TITBITS:
1. The Bombay High Court struck down the amended
Information Technology Rules, 2023, which empowered the Centre to set up a fact
check unit (FCU) to identify fake, false and misleading information about the
government and its establishment's media. The "tie-breaker" judge,
Justice Atul Sharachchandra Chandurkar, delivered the verdict after a Division
Bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Neela Gokhale delivered a split verdict on
January 31, 2024.
2. The Supreme Court
asked the government to explain its reasons for sitting on names reiterated by
the Collegium for months or even years together, reminding the Centre that it
cannot treat the latter like a mere "search committee" whose recommendations
can be ignored or accepted at the Union's discretion.
3. Apart from
expanding the Ayushman Bharat scheme, the Centre has developed a digital
vaccine management platform U-win, besides a real-time database of doctors and
a rapid alert system for imported foods that fail quality tests, Union Health
Minister JP Nadda said Friday.
4. India has formally
joined the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), which it launched in 2023.
After approval from the Union Cabinet, India signed and ratified the framework,
an official release.
5. After goods
exports in August shrunk by 9 per cent, India notified the World Trade
Organisation (WTO) that it had decided to retaliate against the European
Union's (EU) steel tariffs, which have resulted in a trade loss of $4.41
billion between 2018 and 2023, an official notification said.