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Daily G.K. - Top Stories

25 Jul 2019

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Ministers in Boris Johnson's Cabinet

  •  Britain's new prime minister, Boris Johnson, named Priti Patel as interior minister and Sajid Javid as finance minister, giving a strong South Asian flavour to the new UK cabinet soon after taking charge of the government.
  • Patel, the former international development minister, was born to Indian parents while Javid comes from a family that emigrated from Pakistan to Britain.
  • Jeremy Hunt was replaced as the foreign minister by Dominic Raab, who now has one of the most important roles in the Brexit process.

Underwater Military Museum at Jordan

  •  Jordan has opened an underwater military museum off its Red Sea coast.
  • The Underwater Military Museum Dive Site includes several tanks, an ambulance, a military crane, a troop carrier, an anti-aircraft battery, guns and a helicopter.
View Month Wise

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

India Up on Innovation Index

  •  India moved up five places to 52nd in the world's most innovative countries 2019 ranking, in what is the biggest jump by a large economy this year, according to the Global Innovation Index (GII).
  • The GII ranks 129 world economies on 80 innovation indicators such as intellectual property filing rates, mobile app creation, education spending, and scientific and technical publications.
  • India, which was ranked 81 in 2015, has steadily improved its ranking in the last four years. It went up to the 66th spot in the 2016 and improved its ranking by six positions in 2017.
  • Switzerland retained the first rank as the world's most innovative country, followed by Sweden, the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Finland, Denmark, Singapore, Germany and Israel.
  • At 14, China is the only middleincome economy to be ranked in top 30.
  • Three Indian cities -- Bengaluru, Mumbai and New Delhi -are among the world's top 100 science and technology clusters, according to the report.
  • India maintained its top place in Central and Southern Asia, improving its position in labour productivity growth, knowledge and technology outputs, and intellectual property related variables, among other parameters.
  • In Central and South Asia, Iran ranked 61 and Kazakhstan 79. Pakistan was ranked at 105.
  • India moved up to the 4th position in GII rankings among lower-middle-income economies, and outperformed on innovation relative to its GDP per capita for nine years in a row.
  • However, India lagged in indicators such as logistics performance and women employed with advanced degrees. The largest drops are found in logistics performance, females employed with advanced degrees, and printing and other media.

Govt Plans $10bn Global Bond Sale

  •   India is considering an option to raise $10 billion in one go from its first overseas bond sale as early as October 2019. 
  • The government would prefer to sell yen or euro-denominated debt so as to offer lower yields.
  • A dollar bond isn't ruled out given there would be more liquidity, while it could also decide to sell the debt in multiple sales over a longer period.
  •  India is banking on the novelty of a debut offering at a time when investors are desperate for returns as the world's pile of negative-yielding debt grows to a record $13.4 trillion. 
  • While Saudi Arabia and Argentina have raised more money in recent years from international bond sales as emerging markets return in popularity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government will be working to a tight timeline.

Cabinet Clears Sugar reserve proposal

  •  The Cabinet has cleared a proposal to create an emergency sugar reserve of four million tonnes and also decided to keep the price millers have to pay sugarcane farmers unchanged at Rs 275 per quintal (100 kg), steps aimed at maintaining favourable demand-supply conditions of the sweetener in the country.
  • India is the world's second largest sugar producer, next only to Brazil, and also its largest consumer.
  • About 90% of the country's annual sugar consumption goes into commercial use, such as packaged foods. Household consumption accounts for only 10%.
  • The price at which mill owners buy raw cane from farmers, called "fair and remunerative price", is federally determined, based on a recommendation by the Commission on Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
  • Additionally, sugar-producing states declare bonuses above this price, which influence cane output and the retail prices of sugar, which tends to inflate mill-end prices of the commodity.
  • The price of Rs 275 a quintal is applicable on a 10% recovery rate.
  • The recovery rate of sugar denotes the amount of sugar extracted from each 100 kg of raw cane. It varies from state to state, depending on agro-climatic conditions, cane varieties and also the technology of mills.
  • If the amount of sugar recovered from each 100 kg of cane exceeds 10%, then a farmer will have to be paid an additional premium of Rs 2.75 per quintal for every 0.1% increase
  • According to a CACP official, in order to incentivise efficiency in terms of higher sugar recoveries, the federally determined price payable to farmers is linked to a basic recovery rate of sugar, with a premium payable to farmers for higher sugar recovery.
  • The cabinet committee on economic affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also decided to create a stockpile of four million tonnes of sugar for one year at a cost of Rs 1,674 crore. In 2018, the government had created a similar stockpile of three million tonnes.
  • Mills would be paid on a quarterly basis and the amount would be directly credited into farmers' accounts on behalf of mills against cane price dues, according to the Cabinet's decision.
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Face Recognition Cams at IGI Airport

  •  Delhi's Indira Gandhi International airport will soon get its first set of face recognition cameras, which will help the Central Industrial Security Force end the menace of people entering the airport terminal using fake and edited tickets. 
  • The facility, which is expected to be in use by August 2019, will initially be used only on the airport staff and will be extended by the year end for flyers.
  • The face recognition systems have been installed at three levels — at the terminal entry, at security hold area (SHA) and at boarding gates. Initially one machine has been installed at each level.
  • A passenger who arrives at the terminal entry will require entering his/her name and flight details at a kiosk installed at the entry.The camera in the machine captures their face and generates a unique identification number. The passenger then heads to the security hold area (SHA) and feeds that unique number into a similar kiosk and is given access to head for his/her security check. Once done with the security check, the passenger will head to the boarding area. At the time of boarding passengers will pass through similar kiosk which will give them a quick access as their information is already saved.
  • Before its introduction in Delhi, the technology was successfully tested at the Hyderabad airport in 2018.

Netflix Unveils Cheaper Mobile-only Plan

  •  Netflix has introduced a mobile-only subscription plan in India at Rs.199 a month, as the world's largest video streaming service looks to add users in the country where video content consumption has surged, with data prices plunging to among the lowest in the world.
  • This is Netflix's first mobile-specific option anywhere in the world and its fourth India plan in addition to the existing basic (Rs.499), standard (Rs.649) and premium (Rs.799) plans.
  • With the cheaper subscription plan, Netflix expects to reach new users in India, who typically watch videos on their mobile phones.
  • Still, Netflix will have to grapple with several local and overseas rivals such as Disneyowned streaming service Hotstar and Amazon Prime Video, which are luring users with free or low-priced offerings.
  • According to the Ficci-EY media and entertainment industry report for 2019, smartphone penetration in India grew to 36% of total phones in 2018.
  • Indians spend 30% of their time on mobile phones on entertainment, second only to social media. However, in terms of data, they use over 70% on entertainment.
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SPORTS

Day 1 of the four-day Test at Lord's: England loses to Ireland

  •  Ireland bowled out the host nation England for a derisory 85 on the first day at Lord's as they eyed one of the biggest shocks in Test history.
  • Tim Murtagh took five wickets on a ground where he plays for Middlesex and at tea Ireland's batsmen were cruising at 127 for two in replay—a first innings lead of 42 runs.
  • Andrew Balbirnie and Paul Stirling, also both Middlesex players, were 51 and 35 not out in a match only scheduled to last four days rather than the usual five for a Test. 
  • Just three England batsmen made it into double figures—Joe Denly, who top-scored with 23, Olly Stone and Sam Curran—in an innings that was over inside 24 overs on a baking day in London. 

Messi suspended from opening World Cup qualifier

  •  Argentina star Lionel Messi was hit with a one-game suspension over his dismissal during the Copa America thirdplace play-off against Chile earlier in July 2019. 
  • It will see him miss the first of Argentina's qualification matches for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Teen smashes Phelps record

  •  Hungarian teenager Kristof Milak shattered Michael Phelps' 10-year-old world record in the 200 metres butterfly  while Adam Peaty sewed up a third straight breaststroke double with victory in the 50 metres at the world championships.
  • Budapest-born Milak won gold in a time of 1:50.73, lopping 0.78 seconds off Phelps' 1:51.51 set in Rome in 2009.
  • At 19, Milak is the youngest winner of the 200 butterfly since Phelps triumphed as an 18-yearold in 2003, the second of the American great's five world titles in the event.Peaty, meanwhile, shattered a record of his own, becoming the first swimmer to go under 57 seconds in the 100 breaststroke semi-finals and while he could not repeat the feat in the 50 he was still streets ahead of his rivals.
  • The Briton posted 26.06, the third fastest 50 of all time and 0.6 seconds ahead of his nearest challenger, Brazilian Felipe Lima.
View Month Wise

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Five Members Bid Farewell to Rajya Sabha

  •  Five members bid an emotional farewell to Rajya Sabha. The five members from  Tamil Nadu completed their term. 
  • V Maitreyan, D Raja, K R Arjunan, R Lakshmanan and T Rathinavel, completed their term. Barring Raja was from CPI, all others were from AIADMK. 

Aadhar Could be used for State Schemes

  •  The Cabinet approved official changes to Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill 2019 that incorporates a clause to allow the use of Aadhaar data for state schemes and subsidies.
  • The amendment to the Aadhaar Act entails the use of India's national biometric id by states governments for their schemes that are funded through the 'Consolidated Fund of the State'.
  • As per Supreme Court order, Aadhaar is allowed where the funds are going for beneficiary schemes coming straight from the central government.
  • It will enable the subsidies from the central schemes to be transferred from the central fund. Aadhaar can now be used for transferring state subsidies.
View Month Wise

GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND SCHEMES

Amendments to an Anti-terror Law Passed in LS

  •  The Lok Sabha passed amendments to an anti-terror law that home minister Amit Shah said were essential to keep security agencies a step ahead of terrorists as the government sought to allay a combative Opposition's apprehensions that the legislation could be misused and was in contravention of India's federal structure.
  • The amendment bill seeks to designate an individual (as opposed to organisation) suspected to have terror links as a terrorist and allows the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to attach properties linked to a terror investigation without taking permission from the state police.
  • Under the original UAPA Act, the central government may designate a group as a terrorist organisation if it commits or participates in acts of terrorism, prepares for terrorism, promotes terrorism or is otherwise involved in terrorism.

Pocso Amendment Bill Clears Rajya Sabha Test

  •  The Rajya Sabha passed the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2019, which proposes death penalty in cases of serious sexual assaults and stringent punishment for other crimes against children.
  • The bill, which was introduced in upper house of Parliament by minister of women and child development Smriti Irani on July 18, 2019, will now be sent to the Lok Sabha for approval. It is aimed at amending the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, the country's flagship law to protect minors from various sexual offences.
  • Members from opposition parties demanded that the proposed law ought to cover sexual offences committed on children during communal or sectarian clashes under the "aggravated penetrative assault" category, as mentioned in the existing law.
  • They claimed this provision was present in the Pocso Act, 2012, which the bill sought to amend. Sexual assault during "communal or sectarian violence" was being replaced with "assault committed during a natural calamity, or in any similar situations of violence".
  • The clause classifying 'sexual assault on child in course of sectarian and communal violence' as aggravated penetrative sexual assault has been substituted in this Bill by 'violence during natural calamity'. These categories of offences are not comparable.
  • The law defines "aggravated penetrative sexual assault" as cases of sexual assault on children by a police officer, a military person or a public servant. It also covers cases where the offender is a relative of the child or if the assault results in injury of the sexual parts of the child or the child becomes pregnant.
  • Currently, the punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault may range from 10 years to life imprisonment, along with a fine. The new law enhances the minimum punishment from 10 years to 20 years, while providing the maximum punishment of death penalty.
  • The bill increases the minimum punishment from seven years to 10 years for any kind of "penetrative sexual assault". If the molested child is below 16 years, the convict will be punishable with a jail term of between 20 years to life, with a fine.
  • The law also penalises persons using children for "pornographic purposes resulting in sexual assault". It defines child pornography as any "visual depiction" of sexually explicit conduct involving a child including photograph, video, digital or computer generated image indistinguishable from an actual child".
  • According to official data, about 12,609 rape cases were registered under the Pocso Act in 2019 so far.

LS Passes Ponzi Scheme Bill

  •  In a bid to save gullible investors from ponzi schemes, Lok Sabha unanimously passed the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill, 2019 that seeks to put in place a mechanism by which poor depositors get back their hard earned money. 
  • The Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill, 2019 replaced the Ordinance on the same. 
View Month Wise

GENDER/ HEALTH/ EDUCATION

CBSE to Regulate Admissions to Class IX and XI

  •  The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will regulate admissions to classes 9 and 11 in all its affiliated schools across the country from 2020. This will be the first time that the board will be playing a direct role in school admissions.
  • Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been formulated for admissions in these classes under which the board will itself approve the admission requests. 
  •  Currently, schools conduct admission to classes 9 and 11 on the basis of their own rules.
  • There are close to 20,000 CBSEaffiliated schools that offer education up to class 10, of these 12,000 run classes up to class 12.
  • The board had written to all its affiliated schools asking them to strictly abide by the SOPs, failing which strict action will be taken against them.
  • The board has described 11 categories under which admission can be sought in these two classes. These include transfer of parents, shifting of family, shifting of hostel, re-admission in other school after failing in these two classes, better education, long distance, medical condition, change of education board, among others.
  • The CBSE has also added new clauses for admission under these categories. For instance, if a student wants to take admission in any of these two classes in another school citing "better education" facilities, the parents will have to submit the results of last five years of both the schools (in which the ward is currently studying and the one in which admission is sought) along with the application.
  • They will also have to submit the qualification and teaching experience of the staff members of both the schools with the CBSE.
  • As per the CBSE,  the decision of formulating the SOPs was taken to "streamline" the process and to make sure that only "genuine students" get admissions. 
  • The board has also asked the schools to fix the deadline for admissions in these classes.
  • The board has further asked the schools not to give admissions to any student coming from any unaffiliated school in these classes.

Data Collection for 5th Health Survey

  •  India has started collecting data for the 5th National Family Health Survey (NFHS) that provides information on population, health and nutrition for the entire country.
  • All household members will be considered for certain biomarkers such as determining haemoglobin levels. Earlier it was 15 plus. Apart from that, there is no substantial shift in the questionnaire.
  • The survey was to begin last year as after the NFHS-4 results were out for the year 2015-16, the government had decided to conduct the survey every three years instead of the previously followed pattern of 10 years.
  • Special arrangements have been made for the first time to avoid discrepancies while collecting data.
  • The Indian Council of Medical Research, in partnership with Population Council of India, launched the National Data Quality Forum.
View Month Wise

BOOKS AND AUTHORS

Rushdie's Latest Novel Enters Booker Long List

  •  New books by acclaimed writers Salman Rushdie and Margaret Atwood are among 13 longlisted for the 2019 Booker Prize. The list chosen from 151 novels includes eight women and five men.
  • Rushdie, a former Booker winner, is on the longlist for Quichotte, a novel to be published in September, 2019.
  • Atwood's The Testament is also due to be released in September, 2019.
  • The list includes a debut novel, Oyinkan Braithwaite's My Sister, The Serial Killer.
  • Quichotte is inspired by Don Quixote and narrates the story of an ageing travelling salesman who falls in love with a TV star and drives across America to win her hand.
  • Judges called it a "picaresque tour de force of contemporary America, with all its alarms and craziness".
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