People’s Ingestion Of Plastic

World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWF) study has revealed that people worldwide could be ingesting 5 grams of microscopic plastic particles every week, which is equivalent to the weight of a credit card

• Sources of plastic ingestion:
  • Drinking water: is one of the largest sources of plastic ingestion(with plastic particles found in bottled, tap, surface and groundwater).
  • Shellfish: account for as much as 0.5g a week.
• Inhalation represented a negligible proportion of microplastics entering the human body.
• Indoor air because of its limited circulation is more heavily polluted with plastic than the outdoors.
  • Major sources of Indoor airborne microplastics are synthetic textiles and household dust.

In the last 2 decades, the world has produced as much plastic as during the rest of history, and the industry is set to grow by 4% a year until 2025.

Ocean will contain one metric tonne of plastic for every three metric tonnes of fish by 2025.

About one-third of waste plastics are dumped or leaches into nature, polluting land, rivers and the sea.

Animals also ingest large quantities of plastic that they cannot pass through their digestive systems, resulting in internal abrasion, digestive blockage, and death.

Toxins from ingested plastic– weaken immune system

Curbing Plastic Pollution

1. Political and economic actions to reduce the amount of plastic being disposed of into the environment.
2. Minimize the use of plastics and encourage recycling of plastics instead of taking stringent acts of total ban or zero plastic.
3. Legally binding agreement to combat marine plastic pollution – it should be a stand-alone treaty like the Montreal Protocol or the Paris Agreement.
4. Binding national commitments and protocols for restricting commercial and household use of plastics.

World day against Child Labour

•A ‘Baal Panchayat‘ (Children’s Parliament) was organised in the Delhi by Kailash Satyarthi’s Children’s Foundation on the occasion of World Day against Child Labour.

Every year 12th June is celebrated as the World Day Against Child Labour.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) launched the World Day Against Child Labour in 2002 to focus attention on the global extent of child labour and the action and efforts needed to eliminate it.
The theme of 2019: Children shouldn’t work in fields but on dreams.

•The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by world leaders in 2015, include a renewed global commitment to ending child labour.
•Target 8.7 of the SDG calls on the global community to take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour and end modern slavery.

ILO Convention on Child Labour

• India has ratified six out of the eight core/fundamental International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions.
  • The Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29)
  • Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105)
  • Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100)
  • Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111)
  • Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138)
  • Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182).
• India has not ratified the core/fundamental Conventions, namely Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87) and Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98).

Eligibility

Nipah virus and Fruit Bat

Fruit bats are carriers of the deadly Nipah virus in Kerala.
•Fruit bats survive largely on a diet of fruit, which they locate with their sense of smell.

Nipah virus. •Fruit bats are widely found in South and Southeast Asia and are also known as flying foxes.

Nipah virus and Fruit bat connection •The virus survives in the bat’s body without causing disease, allowing it to jump to susceptible mammals like humans or pigs when bats come in contact with them.
•The National Institute of Virology had found that the virus was first transmitted from fruit bats identified as Pteropus spp.
•In Bangladeshi outbreaks, researchers found antibodies to Nipah in the Indian flying fox

•Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome(SARS) antibodies were found in insectivorous bats

•Indian Flying Fox, hosts over 50 viruses

Global Peace Index 2019

India =141 / 163 countries on the Global Peace Index 2019.
2018= 139

The GPI was founded by Steve Killelea, an Australian technology entrepreneur and philanthropist.
It is released by Australian think tank Institute for Economics & Peace.
It ranks countries according to their level of peacefulness based on 3 thematic domains:

1. The level of societal safety and security.
2. The extent of ongoing domestic and international conflict.
3. The degree of militarisation.

Possible effects of climate change on peace is newly included in this research.

In the last 5 year, the global score of GPI has improved, with 86 countries improving and 76 recording deteriorations

Most peaceful: Iceland since 2008
Least peaceful: Afghanistan is now the least peaceful country in the world, replacing Syria, which is now the second least peaceful.
South Sudan, 
Position of South Asian countries: Bhutan topped the index with 15th rank, Sri Lanka 72, Nepal 76, Bangladesh 101 and Pakistan 153rd on the index.
Climate hazards: India together with the Philippines, Japan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Pakistan are the nine countries with the highest risk of multiple climate hazards. India has the 7th highest overall natural hazard score.
Military expenditure: US, China, Saudi Arabia, Russia and India are the top five countries with the largest total military expenditure

Pro-term Speaker

•Virendra Kumar= 7-time MP from Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh = pro-tem speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha.
•Pro-tem is a Latin phrase which means “for the time being”. The Pro tem Speaker is a temporary speaker appointed for a limited period of time.

The speaker of the Lok Sabha/legislative assembly vacates the office immediately before the first meeting of the newly elected house.
President/ Governor appoints the protem speaker to preside over the sittings of the newly elected house. Usually, the senior most member of the house is made the pro-tem speaker

Duties of pro tem speaker:
The Pro-tem Speaker presides over the first sitting of the Lok Sabha, administers the oath of office to the newly elected MPs.
•To conduct the vote for the speaker and deputy speaker.
•On the election of new Speaker, the office of the pro tem speaker ceases to exist.
•He also administers the floor test

Eligibility of Speaker

1. Not holding any office of profit
2. Not < 25 yrs
3. Newly elected members of parliament elect the speaker among themselves

MPs propose a name to the Pro-tem speaker –>
These names are notified to the Prez –> Prez through their aide Secretary-General notifies the election date –>
If only one name is proposed, the Speaker is elected without any formal vote –> However, if more than one nomination is received, a division (vote) is called –> MPs vote for their candidate on such date notified by President –> The successful candidate is elected as Speaker of the Lok Sabha until the next general election.

54th jnanpith award

Author Amitav Ghosh has been felicitated with the 2018’s Jnanpith Award for his outstanding contribution to the enrichment of Indian Literature in English.

1st English language writer.
Jnanpith award is the highest literary award in India and can only be conferred upon an Indian citizen. English language was added to the list of languages for consideration after the 49th Jnanpith Award.

Cash prize of Rs 11 lakh, a citation plaque and a bronze replica of Goddess Saraswati.
•In 1965, famous Malayalam writer G Sankara Kurup became the first winner of the Jnanpith Award.

Varunastra

Indian Navy has decided to induct an indigenously (95%) developed heavyweight torpedo “Varunastra” into its arsenal.
This induction will put India in a group of only eight countries that have the capability to manufacture heavyweight torpedoes.
Varunastra is a ship-launched, electrically-propelled underwater weapon equipped with one of the most advanced automatic and remote-controlled guidance systems. The weapon system uses its own intelligence in tracing the target. It can hit stealth submarines underwater.
operational range is 40 km and it can carry a warhead weighing 250 kg.
jointly developed by the Naval Science and Technology Laboratory (NTSL), Visakhapatnam and the Bharat Dynamics Limited -BDL (Hyderabad) (MoDef).

Libra Cryptocurrency

•Facebook has unveiled its own cryptocurrency named “Libra”. Based on the Libra Blockchain, it’s backed by the Libra Reserve.
•It has also officially announced a digital wallet service named Calibra.

•They run on a distributed public ledger called blockchain, which is a record of all transactions updated and held by currency holders.
•The most common cryptocurrencies are Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, and Litecoin

Hongkong Protest

•Massive protests in Hongkong has erupted against a government plan to allow extradition to mainland China

About Hongkong– Hongkong is situated on the southeast coast of China, Hong Kong’s strategic location on the Pearl River Delta and the South China Sea has made it one of the world’s most thriving and cosmopolitan cities.

Was born when China’s Qing dynasty government was defeated in the First Opium War in 1842. It ceded Hong Kong Island to Britain. Hong was under the control of the British empire until 1997.
The Sino-British declaration under the principle of ‘One Country, Two Systems’, Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region(SAR) of the People’s Republic of China on 1 July 1997. •This arrangement allows the city to enjoy a high degree of autonomy, including retaining its capitalist system, independent judiciary and rule of law, free trade and freedom of speech.

Brits ruled HK for 100 yrs.
In 1997 –Brits & China agreed about One Country, 2 System rule to be extended for 50 yrs= 2047.
HK is semi autonomous in nature China cannot interfere in its Legislative procedure. The Fundamental rights are freedom of speech, press, religion, occupation, assembly & right to vote etc has to be guaranteed by China. China speaks – Mandarin; HK speaks- Cantonese.
Chief Executive of HK is not elected by HK people. It is decided by a small committee in China. But there is separate Legilative council for HK where law is passed. there are 70 seats of which less than half is pro democratic. Still there is always pro democratic win as voting is done for 40 seats only. 30 setas are reserved for Business Representaion. Ultimate aim of Right to vote is that 100% wil be done by Universal Suffarage but isnt done yet.

2003 China started meddling into HK election and huge protests were seen.
2014 – Umbrella Protests was done against tear gas. China was trying to control who can run for Democratic election to get pro China Candidate.
2018– HK couple went to Taiwan and BF killed GF and returned back to HK. HK & Taiwan Legal system isnt supportive of each other. HK cant punish for crimes committed in Taiwan as they dont have extradition agreement. So HK proposed to send BF to Taiwan for trial but this bill will also give China power over HK’s soverignity and wont be any separation of Power. Thus sparked huge protests.

YOutube VOX 2018 ….. VOX 2019

Rare Easterly Winds over the Indian Ocean

https://myrantbox.school.blog/october/

•Climate Prediction Centre of the US National Weather Service has said that unusually warm waters in the Arabian Sea have set up a rare band of easterly winds over the Indian Ocean, which has significantly delayed the monsoon onset over the Kerala coast.
•The number of factors has led to a dry spell in India, which is likely to continue throughout June

Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO): Its location and strength may play an important role in the development of monsoon over India during the next several weeks.
Cyclone ‘Vayu’: It took advantage of an MJO wave traversing the West Indian Ocean and adjoining South Arabian Sea. Storm initiation: Over the East Indian Ocean and adjoining Bay of Bengal have led to oceanic circulation over North-East and adjoining East-Central Bay.

The MJO can be defined as an eastward moving ‘pulse’ of clouds, rainfall, winds and pressure near the equator that typically recurs every 30 to 60 days.
•It’s a traversing phenomenon and is most prominent over the Indian and Pacific Oceans

Youtube- Creation of MJO over west India Ocean
MJO dsiturbs land + sea breaaze over Sumatra

Extra

Lorenz Curve and Gini Coefficient

The distribution of Income in an economy is represented by the Lorenz Curve and the degree of income inequality is measured through the Gini Coefficient. •One of the five major and common macroeconomic goals of a government is the equitable (fair) distribution of income

A graphical distribution of wealth developed by Max Lorenzin 1906, shows the proportion of income earned by any given percentage of the population. The line at the 45º angle shows perfectly equal income distribution, while the other line shows the actual distribution of income. The further away from the diagonal, the more unequal the size of the distribution of income.

•The Gini Coefficient can vary from 0 (perfect equality) to 1 (perfect inequality)

Sheath Blight Disease

Sheath blight is a fungal disease caused by Rhizoctonia solani.
•Rice sheath blight is an increasing concern for rice production, especially in intensified production systems.
•Infected leaves dry out and die more rapidly, young tillers can also be destroyed. As a result, the leaf area of the canopy can significantly be reduced by the disease. This reduction in leaf area are the primary causes of yield reduction.

Why and Where it Occurs
•Sheath blight occurs in areas with high temperature (28−32°C), high levels of nitrogen fertilizer, and relative humidity of crop canopy from 85−100%.
•Plants are more vulnerable to sheath blight during the rainy season.

GST COUNCIL AND NATIONAL ANTI-PROFITEERING AUTHORITY

GST Council in its recent meeting has discussed the proposal of extending the tenure of the National Anti-profiteering Authority (NAA) to 1 more year (till 30 November 2020).
• NAA came into existence ( just after the rollout of GST) for two years to deal with complaints by consumers against companies for not passing on GST rate cut benefits.
•Extension for NAA, (before its two-year sunset clause) is being seen necessary as there are many pending cases that need to be resolved before its dissolution

National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAA) was constituted under Section 171 of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 Background
• The formation of NAA comes in the background of ratereduction of a large number of items by GST Council which has made tremendous price reduction effect but the consumers will be benefited only if the traders are making the quick reduction of prices of respective items

•NAA comprises of Chairman, 4 Technical members, a Standing Committee, Screening Committees in every State and the Directorate General of Safeguards in the Central Board of Excise & Customs (CBEC).
•The orders of the NAA can be appealed against only in the high court.

Payment and Settlement Systems in India: Vision 2019– 2021

RBI has released its statement on ‘Payment and Settlement Systems in India: Vision 2019–2021’, which outlines the measures needed to be undertaken to foster innovation, cybersecurity, financial inclusion, customer protection, and competition.
•The Payment Systems Vision 2021 envisages achieving a ‘highly digital’ and ‘cash-lite’ society through the goalposts of competition, cost-effectiveness, convenience, and confidence.


Cash-lite economy
•It is an economy whereby there is a reduction in the high usage/volume of cash in circulation, thereby encouraging the use of electronic payment channels and reducing the cost of cash production and transportation.

•A Cash-lite society is a Society where most of the purchases of goods or services are made by credit card or electronic funds transfer rather than with cash or cheques, it is an environment where the money is spent without being physically carried from one person to the other.

Selenium-Graphene based Catalyst in Fuel Cell

A selenium-graphene–based catalyst which is more efficient in terms of cost and performance. It also remains stable for longer than the usual platinum-based catalysts.
•Poisoning-resistant: Methanol fuel cells, a common form of fuel cell used, suffer from a “poisoning” effect. It is found that the catalyst that is developed has a high tolerance for poisoning.

G20 and Marine Plastic Wast

The Group of 20 (G20) environment ministers, on 15th June, 2019, agreed to adopt a new implementation framework for actions to tackle the issue of marine plastic waste on a global scale.
•The environment and the energy ministers of the G20 major economies met in Karuizawa, northwest of Tokyo, ahead of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan on 28th29th June, 2019.

Temples and Turtle Conservation

•Conservation program for turtles is being implemented in Assam by involving the network of temples across the State.
•Species that have disappeared in the wild are bred in Assam’s shrines before being released into the wild.
•A certain degree of faith attached to turtles along with the involvement of the local community has helped them survive in temple ponds.
•However, the temple ponds have more turtles than they can sustain and lack egg laying space because of so-called beautification of these ponds with concrete boundary.
•Besides, temple turtles are fed non-natural food such as bread and wheat balls, which alters their biology.
•India hosts 28 species of turtles, of which 20 are found in Assam.
•Major threats are consumption of turtle meat and eggs, silt mining, encroachment of wetlands and changes in flooding patterns.

Indian roofed turtle- least concerned
Indian softshell turtle- vulnerable

“Operation Sunrise 2”

Coordinated operation by armies of India and Myanmar. It is a 3 week-long operation carried out in their respective border areas, targeting several militant groups operating in Manipur, Nagaland and Assam. (MAN)

1st phase of “Operation Sunrise” was conducted 3 months ago along the Indo-Myanmar border, during which, the Indian Army targeted members of the Arakan Army, an insurgent group in Myanmar, who were opposed to the Kaladan multimodal transit transport project (KMTT). The project is viewed as India’s gateway to Southeast Asia.

Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport (KMTT)

NATO Ally Status to India

Two 2 American lawmakers have moved a key legislation in the Senate which seeks to advance the US-India strategic relationship.
•The legislation will amend the Arms Control Export Act (ACE Act) to bring India at par with the US’ NATO allies– Israel, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea for purposes of selling military items under the ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) list.
The amendment is moved as part of the National Defense Authorization Act 2020 (NDA act) of the USA, giving a big boost to India-US defence trade.

2 technology control lists in the US system

1. Under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), which places controls on the sale of dual-use items that have both civil and military uses
2. The ITAR list.
   Arms Control Export (ACE) Act governs the ITAR list.

NATO is a military alliance established by the North Atlantic Treaty (also called the Washington Treaty) of April 4, 1949, by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union.

Article 5, states that if one member of the alliance is attacked in Europe or North America, it is to be considered an attack on all members. That effectively put Western Europe under the “nuclear umbrella” of the US

•NATO has only once invoked Article 5, on September 12, 2001 following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in the US.
•As of 2019, there are 29 member states, with Montenegro becoming the latest member to join the alliance in 2017
•France withdrew from the integrated military command of NATO in 1966 but remained a member of the organization. However, it resumed its position in NATO’s military command in 2009.

Trump’s recurrent demand that countries devote an amount equal to at least 2% of GDP to defence spending In 2018. NATO’s 29 member states has hit that.
US has halted delivery of equipment related to its F-35 fighter jets to Turkey over its plans to buy Russia’s S-400 missile defence system.
•U.S. wants Turkey to buy the Patriot defence system of the USA.

Republic of Macedonia changed its name to the “Republic of North Macedonia”to enter the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU) as its accession to both organizations was vetoed by Greece.

• The move comes after India and the US signed the COMCASA (Communications, Compatibility and Security Agreement) in 2018.
• The two countries are also in advance discussion to sign another foundational agreement of the BECA (Basic Exchange Cooperation Agreement).
• It also comes ahead of President Donald Trump’s scheduled meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan.

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
GS

17th June = World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
India for the 1st time will host the 14th session of the Conference of Parties (COP-14) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in September, 2019.
Theme of 2019 is “Let’s Grow the Future Together“

UNCCD—
In 1994, the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. The Convention addresses specifically the arid, semiarid and dry sub-humid areas,
known as the drylands.
2018-2030 Strategic Framework: It is the most comprehensive global commitment to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) in order to restore the productivity of vast expanses of degraded land, improve the livelihoods of more than 1.3 billion people
Convention’s 197 parties work together to improve the living conditions for people in drylands, to maintain and restore land and soil productivity, and to mitigate the effects of drought.
Bottom Top Approach.

The UNCCD collaborates closely with the other two Rio Conventions:

1. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
2. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

https://myrantbox.school.blog/dec_19/

Bonn challenge

•The Bonn Challenge is a global effort to bring world’s deforested and degraded land into restoration
150 million hectares by 2020,
and 350 million hectares by 2030.
•At the UNFCCC COP-2015 in Paris, India also joined the voluntary Bonn Challenge pledge to bring into restoration 13 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by the year 2020, an additional 8 million hectares by 2030.
•India’s pledge is one of the largest in Asia.

The World Population Prospects

•According to ‘The World Population Prospects 2019’ published by the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country by 2027.
•Through the end of the century (between 2019 and 2050) India (with an estimated population of 1.37 billion) is expected to remain the world’s most populous country, followed by China, Nigeria, United States of America, and Pakistan.
•The global population is projected to increase by another 2 billion people by 2050.

•Aging of the world’s population will also spike due to increasing life expectancy and falling fertility levels.
By 2050, 1/6 people in the world will be over age 65 (16%), up from 1/ 11 in 2019 (9%).
•Aging will result in a decline in the proportion of the working age population that in turn will exert pressure on social security systems.

Many countries are experiencing a reduction in population size by 1%
populations shrink can be attributed to sustained low levels of fertility and, in some cases, high rates of emigration. •In countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and the Philippines out-migration plays a key in population change (outflow of migrant workers).

out-migration could also be caused by violence, lack of security or wars as in Myanmar, Syria and Venezuela.

Jal Shakti Mantralaya

•The government has created a new Ministry called ‘Jal Shakti’ after merging Ministries of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation + Drinking Water and Sanitation.
•‘Jal Shakti’ ministry will encompass issues ranging from providing clean drinking water, international and inter-states water disputes, to the Namami Gange project aimed at cleaning Ganga and its tributaries, and sub-tributaries.

NRDC shifted from MoEFCC to jal Shakti.
NRDC= National River Conservation Directorate
MoEFCC= Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change.

•Move aims at consolidating administration and bringing water related issues like conservation, development, management, and abatement of pollution under a single ministry.
•NRCD is responsible for implementing the centrally sponsored national river conservation plan for all rivers across the country except river Ganga and its tributaries (as issues related to Ganga and its tributaries are taken up by National Mission for Clean Ganga).

Ministry will roll out the government’s ambitious plan ‘Nal se Jal’ scheme under jal jivan plan) to provide piped water connection to every household in India by 2024.

Coringa Mangroves

Coringa Godavari Mangroves proposed for UNESCO WHS.. we want Coringa WLS to be one too. 7 member committee to fulfill norms

The Andhra Pradesh Government has constituted a 7-member committee for fulfilment of norms required for proposing the Godavari Mangroves (Mada forests), at Coringa, as a World Heritage Site.
•Godavari Mangroves at the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary (CWLS) are touted to be the second largest mangroves in India. The largest mangrove forest in the world is Sundarbans, West Bengal.
•The mangrove forests in Andhra Pradesh are located in the estuaries of the Godavari and the Krishna rivers. The Godavari mangroves are located in Godavari estuary of East Godavari district.

Home to numerous endangered species including the fishing cat, otter, jackal, sea turtles, sea gull, pelican, stork, heron, snipes, flamingos among others.
•Along with the mangrove forest, the Hope Island, a naturally formed sandy stretch amidst the sea that turned into a synonym for biodiversity, too comes under the purview of the sanctuary.
•The sanctuary also has a site where Olive Ridley Sea Turtles nest from January to March every year.

Mangroves •Mangroves are the plant communities occurring in inter-tidal zones along the coasts of tropical and subtropical countries. •Mangrove forests perform multiple ecological functions such as production of woody trees; provision of habitat, food, and spawning grounds for fin-fish and shellfish; provision of habitat for birds and other valuable fauna; protection of coastlines and accretion of sediment to form new land. •According to the India State of Forest Report, 2017, India has nearly 3.3% of the world’s mangrove vegetation.

BASEL III Requirements

A report by the Basel Committee on Bank Supervision (BCBS), theRBI has fallen short of meeting tougher requirements set by the Basel III norms.
•The report looked at adoption status of Basel III standards by 30 global systemically important banks (G-Sibs) as of end-May 2019.
•The RBI is yet to publish the securitisation framework and rules on Total Loss-Absorbing Capacity (TLAC) requirements. Securitisation framework includes credit enhancement facility, liquidity facility, underwriting facility, interest rate or currency swaps and cash collateral accounts.

•Indian banks are in the process of implementing rules on Interest Rate Risk in the Banking Book (IRRBB). The central bank is also yet to come out with final guidelines on the same. Globally the rules were effective from end 2018.

•Basel III is an Internationally Agreed Set of Measures developed by the BCBS in response to the financial crisis of 2007-09.

Basel 3 measures are based on three pillars:
Pillar 1: Improve the banking sector’s ability to absorb ups and downs arising from financial and economic instability
Pillar 2: Improve risk management ability and governance of banking sector
Pillar 3: Strengthen banks’ transparency and disclosures
•Basel Committee on Bank Supervision (BCBS)
•It is a committee under the Bank For International Settlements. Established in 1930, the BIS is owned by 60 central banks, representing countries from around the world that together account for about 95% of world GDP.
•Its head office is in Basel, Switzerland.
•Its mission is to serve central banks in their pursuit of monetary and financial stability, to foster international cooperation in those areas and to act as a bank for central banks.

AWaRe

WHO in its global campaign against antibiotics has launched a new online tool called AWaRe.

•The campaign aims to achieve a 60% increase in the use of antibiotics under the Access group — cheap, ‘narrow-spectrum’ drugs (that target a specific microorganism rather than several) and also lower the risk of resistance.

1. Access— antibiotics used to treat the most common and serious infections.
2. Watch— antibiotics available at all times in the healthcare system.
3. Reserve— antibiotics to be used sparingly or preserved and used only as a last resort

Antimicrobial Resistance
•With the emergence of infections that are untreatable by all classes of antibiotics, antimicrobial resistance is turning into an invisible pandemic and is estimated to kill 50 million worldwide and 10 million in India (by 2050

International Coordination Group on Antimicrobial Resistance= ICAR reported Antimicrobial resistance is a global health and development threat that continues to escalate globally and threatens to undo a century of medical progress.
•It is estimated that more than 50% of antibiotics in many countries are used inappropriately, such as for treatment of viruses (when they only treat bacterial infections) or use of the wrong (broader spectrum) antibiotic, thus contributing to the spread of antimicrobial resistance

Capital Gain Tax

Any profit or gain that arises from the sale of a ‘capital asset’ is a capital gain. This gain or profit comes under the category of ‘income’.

Hence, the capital gain tax will be required to be paid for that amount in the year in which the transfer of the capital asset takes place. This is called the capital gains tax, which can be both short-term or long-term.

Long-term Capital Gains Tax: It is a levy on the profits from the sale of assets held for more than a year. The rates are 0%, 15%, or 20%, depending on tax bracket.
Short-term Capital Gains Tax: It applies to assets held for a year or less and is taxed as ordinary income.
Net Capital Gains= Capital gains – Capital losses

Anthrax Vaccine

Indian scientists have developed a new vaccine against anthrax. It is claimed to be superior over existing vaccines as it can generate an immune response to anthrax toxin as well as its spores rather than the toxin alone.

It is a disease caused by a bacterium called Bacillus anthracis

•People get infected with anthrax when spores get into the body. When spores get inside the body, they can get activated. When they become active, the bacteria can multiply, spread out in the body, produce toxins (poisons), and cause severe illness. •Symptoms include black sore, headaches, fever, breathing difficulties, vomiting of blood, diarrhea. •Anthrax responds well to antibiotic treatment but vaccines are necessary as the infection can cause death within two-three days leaving no scope for diagnosis and treatment

Carbon Quantum Dots

CSIR-NEIST Assam produces Carbon dots from low qulaity high sulphur coals– use to detect cancer.

A team of scientists in Council of Scientific & Industrial Research-North East Institute of Science and Technology (CSIR-NEIST), Assam has developed a chemical process that turns ‘dirty’ coal into a biomedical ‘dot’ to help detect cancer cells.
•They have applied for a patent for their chemical method of producing Carbon Quantum Dots (CQDs) from cheap, abundant, low-quality and high-sulphur coals.

Water Clinic for Elephants

India has opened its first specialized hydrotherapy treatment for elephants suffering from arthritis, joint pain and foot ailments at a wildlife SOS Elephant Hospital, Mathura, UP.
•It is a collaboration between Uttar Pradesh Forest Department and the NGO Wildlife SOS.
•The jumbo hydrotherapy pool installed at the Wildlife SOS Elephant Hospital is equipped with high-pressure water jets that massage the elephants’ feet and body which is a critically important component of the treatment as it also helps oxygen and vital minerals to reach the muscle tissues.

Solanum Plastisexum

A new plant species from the northern Australia — Solanum Plastisexum.
•1st discovered in 1977, it is also known as the Dungowan bush tomato.
•For decades, the plant remained unnamed and no scientists could understand the functionality of the plant. The sex of its flowers kept changing every time it was studied.

•The species name ‘Solanum Plastisexum’ comes from the Greek root meaning ‘moldable’ or ‘changeble’ combined with the Latin word for sex

Binary sex = Fallacy

While it’s not unusual for flowers to be hermaphrodite, i.e. to bear both male and female reproductive parts, this unusual plant did not seem to fall in with the binary sexual norms of the plant kingdom.
•S. plastisexum is not just a model for the diversity of sexual/reproductive form seen among plants — it is also evidence that attempts to recognize a “normative” sexual condition among the planet’s living creatures is problematic.

Living organisms, including plants and animals, often exhibit diverse sexual forms, such as an all-female lizard species whose eggs have all the genetic material needed to reproduce, and clown fish, which are born male and can transform into females later in life.

New Species of ‘Cat fox’

‘Cat-fox’ has been found in remote areas of the French island of Corsica.
•The cats are bigger than a typical house cat, and have large, ringed tails and “highly developed” canine teeth. Because of their appearance, they are known locally as chat-renard, or “cat-fox”.

Different from the European wildcat, Felis silvestris silvestris. The DNA report confirms it is close to the African forest cat, Felis silvestris lybica, but its exact identity is still to be determined.

International Equivalence for Personnel Certification

NABCB has aquired IE for APPCB in APAC annual meeting in Singapore 2019 by signing MCA .
APAC is recog by APEC

•India’s national accreditation body, the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB), has secured international equivalence for its accreditation programme for personnel certification bodies in the annual meeting of the Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation in Singapore on 20th June, 2019.
•NABCB signed the Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) of the Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC) based on the international standard, ISO/IEC 17024.
APEC= Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation

Climate Change Impacting Small Island Developing States

UN in its report on World Population Prospects 2019  warned many SIDS will fail SDG 2030 due to incr. pollution + Climate change.

SIDS= Small Island Developing States are islands of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.

The SIDS were recognized as a distinct group of developing countries (DGDC) in June 1992, at the UN Conference on Environment and Development. Total number of SIDS are 39.

SIDS’ unique and particular vulnerabilities are highlighted in “The Future We Want”, adopted at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (CoSD = also known as Rio+20) that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June 2012.

Reason for Concern–
Population: Several SIDS, including Comoros, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, are experiencing a sharper population growth, higher than the global average rate of 1.07 per cent.

• The total population of these countries is only 71 million, but growing fast: said to increase to 78 million by 2030 and 87 million by 2050, added the report.
• Geographical reasons: 1/3 of the entire population of SIDS lives on lands that are < 5m below the sea level. This makes them highly vulnerable to sea-level rise, storm surge and coastal destruction.

These countries contribute only 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions (GGGE), and yet are among the 1st to experience the worst impacts of climate change.

QS WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKING

IIT-Bombay =152= India’s best university for the 2nd year in a row.
•Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) =1 = topped the QS World University Rankings for the 8th consecutive year.
•2 other Indian universities —
IIT Delhi =182 and IISc= 184 — are now under 200.
•Other Indian universities included in the top 500 list are IIT-Madras (271), IIT-Kharagpur (281), IIT- Kanpur (291), IIT-Roorkee (383), University of Delhi (474) and IIT-Guwahati (491).

QS is a leading global career and education network for ambitious professionals looking to further their personal and professional development.

5/23 are privately funded indian institutes are in top 1000

President Addresses Joint Sitting of Parliament

Prez addressed the joint sitting of both the houses of Parliament. It was the first time he addressed the newly elected 17th Loksabha.

Constitutional Provision: Article 87— 2 instances when the Prez specially addresses both Houses of Parliament.

1. At the beginning of the 1st Session after each general election when the reconstituted lower house meets for the first time.
2. At the beginning of the 1st session of each year.

• 1st CA act 1951 amended Art 87:
  • In clause (1), for the words “every session”, the words “the first session after each general election to the House of the People and at the commencement of the first session of each year” is substituted. In clause (2), the words “and for the precedence of such discussion over other business of the House” is omitted.
• Apart from this, the joint sitting of both the houses is also held to resolve the deadlock over the passing of key legislation. Not all bills can be referred to a joint sitting of Parliament. There are 2 exceptions.
  1. Money bill under Article 110.
  2. Constitution amendment bill under Article 368.

Article 108: Provides for Joint sitting of both the Houses. The joint sitting of the Parliament is called by the President and is presided over by the
1. Speaker or, in his absence, by the
2. Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha or in his absence,
3. the Deputy-Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

The Chairman doesn’t preside over the joint session at any means/cost.

Summons to members: The Secretary-General shall issue summons to each member specifying the time and place for a joint sitting. Speaker decides the time.