SNIPPETS 22 MARCH 2026

Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC): Created by: ECI+ Ensuring compliance with EC guidelines and preventing paid news or misleading content+ Strict vigil on suspected cases of paid news in the media and take suitable action+ ECI has issued orders requiring to apply to the MCMC for pre-certification of all political advertisements on electronic and social media

Global Terrorism Index, 2026: Published by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), a Sydney-based independent, non-profit think tank+ Top rank: Pakistan recorded the highest score, being the country most impacted by terrorism+ ~ 70% of deaths from terrorism occurred in only 5 countries: Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Niger, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)+ Substantial fall in terrorism: Deaths from terrorism fell 28% and number of attacks declined by ~ 22%.

Molecular Clouds: It is an interstellar cloud of gas and dust in which molecules can form, the most common of which is hydrogen (H2)+ It is generally thought that our Sun formed in a similar molecular cloud by collapse of the cloud triggered by nearby supernova+ It is opaque because of its internal dust grains. The form of such dark clouds is very irregular: they have no clearly defined outer boundaries.