WBCSMadeEasy

1. The Indian Navy has formally inducted four types of indigenously developed sonars that will boost its underwater surveillance capability. The systems have been designed and developed by NPOL Naval Physical & Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), a Kochi based laboratory of DRDO. These 4 types of sonars are Abhay: It is an advanced hull mounted active-cum-passive integrated sonar system. It has been designed and developed for the smaller platforms such as shallow water crafts and coastal surveillance/patrol vessels. It is capable of detecting, classifying, localizing and tracking sub-surface and surface targets in both its active and passive modes of operation. Indian Navy has proposed to induct this SONAR on three of the Abhay class ships. Humsa UG: It has been designed for upgrading the existing Humsa sonar system for intensifying the command over the high seas. This system is proposed to be installed on seven ships of three different classes of ships. AIDSS: It stands for Advanced Indigenous Distress sonar system for submarines. It is distress sonar is an Emergency Sound Signaling Device. It is used to indicate that a submarine is in distress and enable quick rescue and salvage. It is also provided with a transponder capability.

2. India is not inclined to automatically grant the coveted ‘Market Economy Status’ (MES) to China under World Trade Organisation (WTO) norms in December 2016. The main reason India is reluctant to grant MES to China is that it will severely curb India’s ability to impose anti-dumping duties on “unfairly priced” Chinese imports. Earlier, US and the EU also had opposed to grant MES to China on the same issue. What is Market Economy Status (MES)? Under WTO norms, once a country gets MES status, exports from it are to be accepted at the production costs and selling price as the benchmark. Prior to this status, country is considered as a Non Market Economy (NME). Under the WTO norms, the importing countries are allowed to use alternative methodologies for the determination of normal values for the exports from NME country. It often leads to imposition of higher anti-dumping duties by importing countries to protect its domestic market. What is the MES issue of China? As per the 2001 agreement (Protocol on accession of China to the WTO), WTO-member countries had then decided to deem China as a ‘market economy’ from December 2016. The 15-year time period (i.e. till December 2016) was given to China to carry out internal reforms and transition into a ‘market economy.’ This period allowed WTO member nations to ignore selling price and production costs in China for 15 years in calculating the ‘normal value’ of the exported goods. It also gave permission WTO member nations to compare prices or costs with external benchmarks to calculate the ‘normal value’ and ‘dumping margin’. However, unlike in ‘market economies’ where prices of items are market determined there is still a significant government influence in the Chinese market. So many countries are opposing to give MES status to China. What are main reasons for opposition? Chinese government influence is still seen in its market which in turn causes distortions in international trade and export of cheap goods to other countries. It includes government subsidies for various sectors, currency ‘manipulation’ and the related ‘price fixing’, bad loans of banks and absence of transparency in lending rates, minimum wages and property rights, lack of proper business accounting standards etc. What will be consequences for India? MES status to China, will severely limit India’s ability to resort to anti-dumping on cheap imports from China. It will have negative impact on India’s manufacturers in chemicals, steel, electrical and electronics sectors as they will be severely hurt by unfairly low-priced imports from China.

3. The International Conference on Brucellosis 2016 and the 69th meeting of the International Society on Brucellosis was inaugurated in New Delhi. The three day conference has been organised by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in collaboration with Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR).About Brucellosis Brucellosis is a dreadful disease caused by genus of bacteria known as Brucella. It infects various species of Brucella cows, buffalos, goats, sheep, pigs, dogs and other animals and also humans. How it is transmitted? Human become infected by this disease by coming in contact with animals or animal products (meat and milk) contaminated with these bacteria. The persons who are exposed to high risk of brucellosis infection are dairy man, veterinarians, butchers and other animal handlers. What are symptoms? In infected humans, range of brucellosis symptoms are seen. They are similar to the flu and may include fever, headache, sweats, back pain and physical weakness. In case of severe infections of the central nervous system (CNS) or lining of the heart may also occur. Diagnosis Often it is diagnosed after ruling out all other fevers such as those caused by typhoid, malaria, dengue etc. Chronic brucellosis can be treated with triple-antibiotic therapy.

4. Scientists have improved the photosynthesis process in the plants to produce faster-growing crops. The breakthrough was published in the journal Science. They had used genetic modification technology to improve photosynthesis in the plants. This modification increased amount of sunlight energy crop plants can channel into food production. Significance The breakthrough has increased the yield in the experimental crop by 15 per cent. This is seen as a critical step towards increasing crop production to feed a growing global population. How research was conducted? Scientists had targeted plant’s natural Sun-protection mechanism. This mechanism evolved in plants along with its ability to produce food using sunlight energy. The Sun-protection mechanism evolved in plants to protect them from Sun damage by slowing down the photosynthesis by losing the excess heat. Scientists inserted extra copies of the genes responsible for this heat-loss switch in the plants to remove inefficiencies in crops resulting in loss of the excess heat. This gene stopped heat-loss switch and stopped the heat loss and used excess heat for enhancing photosynthesis.

5. Iran for the first time ever has surpassed Saudi Arabia to become India’s top crude oil supplier. It was revealed by ship tracking data and a report compiled by Thomson Reuters Oil Research and Forecasts. Earlier, Iran used to be India’s second-biggest oil supplier after Saudi Arabia till 2010-11. However, it had ceded its position to Iraq after the tougher western countries sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear development programme. Key Facts India’s oil imports from Iran have shot up after sanctions were lifted in January 2016. In October 2016, oil imports from Iran surged more than threefold as compared October 2015. In October 2016, India imported 7,89,000 barrels per day (bpd) from Iran compared to 6,97,000 bpd supplied by Saudi Arabia. In the January to October 2016 period, Saudi Arabia still holds India’s top supply spot, at an average of 8,30,000 bpd against Iraq’s 7,84,000 bpd and Iran’s 4,56,400 bpd. What are reasons for sudden surge? Iran produces almost 4 million bpd of oil and exports 2.4 million bpd. Its arch rival Saudi Arabia, has increased its capacity to refine oil rather than exporting more crude. Iranian price discounts has attracted purchases from India’s programme to build up its strategic petroleum reserves (SPR). For the SPR stocks, India imported 2 million barrels of Iran and is going to import another 4 million barrels in November 2016. Besides, buyers of Iranian oil which had stopped imports during the sanctions period again have returned. It includes, Indian refiners including Reliance Industries Ltd, operator of the world’s biggest refinery complex at Jamnagar.

6. Jammu and Kashmir Government has launched Jhelum-Tawi flood recovery project to give push to the reconstruction and rehabilitation of infrastructure post-2014 floods in the state. The project which is funded World Bank was formally launched Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in Srinagar.

7. China’s ‘Sunway Taihulight’ has won the fastest supercomputer title in the recently released 48th edition of Top500 list of supercomputers. With this, Chinese supercomputer has retained the top spot in the list of the world’s fastest supercomputers for the eighth consecutive year. In this list, the number of systems installed in China had increased to 171 from 168 on last list released in June 2016. United States also now has 171 systems up from 165 in previous list. About Sunway TaihuLight supercomputer Sunway TaihuLight is built entirely using processors designed and made in China. It had made its first public appearance in June 2016. It was developed by the China’s National Research Centre of Parallel Computer Engineering and Technology (NRCPC). It can perform 93 quadrillions calculations per second (petaflop/s) almost three times as fast as Tianhe-2. In June 2016, TaihuLight had dethroned the former fastest supercomputer Tianhe-2, also a Chinese system but built based on Intel chips. Prior to its introduction, Tianhe-2 had claimed top spot in Top500 list for past three years. TaihuLight is intended for use in research and engineering including climate, weather, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and data analytics. Other supercomputers in Top500 list Second position: An Intel-based Chinese Tianhe-2 supercomputer which can perform calculations with processing speed of 33.86 Pflops. Third position: Supercomputer Titan of the US Department of Energy (DOE). It has a performance of 17.59 Pflops. Fourth position: IBM Sequoia Supercomputer system installed at US DOE’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Fifth position: The Cori supercomputer. It is a new system installed at US Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. It has a performance of 14.0 petaflop/s. Top500 list of Supercomputers Top500 list is considered one of the most authoritative rankings of the world’s supercomputers. It is compiled on the basis of the supercomputers’ performance on the Linpack benchmark by experts from the United States and Germany Comment In the 47th edition of list released in June 2016, China had overtaken US in the number of total supercomputers installed. That was the first time that US has not dominated this category since the list was started 23 years ago. It indicates the rise of China in the high performance computing (HPC) field.

8. The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea filed by Tamil Nadu to review a 2014 apex court judgment banning Jallikattu. The apex court questioned the need to “tame” a domestic animal like the bull and further held that Jallikattu has nothing to do with exercise of the fundamental right of religious freedom. It also held that Jallikattu runs counter to the concept of welfare of the animal, which is the basic foundation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

9. The Supreme Court ordered search engines Google, Yahoo and Microsoft’s Bing to immediately stop displaying advertisements relating to pre-natal sex determination tests. It also directed the Union government to constitute a nodal agency to monitor and trigger search engines to crack down on online pre-natal sex determination advertisements. What is the case? The apex court was hearing a petition filed by Dr. Sabu Mathew George in 2008 in the background of increasing instances of female foeticide. The petition had contended that pre-natal sex determination tests continue with impunity despite being made illegal in 1994. It also had highlighted that search engines violated Indian laws by displaying prenatal sex determination advertisements. What was SC’s order? The nodal agency should receive complaints about illegal online advertisements under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994. It should communicate the tip-offs to online search engines which would delete these advertisements within 36 hours of getting the information. This interim arrangement will continue till it took a final decision on the continued existence of online sex selection ads. In the previous order, the SC had concluded that it was the liability of these search engines to check for pre-natal sex determination advertisements and develop in-house methods to prohibit such content. As follow up to this order, the search engines had developed a technique called “auto block” which prohibited advertisements on sex determination. About PCPNDT Act, 1994 The PCPNDT Act, 1994 prohibits pre-natal sex determination in the country. The law was brought in to stop female foeticide and arrest the declining sex ratio in India. Under this Act, gender determination and gender selection is prohibited. Under it, anyone who abets such an act, either by helping in removing a foetus or by giving such information about a foetus is liable to be punished.

10. President Pranab Mukherjee launched the National Student Startup Policy (NSSP) to promote technology-driven student start-ups. It was launched during the second Visitor’s Conference held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. Key facts The NSSP has been formulated by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). It aims to create 1 lakh technology based student start-ups and a million employment opportunities within the next 10 years. It also aims to propel Indian youth to contribute to the nation’s socio-economic progress through promotion of technology-driven student start-ups. NSSP seeks to develop an ideal entrepreneurial ecosystem by lending crucial soft skills like decision-making in the students. It also seeks to promote strong inter-institutional partnerships among technical institutions. Second Visitor’s Conference: It is a conference of Vice Chancellors/Directors/Director Generals of Institutions of higher learning for which the President is a visitor. This is the second time President has convened such a conference which has brought together all heads of higher education institutions in one forum. Earlier, separate conferences were held for Vice Chancellors of Central Universities, Directors of IITs, IISERs, NITs and IISC.

11. Doctors from Netherlands have performed the first-ever brain implant on a 58-year-old woman paralysed by Lou Gehrig’s disease (also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-ALS). With this, she became the first patient to use a brain-computer interface. The implant has enabled paralysed women to communicate in day-to-day life via a speech computer. What is the case? Prior to this implant, the ALS disease had caused nerve degeneration in the women and she was left completely locked-in. Her motor neurons had deteriorated to the point where she could only control her eye muscles. First-ever brain implant Doctors in first-ever brain implant directly installed a device called an electrocorticograph (ECoG) on the women’s brain. The device has electrodes fitted in the brain. Using these electrodes in brain, the patient can control the computer using brain signals, spell out messages at two letters per minute. How it works? These implanted electrodes detect brain activity that results when she moves fingers in her mind, and coverts it into a mouse click. The patient has a screen in front of her that includes the alphabet and some additional functions (such as selecting previously spelled words or deleting letters). Each letter on screen lights up one at a time, and by using her brain to click the mouse at the right time, she can compose words one letter at a time. These words then are vocalized by a speech computer. The entire process is done wirelessly.

12. Russia has officially withdrawn from International Criminal Court (ICC) after President Vladimir Putin signed an executive order in this regard. The executive order mentioned that Russia is pulling out of the 2002 Rome Statute, which establishes the ICC’s status and powers. However, Russia had never ratified the statue meaning it was never member subject to its jurisdiction. What is the issue? Russia was against by ICC’s declaration that Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula was an armed conflict. Russia is also under international pressure over its campaign of air strikes in Syria over the issue of bombing civilians and civilian targets. Russia has denied those allegations. Besides, ICC is also examining allegations of war crimes committed by Russian and Georgian forces during a brief 2008 war. About International Criminal Court (ICC) ICC based in The Hague, Netherlands is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal. It has the jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. It was established by the Rome Statute which was adopted in July 1998 end entered into force in July 2002. ICC is seen as a successor to Nuremburg trials after World War II and ad-hoc UN war crimes tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. The multilateral treaty of Rome Statute serves as the ICC’s foundational and governing document. Currently, there are 124 states which are party to Rome Statute and therefore members of the ICC (India and China are not its members).

13. India’s indigenously developed long-endurance combat-capable drone, Rustom-II (TAPAS 201) successfully completed its maiden-flight. The test flight took place from Aeronautical Test Range (ATR), Chitradurga, Karnataka, which is a newly developed flight test range for the testing of UAVs and manned aircraft. During the test, TAPAS 201 accomplished the main objectives of proving the flying platform, such as take-off, bank, level flight and landing among others. Key Facts RUSTOM–II is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV. The UAV weighs two tonnes. It has an endurance of 24 hours. It is multi-mission UAV which can conduct Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions for the armed forces. It can also be used as an unmanned armed combat. It is capable to carry different combinations of payloads like Medium Range Electro Optic (MREO), Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Long Range Electro Optic (LREO). It can also carry Electronic Intelligence (ELINT), Communication Intelligence (COMINT) and Situational Awareness Payloads (SAP) to perform missions during day and night. It has been designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), the Bangalore-based lab of DRDO. HAL and BEL are the production partners. Rustom-II (TAPAS 201) is also first R&D prototype UAV which has undergone certification and qualification for the first flight from Centre for Military Airworthiness & Certification (CEMILAC) and Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DGAQA).

14. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) for the first time has deployed a team of women commandos in anti-Naxal operations in Jharkhand. The 135 women commandos belonging to the 232 battalion’s Delta company have started carrying out anti-Naxal operations.

15. Pakistan conducted Raad ul Barq (Strike of Thunder) military exercise in a strategically located area in Punjab province, bordering India. It was the comprehensive joint exercise carried out jointly by Pakistan Army and Air Force to reflect the preparedness of our armed forces to respond to any threat to its national security.

16. The Union Ministry of Minority Affairs for the first time had inaugurated Hunar Haat (Skill Haat) at India International Trade Fair (2016) at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. It is aimed at promoting and supporting artisans from Minority communities and providing them domestic as well as international market for display and sell their products.

17. The International Day for Tolerance is observed globally on 16 November to generate public awareness of the dangers of intolerance The observance of the day seeks to educate masses about the need for tolerance in society and help them understand the negative effects of intolerance. Besides, the 2016 UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence was bestowed upon Russia’s Federal Research and Methodological Centre for Tolerance Psychology and Education (Tolerance Centre). Background The International Day for Tolerance was instituted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) by passing resolution 51/95 in 1996. The day was officially designated in the wake of the United Nations Year for Tolerance 1995 proclaimed by the UNGA in 1993. UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize The UNESCO had instituted Madanjeet Singh Prize in 1995 to mark the day and the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi for the promotion of tolerance and non-violence. The prize rewards persons in the fields of scientific, artistic, cultural or communication aimed at the promotion of a spirit of tolerance and non-violence.

18. Over 20 countries, including India, Brazil and France have signed the framework agreement of the International Solar Alliance (ISA). The framework agreement of ISA was opened for signatures on the sidelines of CoP22 to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at Marrakech, in Morocco. The signing of the framework agreement has to be followed by ratifications by countries. The agreement will become operational after at least 15 countries have ratified it. About International Solar Alliance (ISA) ISA was jointly launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande at CoP21 in Paris in November 2015. The initiative is brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is India’s first international and inter-governmental organization comprising 121 Countries. ISA is an alliance of 121 solar resource-rich tropical countries lying fully or partially between two tropics and who are also UN members. The institutional structure of ISA consists of an Assembly, a Council and a Secretariat. The secretariat of the ISA is to be located in India. Its members will take coordinated actions through programmes and activities that will aggregate demands for solar finance, solar technologies, innovation, R&D and capacity building. What are objectives of ISA? Boost global demands which will result in further reduction in prices of solar energy deployment. Boost R&D, particularly in areas of efficient storage systems. Promote standardisation in the use of equipments and processes for generating electricity. Standardisation will make the manufacturing of equipments and other hardware cheaper. What is purpose of ISA? More than 120 countries are geographically located in the tropics i.e. between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, either fully or partially. These places get ample sunlight throughout the year, making solar energy easily available resources. These countries also happen to be ones where maximum growth in energy demand in the coming years, but their current production is woefully short of requirement. Thus, the ISA will ensure that as these countries rapidly ramp up their electricity production, predominantly by using clean solar energy and avoid fossil fuels. It is also an attempt to accelerate the global demand for solar energy and gives India an opportunity to take global leadership in the fight against climate change.

19. The sixth edition of India-China Joint Training Exercise “Hand in Hand 2016” has started in Pune, Maharashtra. The aim of the bilateral military exercise is to share the expertise in drills and practices while tackling insurgency and terrorism between Indian Army and People’s Liberation Army of China. Thus, it seeks to promote healthy military to military relations between the two armies and developing joint strategies for conducting operations in a counter terrorism environment. Key Facts The 2016 Hand in Hand Exercise has been planned at the company level with respective battalion headquarters controlling the training. The exercise will be supervised by a joint directing panel comprising senior officials of both the nations. It will be conducted in three phases. The first phase will consists of familiarization with weapons and equipment. The second phase will consist of basic training that includes combat conditioning, support weapon and practice of drills like establishment of covert observation post, firing of personal weapon, house clearing, cordon and search and humanitarian and disaster relief operations. The third phase of the exercise is the conduct of joint exercise. This exercise will enrich the two contingents of both armies in further honing basic military skills. Background The Hand-in-Hand joint training exercise is in continuation of the series of joint exercises between both countries. The first exercise in the series was held in China at Kunming in Yunnan province in 2007. The exercise between two neighbours contributes immensely in developing mutual understanding and respect for each other’s military. The last exercise was held in October 2015 at the Kunming Military Academy in China.

20. Maharashtra became the first state in the country to adopt the Fly Ash Utilization Policy. It was approved by state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The policy paves way for prosperity by generating wealth from waste and environment protection. Key Facts The policy seeks 100% use of fly ash generated from thermal power plants and biogas plants for construction activities. Facilitates use of fly ash to make bricks, blocks, tiles, wall panels, cement and other construction materials. The policy extends use of fly ash to 300 kms radius of power plant from earlier 100 kms radius of power plant. It will help in environment protection and save soil excavation. It also will make available raw material for construction at low cost to help ‘Housing for All’ projects. It will also help create new employment opportunities in the power plant sector and pave way for prosperity by generating Wealth from Waste. What is fly ash? Fly ash is a fine, glass powder by-product recovered from gases of burning coal in thermal power plants during production of electricity. They are micron sized earth elements primarily consisting silica, alumina and iron. What are environmental concerns? The Fly ash causes air pollution. It can also contaminate water and soil systems. The wet disposal of Fly ash results in leaching of toxic heavy metals in ground water system. Recyclable Uses Fly ash can be used as a replacement for some of the Portland cement contents of concrete. It can be used in the production of bricks for building construction. Central Government has made it mandatory for use of fly ash bricks in construction activities happening 500km around thermal power plants.

21. The Union Cabinet has approved constitution of ‘special committee for inter-linking of rivers’ in compliance with a 2012 Supreme Court order. Decision in this regard was taken in the Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Key Facts The constitution of committee will help in monitoring precious projects to be carried out under its National Perspective Plan, 1980. The special committee will submit status-cum-progress report bi-annually to Union Cabinet to facilitate faster and appropriate decisions in the interest of the country. Background The Supreme Court in its final judgement dated February 2012 had given go ahead for inter-linking river project, seeking to transfer water from surplus to water deficit areas in country. The apex court had called for formation of a committee to take firm steps and fix a definite time line to lay down the guidelines for completion of feasibility reports or other reports. Besides, it had mandated the committee ensure the completion of projects so that the benefits accrue within reasonable time and cost. The project is in the pipeline since 1980. It has been touted by the Central Government as one solution to a number of problems. It includes making water available for irrigating land, enabling full use of existing irrigation projects; generating power, flood control etc.

22. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has hiked the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of wheat and pulses to boost the output of these rabi crops and check prices. The MSP of wheat was hiked by 100 rupees per quintal for the 2016-17 rabi crop. The procurement cost of wheat will be 1,625 rupees per quintal against 1,525 rupees per quintal last year. The support price on Barley has been increased to 1,325 rupees from 1,225 rupees per quintal. MSP on Pulses Masur: It has been raised to 3,950 rupees per quintal from 3,400 rupees. Mustard and safflower: MSP have been hiked to 3,700 rupees per quintal each. Gram: It has been raised to 4,000 rupees per quintal including bonus, from 3,500 rupees per quintal. To incentivise cultivation of pulses and oilseeds, CCEA also announced a bonus on these crops over and above MSP. What is Minimum Support Price (MSP)? MSP is a form of agricultural market intervention undertaken by the Union Government in order to insure agricultural producers are protected against any sharp fall in farm prices. It is announced for certain crops by the Union Government prior to the sowing season. The prices are decided by CCEA on the basis of the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).

23. The Union Government and Asian Development Bank (ADB) have inked a $500-million loan agreement to build a 9.8 km long road bridge across the Ganga River in Bihar. It will be country’s longest river bridge and shall provide better connectivity between North and South Bihar and also Patna and its surrounding areas. In addition to the loan, ADB will $900,000 in technical assistance. The state government will provide $215 million for the project. It is expected to be completed by end of December 2020. Key Facts The new Ganga Bridge will be located near Patna. It will span both channels of the Ganga River and serve as an alternate route to the existing Ganga Bridge, which has begun to deteriorate. The project will include building of embankments, viaducts and toll facilities. The bridge will be constructed using the latest engineering techniques. It will serve as an alternative to the existing bridge and will be linked to the National Highway network. It will be first of its kind in India with its height and length customized to deal with climate- related issues such as rise in water levels while ensuring minimum impact on the river. About Asian Development Bank (ADB) The ADB is a regional development bank which aims to promote social and economic development in Asia. It was established on 19 December 1966. It is headquartered in Manila, Philippines. ADB now has 67 members, of which 48 are from within Asia and the Pacific and 19 outside. The ADB has been modelled closely on the World Bank. It has similar weighted voting system where votes are distributed in proportion with members’ capital subscriptions. As of 2014, Japan is the largest shareholder (capital subscription) of ADB having 15.7% shares. US (15.6%), China (6.5%), India (6.4%), and Australia (5.8%).

24. India and Israel have inked two agreements in the field of water resources management and agriculture. These agreements were signed following the delegation level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in New Delhi. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin is in India on a six-day official state visit. He is the first Israeli head of state to visit India in nearly 20 years. The last and first Israeli president to officially visit India was Ezer Weizman in January 1997.

25. Facebook’s Connectivity Lab has set a world record transmitting at nearly 20 Gbps for 13.2 kilometers using Milli Meter Wave (MMW) technology. The Connectivity Lab achieved a data rate of nearly 20 Gbps in a point-to-point land-based test from a mountaintop in Malibu, California to a building rooftop in Woodland Hills in United States. The line-of-sight distance for the point-to-point test was of 13.2 km. With this Facebook broke the previous record set in May 2016 by German scientists of 6 Gbps data transmission over 37 km using MMW technology. Earlier in February 2016, a team of Japanese researchers had hit 100 Gbps by batching multiple 10 Gbps signals but not in the MMW spectrum. What is Millimeter waves (MMW)? Millimeter waves (MMW) is electromagnetic waves with the wavelength from 1 to 10 millimeters. This waves share the features of microwaves and far infrared waves since its wavelength ranges between these two waves. MMW application in communications: It is generally used for point-to-point transmission technology. Basically the band of radio spectrum between 30 Ghz and 300 Ghz of MMW is used for this purpose. It is mainly used for connecting internet service to distribution points. It is difficult and uneconomical to use MMW for individual residential connections.

26. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has formed Special Task Force to speed up the process of recalibration of automated teller machines (ATM) to dispense the new denomination notes. The Special Task Force will be headed by S.S Mundra, Deputy Governor, RBI. Representatives from the Union Finance and Home ministries, RBI, State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) will be its members. Besides, representative from each of ATM original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), cash in transit (CIT) companies and white label ATM (WLA) operators will be invited to the Task Force’s deliberation Terms of the reference of Task Force Expeditious reactivation of all ATMs in a planned manner. Draw up an action plan and ensure its implementation for quick recalibration of the ATMs to enable them to dispense the new Rs. 500 and Rs. 2,000 notes. Why task force has been formed? After the Union Government had surprisely announced demonitization of old series Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 500 notes, there was issue of currency crunch across the nation. Following introduction of new series of Rs. 2,000 and Rs. 500 notes, it has become necessary to recalibrate all ATMs/cash handling machines to dispense the new design notes. However, the recalibration process will take up to 3 weeks for all the 2 lakh ATMs to operate normally.

27. International Master Padmini Rout has won the 2016 National Women Premier Chess Championship. With this win, she has scored a hat-trick in the National Women Premier Chess Championship. Earlier she had won the championship in 2014 and 2015. She was representing Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) and to secure a hat-trick of title wins after hard fought draw with her PSPB teammate Eesha Karavade.

28. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the operational activities of the revamped strategic Gwadar port in the south-western Balochistan Province. With the operationalisation of the deep sea port, the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), linking western China to the Arabian Sea became a reality. Key Facts The port was operationalised after a Chinese commercial ship laden with around 250 containers set off for West Asia and Africa. The ship was carrying Chinese goods which were ferried by major trade convoy that started from Kashgar in western China on 30 October 2016 reached Gwadar on 12 November 2016. It was considered as watershed moment in the history of Pakistan and symbol of Pakistan’s commitment to China’s ‘One Belt-One Road’ (OBOR) initiative, of which CPEC is a key port. Benefits to Pakistan: China’s OBOR initiative integrates with Pakistan’s Vision 2025 which seeks to transform the country into a hub of trade and commerce. The CPEC would ultimately integrate South Asia, China and Central Asia. India’s concern: The CPEC is being laid through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

29. The Union Government has said that the “termination” clause in the recently signed historic civil nuclear deal with Japan will be not binding on India. But the “termination” clause merely records the “views” of the Japanese side considering its “special sensitivities” as Japan is the only nation to have suffered a nuclear attack. Besides, the Union Government has also insisted that India has made “no additional commitments” over the similar agreements signed with the US and other countries. What is the issue? The historic India-Japan Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (or nuclear deal) was signed on 11 November 2016. The ‘Note on Views and Understanding’ signed after the agreement effectively allow Japan to invoke an “emergency” suspension of nuclear supplies if India goes for testing a nuclear weapon and to contest any compensation claims from India in court. This note has been included to help the Japanese Government to clear the nuclear deal in the Parliament or Diet in early 2017. In Japan, there is political opposition for making an exception for India as it is not signatory of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). What is India’s position? India has given a voluntary moratorium on nuclear tests and has traditionally refused to link its nuclear trade with pre-conditions on testing, holding it is a matter of nuclear sovereignty. The nuclear agreement with Japan follows the same template as that of the India-US nuclear deal. However, in this case the circumstances triggering a possible termination are not sharply defined. Thus, note on views and understanding signed with Japan is simply a record by the negotiators (i.e. India and Japan) of respective views on certain issues and not binding.

30. The World Pneumonia Day is observed globally every year on November 12 to generate awareness about the ‘pneumonia’ disease. The day aims to highlight the severity of pneumonia and bring together the people from all over the world to promote the prevention and treatment of the disease. 2016 Theme: “Keep the Promise, Stop Pneumonia Now”.Background The World Pneumonia Day was first observed in 2009 after more than 100 organisations joined together form the Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia. At present, the global coalition comprises of over 140 NGOs, academic institutions, government agencies and foundations. About Pneumonia Pneumonia is caused by inflammation of the airspaces in the lungs. It is most commonly due to an infection. It is a leading cause of death for children under the age of five years around the world. It may be caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi. The most common bacterial type that causes pneumonia is Streptococcus pneumoniae. Signs and symptoms: Fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue. Treatment: Vaccinations are available against several common organisms that are known to cause pneumonia. Besides, antibiotics can also treat pneumonia by controlling the bacterial or fungal infection. India’s pneumonia and diarrhoea burden India’s position is much where it stood in the year 2015. It tops with a total of 2,96,279 deaths from pneumonia and diarrhoea in 2015 compared to last year’s figure of 2,97,114 deaths. The Pneumonia and Diarrhoea Progress Report has placed India among the top of the list of 15 nations. Five countries among those with the highest pneumonia burden are India, Indonesia, Chad, China and Somalia. These countries are still not using pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in their routine immunisation programmes which were introduced in 2000. Preventive steps taken: Recently, India had announced a partial introduction of these vaccines in five states (Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh) from 2017. Earlier in 2015, India had introduced rotavirus vaccines in four States.

31. Teen golf sensation Aditi Ashok (18) became the first Indian woman to win a Ladies European Tour title. She achieved this feat by winning the Hero Women’s Indian Open held at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurugram, Haryana. She won a prize purse of 60,000 dollar.

32. The tenth edition of India-Nepal Joint Military Training exercise was conducted at Army Battle School (NABS), Saljhandi in Nepal from 31 October to 13 November 2016. The bilateral Military Training exercise had played important role in boosting defence ties between India and Nepal.

33. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the International Conference and Exhibition on Sugarcane Value Chain – Vision 2025 Sugar in Pune, Maharashtra. The 3 days conference has been organised by Vasantdada Sugar Institute (VSI) at Manjari near Pune. Around 1,500 delegates are expected to participate in this conference from across the globe.

34. Meng Hongwei, high-level police official from China has been elected as the new President of International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL). With this, he becomes first Chinese citizen to hold the four-year post. He was elected at the INTERPOL’s 85th annual general assembly held in Bali, Indonesia and succeeds Mireille “Ballen” Ballestrazzi. Prior to this appointment, Meng Hongwei was Vice Minister of Public Security in China. He rich experience of 40 years in criminal justice and policing. In his career he has overseen affairs related to legal institutions, counter-terrorism, narcotics control, border control, immigration and international cooperation. About INTERPOL Interpol is global police co-operation agency and a non-governmental organization (NGO). Its work focuses on public safety and battling terrorism, crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes, environmental crime etc. It was established as the International Criminal Police Commission (ICPC) in 1923. Its headquartered is located at Lyon, France. It is the 2nd-largest international organization after the United Nations in terms of international representation with 190 member countries.

35. A high-level Group of Ministers (GoM) has approved imposing a heavy fine and ban on celebrities who endorse products making unrealistic and dodgy claims. The GoM headed by Union Finance Minister was tasked to look into the issue of Celebrity endrosement and recommendations of Standing Committee of the Parliament on the recently introduced The Consumer Protection Bill, 2015. GoM recommendations First time offender celebrities should be fined Rs 10 lakh and banned for one year. Second and subsequent offenders should be fined Rs 50 lakh and banned for up to 3 year. Dropped Standing committee’s proposal of jail term to celebrities found guilty for misleading endorsement. Background The Union Government had introduced The Consumer Protection Bill, 2015 in Parliament to replace the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 to deal with consumer protection and safety. The bill proposes tough measures for the protection of consumer rights and providing strict punishment to violators.

36. Union Government has unveiled a slew of measures in an attempt to strengthen cyber security in India. It was announced by the Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad at the Economic Editors’ Conference-2016. The conference was organised by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Finance in New Delhi.About CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) CERT-In is a government-mandated nodal agency for information technology (IT) security established in 2004. It is nodal department under the aegis of the Indian Department of Information Technology, Ministry of Electronics and IT. According to the provisions of the IT Amendment Act, 2008, CERT-In is responsible for overseeing administration of the Act. Purpose of CERT-In: (i) Protect Indian cyberspace and software infrastructure against destructive and hacking activities. (ii) Respond to computer security incidents, report on vulnerabilities and promote effective IT security practices throughout the country. (iii) Issue guidelines, vulnerability notes, advisories, and whitepapers regarding to information security practices, prevention, procedures, response and reporting of cyber security incidents.

37. The High Level Meeting of Interior Ministers of Indian Ocean Region (IOR) to Counter Drug Trafficking was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It had adopted Colombo declaration. The delegates from 18 littoral states of the IOR have resolved to work towards making the region a “Drug Free Zone”. Indian delegation was led by the Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir. Key Facts The high-level meeting was attended by 18 littoral states of the IOR which included seven Ministers and Deputy Ministers of Home Affairs/Interior. It was also attended by seven international organizations and UN agencies engaged in counter-narcotics initiatives in the region. Features of Colombo declaration Narcotic drug trafficking in the IOR poses a threat to peace and security in the region and its possible link to organized crime and funding of terrorism. It stresses upon need for coastal states to cooperate more closely on enforcing maritime law, providing mutual legal assistance and sharing information in narcotic drug trafficking. It also calls for the expansion and development of communication through the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC’s) Indian Ocean Prosecutors Network. It called on the littoral states of the IOR to meet on an annual basis within the framework of the Southern Route Partnership (SRP) of Indian Ocean Forum on Maritime Crime (IOFMC). These states must assess and report on the drug trafficking threat in the IOR and develop a coordinated approach to counter such threats.

38. India’s first banking robot named Lakshmi was launched by the Kumbakonam-based City Union Bank (CUB) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Lakshmi will be first on-site huamanoid (robot) in India. Currently, CUB has readied only one version of huamanoid banker and but is planning to deploy 25-30 robots at key branches by end of year if Lakshmi proves a hit with customers.

39. The Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has won the prestigious 2016 Golden Peacock Award for Corporate Governance. The award was received by Ashwini Kumar, CEO of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) on behalf of SAIL during the 16th London Global Convention on Corporate Governance and Sustainability in London, UK. SAIL was bestowed with this award on account of its exemplary performance in the field of corporate governance i.e. for balancing the interests of all the stakeholders of the company management, customers, shareholders, suppliers, financiers, government and the community. About Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) SAIL is one of the largest state-owned steel in India and one of the top steel makers in world. SAIL is the 24th largest steel producer in the world. It was founded in 1954 and incorporated in 1973. Its headquarters are in New Delhi. It operates and owns 5 integrated steel plants at Bhilai, Durgapur, Rourkela, Bokaro and Burnpur and 3 special steel plants at Salem, Durgapur and Bhadravathi. About Golden Peacock awards Instituted by the Institute of Directors (IoD) in 1991. They are presented annually under various categories. The awards comprise to sets Global Awards and National Awards.

40. Madhya Pradesh Government has selected renowned theatre personality Prof Raj Bisaria for the prestigious ‘Kalidas Samman’ national award for 2015-16. He will be bestowed with the prestigious award for achievement in theatre in a ceremony to be held in Ujjain.

41. India and Japan signed have ten agreements to boost the bilateral cooperation between the two nations. The agreements were signed in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in Tokyo, Japan. Agreements signed are Agreement for Cooperation in Peaceful uses of Nuclear Energy: It provides for bilateral cooperation in the field of Nuclear Energy. It will help to strengthen of energy security of India, by facilitating development of nuclear power projects in India. It will also open up the door for collaboration between Indian and Japanese industries in our Civil Nuclear programme. Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) on the Manufacturing Skill Transfer Promotion Program: It envisages training 30,000 Indian youth in the Japanese styled manufacturing in the next 10 years. It will be achieved through programmes of Japan-India Institute for Manufacturing (JIM) and the Japanese Endowed Courses (JEC) in select Engineering colleges. It will contribute to ‘Make in India’ and ‘Skill India’. MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Outer Space: It was signed between ISRO and JAXA. It provides for cooperation in planetary exploration, satellite navigation and space industry promotion, joint use of ground systems, joint missions and studies for mutual support and personnel exchange. MoU on Mutual Collaboration in Marine and Earth Science and Technology: It was signed between Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC). For more information click here MoC in the Field of Agriculture and Food Related Industry: It seeks to deepen the bilateral cooperation in the fields of agriculture and food industries. It includes industries related to food value chain networking and protecting Geographical Indication (GI) of agriculture products. MoU for Transport and Urban Development: It was signed between National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) Limited and Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation (JICA). It will enable cooperation for promoting investment in infrastructure projects in transportation and railways, port terminals, toll roads, logistics, airport terminals, urban development and any supporting industries for these sectors. MoU in the Field of Textiles: It aims to improve quality of Indian Textiles for conformity assessment for Japanese market. MOC in the Field of Cultural Exchange: It seeks to promote bilateral cooperation in the field of art & culture between both countries. It includes exchange of exhibitions & personnel in performing and visual arts, exchange of exhibitions and experts from museums, cooperation in preserving the cultural heritage and to promote people-to-people exchanges. MoC on Cooperation in Sports: It seeks to provide a framework for bilateral cooperation in the field of Sports ahead of the forthcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. MOU between Gujarat and Hyogo Prefectural Government: It seeks to promote mutual cooperation between Hyogo and Gujarat in the fields of business, academics, cultural cooperation, disaster management and environmental protection.

42. After years of negotiations, India and Japan have signed a bilateral Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement on 11 November, 2016. With this, India has become the first non-NPT country with which Japan has signed a Civil Nuclear Agreement. The civil nuclear agreement between the two countries was not realized so gar manly because India did not fit into Japan’s ‘Hikaku San Gensoku’ or three non-nuclear principles. These principles adopted in a resolution by Japanese parliament provide that Japan would neither possess nor manufacture nuclear weapons, nor shall it permit their introduction into Japanese territory. The talks for Civil Nuclear Agreement between the two countries had started when a joint statement in 2006 with joint statement by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. However, the discussions took five years to move to negotiation stage in 2010. The cause of delay was political opposition within Japan from anti-nuclear lobbies and media. Till now, India has also signed civil nuclear deal with 10 other countries viz. United States, Russia, South Korea, Mongolia, France, Namibia, Argentina, Canada, Kazakhstan, and Australia.

43. China has successfully launched experimental X-ray pulsar navigation satellite XPNAV-1. It is the world’s first pulsar navigation satellite or spacecraft. It was launched on board of Long March 11 solid-fuelled rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China’s northwest. It was 239th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.
44. The Supreme Court has scrapped Punjab Termination of Water Agreements Act, 2004 which unilaterally allows Punjab to stop sharing Ravi, Beas waters with other States. Ruling in this regard was given by a five-judge SC Constitution Bench led by Justice Anil R. Dave. The SC bench gave its opinion on a Presidential Reference made by then President APJ Kalam in 2004 to the apex court under Article 143 (1) of the Constitution questioning the constitutional validity of the Act. SC Order The law unilaterally enacted by Punjab was illegally designed to terminate a 1981 agreement entered into among Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan to re-allocate waters of Ravi and Beas. By introducing the 2004 Act, Punjab defied two back-to-back apex court verdicts, pronounced in 2002 and 2004. Punjab exceeded its legislative power in proceeding to nullify the decree of this court and therefore. State Legislative Assembly cannot through legislation do an act in conflict with the judgment of the highest court which has attained finality. What is the issue? The creation of Haryana from Punjab in 1966 threw up the problem of giving Haryana its share of river waters. Since then, Punjab has opposed sharing waters of the Ravi and Beas Rivers with Haryana, citing riparian principles, and arguing that it had no water to spare. After dividing Punjab, Union Government allotted Haryana 3 million acre-feet (MAF) of water of the Ravi and Beas in 1976. Later in 1981 agreement was entered into among Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan to re-allocate the waters of Ravi and Beas. According to this agreement, available supplies of the Beas and Ravi Rivers were recalculated to be 17.17 MAF. Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana and Rajasthan were allocated 8.6 MAF. 4.22 MAF and 3.5 MAF respectively. Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi got 0.65 MAF and 0.20 MAF. To enable Haryana to use its share of waters of Sutlej and its tributary Beas, Union Government started Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal Project in 1982 to link Sutlej with the Yamuna. The SYL Canal was a product of this 1981 agreement. The total length of the SYL canal is 214-km, of which 122 km was to be in Punjab and 92 km in Haryana. However, the work of canal was completely stopped after local political issues and militant attack on workers in Punjab. In 1996, Haryana approached Supreme Court for the early completion of the canal. In 2002, SC directed Punjab to complete the SYL Canal in a year. Again in June 2004, SC directed Punjab to complete the work in its territory and ordered the formation of a central agency to “take control” of Punjab’s work on the canal. In response to SC order, Punjab Assembly passed The Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004, in July 2004 terminating its water-sharing agreements and thus jeopardising the construction of SYL in Punjab.

45.The Competition Commission of India (CCI) was selected as the host the 2018 International Competition Network (ICN) in New Delhi in March–April 2018. By virtue of this event, CCI has also been inducted as an ex-officio member of the steering group member of the ICN for a period of 3 years. The 2017 ICN Annual Conference will be held in Portugal and will be hosted by Portuguese Competition Authority. About International Competition Network (ICN) ICN is an informal international body consists of 132 members from 120 competition jurisdictions. It was established in 2001. CCI is a member of the ICN since 2003. It is exclusively devoted to international competition enforcement and facilitate cooperation between competition law authorities globally.

46. The 2016 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum’s Leaders Summit will be held in Lima, Peru from November 19 to 20, 2016. The theme of the summit is “Quality Growth and Human Development” and the official logo is the architecture of the ancient city of Caral. It will be the second time Peru hosting to the APEC Summit, previously it had hosted the event in 2008. The 2016 summit will gather leaders from the world’s 21 most important member economies, as well as over 1,500 investors and entrepreneurs. Agenda for the 2016 APEC summit Four priority areas were laid out as topics to be discussed. These are Human Capital Development, Regional Food Market, Upgrading SMEs and Regional Economic Integration Agenda. These subjects were chosen to build upon on the discussions from the 2015 APEC summit held in the Philippines. About Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation APEC is regional economic forum of 21 Pacific Rim member economies that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region. These 21 member countries collectively account for nearly 50% of the world’s trade and about 57% of GDP. It was established in 1989 in order to leverage the growing interdependence of Asia-Pacific region’s economies and promote free trade in the region. Headquarters: Singapore. 21 Members Economies: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Chile, Peru, Russian and Vietnam. India is observer of APEC since 2011 and has applied for membership.

47. Guy Ryder from United Kingdom has been re-elected Director-General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) for a second five-year term. He was elected by the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and received 54 of the 56 votes. Ryder is the 10th DG of ILO and was elected for the first time in May 2012. He has some 35 years of experience in the world of work. About International Labour Organization (ILO) The ILO is a United Nations agency dealing with labour issues, particularly international labour standards, social protection, and work opportunities for all. It was established in 1919 as an agency of the League of Nations following World War I. After World war II it was continued as an agency of UN. Its headquarters are located in Geneva, Switzerland. The ILO has 187 member states. It includes 186 of the 193 UN member states plus the Cook Islands. The agency registers complaints against entities that are violating international rules related to labour issues; however, it does not impose sanctions on governments. In 1969, ILO was awarded Nobel Peace Prize for pursuing decent work and justice for workers, improving peace among classes and providing technical assistance to other developing nations.

48. The World Science Day for Peace and Development is observed on 10 November 2016 across the world to raise awareness of benefits of science in our daily life. 2016 Theme: “Celebrating Science Centres and Science Museums”. It highlights the importance of science centres and museums for capacity building and to send strong messages about the importance of science for sustainable development. To mark the day, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) had organised special campaigns, visits to science museums for school children, etc. Background World Science Day was started in 2001 by UNESCO as a follow-up to the first World Conference on Science in 1999. The conference was jointly organised by UNESCO and International Council for Science in Budapest (Hungary). The 2015 theme of World Science Day was Science for a Sustainable Future.