Current Affairs for BANK, IBPS Exams

02 April 2016

:: NATIONAL ::

Indians among the shortlist for story prize

• Four authors and a translator from India are in the running for the 2016 Commonwealth Short Story Prize, which has shortlisted 26 “fresh and unexpected” stories by writers from 11 countries.

• Currently in its 5th year, the prize is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2,000-5,000 words) in English.

• Short stories that are translated into English from other languages are eligible too.

• The stories by the 4 shortlisted Indian writers include ‘Cow and Company’ by Parashar Kulkarni, ‘Dirty White Strings’ by Kritika Pandey, ‘Girdhar’s Mansion’ by Sumit Ray and ‘Instant Karma’ by Vinayak Varma.

• Additionally, noted Indian translator Arunava Sinha is shortlisted for his translation of Bangladeshi writer Sumon Rahman’s short story ‘NiroporadhGhum’ (Innocent Sleep).

• Each year, five winning writers from five different Commonwealth regions are selected..

• Regional winners who will be announced on May 4 will receive £2,500 and the overall winner, to be announced in September, will receive prize money of £5,000.

Twenty percent adults will be obese in 2025

• One in five adults could be obese by 2025, said a major survey that warned of a looming epidemic of “severe obesity” with significant health and economic costs.

• The ratio of obese adults has more than doubled in the 40 years since 1975, and will climb further in the coming nine, the research showed.

• It used data from 1,698 studies involving 19.2 million adults from 186 countries which are home to 99 per cent of the world’s population. Children were excluded.

• Of about 5 billion adults alive in 2014, 641 million were obese, it found. The figure was set to exceed 1.1 billion by 2025.

• Obesity and especially severe and morbid obesity, affect many organs and physiological processes.We can deal with some of these, like higher cholesterol or blood pressure, through medicines. But for many others, including diabetes, we don’t have effective treatment.

• People are divided into healthy or unhealthy weight categories based on a universally-adopted measure dubbed Body Mass Index (BMI) — a ratio of weight-to-height squared.A healthy BMI ranges from 18.5 to 24.9.

• One is considered underweight below 18.5, overweight from 25 up, and obese from 30 — when the risk of diabetes, stroke, heart disease and some cancers escalates massively.

• With a BMI of 35 one is categorised as severely obese, and from 40 upward as morbidly so.

• Among men globally, obesity tripled from 3.2 per cent of the population in 1975 to 10.8 per cent in 2014 (some 266 million), and among women it rose from 6.4 per cent to 14.9 per cent (375 million), said the survey — 12.9 per cent combined.

• The ratio of underweight people in the world declined at a slower rate than obesity grew, said the authors — from about 13.8 per cent in 1975 to 8.8 per cent for men, and 14.6 per cent to 9.7 per cent for women.

• At current rates, more women will be severely obese (a BMI of 35 or more) than underweight by 2025, and world will miss its stated target of halting obesity at 2010 levels.

• Nearly a fifth of world’s obese adults (118 million) lived in six high-income countries — the U.S., Britain, Ireland, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

• The U.S. was home to one in four severely obese men and almost one in five severely obese women in the world.

• At the other extreme, Timor-Leste, Ethiopia and Eritrea had the lowest BMI numbers in the world, with averages as low as 20.1.

• More than a fifth of men in India, Bangladesh, Timor-Leste, Afghanistan, Eritrea and Ethiopia, and a quarter of women in Bangladesh and India, were underweight.

Govt. asked NHAI for status report of under construction bridges

• A day after an incomplete flyover collapsed in Kolkata killing at least 23 people, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari asked the National Highways Authority of India to submit a status report on all under-construction bridges in the country and ensure that safety measures are in place for all highway projects.

• Govt is issuing instructions and Minister has also issued instructions to all our project directors and regional officers to be vigilant and ensure safety measures are taken and that no neglect takes place.

• Government is not immediately reviewing contracts of IVRCL, however they are saying if something like this happens it spoils entities reputation.

Government will launch new campaign on 125th birth anniversary of Dr. Ambedkar

• Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan, a Central government’s campaign to strengthen Panchayati Raj in villages and ensure social harmony, empowerment of women and uplift of farmers will be launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

• This will be launched atMhow in Madhya Pradesh in April, on the occasion of 125th Birth anniversary of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar.

• Rural Development Minister Birender Singh told that the campaign would be held all over the country from April 14 to 24.

• The campaign will be run jointly by Union Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Agriculture, Social Justice, Labour and Information and Broadcasting Ministries along with States and will culminate on April 24 on the Panchayati Raj Day with the Prime Minister addressing villagers in Jamshedpur.

IMD predicts increase in temperature for summer 2016

• Meteorologists have said that an average rise of 1 degree Celsius in summer temperatures — as predicted by the IMD over most of India would mean more days of extreme heat as well as a higher likelihood of heat waves compared to last year.

• The Indian Meteorology Department (IMD) defines a heatwave as an excess of five to six degrees C over the maximum daily temperature (over a 30-year period) of less than 40 degree C or an excess of four to five deg. C over a normal historical maximum temperature of over 40 degree C.

• The IMD declares a heat wave when the actual maximum temperature is above 45 degree C.

• More heatwaves could mean a greater public health concern. Last year, heat waves killed over 1,500 in Andhra Pradesh alone.

• This year the IMD will be issuing a summer fortnightly forecast about the likelihood of heatwaves across the country.

• The Met Department stated that the summer months of 2016 would be warmer than normal across all meteorological sub-divisions of the country and above-normal, heat wave (HW) conditions are very likely over central and northwest India during the period.

• India experienced significantly above normal temperatures during January and February of this year with monthly anomalies of 1.5 deg. C and 2 deg. C, when compared to the thirty-year average of 1961-90.

• Moreover, 2015 was the third warmest year ever recorded since 1901.

• All the temperatures (maximum, minimum and mean) of most of the sub-divisions from northwest India, Kerala from south India and Vidharbha from Central India are likely to be above 1 deg. C.

• The IMD concurs that the frequency and duration of heat waves over the country are increasing and attributes it to increasing greenhouse gases due to anthropogenic activity and the El Niño.

:: INTERNATIINAL ::

US and China to sign agreement on climate change

• U.S. President Barack Obama and President Xi Jinping of China said that they would sign the Paris Agreement on climate change on April 22, the first day the UN accord will be open for government signatures.

• It is a statement of joint resolve by the world’s two largest greenhouse gas polluters, even though there are doubts about whether the U.S. can meet its obligations under the agreement.

• The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked an Obama administration regulation to curb greenhouse gas pollution from power plants, the centrepiece of Mr. Obama’s climate change policy.

• Mr. Xi, said: “As the two biggest economies, China and the U.S. have a responsibility to work together.”

• The Paris Agreement, reached in December, is the first global accord to commit nearly every nation to take domestic actions to tackle climate change.

• To promote the accord, Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General, planned the signing ceremony for April 22, Earth Day, although world leaders will have a year afterward to sign.

• The Paris Agreement will enter into legal force only when enough countries have signed on: together they have to be responsible for causing 55 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

• Combined, the U.S. and China account for about 40 per cent of global emissions.

• In the U.S., enactment of Mr. Obama’s climate change commitments under the Paris deal will ultimately fall to the next President.

• But that fact also worries some climate diplomats as they watch the 2016 presidential campaign from afar.

• Although the Democratic front-runner, Hillary Clinton, has pledged to enact and strengthen the Paris Agreement, on the Republican side, both Donald Trump and Ted Cruz have questioned or denied the science of human-caused climate change.

Indian Government looking for steps after China blocked sanction against JeM

• China sidestepped a direct response to queries about its alleged role in blocking sanctions at the UN against the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief, Masood Azhar, who is accused by India of plotting the January attack on the Pathankot air force base.

• Earlier, media reports had said China requested the UN Committee, which was considering a ban on Azhar, to hold the decision of listing the JEM chief under the al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee, hours before the inclusion deadline expired.

• China had apparently taken the decision in “consultation” with Pakistan.

• The 1267 Committee, also known as the al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee, is one of three Security Council committees dealing with counter-terrorism.

• Meanwhile, in New Delhi, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs KirenRijiju warned that the government would take appropriate action in view of China’s move.

• “What China has done [in the UN] was not good. The Ministry of External Affairs will take an appropriate action. Whatever action is required, we will take it,” he said.

• India has accused Masood Azhar and his brother Abdul Asghar Rauf of being directly linked to the attack, planned at the JeM’s Bahawalpur headquarters. It has sought the voice samples of the brothers from Pakistan.

A day before PM Modi’s visit Saudi Arabia and US announce joint action against terrorists

• A day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arrival in Saudi Arabia for his first visit, the Gulf kingdom and the U.S announced joint action against two groups and four individuals for promoting terrorism.

• These groups and individuals are suspected of supporting the al-Qaeda and the Taliban in their operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan and the Lashar-e-Taiba that targets India have been put under sanctions.

• Entities and individuals in the U.S and Saudi Arabia are barred from dealing with them.

• Abdul Aziz Nuristani and the Jamia Asariya Madrassa that he runs in Peshawar, Pakistan; Naveed Qamar, an LeT operative and Muhammad IjazSafarash, also an LeT operative who has been active in fund-raising in Saudi Arabia are the others sanctioned.

New Ebola death recorded in Liberia

• A woman has died of Ebola in Liberia, months afterthe West African nation was declared free of the virus and weeks after neighbouring Guinea also recorded a new flare-up.

• More than 11,300 people have died over the past two years in the world’s worst Ebola epidemic, nearly all of them in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

• Liberia was declared free of active Ebola transmission in January, having passed 42 days, twice the length of the virus's incubation period without a new case.

• While the World Health Organisation said this week that West Africa’s Ebola out- break no longer constitutes an international public health risk, the region has continued to see small flare-ups even after countries received the all-clear.

• Guinea announced new cases on March 17 just hours after Sierra Leone declared an end of active transmission, a fact that briefly meant that West Africa was oicially free of Ebola.

• Liberia subsequently closed its border with Guinea its northern neighbour, fear- ing the potential spread of the outbreak.

:: INDIA and WORLD ::

PM says terrorism has evolved over time, response to terrorism should also evolve

• Global terrorism has evolved over time and terrorists are now using modern technology and devices while the national and international efforts to counter them have become outdated, PM Narendra Modi told a gathering at the White House.

• This is the fourth and final Nuclear Security Summit (NSS), an initiative of Mr. Obama to coordinate international efforts to prevent acts of nuclear terrorism.

• Leaders from over 50 countries and four international organisations were scheduled to discuss the topic on Friday in more detail.

• Making his brief intervention at the dinner, the PM thanked Mr. Obama for putting the “spotlight on nuclear security.” “President Obama has done great service to global security,” Mr. Modi said.

• Mr. Modi said: “The recent terror strikes in Brussels showed the world how real and immediate the threat to nuclear security from terrorism was.”

• The Prime Minister identified three “contemporary features of terrorism.” “First, today's terrorism uses extreme violence as theatre.

• Second, we are no longer looking for a man in a cave, but we are hunting for a terrorist in a city with a computer or a smart phone.

• Third, State actors working with nuclear traffickers and terrorists present the greatest risk.

• The Prime Minister said without prevention and prosecution of acts of terrorism there could be no deterrence against nuclear terrorism.

• Drop the notion that terrorism is someone else’s problem and that “his” terrorist is not “my” terrorist,” the PM said.

:: BUSINESS and ECONOMY ::

NITI Aayog to propose model farm land act

• Even as the Bill to amend the land acquisition law remains stuck with a parliamentary committee, the NITI Aayog is all set to propose a Model Act for freeing up of farm land through leasing.

• The Act is meant for States that plan to legalise farm land leasing. State governments are expected to improvise it to suit the local socio-political requirements.

• Attestation of the lease is proposed to be done at the level of the sarpanch, local bank official or notary.

• The Model Act proposes that farmers and farmer groups be allowed to lease out land. The definition of ‘farm land’ is proposed to be broadened to include food processing.

• The Model Act proposes quicker litigation process in case of disputes, by suggesti- ng recourse through criminal proceedings and special tri- bunal, the source said.

• At present, only land owners can avail of crop insurance schemes or loans. Also, disaster relief in case of drought and crop damage is provided only to the owners and not cultivators.

• The Model Act will enable share croppers to receive such benefits and relief. “Lessee cultivators could raise crop loans on the basis of expected produce.

• The Model Act is being finalised by an expert commit- tee which NITI Aayog Vice- Chairman Arvind Panagariya had set up in September 2015 under former Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP) chairman T. Haque.

Second Global Exhibition on Services to be held between April 21-23

• The government will utilise the upcoming Global Exhibition on Services (GES) to garner support for India's proposal for a Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) on Services that it wants to be taken up for negotiations at the (WTO)-level.

• The second (annual) edition of GES is slated for April 21-23 to boost trade and foreign direct investment in the services sector and will be held at Greater Noida in the national capital region.

• The GES will also see discussions on another important area of India's interest — regarding elimination of curbs on temporary movement of professionals and relaxation of labour mobility norms across the world.

• The TFA on Services was proposed by India along the lines of the WTO's TFA on Goods (aimed at easing customs rules to expedite global trade flows in the merchandise sector).

• However, so far India's proposal for a TFA in Services has found few takers at the multilateral level, the sources said.

• India had recently dragged the U.S. to the WTO over the Obama ad- ministration's move to hike fees for H1B and L1 visas — temporary work visas for skilled professionals.

• Being the largest user of these visas, India feels America’s decision is discriminatory because it will mainly impact Indian tech firms.

• India is also taking up with the U.K. its concerns over the recent restrictions in the British immigration law that is likely to hurt professionals including from India.

• In a statement to promote the GES, Govt said: “Removal of restriction on temporary movement of professionals and easing labour mobility could constitute major step towards facilitation of international trade in services leading to global growth, employment and prosperity.

• The GES focus sectors, among others include banking and financial services, education and environmental services.

AIIB might give one the first loans to India

• India hopes to receive one of the first loans issued by the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) later this year, as it looks to raise $500 million for solar power projects from the newly created lender.

• Funding for clean energy projects would allay fears of environmental lobbyists that the bank’s relaxed lending criteria could promote dirty fuels like coal in developing economies, like India, that are in a hurry to ramp up energy output.

• The multilateral investment bank, which has authorised capital of $100 billion, plans to join global clean-energy initiatives, and could fund eco-friendly investment projects to avoid allegations of promoting pollution.

• India, the bank’s second biggest shareholder after China, is looking to borrow from the AIIB, to back Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan of expanding installed solar capacity to 100 gigawatts by 2022.

• Interest on the loan is likely to be 2-2.5 per cent and would be linked to LIBOR — a floating benchmark based on the rate at which commercial banks lend to each other — for a term of over 15 years.

• The AIIB, which is head- quartered in Beijing and was launched in January, did not comment directly on borrowing by India but said it was developing a project pipeline in a number of countries.

:: Sports ::

Saina reaches semifinals of Indian open, while Sindhu exits

• Saina Nehwal just about managed to survive an 82-minute test against Korea’s Sung Ji Hyun for a place in the semifinals of the India Open before a vociferous bunch of supporters at the Siri Fort Indoor Stadium.

• Saina, defending champion and second seed, overcame the loss of the first game to win 19- 21, 21-14, 21-19 in a match that witnessed long rallies and court-craft from both players until their tiring limbs filled the home-stretch with a series of unforced errors.

• However, P.V. Sindhu failed to double India’s joy.

• In the day’s last match that lasted 80 minutes, Korea’s BaeYeon Ju made light of the loss of the first game to win 15-21, 21- 15, 21-15.

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