Current Affairs for BANK, IBPS Exams - 17 March 2021

::NATIONAL::

Passed bill to increase upper limit for abortion to 24 weeks

Harsh Vardhan moved the MTP(Amendment) Bill 2020 which was passed by voice vote. The bill also ensures that women get access to safe and legal abortion services on therapeutic, eugenic, humanitarian grounds.
“The bill will protect the dignity and rights of women,” tweeted Union health minister Harsh Vardhan following the passing of the bill.
The health minister moved The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill 2020 in the upper house which was passed by voice vote. The bill also ensures that women get access to safe and legal abortion services on therapeutic, eugenic, humanitarian grounds.
“The bill was drafted after extensive expert consultation involving all stakeholders such as gynaecologist association, related NGOs, Indian Medical Association etc. Group of ministers chaired by Nitin Gadkari, and ethics committee was also consulted, and only after elaborate discussion the bill took shape.

India has 22 of the world's 30 most polluted cities: World Air Quality Report, 2020

Twenty-two of the world’s 30 most polluted cities are in India, with Delhi being ranked the most polluted capital city globally. The report, prepared by Swiss organisation IQAir, however, shows that Delhi’s air quality improved by approximately 15% from 2019 to 2020.
It said that despite the improvement, Delhi ranked as the tenth most polluted city and the top polluted capital city in the world.
“India continues to feature prominently at the top of the most polluted cities ranking, with 22 of the top 30 most polluted cities globally,” the report said. Besides Delhi, the 21 other Indian cities among the 30 most polluted cities in the world are Ghaziabad, Bulandshahar, Bisrakh Jalalpur, Noida, Greater Noida, Kanpur, Lucknow, Meerut, Agra and Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, Bhiwari in Rajasthan, Faridabad, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad, Bandhwari, Gurugram, Yamuna Nagar, Rohtak and Dharuhera in Haryana, and Muzaffarpur in Bihar.
As per the report, the top most polluted city is Xinjiang in China followed by nine Indian cities. Ghaziabad is the second most polluted city in the world followed by Bulandshahar, Bisrakh Jalalpur, Noida, Noida, Greater Noida, Kanpur, Lucknow and Bhiwari.
The global cities ranking report is based on PM2.5 data from 106 countries, which is measured by ground-based monitoring stations, most of which is operated by government agencies.

MA Ganapathy Appointed NSG Chief, Kuldiep Singh To Head CRPF

Senior IPS officers MA Ganapathy and Kuldiep Singh were appointed Director General of National Security Guard and the Central Reserve Police Force, respectively, according to a Personnel Ministry order.
Mr Ganapathy, a 1986 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Uttarakhand cadre, is currently Director General, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).
He has been appointed the Director General, National Security Guard (NSG), from the date of joining the post and up to February 29, 2024 i.e. date of his superannuation, it said.
Mr Singh, a 1986 batch IPS officer of the West Bengal cadre, is presently the Special DG, CRPF.
He has been appointed DG, CRPF up to September 30, 2022 i.e. date of his superannuation, the order said.

Printed Study Materials for IBPS, SBI Bank Exam

::International::

IRENA Releases World Energy Transition Outlook Report

The COVID-19 crisis offers an unexpected opportunity for countries across the world to decouple their economies from fossil fuels and accelerate the shift to renewable energy sources, says the World Energy Transitions Outlook report, brought out by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
Previewed at the virtual Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD 2021), which began on Tuesday, the report proposes energy transition solutions for the narrow pathway available to contain the rise of temperature to 1.5°C and halt global warming.
Highlighting the need for countries to change direction with careful recalibrating of stimulus packages and recovery measures, Director General of IRENA Francesco La Camera said, “The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the cost of tying economies to the fate of fuels prone to price shocks.

Human placenta continues to be sold illegally in China: Reports

Human placenta continues to be sold illegally in China, including on the internet, because of a steady demand for the organ’s unproven healing properties, a media report said this week.
Customers who buy placenta cook and eat it, while the organ is also sold to traditional Chinese medicine makers who use it in medications.
The practice, considered morbid by many, is not new to China but the report by thepaper.cn found that it continues to flourish despite a ban on trading of human organs since 2007.
The usual sources to buy the human product are hospitals, medical waste treatment plants and funeral parlours, the report found, adding that each placenta could cost around 80 yuan ($12).
Subsequently, after being processed, when it is sold to shops, the cost could go up to several hundred yuan.

::Economy::

Greedy Hedge funds push private equity firms around

The M&A market is frothy and private equity firms are keen to put their vast funds to work. Many takeover targets are attracting several suitors. Hence, share prices have often traded above the level of the last offer, anticipating something higher will come along.
When hedge funds are pushing private equity firms around, it’s hard to see things ending well. Merger arbitrageurs in the UK have been betting that deal-hungry buyout firms have infinite funds to pay sky-high prices for assets. But the arbs’ aggressiveness in driving up the shares of buyout targets may be a sign of something more troubling than optimism.
The M&A market is frothy and private equity firms are keen to put their vast funds to work. Many takeover targets are attracting several suitors. Hence, share prices have often traded above the level of the last offer, anticipating something higher will come along.
That's happened even when the company has accepted what's on the table. The greedy gamble hasn’t always paid off.

Bitcoin surge is ‘significant’ investor risk, EU watchdog warns

Europe’s top markets regulator warned investors that they’re exposed to “significant risks” from the rapid rise in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
The Paris-based European Securities and Markets Authority used its twice-yearly risk report on Wednesday to caution that “crypto-assets are highly risky and speculative” and that “consumers must be alert to the high risks of buying and/or holding these instruments, including the possibility of losing all their money.”
The majority of crypto assets are unregulated in the European Union, and authorities are considering new legislation to oversee the markets.
Bitcoin has soared about 900% over the past year to trade around $55,000 on Wednesday, as retail investors piled into online crypto trading during the pandemic.

Oil slips for fourth day on European demand worries

Oil slipped for a fourth day as concerns about weaker demand in Europe outweighed an industry report that showed US crude stockpiles unexpectedly fell last week.
Several European countries have paused the use of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine due to worries over possible side effects. Germany is seeing rising coronavirus cases, while Italy is imposing a nationwide Easter lockdown.
Brent crude fell 27 cents, or 0.4%, to $68.12 a barrel by 0917 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude dropped 11 cents, or 0.2%, to $64.69.
"The suspension will not do the bloc's economic and fuel recovery any favours," said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM. "The hope now is that Europe can get its sluggish vaccine rollout back on track."

::SCIENCE AND TECH::

Mars' 'missing' water is buried beneath surface, says study

Billions of years ago, Mars was home to lakes and oceans -- but where all the water went to transform the planet into the desolate rock we know today has been something of a mystery.
Most of it was thought to have been lost to space, but a new study funded by NASA proposes that it didn't go anywhere but is trapped within minerals in the crust.
"We're saying that the crust forms what we call hydrated minerals, so minerals that actually have water in their crystal structure," Eva Scheller, lead author of the new paper in Science, told AFP.
In fact, Scheller's model suggests anywhere between 30 - 99 percent of the initial water remains trapped inside these minerals.
Early Mars was thought to have enough water to cover the whole planet in roughly 100 to 1,500 meters (330 to 4,4920 feet) of ocean.

::SPORTS::

England beat India by eight wickets in the third T20 match at Ahmedabad

In Cricket, England defeated India by eight wickets in the third T20 match in Ahmedabad yesterday to take 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Chasing a target of 157 runs set by India, England comfortably made 158 for two in 18.2 overs. For the visitors, Jos Buttler was the highest scorer with an unbeaten 83.
Earlier, riding on skipper Virat Kohli's valiant knock of 77 runs, India had scored 156 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 20 overs. For England, Mark Wood took three wickets.