Current Affairs for BANK, IBPS Exams

06 October 2016

:: National ::

Cabinet approved the long-awaited amendments to the HIV Bill

• The Union Cabinet approved the long-awaited amendments to the HIV Bill, granting stronger protection to the country’s HIV community.

• The Bill prohibits discrimination against people living with HIV (PLHIV) in accessing healthcare, acquiring jobs, renting houses or in education institutions in the public and private sectors.

• There are approximately 21 lakh persons estimated to be living with HIV in India and the percentage of patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment currently stands at a mere 25.82% as against the global percentage of 41%.

• The “HIV and AIDS Bill, 2014” will bring legal accountability and establish a formal mechanism to probe discrimination complaints against those who discriminate against such people.

• Bill requires that “no person shall be compelled to disclose his HIV status except with his informed consent, and if required by a court order.”

• The Bill lists various grounds on which discrimination against HIV-positive persons and those living with them is prohibited.

• These include the denial, termination, discontinuation or unfair treatment with regard to employment, educational establishments, health care services, residing or renting property, standing for public or private office, and provision of insurance.

The International Court of Justice ruled against the Marshall Islands

• The United Nations’ highest court rejected nuclear disarmament cases filed by the Pacific nation of the Marshall Islands against Britain, India and Pakistan, saying it did not have jurisdiction.

• The International Court of Justice ruled that the Marshall Islands had failed to prove that a legal dispute over disarmament existed between it and the three nuclear powers before the case was filed in 2014.

• It took a casting vote by the court’s President Ronny Abraham to break an eight-eight deadlock between the 16 judges on the question of jurisdiction in the case against Britain.

• In a landmark 1996 advisory opinion, the court said that using or threatening to use nuclear arms would “generally be contrary to” the laws of war and humanitarian law.

• But it added that it could not definitively rule on whether the threat or use of nuclear weapons would be legal “in an extreme circumstance of self-defence, in which the very survival of a state would be at stake.”

India dismissed Nawaz Sharif’s speech in the Pakistan Assembly

• India dismissed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s speech in the National Assembly in Islamabad as an illustration of Pakistan’s inability to move away from terrorism as a State policy.

• Mr. Sharif reiterated Pakistan’s hardened position on Kashmir and said, “World powers need to ensure that U.N. resolutions on Kashmir should be implemented in letter and spirit.”

• The joint session of the National Assembly was called to discuss Pakistan’s response to the “surgical strikes” by India along the Line of Control (LoC).

• India is drawing international support in favour of hot pursuit of terrorists. US, EU and Germany supported India’s tough stance on cross-border terror.

• India reminded the international community that the “scale of violence” in Afghanistan was a hurdle for the country’s development.

• Hinting at Pakistan’s opposition to grant transit rights to Afghanistan for accessing South Asian markets, Mr. Akbar said Afghanistan was entitled to “full utilisation of transit rights as a member of WTO.”

:: India and World ::

Sri Lanka joined the demand for regional organisation to counter cross-border terrorism

• Pushing for revising the agenda of SAARC, Sri Lanka on Wednesday joined the growing demand that the regional organisation counter cross-border terrorism.

• After a meeting with PM Modi, visiting Srilanka’s PM cited Sri Lanka’s experience with war and terrorism, and warned that SAARC would become irrelevant without addressing terrorism.

• “Cross-border terrorism might worsen if SAARC is thrown away,” he said and added that three countries out of the eight-member regional grouping was afflicted by security problems. He, however cautioned against war.

• Sri Lanka was the fifth country to issue a statement against holding the 19th SAARC summit in Islamabad in November.

• He said Sri Lanka’s decision against attending the summit was decided through a process of democratic consultations, and highlighted that Sri Lanka was discussing “several options” in shaping the South Asian regional order.

• India’s preparation to deal with the emerging challenges figured in Mr. Wickeremesinghe’s meeting with Mr. Modi and both sides discussed bilateral issues such as India’s aid and technical support to Sri Lanka.

• He said that in the midst of the “crucial phase” in South Asia, his country would continue with the peace-building process that started following the end of the war against the Tamil Eelam fighters.

• Mr. Wickremesinghe’s demand on SAARC with a counter-terror focus follows India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan citing “cross-border terrorism”, “imposed war” and “interference” from Pakistan.

:: Science and Technology ::

Trio of scientists won the Nobel Chemistry Prize for developing molecular machines

• A trio of French, British and Dutch scientists won the Nobel Chemistry Prize for developing molecular machines, the world’s smallest machines that may one day act as artificial muscles to power tiny robots or even prosthetic limbs.

• Inspired by proteins that naturally act as biological machines within cells, these synthetic copies are usually constructed of a few molecules fused together.

• Also called nanomachines or nanobots, they can be put to work as tiny motors, ratchets, pistons or wheels to produce mechanical motion in response to stimuli such as light or temperature change. Molecular machines can move objects many time their size.

• The first step towards a molecular machine was taken by Mr. Sauvage in 1983, when he succeeded in linking together two ring-shaped molecules to form a chain.

• The second step was taken by Mr. Stoddart in 1991, when he threaded a molecular ring onto a thin molecular axle and demonstrated that the ring was able to move along the axle.

• Mr. Feringa (65) was meanwhile the first person to develop a molecular motor — in 1999 he was able to make a molecular rotor blade to spin continually in the same direction. Using molecular motors, he has also designed a nanocar.

:: Business and Economy ::

Country’s services sector business activity softer in September

• The expansion of the country’s services sector business activity was softer in September vis-à-vis August as the level of new business placed with Indian services firms increased moderately.

• The headline seasonally adjusted Nikkei India Services Business Activity Index registered 52.0 in September, down from August’s 43-month high of 54.7. An index reading above 50 indicates an expansion, while below 50 a contraction.

• Reflecting softer expansions in activity at both service providers and manufacturers, the seasonally adjusted Nikkei India Composite PMI Output Index fell from August’s 42-month high of 54.6 to 52.4 in September.

World Economic Forum says India and Pak problem will not impact regional growth

• The current standoff between New Delhi and Islamabad will not impact the growth prospects of the South Asian region including India, the Geneva-based ‘World Economic Forum’ said.

• Chief economist and member of the executive committee, WEF, said South Asia was the world’s fastest growing region and there was no reason to believe that the recent geopolitical tension would impact the region’s growth prospects.

• Director-general, CII, also said the economy and business in India and South Asia would not get affected due to the tension at the India-Pakistan border.

• India Economic Summit’s focus area includes the digital economy, travel & tourism, energy, entrepreneurship, infrastructure, start-ups, skill development, gender equity, urbanisation, boosting manufacturing and urbanisation.

India is examining mechanisms to offset higher emissions

• India is examining possible mechanisms to offset higher emissions from rising civil aviation traffic, even as it has firmly opposed a global pact for curbing aviation emissions proposed by International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO.

• “India’s aviation sector is growing at 22 per cent to 23 per cent over the last year and we expect it to continue to grow very rapidly over the next decade and a half, so emissions would rise,” said Minister of State for Civil Aviation

• India has ratified the COP21 accord on climate change, but while approving its ratification, the Union Cabinet had last week empowered the civil aviation ministry to flag India’s concerns about the proposed aviation emissions pact.

• Capping emissions from aviation would be unfair for developing countries where the civil aviation market is not mature and the number of airlines is limited compared to the developed world

• BASIC countries had met in New Delhi and opposed the ICAO accord as one that could be forced upon developing nations. Aviation is estimated to account for two per cent of global greenhouse emissions.

• But air travel volumes are expected to double by 2030. About 58 out of the 191 countries participating at the ICAO meet have backed the pact so far.

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