Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

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Restrictions eased as pollution dips in Delhi

News:

• Delhi breathed relatively easy as air quality remained outside the ‘severe plus’ category for a third consecutive day , prompting authorities to withdraw strict emission-control measures enacted last week.

Beyond News:

• The air quality index (AQI) in Delhi was in the ‘very poor category’ at 363.
• The ban on the entry of trucks carrying non-essential goods into Delhi as well as the enhancement of parking charges by four times were reversed by Lieutenant-Governor .
• These were among the provisions of the Graded Response Action Plan that the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority ordered.
• The municipal corporations of Delhi, which are responsible for collecting, parking fees, had hiked charges by up to four times.
• The Uttar Pradesh government has banned garbage burning in urban areas in a bid to reduce the pollution.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

UN must list Azhar a global terrorist: France

News:

• Emphasising the need to designate Pakistani terror mastermind Masood Azhar as a global terrorist under the 1267 counter-terror committee of the UN Security Council, France sought international consensus on countering cross-border terrorism.

Beyond News:

• Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said France and India are successfully cooperating in areas like counter-terrorism and defence and highlighted France’s territorial interests in the Indian Ocean region.
• Le Drian’s comment on terrorism came two days after France marked the first anniversary of the November 13, 2016 terror strike in Paris which left 130 dead and dozens wounded.

Centre doubles down on GST’s gains for consumers

News:

• A day after the Centre notified the latest set of cuts in the rate of tax to be levied on a wide range of goods as part of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the Union Cabinet approved the creation of the National Anti-profiteering Authority to ensure that businesses pass on the benefits of GST to consumers.

Beyond News:

• The decision to set up the enforcement body marks the government’s resolve to ensure that the latest tax rate reductions approved by the GST Council on more than 200 items are implemented immediately by businesses.
• Crucially, the authority has been granted wide-ranging powers, including to cancel the registration of offending firms in extreme cases.

Chennai Customs department website hacked

News

• The official website of the Chennai Customs was allegedly hacked on November 17 and slogans demanding a “free Kashmir” and comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian Army were posted on it.

Beyond News

• A group of hackers, which identified itself as “Team Pak Cyber Skullz”, targeted the website .
• A few years ago, the Chennai Customs website was hacked by another group of hackers.

This highlights the lack of cyber security even in official websites.

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