The Hindu Newspaper summary – 04 August 2023

The Hindu newspaper is one of the primary sources of preparation for various examinations like UPSC CSE, CDS, CAPF, ESE, etc. Reading it in completely takes very long time. Thus we are bringing you all the important topics that were presented in today’s class. So gear up and read the paper well.

Important Articles from the hindu in a gist from 04 August 2023

• Restrictions on the import of laptops applied. Most likely to tackle China as around 9446 Mn $ of import happens from there. This has to be read in the light of China banning the export of rare metals. Short term supply of laptops to be hit. 
• The Jharkhand Assembly on Thursday passed the Jharkhand Competitive Examination Bill, 2023 which mandates a strict provision of life imprisonment and a fine up to ₹10 crore, in cases of cheating in competitive exams.
• Niger’s military ousted President Bazoum, attributing it to the deteriorating security situation and bad governance, including corruption, inflation, and food insecurity. The global response to the coup has been largely negative, with condemnations and suspensions of cooperation from the UN, U.S., EU, and France. External interests in Niger include France’s security and economic partnership, particularly in uranium trade, and the U.S.’ fight against insurgency with a significant military presence.
• The Rajya Sabha passed Bills such as the Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, and the Advocates (Amendment) Bill on Thursday.
• Advocates bill: The Bill repeals certain sections related to touts under the Legal Practitioners Act, 1879.  The 1961 Act consolidates the law related to legal practitioners and constitutes Bar Councils and the All-India Bar. The bill defines touts and empowers every High Court, district judge, sessions judge, district magistrate, and revenue officer (not below the rank of a district collector) to frame and publish lists of touts. Any person who acts as a tout while his name is included in the list of touts will be punished with imprisonment up to three months, a fine up to Rs 500, or both.
• Offshore areas mineral bill: The Act regulates mining in maritime zones of India.  The Act categorises offshore mining-related activities into: (i) reconnaissance, which involves a preliminary survey to locate mineral resources, (ii) exploration, which includes exploring, proving, or locating mineral deposits, and (iii) production, the commercial activity of the extraction of minerals. 
• Press and registration of periodicals bill: The Act provides for the registration of newspapers, periodicals, and books.  It also provides for the cataloguing of books.  The Bill provides for the registration of periodicals, which include any publication containing public news or comments on public news.  Periodicals do not include books or scientific and academic journals.
• The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023 was introduced in the Lok Sabha. The Bill was introduced as a financial Bill, but Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha that it was not a money Bill. Government sources confirmed that the Bill was an ordinary one that would have to pass through both Houses. The Bill requires companies to better protect digital data taken from individuals (the former termed ‘data fiduciaries’ and the latter ‘data principals’), by clearly mentioning to them what data are being collected and what they are being used for, appointing and giving contact information of a data protection officer, and giving users the right to delete or modify their personal data.
• Researchers have recorded the first instance of captive breeding of the Himalayan vulture (Gyps himalayensis) in India at the Assam State Zoo, Guwahati. Categorised as ‘near threatened’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of threatened species, the Himalayan vulture is a common winter migrant to the Indian plains, and a resident of the high Himalayas.
• Pakistan’s Cabinet has quietly approved the signing of a new security pact with the U.S., a move that indicates a fresh start in defence cooperation after years of distrust between the two nations and may open avenues for Islamabad to get military hardware from Washington. Through a circulation summary, the Cabinet gave its seal of approval to sign the Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement, known as the CIS-MOA, between Pakistan and the US. However, there was no official announcement from either side about the signing of the agreement. The signing of the CIS-MOA indicates that the U.S. might sell some military hardware to Pakistan in coming years.
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