Current affairs - July 11, 2016
Indian Captain Radhika Menon is First Woman To Get
Bravery At Sea Award
Captain Radhika Menon, first woman
captain of the Indian Merchant Navy will receive IMO Award for
Exceptional Bravery at Sea.
- The 2016 International Maritime Organisation Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea will be given to Captain Radhika Menon for her role in the dramatic rescue of seven fishermen from a sinking fishing boat in tumultuous seas in the Bay of Bengal in June last year.
India to seek help for services pact at UN
During the forthcoming Nairobi meet of the UN Conference on
Trade and Development (UNCTAD), India is planning to press
for endorsement by more nations for its proposal on a global pact to expedite
the services trade flow.
About the pact:- It will officially be known as the ‘Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) for Services’ at the World Trade Organisation (WTO)-level.
- The proposed pact, among other things, is aimed at making it easier for services professionals and skilled workers to move across borders for ‘short-term’ projects.
- Its objectives include streamlining procedures for global services trade, besides ensuring recognition at the WTO-level for services as a tradable item by establishing a framework — for clarity on definitions and for settlement of disputes.
India signs five agreements with Tanzania
India and Tanzania have signed five agreements. The agreements
were signed following delegation-level talks headed by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and Tanzanian President John Magufuli.
Details:- According to one agreement, India will extend a line of credit of $92 million for the rehabilitation and improvement of the water supply system in Zanzibar.
- A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on water resource management and development was also signed.
- Another MoU seeks to establish a vocational training centre in Zanzibar.
- An MoU was also signed on visa waiver for diplomatic and official passport holders.
- An agreement was also signed between the National Small Industries Corporation of India and the Small Industries Development Organisation of Tanzania.
SC seeks review of law on advocates
The Supreme Court has asked the Law Commission to review “all
relevant aspects” relating to the law governing the legal profession, including
issues like professional misconduct by lawyers, in consultation with all
stakeholders. Therefore, Advocates Act, under which lawyers are governed, will be reviewed.- The court has also asked the government to take appropriate steps in the light of report of the Law Commission within six months. The Central Government may file an appropriate affidavit in this regard within one month after expiry of one year.
Farmer can’t be evicted even after lease expires:
SC
The Supreme Court has held that a farmer, who is in possession of leased land even after expiry of the lease period, cannot be evicted if the owner
either acknowledges the tenancy or is accepting the rent.
DAWN marks ice-bearing Ceres craters
Scientists with NASA’s Dawn mission have identified, on the dwarf
planet Ceres, permanently shadowed regions most of which likely have been cold enough
to trap water ice for a billion years. The findings suggest that that ice
deposits could exist in these regions even now.
Key findings:
- The conditions on Ceres are right for accumulating deposits of water ice.
- Permanently shadowed regions do not receive direct sunlight. They are typically located on the crater floor or along a section of the crater wall facing the pole.
Biggest project to produce liquefied natural gas in the Arctic:
Russia has offered Indian oil companies a stake in the second
phase of Yamal LNG, the biggest
project to produce liquefied natural gas in the Arctic. The Russian firm holds 50.1% stake in the project that comprises
development of the South-Tambeyskoye field with proven deposits of 1.3 trillion
cubic meters of natural gas and the construction of natural gas liquefaction
plant (LNG) for producing 16.5 million tonnes of LNG a year by 2017.
World population day:
The United Nations' (UN) World Population Day is annually
observed on July 11 to reaffirm the human right to plan for a family. It
encourages activities, events and information to help make this right a reality
throughout the world.
