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Union Government Reconstitutes Inter-state council

The Union Government has reconstituted the Inter State Council (ISC) and the Standing Committee of the ISC under Clause 2 of the Inter State Council order,1990. 
●    The Inter-State Council is a constitutional body to facilitate coordination between states and the centre. 
●    It will be headed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 
●    Composition of reconstituted Inter State Council (ISC) Members: Chief Ministers of all states and Union Territories (having legislative Assembly), Six Union Ministers. 
●    Six Union Ministers: Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Minister for Information and Broadcasting M Venkiah Naidu and Road Transport Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari. 
●    The Standing Committee of the Inter State Council will be headed by Union Minister of Home Affairs Rajnath Singh.
●    The Inter-State Council is a constitutional body to facilitate coordination between states and the centre.

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Sunil Bharti Mittal appointed Chairman of GSMA

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, was on 27 October 2016 appointed as Chairman of GSMA. 
●    As GSMA Chairman, Mittal will oversee the strategic direction of the organisation.
●    Mittal will succeed Jon Fredrik Baksaas, who will step down from the GSMA board at the end of 2016. 
●    On the other hand, the company re-elected Mari-Noëlle Jego-Laveissiere, Executive Vice President, Innovation, Orange Group as Deputy Chairman. 
●    It also elected the new members of the 26-member Board of the company.
●    Mittal took over as Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) early this year. 
●    He is also a Trustee of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and on the Board of Qatar Foundation Endowment.


 

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Boxing Federation of India recognized as National Sports Federation for Boxing

Government has recognized Boxing Federation of India (BFI) as the National Sports Federation (NSF) for Boxing. 
●    The step will give a boost to the sport of boxing which suffered due to absence of an NSF in the discipline since 2012.
●    BFI, which is a body formed recently, conducted its elections on 25th September, 2016. 
●    AIBA, the International Body for boxing, recognized the newly elected office bearers of BFI. 
●    After careful consideration, the government today decided to grant recognition to BFI as NSF for boxing.
●    This will help Indian boxers prepare for 2020 Olympics with more national & international exposure, and training.

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Russia voted out of UN Human Rights Council

Russia, facing allegations of war crimes in relation to its policies in Syria, lost its seat on the UN Human Rights Council as the UN General Assembly
●    The 193-member General Assembly yesterday elected 14 nations by secret ballot to serve on the Human Rights Council.
●    The United Nations body responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe. 
●    Brazil, China, Croatia, Cuba, Egypt, Hungary, Iraq, Japan, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Tunisia, United Kingdom and the United States were elected for three-year terms beginning January 1, 2017. 
●    India is a member of the 47-member human rights body and its term will expire in 2017.
●    Russia was seeking re-election to the human rights body, competing with Hungary, Croatia and Bulgaria. 

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India abstains from voting on nuclear weapons ban at UN

India abstained a resolution by a UN General Assembly committee to launch negotiations on a new treaty banning nuclear weapons. 
●    Indian officials will present the explanation of vote (EoV) at the UN in the early hours of Saturday.
●    The resolution presented by Austria, Ireland, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa and Brazil was adopted by a vote of 123 votes. 
●    Four of the five UN Security Council nuclear powers — Britain, France, Russia and the United States — voted against the resolution while China abstained, as did Pakistan, besides India.
●    Opponents of the resolution argued that nuclear disarmament should be addressed within negotiations on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

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World's First Fossilized Dinisaur Brain Found

A bit of lumpy brown rock no bigger than an orange could be the world's first fossilized dinosaur brain.
●    The 133-million-year-old specimen came from the skull of an Iguanodon, a genus of large, iconic herbivores that lived during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. 
●    Scientists say the innocuous rock contains wrinkles, tubes and folds that are actually fossilized forms of the meninges, blood vessels and gray matter.
●    It's incredibly rare to find preserved soft tissue from ancient creatures - flesh and blood are the first things to decay after an animal dies - and no scientist has ever uncovered a fossil brain from a dinosaur. 
●    The rock was uncovered by fossil hunter Jamie Hiscocks, who caught it in the glow of his flashlight one night while prowling a British beach after a storm. 

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New Benami Act to take effect from Nov 1

The new law to prohibit benami transactions, which also provides for up to 7 years imprisonment and penalty for those indulging in such activities, will come into effect from November 1. 
●    With a view to curb the menace of black money, Parliament in August had passed the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act after assurance from Finance Minister Arun Jaitley that genuine religious trusts will be kept out of the purview of the legislation. 
●    While the existing law provides for up to three years of imprisonment or fine or both for carrying out benami transactions, the amended legislation would provide for seven years imprisonment and fine. 
●    The Act defines benami transactions, prohibits them and further provides that any violation is punishable with imprisonment and fine. 
●    The PBPT Act prohibits recovery of the property held benami from benamidar by the real owner. 

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Rashtriya Ekta Diwas to be celebrated on 31st Oct

The Rashtriya Ekta Diwas will be observed on 31st October, 2016 with ‘Integration of India’ as the theme. On this occasion various activities are being organised across ministries/departments all over the country.
●    The Government had decided to observe the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel as the ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’ (National Unity Day) on 31st October every year. 
●    On the occasion, floral tributes will be paid to Sardar Patel across the country. 
●    It will be followed by ‘Run for Unity’ involving people from all sections of society to be organised from the National Stadium to the C-hexagon of India Gate.
●    A Run for Unity will also be organised at the State/District Headquarters involving people from all sections of society. 
●    Ministry of Human Resource Development will organise an essay competition and special programs in schools across the country.

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ISRO aims for World Record, Plans for 83 launches in a single rocket

Indian space agency ISRO is aiming for a world record by putting into orbit 83 satellites -- two Indian and 81 foreign -- on a single rocket in early 2017.
●    Antrix Corporation is the commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
●    He said all the 83 satellites will be put in a single orbit and hence there will not be any switching off and on of the rocket.
●    The major challenge for the proposed mission is to hold the rocket in the same orbit till all the satellites are ejected.
●    ISRO will use its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle XL (PSLV-XL) rocket variant for the record launch.
●    For ISRO, launch of multiple satellites at one go is not a new thing as it has done it several times in the past. 
 

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Himachal Pradesh declared free of Open Defacation

The State of Himachal Pradesh was declared Open Defecation Free (ODF), making it the second State in the country (after Sikkim) to achieve the feat. 
●    The State government made the declaration at a public event in Shimla, where the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Shri Virbhadra Singh, felicitated the respective District Administrators and Local Administrators for successfully achieving this significant milestone.
●    The Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, and the Union Ministry for Health and Family Welfare, Shri JP Nadda, were also present on the occasion.
●    With this, Himachal Pradesh has successfully achieved a total rural sanitation coverage of 100% in the State.
●    Speaking at the occasion Chief Minister, Shri Virbhadra Singh, said that he was very happy and proud that his State was the first large State in the country to have achieved this milestone. 

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