News in Short

• Large number of pilot whales are stuck in shallow water on a sandbar off the remote west coast of the Australian island of Tasmania.
• Around 40 government scientists, 20 police officers, and local fish farmers and volunteers are involved in the rescue attempt.
• Scientists do not know why whales sometimes beach themselves but they are known to follow a leader, as well as gather around an injured or distressed whale.

• The government has informed IAMAI that it would not support the self-regulatory model proposed by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) for content on online-streaming services and OTT players.
• The proposed self-regulatory mechanism lacks independent third-party monitoring, does not have a well-defined Code of Ethics, does not clearly enunciate prohibited content, and at the second and third-tier level there is an issue of conflict of interest.
• It stated that IAMAI is “advised” to look at the structures of the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) and News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) as guiding principles for developing a credible self-regulatory and grievance redressal mechanism for Online Curated Content Providers (OCCP).

• Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), along with others, have discovered an earth-sized "Pi Planet" that revolves around its star every 3.14 days.
• The orbit of the planet, suspectedly is not hospitable as its tight orbit brings the planet close enough to its star to heat its probably terrestrial surface up to 450 Kelvins, or around 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• The researchers discovered signals of the planet in data taken in 2017 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Kepler Space Telescope's K2 mission.

• World Rhino Day celebrates Rhinoceroses and generates awareness of issues regarding their well-being.
• In recent years, rhinos have been threatened by poaching, urbanization, and pollution, which have left certain rhino species on the brink of extinction while leaving other species severely endangered.
• World Rhino Day was first planned by World Wildlife Fund-South Africa in 2010. Since then, September 22nd has been celebrated annually by governments, animal rights organizations, and animal enthusiasts as World Rhino Day.

• The opposition will boycott the proceedings of the Rajya House and put forth three demands, including the revoking the suspension of eight MPs.
• Parties which will boycott the Rajya Sabha session include Congress, SP, NCP, DMK, TMC, AAP, RJD, TRS, and BSP.
• As many as eight members of the Rajya Sabha were suspended after the government brought a motion in this regard which was passed by the House by voice vote.