Comprehensive News Analysis - 19 May 2017

A. GS1 Related:
B. GS2 Related:

POLITY

1. Pakistan should not execute Kulbhushan Jadhav till final verdict, rules ICJ

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. China invokes Panchsheel

C. GS3 Related:

ECONOMY

1. GST Council sets rates for most commodities 

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Water quality of major rivers in UP not as per norms: CAG 

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. India’s first uterine transplant performed 

INTERNAL SECURITY

1. Two M777 howitzers arrive from U.S. 

MISCELLANEOUS

1. ISRO gets Indira Gandhi Prize for 2014 

D. GS4 Related:
E. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn
F. Bills/Acts/Schemes/Orgs in News
G. Practice Questions for UPSC Prelims Exam
H. Archives

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Useful News Articles for UPSC Current Affairs

A. GS1 Related

Nothing here for Today!!!

 

B. GS2 Related

Category: POLITY

1. Pakistan should not execute Kulbhushan Jadhav till final verdict, rules ICJ

Context:

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) stayed the execution of former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, who was sentenced to death by a Pakistan military court on the charge of spying, till its final decision.

In News:

  • Argument accepted: Court accepted India’s argument
  • Argument: Pakistan failed to provide required consular notification and access fell under the scope of Article 1 of the Optional Protocol of the Vienna Convention of Human Rights. 

ICJ verdict:

  • 2008 bilateral agreement on consular relations did not impact ICJ’s jurisdiction
  • Ordered Pakistan to take all measures at its disposal to prevent the execution of Mr. Jadhav, pending its final judgment.
  • The decision was adopted unanimously.

Implication of Order:

  • Pakistan to stay Mr. Jadhav’s execution.
  • Inform the court measures it is taking to implement the order

Order does not cover issues such as consular access to Mr. Jadhav.

Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. China invokes Panchsheel 

In news:

  • China re-invoked the doctrine of Panchsheel — or the five principles of peaceful co-existence — as the template for addressing India’s concerns over the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the Belt and Road Initiative.
  • The five principles of peaceful cooperation along the Belt and Road should be the basis for addressing India’s concerns.

Basic Information:

Panchsheel Doctrine:

  1. Mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty
  2. Mutual non-aggression
  3. Mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs
  4. Equality and mutual benefit and
  5. Peaceful co-existence, as the touchstones for international conduct.

 

C. GS3 Related

Category: ECONOMY

1. GST Council sets rates for most commodities

In News:

  • The Goods and Services (GST) Council agreed on the fitment finalized the tax rates of almost all commodities in the various tax slabs under the new indirect regime to be rolled out on July 1.

Commodity

Rates

Sugar, tea, coffee (except instant), and edible oil

5%

Common use items such as soap, toothpaste, and hair oil

18%

Coal

5%

Consumer durables

28%

Capital goods and industrial intermediaries

18%.

Small petrol and diesel cars (small petrol cars attracting a cess of 1% and small diesel cars 3%.)

28%

Luxury cars( additional15% cess)

28%

GST Council sets rates for most commodities

Exemption List:

Milk, cereals (unpackaged and unbranded), and jaggery.

Category: ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Water quality of major rivers in UP not as per norms: CAG

In News:

CAG Report:

  • The water quality of major rivers and water bodies in Uttar Pradesh is not as per the norms.
  • Reason: inadequate sewage and industrial effluent treatment facilities in the state. Malfunctioning of existing treatment facilities was also responsible for the pooor quality of water.
  • The BOD (bio-chemical oxygen demand) level and total coliform (which included bacteria that are found in the soil in water that has been influenced by surface water and in human or animal waste) are above the prescribed standard in 12 major rivers and six water bodies for the years 2013-15

Basic Information:

Coliform bacteria:

  • Coliform bacteria are defined as rod-shaped Gram-negative non-spore forming and motile or non-motile bacteria which can ferment lactose with the production of acid and gas when incubated at 35–37°C.
  • They are a commonly used indicator of sanitary quality of foods and water.
  • Coliforms can be found in the aquatic environment, in soil and on vegetation; they are universally present in large numbers in the feces of warm-blooded animals.
  • Whilst coliforms themselves are not normally causes of serious illness, they are easy to culture, and their presence is used to indicate that other pathogenic organisms of fecal origin may be present. Such pathogens include disease-causing bacteria, viruses, or protozoa and many multicellular parasites.

Biochemical oxygen demand

  • Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD, also called biological oxygen demand) is the amount of dissolved oxygen needed (i.e., demanded) by aerobic biological organisms to break down organic material present in a given water sample at certain temperature over a specific time period.
  • The BOD value is most commonly expressed in milligrams of oxygen consumed per litre of sample during 5 days of incubation at 20 °C and is often used as a surrogate of the degree of organic pollution of water.
  • BOD can be used as a gauge of the effectiveness of wastewater treatment plants.

Category: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. India’s first uterine transplant performed

In News:

  • A team of 12 doctors at the Pune’s Galaxy Care Laparoscopy Institute (GCLI) successfully completed the highly complex and delicate procedure of India’s first uterine transplant on a woman from Solapur district .
  • The woman suffers from congenital absence of uterus and is to be fitted with her mother’s womb to enable her to conceive normally.
  • The operations are meant to help women who want to conceive but cannot because they were born without uterus, suffered damage to it or had to have it removed.

Uterus transplant technique:

  • Still in its nascent, experimental stage, only a handful of these operations have met with success in other countries, primarily in Sweden.
  • Risk involved: Organ rejection.

Category: INTERNAL SECURITY

1. Two M777 howitzers arrive from U.S.

In news:

  • The Army took delivery of two M777 ultralight howitzers from the U.S. under aTwo M777 howitzers arrive from U.S. contract signed in 2016.
  • The guns will be put through trials before induction into the Indian arsenal.

M777 howitzers:

  • First modern 155-mm artillery guns to be inducted.

Dhanush:

  • Dhanush, an upgraded and indigenous version of the Bofors gun, is in the final stage of trials and induction is slated to begin soon.
  • Development of a new gun, the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), under a public-private partnership (PPP) model jointly by the public and the private sector is progressing well.
  • The Bofors guns, which was found effective during the Kargil war, continue to be the mainstay.

Category: MISCELLANEOUS

1. ISRO gets Indira Gandhi Prize for 2014

In news:

  • The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) – presented with the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for the year 2014.
  • The prize was presented to ISRO Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar by former Prime Minister and Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust (IGMT) trustee Dr. Manmohan Singh.

Award:

  • Trophy made of banded Haematite Jasper, with a portrait of the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in Jaipur miniature paintings
  • Ccash award of 1 crore and a citation.

Why ISRO?

In recognition of its path-breaking achievements, culminating in the Mars Orbiter Mission and its contributions in strengthening international cooperation.

Basic Information:

Indira Gandhi Prize :

  • Prestigious award accorded annually by India to individuals or organisations in recognition of creative efforts toward promoting international peace, development and a new international economic order; ensuring that scientific discoveries are used for the larger good of humanity, and enlarging the scope of freedom.
  • The prize carries a cash award of 2.5 million Indian rupees and a citation. A written work, in order to be eligible for consideration, should have been published. The panel constituted by the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust consists of prominent national and international personalities including previous recipients. The recipients are chosen from a pool of national and international nominees.

 

D. GS4 Related

Nothing here for Today

 

PIB Articles                                         

 

E. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn

 

F. Bills/Acts/Schemes/Orgs in News

Article in News

About the article

 

G. Practice Questions for UPSC Prelims Exam
Question 1: Mixed Cropping is the practice of
  1. Growing two or more crops simultaneously on the same piece of land.
  2. Growing crops and rearing livestock simultaneously
  3. Growing different crops on a piece of land in a pre-planned succession
  4. Growing fodder crops along with livestock
See
Answer


(a)

Type: Environment and Ecology
Level: moderate

Explanation: In agriculture, multiple cropping is the practice of growing two or more crops in the same piece of land during a single growing season.

Question 2: Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for the year 2014 was 
awarded to
  1. NTPCL
  2. ISRO
  3. BHEL
  4. BEL
See
Answer


(b)

Type: G.K
Level: Easy

Explanation: ISRO gets Indira Gandhi Prize for 2014.

Question 3: Sonic boom is a phenomenon related with
  1. Ultrasonic sounds produced by small vertebrates.
  2. Supersonic sounds produced by moving objects.
  3. Destruction of sea bed due to SONAR waves.
  4. None of the above
See
Answer


(b)

Type: General Science
Level: Easy

Explanation: A sonic boom is the sound associated with the shock waves created by an object traveling through the air faster than the speed of sound.

Question 4: Which of the following are plant macro-nutrient?
  1. Iron
  2. Copper
  3. Chlorine
  4. Nitrogen

Choose the correct answer

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 2,3 and 4 only
  3. 1 and 4 only
  4. 4 only
See
Answer


(d)

Type: Science
Level: moderate

Explanation: The macronutrients: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), sulfur (S), magnesium (Mg).

macro nutrients

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H. Archives:

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