s neighbours due to the Taliban takeover, and build consensus on the way forward to deal with the threats emanating from the Taliban takeover on August 15.
Mamata likely to expand Cabinet today
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee may expand her Cabinet on Tuesday and she is likely to keep the finance portfolio for herself and make Chandrima Bhattacharya the minister of-state in that department, a top source in the government said on Monday. Former Finance Minister Dr Amit Mitra, who had expressed his inability to continue as a minister owing to his fragile health conditions, might be made an advisor.
Patnaik, Reddy likely to discuss disputed Andhra-Odisha border
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy are likely to discuss the disputed border between the two states as well as inter-state river projects at a meeting here on Tuesday. At the meeting scheduled to be held from 5 pm at the Lok Seva Bhavan here, the chief ministers are likely to take up the dispute over the Kotia cluster of villages in Koraput district, construction of Neradi barrage over the Vamsadhara river, and the Polavaram multi-purpose project on the Godavari river, officials said.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Vietnam launches country’s first metro rail service in Hanoi
The Vietnam Railway on November 6, 2021, launched the country’s first metro rail service in Hanoi. The 13.1-km-long Line 2A of Hanoi Metro will connect Cat Linh to Yeh Nghia with 12 stations. TheThe 12 stations on the Vietnam’s first metro rail service are Cat Linh, La Thanh, Thai Ha, Lang, Thoung Dinh, Vanh Dai 3, Phung Khoang, Van Quan, Ha Dong, La Khe, Van Khe and Yen Nghia. The Chinese firm CRRC has supplied a total of 13 Rolling Stock (metro trains) for Vietnam’s first metro rail service in Hanoi. CRRC delivered the first metro train to Vietnam in March 2017. Vietnam will use Third Rail DC for its metro rail service to ensure stability, safety, and urban landscape.
China delivers largest, most advanced warship to Pakistan navy
China on November 8, 2021, delivered the largest and most advanced warship to the Pakistan navy in a commissioning ceremony in Shanghai. The frigate has been designed and built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC). hee Type 054/P frigate has been named PNS Tughril. The frigate is the first hull of the four ‘Type 054’ frigates batch being built for the Pakistan Navy. The Type 054 frigates can execute naval warfare missions in a highly intense multi-threat environment. The PNS Tughril is a technologically advanced and highly capable platform with enormous potential for surveillance, surface-to-air, surface-to-surface, and underwater firepower. PNS Tughril is equipped with an electronic warfare system, modern self-defence capabilities, state-of-the-art combat management.
SPORTS NEWS
ICC T20 WC: BCCI, ECB receives approval for 100 per cent attendance for crowd for finals
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) received approval from the UAE authorities for 100 per cent attendance of the crowd for the ICC T20 World Cup finals. ApprovalApproval for 100 per cent attendance means that all the 25,000 seats at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium will be available for fans to fill for the finals of the ICC T20 World Cup on November 14, 2021. All COVID-19 protocols are to be followed.
Rohit Sharma becomes 3rd cricketer to score 3,000 runs in men’s T20I World Cup 2021
Indian batter Rohit Sharma on November 8, 2021, became the 3rd cricketer in the world who accumulated 3,000 T20I runs. Rohit achieved this feat during the match against Namibia in ICC men’s T20 World Cup at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. IndianIndian skipper Virat Kohli is currently at the top with a tally of 3,227 runs followed by New Zealand’s Martin Guptill with 3,115 runs and India’s Rohit Sharma with 3,0008 runs.
