News in Short

• India has ‘strongly’ rejected the criticism of its Kashmir policy by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
• In advised the OIC to refrain from making such references in future. Without naming Pakistan, the foreign ministry said the organisation of Muslim-majority nations was being used by the country for a campaign against India.
• India has said that It is regrettable that OIC continues to allow itself to be used by a certain country, which has an abominable record on religious tolerance, radicalism, and persecution of minorities, to indulge in anti-India propaganda.

• A new research has shown that more than half of men (55%) and some two thirds (65%) of women aged 20 years in India will likely develop diabetes, with most of those cases (around 95%) likely to be type 2 diabetes (T2D).
• Researchers noted that India already has a significant health burden caused by diabetes and estimates suggest 77 million adults have diabetes and this number is expected to almost double to 134 million by 2045.
• The new estimates from India are much closer to estimates of lifetime risk of 20-year-olds among the black and Hispanic populations in the U.S. (above 50%), groups considered at a higher risk of developing diabetes than the general population.
• In India — urbanisation, decreasing diet quality, and decreased levels of physical activity — are all contributing to this hidden epidemic.

• Academy Award-winning music composer AR Rahman was announced as the ambassador for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts’ (BAFTA) ‘Breakthrough Initiative’.
• The initiative, supported by Netflix, aims to identify, celebrate, and support up to five talents working in film, games, or TV in India.
• The flagship new talent initiative is part of BAFTA’s year-round work to support new talent, operating alongside their awards ceremonies worldwide.

• China is reportedly planning to construct a major hydropower project on Brahmaputra river in Tibet. The proposal for this project was presented in the 14th Five-Year Plan, and the construction will begin from next year.
• This project has raised concerns for the South Asian countries India and Bangladesh. The Indian government has urged China to keep the interests of the downstream areas and make sure that the trans-border rivers' usage rights are not harmed by the upstream areas.
• As a lower riparian State with considerable established user rights to the waters of the trans-border rivers, the Indian government has consistently conveyed its views and concerns to the Chinese authorities and has urged them to ensure that the interests of downstream States are not harmed by any activities in upstream areas.

• Indian skipper Virat Kohli has become the fastest batsman to cross 22,000 runs in international cricket. Kohli achieved this feat by playing a masterclass knock at SCG in the second ODI match against Australia.
• Kohli took just 418 matches and 462 innings to enter the list. Tendulkar currently heads the list with 34,357 runs followed by Kumar Sangakkara (28,016), Ricky Ponting (27,483), Jayawardene (25,957), Jack Kallis (25,534), Rahul Dravid (24,208), and Brain Lara (22,358).
• Kohli has 22,011 runs in international cricket. He has 11,977 runs in ODIs, 7,240 in Tests, and 2,794 in T20Is. Kohli is just six centuries away from Sachin Tendulkar’s record of most hundreds in the 50-over format.