Direct tax kitty crosses 80% of 2023-24 target
India net tax collection touched ₹14. 7 lakh crore , by January 10 , a growth of 19.4% over the corresponding period of 2022-23 .
The rise in Personal Income Tax and Corporate Income Tax ( CIT ) were 26.11 % and 8.32% respectively .
Direct Income Tax – Personal Income Tax ( PIT ) + Corporate Income Tax ( CIT )
Trinamool Congress spar over LS poll seat sharing
The Trinamool Congress is willing to concede only two seats in West Bengal for its INDIAbloc ally .
On Thursday TMC declined to participate into seat sharing formula with Congress’s National Alliance Committee . The Trinamool says it has already informed it’s all about the number of seats “ it is willing to share and ” methodology “ based on which it made the decision .
A senior MP of TMC said that it wants the seat sharing formula to be based on 2019 Lok Sabha elections and in the last West Bengal Assembly elections .
During the 2019 elections , TMC won 22 , BJP 18 , and Congress 2 seats out of 42 seats .
The vote percentage of TMC and Congress were 43% and 5.67% respectively.
TMC formula is that it will fight on 39 seats , leave 2 seats for Congress and 1 seat for CPI.
South Africa accuses Israel of Genocide in Palestine, asks UN court to intervene
South Africa started its Genocidal case against Israel at the International Criminal Court ( ICC ) here at Hague , The Netherlands .
South Africa accused Israel of committing , genocide against the Palestinians , and pleaded with UN’s top court to urgently order a halt to the country’s military operations .
Israel has vehemently denied the allegations .
In its opening remark South Africa said “ Genocides are never declared in Advance , but this court has the benefit of Past 13 weeks that shows incontrovertible the pattern of conduct and related intentions , that justified the chain of possible claim of Genocidal act “ .
Israel is unlikely to comply with any order from courts but it would blow to international understanding .
Surat Indore cleanest cities ; Maharashtra tops state list
The rankings of the Swachh Survekshan award were given by President Draiupdi Murmu .
Indore has been adjudged the cleanest city seven times in a row .
Ranking for cities having population more than one lakh –
: – 1. Indore 2. Surat. 3. Navi Mumbai. 4. Greater Vishakhapatnam. 5. Bhopal. 6. Vijayawada. 7. New Delhi 8. Tirupati. 9. Greater Hyderabad 10. Pune
Ranking of states :
- Maharashtra 2. MP. 3. Chhattisgarh
4. Odisha. 5. Telangana
At the bottom were Rajasthan , Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh
Ranking for cities having population leas than one lakh :
- Saswad ( Maharashtra ) 2. Lonavala ( Maharashtra ). 3. Patan ( Chhattisgarh ). 4. Mhow ( Cantonment Board )
Cleanest Ganga Towns –
Varanasi and Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh
Chandigarh ( Safest city for sanitation. workers .)
The Swachh Survekshan this year covered 4477 cities . Nearly 12 crore citizen responses were received for this .
The theme of the cleanliness survey 2023 was “ waste to wealth “ , while for 2024 it is “ reduce reuse , recycle “ .
“ Only by eliminating manholes through mechanized cleaning and anchinised holes we will able to establish our identity as a sensitive society “ President Draupadi Murmu said on this occasion.
SC questions center on GM Mustard
The Supreme Court on Thursday questioned the government on whether the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee ( GEAC) had considered the reports of court appointed technical experts Committee ( TEC ) , on the biosafety of Transgenic mustard Hybrid DMH11 , before approving it for the environmental release .
Attorney General R Venkatramani for the center said GEAC was a statutory body and the committee had examined the relevent scientific data before giving go ahead of environmental release .
Dhara Mustard Hybrid ( DMH 11 ) , is a genetically modified hybrid variety of Mustard .
In 2018 , GEAC cleared DMH11 for field trials ,to study its effect on human .
Supreme Court in 2013 appointed , Technical Expert Committee ( TEC ) which in its report recommended total ban on herbicide tolrerant genetic plant .One of the reasons behind was possibility of negative health effects .
Annapoorani pulled from Netflix after right wing outrage
The Nayantara starrer Annapurni was withdrawn from Netflix on the request of its co-producer Zee entertainment . Zee Entertainment claimed that the film hurt the sentiments of the Hindu Community , especially Brahmins .
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad ( VHP ) alleged that the film contains scenes , verses and dialogues that says that Lord Rama suggested that he had eaten flesh during his 14 year exile period .
Netflix has removed the film from all languages in all counties ..
World
Maldives China commit to greater economic cooperation , sign 20 MoUs
Maldivian President Mohammad Muizzue is on a five day visit to Maldives . In Beijing he met President Xi Jinping .
Following key decisions were taken and agreement signed
● The two countries agreed to draw up a ‘action plan ‘ for building a ” China Maldives Strategic Partnership “ from 2024 to 2028 .
● Maldives agreed to Participate in Global Security Initiative ( GSI ) , Srialanka had participated in October 2023 .
● 20 MoUs were signed between the two countries , it includes blue economy , digital economy , disaster and risk mitigation , and news cooperation between Maldives Public Media and Xinhua of China
The Joint communique says the relation to be of “ strategic significance “ , while China says that it “ firmly opposes “ external interference in internal matters of Maldives .
Israel strikes South Gaza as Blinken is in Egypt for talks
Israel bombarded the southern Gaza strip on Thursday , as US secretary of state Antony Blinken landed in Egypt on the final leg of regional talks .Mr. Blinken met Egyptian President Abdul Fateh Al Sisi . Egypt is a key mediator in the talk . With this Mr. Blinken ended his nine country visit .
Also resolution was also introduced in the UN Security Council that demands the Houthis to “ immediately cease “ their attack in the Red Sea .
UK eyes its biggest nuclear power expansion in 70 years
The UK govt announced a plan for what it said was “ country’s biggest expansion of nuclear power for 70 years . “.
The new plan called civil nuclear map includes , exploring the construction of a major new power station , 300 million euro ( 382 million dollar of investment to produce an advanced uranium fuel and “ smarter regulation “ .
The measure would quadruple UK nuclear power by 2050 to 24 Gigawatts .
Hasina sworn in as Bangladesh prime Minister for fifth term
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was sworn in on fifth term on Thursday after she won with more than two third of seats .
More than 15 ministers from the previous cabinet was dropped .
Foreign Minister Abdul Momen was also dropped .
China calls Taiwan poll frontrunner ‘ severe danger ‘ days ahead of vote
China warned Taiwan voters on Thursday , to make the correct choice in the island’s weekend elections , describing the presidential frontrunner as a “ severe danger “ who would threaten the peace by following an “ evil path “ of independence .
Current Vice President Lai Ching Te is the front runner candidate for the ruling party .
He has portrayed himself as a defender of Taiwan’s democracy .
Earthquake rattles Afghanistan amid no casualty reported
A 6.4 earthquake hit northeastern Afghanistan , shaking the building of Kabul to Islamabad in Pakistan .No casualties had been reported till now .
Turliye , Bulgaria , Romania joins forces to hunt black sea miners
NATO membership Turkey , Bulgaria and Romania signed on demining the Black sea to ensure safe passage after Russia’s war in Ukraine .Russia had mined the Ukraine ‘s Black sea coastline in the early stages of war . Some of the mines come within the waters of these three countries.
