Lima climate summit: Saarc stands up to be counted as one
- LIMA: The Saarc bloc has finally emerged as a united force at the ongoing climate talks with ministers and key representatives of all eight member countries formally sealing the existence of south Asia as a common entity here as far as putting across their stand at the UN forum is concerned. TOI had last week suggested that such a move was likely.
Nepal made a joint statement on behalf of Saarc, bringing out south Asia's common position which strictly adheres to the basic principles of the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol.
The countries — India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives and Afghanistan — jointly asked rich nations to fulfill their promises of emission cuts during the pre-2020 phase (second commitment period of Kyoto Protocol) as this action alone would convince the rest of the world about their intention and commitment post-2020 based on next year's global climate deal.
All member countries formally agreed to make a joint statement on behalf of the Saarc during a dinner meeting of ministers/representatives of eight countries on Monday.
The Indian side was led by the country's environment and climate change minister Prakash Javadekar who came here with a pre-planned move to revive the group after heads of all the countries had agreed for it during the November Saarc conference in Kathmandu.
India, Russia sign 20 pacts
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 11 December 2014 engaged Russian President Vladimir Putin in a serious dialogue for pushing his economic agenda, which should see the trade between the two countries treble to $30 billion by 2025.
Modi disregarded strong hints from the US not to expand ties with sanction-hit Russia. His first bilateral meeting with Putin was followed by signing of 20 agreements, including one for supply of crude oil from Russia to India for the next 10 years. New Delhi and Moscow also outlined an ambitious agenda for cooperation in nuclear energy sector.
Russia will build at least 12 more reactors — including the two new units in Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu — in India over the next 20 years, with scope for transfer of technology and local manufacturing of spares and components. Russia also offered to manufacture advanced military helicopters in India with provisions of exports.The two countries signed an agreement for training the Indian armed forces in Russia.
Just six weeks before US President Barack Obama is expected to visit New Delhi to attend the Republic Day ceremony, Modi on Thursday joined Putin to oppose all unilateral sanctions, which are not approved by the United Nations Security Council.
Anti Conversion Law: Helpful or Detrimental
- As the Agra re-conversion row hit Indian Parliament yet again and the BJP led NDA government was accused of pursuing a communal agenda, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu floated the idea of an Anti-Conversion Law, amid a walkout by major opposition parties in the Lok Sabha on 11th December 2014.
While this Bill has been in practise in certain states in India, can this Bill help in preventing mass conversions that happen due to luring or forcing the poor sections of society or can it be used to further a communal agenda?
Advantages
The Indian Constitution in Article 25 grants to citizens of India of all religious persuasions freedom to profess, practise and propagate their faith in a way that does not disrupt public order and does not affect public health and morality adversely.
The Article 25 of the Indian Constitution is a basic human rights guarantee that cannot be subverted or misinterpreted in any manner. It is in this context that the anti-conversion laws in India must be viewed. Anti-conversion laws are promulgated on the premise that forced or induced conversions happen and need to be prevented.
Air pollution discolouring Taj Mahal: Study
- WASHINGTON: Airborne carbon particles and dust are discolouring the Taj Mahal's iconic marble dome and soaring minarets, giving the gleaming white landmark a brownish case, Indian and US researchers have found.
"Our team was able to show that the pollutants discolouring the Taj Mahal are particulate matter: carbon from burning biomass and refuse, fossil fuels, and dust - possibly from agriculture and road traffic," said Michael Bergin, a professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
In addition to Georgia Tech, researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur (IIT-K), Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and the University of Wisconsin collaborated on the project.
Built in the 1600s by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, the structure is a mausoleum that includes a massive marble dome 115 feet high and minarets that reach 130 feet.
Attracting millions of visitors each year, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.
Pluto-sized objects swarming around Sun-like star
- Astronomers have detected an entire family of Pluto-size objects swarming around a star which is an adolescent version of our own Sun, located approximately 90 light-years from Earth.
By making detailed observations of the protoplanetary disk surrounding the star known as HD 107146, the astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) detected an unexpected increase in the concentration of millimetre-size dust grains in the disk’s outer reaches.
This surprising increase, which begins remarkably far – about 13 billion kilometres – from the host star, may be the result of Pluto-size planetesimals stirring up the region, causing smaller objects to collide and blast themselves apart.
Dust in debris disks typically consists of material left over from the formation of planets. Very early in the lifespan of the disk, this dust is continuously replenished by collisions of larger bodies, such as comets and asteroids.
In mature solar systems with fully formed planets, comparatively little dust remains.
In between these two ages – when a solar system is in its awkward teenage years – certain models predict that the concentration of dust would be much denser in the most distant regions of the disk. This is precisely what ALMA has found.
“The dust in HD 107146 reveals this very interesting feature – it gets thicker in the very distant outer reaches of the star’s disk,” said Luca Ricci, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), and lead author on a paper accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal
China refutes Vietnam’s claims over islands in South China Sea
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- Beijing: China has dismissed Vietnam’s sovereignty claim on the disputed islands in the South China Sea, saying it is “illegal and invalid” and Beijing “will never accept such claim.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei made the comment later yesterday after Vietnam’s foreign ministry said Hanoi held sovereignty over the Spraley and Paracel islands which China calls Nansha and Xisha islands.
Vietnam objected to China’s stance of the nine-dash line claiming most part of the South China Sea.
Vietnam stated its position to the Arbitral Tribunal on the South China Sea Arbitration initiated by the Philippines under the UN Convention on Law of Seas (UNCLOS).
China refused to join the arbitration, saying the dispute should be resolved directly by the parties concerned.
Ukrainian prez slams India over Crimean leader visit
- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko lashed out at India on Friday over a visit by the leader of Crimea, the former Ukrainian territory annexed by Russia, who accompanied President Vladimir Putin's annual summit delegation this week.
India does not back Western sanctions against Russia, and the unofficial trip by Sergey Aksyonov could spoil the mood before Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosts US President Barack Obama for India's Republic Day festivities in January.
Poroshenko, addressing the Lowy Institute think tank in Sydney, said India was placing more importance on "money" than "values" by welcoming Aksyanov, and it was not standing with "civilisation" against Russian aggression.
"It is not an easy job, to keep the world together," Poroshenko said to laughter, when asked by a journalist about the visit.
"The Indian position doesn't help, it doesn't save Mr Aksyanov," he added. "He is a criminal, it's very simple. He has a criminal background and no doubt he has a criminal future."
US passes bill to use force against ISIS
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- A key US Congressional committee has passed a bill authorising use of military force against the dreaded Islamist State militant group that has seized swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.
The Authorisation for Use of Military Force (AUMF) bill allows the President to use military force against ISIS for up to three years.
“But (it) limits the activities of US Armed Forces from participating in ground combat operations except in defined circumstances,” said Senator Robert Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
AUMF passed by a vote of 10 to 8. This AUMF would also require a report on the comprehensive strategy for this campaign after 60 days and sunset the 2001 al-Qaeda AUMF after a period of three years enactment, unless it is reauthorized, he said.
Earlier, Secretary of State John Kerry appeared before the Committee urging Senators to approve force authorization.
“We stand resolved to defeat ISIS,” he said.
The State Department said it continues to believe the Menendez draft AUMF text provides a reasonable basis for continued discussions.
Measures to make Agriculture Profitable
- The Various measures taken for quality improvement and availability of essential factors like fertilizers, seeds, electricity and irrigation facilities for agriculture in order to make it a profitable business include the following:
The Government is implementing various Missions, Schemes and Projects which facilitate production, availability & distribution of quality seeds and fertilizers to farmers. The Government of India has launched a new schemes viz. Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) which aims to provide reliable and adequate power supply to farmers by separation of agriculture and non-agriculture feeders and strengthening of sub-transmission and distribution infrastructure in rural areas, among others. Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana for rural electrification will get subsumed in DDUGJY.
Water is a State subject; water resources/ irrigation projects are planned, executed and maintained by State Governments from their own resources and as per their own priorities. Government of India provides financial and technical assistance to the States under Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme, Repair, Renovation and Restoration of Water Bodies Scheme and CADWM Programme, to enhance the irrigation potential of the country as well as to ensure its effective utilization. Financial assistance is also being provided to farmers for micro irrigation and protected cultivation under various schemes viz., Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), On-Farm Water Management (OFWM) under National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY). Assistance for micro irrigation is being provided under OFWM @ 35% for small & marginal farmers and 25% for other farmers for an area upto 5 ha per farmer. This assistance is 50% & 35% respectively in the areas covered under Drought Prone Areas Programme, Desert Development Programme and North Eastern & Himalayan regions.
Wake Forest research confirms controversial nitrite hypothesis
- WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Understanding how nitrite can improve conditions such as hypertension, heart attack and stroke has been the object of worldwide research studies. New research from Wake Forest University has potentially moved the science one step closer to this goal.
In a paper published online ahead of print in the February issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, senior co-author Daniel Kim-Shapiro, professor of physics at Wake Forest, and others show that deoxygenated hemoglobin is indeed responsible for triggering the conversion of nitrite to nitric oxide, a process that affects blood flow and clotting.
"We have shown that conversion of nitrite to nitric oxide by deoxygenated hemoglobin in red blood cells reduces platelet activation," Kim-Shapiro said. "This action has implications in treatments to reduce clotting in pathological conditions including sickle cell disease and stroke."
Current Affairs were found in Month - November 2014
1 Nov - World Vegan Day.
- Three Indians and one Thai person were conferred 37th Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation Award for 2014.
- Thai Person is - Sulak Sivaraksa.
- The Indian awardees are
- Chennupati Vidya
- Surendra Koulagi
- Ram Kumar Singh
- Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim member economies that seeks to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
- Males - India's Kidambi Srikanth won by beating China's Lin Dan.
- Females - India's Saina Nehwal won by beating Japan's Akane Yamaguchi.
- In September, CPI inflation was 6.46%, making October the third consecutive month that retail inflation has eased.
- Index of Industrial Production (IIP) of September saw 2.5% increase, compared to a decrease of 0.4% in August.
- Oldemiro Julio Marques Baloi, Foreign Minister of Mozambique Visited India. India and Mozambique signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the oil and gas sector for a period of five years.
- Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung Visited India.
- Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin Visited India.
- Oman's Commerce and Industry Minister Ali Bin Masoud Al Visited India.
- Cricketer of the Year and Test Cricketer of The Year - Mitchell Johnsson (Australia).
- One day cricketer of the year - A B De Villiers (South Africa)
- Female One day Cricketer of the year - Sara Taylor (UK)
- Emerging Cricketer - Gary Ballance (UK)
- Best Umpire (David Shepherd Trophy) - Richard Kettleborough
- PM Narendra Modi leaves for 10 Days Visit to Myammar, Australia and Fiji.
- Will be in Myammar on Nov 12 & 13 for ASEAN (Association of South east Asian Nations) 25th summit and 9th East Asia Summit and 12th India-Asean Summit.
- Will be on a Visit to Australia From Nov 14 - 18, 2014.
- Will be in Fiji on Nov 19, 2014.
- Come back to India on Nov 20, 2014.
- President Pranab Mukherjee Visited Bhutan.
- Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj Visited Mauritius and Maldives.
- PM Narendra Modi leaves for 10 Days Visit to Myammar, Australia and Fiji.
- Physical Sciences - Srivari Chandrasekhar
- Engineering and Computer Science - Jayant Haritsa
- Humanities - Shamnad Basheer
- Life Sciences - Shubha Tole
- Mathematical Sciences - Madhu Sudan
- Social Sciences - Esther Duflo
- Cabinet Ministers
- Manohar Parrikar - Ministry of Defence.
- Suresh Prabhu - Minister of Railways.
- Jagat Prakash Nadda - Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
- Ch. Birender Singh - Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water and Sanitation.
- Current Cabinet of Ministers of India is -
Rajnath Singh Home Affairs Manohar Parrikar Defence Arun Jaitley Finance, Corporate Affairs, Information & Broadcasting Venkaiah Naidu Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Parliamentary Affairs Nitin Jairam Gadkari Road Transport and Highways Sushma Swaraj External Affairs, Overseas Indian Affairs Suresh Prabhu Railways D.V. Sadananda Gowda Law & Justice Uma Bharati Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Najma A. Heptulla Minority Affairs Ram Vilas Paswan Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Kalraj Mishra Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Maneka Gandhi Women and Child Development Ananth Kumar Chemicals and Fertilizers Ravi Shankar Prasad Communications and Information Technology Jagat Prakash Nadda Health & Family Welfare Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati Civil Aviation Anant Geete Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Harsimrat Kaur Badal Food Processing Industries Narendra Singh Tomar Mines, Steel Ch. Birender Singh Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water and Sanitation Jual Oram Tribal Affairs Radha Mohan Singh Agriculture Thawar Chand Gehlot Social Justice and Empowerment Smriti Zubin Irani Human Resource Development Harsh Vardhan Science and Technology, Earth Sciences
- Cabinet Ministers
- Jeevan Pramaan Yojana, Aadhar-based Digital Life Certificate for pensioners.
- Pragati Yojana for promoting participation of Girls in Higher Education.
- Saksham Yojana for Promotion of Technical Education for PWD (Persons with Disabilities).
- Will be in Myammar on Nov 12 & 13 for ASEAN (Association of South east Asian Nations) 25th summit and 9th East Asia Summit and 12th India-Asean Summit.
- Will be on a Visit to Australia From Nov 14 - 18, 2014.
- Will be in Fiji on Nov 19, 2014.
- Come back to India on Nov 20, 2014.
- Will be in Myammar on Nov 12 & 13 for ASEAN (Association of South east Asian Nations) 25th summit and 9th East Asia Summit and 12th India-Asean Summit.
- Will be on a Visit to Australia From Nov 14 - 18, 2014.
- Will be in Fiji on Nov 19, 2014.
- Come back to India on Nov 20, 2014.
- Payment Banks
- The minimum capital for payments banks is 100 crore rupees.
- Existing non-bank Pre-paid Payment Instrument (PPI) issuers, mobile firms and supermarket chains, among others existing NBFCs and micro finance lenders are promoters who are eligible to set up payment banks.
- Large public sector enterprises and big industrial houses are not allowed to establish Payment banks.
- Payment Banks will hold upto 1 lakh rupees per customer. They can issue debit but not credit cards.
- Payment bank cannot give loans but can distribute non-risk sharing simple products like mutual fund units and insurance products, etc.
- These banks must maintain Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) with RBI And will invest min 75 % of its demand deposit balances in Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) and hold max 25 per cent as deposits with other scheduled commercial banks for liquidity management.
- The promoter’s minimum initial contribution to the paid-up equity capital for payments bank shall at least be 40 percent for the first five years from the commencement of its business.
- Payment Banks
- The Index ranks 167 countries in terms total number of people living in modern slavery.
- It was topped by India followed by China, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Russia.
- 35.8 million people are in modern slavery globally.
- The Index ranks 167 countries in terms total number of people living in modern slavery.
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