9 PM Current Affairs Brief – 29th November, 2017

Beyond the News: How Supreme Court eased bail in money laundering charge Context The SC striking down provisions denying bail to those accused under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 marks a major change What has happened? On November 23rd, the Supreme Court struck down a stringent provision of the Prevention of Money Laundering… Continue reading Beyond the News: How Supreme Court eased bail in money laundering charge

ICJ judges worked as arbitrators, says report  Context As per a report by IISD, Christopher Greenwood, the British judge who withdrew as Britain’s nominee for the International Court of Justice, paving the way for Justice Dalveer Bhandari’s election, moonlighted as an arbitrator in nine investment-state dispute settlements as well as two other cases during his… Continue reading ICJ judges worked as arbitrators, says report 

SC dismisses plea against Asthana’s appointment as CBI special director  Context SC’s order on a petition challenging CBI’s new appointment What has happened? The Supreme Court has dismissed a petition challenging the appointment of senior Gujarat cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana as a special director of the CBI Centre’s position The Centre opposed the plea, saying Mr.… Continue reading SC dismisses plea against Asthana’s appointment as CBI special director 

Freedom first  Context The Supreme Court’s order allowing Hadiya freedom of movement was long overdue What has happened? The Supreme Court has recorded the consent given by Hadiya alias Akhila to return to her college at Salem in Tamil Nadu and directed the college to allot her a hostel room where she can stay and complete her… Continue reading Freedom first 

Don’t comment on Padmavati: SC Context Padmavati controversy What has happened? A Supreme Court Bench, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, dismissed a fresh petition seeking an order to restrain the producers of movie Padmavati from releasing it abroad Petitioner’s position Petitioner, argued that Grave damage would be done to social harmony if the movie is allowed… Continue reading Don’t comment on Padmavati: SC

India supports creation of a Palestinian state:PM  Context Ahead of International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the PM says India will continue to support nation-building activities by the Palestinians What has happened? In a statement on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Prime Minister of India presented his government’s position… Continue reading India supports creation of a Palestinian state:PM 

First phase of Chabahar port work over, Iran tells India, eyes Sunday launch  Context New development wrt Chabahar port What has happened? Iran has conveyed to India that it has completed the first phase of work on Chabahar port. Tehran plans to inaugurate it on Sunday, with the country’s President Hassan Rouhani and officials from India, Afghanistan… Continue reading First phase of Chabahar port work over, Iran tells India, eyes Sunday launch 

India, Russia update pact on security  Context Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s 3 day visit to Russia What has happened? India and Russia concluded a comprehensive agreement on security and reviewed the implementation of the Agreement on Information Security signed in October 2016 during the just-concluded visit of Home Minister Rajnath Singh Agreement on Cooperation on… Continue reading India, Russia update pact on security 

Cities at Crossroads: Perils of plastics waste  Context A sustainable way forward is to minimize consumption of single use plastic items, create awareness about the use of appropriate grade of plastic, and emphasise the importance of recycling and reuse. Plastic origins Plastic is a synthetic polymer, deriving its name from the Greek word plastikos, which means… Continue reading Cities at Crossroads: Perils of plastics waste 

Hunting for solutions: on trophy hunting  Context Local African voices need to be heard in the debate on trophy hunting Cecil incident In July 2015, when Cecil, a 13-year-old black-maned male lion, strolled out of Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe (some say he was baited and lured out), and fell prey to an American trophy hunter, a… Continue reading Hunting for solutions: on trophy hunting 

India loses billions to air pollution: UN  Context Article talks about the latest UNEP report titled ‘Towards a pollution-free planet Observations Highest share of India in South & SE Asia: India had the highest share of welfare costs (or a loss of income from labour), of about $220 billion (about ₹1.4 trillion), in South and… Continue reading India loses billions to air pollution: UN 

One giant leap, for all  Context Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project What is High Speed Rail (HSR)? It has speeds above 250 Kmph Impact of HSR It will propel India to the elite league of nations that run high-speed trains and is, therefore, also a project that would symbolise and instil national pride At over 300… Continue reading One giant leap, for all 

Not yet custom-made Context Studies show business processing in Indian ports has improved, but not by enough Improvement in Ease of Doing Business rankings India’s position in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking has jumped from 130 to 100 Trading across borders Trading across borders is one of the areas that is taken… Continue reading Not yet custom-made

India must integrate with global value chain :ADB Context ADB’s country head’s views on manufacturing sector in India Views Mr Yokoyama, ADB’s country head for India expressed his views The manufacturing sector’s share in India’s GDP has remained stagnant despite the government’s efforts to increase it, adding that India must do more to integrate with… Continue reading India must integrate with global value chain :ADB

No compromise on India’s interest at WTO: Prabhu  Context The December 10-13 (WTO’s) Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina What has happened? At next month’s meeting of the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) highest decision-making body, India will not compromise on its interests including ensuring food security as well as protecting its resource-poor and low-income farmers… Continue reading No compromise on India’s interest at WTO: Prabhu 

GES-2017: Narendra Modi invites global entrepreneurs to invest in India  Context Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said his government understood that an environment of transparent policies and the rule of law providing a level playing field were necessary for entrepreneurship to flourish Occasion Inaugurating the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) here, in the presence of U.S. President’s… Continue reading GES-2017: Narendra Modi invites global entrepreneurs to invest in India 

Telecom regulator backs net neutrality  Context The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Tuesday came out in strong support of Net neutrality in a series of recommendations following a long process of consultations on the issue TRAI’s recommendations The licensing terms should be amplified to provide explicit restrictions on any sort of discrimination in… Continue reading Telecom regulator backs net neutrality