{"id":54385,"date":"2020-01-17T21:00:57","date_gmt":"2020-01-17T15:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/?p=54385"},"modified":"2020-02-26T17:07:00","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T11:37:00","slug":"9-pm-current-affairs-brief-january-17th-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-current-affairs-brief-january-17th-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"9 PM Current Affairs Brief \u2013 January 17th, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/india-to-invite-imran-khan-for-scos-annual-heads-of-government-meeting\/article30577761.ece\">India\nto invite Imran Khan for Shanghai Council meet<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> Prime Minister of Pakistan will be invited to participate in the\nHeads of Government Council meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation\n(SCO) that will be hosted in India in 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About Shanghai Cooperation Organisation\n(SCO)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a permanent\n intergovernmental international organisation <\/li><li>It was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by Kazakhstan, China,\n Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.<\/li><li>The Secretariat of SCO is based in Beijing, China.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Members:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The members of the SCO are China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,\n Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan were\n admitted to the SCO as permanent members in 2017.<\/li><li>The SCO has four observer states, Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran\n and Mongolia.<\/li><li>It has six dialogue partners, namely Azerbaijan, Armenia,\n Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey and Sri Lanka.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Goals:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>strengthening mutual trust and neighbourliness among the member\n states; <\/li><li>promoting their effective cooperation in politics, trade, the\n economy, research, technology, culture, education, energy, transport,\n tourism, environmental protection, <\/li><li>making joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security and\n stability in the region; <\/li><li>Moving towards the establishment of a democratic, fair and\n rational new international political and economic order.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Organizational Structure:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The <strong>Heads of&nbsp;State Council (HSC<\/strong>) is the supreme\n decision-making body in&nbsp;the SCO. It meets once a year and adopts\n decisions and guidelines on&nbsp;all important matters of&nbsp;the\n organisation. <\/li><li>The <strong>SCO Heads of&nbsp;Government Council (HGC<\/strong>) meets\n once a year to&nbsp;discuss the organisation\u2019s multilateral cooperation\n strategy and priority areas, to&nbsp;resolve current important economic\n and other cooperation issues. It also approves the organisation\u2019s annual\n budget.<\/li><li>SCO has <strong>two permanent bodies<\/strong> \u2014<ul><li>SCO Secretariat based in Beijing, China and <\/li><li>Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure\n (RATS) based in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. RATS serves to promote cooperation\n of member states against the terrorism, separatism and extremism.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/newsite\/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=197463\"><strong>World Bank\nand Government of India Sign $88 million loan agreement for the implementation\nof Assam Inland Water Transport Project<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> The Government of India, the Government of\nAssam and the World Bank signed a loan agreement of $88 million for the\nimplementation of Assam Inland Water Transport Project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Significance of Assam Inland Water\nTransport Project<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Will help Assam improve the passenger ferry infrastructure and its\nservices<\/li><li>Strengthen the capacity of the institutions running the inland water\ntransport<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional Information:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Inland Waterways in India:<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>Number and Extent:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>As per the National Waterways\nAct, 2016, 111 have been declared as National Waterways (NW)<\/li><li>These waterways pass through 24\nstates and two union territories, with an approximate total length of 20274 km<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"736\" height=\"604\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Picture12.png?resize=736%2C604&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/national-3.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-54397\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Legal and Policy regime for Inland\nWaterways in India<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>National Waterways Act\n2016<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Act declared 111 rivers\n or river stretches, creeks, estuaries as National (inland) Waterways.<\/li><li>It enables the Central\n Government to regulate these waterways for development with regard to\n shipping, navigation and transport through mechanically propelled vessels.<\/li><li><strong>Jal Marg Vikas Project<\/strong>: Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) aims at capacity augmentation of\nnavigation on National Waterway-1 (NW-1).The project is being implemented by\nGOI with technical assistance and investment support of the World Bank.<\/li><li><strong>Sagarmala Project:<\/strong> Along with development of coast shipping routes, the project seeks to\ninland waterways to drive industrial development. It aims to reduce the\nlogistics costs by doubling the share of domestic waterways in the modal mix\nfrom current 6 per cent (PIB)<\/li><li><strong>Interlinking of Rivers Programme<\/strong>: The project is expected to offer potential\nbenefits to the transport sector through navigation.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Inland Waterways Authority of India<\/strong>: It was formed in 1986. It\nundertakes projects for development and maintenance of IWT infrastructure on\nnational waterways through grant received from Ministry of Shipping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.downtoearth.org.in\/news\/environment\/environment-related-offences-fell-in-2018-8-states-buck-trend-68812\">Environment-related offences fell in 2018; 8\nstates buck trend<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> National Crime Records Bureau released data\non environmental crimes in Annual Crime in India report 2018<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key takeaways<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Environmental crimes dropped 17% in 2018<\/li><li>Tamil Nadu topped the list, followed by Rajasthan and Kerala <\/li><li>almost two-thirds of such violations were that of the cigarette and\ntobacco-related law<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional Information:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Environmental Crimes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\noffences related to eight acts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>The Forest Act, 1927<\/strong>: It consolidates the law related to\n forest, the transit of forest produce, and the duty liable on timber and\n other forest produce<\/li><li><strong>The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972<\/strong>: It provides for protection of plants\n and animal species.<\/li><li><strong>The Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986<\/strong>: It relates to the protection and\n improvement of the human environment and the prevention of hazards to\n human beings, other living creatures, plants and property.<\/li><li><strong>The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981<\/strong>: It provides for the\n prevention, control and abatement of air pollution.<\/li><li><strong>The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974<\/strong>: It is a comprehensive\n legislation that regulates agencies responsible for checking on water\n pollution<\/li><li><strong>The Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003<\/strong>: It prohibits advertisement\n of cigarettes and other tobacco products in India. Smoking in public\n places (including indoor workplaces) is prohibited<\/li><li><strong>The National Green Tribunal (NGT) Act, 2010<\/strong>: It established NGT to\n handle the expeditious disposal of the cases pertaining to environmental\n issues<\/li><li>Central and state noise\n pollution acts<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/agreement-to-settle-bru-refugees-in-tripura-inked-6220369\/\"><strong>Agreement\nto settle Bru refugees in Tripura inked<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The\nCentre, the governments of Tripura and Mizoram and representatives of Bru tribe\nhas signed a new agreement to settle the Bru refugees in Tripura.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About Bru\nRefugees:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Bru or Reang is a community\nindigenous to Northeast India living mostly across Assam, Mizoram and\nTripura.In Tripura, they are recognised as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal\nGroup.<\/li><li>Brus speak the Reang dialect of Bru\nlanguage which is Tibeto Burmese origin and is locally referred to as Kau Bru.<\/li><li>The Hojagiri folk dance of Reang\nsub tribe is well known all over the world.The most popular festival of reang\ntribes is Buisu.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the\nconflict:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>In Mizoram,the Bru community have\nbeen targeted by the groups that do not consider them indigenous to the\nstate.&nbsp;<\/li><li>In 1997,following ethic clashes,\nBrus fled from Mizoram and were accommodated in relief camps in Tripura.Since\nthen,thousands of Bru refugees are living in the six relief camps in North\nTripura.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the\nagreement:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>According to the agreement, the Bru\ntribals will now be settled in the state of Tripura.<\/li><li>The Centre has also\nsanctioned&nbsp; 600-crore rupee package for the rehabilitation of the people\nfrom this community.<\/li><li>The Bru refugees will also get a 40\nx 30 feet plot along with a fixed deposit of four lakh rupees, cash assistance\nof&nbsp; five thousand rupees per month for two years and free ration.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/m.economictimes.com\/news\/defence\/japanese-indian-coast-guards-hold-exercise-off-chennai-coast\/articleshow\/73296737.cms\"><strong>Indo-Japanese\njoint exercise \u2018Sahyog-Kaijin\u2019 begins off Chennai Coast<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The\nCoast Guards of India and Japan took part in a joint exercise &#8216;Sahyog-Kaijin&#8217;\noff the Chennai coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nSahyog-kaijin:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Exercise Sahyog-Kaijin is a joint\nexercise between India and Japanese Coast Guards.<\/li><li>The exercise is aimed at further\nstrengthening bilateral ties and mutual understanding between the two coast\nguards.&nbsp;<\/li><li>It also aims to enhance\ninteroperability in communication, search and rescue procedures and sharing of\nbest practices.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\ninformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Other\nexercises between India and Japan:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>JIMEX-<\/strong> It is a\nbilateral maritime exercise between India and Japan naval forces,<\/li><li><strong>Exercise Malabar<\/strong>\u2013\nIt is a trilateral naval exercise involving the United States, Japan and India\nas permanent partners.<\/li><li><strong>Exercise DHARMA GUARDIAN-<\/strong>\nIt is an annual joint military exercise between Indian and Japan since 2018.<\/li><li><strong>Exercise MINEX<\/strong>&#8211;\nThe exercise is an annual Mine Countermeasure Exercise between Indian and Japan\nnaval forces.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-what-is-the-nia-act-and-why-is-chhattisgarh-challenging-it-6219106\/\"><strong>Explained:\nWhat is NIA Act, and why is Chhattisgarh challenging it?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The\nChhattisgarh state government has moved the Supreme Court against the 2008\nNational Investigative Agency(NIA) Actnstating it is violative of the\nConstitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the\nNIA Act,2008:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>National Investigation Agency(NIA)\nis a central counter terrorism agency established by the Indian Government\nunder the National Investigative Agency (NIA) Act,2008.<\/li><li>The Act makes the NIA the only\ntruly federal agency in the country along the lines of the FBI in the United\nStates and more powerful than the CBI.<\/li><li>It gives the NIA powers to take suo\nmotu cognizance of terror activities in any part of India and register a case\nto enter any state without permission from the state government and to\ninvestigate and arrest people.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Chhattisgarh\nGovernment objections:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Chhattisgarh government has\nsaid that the Act is ultra vires of the Constitution and beyond the legislative\ncompetence of the Parliament.<\/li><li>The Act allows the Centre to create\nan agency for investigation which is a function of the state police.\u2018Police\u2019 is\nan entry in the State List of the Constitution\u2019s 7th Schedule.<\/li><li>The act also leave no room of\ncoordination and pre-condition of consent, in any form whatsoever by the Centre\nfrom the State govt. which clearly repudiates the idea of state sovereignty as\nenvisaged under the Constitution.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\ninformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About NIA\nAmendment Bill,2019:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Parliament has passed the National\nInvestigation Agency (Amendment) Bill,2019.<\/li><li>The bill enable NIA to additionally\ninvestigate offences related to (a)human trafficking (b)counterfeit currency\n(c)manufacture or sale of prohibited arms (d)cyber-terrorism and (e)offences\nunder the Explosive Substances Act,1908.<\/li><li>It also gives NIA officers the\npower to investigate offences committed outside India.But the NIA\u2019s\njurisdiction will be subject to international treaties and domestic laws of\nother countries.<\/li><li>Further,the bill also enables the\nCentral government to designate sessions courts as special courts for such\ntrials.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/economictimes.indiatimes.com\/news\/defence\/rajnath-singh-flags-off-51st-k-9-vajra-at-lt-gun-making-facility\/articleshow\/73295297.cms\"><strong>Defence\nminister flags off 51st K9 VAJRA-T Gun<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Defence\nMinister has flagged off the 51st K-9 Vajra-T gun at the Larsen and Toubro\nArmoured Systems Complex at Hazira, Surat.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About K-9\nVajra:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The K9 Vajra has been developed by\nLarsen and Toubro(L&amp;T) Armoured Systems.<\/li><li>It has been developed under the Buy\nGlobal programme of Defence Procurement Procedure(DPP) where foreign companies\nare allowed to participate.In this case Hanwha Techwin of South Korea is the\ntechnology partner of L&amp;T.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Features of\nK-9 Vajra:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The K9 Vajra is a tracked\nself-propelled howitzer which has its roots in the K9 Thunder which is the\nmainstay of the South Korean Army.<\/li><li>It weighs 50 tonnes and can fire\n47kg bombs at 43-kilometre distant targets.It can also turn around at zero\nradius.&nbsp;<\/li><li>The gun offers a high rate of fire\nat a long range and is compatible with Indian and standard NATO ammunition.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\ninformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nDefence Procurement Procedure,2016:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Defence Procurement Procedure\n(DPP-2016) had replaced the DPP-2013 based on the recommendations of the\nDhirendra Singh Committee.<\/li><li>The procedure aims to develop\nworld-class domestic defence and aerospace industry by promoting indigenous\ndesign, development and manufacturing of defence equipment, platforms, systems\nand subsystems.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/yada-yada-virus-american-sitcom-seinfeld-6220019\/\"><strong>Explained:\nWhy a virus detected in Australian mosquitoes has been named Yada Yada<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Recently,a\nvirus detected in Australian mosquitoes has been provisionally named the Yada\nYada virus(YYV).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About Yada\nYada Virus:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Yada Yada Virus belongs to the\ngroup alphavirus.The virus has been detected in Australian mosquitoes.<\/li><li>The virus poses no threat to human\nbeings because it is a part of a group of viruses that only infect mosquitoes.<\/li><li>The other viruses which are part of\nthe group alphaviruses includes Tai forest alphavirus and the Agua Salud\nalphavirus.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1599562\"><strong>DESMI\nWaste Water management project<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Foreign\nMinister of Denmark has visited the Barapullah DESMI Waste Water Management\nProject Site in New Delhi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About DESMI\nWaste Water Management Project:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It is a holistic clean up project\nbetween Department of Biotechnology (DBT).Ministry of Science &amp; Technology\nand DESMI EnviRO-CLEAN, Denmark.<\/li><li>The aim of the project is to trap\nthe floating debris from the drain and convert it into value added\nproducts.&nbsp;<\/li><li>The purpose of this project is also\nto prove the sustainability of the process with suitable gasification\/\ncarbonisation technology to mitigate waste of mixed feedstock, collected from\nrivers or lakes besides reducing the damage to the local environment.<\/li><li>The Barapullah drain was chosen for\nthis project because of the high population density, water scarcity and size of\nthe waste water flow which makes it an excellent location for research in the\narea of wastewater management.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key\nFeatures of the project:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Percentage of floating debris will\nreduce in Barapullah drain<\/li><li>Sustainable source of energy can be\nproduced on site<\/li><li>Benefitting local environment and\ncommunity<\/li><li>Local employment<\/li><li>Clean Indian Rivers<\/li><li>Project leads and Research benefits\nthe water, energy and waste sector of India<\/li><li>Supporting local manufacturing\nIndustry &#8211; Make in India.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1599471\"><strong>Harmonised\nSystem of Nomenclature(HSN) code<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Union\nMinister of Commerce &amp; Industry has said that no imports will be allowed\ninto the country without HSN code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why stricter\nregulations?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The minister said that the free\ntrade agreements(FTA) of India with other countries has not led to the growth\nof India\u2019s trade because of the poor quality of the products and services that\nget restricted with non-tariff barriers.<\/li><li>He further elaborated on this point\nwith the number of Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) in countries like US\n(8000), Brazil (3879), China (2872) and India with only 439 TBTs.<\/li><li>Hence,he said that the manner in\nwhich India and rest of the world are looking at the concept of quality in\nproducts and services are completely different.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About HSN\nCode:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Harmonized System is a\nsix-digit identification code.It was introduced in 1988 by World Customs\nOrganization(WCO).<\/li><li>The code is used by various\ncountries as a basis for their Customs tariffs and for the collection of\ninternational trade statistics.<\/li><li>The code is also called as the\nuniversal economic language for goods.It is a multipurpose international\nproduct nomenclature.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Significance\nof the code:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Around 200 countries use the system\nas a basis for their customs tariffs, gathering international trade statistics,\nmaking trade policies and for monitoring goods.<\/li><li>The system helps in harmonising of\ncustoms and trade procedures thus reducing costs in international trade.<\/li><li>It also helps in the better reach\nof the product and increases its global popularity.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.business-standard.com\/article\/news-cm\/first-session-of-india-norway-dialogue-on-trade-investment-dti-convened-120011601006_1.html\"><strong>1st Session\nof India-Norway Dialogue on Trade &amp; Investment<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The\nfirst Session of India-Norway Dialogue on Trade &amp; Investment (DTI) was\nconvened in New Delhi on 15-16 January, 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the\nDialogue:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>India and Norway signed Dialogue of\nTrade and Investment when Norway Prime Minister visited India in 2019.<\/li><li>Based on the agreement,the\ncountries held their first meeting to discuss trade and investment.<\/li><li>The discussions included on various\nareas such as renewable energy, ICT, fisheries, MSME, maritime, shipping among\nothers.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>India-Norway\nRelations:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>India and Norway have been enjoying\na cordial and friendly relationship since the establishment of relations in\n1947.<\/li><li>The total bilateral trade between\nIndia and Norway stands around $1.1 billion in 2015-16.<\/li><li>Further,the cumulative FDI equity\ninflows to India from Norway during April, 2000 to September, 2019 were around\nUSD257 million.<\/li><li>Apart from trade, diplomatic ties\nwith Norway is important for India for its Arctic research.India has two\nimportant research stations in Norway, namely the Himadri and IndARC.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About Himadri:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Himadri is India&#8217;s first permanent\nArctic research station located at Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway.It was\ninaugurated in 2008 by the Minister of Earth Sciences.<\/li><li>The primary aim of research\nincludes research on aerosol radiation, space weather, food-web dynamics,\nmicrobial communities, glaciers, sedimentology and carbon recycling.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nIndARC:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>IndARC is India&#8217;s first underwater\nmoored observatory in the Arctic region.&nbsp;<\/li><li>It was deployed in 2014 at\nKongsfjorden fjord, Svalbard, Norway which is midway between Norway and the\nNorth Pole.<\/li><li>Its research goal is to study the\nArctic climate and its influence on the monsoon.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/suspension-of-the-internet-what-the-rules-say-what-the-sc-underlined-6220361\/\"><strong>Suspension\nof the Internet: What the Rules say, what the SC underlined<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>In\nKashmir communication lockdown case,the Supreme Court has ruled that suspending\nInternet services indefinitely is impermissible under the Temporary Suspension\nof Telecom Services Rules,2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nTemporary Suspension of Telecom Services Rules,2017:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The rules have been framed by the\ngovernment on the basis of the powers conferred by section 7 of the Indian\nTelegraph Act, 1885.<\/li><li>The rules are to be followed if the\ngovernment intends to temporarily suspend telecom services in any part of the\ncountry during a public emergency or for public safety.<\/li><li>According to these rules, only the\nHome Secretary of the country and a secretary of a state\u2019s home department can\npass such an order.<\/li><li>These rules also state that any\nsuch order should be taken up by a review committee within five days.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What did\nthe petitioner argued?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The petitioner argued that the\ninternet shutdown in Kashmir was not compliant with the Rules as the (a)rules\nrequire the suspension to be temporary and (b)order claims a law-and-order\ndanger as opposed to a public order danger specified in the Rules.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the\nSupreme Court ruling:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The court said that the rules\nrequire the order to be in accordance with The Telegraph Act as the order must\nbe during a public emergency or in the interest of public safety.<\/li><li>The court also said that suspending\nInternet services indefinitely is impermissible under the rules.It could be\ndone for temporary duration only and the same is subject to judicial review.<\/li><li>Hence,the court ordered the\ngovernment to review its order ruling that the freedom of speech and trade on\nthe Internet is a fundamental right.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India to invite Imran Khan for Shanghai Council meet News: Prime Minister of Pakistan will be invited to participate in the Heads of Government Council meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) that will be hosted in India in 2020 Facts: About Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-current-affairs-brief-january-17th-2020\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">9 PM Current Affairs Brief \u2013 January 17th, 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-54385","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":1700807369,"cached_date":1704941115},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54385","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=54385"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54385\/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=54385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}