Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 11-01-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 11-01-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. SC tells govt. to review orders curbing basic rights in J&K – The Supreme Court ordered the government to review ‘forthwith’ any existing orders that restrict basic rights and free movement in Jammu and Kashmir. The court upheld the freedoms of free speech, expression and trade or business on the Internet as fundamental rights to be constitutionally protected. It, however, refused to express any views on whether the very access to the Internet is a fundamental right or not. The top court directed the government to review orders suspending Internet services in the erstwhile State instantly. Any order suspending the Internet found to violate the law should be revoked at once, it ordered.
2. Steel mesh to replace border fences – The rickety barbed wires along the Pakistan and Bangladesh border are being replaced with meshed fence made of steel and coated with anti-rust paint. India shares around 4,097 km border with Bangladesh and 3,323 km with Pakistan. The cost of around 1 km of fence is approximately Rs. 2 crore. The Border Security Force (BSF) that is deployed along the Pakistan and Bangladesh borders has been tasked to ensure that the fence is installed in a time-bound manner.
3. Union Home Ministry notifies CAA provisions – The Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification that the provisions of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, came into force from January 10. The CAA, passed by Parliament on December 11, provides citizenship to six undocumented non-Muslim communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who entered India on or before December 31, 2014. The Act got the President’s assent on December 12. The CAA rules are yet to be notified.
4. ED attaches assets of Kochhar couple – The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets worth ₹78 crore of ICICI Bank's former chief executive officer and managing director Chanda Kochhar, and that of her husband Deepak Kochhar's companies in connection with a money laundering case.Chanda Kochhar was the high-profile boss of ICICI, but had a steep fall after the Videocon loan scandal broke out.
5. MoD approves rules of business for DMA – The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has approved the rules of business for the newly created Department of Military Affairs (DMA), headed by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).The rules of business have been approved by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and would be notified as a gazette. The training policy, most of the training establishments and cadre management of the Services would be under the purview of the DMA. Defence diplomacy of the neighbourhood countries would also be under the CDS.
6. Centre gets notice on plea for population control – The Supreme Court sought the Centre’s reply to a petition challenging a Delhi High Court order that dismissed a plea for measures, including a two-child norm, to control India’s rising population. A Bench of Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and Justices B.R. Gavai and Surya Kant issued notice to the Centre and others. The appeal, filed by BJP leader and lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, has challenged the September 3 order, which said it was for Parliament and the State Legislature to enact laws and not the court. It said the High Court had failed to appreciate that the right to clean air, drinking water, health, peaceful sleep, shelter, livelihood and education guaranteed under Articles 21 and 21A of the Constitution could not be secured for all citizens without controlling the population.
7. Iranian missile downed airliner: Trudeau – Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said multiple intelligence sources indicate that Iran shot down a Ukrainian airliner after it took off from Tehran, killing all 176 on board, including 63 Canadians. Mr. Trudeau’s comments came as video emerged that appeared to show the moment the airliner was hit. That and other footage posted on social media increasingly pointed to a catastrophic mistake by Tehran’s air defense batteries in bringing down Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752.
8. Gotabaya orders probe into anti-graft panels – Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa ordered a presidential probe into the previous government’s anti-corruption panels which investigated the members of the Rajapaksa family, including himself.Two retired senior judges and a former police chief have been appointed to the panel which has been mandated to come out with a report within six months from January 9, according to a gazette issued by the government.
9. Strong winds merge two enormous fires in Australia – Strong winds in Australia merged two enormous fires into a mega blaze spanning an area four times the size of Greater London on Friday, while tens of thousands rallied to again demand action on climate change.Temperatures soared above 40° Celsius in parts of New South Wales and Victoria, where attention was focused on the two fires that linked to form yet another monster blaze of more than 6,00,000 hectares.
10. Infosys CEO Salil Parekh gets clean chit  – Tech major Infosys said its Audit Committee found no evidence of financial impropriety or executive misconduct. The panel had looked into the allegations contained in anonymous whistle-blower complaints, conducted an independent investigation and determined that the allegations were substantially without merit, the company said in a stock market filing. It may be recalled that in October 2019, the Infosys board received anonymous whistle-blower mails raising a bunch of allegations against managing director and chief executive officer Salil Parekh and CFO Nilanjan Roy.

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• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

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• 1. CONSTITUTION AND LAW

1.1 Kashmir Lockdown: SC Criticizes Centre for not producing orders imposing curbs and internet shutdown

1. In the judgement on Kashmir Shutdown, the SC has criticized the Central Government for not producing before it the orders which imposed curbs in Jammu and Kashmir region in the wake of abrogation of the special status of the state on August 5.
2. The court observed that the prohibitory orders passed under section 144 Code of Criminal Procedure, and the internet shut down orders passed under the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services Rules was not produced before it.
3. On Oct. 16, 2019, the bench led by Justice Ramana had directed the Centre to produce the order.

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• 2. ECONOMY

2.1 ED provisionally attaches property of Rs. 78.15 crore belonging to Chanda Kochar and her family
 

1. Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached movable and immovable assets consisting of flat, land, seized cash, and machinery located in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, totalling Rs. 78.15 crore in possession of former ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochar, her husband Deepak Kochar and the companies owned and controlled by them.
2.  The assets attached under the prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in ICICI Bank loan case.
3. ED initiated an investigation after registering a case under PMLA on the basis of FIR for illegal sanctioning loans amounting to Rs. 1875 crore to Videocon Group of Companies.
4. The investigation revealed that Rs. 64 crore out of loan of Rs. 300 crore sanctioned by a committee headed by Chanda Kochhar to Videocon International Electronics Limited, was transferred to Nupower Renewables Pvt. Ltd. – a company of Deepak Chopra, husband of Chanda Kochar, by VIL on Sept. 8, 2009, just one day after disbursement of loan by ICICI Bank.
5. Further net revenue of 10.65 crore was generated by NRL from these tainted funds.

2.2  Event – ASCEND 2020 – Global Investors Meet, Kerala

• Dates –  January 9 and 10, 2020
• Place – Kochi, Kerala
• Organised by – Department of Industries, Kerala Government 
• State Industries Minister – E. P. Jayarajan
• Projects planned to show - case -  

Total 100 projects were planned to show-case. 
Mega Projects – Projects with investment of more than Rs. 100 crore gives direct employment to at least 500 people. 18 mega projects were planned to showcase.

1. Kochi-to-Palakkad integrated manufacturing cluster
2. Rs. 131-crore defence park at Ottapalam  
3. Electronic hardware park in Ernakulam district
4. Medium density fibreboard plant in Perumbavoor
5. Integrated solid waste management systems at Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Malappuram
6. Propylene Oxide manufacturing plant of 2,00,000 MPA capacity in the vicinity of BPCL-Kochi Refinery
7. PVC manufacturing facility of capacity 150,000 TPA
8. Rs. 1,864-crore KINFRA-initiated Petrochemical Park of international standards at Ambalamugal in Ernakulam district
9. Rs. 400-crore logistics hub (in Palakkad) with warehousing facility
10. Rs. 300-crore cryogenic warehouse in Kochi's Puthuvypeen next to the existing LNG terminal.

70-odd other projects classified as large, medium and small in the descending order of their capital investment and capacity to provide jobs

Highlights –

1. Kerala has attracted Rs. 1 lakh crore investment proposals.
2. Received 164 investment proposals.
3. The Kerala Infrastructure Management Ltd. has promised to invest Rs. 8,110 crores, while the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority Rs 66,900 crore.

2.3  Index of Industrial Production (IIP) recorded growth of 1.8 per cent in November, 2019

2.4  Power Ministry launched ‘State Energy Efficiency Index 2019’ developed by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in association with Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE).

2.5 Government launched paperless licensing through Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) for road tankers.

2.6 Supreme Court put stay on NCLAT (National Company Law Appellate Tribunal) order restoring Cyrus Mistry as Tata Sons' chairman.

2.7 PayU acquired controlling stake in fintech start-up PaySense at a valuation of $185 million.

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• 3. ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

3.1 Strong winds created Australian 'megablaze'

1. Gale-force winds in Australia merged two enormous fires into a megablaze spanning an area four times the size of Greater London, while tens of thousands rallied to again demand action on climate change.
2. Temperatures soared above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of New South Wales and neighbouring Victoria, where attention was focused on the two fires that linked to form yet another monster blaze of more than 600,000 hectares. It is believed the blaze was sparked by dry lightning.
3. A ‘state of disaster’ was extended 48 hours ahead of previous forecast of scorching temperatures, and evacuation orders were issued for areas around the New South Wales-Victoria border.
4. There were more than 130 fires burning in the state, with just over 50 not yet under control.
5. On Kangaroo Island off South Australia, the largest town was cut off as firefighters battled dangerous infernos, forcing some residents to flee to the local jetty.
6. The catastrophic bushfires have killed at least 26 people, destroyed more than 2,000 homes and scorched some ten million hectares (100,000 square kilometres)
   an area larger than South Korea or Portugal.
7. University of Sydney scientists estimate one billion mammals, birds and reptiles have been killed in the fires.
8. The Insurance Council of Australia estimated losses from the fires have totalled Aus$939 (US$645) million.
9. The severe conditions have been fuelled by a prolonged drought and worsened by climate change, with experts warning that such massive blazes were becoming more frequent and intense.
10. Australia experienced its driest and hottest year on record in 2019, with its highest average maximum temperature of 41.9 degrees Celsius recorded in mid-December.
11. In Sydney and Melbourne, thousands of people again took to the streets to demand Australia's conservative government do more to tackle global warming and reduce coal exports.
12. A gale is a strong wind, typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as 34–47 knots (63–87 km/h, 17.5–24.2 m/s or 39–54 miles/hour) of sustained surface winds. Forecasters typically issue gale warnings when winds of this strength are expected.

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• 4. FOREIGN AFFAIRS

4.1 US-Iran relations – US House passes resolution limiting Trump’s power to carry out military action against Iran

1. The House voted 224-194 with 13 votes outstanding. Resolution was introduced by Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin.
2. The resolution was brought a day after Iran fired a number of missiles at two Iraqi bases housing US troops in retaliation for the US strike that killed military general Qaseem Solemani in a Pentagon-ordered airstrike near Baghdad Airport.
3.  U.S. rejects Iraq request to discuss troop withdrawal - The US rejected a request by Iraq to start talks on pulling out its 5,200 troops. Angry at an attack seen as violating Iraqi sovereignty and enmeshing the country again in war, Iraq’s caretaker Prime Minister asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to send a delegation to begin withdrawal arrangements.
4. The State Department said it was ready for a conversation, but not about removing troops.President Donald Trump has described the 2003 US invasion of Iraq as a mistake and in the past criticised U.S. troop deployments, in Iraq and elsewhere, as wasteful.Nonetheless, he has responded angrily to Iraqi efforts to expel U.S. troops, even threatening sanctions on a country promoted as a U.S. partner.
5. US announces new sanctions on Iran after missile strikes – The Trump administration announced a new wave of sanctions on Iran following missile strikes by the Islamic Republic on US bases in Iraq. The new sanctions will target eight senior Iranian officials involved in destabilising activities in the Middle East as well as missile strike, which came in retaliation for the US killing of a senior Iranian general in a drone strike.Sanctions will be imposed on anyone involved in the Iranian textile, construction, manufacturing or mining sectors. They will also impose separate sanctions against the steel and iron sectors.As a result of these actions billions of dollars of support will cut off to the Iranian regime.

4.2 Europe – British Parliament cleared Boris Johnson’s Brexit Deal – Paving the way for the UK to leave the European Union, British Parliament has voted in favour of PM Boris Johnson Brexit deal.

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• 5. GOVERNMENT SCHEMES

5.1 No news in this section today.

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS

6.1 Sports –AnOlympic First: Cardboard beds for Tokyo Athletes Village

1. The bed frames in the Athletes Village at this year’s Olympics will be made of cardboard. Sturdy cardboard. These beds can stand up to 200 kilograms.
2. The single bed frames will be recycled into paper products after the games. The mattress components — the mattresses are not made of cardboard — will be recycled into plastic products.
3. The idea was to use materials that could be remade after the Olympics and Paralympics. But the cardboard frames and supports should give the rooms a spartan look.
4. Organisers showed off the beds and a few other furnishings on Thursday at their headquarters. The entire Athletes Village complex will be completed in June. The Olympics open on July 24 followed by the Paralympics on Aug. 25.
5. This is the first time that the beds and bedding in the Athletes Village have been made of renewable materials.

6.2 Sports – KheloIndia off to a glittering start

1. Union Sports Minister KirenRijiju and Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Jan. 10 launched the third edition of the Khelo India Youth Games in a glittering opening show.
2. The opening show paraded cultural diversity of the state and oneness of the country.
3. In a unique show of solidarity, top athletes from all the seven north-eastern States joined Assam’s champion athletes in the final torch relay before star runner Hima Das lit the symbolic Games Flame.
4. Close to 6,800 athletes from 37 States and union territories will compete in the beautiful city of Guwahati. 

6.3 Inauguration – KheloIndia off to a glittering start

1. Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) in New Delhi.  
2. Dedicated National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (www.cybercrime.gov.in) to the Nation.

6.4 Obituary – Veteranbroadcaster, poet and academician Obaid Siddiqui passed away in Ghaziabad at the age of 63.

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• 7. POLITY

7.1 No news in this category today.

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• 8. SOCIAL ISSUES

8.1 External Affairs Ministry and the Indian Missions celebrated 'Vishwa Hindi Diwas' on January 10.

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• 9. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

9.1 First penumbral lunar eclipse of the year 2020 occurred on January 10 and 11. It was visible in Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia, and in some parts of the Americas.

1. An eclipse of the moon can only happen at full moon, when the sun, Earth and moon line up in space, with Earth in the middle. At such times, Earth’s shadow falls on the moon, creating a lunar eclipse. 
2. Lunar eclipses happen a minimum of two times to a maximum of five times a year.
3. There are three kinds of lunar eclipses: total, partial and penumbral. 
4. In a total eclipse of the moon, the inner part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra, falls on the moon’s face. At mid-eclipse, the entire moon is in shadow, which may appear blood red.
5. In a partial lunar eclipse, the umbra takes a bite out of only a fraction of the moon. The dark bite grows larger, and then recedes, never reaching the total phase.
6. In a penumbral lunar eclipse, only the more diffuse outer shadow of Earth – the penumbra – falls on the moon’s face. This third kind of lunar eclipse is much more subtle, and much more difficult to observe, than either a total or partial eclipse of the moon.

Facts, Charts and Rankings

10.1 List of World's Fastest-growing Urban areas by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)

1. Three Indian cities from Kerala ranked in top ten.
2. Malappuram (First). Kozhikode (Fourth). Kollam (Tenth)

10.2 Chart of the day – Worstauto sales decline in 2 decades

1. Comedian, political commentator HasanMinhaj 
2. CEO of ArcelorMittal Europe Aditya Mittal 

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• SECTION 3 - MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions)

Solve the online quiz given, right now. Check scores, and relative performance!

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