Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 07 APRIL 2019

::NATIONAL::

EC bans uncertified ads during poll days

• Election Commission has barred the political parties, candidates and other organizations from publishing advertisement in print media on the poll day and one day prior to poll day in all the election phases unless approved by it.
• The Commission said, to facilitate the process of pre-certification of advertisements, the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee at the state and district levels be immediately ed and activated to examine and pre- certify all such advertisements received from the political parties.
• The Election commission has said that such advertisements in the last stage of the election vitiate the entire election process. It has written a letter to all the Chief Electoral Officers of States and has asked to issue directions to all political parties, candidates and newspapers in this regard.
• The commission said, the affected candidates and parties will not have any opportunity of providing clarification in such cases. The Poll body said, to ensure that no untoward incident takes place because of any inflammatory or hate advertisements, it is using its constitutional powers to direct that no political party will publish any advertisement in the print media on the day and one day prior to poll day in all the phases.
• For the first time internet - based firms have also voluntarily adopted the norms for online campaign to ensure free, fair and ethical usage of Social Media Platforms to maintain the integrity of the electoral process.

Defence ministry rejects U.S report on F16 Pak aircraft

• Senior BJP leader and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today rejected the recent media report on F-16 fighter aircraft of Pakistan.
• Addressing the press conference in Vadodara, she said that the writers of the article should do proper study of the ‘technical and factual’ evidences provided by the Indian Air Force to concretely prove the use of F-16 by Pakistan to target the Indian military installations.
• Ms Sitharaman said that the electronic signature of the aircraft intercepted by IAF radars was that of an F-16 fighter plane.
• This electronic signature, which is a kind of vibration or radiation during flight, is unique for every aircraft like the human signature. It was pretty clear that the electronic signature intercepted by IAF was that of an F-16.
• The defence minister was referring to the media report in a Foreign Policy magazine in US, which claimed that all the F-16 fighter planes given by America to Pakistan have been found to be ‘intact and accounted for’ during a recent physical count.
• Ms. Sitharaman said that our Air Force had shown pieces of AMRAAM missile found on the Indian soil prior to air strike.
• This missile can be fitted only on F-16. How such a missile reached the Indian soil, if F-16 was not used. She said that the writer and others associated with the US magazine should study the factual and technical evidences provided by the IAF in this regard.

::ECONOMY::

Commerce ministry sees good potential in export growth

• India's exports are expected to reach 32.4 billion dollars in March, the highest in any month so far, on account of healthy growth in sectors such as pharmaceuticals.
• In an interview to news agency PTI, Commerce and Industry minister Suresh Prabhu today said, that exports would cross 331 billion-dollar-mark in the 2018-19 fiscal year.
• The minister said that for the first time, India has crossed 19 billion-dollar-figure in pharma exports this fiscal. The Commerce Ministry will release the trade data on 15th April.
• Meanwhile Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said India was expected to become the third-largest economy in the world by 2030 with the gross domestic product (GDP) touching $10 trillion, helped by consumption and investment growth.
• Talking about avenues of growth for the next 20 years, the Minister listed infrastructure creation, rural expansion and gender parity, among others.

Report suggests declining imports from China

• India’s imports from China stood at $60 billion during the April-January period of 2018-19 fiscal, a deceleration of 5% over the corresponding period a year ago, PHD Chamber of Commerce said on Saturday.
• According to the chamber, India’s trade deficit with China also eased to $46 billion in April-January 2019 from $53 billion in the same period a year ago.
• “Despite substantial volume of imports from China, India’s import growth from China shrunk from 24% during April to January 2018 to (-) 5% during April-January 2019,” PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry Secretary General Mahesh Reddy said.
• Commerce Ministry data showed India’s export to China totalled $13.8 billion, whereas its imports from the neighbouring country stood at $60.1 billion during the April-January period.
• Indian shipments to China totalled $13.33 billion in 2017-18 (April-March), whereas the country’s imports from China stood at $76.38 billion in the period.
• The chamber said India has seen a major breakthrough in its exports to China during the last few months, whereas imports of Chinese products in India are decelerating.
• Its exports to China grew 31% in April-January 2019, increasing from $10 billion in April-January 2018 to $14 billion in April-January 2019, Mr. Reddy said.
• Meanwhile, India has identified and shared with China a list of 380 products including horticulture, textiles, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, as their shipments hold huge export potential in the neighbouring country, an official said.
• Increasing exports of these products would help India narrow the widening trade deficit with China, which stood at $50.12 billion during April-February 2018-19.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

G7 pushes for gender parity in peace processes

• Foreign ministers from Group of Seven (G7) countries have called for a greater role for women in solving conflicts, saying that peace settlements with female involvement were more likely to endure.
• The world's seven most developed nations, G7 ministers, at their meeting in the northern French resort of Dinard to prepare a summit meeting under French presidency in August, also called on greater mobilisation worldwide to prevent sexual and gender-based violence in conflict.
• According to the UN Women's agency, between 1990 and 2017, women constituted only two per cent of mediators, eight per cent of negotiators, and five per cent of witnesses and signatories in all major peace process.
• France has placed gender inequality at the heart of its presidency of the G7, though a plan to create a new mechanism to warn about sexual violence being used as a weapon during the war was not included in a final joint statement.
• Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that the countries had agreed a roadmap to adopt the mechanism.

UAE to give long term visas for Arab start ups

• The UAE Government has announced granting long-term visas for the top 100 start-ups shaping the fourth industrial revolution.
• The 100 Arab start-ups were selected at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa, held in Jordan between 6-7th April. The Forum witnessed for the first time bringing together 100 emerging companies from the Arab region, which are working to shape the future of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
• "The UAE is a global incubator for emerging innovations. Our innovation-friendly legislative structure is essential for start-up companies," said Abdulla bin Touq, Secretary General of the UAE Cabinet.
• "This collaboration with the World Economic Forum to grant long-term visas to the top 100 Arab start-ups reflects our commitment to facilitate businesses, create an attractive and encouraging environment for growth, and underline the UAE's position as a global destination for talents," he concluded.
• A press statement in the Emirates News Agency said that the start-ups will also have a chance to team up with "Area 2071" which serves as a gateway and a platform to design the future, through encouraging creativity, fostering talents as well as attracting local and global partnerships.
• According to the World Economic Forum's latest report, 20% of the Arab world's 100 most promising startups are based in the UAE. The initiative aims to further integrate the Arab world's most promising start-up entrepreneurs into a national and regional dialogue on pressing challenges.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

Researchers use bacteria strain to clean toxics from environment

• Using a unique strain of bacterium isolated from soil contaminated with petroleum products, IIT Bombay researchers can selectively remove from the environment toxic, aromatic pollutants such as benzoate (sodium benzoate is used as a food preservative), benzyl alcohol and naphthalene, to name a few.
• What makes the bacterial strain (Pseudomonas putida CSV86) unique is its preference for aromatic compounds and organic acid as a food source even when glucose is available. The strain can degrade aromatics and organic acids simultaneously.
• In studies carried out in the lab, the research team led by Prof. Phale found that even when both benzoate and glucose were available, the bacteria first utilised benzoate, and only when it was exhausted did it start feeding on glucose.
• “This gives an advantage to remove the pollutants with priority even in the presence of simple carbon source from the contaminated site,” says Prof. Phale.
• “The bacterial strain is a very good candidate for bioremediation or waste-water treatment. We can increase the metabolic diversity and capacity by genetically engineering the strain,” he says. “We would first like to test the viability and efficiency of the strain in breaking down different aromatic compounds.”
• The team hopes to engineer the strain so it can be directly applied to the soil to preferentially degrade aromatic pesticides

::SPORTS::

India performs well in ITTF junior circuit

• In table tennis, India's young paddlers clinched seven gold, three silver and two bronze medals in the Ghana Junior & Cadet Open, a ITTF Junior circuit event.
• Ananya Chande and Diya Chitale, both from Maharashtra, proved to be stars of the weekend, accounting for nine medals - seven gold, one silver and one bronze. Ananya also cornered a silver in the junior doubles along with Ruby Chan of England and a bronze in the junior girl's singles.

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