Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 21 February 2017

Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 21 February 2017

:: National ::

The Centre to oppose bill to declare countries like Pakistan terror states

  • The Centre will oppose a Private Member’s Bill moved in the Rajya Sabha recently seeking to declare countries like Pakistan “terror states.”

  • Independent Member of Parliament Rajeev Chandrasekhar had moved The Declaration of Countries as Sponsor of Countries as Sponsor of Terrorism Bill, 2016.

  • Bill wants to impose legal, economic and travel sanctions on citizens of countries which promote terror. The Bill came up for discussion on February 3.

  • The Home Ministry has written to the Parliament Secretariat opposing the Bill as it jeopardises international relations under the Geneva Convention.

  • India has accused Pakistan of instigating terror attacks but the two countries have maintained diplomatic relations even during the Kargil war and Operation Parakram.

  • Mr. Chandrasekhar said, “For decades, India and other countries in the region have been victims of terror attacks from organisations and individuals based in and with the support of elements in Pakistan."

  • "Yet for decades we have remained engaged with Pakistan in an attempt to draw it into the mainstream. Pakistan’s track record of fostering terrorism and terrorists is long and incontrovertible"

  • A private member’s Bill can be enacted into a law once it has been screened by a House committee, which is optional, and passed by a majority vote.

A draft of Trump’s revised immigration ban targets the same seven countries

  • A draft of President Donald Trump’s revised immigration ban targets the same seven countries listed in his original executive order but exempts travellers who already have a visa to travel to the U.S., even if they haven’t used it yet.

  • Mr. Trump revised the order after federal courts held up his original immigration and refugee ban, will target only those same seven Muslim-majority countries — Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan and Libya.

  • Green card holders and dual citizens of the U.S. and any of the seven countries are exempt. The new draft also no longer directs authorities to single out and reject Syrian refugees when processing new visa applications.

  • Draft is subject to change ahead of its signing, which Mr. Trump has said could come sometime this week.

Vijay Mallya's custody sought under Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (Register and Login to read Full News)

Status report of investigation conducted by SIT into 1984 riots filed in SC (Register and Login to read Full News)

:: International ::

New Delhi may out-compete Beijing in the commercial space-launch business

  • China is clinically analysing the successful and cost-effective launch of 104 satellites in one-go by the Indian Space Research Organisation, as well as the outcome of the Aero-India show.

  • An op-ed in the Global Times highlighted that India’s record-breaking satellite launch could serve as a “wake-up call” for China's commercial space industry.

  • The article diagnosed China’s inability to access components and parts from the U.S. as part of the problem. Consequently, China had to step up independent research and indigenous manufacturing in order to bypass the U.S. restrictions.

  • China also has to cut costs, as it is likely to target price-sensitive customers in the developing countries. On the contrary, of the 104 satellites that were launched, 96 belonged to the U.S.

  • Article said : “Competition with India for commercial space launches may be inevitable, and the most urgent action needed for China to expand its market share is to reduce the cost of putting satellites into orbit.”

  • The website said: “We observed that this year’s Aero India kept a very low profile in arms purchase and Indian Defence Ministry didn’t sign any official agreement with foreign arms dealers.”

  • The article pointed out that India’s Reliance Defence has signed an agreement with the U.S. Navy on vessel repair and retrofitting services.

:: India and World ::

India wants TNA to continue negotiating a political solution in Sri Lanka

  • Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar has asked Sri Lanka’s Tamil leadership to continue negotiating a political solution with the government, without being fixated on the demand for merging the island’s northern and eastern provinces.

  • TNA leader briefed him on some pressing issues faced by the Tamil people, including the lack of progress on the release of military-occupied land by the government, lingering concerns over enforced disappearances.

  • The TNA delegation also updated Mr. Jaishankar about the new Constitution, pointing to the process being “stalled”.

  • Sri Lanka is currently drafting a new Constitution, but the country’s minority Tamils are worried about the pace of the exercise.

  • With a section of Sinhalese lawmakers in the south opposing any increase in the power shared with provinces, the process appears to have hit a major roadblock.

  • Mr. Jaishankar reportedly assured the TNA that he would raise the issues with President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

  • Mr. Jaishankar, who served as political counsellor in Colombo between 1988 and 1990, observed that a lot had happened since the neighbours signed the agreement, such as the assassination of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

  • He suggested that the Tamils continue pushing for a broader political solution rather than be fixated on the merger.

  • Offering support to Sri Lanka to tackle drought, Mr. Jaishankar said that India would donate eight water bowsers and 100 tonnes of rice as immediate assistance, according to a press release from the Indian High Commission.

Europe urged for six-month extension of bilateral investment with India (Register and Login to read Full News)

:: Science and Technology ::

The risk of running out of rare earth metals led to deep sea mining

  • The risk of running out of rare earth metals that are essential to modern technology has led to a surge in interest in mining the deep seas.

  • But fears have also mounted about the environmental impact of disturbing vast areas of the pristine ocean floor, experts said at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual conference in Boston.

  • Demographic growth and the acceleration of technological innovations in the past 40 years have doubled the quantity of minerals extracted worldwide, leading to shortages of certain key metals, according to a recent UN report.

  • When it comes to copper, an essential element for electrical equipment and numerous industries, a shortage could begin around 2050, he said.

  • This uncertainty highlights the importance of considering deep-sea mining, even though the process involves environmental risks.

  • Given the risks to fragile ecosystems, a new international approach to managing mineral deposits should be put in place, said a recent report published in Science.

:: Business and Economy ::

Finance Ministry started the process of listing three rail PSUs

  • Within three weeks of the Budget announcement, the Finance Ministry on Monday started the process of listing three rail PSUs — IRCTC, IRFC and IRCON.

  • The government is considering divesting a portion of the paid-up equity share capital through an IPO and has sought Expression of Interest (EoI) from merchant bankers by March 16.

  • The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management is scouting for merchant bankers to manage the IPO of the three PSUs. The government currently holds 100% stake in these three companies.

  • Finance Minister had said that the government will put in place a revised mechanism to ensure time-bound listing of identified CPSEs on stock exchanges as it would foster greater public accountability and unlock their true value.

  • The government intends to raise Rs. 72,500 crore through disinvestment of PSUs in the next fiscal.

Microsoft announced a strategic partnership with Flipkart (Register and Login to read Full News)

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