{"id":54384,"date":"2020-01-16T21:00:56","date_gmt":"2020-01-16T15:30:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/?p=54384"},"modified":"2020-02-26T17:05:03","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T11:35:03","slug":"9-pm-current-affairs-brief-january-16th-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-current-affairs-brief-january-16th-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"9 PM Current Affairs Brief \u2013 January 16th, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.downtoearth.org.in\/news\/governance\/india-117th-among-190-countries-in-empowering-women-68803\">India\n117th among 190 countries in empowering women<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> World Bank released Women Business and the Law (WBL) 2020 index\nwhich measures economic empowerment of women<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nthe Index:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It uses 8 indicators to measure legal differences between men and women as they transition through different stages of working life. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"278\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Picture9.png?resize=750%2C278&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-54393\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key\ntakeaways from Women Business and the Law (WBL) 2020 index<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Countries that score 100 on the\nWomen, Business and the Law index: Canada, Belgium, Denmark, France, Iceland,\nLatvia, Luxembourg, and Sweden.<\/li><li>The economies that improved the\nmost are Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Nepal, and South Sudan.<\/li><li>India scored 74.4 and ranked\n117<sup>th<\/sup> among 190 countries.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2020\/01\/15\/2019-was-the-second-hottest-year-on-record.html\"><strong>UN:\n2019 was second-hottest year in recorded history<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News: <\/strong>The United Nations has confirmed that 2019\nwas the second hottest year ever. The hottest year ever recorded was\n2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Takeaways State of Global Climate\n2019 released by WMO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>High Temperatures in 2019: <\/strong>The global average temperature in 2019\n(January to October) was about 1.1 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial\nperiod.<\/li><li><strong>Record greenhouse gas concentrations: <\/strong>Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the\natmosphere hit a record level of 407.8 parts per million in 2018 and continued\nto rise in 2019.<\/li><li><strong>Acceleration of global mean sea-level rise: <\/strong>In October 2019, the global mean\nsea level reached its highest value since the beginning of the high-precision\naltimetry record (January 1993). This is because of the melting of ice sheets\nin Greenland and Antarctica.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional Information<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>World Meteorological Organization (WMO):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It is an intergovernmental\n organization with a membership of 192 Member States and Territories. It is\n a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) for meteorology,\n operational hydrology, and related geophysical sciences.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Other than the annual State\n of Climate report, WMO releases Greenhouse Gas Bulletin annually.<\/li><li>WMO was established by the\n ratification of the WMO Convention on 23 March 1950. It is headquartered\n in Geneva, Switzerland.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>State of the Climate Report-2019 by IMD<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The past decade was the hottest\non record for India.<\/li><li>2019 was the seventh warmest\nyear since 1901.<\/li><li>Extreme weather events killed\nabout 1,630 persons in 2019.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-what-is-a-sinkhole-which-swallowed-a-bus-and-pedestrians-in-china-this-week-6218371\/\">What\nis a sinkhole, which swallowed a bus and pedestrians in China<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> An enormous sinkhole swallowed a bus and pedestrians in northwest\nChina<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sinkholes:<\/strong> Sinkholes are cavities in the ground that form when water erodes an\nunderlying rock layer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Types:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>One forms when the roof of a\ncave collapses and exposes the underground cavern.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Second type forms when water\ndissolves the rock underneath soil and creates an underground fissure. The soil\nlayer collapses in absence of a rock to support it, and creates a hole on the\nsurface.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Causes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Natural:<\/strong> Form in areas of karst terrains,\nwhere the rock below the surface of the Earth can be easily dissolved by\ngroundwater. Such terrains are most commonly\nfound in areas with limestone, gypsum or carbonate rocks.<strong><em> <\/em><\/strong>Example: Gaping Ghyll in Yorkshire.<\/li><li><strong>Man-made:<\/strong> Sinkholes form due to broken\nland drains, water mains and sewerage pipes, increased rainfall, storm events,\nunderlying limestone and diverted surface water. Example: In China, the mining\nof coal, zinc, lead and iron ore deposits in karst areas have been associated\nwith the formation of sinkholes due to human activity<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\nInformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Karst:<\/strong> It is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks\nsuch as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is named after the typical\ntopography developed in limestone rocks of Karsts region in the Balkans\nadjacent to Adriatic Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Essential\nConditions for development of Karst Topography<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Presence of soluble rocks,\npreferably limestone at the surface or sub-surface level<\/li><li>These rocks should be dense,\nhighly jointed and thinly bedded.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Erosional Features:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Swallow holes or Sink holes, Dolines,\nUvalas, Poljes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Swallow holes<\/strong> are small depressions\n carved out by depressions carved out by solution where rainwater sinks\n into the limestone at a point of weakness. Example: Gaping Ghyll in\n Yorkshire.<\/li><li>A <strong>doline<\/strong> is formed when a number of swallow holes\n coalesce to form a large hollow<\/li><li>Several dolines may merge as a result of subsidence to form an\n even larger depression called<strong> uvala<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Poljes<\/strong> are very large depressions,\n formed partially due to faulting<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"566\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Picture10.png?resize=566%2C288&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-54394\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Caves:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Caves formations are prominent in areas where there are\n alternating beds of rocks (shale, sandstones, quartzite) with limestone or\n dolomites in between ,or in areas where limestone are dense, massive and\n occurring as thick beds<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Depositional Features:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Stalactites hang as icicles of\ndifferent diameters. Normally they are broad at their bases and taper towards\nthe free ends showing up in a variety of forms. <\/li><li>Stalagmites rise up from the\nfloor of the caves.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"219\" height=\"219\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Picture11.png?resize=219%2C219&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-54395\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.downtoearth.org.in\/news\/forests\/forest-panel-bats-for-pvt-plantations-as-compensation-68719\">Forest\npanel bats for pvt plantations as compensation<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) has recommended&nbsp;Green Credit\nScheme<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nGreen Credit Scheme:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It will allow private agencies\nto create tree plantations on private \/ non-forest land, to be used as Compensatory\nAfforestation for projects involving forest diversion.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Significance:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It will encourage plantation by\nindividuals outside the traditional forest area <\/li><li>It will help in contributing\ntowards meeting the international commitments of the country such as\nSustainable Development Goals and Nationally Determined Contributions<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Background:<\/strong> It was first developed by the Gujarat state government and was\npending for approval from the MoEF&amp;CC since 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\nInformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Compensatory afforestation<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It refers to afforestation and\nregeneration activities carried out as a way of compensating for forest land\ndiverted to non-forest purposes.<\/li><li>According to Forest\n(Conservation) Act 1980, whenever a forest land is to be diverted for\nnon-forestry purposes, the equivalent non forest land has to be identified for\ncompensatory afforestation and funds for raising compensatory afforestation are\nto be collected from the user agency.<\/li><li><strong>Net Present Value<\/strong>: the law also requires\nthat the Net Present Value (NPV) of the diverted forest is calculated for a\nperiod of 50 years, and recovered from the user agency that is diverting the\nforests.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Forest\nAdvisory Committee (FAC)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The FAC is a body under the\nUnion Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&amp;CC) and is\nresponsible for regulating forest diversion.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/private-property-is-a-human-right-says-sc\/article30551819.ece\">Private\nproperty is a human right: Supreme Court<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> In Vidaya Devi vs. The State of Himachal Pradesh case, the Supreme\nCourt has held that in a welfare state, right to property is a human right<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Highlights\nof SC Judgement<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The\n state cannot trespass into the private property of a citizen and then\n claim ownership of the land in the name of \u2018adverse possession\u2019<\/li><li>Grabbing\n private land and then claiming it as its own makes the state an\n encroacher.<\/li><li>State\n cannot dispossess a citizen of his property except in accordance with the\n procedure established by law.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\nInformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Right\nto Property in the Constitution<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Article 19(1) (f) guaranteed to every citizen the right to acquire,\n hold and dispose of property.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Article 31 guaranteed every&nbsp;person, both citizens and\n non-citizens, the right against deprivation of his\/her property. It\n provided that no person shall be deprived of his property except by\n authority of the law.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Article 31 empowered the State to acquire or requisite the\n property of a person for public purpose and after providing adequate\n compensation.<\/li><li>The Constitution (forty fourth amendment) Act, 1978 abolished\n the right to property as a fundamental right.&nbsp;<ul><li>It repealed article 19(1) (f) and article 31.&nbsp;<\/li><li>It inserted a new article 300A in part XII with the label\n \u2018Right to property\u2019. Now article 300A provides that no person shall be\n deprived of his property except by authority of the law<\/li><li>Right to property is only a legal and constitutional right and\n not a fundamental right<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Though the fundamental right to property under part III has\n been abolished, part III still contains provisions which guarantees the\n right to compensation when the State acquires private property<ul><li>Article 30: when the State acquires the property of a minority\n educational institution<\/li><li>Article 31A: It provides that the State should pay adequate\n compensation at market value when the State acquires any land held by a\n person while the land held by the person is used for personal cultivation\n and the size of the land is within statutory ceiling limit<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/theprint.in\/world\/world-economic-forum-reports-top-5-global-risks-for-2020-are-all-to-do-with-climate\/349965\/\"><strong>WEF:Global Risks Report,2020<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The World Economic\nForum has released the \u2018Global Risks Report 2020\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About Global Risks report:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The report describes changes\noccurring in the global risks landscape from year to year and identifies global\ncatastrophic risks.<\/li><li>This is the first time in the\nreport\u2019s 10-year-history that all of the top five issues that are likely to\nimpact the world this year are environmental.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Top 10 risks:<\/strong>The report has\nlisted top 10 risks over the next 10 years which are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Extreme weather<\/li><li>Climate action failure<\/li><li>Natural Disaster<\/li><li>Biodiversity loss<\/li><li>Humans made environmental disasters<\/li><li>Data fraud or theft<\/li><li>Cyberattacks<\/li><li>Water crisis<\/li><li>Global governance failure<\/li><li>Asset Bubble<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Other takeaways from the report:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It reports that Climate-related\nrisks had the greatest likelihood of severe impacts.<\/li><li>It foresees a year of increased\ndomestic and international political instability.The retreat from\nmultilateralism has threatened the ability of the world to deal with global\nrisks.<\/li><li>It also forecasts a year of\neconomic slowdown.The International Monetary Fund had expected growth to be at\n3% in 2019, which is the lowest since the economic crisis of 2008-09.<\/li><li>The Digital Technology is in its\npeak of evolution.However,the unequal access of the technology across the globe\nwill increase.<\/li><li>The social demographic,\nenvironmental and technological pressure on health systems is growing.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional information:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About World Economic Forum(WEF)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>WEF was established in 1971 as a\nnot-for-profit foundation and is headquartered in Geneva,Switzerland.<\/li><li>The objective of WEF is to improve\nthe state of the world by engaging business,political,academic and other\nleaders of society to shape global,regional and industry agendas.<\/li><li>The reports published by the WEF\nare (a)Global Competitiveness Report (b)Global Gender Gap Report (c)Global\nRisks Report and (d)Global Travel and Tourism Report among others.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-a-new-controversy-on-indias-fiscal-deficit-6218431\/\"><strong>Explained:About India\u2019s fiscal deficit<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Recently,the\nformer Economic Affairs secretary has claimed that the actual fiscal deficit\nfor the last financial year and the current one is more than a full percentage\npoint higher than the official data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What is Fiscal Deficit?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Fiscal Deficit is the difference\nbetween the Revenue Receipts plus Non-debt Capital Receipts (NDCR) and the\ntotal expenditure.<\/li><li>In other words, fiscal deficit is\nreflective of the total borrowing requirements of Government.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Significance of fiscal deficit:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The significance of fiscal deficit\nis that if the deficit is too high,it implies that there is a lesser amount of\nmoney left in the market for private entrepreneurs and businesses to\nborrow.&nbsp;<\/li><li>The lesser amount of this money\nwill in turn leads to higher rates of interest charged on such lending.Hence,a\nhigher fiscal deficit means higher borrowing by the government which in turn\nmean higher interest rates in the economy.<\/li><li>Currently,the high fiscal deficit\nand higher interest rates in India means that the efforts of the Reserve Bank\nof India to reduce interest rates are undone.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Acceptable level of fiscal deficit:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>There is no set universal level of\nfiscal deficit that is considered good.In a developing economy,where private\nenterprises may be weak and governments may be in a better state to invest,\nfiscal deficit could be higher than in a developed economy.<\/li><li>In India,the Fiscal Responsibility\nand Budget Management(FRBM) Act requires the central government to reduce its\nfiscal deficit to 3 percent of GDP.<\/li><li>In Union Budget 2019,India has set\na fiscal deficit target of 3.3% of the Gross domestic product(GDP) for 2019-20.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Controversy around fiscal deficit:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Former Economic affairs secretary\nhas said that the true fiscal deficit for 2018-19 is 4.7% which is more than a\nfull percentage point than the number claimed by Finance Minister in Budget\n2019.<\/li><li>This is because the government has\nbeen financing the expenditure through off-budget financing which are are not\nrecorded through the Consolidated Fund of India(CFI).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/in-chhattisgarh-app-to-connect-trained-candidates-with-jobs-6216816\/\"><strong>Rojgaar Sangi- app to connect trained candidates with jobs<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Recently, the\nChhattisgarh State Skill Development Authority (CSSDA) has launched a mobile\nphone app &#8211; \u2018Rojgaar Sangi\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About Rojgaar Sangi:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The mobile application aims to\nconnect trained candidates with the jobs.It will also help start-up companies\nto hire an office staff.<\/li><li>The app has been developed with the\nhelp of National Informatics Centre (NIC).<\/li><li>It will increase accessibility for\nskilled and trained candidates which in turn will increase job opportunities.<\/li><li>The app is expected to benefit 7\nlakh students who were trained under the courses offered by CSSDA.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional information:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About National Informatics Centre(NIC):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The National Informatics Centre\n(NIC) is an institute set up by the Indian government in 1976 to drive its\ntechnology and e-governance initiatives in the country.<\/li><li>The institute is part of the Indian\nMinistry of Electronics and Information Technology\u2019s Department.<\/li><li>NIC has the mandate to set up,\nimplement and support all the information technology led-programs of the\ncentral and state governments and other government organizations in India.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/technology\/social\/it-rules-to-separate-social-media-firms-other-online-platforms-6218697\/\"><strong>IT rules to separate social media firms, other online platforms<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Government has\nsaid that Draft Information Technology [Intermediaries Guidelines (Amendment)\nRules] 2018 are under process of revision in the wake of instances of violence\nand lynchings affiliated with content posted on social media platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Internet Intermediary:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Internet intermediary refers to a\ncompany that facilitates the use of the Internet.Such companies include\ninternet service providers(ISPs), search engines and social media platforms.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Features of the Draft IT Intermediaries Rules 2018:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Incorporation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The online intermediaries with more\nthan 50 lakh users will be required to have a registered entity in India under\nthe Companies Act.<\/li><li>They should also appoint a nodal\nperson of contact for 24X7 coordination with law enforcement agencies and\nensure compliance with their orders.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Reporting:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>They should also provide\ninformation or assistance within 72 hours when asked by any government agency\nfor reasons of State security, cyber security, investigation, detection,\nprosecution or prevention of offenses.<\/li><li>The intermediary should also report\ncybersecurity incidents with the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rules:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The social media intermediaries\nshould publish rules, privacy policy to stop users from engaging in online\nmaterial which is paedophilic, pornographic, hateful, racially and ethnically\nobjectionable.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Grievance redressal:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The intermediary should publish the\nname of the Grievance Officer and his\/her contact details on its website.<\/li><li>It should also lay down a mechanism\nby which it redresses the concerns of users who suffer as a result of access or\nusage of computer resources by any person in violation of rules.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Technology:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The intermediary should also deploy\ntechnology based automated tools for identifying and removing or disabling\npublic access to unlawful information or contents.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/business\/international-business\/us-treasury-removes-designation-of-china-as-currency-manipulator\/articleshow\/73237844.cms\"><strong>US removes designation of China as currency manipulator&nbsp;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The US has removed\nChina as a&nbsp; currency manipulator as the two countries are preparing to\nsign a trade deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About Currency manipulator:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Currency manipulation happens when\ngovernments try to artificially tweak the exchange rate to gain an unfair\nadvantage in trade.<\/li><li>US defines currency manipulation as\nwhen countries deliberately influence the exchange rate between their currency\nand the US dollar to gain unfair competitive advantage in international trade.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Criteria for designation as a currency manipulator:<\/strong>The US Treasury has established three criteria for currency\nmanipulator which are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>A significant bilateral trade\nsurplus with the US is one that is at least $20 billion.<\/li><li>A material current account surplus\nis one that is at least 3% of GDP.<\/li><li>A persistent, one-sided\nintervention reflected in repeated net purchases of foreign currency and total\nat least 2% of an economy\u2019s GDP over a year.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Implications for destination as a currency manipulator:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Once a country is designated as a\ncurrency manipulator by the U.S., the next step taken by the US government is\nto seek negotiations with the government accused of manipulation.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong>United States had\nremoved India from its currency monitoring list of major trading partners in\nMay,2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1599474\"><strong>CARA celebrates 5th Annual Day<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Central Adoption\nResource Authority(CARA) has celebrated its 5th Annual Day in New Delhi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About CARA:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Central Adoption Resource Authority\n(CARA) is a statutory body of Ministry of Women &amp; Child\nDevelopment,Government of India.&nbsp;<\/li><li>It functions as the nodal body for\nadoption of Indian children and is mandated to monitor and regulate in-country\nand inter-country adoptions.&nbsp;<\/li><li>It also deals with adoption of orphan,\nabandoned and surrendered children through its associated \/recognised adoption\nagencies.<\/li><li>It is designated as the Central\nAuthority to deal with inter-country adoptions in accordance with the\nprovisions of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption,1993 ratified by\nthe Government of India in 2003.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About Hague Convention:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Hague Convention on the\nProtection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption is\na multilateral treaty developed by the Hague Conference on Private International\nLaw(HCCH).<\/li><li>The convention was concluded in\n1993 and adopted in the year 1995.As of July 2019,101 states are party to the\nconvention.The Convention applies to children aged under 16 years.<\/li><li>The convention protects children\nand their families against the risks of illegal, irregular, premature or\nill-prepared adoptions abroad.<\/li><li>It also puts safeguards in place to\nmake sure that all intercountry adoptions are in the best interests of the\nchild and respects their human rights.<\/li><li>It also ensures cooperation among\ncountries to guarantee that these safeguards are respected and to prevent the\nabduction of, sale of, or traffic in children.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/centre-eases-crz-rules-of-beaches-aspiring-for-blue-flag-tag-what-is-this-certification-6218317\/\"><strong>Centre eases CRZ rules of beaches aspiring for Blue Flag tag:\nWhat is this certification?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Recently, the\nMinistry of Environment and Forest has relaxed Coastal Regulation Zone(CRZ)\nrules for Blue flag beaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the relaxation of CRZ rules:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>India\u2019s Coastal Regulation\nZone(CRZ) rules do not allow the construction of infrastructure on beaches and\nislands.<\/li><li>But the Blue Flag certification\nrequires the beaches to create infrastructures like portable toilet blocks,\ngreywater treatment plants, a solar power plant, seating facilities, CCTV\nsurveillance.<\/li><li>Hence,the government has notified\nthat construction activities and facilities shall be permitted in the CRZs\nincluding Islands for the purpose of Blue Flag Certification in beaches.<\/li><li>However,these activities are\nsubject to maintaining a minimum distance of 10 meters from the High Tide Line\n(HTL).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About Blue flag certification:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Blue flag certification is an\ninternational recognition conferred on beaches that meet certain criteria of\ncleanliness and environmental propriety.<\/li><li>The certification programme is run\nby international, non-governmental, non-profit organisation FEE (the Foundation\nfor Environmental Education).<\/li><li>The certification is based on 33\nstringent criteria in four major heads (i) Environmental Education and\nInformation (ii) Bathing Water Quality, (iii) Environment Management and\nConservation and (iv) Safety and Services in the beaches.<\/li><li>The Union Environment Ministry has\nselected 13 beaches in India to compete for the \u2018Blue Flag\u2019 certification.<\/li><li>Further,Spain has the highest\nnumber of Blue Flag beaches followed by, Greece and France.Japan and South\nKorea are the only countries in Asia to have Blue Flag beaches.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India 117th among 190 countries in empowering women News: World Bank released Women Business and the Law (WBL) 2020 index which measures economic empowerment of women Facts: About the Index: It uses 8 indicators to measure legal differences between men and women as they transition through different stages of working life. Key takeaways from Women&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-current-affairs-brief-january-16th-2020\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">9 PM Current Affairs Brief \u2013 January 16th, 2020<\/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],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-9-pm-brief","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":1704941109},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54384","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=54384"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54384\/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=54384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}