GK Update ================ 1. ISRO chosen for Indira Gandhi prize for peace, disarmament i. Indian space agency ISRO will be conferred the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2014 in recognition of its contribution in strengthening international cooperation in peaceful use of outer space. ii. The award jury, chaired by Vice President Hamid Ansari, made the announcement today. iii. “The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development is awarded to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in recognition of its path-breaking achievement, culminating in the Mars orbiter mission, its significant contribution in strengthening international cooperation in peaceful use of outer space,” a statement said. iv. The jury also noted the pioneering role played by it in the application of advanced technologies in promoting broadbased and sustainable social and economic development and addressing basic needs of the people particularly in remote and rural areas of the country. v. ISRO has shown how Indian scientists and talents can be harnessed to international level, catching up with more advanced nations in a highly technical and sophisticated field, it said. vi. ISRO has demonstrated that in space technology, India stands shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world, it said. 2. Japan slips into recession i. Japans economy shrank for the second consecutive quarter, marking a technical recession in the worlds third largest economy. ii. Gross domestic product fell at annualized 1.6 per cent from July to September, compared to forecasts of a 2.1 per cent rise. That followed a revised 7.3 per cent in the second quarter, which was the biggest fall since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. iii. The economy shrank 0.4 per cent in the third quarter from the previous one. Economists said the disappointing figures are likely to lead to a delay to the proposed increase of the countrys sale tax. 3. World Toilet Day is observed globally i. World Toilet Day is a United Nations (UN) observance, on November 19, that highlights a serious problem – 2.5 billion people in the world do not have access to proper sanitation. ii. Each year thousands of people join in on promoting World Toilet Day via social media campaigns, online petitions, and by getting involved in a range of events held in different countries worldwide. iii. The provision of proper toilets could save the lives of more than 200,000 children in the world, according to the UN. iv. The countries where open defecation is most widely practiced are the same countries with the highest numbers of under-five child deaths, high levels of under-nutritionand poverty, and large wealth disparities. Moreover, over one billion people defecate in the open due to lack of proper toilet facilities. v. International organizations, particularly the World Toilet Organization, have promoted World Toilet Day for years. vi. In 2013, the UN officially recognized November 19 as World Toilet Day in a bid to make sanitation for all a global development priority. It deemed the practice of open-air defecation as “extremely harmful” to public health. 4. India extends $75-mn line of credit to Fiji i. India today announced a $75-million line of credit for Fiji for a co-generation power plant and upgrading the sugar industry and also a $5-million fund to develop its villages even as the two countries agreed to expand their defence and security cooperation. ii. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who made these announcements after talks with his Fijian counterpart Frank Bainimarama shortly after his arrival, also announced a visa on arrival for Fijians and assistance projects that included a parliament library and doubling the scholarships and training slots in India for people from this country. iii. The lines of credit were part of three agreements signed between the two countries in the presence of the two leaders. iv. Modi also addressed the Fijian Parliament, the first by a foreign leader, after parliamentary elections, during which he said that India was prepared to work with Fiji to build a “Digital Fiji’’. v. The line of credit included $70-million for a co-generation power plant at Rarav sugar mill and $5 million to strengthen and modernise Fiji’s village, small and medium-scale industries. Note: PM of Fiji - Frank Bainimarama, Capital of Fiji – Suva, Currency - Dollar 5. India to replace “BIPA” with a new pact to protect investments i. The government plans to replace bilateral investment protection treaties with a new pact that seeks to plug loopholes and enhance legal protection of foreign investors in India as well as Indian investments abroad. ii. Finance Ministry is moving Cabinet with a draft of a new agreement called the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) saying there is a need to revisit existing BIPAs as they do not take into account the socio economic objectives of government policy.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 06:38:07 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015