9 PM Current Affairs Brief – January 25, 2018

New Delhi brims with ‘Look east’ vibes  Context: India celebrates the 25th year commemorative summit of the ASEAN-India dialogue partnership on 25th January, 2017. Security issues in the Indo-Pacific will be the focus of discussions. What are the highlights of the summit? The ASEAN-India discussions will focus on the “three Cs of connectivity, commerce and… Continue reading New Delhi brims with ‘Look east’ vibes 

The arc to Southeast Asia  Context: India will host heads of 10 nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for the Republic Day celebrations to boost India’s ties with Southeast Asia. Where does India lack to strengthen the India-ASEAN relationship? India’s capacity to provide development assistance, market access and security guarantees remains limited.… Continue reading The arc to Southeast Asia 

Afghanistan, on a slow fuse  Context: The attack by the Taliban gunmen at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul depicts the deteriorating security environment in Afghanistan. The siege at the hotel lasted more than 12 hours and claimed 22 victims, including 14 foreigners, before the gunmen were neutralised. What is the present day scenario of Afghanistan?… Continue reading Afghanistan, on a slow fuse 

First India-designed vaccine passes WHO test  Context: For the first time, a vaccine conceived and developed from scratch in India has been “pre-qualified” by the World Health Organisation. While several vaccines from India have been pre-qualified, this is the first that was entirely developed locally and, according to experts, is a sign that there is… Continue reading First India-designed vaccine passes WHO test 

HPV vaccine gets immunisation nod Context: The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) has given the green signal to the introduction of the Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in the Universal Immunization Programme. The decision of who will make the HPV vaccines will depend on the outcome of a 2012 Supreme Court case. What is… Continue reading HPV vaccine gets immunisation nod

Submit time-bound action plan on Bellandur lake: NGT Context: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) questioned the Karnataka government for not taking measures to prevent recurring fires at the severely polluted Bellandur lake. A Bench, headed by NGT directed the government to submit a time-bound action plan by January 29. What are the causes of the… Continue reading Submit time-bound action plan on Bellandur lake: NGT

Fraud case in India surged 21% in 2017  Context: According to Kroll Annual Global Fraud & Risk Report 2017-18 India witnessed a significant increase in fraud cases. What are the findings of the report? According to Kroll Annual Global Fraud & Risk Report 2017-18, India witnessed the highest incidence of fraud globally across three categories:… Continue reading Fraud case in India surged 21% in 2017 

Recalculating ease of doing business  Context: Recently, the World Bank announced that it would revise the methodology it uses to calculate the ease of doing business index. What is the controversy? This move that is expected to affect the rankings of countries in the last four years. The index ranks countries based on how welcoming… Continue reading Recalculating ease of doing business 

Govt. unveils 2.1 lakh crore bank recapitalisation plan Context: Govt. unveils details of recapitalisation plan for public sector banks Introduction: The government has moved proposal to infuse additional grant of Rs 88,139 crore – Rs 80,000 crore through Recap Bonds and Rs 8,139 crore as budgetary support – for 2018 under the public sector banks… Continue reading Govt. unveils 2.1 lakh crore bank recapitalisation plan

Capital adequacy ratio to rise 44bps  Context: Capital adequacy ratio will go up by 44 bps. Introduction: The state-run banks that will receive capital from the government will use it to meet provisioning requirement for accounts that facing bankruptcy proceedings. This was mandated by the banking regulator, State Bank of India (SBI)- the country’s largest… Continue reading Capital adequacy ratio to rise 44bps 

UDAN to link 73 airports, helipads  Context: The Centre on Wednesday said 73 underserved and unserved airports and helipads would be connected under the phase 2 of the regional connectivity scheme UDAN. Target: The scheme will provide around 26.5 lakh seats per annum that will be covered with [an] airfare cap of ₹2,500/hr of flying.… Continue reading UDAN to link 73 airports, helipads 

Will biometrics help fight crimes, asks Supreme Court Context: The Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned the argument put forth by petitioners in Aadhaar cases that collection of personal information of citizens by the state would lead to totalitarianism. Court’s argument: Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, one of the five judges of the Constitution Bench led by Chief… Continue reading Will biometrics help fight crimes, asks Supreme Court