General Awareness

Daily G.K. - Top Stories

18 Jun 2019

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Iran to breach uranium stockpile limits within 10 days

Iran announced it would breach uranium enrichment limits in 10 days in a move that drew an accusation of "nuclear blackmail" from Washington, but it added that European nations still had time to save the nuclear deal that sets those curbs.
Britain said if Iran breached limits agreed under the deal then London would look at "all options". Close US ally Israel, Iran's arch foe, urged world powers to step up sanctions against Tehran swiftly should it exceed the enriched uranium limit.
However European Union (EU) said the EU would only react to any breach if the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) identified one.
US-Iran tensions are growing following accusations by US President Donald Trump's administration that Tehran attacked two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Iran denies having any role.
Iran's armed forces chief of staff, major general Mohammad Baqeri denied Tehran was behind the attacks and said if the Islamic Republic decided to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz shipping lane it would do so publicly.

Chinese Prez Xi to Visit North Korea, 1st such Trip in 14 Years

President Xi Jinping will make his first visit to North Korea on June 20-21, making him the first Chinese leader to do so in 14 years.
The visit comes in the backdrop of negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington on the secretive country's denuclerisation. It will be the first visit to North Korea by a Chinese President since Xi's predecessor Hu Jintao's trip in 2005 to meet thenleader, Kim Jong Il.
Former Chinese premier Wen Jiabao visited the country in 2009. Xi has met the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un four times in the past one year, with Beijing – which is the impoverished country's key ally and economic benefactor - said to be supporting and guiding Kim's two summits with US President Donald Trump.
The visit comes ahead of the G20 summit in Osaka and a US-South Korea summit to be held at the end of June. During his meeting with Kim, Xi is likely to focus on bilateral ties, denuclerisation and efforts to resolve tensions in the Korean Peninsula.
This visit is on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of relations. It is of significance to the relationship between the two countries and the future.

China Considers Pak-Trained Group as Biggest Threat

As India and China continue consultations on the situation in Afghanistan, Beijing perceives Pakistan-trained cadres of the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) as the biggest threat to its security interests.
ETIM, along with Lashkar-eTaiba and the Haqqani Network, was recently named by the US department of defense among the three terror groups posing the greatest threat to foreign troops in Afghanistan. In a report covering the first quarter of the year, the US estimated ETIM had 100 fighters in the war-torn country.
Beijing's concerns about ETIM figured in recent discussions between Indian and Chinese officials.
ETIM has been designated a terror group by the US and UN's 1267 Sanctions Committee and several of its top leaders operated from Pakistani soil. Its founder Hasan Mahsum was killed during a raid on an al-Qaeda facility in Pakistan in 2003 while Chinese state media reported in 2014 its co-founder Memetuhut Memetrozi, currently in prison in China, was trained in a Pakistani madrassa.
China, like India, is opposed to any "precipitous withdrawal" of US and foreign forces from Afghanistan and prefers an orderly and well-managed pulling out of troops that doesn't result in a vacuum.
The Chinese side would like the institutions and structures created over the past 18 years to be preserved, as it feels getting rid of them could lead to anarchy and chaos.
Chinese had been telling Pakistan to tackle the problem of terrorism emanating from Pakistani soil.

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ENVIRONMENT

World's Population to Go up by 2 Billion in next 30 Years

The world's population will increase to 9.7 billion by 2050, going up by 2 bn from the earlier 7.7 bn, shows a new United Nations report.
The global population could reach its peak around the end of the current century, with an estimated population of 11 bn.
India is projected to overtake China as the world's most populous country in next 8 years, according to the report. The global fertility rate, which fell from 3.2 births per woman in 1990 to 2.5 in 2019, will decline further to 2.2 in 2050. India's current total fertility rate stands at 2.2 births per woman.
Nine countries will make up more than half of the projected growth of the global population between now and 2050: India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, the United Republic of Tanzania, Indonesia, Egypt and the United States of America.
The population of sub-Saharan Africa is projected to double by 2050, up 99%. Regions that may experience lower rates of population growth between 2019 and 2050 include Oceania excluding Australia/New Zealand (56%), Northern Africa and Western Asia (46%), Australia/New Zealand (28%), Central and Southern Asia (25%), Latin America and the Caribbean (18%), Eastern and South Eastern Asia (3%), and Europe and Northern America (2%).
People are growing older due to increasing life expectancy and falling fertility levels, and that the number of countries experiencing a reduction in population size is growing.
In 2019, life expectancy at birth in the least developed countries lags 7.4 years behind the global average, due largely to persistently high levels of child and maternal mortality, as well as violence, conflict and the continuing impact of the HIV epidemic.
The World Population Prospects 2019: Highlights, which is published by the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, provides a comprehensive overview of global demographic patterns and prospects.

Cod and Haddock Fishes Face Extinction

Research has indicated cod and haddock fishes face extinction as rising temperatures cut oxygen in the oceans. Marine zoologist Prof John Spicer said it was a "major cause for concern.
Many large species will almost certainly be the first casualties of our warming, oxygen-poor ocean.
The research was conduced by Prof Spicer's University of Plymouth team and the British Antarctic Survey. Experts analysed four types of crustacean, which are abundant off coast of the western Antarctic Peninsula.
They found when the gas in their water was reduced, they got smaller – supporting the theory that bigger sea creatures are more vulnerable to climate change.
The study, published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, suggests that failure to control greenhouse gases will have a greater impact on marine ecosystems than previously feared.
Over the past 50 years, the oxygen in our oceans has decreased by around 2-5%.

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BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

Lenders to Take Jet to NCLT

Lenders to Jet Airways (India) Ltd decided to start bankruptcy proceedings against the grounded airline, complicating hopes of a recovery.
The consortium of lenders, led by the State Bank of India (SBI), chose to refer Jet Airways to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
A meeting of lenders was held to consider the way forward in respect of Jet Airways. After due deliberations, lenders have decided to seek resolution under IBC (Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016) since only a conditional bid was received and requirement of the investor for Sebi (Securities and Exchange Board) exemptions and resolution of all creditors is possible under IBC.
The pilots' union of Jet Airways, National Aviator's Guild, also plans to file a plea against the grounded airline at NCLT for non-payment of salaries and not providing a provision for gratuity payment to its staff.
Aviation analysts said it is unlikely that the lenders will be able to recover a substantial portion of their dues by referring the airline to NCLT.

Facebook to Unveil New Cryptocurrency

Facebook is set to unveil a bid to bring cryptocurrency payments into the mainstream, reportedly with the endorsement of governments and financial giants.
The world's biggest social network is expected to outline details of a virtual currency launching in 2020 that it hopes will avoid the rollercoaster volatility of "blockchain" technologies such as bitcoin.
Facebook is setting up a consortium called "Libra" which, according to the Wall Street Journal, has been joined by more than a dozen companies including Visa, Mastercard, PayPal and Uber.

Reliance Capital Sells 10.75% Stake in Reliance Nippon Life

In two successive offers, Reliance Capital has sold 10.75% of its shareholding in Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management Ltd , aggregating over Rs. 1,450 crore and has achieved the minimum public shareholding of 25% in RNAM by reducing the promoter stake.
The entire RNAM stake monetization proceeds of Rs. 6,000 crore, to be received from the offer for sale and the already announced transaction with Nippon Life Insurance Company of Japan, will be utilized to reduce Reliance Capital's outstanding debt.
Based on the above, and other asset monetization deals presently underway, Reliance Capital expects to reduce its debt by at least Rs. 12,000 crore, or 70% in the current financial year.

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Gold and Platinum Rare Supernova's Gift to Earth

An overlooked star explosion far away in space may have given the Earth the gift of precious heavy elements such as gold and platinum, a study claims.
The research, conducted by University of Guelph in Canada and Columbia University, overturns our understanding of how heavy elements appeared on our planet.
According to the research published in the journal Nature, some 80% of the heavy elements in the universe likely formed in collapsars.
Collapsars are a rare but heavy element-rich form of supernova explosion from the gravitational collapse of old, massive stars typically 30 times as weighty as our sun. Using supercomputers, the researchers simulated the dynamics of collapsars, or old stars whose gravity causes them to implode and form black holes.
Under their model, massive, rapidly spinning collapsars eject heavy elements whose amounts and distribution are astonishingly similar to what we observe in our solar system.
Most elements were created in nuclear reactions in stars and ultimately expelled in huge stellar explosions.
Heavy elements found on Earth from long-ago explosions range from gold and platinum, to uranium and plutonium.

'Virtual biopsy' Device to Detect Cancerous Skin Tumour

Scientists have developed a 'virtual biopsy' device that can quickly and non-invasively determine whether a skin tumour is cancerous and needs to be removed surgically.
The device can determine a skin lesion's depth and potential malignancy without using a scalpel, according to the researchers from Rutgers University. The device could make biopsies much less risky and distressing for patients.
Currently, physicians who perform surgical biopsies often do not know the extent of a lesion until surgery has already begun.
The first-ofits-kind experimental procedure, called vibrational optical coherence tomography, creates a 3D map of the legion's width and depth under the skin with a tiny laser diode.

Zebra Stripes Keep them Cool

In a first, scientists have found that zebras can manipulate their black stripes to control their body temperature.
The research, published in the Journal of Natural History, shows that it is the special way zebras sweat to cool down and the smallscale convection currents created between the stripes which aid evaporation.
They also found that zebras can erect their black stripes — further aiding heat loss. These three elements are key to understanding how the zebras' unique patterning helps them manage their temperature in the heat.
The researchers propose that the differential temperatures and air activity on the black and white stripes set up small-scale convective air movements within and just above the stripes, which destabilise the air and the water vapour at the tips of the hairs.

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SPORTS

ICC 2019: Bangladesh V/s West Indies

Bangladesh powered to the second highest run chase in World Cup history as Shakib Al Hasan's brilliant century clinched a remarkable sevenwicket win over the West Indies.
Shakib blasted 124 from 99 balls and Linton Das hit a superb 94 from 69 deliveries to lead Bangladesh to 322-3 with 8.3 overs to spare at Taunton.
Bangladesh's highest one-day international run chase put them behind only Ireland's 329-7 against England in 2011 in the history of successful World Cup chases.
The highest chase in the current World Cup prior to the masterclass from Mashrafe's men was New Zealand's 248 against Bangladesh.
But the Tigers had already posted 330 in the first innings of their win over South Africa earlier in the competition and they were never intimidated by their task against the Windies.
There were huge cheers from the Bangladesh fans around the ground when Shakib became just the second player to score 6,000 career ODI runs for the Tigers.
Shakib is now the highest run scorer at this year's World Cup so far and the West Indies were helpless as he and Das demolished their wayward bowling to romp home.

Bhuvi ruled out of at least the next two World Cup games

India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been ruled out of at least the next two World Cup games after picking up a hamstring niggle during the clash against Pakistan.
The paceman walked off the field without completing his third over and India skipper Virat Kohli confirmed that he will be replaced by Mohammed Shami in the following games.
India's next three games are against Afghanistan (June 22), West Indies (June 27) and England (June 30).
It is another big jolt for India after opener Shikhar Dhawan suffered a thumb injury while batting against Australia, ruling him out for at least couple of weeks.

Woodland Captures first major title at the 119th US Open.

A lifetime of work came to fruition for Gary Woodland at Pebble Beach, where the 35-year-old from Kansas — who turned to golf when he felt his basketball dream just wouldn't pan out — captured his first major title at the 119th US Open.
Woodland, long known as a long-hitter, has worked tirelessly on other aspects of his game. But the wins have been few — three on the US PGA Tour since he first joined in 2009, none in 30 prior majors that didn't even produce a top-10 finish until the PGA Championships of 2018 and '19.

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Home ministry to Rank Police Stations

The home ministry has kicked off an exercise to rank the country's best police stations based on various parameters, setting the stage for a competition for better governance at the grassroot level.
A similar exercise had been undertaken in 2017 but this time the exercise is expected to be more comprehensive and comes after ranking of states on various parameters as well as a race among 115 of the country's most backward or aspirational districts to improve their performance.
While the consultants have been asked to plan a comprehensive evaluation approach, the home ministry has suggested at least seven dimensions for assessment.
Each police station will be assessed on crime prevention, including economic offences, and the proactive measures adopted by it.
The evaluation will also look at the Crime and Criminal Tracking Networks and Systems and other technology, including forensic systems.
But one of the most important parameters will be citizen perception and feedback, as the common man has often been wary of dealing with the police force and is usually reluctant to visit the police station.
Last time, citizen feedback and infrastructure accounted for only 20% weight in the scoring matrix with 80% on other aspects such as crime prevention.
The evaluation itself will be a two-stage process with the first one focused on objective short-listing of police stations using the crime data available with the National Crime Record Bureau.

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DEFENCE

Spain, France & GermanyJoin Forces to Build EU Combat Jet

Spain joined a Franco-German project to build a next-generation fighter jet, an initiative touted as key to ensuring Europe can defend itself without depending on allies in an increasingly uncertain world.
Dassault Aviation and Airbus will build the warplane which is expected to be operational from 2040, with a view to replacing Dassault's Rafale and Germany's Eurofighter over time.
The European project faces competition from Britain, which launched its own plans for a new combat jet dubbed "Tempest".
The defence ministers of France, Germany and Spain signed an accord launching a trilateral framework of cooperation at the Paris Airshow.
rance's Safran and Germany's MTU Aero Engines will jointly develop the new warplane's engine. Dassault and Airbus have delivered a joint industrial proposal to the governments of France and Germany to develop demonstrators for the next-generation fighter, unmanned aircraft that would operate together with them, and a new "air combat cloud" by 2026.

India's Defence Exports More Than Double

India's defence exports have more than doubled to nearly ₹11,000 crore on the back of recent policy liberalisation and access to the US market, given a large amount of offsets being executed by domestic companies.
The increase in defence exports — to ₹10,745 crore in 2018-19 from ₹4,682 crore in 2017-18 — is expected to move up exponentially, with the Rajnath Singh-led defence ministry going ahead with a new general export licence plan. It will enable Indian companies to export certain equipment to identified nations.
The biggest contributor to Indian exports has been the US, accounting for nearly ₹5,000 crore worth of exports, followed by old arms partner Israel and the European Union. The increase in exports comes after recent changes in policy that have made it easier for companies to get official permissions.
A new plan for an 'Open General Export Licence' that is likely to be processed over the next weeks will give India further access to the global market as blanket permissions will be given on select items.
The ministry is looking to encourage private and public sectors to go beyond export of components to platforms where large-scale value addition can be done. According to the ministry data, most of the exports are for components, with parts for small arms topping the chart.

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PERSONS IN NEWS

Nadda BJP's New Working President

Former union health minister Jagat Prakash Nadda will be the new working president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as announced by defence minister Rajnath Singh.
A second time Rajya Sabha member from Himachal Pradesh, Nadda will be formally elected as the chief of the ruling party after the party's membership drive and organisational elections are over by December-January.
This is the first time that the BJP has appointed a working president. Amit Shah will continue as the BJP president till Nadda is formally elected to the post.
The BJP will launch its membership drive from July 6 with an aim to enroll at least 2.20 crore new members over and above its exiting cadre base of 11 crore.
Once the membership drive is over, the BJP will hold its internal election as the mandal, district and state level. The election of the BJP president can take place only after organisational elections are complete in 50% of the states.
Nadda moved to the national politics in 2010 as the party's national general secretary after the RSS appointed Nagpur leader Nitin Gadkari as the president of the BJP in 2009.
Nadda made his entry to the Rajya Sabha in 2012 and was appointed a minister in the Narendra Modi government in the first expansion of the council of ministers in November 2014.
He held the crucial health ministry since then. Nadda was not part of the council of ministers in Modi's second stint as the prime minister, and it was seen as a precursor to the organizational responsibility that was to be assigned to him.
He was in contention for the BJP president's post in 2014 after Rajnath Singh became the home minister.
However, he lost to Amit Shah who was Modi's choice for the BJP president then.

Gloria Vanderbilt Dead at 95

American heiress Gloria Vanderbilt, a designer and artist who became one of the most chronicled socialites of her era, died after a battle with stomach cancer, her son announced. She was 95 years old.
The great-great granddaughter of railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt, she was thrust into the spotlight as the "poor little rich girl" at the centre of a sensational custody battle in the 1930s, before finding fame in her own right for her line of designer blue jeans and it-girl fashion.

Mohamed Morsi Dies in Court

Mohamed Morsi, a bespectacled and portly Muslim Brotherhood foot-soldier elevated from obscurity to become Egypt's first freely elected civilian president, has died. He was 67. He collapsed and died while attending a court hearing.
A former opposition lawmaker, Morsi was elected to the country's top office in June 2012, less than 18 months after joining a jail break amid the chaos of a mass uprising that swept away the three-decade rule of Hosni Mubarak.
While he sought to project himself as the "voice for all Egyptians," that aspiration was divorced from the reality of his Islamist credentials.
He spent much of his year-long presidency unable to emerge from the shadow of top Brotherhood officials, who were viewed as the nation's real power brokers.
His fall was as crushing as his rise to power was stratospheric. Ousted by his army chief-the future PresidentAbdel-FattahEl-Sisi-Morsi languished in prison after being convicted for conspiring with foreign militants in the prison breakout as well as passing state secrets to Qatar.

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GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND SCHEMES

Only e-vehicles must be Sold after 2030: Niti

The government's think tank Niti Aayog has proposed that only electric vehicles be sold after 2030, expanding the scope of the clean fuel technology beyond two- and three-wheelers.
Earlier, a panel headed by Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant had suggested that only electric-powered three-wheelers and two-wheelers with engine capacity of up to 150cc be sold from 2025.
Now, it has moved a Cabinet note seeking to fix responsibility for different ministries, with the road transport and highways ministry proposed to prepare a framework to phase out the sale of diesel and petrol vehicles by 2030.
It has also suggested that the ministry pilot an ehighways programme—with an overhead electricity network—to enable plying of trucks and buses on select National Highways.
The proposals are part of the plan to manufacture 50 Gigawatt hour (GWh) batteries by 2030.
The plan comes amid intense lobbying by the automobile industry, which is opposed to the push for 100% electric vehicles, with the Japanese and Korean companies leading the charge with support from Indian veterans such as Rahul Bajaj and Venu Srinivasan. Transport minister Nitin Gadkari, who had once threatened to mandate EVs from 2030, has said that the roadmap will be decided after consulting the industry.
The Cabinet proposal has suggested that Gadkari's ministry should be tasked with issuing norms for cab aggregators to replace all diesel and petrolfuelled vehicles with EVs by 2030.
Similarly, the heavy industries ministry will go for complete replacement of all diesel/ petrol vehicles with EVs in all central ministries, agencies and public sector by 2030.
To meet the target of setting up the Giga-scale battery manufacturing, the think tank has proposed extending financial incentives to investors, including cash subsidy on the basis of overall domestic value addition per kilowatt hour (KWh) basis.
It estimated the annual subsidy outgo would be around Rs 8,000 crore. The subsidy will be given to manufacturers after the actual sale.
In its effort to ensure that there is no monopoly of manufacturers and the batteries are made domestically, the maximum cash subsidy would be for up to 20 GWh per firm and Rs 2,000 cash subsidy will be for one KWh only for 100% domestic value capture, which means the minimum percentage of manufacturing in India.
It has also proposed that manufacturers must go for 60% domestic value capture and the cash subsidy will be Rs 1,200 per KWh.

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GENDER/ HEALTH/ EDUCATION

All Colleges must be Made Autonomous

In a huge departure from government policy, the draft new education policy (NEP) recommended that colleges in the country be made autonomous to improve quality.
The draft says institutional, academic and administrative autonomy will lead to faculty being more motivated to innovate.
At the same time, institutions will be enabled to run cutting-edge programmes, develop innovative curricula and, given knowledge of circumstances and requirements, govern locally.
As of March 31, 2019, there were 907 universities in India — 399 state universities, 126 deemed to be universities, 48 central universities and 334 private universities — with dozens of private colleges working under each of the 399 state universities and several more affiliated to central universities.
Besides this, there are medical and engineering colleges providing undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

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BOOKS AND AUTHORS

'Exam Warriors' to be Updated

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been working on a new edition of his book Exam Warriors following the conclusion of the national elections.
He is believed to have suggested an updated edition of the book, which has sold two million copies till now. He wants to write about mental health and about children getting addicted to gadgets in the revised edition.
According to its publisher, Exam Warriors is a handy guide for students in India and across the world.
Modi first got the idea of updating the 208-page book during an interaction he held with students taking exams on January 29. During the interaction, a parent complained to him that his child would spend far too much time playing games online instead of studying.This got him thinking about this issue and so it has become a major portion of the addition.
The Prime Minister was also struck by the issue of students being depressed about their performance and their mental health in hostels. So he will also write about this in his book.

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General Awareness

Daily G.K. - Top Stories

18 Jun 2019

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Iran to breach uranium stockpile limits within 10 days

Chinese Prez Xi to Visit North Korea, 1st such Trip in 14 Years

China Considers Pak-Trained Group as Biggest Threat

ENVIRONMENT

World's Population to Go up by 2 Billion in next 30 Years

Cod and Haddock Fishes Face Extinction

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

Lenders to Take Jet to NCLT

Facebook to Unveil New Cryptocurrency

Reliance Capital Sells 10.75% Stake in Reliance Nippon Life

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Gold and Platinum Rare Supernova's Gift to Earth

'Virtual biopsy' Device to Detect Cancerous Skin Tumour

Zebra Stripes Keep them Cool

SPORTS

ICC 2019: Bangladesh V/s West Indies

Bhuvi ruled out of at least the next two World Cup games

Woodland Captures first major title at the 119th US Open.

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Home ministry to Rank Police Stations

DEFENCE

Spain, France & GermanyJoin Forces to Build EU Combat Jet

India's Defence Exports More Than Double

PERSONS IN NEWS

Nadda BJP's New Working President

Gloria Vanderbilt Dead at 95

Mohamed Morsi Dies in Court

GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND SCHEMES

Only e-vehicles must be Sold after 2030: Niti

GENDER/ HEALTH/ EDUCATION

All Colleges must be Made Autonomous

BOOKS AND AUTHORS

'Exam Warriors' to be Updated

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