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- WhatsApp has said it will now allow its users to decide whether they want to get added to groups on the instant messaging platform.
- The move assumes significance, especially ahead of elections in the country, as social media platforms are expected to play a major role in political campaigns to reach out to citizens in large numbers.
- The messaging app has added a new privacy setting in which an invite system will help users decide who can add them to groups.
- Previously, WhatsApp users could be added to groups without their consent. These new privacy settings have been rolled out to some users starting Wednesday, and will be available worldwide in the coming weeks to those using the latest version of WhatsApp.
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- The Philippine Supreme Court on 2nd April ordered the release of police documents on thousands of killings of suspects in the president's anti-drug crackdown, in a ruling that human rights groups said could shed light on allegations of extrajudicial killings.
- Supreme Court spokesman Brian Keith Hosaka said the court ordered the government solicitor-general to provide the police reports to two rights groups which had sought them
- The 15-member court, whose justices are meeting in northern Baguio city, has yet to rule on a separate petition to declare President Rodrigo Duterte's anti-drug campaign unconstitutional.
- Solicitor-General Jose Calida had earlier agreed to release the voluminous police documents to the court but rejected the requests of the two groups, the Free Legal Assistance Group and the Center for International Law, arguing that such a move would undermine law enforcement and national security.
- The two groups welcomed the court order. "It's a big step forward for transparency and accountability," said Jose Manuel "Chel" Diokno, who heads the Free Legal Assistance Group.
- He said the documents will help the group of human rights lawyers scrutinize the police-led crackdown that was launched when Duterte came to office in mid-2016, and the massive number of killings that the president and police say occurred when suspects fought back and endangered law enforcers, Diokno said.
- "This is an emphatic statement by the highest court of the land that it will not allow the rule of law to be trampled upon in the war on drugs. It is a very important decision," said Joel Butuyan, president of the Center for International Law.
- "These documents are the first step toward the long road to justice for the petitioners and for thousands of victims of the 'war on drugs' and their families," Butuyan said.
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- The Trump administration has approved the sale of 24 multi-role MH-60 Romeo Seahawk helicopters to India at an estimated cost of 2.4 billion US dollars, the State Department has said.
- It is considered the world's most advanced maritime helicopter. The choppers will provide the Indian defence forces with the capability to perform anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare missions.
- The US government on 2nd April notified the Congress that it has approved the sale of the helicopters.
- In its notification, the State Department told the Congress that this proposed sale will support the foreign policy of the US by helping to strengthen the US-Indian strategic relationship.
- The proposed sale of the helicopters will not alter the basic military balance in the region, the statement added
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- The Financial Action Task Force FATF is working to curb terrorism financing and money laundering across the world. Pakistan's foreign minister has acknowledged that the country could lose upto 10 billion dollars annually if it remains on that list.
- India continues to put pressure on the International community to keep Pakistan on that list. In fact India wants Pakistan on the blacklist.
- Pakistan is feeling cornered over pressure generated by India and the international community to act against forces of terrorism. Pakistan's rulers are worried that if the pressure keeps mounting. It will soon be faced with severe economic hardship.
- Pakistan is in danger of being added the blacklist of the international body to curb terror financing. The Financial Action Task Force.
- Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has expressed concern that if Pakistan is blacklisted by the FATF. It will have to deal with huge financial loss. He said since the time the FATF grey listed Pakistan. It has already lost 10 billion US dollars.
- International pressure to curb terror outfits like the Jaish-e-Mohammed which claimed responsibility for the Pulwama terror attack has been mounting against Pakistan.
- In the last meeting of the FATF Task Force Pakistan had been advised to take measures to curb terror funding with specific action points.
- Clearly, Pakistan is feeling the heat generated by India at the international level on the question of curbing terrorism emanating from its soil.
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- The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi to collaborate in the field of standardisation and conformity assessment.
- The MoU was signed by IIT Delhi Director Professor V Ramgopal Rao and Director General of BIS Surina Rajan.
- BIS and IIT Delhi have also agreed to set up a Centre of Excellence in the field of standardization, testing and conformity assessment.
- According to the MoU, IIT Delhi will provide infrastructure support for research and development projects of relevance to standardisation and BIS will provide financial support to IIT Delhi for projects.
- Rao highlighted that around 50 faculty members of the institute are part of the technical committees of BIS and hoped that the memorandum would strengthen the collaboration further.
- Rao underscored the importance of involving youngsters in standardization and discussed various possibilities of incorporating standardisation in the academic curriculum of IIT, Delhi.
- He also emphasized that technology innovation and standards development shall be interwoven seamlessly to foster development of technology oriented products and services
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- Asian Development Bank (ADB) on 3rd April lowered India’s growth by 40 basis points to 7.2 per cent in fiscal year 2019-20. Still. It will be fastest growing economy in the world. The growth rate in FY 2020-21 likely to be 7.3 per cent.
- ADB, in its flagship publication Asian Development Outlook 2019, mentioned that recent policy measures by the Government to improve the investment climate and boost private consumption and investment will help India to lift economic growth in the next two fiscal years.
- ADB projection is slightly higher than projections by other agencies which estimated growth rate between 7 to 7.1 per cent.
- For the entire Asia, the multilateral agency forecasted that growth will soften to 5.7 per cent in 2019 and 5.6 per cent in 2020. Developing Asia’s growth in 2018 was 5.9 per cent
- Excluding the newly industrialized economies of Hong Kong (China), South Korea, Singapore, and Taipei (China), developing Asia is forecast to expand 6.2 per cent in 2019 and a slightly slower 6.1 per cent in 2020. Still, it is lower than 6.4 per cent growth recorded in 2018.
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