TITBITS:
1.On September 20, 2024, the centenary of John
Marshall’s groundbreaking article in The Illustrated London News is being
observed. Marshall, then-Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India
(ASI), announced the discovery of the Indus Valley civilization, now known as
the Harappan civilization.
2. As per a report by the Financial
Action Task Force (FATF), India has employed an effective system that has
improved anti-money laundering (AML) and tackled counter-terrorist financing
over the past 5 years, but there is room for improvement in aspects such as
long pendency of trials and shortcoming in assessment of money laundering risks
emanating from offences such as human trafficking.
3. The Central government's decision to
designate the environmentally significant Galathea Bay as a 'Major Port' under
the Great Nicobar Island Development Project raises serious concerns. Central
to this situation is the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which is
intended to safeguard against ecological harm, however, got overlooked by the
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
4. As
Manipur's Tamenglong district gears up to welcome its winged guests, the Amur
falcon (Falco Amurensis), the district administration imposed a ban on hunting,
catching, killing and selling of the bird, locally known as 'Kahuaipuina', with
immediate effect.
5. The
effort of the United Nations should be to "build bridges" between the
Israeli and Palestinian sides, India said, explaining a decision to abstain
from a resolution at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) that called on Israel to
vacate Palestinian territories based on an opinion by the International Court
of Justice (ICJ).
6. Chief
Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran said the impact of the U.S. Federal
Reserve's interest rate cut of 50 basis points will be limited for India, and
though it will be positive for emerging economies in general, it cannot be
construed as a "fillip for the global economy" as there are other
factors at play.