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Friday, July 10, 2020

THE HINDU NEWSPAPER IMPORTANT ARTICLES 10.07.2020

08:20
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Thursday, July 09, 2020

Patrolling Points on the LAC

17:08
Why in news?
The recent disengagements between India and China on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) are around the patrolling points.
What exactly are Patrolling Points?
  • PPs are patrolling points identified and marked on the LAC.
  • They are patrolled with a stipulated frequency by the security forces.
  • They serve as a guide to the location of the LAC for the soldiers.
  • They act as indicators of the extent of ‘actual control’ exercised on the territory by India.
  • By regularly patrolling up to these PPs, the India is able to establish and assert its physical claim about the LAC.
Are all the PPs numbered?
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Daily Current Affairs, 09th July 2020

17:02







1) US formally announced its withdrawal from WHO
•The United States has formalized to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) on July 6, 2021. The actual project of disentangling the U.S. from WHO began on July 6, 2020, with a letter signed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. It will take one year to go into effect.

 Why United States decide to withdraw from the WHO?

 •The US has accused the WHO of siding with China on the outbreak of the virus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, alleging the health body misled the world resulting in deaths of over half a million people globally, including over 130,000 in America alone.

 •In April, the US stopped funding to WHO as the Trump administration reviewed the ties. A month later, President Donald Trump announced the US was terminating the relationship.

 •The US is the single largest contributor to the WHO, providing over USD 450 million per annum. China’s contribution to the global health body is about USD 40 million, one-tenth of that of the US.

 •The US has been a party to the WHO Constitution since June 21, 1948. Its participation was accepted by the World Health Assembly with certain conditions set out by the US for its eventual withdrawal from this world body.

2) Maldives & Sri Lanka eliminate measles & rubella, ahead of 2023 target
•According to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO), South-East Asian Region (SEAR) office, Maldives and Sri Lanka were verified for having eliminated measles and rubella.  Now, Maldives and Sri Lanka are the first two countries in the WHO South-East Asia Region to achieve measles and rubella elimination ahead of the 2023 target.

 •The Maldives reported last endemic case of measles in 2009 and of rubella in October 2015, while Sri Lanka reported last endemic case of measles in May 2016 and of rubella in March 2017.

 •The announcement was made after the fifth meeting of the South-East Asia Regional Verification Commission for Measles and Rubella Elimination, held virtually. The Commission comprises of 11 independent international experts in the fields of epidemiology, virology and public health. A country is verified as having eliminated measles and rubella when there is no evidence of endemic transmission of the measles and rubella viruses for over three years in the presence of a well-performing surveillance system.

3) AIIB extends $50 mn loan to L&T Infra Finance Ltd





•Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has released $50 million loan to L&T Infrastructure Finance Ltd. This is the first tranche of a $100 mn loan to L&T Infrastructure Finance Ltd for funding Renewable Energy projects in the country. This loan has been extended by the Bejing-based multilateral development bank to on-lend to large and mid-scale wind and solar power infra projects in India.

 •A $100 million loan sanctioned by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to the unit of L&T Finance Holdings is AIIB’s first loan to a non-banking financial company (NBFC) in India.

4) ‘Compact XL’ system for covid-19 tests lauched by MyLab
•Mylab Discovery Solutions has launched the ‘Compact XL’ system for conducting a wide range of tests, including RT-PCR tests for COVID-19. This is India’s first machine to automate the manual processes of molecular diagnostic tests such as RNA/DNA-based tests including COVID-19 RT-PCR tests.

5) Himalayan Golden Birdwing butterfly named as India’s largest butterfly
•Himalayan Golden Birdwing butterfly named as India’s largest butterfly, a record an unknown specimen had held for 88 years. The female Golden Birdwing with 194 mm wingspan was recorded at Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district’s Didihat town, while the male Golden Birdwing with 106 mm wingspan was recorded at the Wankhar Butterfly Museum (in Shillong).

 •The new measurements of this and 24 other species of butterflies were published in the latest issue of Bio notes, a quarterly newsletter for research on life forms. Shristee Panthee of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Yunnan and Peter Smetacek of the Butterfly Research Centre at Bhimtal in Uttarakhand are the authors of the study.

6) Akash Missile: BDL signs licence agreement & ToT with DRDO
•Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) has signed License Agreement and Transfer of Technology (ToT) with Defence Research and Development Organisation–Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDO–DRDL) for Akash Missile Weapon System (Indian Army Variant).

7) CBDT & SEBI signs MoU for data exchange
•The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has signed an agreement for data exchange. The agreement will facilitate the sharing of information and data between the two organisations on an automatic and regular basis. For regular exchange of data, the two organizations will also exchange with each other, on request and suo moto basis, any information available in their respective databases, for the purpose of carrying out their functions under various laws.

 •For this initiative, a Data Exchange Steering Group has also been constituted, which will meet periodically to review the data exchange status and take steps to further improve the effectiveness of the data-sharing mechanism.
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The HINDU Notes – 09th July 2020

13:04






📰 China defends WHO, lashes out at U.S. move to withdraw

‘Washington’s decision undermines anti-epidemic efforts, has serious impact on developing countries’

•China on Wednesday defended the World Health Organization (WHO) and lashed out at the U.S. decision to withdraw from the UN body.

•Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the move was “another demonstration of the U.S. pursuing unilateralism, withdrawing from groups and breaking contracts”.

•WHO is “the most authoritative and professional international institution in the field of global public health security,” Mr. Zhao said at a daily briefing.

•The U.S. departure from the organisation “undermines the international anti-epidemic efforts, and in particular has a serious negative impact on developing countries in urgent need of international support,” Mr. Zhao said.

•The Trump administration formally notified the UN on Monday of its withdrawal from WHO, although the pull-out won’t take effect until next year. That means it could be reversed by a new administration or if circumstances change.

U.S. President’s criticism

•President Donald Trump has harshly criticised WHO over its response to the pandemic and accused it of bowing to Chinese influence. Mr. Trump said in a White House announcement that Chinese officials “ignored” their reporting obligations to WHO and pressured the organisation to mislead the public about an outbreak that has now killed more than 1,30,000 Americans.

•The move was immediately assailed by health officials and critics of the administration, including numerous Democrats who said it would cost the U.S. influence in the global arena while undermining an important institution that is leading vaccine development efforts and drug trials to address the pandemic.

•The withdrawal notice was sent to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday and will take effect in a year, on July 6, 2021.

•The U.S. is WHO’s largest donor and provides it with more than $450 million per year, but owes about $200 million in current and past dues. Those financial obligations must be met before a U.S. withdrawal can be finalised.

📰 UN makes public third communication on J&K
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India’s Trade Surplus: A Warning

09:26
Why in news?
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released India’s balance of payments data for the January-March quarter of 2019-20.
What does the data reveal?
  • During this quarter, India has managed a current account surplus, which is around 0.1% of the GDP.
  • This surplus is largely driven by a lower trade deficit.
  • Data from the Commerce Ministry show that for April and May 2020, India’s trade balance has improved.
  • This surplus is due to the invisibles, emanating mainly out of services exports and remittances.
  • Due to this surplus, India’s substantial trade deficit turns into a moderate current account deficit.
Why does India mostly have a trade deficit?
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THE HINDU NEWSPAPER IMPORTANT ARTICLES 09.07.2020

07:54
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