{"id":48492,"date":"2019-06-18T21:00:58","date_gmt":"2019-06-18T15:30:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/?p=48492"},"modified":"2019-06-18T17:13:33","modified_gmt":"2019-06-18T11:43:33","slug":"9-pm-current-affairs-brief-june-18-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-current-affairs-brief-june-18-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"9 PM Current Affairs Brief \u2013 June 18, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

D<\/a>ownload the compilation of all summaries of all the news Articles here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

India\nto host COP-14 of the UNCCD<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. India\n for the first time will host the 14th session of the Conference of Parties\n (COP-14) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification\n (UNCCD) in September 2019.<\/li>
  2. The\n United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the sole\n legally binding international agreement linking environment and\n development to sustainable land management. It was established in 1994. It\n has 197 parties.<\/li>
  3. UNCCD\n seeks to work towards maintaining and restoring land and soil productivity\n and mitigating the effects of drought.<\/li>
  4. The\n COP is the supreme decision-making body of a Convention. All States that\n are Parties to the Convention are represented at the COP, at which they\n review the implementation of the Convention.<\/li>
  5. India\n is reeling under severe problem of land degradation. A 2016 report by the\n Indian Space Research Organisation found that about 29% of India\u2019s land\n (in 2011-13) was degraded.<\/li>
  6. Recently,\n the Environment Ministry has launched a flagship project on enhancing\n capacity on forest landscape restoration (FLR) and Bonn Challenge in\n India. There will be a pilot phase of 3.5 years implemented in the States\n of Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland and Karnataka.<\/li>
  7. Ministry\n of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has partnered with The\n International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for the project.<\/li>
  8. It\n aims to develop and adapt best practices and monitoring protocols for the\n Indian states and build capacity within the five pilot states on FLR and\n Bonn Challenge.<\/li>
  9. Launched\n in 2015, the Bonn Challenge is a global effort to bring 150 million\n hectares of the world\u2019s deforested and degraded land into restoration by\n 2020, and 350 million hectares by 2030.<\/li>
  10. India\n has joined the Bonn Challenge and pledged to bring into restoration 13\n million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2020, and additional 8\n million hectares by 2030.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Niti\u2019s\nnew road map: Only electric vehicles to be sold after 2030<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. NITI\n Aayog has proposed that only electric vehicles should be sold after 2030.\n It has moved a cabinet note proposing that the road transport and highways\n ministry should prepare a framework to phase out the sale of diesel and\n petrol vehicles by 2030.<\/li>
    2. The\n ministry has also been asked to pilot an e-highways programme. In electric\n highways, overhead electric cable is laid to allow trucks to operate as\n electric vehicles when on the electrified road and as regular hybrid\n vehicles at other times.<\/li>
    3. Further,\n NITI Aayog has proposed radio cab services, such as Ola and Uber, should\n go completely electric by 2030.<\/li>
    4. Earlier,\n NITI Aayog had suggested that only electric-powered three-wheelers and\n two-wheelers with engine capacity of up to 150 cc should be sold from\n 2025.<\/li>
    5. According\n to the Niti Aayog, as transport remains the most demanding sector for oil,\n about 100% electric vehicle sale by 2030 may reduce India\u2019s import\n dependence by a substantial margin.<\/li>
    6. Recently,\n the Union Cabinet approved the proposal for implementation of \u2018Faster\n Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India Phase II (FAME\n India Phase II)\u2019. The scheme will be implemented over the period of three\n years with effect from 1st April 2019.<\/li>
    7. The\n main objectives of the scheme are a) encourage faster adoption of Electric\n and hybrid vehicle by way of offering upfront Incentive on purchase of\n Electric vehicles and b) establish necessary charging Infrastructure for\n electric vehicles.<\/li>
    8. The\n FAME II is an expanded version of FAME I, launched in 2015 which aimed to\n support hybrid\/electric vehicles market development and Manufacturing\n ecosystem. FAME scheme is under Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public\n Enterprises.<\/li>
    9. The\n FAME scheme is part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan\n (NEMMP). It aims to achieve national fuel security by promoting hybrid and\n electric vehicles in the country.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      By\n2027, India population to cross China\u2019s: UN<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      1. According\n to \u2018The World Population Prospects 2019\u2019 published by the Population\n Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, India is\n projected to surpass China as the world\u2019s most populous country by 2027.<\/li>
      2. India\n is expected to add nearly 273 million people between 2019 and 2050 and\n will remain the most populated country through the end of the current\n century.<\/li>
      3. China,\n with 1.43 billion people in 2019, and India, with 1.37 billion, are the\n two most populous countries of the world, comprising 19% and 18%,\n respectively, of the global total in 2019.<\/li>
      4. The\n report further states that the world\u2019s population is expected to increase\n by two billion people in the next 30 years, from 7.7 billion currently to\n 9.7 billion in 2050.<\/li>
      5. Half\n of the projected increase in the global population up to 2050 will be\n concentrated in just nine countries.<\/li>
      6. India\n is expected to remain the world\u2019s most populous country with nearly 1.5\n billion inhabitants, followed by China (1.1 billion), Nigeria (733\n million), the United States (434 million), and Pakistan (403 million).<\/li>
      7. The\n report has further said that in 2019, around 40% of the world\u2019s population\n lives in intermediate-fertility countries, where women have on average\n between 2.1 and four births over a lifetime. Examples: India, Indonesia,\n Pakistan, Mexico, the Philippines and Egypt<\/li>
      8. The\n report has confirmed that the world\u2019s population is growing older due to\n increasing life expectancy and falling fertility levels. It has projected\n that by 2050, one in six people in the world will be over age 65 (16%), up\n from one in 11 in 2019 (9%)<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        For\nbetter governance, government to rank police stations now<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        1. The\n Ministry of Home Affairs has launched an exercise to rank India\u2019s best\n police stations based on various parameters. The exercise seeks to promote\n competition for better governance at the grassroots level<\/li>
        2. The\n Home Ministry has suggested at least seven dimensions for assessment which\n include crime prevention, proactive measures adopted, Crime and Criminal\n Tracking Network Systems and other technology, citizen perception and\n feedback etc.<\/li>
        3. The\n evaluation will be a two-stage process- a) Objective short-listing of\n police stations based on crime data available with National Crime Record\n Bureau (NCRB) and b) Detailed evaluation based on valuation across seven\n parameters.<\/li>
        4. In\n 2017, MHA had conducted a similar exercise and released \u201cRanking of Police\n Stations for the Year 2017\u201d. RS Puram police station, Coimbatore was designated\n as the best police station in India.<\/li>
        5. The\n criteria for ranking were a) people\u2019s feedback, b) quality of\n investigation, c) Response time (crime control), d) hygiene at police\n station, e) behaviour and attitude of cops, f) community policing, g) record\n keeping, h) surveillance on criminals.<\/li>
        6. There\n are 15, 579 sanctioned police stations in India with 10, 052 located in\n rural areas and 4998 located in urban areas. Further, there are 529\n railway police stations.<\/li>
        7. In\n 2014, Indian Prime Minister announced the concept of SMART Police\n (S-Sensitive and Strict; M-Modern with mobility; A- Alert and Accountable;\n R- Reliable and Responsive; T- Trained and Techno-savvy)<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          World\nFood India to be held from 1st to 4th November 2019 in New Delhi<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          1. The\n Ministry of Food Processing Industries has announced that the World Food\n India 2019 will be held from 1-4th November 2019 in New Delhi.<\/li>
          2. The\n event seeks to position India as Food Processing Destination of the World.\n The tagline of the event will be \u201cForging Partnerships for Growth\u201d.<\/li>
          3. The\n event will consist of several top level seminars, investment opportunities,\n exhibitions, high level CEO roundtables, country sessions, B2B and B2G\n networking etc.<\/li>
          4. The\n World Food India is a biennial event which aims to promote India\u2019s food\n processing sector at global level. The first event was conducted in 2017.<\/li>
          5. According\n to the Ministry, Indian Food Processing Industry has grown at 11% growth\n rate, which is twice the pace of Global Industry. The sector has recorded\n significant growth rate across all major sub-segments of the sectors both\n in terms of value and volume.<\/li>
          6. However,\n exports remain low, with India\u2019s share in global exports of processed food\n being only 2%.  <\/li>
          7. Besides,\n India also has a high share of harvest and post-harvest losses from major\n agricultural produces on account of poor storage, transportation and\n logistics<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

            Facebook\nto unveil new cryptocurrency<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            1. Facebook\n has decided to launch a crypt currency called Libra. The currency is\n designed not to be a speculative asset, like Bitcoin, but a form of\n digital money backed by a reserve of assets.<\/li>
            2. Facebook\n has also formed the non-profit Libra Association with 27 other partners to\n oversee Libra and its development. The partnership includes venture\n capital firms, non-profit organizations, crypto firms, and massive\n corporate financial, telecommunications, and technology service providers.<\/li>
            3. In\n 2018, Venezuela launched Petro, becoming the first country to officially\n launch its own crypto currency. The petro is intended to supplement\n Venezuela\u2019s bolivar fuerte (VEF) currency and help overcome US sanctions.\n Petros are \u201cpre-mined\u201d, meaning the government produces and controls it.<\/li>
            4. The\n Marshall Islands has also decided to launch \u201cSovereign\u201d (SOV), a\n cryptocurrency which can be used as a legal tender.<\/li>
            5. Crypto\n currency, is a digital currency. It uses strong cryptography to secure\n financial transactions, control the creation of additional units, and\n verify the transfer of assets. E.g. Bitcoins, ethereum etc.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

              Modi\nlikely to meet bank chiefs to discuss roadmap for PSBs<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

              1. Prime\n Minister is likely to meet chief executives of Indian banks to chalk out a\n strategy for the banking sector for the next five years.<\/li>
              2. The\n meeting assumes significance as the country\u2019s GDP growth slowed to 5.8% in\n the January-March 2019 quarter dragging down the full-year growth to a\n 5-year low of 6.8%.<\/li>
              3. Further,\n the NBFC sector has also slowed down due to which credit flow to\n productive sectors of the economy has been impacted.<\/li>
              4. Recently,\n the finance ministry has also held discussions with banks on the on going\n crisis in non-banking financial sectors as NBFCs are facing liquidity\n crunch following the debt default by IL&FS.<\/li>
              5. IL&FS\n is an infrastructure finance company registered with the Reserve Bank of\n India as a \u2018Systemically Important Non-Deposit Accepting Core Investment\n Company\u2019. IL&FS has run out of money and therefore was unable to\n service its repayment obligations which led to a series of defaults on\n loans, debentures and commercial papers.<\/li>
              6. Further,\n the government had recently seen the merger of Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank\n with Bank of Baroda and also the merger of associate banks of State Bank\n of India.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                DoT\npanel approves levy of penalty on Airtel, Vodafone Idea<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                1. The\n Digital Communications Commission has given its approval for imposing\n penalty on Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea for denial of interconnection\n to Reliance Jio when the latter had entered the market.<\/li>
                2. However,\n the commission has asked the Telecom Regulatory authority of India (TRAI)\n to review the penalty amount of \u20b93,050 crore given the financial stress in the\n telecom sector.<\/li>
                3. In\n 2016,Reliance Jio had complained to TRAI that due to inadequate\n interconnection points its subscribers were unable to make calls to other\n networks.<\/li>
                4. TRAI\n held that Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea had violated licence norms by\n denying adequate interconnection points to Reliance Jio.<\/li>
                5. TRAI\n had stated that the act of these operators was against public interest and\n in violation of their licence agreement.<\/li>
                6. TRAI\n is a statutory body set up by the Government of India under section 3 of\n the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997.<\/li>
                7. It\n is the regulator of the telecommunications sector in India. It consists of\n a Chairperson and not more than two full-time members and not more than\n two part-time members.<\/li>
                8. The\n Digital Communications Commission was earlier known as Telecom Commission.\n It was set up by the Government of India through a Resolution in 1989 to\n deal with various aspects of Telecommunications.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                  Bitcoin\nuse causing huge CO2 emissions: Study<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  1. An\n interdisciplinary team of researchers at the Technical University of\n Munich (TUM) has revealed that Bitcoin system has a carbon footprint of\n between 22 and 22.9 megatonnes per year. This is comparable to the\n footprint of cities such as Hamburg, Vienna or Las Vegas.<\/li>
                  2. Bitcoin\n mining is very energy-intensive and the process has increased rapidly in\n recent years. The annual electricity consumption by Bitcoin, as of\n November 2018, is about 46 TWh.<\/li>
                  3. The\n researchers have recommended that crypto currency mining should be regulated\n in regions where power generation is especially carbon-intensive. Also, to\n improve the ecological balance, more mining farms can be linked to\n additional renewable generating capacity.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                    Will\ntake fresh look at framework to supervise NBFCs: RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    1. The\n Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor has said that the RBI is giving a\n fresh look at the regulatory and supervisory framework of the Non-banking\n Financial Companies (NBFCs).<\/li>
                    2. The\n RBI Governor said that the Reserve Bank will continue to monitor the activity\n and performance of NBFC sector with a focus on major entities and their\n inter-linkages with other sectors.<\/li>
                    3. The\n RBI has recently released the draft guidelines for a robust liquidity\n framework for the NBFCs.<\/li>
                    4. This\n framework was issued as NBFCs have come under severe liquidity pressure\n ever since the IL&FS crisis erupted compelling them to stop deposit\n renewals and resort to high cost borrowings. There are concerns that NBFCs\n may run out of money which will lead to defaults.<\/li>
                    5. Further,\n the RBI has also asked NBFCs with asset size of more than Rs 5,000 crore\n to appoint a Chief Risk Officer (CRO) with clearly specified roles and\n responsibilities amid growing worries over a crisis in the NBFC sector.<\/li>
                    6. The\n RBI has also created a specialised supervisory and regulatory cadre within\n the RBI in order to strengthen the supervision and regulation of\n commercial banks, urban cooperative banks and non-banking financial\n companies.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                      \u2018Financial\nstability is a key theme for monetary policy\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      1. The\n Reserve Bank of India(RBI) governor has highlighted the importance of the\n central bank\u2019s role in maintaining financial stability.<\/li>
                      2. Financial\n stability can be defined as a condition in which the financial system is\n not unstable. It can also mean a condition in which the three components\n of the financial system which are financial institutions, financial\n markets and financial infrastructure are stable.<\/li>
                      3. RBI\n Governor has referred to the RBI Act according to which the primary\n objective of monetary policy is to maintain price stability while keeping\n in mind the objective of growth.<\/li>
                      4. However,\n after the global financial crisis in 2008, it has been recognized that\n price stability may not be sufficient for financial stability. Hence,\n financial stability has emerged as another key consideration for monetary\n policy.<\/li>
                      5. These\n comments came amid a non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) sector crisis\n which accounts for a fifth of the credit market.<\/li>
                      6. The\n RBI Governor also said that RBI is taking a fresh look at NBFC regulation\n and supervision. It is also monitoring the activities of large NBFCs with\n a view to ensure financial stability.<\/li>
                      7. Further,\n he said that the endeavour of RBI is to ensure price stability under the\n flexible inflation targeting regime and simultaneously focus on growth\n when inflation is under control.<\/li>
                      8. In\n 2019, RBI had reduced the Repo rate by 75 bps to 5.75% to boost economic\n growth which had fallen to 5.8% in the January-March 2019 quarter dragging\n down the full year growth to a five-year low of 6.8%.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                        Government\nrules out bringing oil products under GST for now<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                        1. The\n Central Government has ruled out including petroleum products within the\n ambit of GST immediately by turning down repeated demands from the\n aviation sector and oil companies.<\/li>
                        2. The\n petroleum ministry has also asked for the inclusion as the benefit of GST\n is not helping oil companies as they cannot claim an input tax credit. The\n credit can only be claimed if the entire chain from inputs to the final\n product pays GST.<\/li>
                        3. However,\n the Central government is of the view that the inclusion of petroleum\n products will not be supported by the states in GST Council as states\n wants to retain flexibility in taxing a few items.<\/li>
                        4. Stamp\n duty on real estate, excise on alcohol and petroleum products are among\n the handful of items on which states still have control after the\n introduction of GST.<\/li>
                        5. Besides,\n the Government is also not keen on moving to GST for products such as\n aviation turbine fuel (ATF) or jet fuel. The government argues that the\n taxes on ATF which airlines say is among the highest in the world is\n already passed on to consumers.<\/li>
                        6. Input\n tax credit is the tax that a business pays on a purchase and that it can\n use to reduce its tax liability when it makes a sale. In other words,\n businesses can reduce their tax liability by claiming credit to the extent\n of GST paid on purchases.<\/li>
                        7. GST\n (Goods and Services Tax) is an indirect tax that has replaced many Central\n and State taxes like excise duty, VAT and service tax. It is a single\n comprehensive tax levied on all goods and services produced in India as\n well as those imported from other countries.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                          India\nto actively curb \u2018conflict\u2019 diamonds<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          1. The\n Intersessional meeting of the Kimberley Process (KP) has started in\n Mumbai.<\/li>
                          2. During\n the meeting, India has committed to play an active role to curb the circulation\n of \u2018conflict diamonds\u2019 or \u2018blood diamonds\u2019 in the international market by\n further strengthening the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS).<\/li>
                          3. India\n has said that the 4Cs (Cut, Clarity, Colour & Carat) of diamonds may\n soon be expanded to 5Cs with the fifth being Conflict-Free.<\/li>
                          4. Similarly,\n in the 5Ps of diamond marketing (Precious, Popular, Prestige, Priceless)\n will also be expanded with the fifth would represent Peace Diamond.<\/li>
                          5. The\n Kimberley Process (KP) is an international certification scheme that came\n into force in 2003.It regulates trade in rough diamonds. It aims to\n prevent the flow of conflict diamonds.<\/li>
                          6. Conflict\n diamonds also known as blood diamonds are rough diamonds used by rebel\n movements or their allies to finance armed conflicts aimed at undermining\n legitimate governments.<\/li>
                          7. The\n Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) outlines the rules that\n govern the trade in rough diamonds.<\/li>
                          8. The\n KP is not an international organisation as it has no permanent offices or\n permanent staff. It relies on the contributions under the principle of\n burden sharing of participants supported by industry and civil society\n observers.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                            Congress\nmoves SC against EC\u2019s decision to hold separate by polls for 2 RS seats in\nGujarat<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                            1. The\n Gujarat Congress has decided to move the Supreme Court against the\n Election Commission (EC) decision to conduct separate by polls for two\n Rajya Sabha seats in the state.<\/li>
                            2. The\n petitioner has sought a direction to the Election Commission for holding\n the election for the two seats simultaneously.<\/li>
                            3. The\n EC has termed the vacancies as casual vacancies. The petitioner said the\n term is a complete and direct violation of the provisions of the\n Representation of the People Act as such vacancies fall under the category\n of statutory vacancies under Section 69 of the RP Act.<\/li>
                            4. The\n petitioner argued that both the Constitution and Representation of the\n People Act 1951 says that if regular vacancies are existing at the time\n when the election is held, it should be held together so that the system\n of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote can be\n applied to those elections.<\/li>
                            5. However,\n the EC has cited two Delhi High Court rulings of 1994 and 2009 which had\n supported the system of holding separate by-polls in the same state under\n provisions of the Representation of the People Act.<\/li>
                            6. Section\n 69 in The Representation of the People Act, 1951 talks about the vacation\n of seats by persons already members of one House on election to other\n House of Parliament.<\/li>
                            7. Section\n 69 (1) says that If a person who is already a member of the Lok Sabha is\n chosen a member of the Rajya Sabha, his seat in the Lok Sabha shall on the\n date on which he is so chosen become vacant.<\/li>
                            8. Further,\n section 69 (2) says that If a person who is already a member of the Rajya\n Sabha is chosen a member of the Lok Sabha, his seat in the Rajya Sabha\n shall on the date on which he is so chosen become vacant.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                              20TH\nAnniversary of The Victory at Kargil<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              1. The\n country will celebrate this year the 20th anniversary of victory in Kargil\n war with the theme \u2018Remember, Rejoice and Renew\u2019.<\/li>
                              2. The\n objective of these celebrations is to evoke feelings of nationalism and\n patriotism through nationwide campaigns especially amongst youth and to\n pay homage to the valiant soldiers.<\/li>
                              3. India\n had launched Operation Vijay in 1999 to clear the Kargil sector of\n infiltration by Pakistani soldiers and Kashmiri militants on the Indian\n side of the Line of Control.<\/li>
                              4. The\n war took place between May and July of 1999 in Jammu and Kashmir\u2019s Kargil\n district. It began with the infiltration of both Pakistani troops and\n terrorists into Indian territory.<\/li>
                              5. The\n infiltrators positioned themselves in key locations that gave them a\n strategic advantage during the start of the conflict.<\/li>
                              6. Operation\n Safed Sagar which was launched by the Indian Air Force\u2019s was a major part\n of the Kargil war. It used air power at the height of 32,000 feet for the\n first time.<\/li>
                              7. The\n Kargil War will always be remembered for its strategic and tactical\n surprises, the self-imposed national strategy of restraint in keeping the\n war limited to Kargil \u2013 Siachen Sectors and swiftly executed tri-services\n military strategy and plans.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                                World\u2019s\nHighest Operating Weather Stations Installed On Mount Everest<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                1. The\n National Geographic Society has announced the successful installation of\n the world\u2019s highest operating weather stations on Mount Everest.<\/li>
                                2. The\n successful installation aims to break new ground in our monitoring and\n understanding of climate change as the stations will help continuously\n monitor the upper reaches of the atmosphere which is critical to tracking\n and predicting weather patterns around the globe.<\/li>
                                3. The\n weather station will record data on temperature, relative humidity,\n barometric pressure, wind speed, and wind direction.<\/li>
                                4. Besides,\n the new weather stations will also give scientists direct observations to\n understand jet stream and will also help understand how climate change is\n affecting the Himalayas.<\/li>
                                5. Further,\n the data from the weather stations will also help communities respond to\n climate risks that threaten the lives and livelihoods of the more than one\n billion people in the region.<\/li>
                                6. The\n analysis from this stations will also reveal how monsoon patterns will\n change in India. Indian scientists have indicated that monsoon is weakening\n over the years but this data may give more clues to what time of the year\n moisture comes in compared to earlier.<\/li>
                                7. Mount\n Everest known in Nepal as Sagarmatha and in Tibetan as Chomolungma is\n Earth\u2019s highest mountain above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur\n Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The international border between Nepal\n and China (Tibet Autonomous Region) runs across its summit point.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                                  Assam\ntemple bids adieu to turtle hatchlings<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  1. Recently,\n the Ugratara Temple in Assam had organised a special darshan of 34\n hatchlings of the rare black soft shell turtle as these hatchlings will be\n reintroduced into the wild.<\/li>
                                  2. The\n black soft shell turtle (Nilssonia nigricans) is a species of freshwater\n turtle found in India (Assam) and Bangladesh.<\/li>
                                  3. The\n black soft shell turtle figures in the International Union for\n Conservation of Nature\u2019s (IUCN) Red List as \u201cextinct in the wild\u201d since\n 2002.<\/li>
                                  4. These\n turtles are called \u201csoft shell\u201d because their shell is light and flexible.\n This allows them to move more easily in open water, or in muddy lake\n bottoms. Having a soft shell also allows them to move much faster on land\n than most turtles.<\/li>
                                  5. The\n major threats to the black soft shell turtle are (a) consumption of turtle\n meat and eggs (b) silt mining (c) encroachment of wetlands and (d) changes\n in flooding patterns.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                                    16th\nAsia media summit kicks off in Cambodia; deliberates on issues pertaining to\nmedia & broadcasting industry<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                    1. The\n 16th Asia media summit has started in Cambodia. The summit has deliberated\n on many issues pertaining to the media and broadcasting industry.<\/li>
                                    2. The\n summit was held under the topic Media Digitization Focusing on Developing\n Markets. The summit called for regulation-making to fight against fake\n news and cyber-crimes.<\/li>
                                    3. The\n summit was organized by the Cambodian Ministry of Information in\n collaboration with the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development\n (AIBD).<\/li>
                                    4. An\n information ministerial meeting held on the sidelines of the summit has\n agreed to launch Angkor Fake News Initiative. It a year-long research\n project to find out appropriate measures to counter fake news.<\/li>
                                    5. Asia\n Media Summit is the annual conference organized by Asia-Pacific Institute\n for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) in collaboration with its partners and\n international organizations.<\/li>
                                    6. Asia\n Media Summit provides a unique opportunity for broadcasters in the region\n to share their thoughts on Broadcasting and Information and is supported\n by all regional and International Broadcasting Unions and Associations.<\/li>
                                    7. The\n Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) was established\n in 1977 under the auspices of UNESCO. It is hosted by the Government of\n Malaysia and the secretariat is located in Kuala Lumpur.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                                      Iran\nsays it will break uranium stockpile limit in 10 days<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      1. Iran\n has announced it will breach the limit on its stockpile of enriched\n uranium that was set under a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.<\/li>
                                      2. Enriched\n uranium is produced by feeding uranium hexafluoride gas into centrifuges\n to separate out the most fissile isotope, U-235.<\/li>
                                      3. Under\n the nuclear deal, Iran is only permitted to produce low-enriched uranium\n which has a 3-4% concentration of U-235 and can be used to produce fuel\n for nuclear power plants. While the weapon grade uranium is 90% enriched\n or more.<\/li>
                                      4. Iran\n has complained that European powers have failed to abide by their\n commitments to mitigate the effects on Iran economy of the sanctions that\n US President reinstated after abandoning the nuclear deal last year.<\/li>
                                      5. Recently,\n US had stepped up pressure on Iran by ending exemptions from secondary\n sanctions for countries still buying Iranian oil. The move was intended to\n deny the Iranian government its principal source of revenue.<\/li>
                                      6. Further,\n the Europeans have set up a mechanism that would allow goods to be\n bartered between Iranian and foreign companies without direct financial\n transactions. But the mechanism known as Instex is not yet operational.<\/li>
                                      7. These\n developments come at a time of high tension in the Middle East, with the\n US accusing Iran of being behind attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of\n Oman. Iran has denied any involvement.<\/li>
                                      8. Iran\n Nuclear deal which is known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action\n (JCPOA) was announced in 2015.<\/li>
                                      9. The\n deal was signed between Iran and the P5+1 group (US,UK, France, Russia,\n China and Germany).It restricts Iran\u2019s nuclear programme in return for\n lifting most economic sanctions against it.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                                        China\u2019s\nPresident Xi to visit North Korea this week<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                        1. Chinese\n President will be travelling to North Korea for a two-day visit. The visit\n will be the first by any Chinese leader to North Korea in 14 years.<\/li>
                                        2. North\n Korean leader has visited China four times but no Chinese president has\n visited North Korea since Hu Jintao in 2005.<\/li>
                                        3. The\n visit is intended to help the relations between the two countries after\n China had backed a series of UN sanctions against North Korea over its\n nuclear activities.<\/li>
                                        4. This\n visit comes after talks between the US and North Korea had stalled over\n the issue of North Korea\u2019s nuclear programme.<\/li>
                                        5. On\n the other hand, the US and China are locked in an escalating trade war\n with both countries announcing new tariffs on each other\u2019s goods.<\/li>
                                        6. Further,\n the Chinese President will also visit the Sino-Korean Friendship Tower in\n Pyongyang. It is a monument commemorating China\u2019s assistance to North\n Korea during the 1950-1953 Korean War.<\/li>
                                        7. North\n Korea and South Korea have been locked in an armed standoff since their\n 1950-53 war which had ended in an Armistice Agreement and not a peace\n treaty.<\/li>
                                        8. The\n agreement divided the Korean peninsula into two along the 38th Parallel\n and also provided for neutral international peace patrol.<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                          Download the compilation of all summaries of all the news Articles here India to host COP-14 of the UNCCD India for the first time will host the 14th session of the Conference of Parties (COP-14) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in September 2019. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)… Continue reading 9 PM Current Affairs Brief \u2013 June 18, 2019<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":48116,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-9-pm-brief","category-public","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/9-PM-Brief.png?fit=1000%2C500&ssl=1","views":{"total":0,"cached_at":"","cached_date":1704825947},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48492"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48492\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}