Current Affairs for IAS Exams – 07 September 2016

:: National ::

The Centre may toughen its stand against separatist leaders in Jammu and Kashmir

• The Centre may toughen its stand against separatist leaders in Jammu and Kashmir, and security forces are expected to be given a larger role in the Valley.
• The government has decided to step up crackdowns against elements stonewalling the return of normalcy in the Valley, which has been under curfew almost continuously for the past 60 days.
• Home Minister Rajnath Singh met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and informed him of the situation.
• "One thing is clear, we have engaged with the people there and it might have a long-term impact. Now, the short-term goal is to reopen markets and schools and bring normalcy to the State", Govt. said.

Karnataka Govt decided to follow the Supreme Court’s directive

• Amid dissent by the Opposition parties and serious opposition from farmers, the Karnataka Government decided to release 15,000 cusecs of water a day to Tamil Nadu as per the Supreme Court’s directive.
• The State has also decided to file a modification petition before the apex court in addition to approaching the supervisory committee to convince it about the distress situation due to a deficient monsoon.
• A decision to this effect was taken by the government after a meeting of the floor leaders of both Houses of the State legislature and MPs from the State.
• Meanwhile, the protests by various groups in Karnataka in the wake of the Supreme Court order derailed inter-State movement of people across the Jujuvadi checkpost.
• In Karnataka, the protests led to traffic blocks, cancellation of bus services to Tamil Nadu and Kerala and halting of shows of Tamil movies. Train services were not affected, said railway officials.

ISRO’s GSLV-F05 rocket carrying the INSAT-3DR to be launched (Register and Login to read Full News..)

Terrorists and insurgents are getting public support in some parts of the country (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: International ::

The World Health Organisation declared Sri Lanka to be malaria-free

• The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Sri Lanka to be malaria-free, after certifying that the life-threatening disease had been completely eliminated here.
• Sri Lanka’s achievement is truly remarkable. In the mid-20th century, it was among the most malaria-affected countries, but now it is malaria-free.
• Sri Lanka’s road to elimination had not been easy. It demanded well-calibrated, responsive policies.
• For instance, after cases of malaria soared in Sri Lanka in the 1970s and 80s, the country revised its strategy, intensively targeting the parasite in addition to targeting the mosquito.
• Sri Lanka has, despite the protracted civil war that ravaged the country, set high standards in public health and sanitation in South Asia.
• India is in the “control phase” with regard to malaria, but is working to reach pre-elimination by 2017 and to complete elimination thereafter, says a 2015 WHO report.

Balochistan CM points the interference of ‘neighbouring countries’ in Balochistan (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: Science and Technology ::

Global warming is spreading disease among animals and humans

• Global warming is making the oceans sicker than ever before, spreading disease among animals and humans and threatening food security across the planet.
• The findings, based on peer-reviewed research, were compiled by 80 scientists from 12 countries, experts said at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress in Hawaii.
• The report, ‘Explaining Ocean Warming’, is the “most comprehensive, most systematic study we have ever undertaken on the consequence of this warming on the ocean,” co-lead author Dan Laffoley said.
• The world’s waters have absorbed more than 93 per cent of the enhanced heating from climate change since the 1970s, curbing the heat felt on land but drastically altering the rhythm of life in the ocean, he said.
• The study included every major marine ecosystem, containing everything from microbes to whales, including the deep ocean.
• The higher temperatures will probably change the sex ratio of turtles in the future because females are more likely to be born in warmer temperatures. The heat also means microbes dominate larger areas of the ocean.

:: Business and Economy ::

China may soon grant market access to India's non-basmati rice exports

• China may soon grant market access to India's non-basmati rice exports, acceding to a long-pending request from New Delhi.
• The Centre had repeatedly taken up the issue of the country’s ballooning goods trade deficit with China bilaterally.
• India had demanded market access for products including non-basmati rice, pharmaceuticals and several fruits & vegetables among others.
• India’s goods trade deficit with China has surged from $1.1 billion in 2003-04 to $52.7 billion in 2015-16.
• Beijing has been “denying” market access to India's non-basmati rice claiming that the item had failed to meet Chinese norms on quality, health and safety.
• China was the world’s largest rice importer in 2015-16 followed by Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
• To export to countries including China, it is mandatory for Indian rice exporters to be registered with the NPPO.
• NPPO is the Indian government body in charge for inspecting these mills and granting certificates on plant health for export purposes.
• Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) under the Indian commerce ministry is also involved in the process.
• Trade sources said there are reports of rice (basmati & non-basmati) exports from India to China happening through Hong Kong and Thailand.
• In 2015-16, India exported 6.2 million tonnes of non-basmati rice worth Rs.15,000 crore, he said.

G20 leaders resolved to combat a “populist backlash” against global trade

• G20 leaders resolved to combat a “populist backlash” against global trade, and highlight the benefits it has brought including lifting millions out of poverty, IMF’s Christine Lagarde said.
• Ms. Lagarde said that the benefits of free trade in terms of lifting productivity and hauling them out of poverty were being drowned out by the chorus of opposition.
• There was “a determination around the room to better identify the benefits of trade in order to respond to the easy populist backlash against globalisation.”

India's production of summer-sown pulses is likely to surge to a record high (Register and Login to read Full News..)

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Sources: Various News Papers & PIB