GHAZIABAD’S LONI TOWN EMERGES AS COUNTRY’S MOST POLLUTED
- The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) was implemented in the city to one day before it was declared to tackle air pollution.
- Ghaziabad’s Loni town topped the list of 108 most polluted cities as per Central Pollution Control Board’s AQI figures.
- The AQI figures for Ghaziabad on rocketed into the “very poor” category and caused alarm among authorities.
- The AQI for Loni rural (Dehat) in Ghaziabad stood at 358 while that for Ghaziabad city was recorded at 339 under the “very poor” category.
- The AQI figures for Noida and Greater Noida stood at 326 and 314, respectively.
Central Pollution Control Board
- It is a statutory organisation under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
- It was established in 1974 under the Water Act, 1974.
- The CPCB is also entrusted with the powers and functions under the Air Act, 1981.
INDIA LOSE TO GREAT BRITAIN IN FINAL OF SULTAN OF JOHOR CUP
- Indian junior hockey men’s team lost a second consecutive final to Great Britian in the Sultan of Johor Cup as it succumbed to a 1-2 loss at Johor Bahru.
- After the first three quarters of the match went goalless, Indian forward Gursahibjit Singh broke the deadlock in the 49th minute with a goal from a penalty corner.
- However, Britian struck back through Stuart Rushmere’s dragflick in the 50th minute.
Sultan of Johor Cup
- It is an annual, international under–21 men’s field hockey tournament held in Malaysia.
- Since the first edition held in 2011, five teams have emerged victorious.
- Great Britain are the most successful team having won the tournament three times.
RELIANCE INDUSTRIES BECOMES FIRST INDIAN FIRM TO CROSS RS 9 LAKH CRORE MARKET CAPITALISATION, STOCK HITS FRESH 52-WEEK HIGH
- Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries became the first firm in India to cross the Rs 9-lakh crore market capitalisation mark ahead of announcement of its Q2 earnings.
- The conglomerate was also the first to reach Rs 8 lakh crore market cap mark in August last year.
- Reliance Industries’ market capitalisation rose to Rs 9.03 lakh crore after the stock reached Rs 1,428, a fresh 52-week high.
- Its closest competitor TCS clocked a market capitalisation of Rs 7.66 lakh crore in trade.
Anup Kumar Singh appointed as Director-General of NSG
- Senior IPS officer of Gujarat cadre Anup Kumar Singh has been appointed as Director-General of the National Security Guard (NSG).
- The appointment of Mr Singh, who is a 1985-batch IPS officer, was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
- His appointment will be from the date of joining the post and up to 30th of September, 2020.
- The post was lying vacant for over two months after the retirement of Sudeep Lakhtakia, a 1984-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Telangana cadre.
National Security Guard
- It is a counter terrorism unit under the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
- It was raised in 15th October1984, following Operation Blue Star, Akshardham Temple attack and the assassination of Indira Gandhi, “for combating terrorist activities with a view to protect states against internal disturbances”
IAF AND ROYAL AIR FORCE OF OMAN BEGINS JOINT EXERCISE ‘EX-EASTERN BRIDGE-V’
- Indian Air Force (IAF) and Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) started participating in a bilateral joint exercise named Ex-Eastern Bridge-V.
- The joint exercise will be held at Air Force Base Masirah in Oman.
- Earlier in 2017, the exercise Ex-Eastern Bridge-IV was held at Jamnagar, India.
- Indian Air Force and Royal Air Force of Oman will also promote the exchange of experience, operational knowledge and professional interaction during the participation in a joint exercise.
- The Ex-Eastern Bridge-V joint exercise will conclude on October 26, 2019.
- The Indian Air Force’s contingent comprises of C-17 aircraft, MiG-29 fighter jets, and other fighting art latest equipment.
PAKISTAN FAILS TO MEET 22 OUT OF 27 FATF TARGETS, STILL ESCAPES ‘BLACK LIST’ FOR FOUR MORE MONTHS
- Pakistan has escaped for another four months the ‘Black List’ of the global terror watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
- The FATF has given Pakistan till February 2020 to put its house in order or warned that it would blacklisted.
- The Paris-based FATF took the decision after its five-day plenary, which concluded in the French capital.
- FATF decided to give Pakistan time till February 2020 to comply with the 27 points that the country had promised to deliver on in June last year.
Financial Action Task Force
- It is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1989 on the initiative of the G7 to develop policies to combat money laundering.
- In 2001 its mandate expanded to include terrorism financing.
- Headquarters- Paris, France