Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 14 January 2022

::NATIONAL::

Manipur issues‘disturbedarea’notification

Manipur government has declared the entire State of Manipur excluding the Imphal Municipal Area as ‘Disturbed Area’ for a period of one year with retrospective effect from December 1, 2021.
Repeal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 (AFSPA) is an election issue in Manipur. Manipur is going to two phase polls on February 27 and March 3.

About:

It means that Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958 will be in force allowing forarmed forces to be conferred with ‘special powers’.
Disturbed area is declared under Section 3 of Act when a part or whole state/UT is in such acondition that the use of armed forces in aid of civil power is necessary.
‘Disturbed area’ is declared by Centre or the Governor of a state or Administrator of a UnionTerritory.

Andaman Nicobar-Aceh Connectivity

The shipping lane connectivity was envisioned in 2018 to unleash the economic potentials of bothareas (India-Indonesia).

Geostrategic Importance:

Sabang port in Aceh, Indonesia is 90 nauticalmiles from Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
It sits at the entrance of Strait of Malacca,considered to be key global choke point.
However, concerns have emerged because of

1. Presence of Rohingyas near Aceh,
2. Nicobar Islands and Aceh have been identified as important nodes in the contrabandsmuggling route in Southeast Asia.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

India support $900 mn aid to Sri Lanka

India confirmed a $400 million currency swap with Sri Lanka while deferring another $500 million due for settlement to the Asian Clearing Union (ACU), in a move aimed at helping the island nation witnessing an unprecedented economic crisis.

About:

India’s assistance follows a request from Sri Lanka during Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa’s visit to New Delhi in December, for emergency financial assistance, including Lines of Credit for importing essentials and a currency swap to boost Sri Lanka’s draining foreign reserves.
Sri Lanka is facing a severe dollar crunch that economists say might lead to a default on external debt and create a food shortage in the imports-reliant island nation.
Colombo must service over $7 billion outstanding debt in 2022, including bond repayments of $500 million in January and $1 billion in July.
In July 2020, the RBI extended a similar swap facility — of $400 million — to help Sri Lanka cope with the impact of the first wave of the pandemic, and later provided a three-month roll over until February 2021, when the Central Bank of Sri Lanka settled it.
Recent announcement on RBI assistance includes deferring the payment of $500 million that Sri Lanka owes to the ACU, a regional initiative with the Central Banks and Monetary Authorities of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Significantly, India’s confirmation of the swap comes a week after the two countries signed a long-pending agreement on jointly developing the strategically located Trincomalee oil tank farm along the north-eastern coast of the island.

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Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data

A research team that found a new strain of Covid-19 Deltacron(that combines Delta and Omicron) inCyprus has shared findings with Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data(GISAID).

About GISAID:

Launched in 2008, Initiative promotes the rapid sharing of data from all influenza viruses andthe coronavirus causing COVID-19.

Data includes:

Genetic sequence and related clinical and epidemiological data associated with human viruses, and
Geographical as well as species-specific data associated with avian and other animal viruses.
Sharing of data help researchers understand how viruses evolve and spread during epidemicsand pandemics.

::ECONOMY::

High Ambition Coalition(HAC)

India recently urged countries to join the ‘HAC for nature and people’.
India had joined the Coalition in the run uptotheCOP15.

About:

High Ambition Coalition (HAC)is an intergovernmental group championing a global deal for nature and people that canhalt the accelerating loss of species, and protect vital ecosystems that are the source of oureconomic security.
It aims to push for a global goal to protect at least 30% of the planet by 2030 - called 30x30target - under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

::SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY::

Digital embossing technology

Digital embossing technology(DET)is being used for high-speed production of the maps and to produce Braille mapsthat can be used for a longer period.

About DET

It is a digital printing technology that eliminates the need for printing plates, moulds,chemicals,and solvents, besides releasing no pollutants or waste and reducing overall energy usage.

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