9 PM Current Affairs Brief – January 10, 2018

Question of equality  Context The Supreme Court has an opportunity to reconsider its 2013 order criminalising gay sex Earlier verdict A reconsideration of the flawed verdict in Suresh Kumar Koushal  is now in prospect A three-judge Bench has opened up an opportunity to reconsider that verdict, which came to the disturbing conclusion that the LGBT community was just a… Continue reading Question of equality 

No viable alternative to hanging, centre tells court  Context There is no viable method at present other than hanging to execute condemned prisoners. Lethal injections are unworkable and often fail, the Centre told the Supreme Court on Tuesday Backdrop The government was responding to a query from the court on alternative modes of execution Dignity… Continue reading No viable alternative to hanging, centre tells court 

Playing of national anthem in cinema halls made optional  Context The Supreme Court today made the playing of national anthem in cinema halls before screening of movies optional, modifying its earlier order Modification in 2016 order The apex court modified its November 30, 2016, order by which it had made the playing of the anthem… Continue reading Playing of national anthem in cinema halls made optional 

Delhi Male set to reboot bilateral ties  Context Maldivian foreign ministers’ India visit What has happened? In a sign of a possible thaw in India-Maldives ties, Maldivian Foreign Minister Mohamed Asim will arrive in Delhi on Wednesday to meet Prime Minister NarendraModi and External Affairs Minister SushmaSwaraj on Thursday. The visit was announced by the External… Continue reading Delhi Male set to reboot bilateral ties 

Korea to take part in Olympics  Context North and South Korea kicked off their first formal talks in more than two years on Tuesday, with both sides expressing optimism ahead of discussions on how the North’s athletes can attend the Winter Olympics in the South despite tensions Backdrop The talks come after North Korea’s Kim used his… Continue reading Korea to take part in Olympics 

No plan to build navel base at Gwadar Context China on Tuesday counselled the “outside world” not to speculate on Beijing’s reported intent to open a naval base in Gwadar, the starting point of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) No Pak-China discussion In Pakistan, the daily, Pakistan Today said that Beijing and Islamabad had no plans to… Continue reading No plan to build navel base at Gwadar

PIOs make ‘mini-world Parliament’  Context First PIO Parliamentarian Conference What did external affair minister say? Speaking at the “First PIO Parliamentarian Conference”, External Affairs Minister SushmaSwaraj urged the legislators and political figures to consider what kind of contribution they could make for India’s global ambition Introducing the theme of the event, Ms.Swaraj reminded the guests… Continue reading PIOs make ‘mini-world Parliament’ 

No change in H1 B rules: US  Context Reports had emerged that the Trump administration was considering tightening the H-1B visa rules that could lead to deportation of 7,50,000 Indians What has happened? The United States has no plans under consideration to discontinue the extension of H-1B visas beyond six years, when beneficiaries wait for… Continue reading No change in H1 B rules: US 

The Iranian crisis is not yet over  Context The recent protests which spread around Iran in the waning days of 2017 and early 2018 represented the largest public display of discontent in Iran since the 2009 Green Movement Reason behind the protest Unlike the 2009 Green Movement, which was largely a product of the urban… Continue reading The Iranian crisis is not yet over 

India UK to ink illegal migrants pact  Context India will sign a pact with the United Kingdom for a return of illegal Indian migrants within a month of their being detected by authorities. The MoU on sharing of criminal records is in line with a similar agreement signed with the U.S Backdrop The U.K. has consistently raised… Continue reading India UK to ink illegal migrants pact 

Kamala mills fire: Robeiro moves High Court seeking probe  Context Former city Commissioner of Police Julio F. Riberio moved the Bombay High Court on Tuesday, seeking a comprehensive fire safety audit, a special investigation team (SIT) and a judicial commission to fix accountability for the loss of 14 lives in the recent fire at two… Continue reading Kamala mills fire: Robeiro moves High Court seeking probe 

Army satisfied with Akash missile  Context The Army is fully satisfied with the performance of the indigenously developed Akash short-range surface-to-air missile (SR SAM) system and is looking for further performance enhancements in future Looks for performance enhancement of indigenously developed system Last month, the Army carried out the first user trial of the missile… Continue reading Army satisfied with Akash missile 

ISRO mulls launching 65 satellites for a slew of uses  Context The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has set itself an ambitious to-do list of making and launching around 65 satellites for a slew of uses. They are planned to be realised over the period from 2017 to 2021, according to a top official They… Continue reading ISRO mulls launching 65 satellites for a slew of uses 

Goa bird festival to offer pelagic avian tour  Context Naturalists, guides and other resource persons to host workshops at Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary Goa Bird Festival The second edition of the Goa Bird Festival will be held from January 12 to 14 at Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, Canacona. Organizers The State Forest department is organising the event with the… Continue reading Goa bird festival to offer pelagic avian tour 

Avoiding road kill  Context Roads must be kept out of wildlife corridors to protect tigers and other animals Recent Incident The tragic death of Bajirao, one of India’s breeding tigers from the Bor reserve in Maharashtra, on a highway is a reminder that building unsuitable roads through wildlife habitats has a terrible cost Contradictions in policy… Continue reading Avoiding road kill 

New Industrial policy in a few months: Commerce Minister Context The new industrial policy, which seeks to promote emerging sectors, will be released within a few months, Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu said on Tuesday. August draft envisaged attracting $100 billion in annual FDI The proposed policy, a draft of which has been prepared by the… Continue reading New Industrial policy in a few months: Commerce Minister

Agriculture needs a reforms package  Context Only an overhaul resembling the industrial liberalisation of 1991 will work Agriculture sector in a mess With rural economic anxieties acquiring a political voice, the expectation is that the Budget will focus on agriculture. For some time, the country has been in denial over the extent of the mess in the… Continue reading Agriculture needs a reforms package