Current Affairs: November 19, 2016

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November 19, 2016

COP22 adopts Marrakech Action Proclamation

The COP22 to the UNFCC, 12th session of COP of Parties to Kyoto

Protocol (CMP 12), and first session of COP of Parties to the Paris

Agreement (CMA 1) were held in Marrakech, Morocco. Nearly 200

nations attending the COP22 to the UNFCC have adopted Marrakech

Action Proclamation for Our Climate and Sustainable Development.

The 11-day meeting concluded with all participating member nations

collectively reaffirming their commitment to climate action under Paris Agreement adopted in

November 2015. It is urgent duty of countries to respond global warming which is warming the

climate at an alarming and unprecedented rate.

Jagdish Singh Khehar appointed executive chairman of NALSA

The Union government has appointed Jagdish Singh Khehar, a judge

of the Supreme Court, as the new Executive Chairman of the National

Legal Services Authority (NALSA). He succeeds Anil R. Dave who

retired as Judge of Supreme Court after completing tenure of over six

years. NALSA provides for free legal aid to the poor and weaker

sections of the society. It has been constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. Its

aim is to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reasons

of economic or other disabilities.

Current Affairs: November 19, 2016

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Indian Navy inducts 4 types of indigenously developed sonars

The Indian Navy has formally inducted four types of

indigenously developed sonars that will boost its underwater

surveillance capability. The systems have been designed and

developed by NPOL Naval Physical & Oceanographic

Laboratory (NPOL), a Kochi based laboratory of DRDO.

Abhay: It is an advanced hull mounted active-cum-passive integrated sonar system. It has been

designed and developed for the smaller platforms such as shallow water crafts and coastal

surveillance/patrol vessels.

Humsa UG: It has been designed for upgrading the existing Humsa sonar system for

intensifying the command over the high seas. This system is proposed to be installed on seven

ships of three different classes of ships.

AIDSS: It stands for Advanced Indigenous Distress sonar system for submarines. It is distress

sonar is an Emergency Sound Signaling Device. It is used to indicate that a submarine is in

distress and enable quick rescue and salvage.

NACS: It stands for Near-field Acoustic Characterization System. It determines the in-situ

performance of SONAR systems used to find the frequency-dependent 3-D transmission and

reception characteristics of SONAR.

Current Affairs: November 19, 2016

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International Conference on Brucellosis 2016 inaugurated in New Delhi

The International Conference on Brucellosis 2016 and the 69th

meeting of the International Society on Brucellosis was

inaugurated in New Delhi. The three day conference has been

organised by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in

collaboration with Indian Council for Agriculture Research

(ICAR). Provide a technical platform for scientist and experts from

all over the world including Participants from 26 countries. Help

endemic countries in designing effective control strategies and eradication methods as per the

laws governing the livestock production systems.

India is non-committal on market economy status for China

India is not inclined to automatically grant the coveted ‘Market Economy Status’ (MES) to

China under World Trade Organisation (WTO) norms in

December 2016. The main reason India is reluctant to grant MES

to China is that it will severely curb India’s ability to impose anti-

dumping duties on ‚unfairly priced‛ Chinese imports. Earlier,

US and the EU also had opposed to grant MES to China on the

same issue. Under WTO norms, once a country gets MES status,

exports from it are to be accepted at the production costs and selling price as the benchmark.

Prior to this status, country is considered as a Non Market Economy (NME).

Current Affairs: November 19, 2016

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Scientists produce faster-growing crops by improving photosynthesis

Scientists have improved the photosynthesis process in the

plants to produce faster-growing crops. The breakthrough

was published in the journal Science. They had used genetic

modification technology to improve photosynthesis in the

plants. This modification increased amount of sunlight

energy crop plants can channel into food production. The

breakthrough has increased the yield in the experimental crop by 15 per cent. This is seen as a

critical step towards increasing crop production to feed a growing global population.

Iran becomes India’s top crude oil supplier

Iran for the first time ever has surpassed Saudi Arabia

to become India’s top crude oil supplier. It was

revealed by ship tracking data and a report compiled

by Thomson Reuters Oil Research and Forecasts.

Earlier, Iran used to be India’s second-biggest oil

supplier after Saudi Arabia till 2010-11. However, it

had ceded its position to Iraq after the tougher

western countries sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear development programme. India’s

oil imports from Iran have shot up after sanctions were lifted in January 2016. In October 2016,

oil imports from Iran surged more than threefold as compared October 2015.

Current Affairs: November 19, 2016

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Jammu and Kashmir Government launches Jhelum-Tawi Flood Recovery Project

Jammu and Kashmir Government has launched Jhelum-Tawi

flood recovery project to give push to the reconstruction and

rehabilitation of infrastructure post-2014 floods in the state. The

project which is funded World Bank was formally launched Chief

Minister Mehbooba Mufti in Srinagar. The project was

conceptualised and pursued by former Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed in the

aftermath of devastating floods of 2014 in the state. It aims at reconstructing and recovering

support in flood-affected areas in which public infrastructure and livelihoods were impacted

severely.