# G20

• As Indonesia handed over the G20 presidency to India, PM Narendra Modi assured the world’s premier forum for economic cooperation that India’s presidency will be inclusive, ambitious, decisive, action oriented and that it will work to make G20 to convey a strong message of peace and security.
• Taking charge from Indonesian president Joko Widodo at the 17th G20 summit in Bali that ended Wednesday, PM Modi said India’s presidency has come at a time when the world is simultaneously grappling with geopolitical tensions, economic slowdown, rising food and energy prices and long term ill effects of the Pandemic.
• The G20 Bali declaration was finally adopted by consesus even though it failed to gloss over serious differences over Ukraine.
• PM Modi and UK prime Minister, in their first bilateral meeting, backed a trade deal, which according to the UK, could unlock investment and increase jobs in both countries.

# Uttarakhand

• In a major decision, the Uttarakhand government on Wednesday gave nod to a proposal recommending stricter provisions for unlawful, forceful and fraudulent conversions in the state.
• The provisions of the proposal recommend a jail term upto 10 years for the guilty and a cash penalty upto ₹10 lakh.
• Besides that, unlawful conversion has been made a cognizable and non bailable offence.
• In 2018, the state government had passed the Uttrakhand Freedom of religion act.

# NASA

• NASA’s huge next generation rocketship was on course on Wednesday for a crewless voyage around the moon and back hours after blasting off from Florida on its debut flight.
• It happened half a century after the final lunar mission of appolo era.
• The 32 storey tall space launch system (SLS) rocket lifted off from NASA’s John F Keneddy space centre.

# Trade partner

• Driven largely by a surge in oil imports, Russia has emerged as India’s fifth largest trading Partner during April-September.
• Russia jumped from the 25th place at the end of the financial year.