Current Affairs for IAS Exams – 05 November 2015


Current Affairs for IAS Exams – 05 November 2015


:: National ::

NGT says no to age-old practice

  • Even as the winter has set in, the pollution-ravaged Capital is now battling thick smog due to stubble burning, forcing the National Green Tribunal to direct Delhi and its neighbouring States to stop the age-old practice.

  • A Bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar directed the Delhi government and the four northern States of Punjab, Haryana, Rajas-than and Uttar Pradesh to check the bi-annual menace, which the farmers engage in to save time between sowing of wheat and rice.

  • The tribunal also announced a fine of Rs. 2,500 to Rs. 15,000 on farmers found indulging in straw burning.

  • The practice is followed by farmers not only to save time under the rice-wheat crop rotation to clear the land of residue of one harvest and sow the next, it is also believed that it makes the land more fertile and kill pests.

  • The burning of agriculture waste is a serious issue contributing towards global warming and the environmental pollution. You all are putting the life of people and children at danger, and they are getting sick. You cannot allow them to suffer.

  • The tribunal also directed the District Magistrates to form a committee to organise aware-ness programmes for farmers and villagers so as to educate them about the ill-effects of straw burning.

Ageing Japan goes all out to woo Indian students

  • Japan's declining young population is proving to be a blessing for Indian stu-dents, who are being wooed by Japanese universities for taking up research in science and technology with scholar-ships covering tuition and liv-ing expenses.

  • On radar are the students of IITs and other prestigious institutions who have strong math and science background.

  • Japan's population is declining and only around 25 per cent of its young generation is showing interest in sciences. The country wants to pro-mote research in sciences and technology inviting the best brains from across the world, and India is definitely a choice given the huge talent pool.

  • Indian students got an opportunity to work in the best of Japanese science and re-search laboratories and they had a greater chance of being hired by Japanese companies that were known for cutting-edge research and technology.

President to launch IIT -IISc initiative (Register and Login to read Full News..)

Rape victim's child can claim inheritance right (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: International ::

Crisis deepens in the Maldives

  • The state of Emergency declared in the Maldives on Wednesday, as of now for 30 days, by President Abdulla YammenAbdul Gayoom is the latest in a host of crises that shook the Indian Ocean nation's young democracy.

  • The Emergency was declared after the Maldives National De-fence Force (MNDF) and the Maldives Police discovered a large cache of arms in different locations in the archipelago nation.

  • The government recently arrested the Vice-President, Ahmed Adeeb, and conducted a series of raids to recover arms and explosives from several locations after the September 28 blast on the Presidential boat.

Historic China- Taiwan meet prompts hope and suspicion

  • The Presidents of China and Taiwan will dine together in Singapore on Saturday in what will be the first meeting of its kind since Chairman Mao's Communist troops forced out their nationalist enemies from the Chinese mainland in 1949.

  • Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Taiwanese counterpart Ma Yingjeou will meet to “exchange views on cross-Strait issues.”

  • The announcement of the milestone meeting comes as Taiwan gears up for a presidential election on January 16.

  • Ma, who has overseen an unprecedented and controversial warming of ties with Beijing since taking office in 2008, will step down next year, and his ruling Nationalist party (KMT) is currently badly trailing its rivals in the polls.

  • “I believe people across the country, like me, felt very surprised,” Tsai said. “ A meeting of the leaders of the two sides across the strait is a great event, involving the dignity and national interests of Taiwan. But to let the people know in such a hasty and chaotic manner is damaging to Taiwan's democracy.”

S. China Sea row cancels ASEAN joint statement (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: India and World ::

All countries must abide by 2002 declaration on conduct

  • Expressing “interest and concern” at the recent developments in the South Chi-na Sea, India on Wednesday called for an early conclusion of the ‘Code of Conduct' in the region for resolving disputes.

  • Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar made the comments while addressing the third edition of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM)-Plus in Malaysia. He hoped that the countries concerned would abide by the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties. The agreement between ASEAN and China expresses desire to “enhance favourable conditions for a peaceful and durable solution to differences and disputes among countries concerned.”

  • Mr. Parrikar said the situation in South China Sea and recent developments there have attracted interest and concern. “This is natural since freedom of navigation in international waters, the right to passage and over-flight, unimpeded commerce and access to resources in accordance with the recognised principles of international law, including the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, are of concern to all of us.”

:: Business And Economy ::

GST only a matter of time: FM

  • Obstruction against the GST has been due to political reasons. Within months from now, the numbers (in the Rajya Sabha) are going to tilt even more. So it will become easier to pass. GST is only a matter of time. As and when it is put to a vote, it will be passed,” the Finance Minister said.

  • Mr. Jaitley also added that he is looking to table the government's proposed Bankruptcy Bill in the upcoming winter session of Parliament.

  • Also regarding corporates, the Union Finance Minister said that he will soon be announcing the first tranche of exemptions from corporate tax that are to be done away with. The first round of corporate rate cuts — part of the government’s longer term agenda of cutting corporate tax rates from 30 per cent to 25 per cent — will be announced in the next Budget.

  • Talking about infrastructure, Mr. Jaitley lauded the performance of the road sector, but said that the power sector was still a problem. “The big problem in infrastructure is the power sector. We are generating more power than India needs. However, state discoms, the last mile, are not in a position to lift that power because of their poor financial health,” he said, adding that re-forms regarding the power sector will be announced soon.

  • There are some crises that impact more than others, he added. “If the U.S. Fed hikes rates, there will be some turmoil here but it will settle down. Like what happened after China's currency devaluation,” Mr. Jaitley said.

:: Science And Technology ::

GSA T -15 set to replace INSA T -3A, 4B

  • GSAT -15, the mainly communications satellite being put in space next week, will replace two older space-craft that will likely expire in the coming months.

  • Its 24 transponders are solely in the Ku band and will cater to DTH (direct-to-home) television first, besides supporting the thousands of VSAT operators who provide broadband services; and DSNG (digital satellite news gathering) for TV news channels.

  • GSAT -15 will not add new transponder capacity to thecountry; it will ‘ensure sustainability of service ‘for the capacity-hungry DTH sector’.

  • It will also carry the third GAGAN satellite navigation transponder as a back-up for airlines and other users of augmented GPS-based systems.

  • GSAT -15, weighing 3,164 kg, will be launched in the wee hours of November 11 (IST) from Kourou in French Guiana (in South America) on the European Arianespace's Ar-iane-5 launcher.

  • GSAT -15 will be flown along with Saudi Arabia's Arabsat-6B/Badr-7.

:: Sports ::

Tom Graveney passes away

  • Tom Graveney, the former England captain and president of Marylebone Cricket Club, died at the age of 88.

  • Graveney made 11 centuries in 79 Test matches be-tween 1951 and 1969, scoring 4,882 runs at an average of 44.38. Appointed MCC president in 2005 he was an honorary life member of the Lord's Club.

  • India was a lucky hunting ground for Graveney. Hescored his first Test century (175) against India at the BraBourne Stadium before the 1951 Christmas.

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Sources: Various News Papers & PIB

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