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In his first speech at the United Nations General Assembly as External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar framed India’s position as a country “prepared to take up greater responsibilities.
He said that in these turbulent times, the world listens to “more voices of reason” and experiences “more acts of goodwill”.
India is willing and able on both counts,” he told the 77th session of the UNGA, the showpiece annual event of the UN.
India is prepared to take up greater responsibilities. But it seeks at the same time to ensure that the injustice faced by the Global South is decisively addressed.
In these turbulent times, it is essential that the world listens to more voices of reason. And experiences more acts of goodwill. India is willing and able on both counts.
He also brought up the priority areas of India’s G20 presidency: “As we begin the G20 presidency this December, we are sensitive to the challenges faced by developing countries.
India will work with other G20 members to address serious issues of debt, of economic growth, food and energy security and particularly of environment. The reform of governance of multilateral financial institutions will continue to be one of our core priorities.”
Foreign Minister of India SubrahmanyamJaishankar addresses the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022 at U.N. headquarters.
The year 2022 is an important milestone in India’s journey towards growth, development and prosperity. This ‘New India’, under the visionary and dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is a confident and resurgent society,” he said, as he underlined the five pledges.
One, we are resolved to make India a developed country in the next 25 years. For the world, that creates more capacities for global good. Two, we will liberate ourselves from a colonial mindset. Externally, this means reformed multilateralism and more contemporary global governance.
In a first, Quad movestoact against cyberattackscoming from China-led axis(Page no. 3)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Targeting state-sponsored cybercrime emanating from China, Russia and Iran, Foreign Ministers of the Quad grouping have come out with a joint “statement on ransomware” — a first of its kind — announcing that they have decided to act against malicious cyber activity against critical infrastructure.
The joint statement was issued after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met counterparts Antony Blinken of the US, Penny Wong of Australia and Hayashi Yoshimasa of Japan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York.
The transnational nature of ransomware can adversely affect our national security, finance sector and business enterprise, critical infrastructure, and the protection of personal data. We appreciate the progress made by the 36 countries supporting the US-led Counter Ransomware Initiative and the regular, practical-oriented consultations against cybercrime in the Indo-Pacific region.They pledged to assist each other in ensuring the security and resilience of regional cyber infrastructure.
We exercise responsibility to assist each other in the face of malicious cyber activity, including from ransomware, against critical infrastructure, calling this a call to action.
The Quad statement is aimed at malicious cyber activities emanating mainly from actors in China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.
The Ministers signal our collective will to fight ransomware threats to the cyberinfrastructure that enables Indo-Pacific economic development and security.
We commit to further cooperate on capacity building programmes and initiatives that are aimed at enhancing regional cybersecurity and improving resilience against ransomware attacks in the Indo-Pacific.
According to the statement, Quad countries commit to further cooperation on capacity-building programmes and initiatives that are aimed at enhancing regional cybersecurity and improving resilience against ransomware attacks in the Indo-Pacific.
With rapid adoption of fintech, India faces challenges from malicious cyber activities — Chinese loan apps being the most recent.
The Quad, which started with cooperation on maritime security, has widened its sphere of activity — from vaccines to cyber security. The joint statement is testimony to convergence of interests in newer and critical areas.
Express Network
Bilkiscaseconvict challengespleaagainstremission: ‘petitionershavenotiestocase’(Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 2, Judiciary)
Describing a petition challenging the remission of sentence granted by the Gujarat government to him after 15 years in jail as “speculative and politically motivated”, one of the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case has questioned the locus standi of the petitioners, saying “none of” them “are related whatsoever to the said case and only happens to be either a political activist or a third party stranger”.
In an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court through Advocate Rishi Malhotra, convict RadheshyamBhagwandas Shah referred to cases in which the apex court “has consistently held in clear terms that a third party who is a total stranger to the prosecution has no ‘locus standi’ in criminal matters and has no right whatsoever in filing a petition under Article 32 of the Constitution”.
He said that to entertain such petitions “would” therefore “not only unsettle the settled position of law but would also open flood gates and would be an open invitation for any member of the public to jump in any criminal matter before any court of law”.
Shah was among 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case of gangrape and murder who were released by the Gujarat government on August 15 under its 1992 remission and premature release policy for life-term convicts after he moved the Supreme Court.
Deciding his plea, the Supreme Court had ruled that although the trial in the case took place in Maharashtra, the Gujarat government would be the appropriate authority to grant remission based on the 1992 policy.
Since their release, the Supreme Court has issued notices on two petitions — one filed by CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali, journalist RevatiLaul and academician RoopRekhaVerma, and another by TMC MP MahuaMoitra — challenging their release. Shah’s petition referred to the plea by Ali and others.
Bilkis was gangraped and her three-year-old daughter Saleha was among 14 killed by a mob on March 3, 2002, in Limkheda taluka of Dahod district, during the post-Godhra riots.
Bilkis was pregnant at the time. The Gujarat government cited a “unanimous” recommendation of the Jail Advisory Committee (JAC) to grant remission to the convicts on grounds of “good behaviour”.
In his affidavit, Shah referred to another case and pointed out that similar questions had been raised when the conviction of some accused under the TADA Act was sought to be challenged under Article 32 of the Constitution by Akali Dal (M) president Simranjit Singh Mann.
CBI raids 59 locations in crackdown against child sexual abuse material(Page no. 10)
(GS Paper 2, Social Justice)
In a major crackdown on online circulation and sharing of child sexual abuse material, ‘Operation Megh-Chakra’, the CBI conducted raids at 59 locations in 21 states and Union Territories.
The raids were launched after the agency registered two cases under relevant provisions of the IT Act, based on inputs from the Crime Against Children (CAC) unit of the Interpol, based in Singapore, which had received it from New Zealand police.
Searches were conducted at locations in Haryana, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala and Chhattisgarh, among others, officials said.
The agency had carried out a similar crackdown, named ‘Operation Carbon’, in November 2021. As part of that, raids were conducted at 76 locations across the country against 83 persons. Several people were arrested.
Currently, the agency is questioning some suspects about illicit material found on their electronic devices so as to identify the victims and the abusers.
It was alleged that a number of Indian citizens were involved in circulation, downloading, transmission of OCSAM [online child sexual abuse material] using cloud-based storage.
The spokesperson said information received in Interpol from law enforcement authorities of New Zealand was analysed and developed by CBI, and suspects were identified to locate and disrupt further distribution.
The operation is targeted at cloud storage — therefore the codename ‘Megha Chakra’ — used by peddlers to circulate audio-visual material on illicit sexual activities with minors.
Officials said CBI, the first Indian law enforcement agency to set up a cybercrime unit, has hit CSAM peddlers across India as part of Saturday’s operation.
A large number of electronic devices such as mobile phones and laptops belonging to more than 50 suspects were recovered during the raids, officials said.
Preliminary scrutiny of these electronic devices using cyber forensic tools has allegedly revealed the presence of a “huge quantity of CSAM.
The operation will collate information from law enforcement agencies in India, engage with agencies globally and coordinate closely through Interpol channels to combat online child sexual exploitation and such organised cyber-criminal activities.
Flexfuel:Partofplantocutcrudeimports,butpolicysupportkey(Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
India’s first ‘flex fuel’ car, a Toyota sedan that can run on one or multiple fuel types and developed as part of a new pilot aimed at deleveraging the country’s dependence on imported fossil fuels for transportation, is set for an unveiling later this month.
The pilot has been initiated as part of a government-led push to carmakers for adopting alternative fuels and the sedan, most likely a Camry, equipped with flex fuel tech will be part of a nationwide pilot that aims to replicate the commercial deployment of this particular technology in other markets such as Brazil, Canada and the US.
A flex fuel, or flexible fuel, vehicle has an internal combustion engine (ICE), but unlike a regular petrol or diesel vehicle, this can run on more than one type of fuel, or even a mixture of fuels.
The most common versions use a blend of petrol and ethanol or methanol, but these engines are also equipped to run on 100 per cent petrol or ethanol as well.
This is made possible by equipping the engine with a fuel mix sensor and an engine control module (ECM) programming that senses and automatically adjusts for any ratio of designated fuels. In an interview with The Indian Express in August, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said the push to car makers to adopt flexible engines is part of a broader strategy to cut down on the country’s dependence on imported crude in the medium-to-long run.
It is learnt that Toyota will likely launch the flex fuel version of the sedan on September 28, though the company has officially not said anything on this or disclosed technical details or any other specifications of the car.
Flex fuel vehicles have one fuel system, and most components are the same as those found in a conventional petrol-only car.
Some special ethanol-compatible components are required to adjust to the different chemical properties and energy content in ethanol or methanol, such as modifications to the fuel pump and fuel injection system. The ECM is also calibrated to accommodate the higher oxygen content of ethanol.
According to IHS Markit, as of 2018, there were over 21 million flex fuel vehicles in the United States, but Brazil is the biggest market and a leader in this segment.
Other than an ethanol-compatible fuel system and a different powertrain calibration, flex fuel vehicles are similar to their conventional petrol-only counterparts.