Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 25 June 2018

::NATIONAL::

India has lowered the limits on the export of certain essential commodities such as potatoes, onions, and eggs to the Maldives
This move,apparently though based on a new method of calculation, comes against the backdrop of a recent heightening of tensions between the two countries.
According to a bilateral pact that came into effect in 1981, India exports essential commodities by and large in line with the requirement as communicated by the government of Maldives.

The Supreme Court on Sunday notified a new roster for the allocation of cases to judges, which will come into effect from July 2 when the top court reopens after summer vacation.
The new roster says that the Bench headed by Chief Justice of India DipakMisra will hear all public interest litigation petitions, besides pleas on social justice, elections, habeas corpus and contempt of court.
Justice RanjanGogoi, the seniormost judge after the Chief Justice, will deal with labour laws, indirect taxes, personal law and company law cases.

The President of India Shri Ram NathKovind will present the “Fourth National Awards for outstanding services in the field of Prevention of Alcoholism and Substance (Drug) Abuse” to the institutions and individuals on the occasion of ‘International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking’ (26th June, 2018) at a function organized by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on 26th June, 2018 in VigyanBhawan, New Delhi
The Scheme is applicable to Institutions and individuals working in the field of Prevention of Drug and Alcoholism Abuse.
The Ministry has started an online system for processing of Grant-in-Aid to Voluntary Organizations (VOs)/Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) from the financial year 2014-15. At present, approximately 400 Integrated Rehabilitation Centre for Addicts (IRCAs) are being run across the country with support from this Ministry.

Women in Saudi Arabia took to the roads early on Sunday, ushering in the end of the world’s last ban on women drivers, long seen as an emblem of women’s repression in the kingdom.
The ban’s end, ordered last September by King Salman, is part of sweeping reforms pushed by his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The lifting of the prohibition has been accompanied by a crackdown on dissent, including against some of the very activists who previously campaigned against it. They now sit in jail as their peers take to the road.

India and Bangladesh have agreed to institute a Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) as an annual feature between the two navies. The first edition will be inaugurated by Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba during his visit there from June 24 to 29.
Naval cooperation between India and Bangladesh has been traditionally strong, encompassing a wide span which includes operational interactions through port calls, passage exercises along with capacity building, capability enhancement and training initiatives.
Over the last few years, the Navy has expanded its assistance to countries in the region through “material support, training, EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) surveillance, provisioning of platforms, hydrographic assistance, joint exercises and offering slots in professional training courses.

India-Sri Lanka defence ties got a religious twist on Sunday, when a group of 80 military personnel departed for Bodh Gaya in Bihar on a chartered flight arranged by the Indian government.
The trip was organised following Sri Lankan Army Commander Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake’s request to Chief of the Army Staff General BipinRawat, who was recently here on a goodwill visit.
Apart from a visit to the Mahabodhi Temple, a key religious site that Buddhists consider sacred, the Indian Army will organise interactions with their military personnel, and a tour of the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Gaya.

The board of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved $100 million investment in the National Infrastructure and Investment Fund (NIIF) which could be followed by a similar tranche later.
India is the second largest shareholder in AIIB after China and is also the largest recipient of funds from the multilateral agency.Nearly 25% of the total funds committed by AIIB have been committed for projects in India, both in the government sector and the private sector.

Chess prodigy R. Praggnanandhaa, who missed out on the chance to become the game’s youngest-ever Grandmaster in March this year, completed the technical formalities to become the world’s youngest GM at present, and the second youngest on the all-time list.
On Sunday, the Chennai-based youngster made the third and final norm in style by winning the ninth and concluding round of the Fourth International Chess Festival ad Gredine Open at Ortisei, Italy.

At Special General Meeting (SGM), members of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have proposed a qualification system for the new entrants in the Ranji Trophy, India’s premier First Class tournament, for the forthcoming domestic season.
In addition to the existing 28 teams participating in the Ranji Trophy, the prolonged legal tussle has resulted in the Supreme Court and the Committee of Administrators (CoA) allotting status to new members including Bihar, Uttarakhand and five north-eastern associations comprising Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Nagaland, Manipur and Meghalaya.
However It is unclear whether the members’ resolutions would be accepted by the CoA. VinodRai, the chief of the two-member CoA, has clarified that the SGM in itself cannot be recognised since it was held without the consent of the CoA.