9 PM Current Affairs Brief – May 7th, 2018

‘Return of child to place of habitual residence may not be in best interest’ Context Concept of “Habitual Residence” questioned Pressure on India from US to accede to the Hague convention There is immense pressure on India from the U.S. to accede to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, which… Continue reading ‘Return of child to place of habitual residence may not be in best interest’

Panel for revamp of Indo-Nepal treaty What has happened? The final report of a bilateral committee — appointed to advise governments in Delhi and Kathmandu — is likely to suggest that the 1950 India-Nepal Peace and Friendship Treaty should be revised Will guide relations in the future The committee will finalise its report, which will… Continue reading Panel for revamp of Indo-Nepal treaty

Partial success for Gram Swaraj Abhiyan What has happened? At the end of a three-week drive to bring seven flagship schemes to 16,850 villages with a high number of poor, SC (Scheduled Caste) and ST (Scheduled Tribe) households, less than 30% of the target households received an electricity connection, while less than 40% got a… Continue reading Partial success for Gram Swaraj Abhiyan

When NECTAR turned poison for bamboo What has happened? Bamboo farmers and entrepreneurs in the Northeast got a flicker of hope when Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley allocated Rs. 1,290 crore in Budget 2018 for a restructured National Bamboo Mission (NMB) President’s ordinance This followed President Ram Nath Kovind’s ordinance in November 2017 amending the… Continue reading When NECTAR turned poison for bamboo

Rupee is dancing to more tunes this year Context Menacing threats include rupee overvaluation, rising CAD, a retreat in capital flows and macroeconomic populism  What has happened? The Indian currency has been facing some selling pressure for the last 4-5 weeks, chiefly on the back of rising crude price. The rupee fell against the U.S.… Continue reading Rupee is dancing to more tunes this year

Continental ambition What has happened? The African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA) is a potential game changer for the world’s poorest region. The pact — signed by 44 of the 55-member African Union (AU) in March — seeks to create a single market in goods and services, free movement of persons and investment, and eventually… Continue reading Continental ambition

GST’s complicated Context The new compliance system and a proposal for cess on sugar send the wrong signals  GST Council meeting Council decided to introduce a new compliance system under which a single monthly GST return will have to be submitted by firms, barring a few exceptions. However, this will only be done in a… Continue reading GST’s complicated

Adult couple can live together, says SC What has happened? The top court held that live-in relationships were now even recognized by the legislature and they had found a place under the provisions of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 The case The observations came while the top court was hearing a… Continue reading Adult couple can live together, says SC