# Supreme Court

• Supreme Court on Wednesday said parliament may not be able to effectively debate the issue of doing away with irrational freebies offered to voter’s during elections, saying the reality is that not a single political party wants to take away freebies.
• The Court suggested setting up a specialised body composed of persons who can dispassionately examine the problem.
• The Court directed the parties to make “suggestions for the composition of a body”.
• It proposed that this body could examine ways to resolve the issues of freebies and file a report before the centre or election Commission of India.

# Taiwan

• China’s military on Thursday will begin one of its largest ever exercises in waters off Taiwan that will effectively seal off its airspace and waters for four days.
• It is part of a number of measures beijing is expected to announce in retaliation for Wednesday’s visit by United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
• Chinese analysts described the four days exercises as an effective blockade, which is likely to disrupt both Shipping and aviation.

# UNSC meeting

• In a first, India will host diplomats and officials from all 15 countries of the United Nations Security Council including China, Russia and the US for a special meeting on Terrorism in Delhi and Mumbai in October.
• The meeting of the counter terrorism committee, which India is chairing for 2022 as a member of the UNSC, will focus particularly on challenges such as terrorism financing, cyber threats and the use of drains.

# CVC

• Vigilance commissioner Suresh N. Patel was sworn in as the central vigilance commissioner by president Draupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Wednesday.
• The ceremony was also attended by the prime minister Narendra Modi, Vice president M. Venkaiah Naidu and leader of the opposition Mallikarjun Khrage.