9 PM Current Affairs Brief – May 9th, 2018

Remove Jinnah’s portrait Context The controversy over Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s portrait at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in Uttar Pradesh is partly contrived and partly genuine Author’s take He sacrificed Indian Muslims’ interests on the basis of a spurious theory that suited his ambitions Jinnah distorted the Muslim league’s objective Muslim league wanted that there shouldn’t… Continue reading Remove Jinnah’s portrait

Kim talks denuclearisation with Xi in second China visit Context North Korean leader calls for an end to hostile policies towards Pyongyang What has happened? North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited China this week and met President Xi Jinping, the state media of both countries said on Tuesday, their second encounter in two months amid warming ties… Continue reading Kim talks denuclearisation with Xi in second China visit

UN report for social inclusion What has happened? The UN Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2018, the annual report from the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific was launched here on Tuesday and urged countries to take advantage of high growth rate and share the benefits with… Continue reading UN report for social inclusion

How MPs spend their funds: there’s good and bad news  Question raised What do our MPs do with the funds they have been given to spend on their constituencies?  MPLAD funds Every year, MPs are allotted Rs. 5 crore under the MPLAD (Member of Parliament Local Area Development) Scheme, primarily to take up development projects… Continue reading How MPs spend their funds: there’s good and bad news 

HC allows online nominations for polls  Context ‘Historic’ order comes following violence during filing of nominations for rural elections in Bengal  What has happened? The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to accept the nomination of all candidates who submitted their papers electronically for the West Bengal panchayat polls on… Continue reading HC allows online nominations for polls 

Trump announces U.S. withdrawal from ‘defective’ Iran deal Context US pulls out of the Iran nuclear deal finally What has happened? The United States has pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal, President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, upending a key foreign policy achievement of his predecessor Barack Obama. US view JCPOA failed to deal with the… Continue reading Trump announces U.S. withdrawal from ‘defective’ Iran deal

SC slams Centre for showing “sheer contempt of court” by not framing Cauvery scheme What has happened? The Supreme Court on Tuesday rapped the Central government for showing “sheer contempt of court” by not framing a Cauvery draft scheme but adjourned the case to May 14, after the Karnataka Assembly elections on May 12 and… Continue reading SC slams Centre for showing “sheer contempt of court” by not framing Cauvery scheme

TRAI seeks to amend interconnect norms Context Invites comments on draft by May 18 What has happened? Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Tuesday issued a draft document that proposes to amend certain norms of the interconnection regulations that were released in January this year. ‘Widening time frame’ The ‘Draft Telecommunication Interconnection (Amendment) Regulations… Continue reading TRAI seeks to amend interconnect norms

Commission approves modern animal-free testing for drugs Context New guidelines for pharma makers will come into effect from July 1  What has happened? In a step that would spare animals from suffering due to drug experiments, the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission has approved modern, animal-free tests for drug manufacturers  Replacing Animal tests with test tubes In… Continue reading Commission approves modern animal-free testing for drugs