Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE: 16-02-15
S.NO. / NEWS ITEM / SYLLUBUS / ESSENCE OF THE ARTICLE1. / Promise of a new beginning as Sirisena lands (Page 10) / a) I.R / a) India and Sri Lanka will sign a number of agreements, mainly on investment, culture and agriculture.
2. / Israel Defence Minister to visit India this week (Page 10) / a) I.R / a) Defence cooperation is the major agenda of the coming Israel Defence Ministers visit to India.
3. / Profitability without accountability (Page 9) / a) I.R / a) With the Indian govt acting in favour of the nuclear industry, the question of liability deserves greater attention.
4. / Beijing, Seoul confront US giant Qualcomm (Page 12) / a) International / a) The settlement with Qualcomm is likely to add to trade tensions between China and the US.
5. / Prospects for peace (Page 8) / a) International / a) Doubts over the durability of peace in Ukraine despite the ceasefire, represent a dangerous sign in the months-long conflict between govt and separatist rebel forces.
6. / Not measure for measure (Page 8) / a) International
b) Economy / a) It is the govts duty to clear the gap with up-to-date and logical statistical data linking social and economic indicators.
7. / Malnourishment high among children of migrants: study (Page 7) / a) National
b) Social issue / a) A study conducted in south Rajasthan has revealed that more than half the children were underweight in those communities where migration was high.
8. / Seven more genes tied to brain disability affecting men (Page 7) / a) S&T / a) Scientists have identified seven more genes that can cause X-linked intellectual disability, which predominantly affects men.
S.NO. / NEWS ITEM / SYLLUBUS / BACKGROUND / IMPORTANT POINTS
1. / Promise of a new beginning as Sirisena lands (Page 10) / a) I.R / a) India – Sri Lanka relations
b) United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
c) 13th Amendment
d) Northern Provincial Council (NPC) / a) With a promise for a new beginning in India-Sri Lanka ties, Sri Lankan President Sirisena arrived in New Delhi.
b) Relations with the Rajapaksa regime had suffered over its closeness with China and reached a flashpoint over Sri Lankas decision to allow Chinese submarines to dock in Colombo harbour twice in 2014.
c) Asked about the new govts view on the issue, official said our relations with China will not be harmful to India.
d) Sirisena will meet Modi, followed by delegation-level talks after which the two sides will sign a number of agreements, mainly on investment, culture and agriculture.
e) They will also discuss the upcoming UNHRC session in Geneva (where Sri Lanka could face another resolution on alleged war crimes) and a recent resolution by the Tamil-majority NPC for an international genocide enquiry.
f) Sources said that the both India and the US were keen on putting off the resolution in order to give the new govt time to implement its promises.
g) Indian official saidwe will discuss issues relating to reconciliation and reconstruction in Sri Lanka which also includes the 13th amendment.
h) Both sides will also speak about the recently started talks on the repatriation of more than 100,000 Sri Lankan refugees from Tamil Nadu.
2. / Israel Defence Minister to visit India this week (Page 10) / a) I.R / a) India – Israel relations
b) Defence cooperation
c) UNGA / a) In a landmark diplomatic engagement, Israel Defence Minister will visit India this week.
b) Though both countries have deepened bilateral cooperation (especially the defence component), this is the first such visit since both countries established bilateral relations in 1991.
c) His visit is an important event and the manifestation of the growing relations between the two countries across the board, including in defence cooperation.
3. / Profitability without accountability (Page 9) / a) I.R / a) India – US civil nuclear agreement
b) Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act 2010
c) Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) / a) In its efforts to promote nuclear commerce with the US, the Modi govt has run into a contrast that lies at the heart of this industry.
b) The joint announcement by Modi and Obama last month raised concerns that the govt would move to effectively compensate suppliers, contrary to the interests of potential victims.
c) The list of FAQs on nuclear liability released by the Ministry confirms the suspicion that the Modi govt is trying to reinterpret Indias liability law by executive order in order to protect nuclear vendors.
d) The govt has dishonestly suggested that it achieved the recent development by establishing an insurance pool to support suppliers.
e) A section in the Indian law called the right of recourse allows the NPCIL to claim compensation from suppliers up to a maximum of Rs.1500 crore.
f) In the US, all nuclear plant operators must have third-party insurance for at least $375 million and suppliers could easily set aside a small portion of their profits to do the same for reactors sold in India.
g) The FAQs claim that the provision allowing the NPCIL a right of recourse is to be read in the context of the contract between the operator and supplier
h) The FAQs suggest that the govt is also committed to the interests of the public sector NPCIL which would insist that contracts contain provisions that provide for a right of recourse consistent with Rule 24 of CLND Rules of 2011.
i) The FAQs also declare that suppliers cannot be asked to pay more compensation in the future than currently provided under the law.
j) The govts move to permanently limit supplier liability to this nominal amount ignores basic economic principles and implies that victims will receive a lower compensation for future accidents.
k) Finally, the FAQs declare that the liability act takes away the rights of victims to appeal suppliers even under other laws. If this interpretation of the law is correct, then it implies that suppliers cannot be prosecuted even for criminal negligence.
l) It is sometimes argued that India must make these concessions to repay the US for its help in facilitating Indias access to international nuclear commerce.
m) US policymakers pushed for such access in a calculated attempt to induce India to support its geostrategic objectives and to ensure that US companies would have access to the emerging Indian nuclear market.
n) Just because the Manmohan Singh govt accepted the Indo-US nuclear pact does not mean that India needs to bend its laws and spend billions of dollars on US reactors.
o) The govts attempt to resolve this conflict in favour of the industry is a revealing indicator of its priorities.
4. / Beijing, Seoul confront US giant Qualcomm (Page 12) / a) International / a) China – South Korea relations
b) China – US relations
c) Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) / a) China and South Korea are taking on Qualcomm (the big chipmaker of the US) as Asian companies heat up the global competition for cheap but quality smartphones.
b) The settlement with Qualcomm is likely to add to trade tensions between China and the US.
c) Besides, its fallout may be felt during negotiations for the proposed TPP - a free trade between Washington and partnering countries, which excludes China.
5. / Prospects for peace (Page 8) / a) International / a) Ukraine crisis
b) Ukraine summit
c) North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) / a) Doubts over the durability of peace in Ukraine despite the ceasefire, represent a dangerous sign in the months-long, bloody and bitter conflict between govt and separatist rebel forces.
b) During the run-up, the objective of the opposing forces seems to have been to consolidate their respective positions.
c) The sea coast near Mariupol and the city of Debaltseve (which are in Ukrainian control) are said to be critical for the separate republics of Donetsk and Luhansk.
d) Thus, uncertainty seems to have been written into the deal brokered last week by the leaders of France and Germany with their Russian and Ukrainian counterparts.
e) Conversely, the conservative and social democratic partners in Germanys ruling grand coalition have been almost categorical in their opposition to any military solution to the crisis in Europes eastern flanks.
f) An unequivocal commitment to finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict is important, given the interdependence between Europe and Russia in the areas of economic and energy cooperation.
g) The fire in Ukraine also demonstrates that the prospects for peace over the long term depend in no small measure on containing nationalist tendencies in the states of the former USSR.
h) In this context, the continued expansion of the NATO into Russias neighbourhood about 25 years after the end of the Cold War, could prove counterproductive.
6. / Not measure for measure (Page 8) / a) International
b) Economy / a) Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)
b) GDP
c) UNDP
d) Human Development Report (HDR)
e) Green Revolution
f) Ease of doing business
g) Poverty
h) Population / a) Purchasing Power Parity has validated a long held suspect that the poorer countries are not as badly off as they are made out to be nor the richer ones as well off as they seem.
b) A nominal GDP ranking puts India at tenth place while a PPP one pushes it up to third, behind the USand China.
c) India does have an economy worth several times larger than its nominal GDP indicates.
d) After China, India has more mobile owners than any other country. It is also one of two largest motorcycle manufacturers. It continues its run as one of two largest producers of rice and a third of wheat as well as fruits and milk.
e) Of course we know that in per capita in agro and dairy products, we are still way behind much smaller producers but are likely to get there thanks to developments in science technology.
f) If the green revolution managed correctly, the future growth in agriculture will surprise the world.
g) But before we start delight we need to restorefavourable national economic indicators with some very unpleasant social ones.
h) Indias ranking in the UNDPs HDR (2011) is 134. In gender inequality, it comes out marginally better but still a poor 129th out of 187 countries. Then on the ease of doing business, India is a miserable 134th.
i) Given the scale of poverty in India, it is very difficult not to make these rankings stick and lot of visual evidence exists.
j) India is more populous than the whole of Africa and roughly equal to Europe and the Americas combined on that count.
k) India needs to proof itself against this by coming up with some convincing measures of its own that attract rather than turn away potential investors using available data without improving.
l) A start can be made by leaving the countrys PPP ranking alone while more effectively highlighting and deploying region-wise as well as State-wise indices for everything, from gender inequality to ease of doing business as well as infrastructure and migration.
m) It is the govts duty to clear the gap with up-to-date and logical statistical data linking social and economic indicators.
7. / Malnourishment high among children of migrants: study (Page 7) / a) National
b) Social issue / a) Malnourishment
b) Migration
c) Anganwadi centres / a) The level of malnourishment is high among children whose parents migrate in search of livelihood.
b) Existing malnourishment in mothers, lack of food and nutrition security, feeding and dietary practices and illnesses are some of the reasons identified for high levels of malnourishment.
c) A study conducted in south Rajasthan has revealed that more than half the children were underweight in those communities where migration was high.
d) South Rajasthan (broadly Udaipur division) is a semi-arid region with a largely tribal population which owns small land holdings. Small land holdings are unable to help them sustain a livelihood which results in high levels of migration.
e) The study further shows that children of migrating families were less likely to be enrolled at the anganwadi centres where the govt provides supplementary food to pre-school children.
8. / Seven more genes tied to brain disability affecting men (Page 7) / a) S&T / a) X chromosome
b) Y chromosome
c) High-throughput sequencing
d) DNA / a) Scientists have identified seven more genes that can cause X-linked intellectual disability, which predominantly affects men.
b) Defective genes on the X chromosome cause the disability. As men have only one X chromosome, the disability is passed on in a recessive manner.
c) Women are affected only if both their X chromosomes carry the defective genes. Women with one healthy and one changed X chromosome are usually free of the disability but have a 50 percent chance of passing the changed chromosome on to their children.
d) They said we have discovered seven novel genes as the cause of X-linked intellectual disability and analysed what signalling pathways in the cells each protein is involved in.
e) Researchers said the symptoms and severity of the disorder depended on the responsible gene and the nature of the mutation.
f) For some years now, scientists have been assisted in their research of genetic diseases by high-throughput sequencing, a technology which allows sequencing of many DNA segments simultaneously and helps identify genetic defects more easily.
g) Using this method, the scientists investigated all DNA regions of the X chromosome containing protein-relevant information.
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