Current Affairs a for IAS Exams - 27 APRIL 2019

Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 27 APRIL 2019

::NATIONAL::

Vice President addresses CHIRAG concert of south Asian symphony

• The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that music has the power to overcome the tribulations of war and terrorism and sends the message of oneness.
• Speaking at the “CHIRAGH” concert of the South Asian Symphony Orchestra at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), in Mumbai today, Shri Naidu said that music speaks a universal language and transcends geographical boundaries and unites people.
• Shri Naidu appreciated Dr. Ahmad Sarmast for training the young children from Afghanistan who performed at the concert overcoming such barriers. He said that the young performers have proved that their music symbolizes the best of the human spirit and speaks the universal language of peace and harmony.
• The Vice President called upon organisations such as the South Asian Symphony Orchestra to carry the message of peace and non-violence and dispel the dark clouds of misguided minds that were unleashing sporadic spurts of mindless violence.
• Shri Naidu said that events such as the Concert organised by CHIARGH showcase India and its people’s commitment towards cooperation and co-existence among all nations.\
• The Vice President wanted the members of the orchestra and musicians at large to become ambassadors for a new and resurgent South Asia. He asked them to re-capture the essence of ancient civilizational ethos such as - peace, compassion and co-existence and re-connect with the common cultural well springs that unite the region.
• The South Asian Symphony Foundation established by Smt. Nirupama and ShriSudhakarRao, retired senior civil servants, has built a unique project a Symphony Orchestra to unite the people of South Asia region, through the divine medium of music.
• Saying that Music was a powerful art form that could transform the quality of our lives, Shri Naidu asked the South Asian Symphony Foundation to build a repertoire of indigenous music from the region and continue to spread the universal message of peace and brotherhood around the world.

Tropical depression over Indian ocean intensifies

• The depression over Equatorial Indian Ocean and adjoining Bay of Bengal has intensified into a deep depression and is currently moving in a north-northwestward direction.
• In a weather bulletin, the Met Department said in the last six hours, it lay centred at 1180 km southeast of Chennai and 1460 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh.
• It is very likely to intensify into a Cyclonic Storm during the next six hours and further into a Severe Cyclonic Storm during subsequent 24 hours. It is expected to reach north Tamilnadu and south Andhra Pradesh coast on Tuesday evening.
• Light to moderate rainfall at many places with heavy falls at isolated places is very likely over Kerala on Monday and Tuesday. North coastal Tamil Nadu and coastal Andhra Pradesh may receive light to moderate rainfall at a few places on Tuesday and Wednesday.
• Fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea till the warning is withdrawn and those in the sea have been asked to return to the shores by tomorrow.

::ECONOMY::

SC gives ultimatum to RBI over its disclosure policy

• The Supreme Court on Friday gave the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) “a last opportunity” to withdraw a November 2016 Disclosure Policy to the extent to which it stonewalls revelation of every other kind of information under the Right to Information Act, including the list of wilful defaulters and annual inspection reports.
• A Bench of Justices L. NageswaraRao and M.R. Shah found the policy of the central bank to be directly contrary to the court’s judgment of December 2015 that the Reserve Bank could not withhold information sought under the RTI Act.
• The Bench was hearing contempt petitions filed against the RBI for not complying with the 2015 judgment.
• “We give them a last opportunity to withdraw the disclosure policy insofar as it contains exemptions which are contrary to the directions issued by this court,” Justice Rao said, giving an ultimatum in the 12-page verdict.
• The 2015 judgment had rejected the RBI’s argument that it could refuse information sought under the RTI on the grounds of economic interest, commercial confidence, fiduciary relationship or public interest.
• The court had observed that there was “no fiduciary relationship between the RBI and the financial institutions”.
• The court, in 2015, reminded the RBI that it had the statutory duty to uphold the interests of the public at large, the depositors, the economy and the banking sector.
• “This court was also of the opinion that the RBI should act with transparency and not hide information that might embarrass the individual banks,” Justice Rao wrote.

Finance commission meets ministry of Panhcayathi Raj

• The Ministry of Panchayati Raj including its Secretary, Shri Rahul Bhatnagar and senior officials made a presentation to the Chairman of 15th Finance Commission, Shri N.K. Singh, its Members and senior officials of the Commission.
• It may be noted that Article 280 (3) (bb) of the Constitution specifies that the measures needed to augment the Consolidated Fund of a State to supplement the resources of the Panchayats in the State should be on the basis of the recommendations made by the Finance Commission.
• Amongst several proposals to the Finance Commission, the Ministry has proposed an allocation of Rs. 10,00,000crores to Panchayats by the 15th Finance Commission which is a hike of 399 per cent from that given by the 14th Finance Commission.
• Both the Ministry and the Commission agreed to the view that all three tiers of Panchayati Raj Institutions should receive fund devolution, and the proportionality should be within a specified band.
• The Commission will go through all the proposals which shall also be part of the Memorandum of the Central Government to the Commission – for the purpose of making its final recommendations.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

US president rejects UN arms trade treaty

• US President Donald Trump has announced that his country will not abide by a UN treaty aimed at regulating the global arms trade. He described the treaty as misguided and encroachment on US sovereignty.
• Mr Trump said, the US Senate never ratified the 2013 Arms Trade Treaty despite his predecessor Barack Obama having endorsed it.
• US President also made it clear that he will never ratify it. The treaty, which came into effect in December 2014, seeks to regulate the flow of weapons into conflict zones.
• It requires member countries to keep records of international transfers of weapons and to prohibit cross-border shipments that can be used in human rights violations or attacks on civilians. While 130 countries originally signed the treaty, only 101 have ratified and joined it.

US imposes sanctions on Pakistan, closely watches China

• The US has imposed sanctions on Pakistan after Islamabad refused to take back its citizen deportees and visa over-stayers from America. It warned that it may withhold visas of Pakistanis beginning from its senior officials.
• Sanctions have been imposed under a US law according to which countries refusing to take back deportees and visa over-stayers will be denied American visas. A State Department Spokesperson said Consular operations in Pakistan remain unchanged as of now.
• Meanwhile the U.S Trade Representative said it was keeping China on a ‘priority watch list’ of countries that are of significant concern to the U.S. in terms of their inadequate protection of IP. China’s IP laws are a contentious topic and have featured in the trade talks between the two countries.
• The U.S. is also aggressively working with allies in trying to keep China out of dominating the building of global 5G network infrastructure such as by taking action against Chinese tech giant Huawei.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

UN report warns of ecological threat due to human influences

• Up to one million species face extinction due to human influence, according to a draft UN report that painstakingly catalogues how humanity has undermined the natural resources upon which its very survival depends.
• The accelerating loss of clean air, drinkable water, forests, pollinating insects, protein-rich fish and storm-blocking mangroves — to name but a few of the dwindling services rendered by Nature — poses no less of a threat than climate change, says the report, set to be unveiled on May 6.
• Indeed, biodiversity loss and global warming are closely linked, according to the 44-page summary for policymakers, which distils a 1,800-page UN assessment of scientific literature on the state of Nature.
• Delegates from 130 nations meeting in Paris from April 29 will vet the executive summary line-by-line. Wording may change, but figures lifted from the underlying report cannot be altered.
• “We need to recognise that climate change and loss of Nature are equally important, not just for the environment, but as development and economic issues as well,” said Robert Watson, chair of the UN-mandated body that compiled the report.
• The direct causes of species loss, in order of importance, are shrinking habitat and land-use change, hunting for food or illicit trade in wildlife body parts, climate change and pollution, the report finds.

::SPORTS::

India finishes with 13 medals in Asian Boxing Championship

• India bagged a gold and two silver medals at the Asian Boxing Championships in Bangkok today.
• With this, India has won 13 medals, including two gold, four silver and seven bronze.
• Boxer AmitPanghal picked up his second successive gold medal of the year, claiming the top honours in the 52-kilogram category. Panghal defeated Korea's Kim Inkyu Korea.

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