Daily Current affairs - April 23rd, 2018 for all competitive exams
World Book and Copyright Day is a yearly
event on April 23rd, organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), to promote reading, publishing and
copyright. World Book Day was celebrated for the first time on 23 April 1995.
- It is the day to provide the people with many
ideas and plans to make them aware of the situation and condition in
the World.
- Theme for this year is : READING, it's my right!
- The World Book Capital for 2018 is Athens, Greece.
23 April is a symbolic date for world
literature. It is on this date in 1616 that Cervantes, Shakespeare and Inca
Garcilaso de la Vega all died.
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Minorities’ commission to
seek constitutional status
The National Commission for Minorities
(NCM) has decided to approach the government for granting it Constitutional
status to protect the rights of minority communities more effectively.
- If granted such a status, the NCM will be able to
act against errant officials who do not attend hearings, follow its order
or are found guilty of dereliction of duty, chairman Syed Ghayorul Hasan
Rizvi said. The decision was made during the panel’s meeting last week
Till now, only the National Commission
for Scheduled Castes and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes enjoy
constitutional status. In its present form, the NCM has powers to summon
officials, including chief secretaries and director generals of police, but
has to rely on departments concerned to take action against them.
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The Union Government set up the National Commission for Minorities (NCM)
under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992.
Six religious communities, viz;
Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis) and Jains have
been notified in Gazette of India as minority communities by the Union
Government all over India. Original notification of 1993 was for Five
religious communities Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis, Christians and Muslims.
If granted constitutional status, the
NCM can penalise or suspend an officer for two days or send him/her to jail.
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Earlier, the Standing Committee on Social Justice and
Empowerment (2017-18), in its 53rd report noted that the NCM is “almost
ineffective” in its current state to deal with cases of atrocities against
minorities. The committee recommended constitutional status to the body
“without any delay”.
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AFSPA Removed From
Meghalaya
The Union Home Ministry completely
revoked the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from Meghalaya while
diluting it in other regions of Arunachal Pradesh.
- Until September 2017, 40% of Meghalaya was under
AFSPA. It is now applicable only in 8 police stations in
Arunachal, down from 16 police stations in 2017.
Armed Forces (Special Powers) Acts
(AFSPA), are Acts of the Parliament of India that grant special powers to the
Indian Armed Forces in what each act terms "disturbed areas".
According to The Disturbed Areas (Special Courts) Act, 1976 once declared
‘disturbed’, the area has to maintain status quo for a minimum of 3 months.
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Maharashtra State govt.
shuts 11 websites for piracy
The State government has closed 11
websites after receiving complaints from the entertainment industry about
pirated content. Last August, the Maharashtra Cyber Digital Crime Unit (MCDCU)
began systematically eliminating websites that upload pirated content.
- The initiative, the first of its kind in the
country, was launched by the Cyber Cell based on directions from the State
Home Department.
Bengal’s Digambarpur,
India’s best Gram panchayat
West Bengal has once again topped
in the country with Digambarpur Gram Panchayat (GP) bagging the
Centre’s award for the best Gram Panchayat in the country.
- The survey was conducted by the
Ministry of Panchayati Raj. Digambarpur GP at Patharpratima block in South
24-Parganas has come up as the best out of 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats in the
country.
Ramsar tag likely for Sunderbans
The West Bengal government has given its approval to the State Forest
Department to apply for recognition of Sunderban Reserve Forest under the
Ramsar Convention.
- Once conferred a Ramsar site status, it will be the
largest protected wetland in the country. It will also help promote the
Sunderbans as an eco-tourism hotspot.
- The Indian Sunderbans, with 2,114 sq. km. of
mangrove forests, comprise almost 43% of the mangrove cover in the country
according to a 2017 Forest Survey of India report. Other than the forests,
home to about 100 Royal Bengal tigers, the creeks and river systems of the
Sunderbans are also part of the reserve forest.
- Apart from being the world’s largest tiger habitat,
the mangrove forest in the Sunderbans is remarkable for the protection it
provides to nearly 4.5 million people on the Indian side and another 3.5
million on the Bangladesh portion from tidal surge generated by cyclonic
depression in the Bay of Bengal.
- About one-third of the total area is used as
protected area for the conservation of biological diversity.
Sunderbans is a contiguous ecosystem spread across India and Bangladesh.
Other than threats such as climate change, sea level rise, widespread
construction and clearing of mangrove forests for fisheries is posing a
danger to the Sunderbans.
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The Convention on Wetlands, called the Ramsar Convention, is an
inter-governmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and
international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and
their resources. Adopted in 1971 in Ramsar, an Iranian city, the Convention
came into force in 1975. Since then, almost 90% of UN member states have
acceded to become “Contracting Parties”. There are currently 26 sites in
India recognised as Ramsar wetland sites of international importance, including
the East Kolkata Wetlands also in West Bengal.
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World Bank approves
massive US Dollar 13 billion increases in capital
In a major development, the World Bank
Group has endorsed an ambitious package of measures that include a USD 13
billion increase in paid-in capital. The decision came along with a series of
internal reforms, and a set of policy measures that greatly strengthen the
global poverty fighting institution’s ability to scale up resources and deliver
on its mission in areas of the world that need the most assistance.
- World Bank President Jim Yong Kim hailed the
decision as “historic” as International Monetary Fund Managing Director
Christine Lagarde welcomed the move.
- The package approved by the Development Committee of
the Board of Governors consists of USD 7.5 billion paid-in capital for
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and USD 5.5
billion paid-in capital for International Finance Commission (IFC),
through both general and selective capital increases
- It also includes a USD 52.6 billion callable capital
increase for the IBRD. The boost in capital will be augmented by a broad
range of internal measures, including operational changes and effectiveness
reforms, loan pricing measures, and other policy steps to create an even
stronger World Bank Group.
Following the decision, the combined
financing arms of the World Bank Group are expected to reach an average
annual capacity of nearly USD 100 billion between fiscal 2019 and fiscal
2030, benefiting all Bank Group members across the income spectrum.
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Mexico holds its first
presidential debate in July election
The first of Mexico’s presidential
debates have opened with fire, with front-runner Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador
defending the idea of an amnesty to fight.
- The other candidates harshly criticized the amnesty
proposal. Third-place candidate Jose Antonio Meade says the proposal puts
Lopez Obrador.
- Lopez Obrador sought in his failed 2012 presidential
bid move to the middle and hadn’t much mentioned the “poor come first”
slogan of this unsuccessful 2006.
Toronto schools to mark
November as Hindu heritage month
Canada’s largest school board has
unanimously adopted a motion recognising November as Hindu heritage month in
the country’s most diverse metropolitan area.
- The motion was moved before the Toronto District
School Board (TDSB) by 36-year-old trustee Parthi Kandavel. The board
covers 583 schools and is the third-largest in North America.
- The motion was co-sponsored by another trustee Avtar
Minhas, who has gratified that it came as TDSB celebrated April as Sikh
heritage month.
Idea Cellular’s proposal
seeking 100% FDI under consideration of DIPP
Idea Cellular Ltd’s proposal to allow up
to 100 percent foreign direct investment in the company is under consideration
of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), an official said.
- The proposal assumes significance against the
backdrop of pending merger of Idea Cellular Ltd and Vodafone India to form
the country’s largest telecom operator.
- The present foreign direct investment policy allows
an overseas firm to buy up to 49 percent stake in an Indian
telecommunication company under automatic approval route. But government’s
approval is required for stake above 49 percent.
IBC, RERA conflict seen in
insolvency
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and
the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA) seem to be pitted
against each other when it comes to protecting the interest of bankers and home
buyers, said an Assocham report.
- The conflict came to the fore in a few bankruptcy
proceeding in the recent times. In a way, IBC and RERA have areas where
there are possibilities of conflict in operation.
- While IBC allows companies to file for bankruptcy to
provide relief to debtors or creditors, RERA looks at providing relief to
homebuyers and seeks to hold developers or builders responsible if the
project is delayed, said Assocham.
IOB inks information
utility pact with NeSL
Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) entered
into an agreement for information utility services with the National
E-Governance Services Limited (NeSL).
- With this agreement, the IOB branches will be able
to provide high-quality, authenticated information about debts and
defaults; which will have more transparency in maintaining the list of
borrowers, debtors, creditors and loan defaulters.
The NeSL became India's first
information utility (IU) for bankruptcy cases under the 'Insolvency and
Bankruptcy Code (IBC) 2016' in October 2017.MD & CEO of IOB- R.
Subramaniakumar, Headquarters- Chennai
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55% of all new bank
accounts in the world opened from India
India’s financial inclusion efforts have
won recognition from the World Bank, as their data indicates 55% of new bank
accounts opened globally are from India.
- World Bank Global Findex Report recognises India’s
Financial Inclusion efforts. Of the 51.4 crore bank accounts opened from
2014-17 globally.
- The total number of Jan Dhan account holders has
risen to 31.44 crores in March 2018, from 28.17 crores a year earlier,
according to the government data.
G7 foreign ministers’ summit held in Toronto
G7 foreign ministers’ summit is being held in Toronto. Participants
discussed tensions with Moscow, Iran and North Korea.
- The Group of 7 (G7) is a group consisting of Canada,
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The European Union is also represented within the G7.
- These countries are the seven major advanced
economies as reported by the International Monetary Fund: the G7 countries
represent more than 64% of the net global wealth ($263 trillion).
- A very high net national wealth and a very high
Human Development Index are the main requirements to be a member of this
group.
Pune hosted 12th South Asian
Climate Outlook Forum
Pune hosted the 12th edition of the South Asian Climate
Outlook Forum (SASCOF) meeting.
- The Forum was attended by meteorologists from
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. This was the
sixth SASCOF meeting hosted by India.
- South Asian nations, supported by the World
Meteorological Organization (WMO), have been conducting the South Asian
Seasonal Climate Outlook Forum (SASCOF) since 2010.
SASCOF was established as a platform where meteorologists from South
Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member countries along with
Myanmar, could discuss some of the common weather and climate-related
matters.All these South Asian countries — except for Afghanistan, which is
located in extreme northwest — experience common weather and climatological
characteristics, like Southwest monsoon.
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Wang Yi is China’s new
special representative for border talks with India
China’s foreign minister Wang Yi will be
the new special representative for India-China boundary talks.
- Wang’s appointment was confirmed on Sunday when
external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj who held bilateral talks with
her Chinese counterpart.
- Wang, 64, succeeds his senior colleague Yang Jiechi
who has now become a Politburo member of the Communist Party of China’s
(CPC).
Winners of ‘1st Print
biennale India 2018’ given away awards in New Delhi
Lalit Kala Akademi, organised the
award ceremony of the '1st Print Biennale India 2018 (PBI)' in New Delhi.
- The Chief Guest of the programme
was Ms Sujata Prasad, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Culture.
- Arup Kumar Kuity (Andhra Pradesh), Satya
Narayana Gavara (Andhra Pradesh), Preya Bhagat (Uttar
Pradesh), Purvi Parmar (Gujrat) and Sonal
Varshneya (Uttar Pradesh) were given the award in the 1st
PBI.
“Trishanku Nation –
Memory, Self and Society in Contemporary India” is authored by Deepak Kumar
The Second Book reading session of
‘Archives Reads’ was organised by NAI with Author & Prof Deepak Kumar,
former Professor, JNU reading from his latest publication “Trishanku Nation –
Memory, Self and Society in Contemporary India”.
- Speaking on the occasion, Director General, National
Archives of India (NAI), Shri Pritam Singh, said that the rich archives
available with NAI is a treat for students, researchers, historians and
authors.
- He said this book reading series would help
inculcate archival awareness among the masses, to bring prominent
historians closer to the young readers.
AAI gets its first
woman firefighter
Taniya Sanyal has become the first woman
firefighter of the Airports Authority of India(AAI).
- AAI Chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra said the AAI was
following the government’s policy of equal employment opportunities.
DCW chief Swati
Maliwal ends 10 day long hunger strike
Delhi Commission for Women
chairperson Swati Maliwal ended her 10-day long hunger strike after
President Ram Nath Kovind approved an Ordinance to
award death penalty to those convicted of
raping girls below 12 years.
- The Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance provides for
stringent punishment of a jail term of minimum 20 years or life
imprisonment or death for rape of a girl less than 12 years.
Navy chief admiral Lanba
begins 5-day visit to Iran
Navy chief Admiral Sunil
Lanba today began a five-day visit to Iran.
- Where he would attend a conclave of major naval
powers of the region and explore ways to deepen engagement between navies
of the two countries.
- The sixth edition of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium
(IONS) and Conclave of Chiefs will be held in Tehran from April 23 to 25.
Miguel Diaz-Canel is named
as Cuba’s new president
Miguel DÃaz-Canel was officially named
as the new leader of Cuba, one day after a secret vote in the country’s
National Assembly.
- DÃaz It’s the first time in nearly six decades that
Cuba is being led by a man not named Castro.
- Canel, 57, was selected by a vote of 603-1 as the
unopposed candidate to replace Raul Castro, 86.
Musicologist Balantrapu
Rajanikantha Rao passed away
Noted musicologist and broadcaster
Balantrapu Rajanikantha Rao passed away at his residence.
- He left an indelible mark in the fields of art,
music and literature with his invaluable contribution spanning over more
than seven decades.
World's oldest person
passes away at age of 117
The world's oldest person, a
117-year-old Japanese woman named Nabi Tajima had passed
away. Tajima, born on Aug. 4, 1900, was the last known person born in the
19th century.
- She became the world's oldest person after the death
of Violet Brown of Jamaica, also at the age of 117.
- According to the U.S.-based Gerontology
Research Group, another Japanese woman, Chiyo Miyako, is now the
world's oldest person.
Rafael Nadal win 11th
Monte Carlo masters title
Rafael Nadal of Spain has won
the 11th Monte Carlo Masters title by defeating Japan's Kei
Nishikori in final to retain the world number one ranking.
- He has become the first male tennis
player in the Open Era to win the same title 11 times in his career with
his 76th ATP Tour title.
- Nadal also overtook Serbia's Novak
Djokovic to clinch most Masters 1000 titles (31).
