TODAY ON December 12, 2022
GK News Headlines

Stop grading terrorists as good and bad: India in U.N.

The era of classifying terrorists as "bad" or "good" on the basis of "political convenience" must end immediately, a concept note circulated by India in the U.N. Security Council here has said, underlining that categorising terror acts by intent as religious or ideologically motivated will dilute the shared global commitment to fighting terrorism.

U.K. Trade Minister in India to ‘kickstart’ new round of FTA talks

U.K. Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch arrives in New Delhi on December 12 to “kickstart” the sixth round of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations and hold bilateral talks with her Indian counterpart Piyush Goyal.

NASA’s Orion capsule is back from the moon after a 25-day test flight

NASA’s Orion capsule made a blisteringly fast return from the moon on December 11, parachuting into the Pacific off Mexico to conclude a test flight that should clear the way for astronauts on the next lunar flyby.

Shift in focus in Centre’s ‘Clean Ganga’ programme

Marking a shift in emphasis, the Union government’s flagship Namami Gange programme, conceived to improve the sanitation levels in the Ganga river is now geared towards conservation, tourism and providing economic livelihoods. At a meeting, earlier this week, of the top body tasked with coordinating Namami Gange activities and chaired by Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat the thrust of decisions focused on having the Tourism Ministry develop a “comprehensive plan” for developing tourism circuits along the Ganga in line with “ Arth Ganga,” organic farming and cultural activities.

CBI quizzes Kavitha in Delhi liquor row case for over seven hours

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) questioned Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MLC and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter Kalvakuntla Kavitha in the Delhi liquor row case, in Hyderabad at her residence for nearly seven-and-a-half hours on December 11, 2022.

Follow ASEAN path on Myanmar, says Indonesian FM, after New Delhi engages military rulers

India and other countries should “respect” and follow ASEAN’s policy on Myanmar rather than adopting a “different” path, said Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi. In comments to The Hindu about India’s decision to engage the Myanmar military government that came to power in February 2021 after deposing the elected National Unity Government (NUG) and jailing thousands of leaders including Aung San Suu Kyi, Ms. Marsudi said that it could make the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) efforts towards democracy “less effective”.

India to seek harmony in crypto regulation in G-20 finance talks

A coordinated approach to regulating crypto assets, managing debt vulnerabilities and reorienting global financial institutions have been identified as critical focus areas of the Finance Track agenda for India’s G-20 Presidency, which will kick-off with the first meeting of G-20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

A truly democratic world order must see full expression of India’s heritage, says Jaishankar in Varanasi

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Sunday said that the cultural diplomacy of the Modi government is centred around “restoring our rich traditions for the benefit of the world” and a truly democratic and pluralistic world order must see a full expression of India’s heritage, abroad as much as at home. Mr. Jaishankar, who is on a two-day tour of Varanasi, was addressing an event as part of ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’ on ‘Contribution of temples to society and nation building’.

Kashmir DDC byelections results show BJP emerging as a player in once no-go area

The recent results of the District Development Council (DDC) byelections have reflected a fast blooming lotus in otherwise a no-go area for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in north Kashmir. The vote tally from Drugmulla and Hajin from north Kashmir has thrown up interesting trends this week, at a time when the political parties in the Union Territory (U.T.) are preparing for the first-ever Assembly election since the downgrading of the State of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. Both these constituencies, in the past, had witnessed militants’ activities and their presence in significant numbers.

19 State legislatures have less than 10% women members: Centre

Women representation in Parliament and most State Legislatures across the country is below 15% with 19 of State Assemblies having less than 10% women lawmakers, according to a government data. The State Legislatures which have more than 10% women lawmakers are Bihar (10.70%), Chhattisgarh (14.44%), Haryana (10%), Jharkhand (12.35%), Punjab (11.11%), Rajasthan (12%), Uttarakhand (11.43%), Uttar Pradesh (11.66%), West Bengal (13.70%) and Delhi (11.43%). According to the data presented in Lok Sabha on December 9, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu and Telangana have less than 10% women legislators.

NDTV to give two board seats to Adani group firm

NDTV has offered billionaire Gautam Adani's group two seats on its board of directors for the pre-open offer, 29.18% shareholding, the ports-to-energy conglomerate had acquired in the broadcaster, according to a stock exchange filing. The Adani group acquired a 29.18% stake in NDTV by buying a company backed by the television network's founders, Radhika Roy and Prannoy Roy. Thereafter, it made an open offer to acquire an additional 26% from public shareholders.