HAPPY DIWALI  EVERYONE

Education is the movement  from darkness to light

 On this auspicious occasion,  may joy, prosperity, and happiness illuminate your life and your home.  Wishing you very Happy and safe Diwali..

Today’s News 

Kohli’s dazzling knock lights up India’s Deepavali eve

• Virat Kohli accelerated India’s spectacular chase against Pakistan in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup Super 12 clash here at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
• On a pulsating Sunday night, India was struggling at 31 for four while pursuing Pakistan’s 159 for eight.
• Kohli salvaged the Indian innings and with Hardik Pandya, shared a 113 run Fifth wicket partnership that set the base for a nerve wracking last over.
• Sixteen were needed with Left arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz being pressed into service.
• Two dismissals, noballs, wides, some nervous runs and a big hit all combined to gift a rousing climax and in the end, Kohli remained unbeaten on 82, while R. Ashwin scored the winning run.
• India triumphed by four wickets in a splendid match.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping began his Unprecedented third five year term

• Chinese President unveils new leadership after national congress.
• With six allies on the newly announced Politburo Standing Committee, he has a firmer grip on the ruling Communist Party
• Chinese leader Xi Jinping began his Unprecedented third five year term on Sunday in even firmer control of the ruling Communist Party after filling the newly announced Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC) with all of his allies.
• As many as four allies of Mr. Xi, 69, were on Sunday appointed to the PBSC that was announced after the first meeting of the new Central Committee, which was unveiled on Saturday following the conclusion of the CPC congress.

Lowest AQI in 7 years the day before Deepavali

• The city recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 259 on Sunday as the ambient air quality continued to remain in ‘poor’ category.
• It was the lowest AQI recorded in Delhi a day before Deepavali in the last seven years, data available with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed.
• However, SAFAR, a forecasting agency under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, has predicted the air quality to turn ‘very poor’ on Monday and ‘severe’ on Tuesday considering emissions from fire crackers and an increase in the share of smoke from stubble burning.

About Air Quality Index

The Air Quality Index is acquired by measuring emissions of eight major pollutants present in the air:

1. Particulate matter (PM2. 5),
2. Particulate matter (PM10),
3. Ozone (O3),
4. Carbon Monoxide (CO),
5. Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2),
6. Sulphur Dioxide (SO2),
7. Lead (Pb)
8. Ammonia (NH3) emissions

Invisible’ disease wreaks havoc on sandalwood cultivation

• The threat to India’s pride, sandalwood, is increasing as the deadly sandalwood spike disease (SSD), which hitherto was confined mainly to forest areas, has started spreading to private fields where the cultivation of this aromatic tree has been taken up on a commercial basis.
• A study has now shown that this ‘invisible’ disease, which is wiping out the sandalwood trees, can transmit through seeds of infected trees through the presence of disease causing bacteria called Phytoplasma.
• This phenomenon has been blamed for the spread of the SSD to commercial farms in a study by the Bengaluru based Institute of Wood Sciences & Technology (IWST) in association with the National Centre for Cell Sciences, Pune.
• A paper published by them in the science journal biology on October 12 notes that several sandalwood plants grown by sourcing seeds from nurseries had tested positive for SSD.
• The study has recommended accreditation of commercial production of sandalwood seedlings through testing to ensure that the plants are free from SSD.
• It has also called for a paradigm shift in policies handling sandalwood seedlings.

India second only to Russia in doping violations

• Kamalpreet Kaur, the 26yearold Indian discus thrower, was banned for three years with effect from March 29 after she tested positive for a prohibited substance earlier this year.
• With Kaur, 62 Indian athletes have been caught doping or in possession of banned substances, according to the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) of World Athletics.
• Only Russia has recorded more doping violations than India with 87 athletes receiving punishment.
• Chart 1 shows the nationalities of the 473 violators recorded by the AIU.
• With Kaur’s infraction, the number of Indian women with doping violations has gone up to 17.
• However, over 70% of all doping violations in India were by men.

ISRO successfully launches LVM3M2, its heaviest rocket ever

• 5796 In kilogram, the heaviest payload carried by an ISRO rocket ever.
• The record was created by LVM3M2 on its maiden commercial mission on Sunday when it placed 36 broadband communication satellites into their intended orbits.
• The rocket is capable of launching 8,000 kg of payloads into the Low Earth Orbit
• The heaviest rocket of the Indian Space Research Organisation, the LVM3M2/OneWeb India1, with 36 satellites on board took off from the second launch pad (SLP) of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR at Sriharikota at 12.07 a.m. on Sunday.
• LVM3M2 is the dedicated commercial satellite mission of NewSpace India Ltd. (NSIL), a Central public sector enterprise under the Department of Space.
• With this launch, LVM3 is making its entry into the “global commercial launch service market”. This mission is being undertaken as part of the commercial arrangement entered into between NSIL and Network Access Associates Limited (m/s OneWeb Ltd), a U.K.based company.
• As part of this mission 36 OneWeb Gen1 satellites, meant for global connectivity needs, will be launched into circular low earth orbit of 601 km altitude.
• This mission is the fifth flight of LVM3. And this is the first Indian rocket with a six tonne payload.

The CCI fine  ₹1,300 crore on Google

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has imposed a provisional fine of ₹1,337.76 crore on Alphabet owned Google for “abusing its dominant position” in markets related to the Android mobile device ecosystem.
• The CCI, the country’s competition watchdog is empowered under the Competition Act, 2002, to check whether companies especially large tech companies are not eliminating healthy competition in the market and creating a monopoly.
• The CCI said that due to Google’s various agreements with manufacturers, one of its major revenue earning apps, Youtube, gained a significant edge over competitors in the online video hosting platforms market.
• The mention of Google’s antitrust practices with regard to Youtube was the distinguishing factor between the CCI probe and the EU probe of Google in 2018.
• Google is already facing two other antitrust probes by the CCI. In June 2021, the Commission ordered a probe into allegations that Google had abused its dominant position with Android in India’s smart television market and in November 2020, the CCI had initiated a probe to look into allegations that Google abused its dominant position to push its payments system.

Sunak Sunak declares fresh bid for British PM with the promise of ‘integrity

• British Conservative Rishi Sunak on Sunday announced he is standing to be Prime Minister, just weeks after failing in a first attempt — and setting up a potentially bruising battle with his former boss Boris Johnson.
• ExFinance Minister Sunak vowed “integrity, professionalism and accountability” and to lead Britain out of “profound economic crisis”, which experts say has been worsened by the aborted policies of outgoing leader Liz Truss.
• Sunak, 42, is the second Conservative MP to declare a run at the top job, after Cabinet member Penny Mordaunt launched her campaign on Friday.

United Nations Day 2022 celebrates on 24th October

• United Nations Day, on 24 October, marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter.
• With the ratification of this founding document by the majority of its signatories, including the five permanent members of the Security Council, the United Nations officially came into being.
• In 1945, 50 governments gathered to draft the UN Charter.
• They have struggled and accomplished great feats to uphold peace, protect human rights, and play a key role in bringing international justice.

Source : THE HINDU