9 PM Current Affairs Brief – March 15th, 2018

‘Declare polygamy in Islam illegal’ What happened? A fresh plea was filed in the Supreme Court seeking to declare as “illegal” and“unconstitutional” the practices of polygamy and ‘nikahhalala’ among the Muslim community What is NikahHalala? ‘Nikahhalala’ is a practice intended to curb the incidence of divorce, under which a man cannot remarry his former wife… Continue reading ‘Declare polygamy in Islam illegal’

Lok Sabha passes Finance Bill without discussion What happened? The Lok Sabha passed the Finance Bill, 2018, with 21 amendments, some of which had to do with the controversial long-term capital gains tax on equity and tax exemptions for start-ups. LTCG amendments Regarding the long-term capital gains (LTCG) tax, one of the major amendments made… Continue reading Lok Sabha passes Finance Bill without discussion

Explaining 1971 Context India’s intervention was altruistic only in small part but was primarily based on realpolitik (a system of politics or principles based on practical rather than moral or ideological considerations.). Why India’s liberation of Bangladesh was a practical move? Eliminating a two-way front: The Bengali uprising provided India with the “opportunity of the… Continue reading Explaining 1971

Far short of the potential Context Indo-Japan ties:The India-Japan economic relationship remains underwhelming in relation to strategic ties The bright side Japan currently ranks as the third largest investor in India Japanese investment in India totalled $4.7 billion in 2016-17, up from $2.6 billion the previous year Japanese investment in India’s first bullet train Regular… Continue reading Far short of the potential

Warming may ‘threaten’ half of species in 33 key regions Context The analysis commissioned by WWF and published in science journal Climatic Change What was the focus of the report? The report focused on 33 so-called “Priority Places” which host some of the world’s richest and most unusual terrestrial species, including iconic, endangered, or endemic plants… Continue reading Warming may ‘threaten’ half of species in 33 key regions

How much plastic is there in your packaged water? Context A worldwide study by Orb Media, a U.S.-based journalistic organisation Results of the study The study has found out that, A single bottle can hold dozens, or possibly even thousands, of microscopic plastic particles Contamination: Tests on more than 250 bottles from 11 brands reveal… Continue reading How much plastic is there in your packaged water?

Hawking, 1942-2018 Context Passing away of Stephen Hawking Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Stephen Hawking diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, an incurable motor neuron disease was given only two years to live His Breakthroughs Luckily, the type of ALS he had progressed slowly, and over time he made many discoveries that marked him among the great physicists… Continue reading Hawking, 1942-2018

A political choice Context The “surgical operation” earlier this month killing the mastermind of the Sunjuwan Army camp attack (Jammu) was lauded as a major victory for Indian security forces, but for some observers, it is surprising that such a seemingly provocative episode closed with such a measured response Author’s contention Authors contend that both… Continue reading A political choice

Curb misuse of social media, says Rajnath Context Social media posed a serious challenge to law enforcement agencies and the areas of concern included terrorism, financial frauds and victimisation of women and children, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said Occasion Two-day Asia-Pacific regional conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) What are the… Continue reading Curb misuse of social media, says Rajnath

Urea subsidy extended till 2020 Context The Cabinet has approved the proposal by the Department of Fertilizers to continue the ongoing Urea Subsidy Scheme from 2017 to 2020 Benefit of the move The continuation of the urea subsidy scheme will ensure that adequate quantity of urea is made available to the farmers at statutory controlled… Continue reading Urea subsidy extended till 2020

‘RBI’s ban on LoUs may push up the cost of imports’ Context Interview with SBI chairman Rajnish Kumar What will be the impact of RBI’s ban on Letters of Undertaking (LoU)? The cost of imports will go up. What was happening was importers, through the route of LoU they were availing dollar funding which was cheaper… Continue reading ‘RBI’s ban on LoUs may push up the cost of imports’

‘LoU ban to hit importers as costs rise’ What happened? The Reserve Bank of India’s directive barring banks from issuing Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) has brought the $85 billion buyers’ credit market — a key source of low-cost trade finance for the country’s importers — to an abrupt standstill. What is a LoU? Letter of… Continue reading ‘LoU ban to hit importers as costs rise’

‘No bank regulator can catch all frauds’ Not possible to be in every nook and cranny of banking activity, says RBI Governor Urjit Patel Amid criticism from several quarters, including the government, for failing to prevent banking frauds in the light of the recent Punjab National Bank scam, Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel… Continue reading ‘No bank regulator can catch all frauds’

In civic ranking, Pune is Maximum City Context The Annual Survey of India’s City-Systems (ASICS) 2017 Pune at the top, Bengaluru at the bottom The Annual Survey of India’s City-Systems (ASICS) 2017, which uses 150 parameters to judge 23 cities, has placed Pune at the top and Bengaluru at the bottom of the rankings. While… Continue reading In civic ranking, Pune is Maximum City