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Thursday, December 12, 2019

Daily Current Affairs, 12th December 2019

15:17






1) International Day of Neutrality: 12 December
•International Day of Neutrality is a United Nations observance held on December 12 each year. It was officially declared by a UN General Assembly resolution adopted in February 2017 and first observed on December 12 of the same year.

 •In international law, a neutral country is a sovereign state that abstains from all participation in a war between other states and maintains an attitude of impartiality toward the belligerents. The belligerents, in their turn, recognize this abstention and impartiality. A permanently neutral power is bound to be neutral in all future wars. The rights and duties of a neutral country are defined in the Hague Convention of 1907.

2) International Universal Health Coverage Day: 12 December
•International Universal Health Coverage Day (UHC Day) is celebrated globally on 12 December. International Universal Health Coverage Day aims to raise awareness of the need for strong and resilient health systems and universal health coverage with multi-stakeholder partners. The theme for the 2019 UHC Day is “Keep the promise”

 •In 2017 the United Nations proclaimed 12 December as International Universal Health Coverage Day by resolution 72/138. Each year on 12 December, UHC advocates raise their voices to share the stories of the millions of people still waiting for health, champion what we have achieved so far, call on leaders to make bigger and smarter investments in health, and encourage diverse groups to make commitments to help move the world closer to UHC by 2030.

3) Department of Social Justice started a scheme
•Department of Social Justice and Empowerment has started the scheme of National award for outstanding service in the field of Prevention of Alcoholism and Drug abuse. The scheme is applicable to institutions and individuals working in the field of prevention of alcoholism and drug abuse. The national award will be presented to the awardees on the occasion of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on 26th of June 2020.

4) World’s First commercial electric plane takes flight in Canada
•The world’s first fully-electric commercial aircraft took its inaugural test flight, taking off from the Canadian city of Vancouver and flying for 15 minutes. A 62-year-old six-passenger DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver seaplane re-fitted with a fully electric 750 horsepower motor was piloted by Greg McDougall, founder and chief executive of Harbour Air, a British Columbia-based charter airline that transport passengers between Vancouver. MagniX designed the motor and worked in partnership with Harbour Air which ferries thousands of people a year between Vancouver, Whistler ski resort and nearby islands.

5) International Seminar cum Exhibition on Naval weapon Systems : NAVARMS-19
•The 4th edition of International Seminar cum Exhibition on Naval Weapon Systems ‘NAVARMS-19’ begins in Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis, Development Enclave, New Delhi. The theme of the Exhibition is “Make in India – Fight Category: Opportunities and Imperatives”.

 •NAVARMS is the only international seminar and exhibition on Naval Weapon Systems conducted in the country. It invites all the stakeholders in the life cycle management of Naval Weapons and provides a common platform to share their views and concerns.

6) Switzerland to be the country partner of BioAsia 2020
•Switzerland will be the country partner at the 17th edition of BioAsia2020 scheduled to be held from February 17-19, 2020 with the theme “Today For Tomorrow” in Hyderabad, Telangana. Switzerland is making innovations in the world of medical healthcare and that many pharmaceutical companies have emerged as the center of Switzerland. While the city of Hyderabad has become a hub in the field of health tech and will be introduced to the Switzerland Health Tech Ecosystem through the Bio Asia Summit.

7) Odisha wins ‘World Habitat Award’ for OLHM- Jaga Mission
•Odisha won the bronze in ‘World Habitat Award’ for Jaga Mission also called Odisha Liveable Habitat Mission (OLHM), a slum land titling project executed for the benefit of millions of urban-poor people living in slums. The award was given by the World Habitat, a UK (United Kingdom) based organization which gives the award annually to recognize innovative housing projects around the world.




 •The Jaga is a society under Housing and Urban Development Department (HUDD), Government of Odisha. The OLHM-JAGA aims at transforming the slums into livable habitats and under which 52,682 urban poor families living in the slums have been granted land rights certificate. The mission works under the Odisha Land Rights to Slum Dwellers Act passed in September 2017.

8) Priyanka Chopra honoured at Marrakech Film Festival
•Indian actress Priyanka Chopra was honoured at the Marrakech Film Festival held at the famous Jemaa el Fna square. Priyanka Chopra was honoured for her 20 years of work and contribution in cinema. Hollywood actor Robert Redford, Moroccan actress Mouna Fettou and filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier were among other people who were honoured at the festival.

9) ASI has identified 138 monuments as “Must See” monuments in country
•Archaeological Survey of India has identified 138 numbers of monuments as Must-See Monuments and information thereof is made available on “Must See” portal of Archaeological Survey of India. There are 38 World Heritage Sites in India, out of which 22 Cultural Sites including monuments/ buildings and caves are under the protection of Archaeological Survey of India.

 •The ‘Must See’ list of ASI features first-class Indian monuments and archaeological sites including those that feature on UNESCO’s (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)World Heritage List. Such monuments and sites showcase exceptionality in terms of art and architecture, planning and design.

10) PUMA signs Sunil Chhetri as brand ambassador
•Indian men’s football team captain Sunil Chhetri has signed a 3-year deal with PUMA. The Bengaluru FC skipper is currently the second-highest goal-scorer in international football after Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo. He is the most-capped Indian player and is also the all-time top goal scorer for the Indian team. He has been named as the AIFF Player of the Year six times. He was also conferred with the Arjuna award in 2011 and Padma Shri in 2019.

11) ADB lowers India’s GDP growth forecast to 5.1% in FY20
•The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has lowered its forecast for India’s economic growth in fiscal year 2019-20 to 5.1%. ADB has stated that the consumption was affected by slow job growth and rural distress was aggravated by poor harvest.

12) Pepsico appoints Salman Khan as Pepsi’s new brand ambassador
•PepsiCo has appointed actor Salman Khan as the new brand ambassador of its flagship Pepsi brand of carbonated beverage in India. Brand Pepsi will base its summer 2020 campaign on Salman Khan’s upcoming movie “Dabangg-3”. PepsiCo India will launch a 360 degree campaign to leverage the new association.

 •Salman Khan has also represented the Pepsico’s product “Thums Up” three years ago.

13) GS Lakshmi to become 1st Woman Match Referee to officiate men’s ODI match
•Indian match referee GS Lakshmi is set to become the first woman match referee to officiate a men’s ODI match. She will oversee the third series of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2. The opening match of the competition will take place between the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

 •Earlier in May 2019, she also became the first woman to get appointed onto the ICC International Panel of Match Referees. Lakshmi has the experience of officiating in three women’s ODI matches, 16 men’s T20Is and seven women’s T20Is.
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Insight IAS Prelims 2020 SUBJECT WISE Test 9 With Solution PDF

08:06




Insight IAS Prelims 2020 SUBJECT WISE Test 9 With Solution PDF





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Insight IAS Prelims 2020 SUBJECT WISE Test 8 With Solution PDF

08:05




Insight IAS Prelims 2020 SUBJECT WISE Test 8 With Solution PDF





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THE HINDU NEWSPAPER IMPORTANT ARTICLES 12.12.2019

07:48
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Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Daily Current Affairs, 11th December 2019

16:11






1) International Mountain Day: 11 December
•International Mountain Day is held every year on 11 December globally. This day was established by the UN General Assembly in 2003 to encourage sustainable development in mountains. The theme for 2019 IMD is “Mountains Matter for Youth”.

 •International Mountain Day is a chance to highlight that for rural youth, living in the mountains can be hard. Migration from the mountains leads to abandoned agriculture, land degradation and a loss of ancient cultural traditions. Education and training, market access, diverse employment opportunities and good public services can ensure a brighter future for young people in the mountains. This year, youth will take the lead and demand that mountains and mountain peoples become central in the national and international development agendas; receive more attention, investments and tailored research.

2) Delhi will host 6th Indian Ocean Dialogue and Delhi Dialogue XI
•The external affairs ministry is organising the 6th Indian Ocean Dialogue and Delhi Dialogue XI in New Delhi during December 13-14. For the first time, these two events will be held consecutively. The theme for the Indian Ocean Dialogue is “Indo-Pacific: Re-imagining the Indian Ocean through an Expanded Geography”, while the theme for the Delhi Dialogue is “Advancing Partnership in Indo-Pacific”. The themes are intended to build on the ‘growing recognition of the Indo-Pacific concept in strategic and academic circles within the region and beyond.

3) Odisha to set up 45 new fast track courts
•45 new fast track courts will be set up in Odisha. The 21 courts would be dedicated to cases of rape and sexual harassment of women. The remaining 24 fast track courts will specifically deal with Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) cases. The State government’s action comes after Centre’s decision to formulate a scheme for setting up 1,023 fast track special courts for expeditious trial and disposal of rape cases.

4) ISRO to launch earth observation satellite, RISAT-2BR1
•The ISRO(Indian Space Research Organisation) will launch its earth observation satellite, RISAT-2BR1 on PSLV-C48 from the First Launch Pad (FLP) of Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. RISAT-2BR1, a Radar imaging earth observation satellite weighing about 628 kg, will be placed into an orbit of 576 km at an inclination of 37 degrees.

 •PSLV-C48, which is the 50th mission of PSLV, will also carry 9 customer satellites of Israel, Italy, Japan and USA as co-passengers. These international customer satellites are being launched under a commercial arrangement with NewSpace India Limited.

5) India among top 10 countries with higher climate performance




•India, for the first time, ranks among the top 10 in this year’s Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) at the COP25 climate summit in the Spanish capital Madrid. The current levels of per capita emissions and energy use in India ranked 9th in the high category showing that emissions are still comparatively low. However, despite a high rating for its Climate Policy performance, experts point out that India has yet to develop a roadmap to phase-out fossil fuel subsidies and reduce the country’s high dependence on coal.

 •The authors of the report noted that while the country receives an overall medium rating in the renewable energy category, India’s 2030 renewable energy target is rated very high for its well-below 2 degrees Celsius compatibility. They noted that as none of the countries assessed is already on a path compatible with the Paris climate targets, the first three places of the ranking remain unoccupied. While some EU countries such as Sweden (4th) and Denmark (5th), one of the best climbers, achieve overall high or very high ratings, the performance of EU countries varies largely. While only two G20 countries, the UK (7th) and India (9th), are ranked in the high category, eight G20 countries are remaining in the worst category of the index. Australia (56th out of 61), Saudi Arabia and above all the US perform particularly poor. The index is jointly presented by Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute and Climate Action Network. China, the largest global emitter slightly improves its ranking in the index to 30th place.

6) Ethiopia’s PM receives Nobel Peace Prize
•Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has received the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to achieve international peace and co-operation. This year’s Nobel Peace Prize was the 100th to be awarded. The Nobel Peace Prize consists of a diploma, a gold medal and a cheque for 9 million Swedish kronor (850,000 euros). The Nobel Committee announced in October it was honouring Abiy Ahmed for his efforts to resolve the long-running conflict with neighbouring foe Eritrea.

7) India ranks 129th in Human Development Index 2019
•India has been ranked 129th among 189 countries in the Human Development Index 2019 released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). India was ranked 130th last year in the index. Norway, Switzerland, Ireland occupied the top three positions in the index. According to the report, South Asia was the fastest growing region in human development progress showing a 46% growth over 1990-2018, followed by East Asia and the Pacific at 43%.

8) India’s R. Praggnanandhaa wins London Chess Classic
•R. Praggnanandhaa from India has won the FIDE Open category of the London Chess Classic held in London. He won the tournament with a tally of 7.5 points out of nine rounds. The 14-year-old Indian chess player finished joint first with Anton Smirnov of Australia both scoring 7.5 points.

9) Suniel Shetty signed as anti-doping brand ambassador NADA
•Actor Suniel Shetty has been selected as the brand ambassador of National Anti-Doping Agency NADA. The country’s anti-doping body is hoping that his celebrity status helps its efforts to clean up sports in the country from the menace. More than 150 athletes have failed dope tests this year though bodybuilders make up more than one-third of these offenders.

 •This is not a welcome sign with less than eight months to go for the Tokyo Olympic Games. The suspension of National Anti-Doping Laboratory by the WADA earlier this year is another issue facing the country now that dope samples collected by the National Anti-Doping Agency from the athletes will have to be tested outside India.

10) 13th South Asian Games concluded in Nepal
•The 13th South Asian Games concluded in Nepal. India finished on top with 312 medals comprising 174 gold, 93 silver and 45 bronze. Host Nepal remained second and Sri Lanka got third place. During the 10 days long biggest sporting event of South Asia, over 2700 athletes from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Maldives competed for 1119 medals. Sporting events in 26 games were held at Kathmandu, Pokhara and Janakpur.
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The HINDU Notes – 11th December 2019

15:48





📰 Supreme Court flags delay in appointment of judges

Supreme Court flags delay in appointment of judges
Bench seeks details on 213 names cleared by Supreme Court Collegium but pending with government.

•Two hundred and thirteen names recommended for appointment to various High Courts are pending with the government/Supreme Court Collegium, the Supreme Court said in a judicial order.

•At least the names on which the Supreme Court Collegium, the High Courts and the governments had agreed upon should be appointed within six months, the order said.

•“If recommendations of the High Court Collegium meet with the approval of the Supreme Court Collegium and the government, at least their appointments must take place within six months. This is not to say that in other cases the process should not be completed within six months,” a Bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and K.M. Joseph said in an order dated December 6 and made available on Tuesday.

•It emphasised that the appointments required “a continuous, collaborative and integrated process, where the government is an important consultee”.

•The order is significant, coming at a time when inordinate delays in the appointment of High Court judges and depleting numbers in the higher judiciary threaten to affect the justice delivery mechanism.

•The court has asked for a list with details of the 213 names, including when their files were forwarded to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the time taken by the Law Ministry to forward them to the PMO.

•On the Supreme Court collegium clearing the recommendees, the Union Law Ministry has to put up within three weeks the recommendations to the Prime Minister who would advise the President on the appointment. However, no time limit has been prescribed for action by the Prime Minister and the President.

•The Bench directed that the list, which has to be vetted by Attorney General K.K. Venugopal, to also have other details of the 213 pending names, including the date when each recommendation was made by the High Court collegium concerned; date when the recommendation was forwarded to the collegium after consulting with the State government by the Law Ministry; the time period between these two dates; the date when the collegium cleared the names; the time period, etc.

•The Bench observed in the order that the number of judges appointed to the High Courts has steadily dipped since 2017. Judicial appointments to High Courts have nearly halved in 2019 compared to 2017 and 2018.

•Only 65 judges have been appointed to High Courts in 2019. It was 115 in 2017 and 108 in 2018.

•The High Courts are functioning at nearly 50% of their sanctioned judicial strength. Of a total 1,079 judges sanctioned in the High Courts, there are 410 vacancies. Only 669 judges are working in the courts.

•In 2019, only 65 judges were stated to have been appointed to the High Courts as on 2.12.2019 as against 115 in 2017 and 108 in 2018.

•If the judicial strength in the High Courts continued to wither away, the Bench said, “we would have less High Court judges adoring to the Bench on January 1, 2020 than on January 1, 2018!”

•The Bench, in its seven-page order, noted that the various High Courts’ collegiums were yet to send recommendations for 197 vacancies.

•The Supreme Court said filling up vacancies in the subordinate judiciary while the High Courts grow thinner would only create a logjam of cases.

📰 A patently unconstitutional piece of legislation
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UPSC papers in 15 languages

07:19




Government has taken up with the Union Public Service Commission the question of preparing question papers for its examinations in all the 15 languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution. Replying to Mr. S. S. Bhandari and other Jan Sangh members in Rajya Sabha to-day [December 10, New Delhi], Mr. V. C. Shukla, Minister of State for Home Affairs, said that the use of 15 languages, in addition to English, had been permitted for two subjects in the combined competitive examination conducted by UPSC this year. Mr. Shukla said UPSC had pointed out certain difficulties in setting the question papers in all the 15 languages but they were trying to overcome these difficulties. The Jan Sangh members had demanded that Hindi should be introduced with English in question papers of UPSC competitive examination and for interviews. Mr. Shukla said it was not at present possible to indicate when Hindi would be permitted to be used, in addition to English, for the interviews or for the use of all regional languages for all subjects in UPSC examinations.
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