Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 17 February 2017

:: National ::

Terror attack on a popular Sufi shrine in Sindh province

• At least 70 people were killed and 200 injured in a terror attack on a popular Sufi shrine in Sindh province. This is the seventh terrorist strike in Pakistan since 13th feb.

• The shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan city of Sindh was full of devotees when a suicide bomber struck. Officials feared the death toll would rise.

• The Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the attack, the first time it has done so for a strike in Pakistan.

• Pakistani officials have been denying the presence of the IS in the country despite several reports that the group has gained a foothold.

• Commissioner of Hyderabad Shafiq Mahesar said rescue teams had been rushed to Sehwan.

• The blast happened in the shrine’s compound where a large number of devotees were performing the ritual of ‘dhamaal’, said survivors.

• Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said the blast was an attack on the progressive, inclusive future of Pakistan.

• Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa has appealed to the nation to stay calm. “Your security services shall not allow hostile powers to succeed. We stand for our nation,” he said in a statement.

Apex court gets tough on sex determination

• The Supreme Court ordered three Internet giants — Google, Microsoft and Yahoo — to immediately set up their own in-house expert bodies to keep tabs on and delete online pre-natal sex determination advertisements.

• The court said the intent of the order was to make these search engines “responsive to Indian law.”

• Section 22 of the Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act of 1994 prohibits advertisements relating to pre-natal determination of sex and imposes punishment.

• However, ads continue to appear online, rendering the law toothless. Now, the Supreme Court has made the search engines themselves liable for preventing illegal sex determination ads from appearing online.

• This step is in addition to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s move to set up a nodal agency to receive complaints on violation of Section 22 of the 1994 Act.

• The court ordered that the search engines “shall appoint their ‘In-House Expert Body’ which shall take steps to see that if any words or any key words that can be shown on the Internet which has the potentiality to go counter to Section 22 of the 1994 Act, should be deleted forthwith.”

• The court observed that the in-house expert body “shall on its own understanding” delete anything that violates the letter and spirit of language of Section 22 of the 1994 Act.

• In case of doubt, they are free to approach the Ministry’s nodal agency and be guided by the latter.

Supreme Court has introduced a self-supporting scheme for providing legal services (Register and Login to read Full News)

Rajasthan students may will get lessons in water conservation (Register and Login to read Full News)

:: International ::

UN says only solution for Israel-Palestine is two state

• The two-state solution remains “the only way” to meet the aspirations of the Palestinians and Israelis, the UN envoy for the West Asia peace process told the Security Council.

• The council met to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a day after President Donald Trump stepped back from the U.S. commitment to a two-state solution as part of a final peace deal.

• “The two-state solution remains the only way to achieve the legitimate national aspirations of both peoples,” Nickolay Mladenov told the council.

• The envoy urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders to “carefully contemplate the future”, which he warned could be one “built on perpetual conflict, rising extremism and occupation”.

• Mr. Trump announced that the U.S. would not insist on a two-state solution to the conflict, in a break from Washington’s decades-old policy and from the international consensus on the peace process.

• Mr. Trump’s comments have triggered sharp responses from Muslim countries and organisations. Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit said resolving the conflict would require a two-state solution.

• Mr. Gheit affirmed that the conflict “requires a comprehensive and just peace based on a two-state solution with an independent Palestinian state”, a statement said after he met UN chief Antonio Guterres in Cairo.

• Palestinian Liberation Organisation secretary-general Saeb Erekat said the PLO remained committed to two states and would oppose any system that discriminated against Palestinians.

Sri Lanka's president initiates talks to end constitutional impasse (Register and Login to read Full News)

:: Science and Technology ::

UAE looks to transport people to the Red Planet

• The UAE has unveiled plans to build the first city on Mars by 2117 as the energy-rich country looks to transport people to the Red Planet over the next few decades.

• UAE announced the 100-year national project on which the Gulf State would collaborate with specialised international organisations and scientific institutes.

• The UAE will set out a plan to prepare national cadres that can achieve scientific breakthroughs to facilitate the transport of people to the planet over the next decades.

• The 100-year plan will involve scientific research programmes to nurture national cadres specialised in space sciences at universities in the UAE. It will also entrench a passion for space in younger generations.

• The announcement was made on the sidelines of the World Government Summit in the presence of representatives of 138 governments, six major international organisations, as well as leading international tech companies.

• The new project will be associated with research themes featuring the exploration of transportation means, energy and food on the red planet. It will also try to find faster transportation methods for travelling to and from Mars.

• The scientific initiative will first be implemented by an Emirati scientific team, and will eventually expand to include international scientists and researchers that will run in parallel with the coordination of human research efforts in the field of exploring and inhabiting Mars.

:: India and World ::

MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup is new High Commissioner to Canada

• Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Vikas Swarup has been appointed the new High Commissioner to Canada.

• Mr. Swarup, a well-known author, became the MEA spokesperson in April 2015. He is expected to join his new post in Ottawa by mid-March.

• Canada is a crucial country in India’s diplomatic agenda. Relations between the two countries have expanded in recent months following Prime Minister Justine Trudeau’s push for engagement with India.

• Last year, the North American country sent the ministers of infrastructure and immigration to India to bolster ties. However, it is yet to support New Delhi’s candidature for permanent membership in the U.N. Security Council.

• A visible face of the government, Mr. Swarup dealt with several high-tension matters, including India’s campaign to isolate Pakistan following the Pathankot and Uri attacks.

India and Afghanistan goes against the dominant view on Afghanistan process (Register and Login to read Full News)

:: Business and Economy ::

Reliance and Dassault come together for Rafale fighter jets

• Reliance Aerostructure Limited has incorporated a 51:49 joint venture with Dassault Aviation to capture a major share of the offset business arising from the €7.87 billion deal for Rafale fighter jets.

• The joint venture, Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DARL), will have Mr.Eric Trappier, Chairman of Dassault Aviation France, as its chairman and Mr.Anil Ambani, chairman of Reliance Group, as its co-chairman.

• India and France signed a purchase agreement for the supply of 36 Rafale fighter jets for €7.87 billion in September last year.

• The contract includes a 50% offset obligation or about Rs. 30,000 crore, the largest-ever offset contract in India. DRAL will aim to grab a major share of this business, including components and parts.

• The joint venture will execute the offset in phases with Phase I resulting in the generation of more than 700 highly-skilled direct jobs and 2,800 indirect jobs.

• DRAL will support the Centre’s “Make in India” and “Skill India” policies and develop major Indian programmes with high levels of technology transfer to benefit the entire aerospace sector.

• The proposed strategic partnership between Dassault and Reliance will also focus on promoting research and development projects under the IDDM programme (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured).

Reserve bank plans to rationalise the merchant discount rate (Register and Login to read Full News)

Click Here to Register for Full News

Click Here for Archive

Half Yearly Current Affairs for UPSC IAS (Pre.) Exam

This is a Part of Online Coaching Programme for IAS Exam

Buy Printed Study Material for IAS Pre General Studies (Paper-1)

Join Online Test Series for IAS (Pre.) Exam