Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 10 May 2020

::NATIONAL::

India gives clarification on territorial extent near Nepal border

• India has said that the recently inaugurated road section in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand lies completely within its territory.
• In response to queries on statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal pertaining to the road inauguration, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said the road follows the pre-existing route used by the pilgrims of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
• Under the present project, the same road has been made pliable for the ease and convenience of pilgrims, locals and traders.
• The spokesperson said India and Nepal have established mechanism to deal with all boundary matters. He said the boundary delineation exercise with Nepal is ongoing.
• India is committed to resolving outstanding boundary issues through diplomatic dialogue and in the spirit of close and friendly bilateral relations with Nepal.
• Mr Srivastava said both sides are also in the process of scheduling Foreign Secretary level talks which will be held once the dates are finalized after the COVID 19 challenge is dealt with.

NDMA issues guidelines for restarting industries post lockdown

• National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued guidelines for restart of manufacturing industries after the lockdown. In its guidelines, NDMA said state governments will ensure that off- site diaster management plan of the respective major Accidental Hazard units are upto date and preparedness to implement them is high.
• It has also advised that all the responsible officers of the district will ensure that the industrial On- Site Disaster Management Plans are also in place and cover Standard Operating Procedures for the safe restarting of .........................................

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::ECONOMY::

Former RBI governor says centre’s financial stimulus not sufficient

• Maintaining that the combined fiscal deficit of the Centre and states may go up to 13-14 per cent this fiscal, former RBI Governor Duvvuri Subbarao on Sunday said the financial stimulus announced by the Centre on March 26 on account of lockdown to contain spread of COVID-19, is "not sufficient".
• Speaking at a webinar titled "The Challenge of the Corona Crisis - Economic Dimensions", organised by the city-based Manthan Foundation, Subbarao said the Centre needs to cap its borrowings as the open ended borrowings will have negative consequences such as pushing interest rates high.
• He said that since March 24, when the lockdown was imposed nationwide, millions of households have become vulnerable and therefore livelihood support has to be extended to many more families as most of their savings have dried up.
• According to him, the domestic financial sector, which is under deep stress, will be under "deeper stress" by the time the COVID-19 crisis ends, though he sees some silver linings in the situation such as plummeting crude prices and bumper agri yield.
• Stressing that the world has to live with coronavirus for some time, Subbarao said both centre and states are working in tandem to contain the pandemic.
• On the other hand, a stringent lockdown to control the pandemic can mean millions of livelihoods.This is a very difficult balancing act. Particularly for India, as our economy is in bad shape, Subbarao said.

SEZ units demand customs duty waiver for domestic sale

• Faced with extensive cancellation of global orders due to the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, units in Special Economic Zones (SEZ) want the government to allow them to sell their products in the domestic market without payment of customs duties.
• At present, SEZs are also not able to ........................................

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::INTERNATIONAL::

Egypt brings in new amendments bringing more powers to president

• Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi has approved amendments to the country’s state of emergency that grant him and security agencies additional powers, which the government says are needed to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.
• The new amendments allow the President to take measures such as suspending classes at schools and universities and quarantining those returning from abroad. But they also include expanded powers to ban public and private meetings, protests, celebrations and other forms of assembly.
• The amendments, which Mr. Sisi signed off on Friday, also allow military prosecutors to investigate incidents when army officers are tasked with law enforcement or when the President orders it. The country’s chief civilian prosecutor would have the final decision on whether to bring matters to trial.
• The amended law would also allow the President to postpone taxes and utility payments as well as provide economic support for affected sectors.
• Egypt has been under a state of emergency since April 2017, and the government extended it late last month for another three months. The government said the amendments were needed to address a legal “vacuum” revealed by the COVID-19 outbreak. Egypt, with a population of 100 million, has reported at least 504 deaths among around 8,500 confirmed cases.

UN postal agency and WHO release stamp to commemorate anniversary on smallpox eradication

• World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN's postal agency have released a commemorative postage stamp today on the 40th anniversary of the eradication of smallpox. The head of the global health body expressed gratitude to a top Indian-origin UN official. In May 1980, the 33rd World Health Assembly issued its official declaration that the world and all peoples have won freedom .........................................

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::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

Sal forest tortoise expands habitat outside protected areas

• The sal forest tortoise is widely distributed over eastern and northern India and Southeast Asia. However, it is not common in any of this terrain.
• Also known as the elongated tortoise (Indotestudo elongata), the sal forest tortoise, recently assessed as critically endangered, is heavily hunted for food. It is collected both for local use, such as decorative masks, and international wildlife trade.
• A recent study by ..................................

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::SPORTS::

Barcelona stars set to start training sessions

• LaLiga champion Barcelona on Saturday allowed its stars to enter its facility to prepare for a potential restart to football in Spain.
• Lionel Messi and Co. took the field at Joan Gamper training centre for individual sessions. At Milan, Inter Milan and AC Milan were both back training on Friday two months after the lockdown.

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