3.9 million people in South Sudan facing severe hunger, says UN report

3.9 million people in South Sudan facing severe hunger, says UN report

Author(s): DTE Staff

An analysis shows that at least 30,000 people are living in extreme conditions and are facing starvation and death

Top United Nations (UN) agencies have warned of a catastrophic situation in South Sudan, where people are facing extreme hunger. According to a report, 3.9 million people across the nation are facing severe hunger and tens of thousands are on the brink of famine.

In view of this alarming situation, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) have urged the immediate granting of access to Unity State (one of the states of South Sudan).

A newly-released Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis shows that at least 30,000 people are living in extreme conditions and are facing starvation and death.

Dismal situation

Since the war in South Sudan started nearly two years ago, it is for the first time that the IPC analysis has found any parts of the population in phase five (“catastrophe”) on the five-point IPC scale.

“This is the start of the harvest and we should be seeing a significant improvement in the food security situation across the country, but unfortunately this is not the case in places like southern Unity State, where people are on the edge of a catastrophe that can be prevented,” said WFP Country Director Joyce Luma.

“The people of South Sudan need peace, nutritious food and other humanitarian assistance and livelihood support to survive and rebuild their lives,” she added.

Possibility of famine

Unless humanitarian access is granted, food insecurity can deteriorate to famine in parts of Unity State, the UN agencies said. In this part of the country, assistance has been hampered by violence and lack of access in recent months. The situation is so bad that some displaced families are surviving on just one meal a day consisting of fish and water lilies.

“Since fighting broke out nearly two years ago, children have been plagued by conflict, disease, fear and hunger,” said Jonathan Veitch, UNICEF Representative in South Sudan.

IPC analysis indicates although the number of food-insecure households has decreased—as expected—during the harvest season, it is almost 80 per cent higher than in the same period last year.

The IPC highlights that the overall nutrition situation remains critical, with Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) among children under 5 above the emergency threshold in the conflict-affected states of Jonglei, Upper Nile and Unity in September and high in Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Warrap throughout the year.

This high prevalence has been attributed to inadequate food consumption, poor maternal and child feeding practices, illnesses and limited delivery of health and nutrition services.

The agencies have warned that the dire economic situation in the country is contributing to record-high food prices that affect the purchasing power of people and worsen food insecurity levels.

“Livelihoods have been severely affected by high inflation rates, market disruption, conflict-related displacement, and loss of livestock and agricultural production, said Serge Tissot, the Head of FAO in South Sudan.

Nearly 200,000 deaths caused due to sugar-sweetened beverages: study

Nearly 200,000 deaths caused due to sugar-sweetened beverages: study

Author(s): Jyotsna Singh

India’s per capita carbonated beverage consumption was around 0.6 litres in 2013. This is way below 19.96 litres among Americans and 20.61 litres in Mexicans

A brand new advertisement with a twist starring real people, not actors, is going to haunt international soft drink giant Coca Cola. Washington-based non-profit health advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has re-made a 1971 ad of Coke with a change of lyrics. It stars people suffering from diabetes, tooth decay, weight gain, and other diseases related to soda consumption. Originally in English, the ad has been dubbed into many language including Hindi and Chinese.

In Coke’s “Hilltop”, which was first aired in 1971, actors sing, “I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony; I’d like to buy the world a Coke, and keep it company.”  But according to the US-based nonprofit health advocacy organisation behind the new video, CSPI, it is time to change the lyrics.

“For decades, Coca Cola, PepsiCo, and other makers of sugar drinks have used sophisticated, manipulative advertising techniques to convince children and adults alike that a disease-promoting drink will make them feel happy and even sexy,” said CSPI executive director Michael F Jacobson. “And they are increasingly doing what the tobacco industry has done: market their unhealthy beverages in low and middle-income countries. They are investing billions of rupees in India, China, and other countries to distract us away from tooth decay and diabetes with happy thoughts. We thought it was time to change the tune.”

Jacobson said that because Indians and Chinese drink much less sugar drinks than people in the United States, Europe, and Mexico, companies see those countries are opportunities for huge future profits. However, he said, the increased marketing and consumption of the drinks will inevitably lead to increasing rates of obesity, tooth decay, diabetes, and heart disease.

India’s per capita carbonated beverage consumption was around 0.6 litres in 2013. The Chinese consumption was 1.47 litres per person in the same year.

This is way below 19.96 litres among Americans and 20.61 litres in Mexicans. Even in South American countries, consumption of carbonated drinks is high. In Argentina, per capita consumption in 2013 was 16.56 litres, it was 15.37 litres in Chile and 9.72 litres in Brazil.

“With companies investing billions of dollars to maximise consumption of sugary soft drinks in India, as well as other low and middle-income countries, those nations must take steps to protect the public’s health,” said Chandra Bhushan, deputy director general, of the Center for Science and Environment in New Delhi.

A paper published in international journal Circulation shows that there were 180,000 deaths in the world in 2010 due to consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, with 72.3 per cent from diabetes, 24.2 per cent from cardiovascular disease, and 3.5 per cent from cancers. The findings demonstrated 75 per cent of deaths in low and middle income countries.

In 2010, 2.7 million deaths occurred due to lack of consumption of fruit and vegetables. Authors of the paper titled Estimated Global, Regional, and National Disease Burdens Related to Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption in 2010, argued that "compared with sodium which is nearly ubiquitous across the food supply, or fruits and vegetables which represent large and diverse classes of foods, sugary soft beverages represent only a single class of beverage."

kids under the grip of type-1 diabetes

 kids under the grip of type-1 diabetes

World Diabetes Atlas 2015 highlighted that more than 70,000 children are affected by type-1 diabetes in India

Author(s): Kundan Pandey

World Diabetes Atlas 2015 has highlighted that more than 70,000 children are affected by type-1 diabetes in India, second only to United States of America (USA). In the US, about 84,000 children are suffering from this disease.

The report, that was recently released by International Diabetes Federation, has further suggested that the number of children with this type of diabetes exceeded half a million for the first time in 2015.

Although the type-1 diabetes is less prevalent, it is increasing by around three per cent every year, particularly among children, the report claims. It also says that around 86,000 children develop this type of diabetes each year.

In this type-1 diabetes, patients need insulin every day in order to control the level of glucose in their blood. In absence of insulin, the life expectancy of a child becomes very short, says the report.

While it is still not clear why the disease occurs, experts observe that type-1 diabetes is caused by an autoimmune reaction, in which the body’s defence system attacks the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas.  It leads to the situation where body stops producing required amount of insulin.

Apart from this, India stands second in the total number of diabetes-affected people. As per the report, 69.2 million people in the country are sufferning from the disease. India is behind China, which stands first with 109.6 million patients.

India is also the one among the countries that have recorded the highest number of deaths due to diabetes. Other than India, China, USA and the Russian Federation also made to the top of this list.

The same report estimates that India will be home to more than 123.5 million people in the age bracket of 20 to 70 who will be affected from diabetes by 2040.

As per the report, India tops the list of the people most vulnerable to acquiring the disease. This vulnerability is measured through Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) and impaired fasting glucose (IFG). These occur when blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. People with impaired glucose tolerance are at high risk of developing type-2 diabetes, however, not all do.

Pollution levels on Diwali night were 'unacceptably high', says CSE

Pollution levels on Diwali night were 'unacceptably high', says CSE

But official ambient monitoring shows slight improvement over last year

An analysis of air quality data on the night of Diwali on Wednesday has shown a dramatic build-up of pollution following the bursting of crackers, hitting dangerous levels of exposure. The analysis was conducted by Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) which took into account official ambient monitoring data and conducted its own exposure monitoring of PM2.5.

The ambient pollution level on Diwali may have, however, seen a slight improvement over the previous year due to comparatively less crackers and mild wind in some parts. The recorded wind speed on Diwali this year was 1.19 metres per second as against 0.62 m/s in 2014. But from the public health perspective, direct exposure to toxic emissions matters most. "Delhiites will have to do a lot more to control crackers to reduce such dangerous levels of exposure and protect public health," said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director, CSE.

CSE exposure monitoring

CSE carried out exposure monitoring of PM2.5—the level of pollution within our breathing zone at the time crackers were burst—and found alarming levels of exposure. The CSE team moved with monitoring devices in different parts of the city—covering diverse residential neighbourhoods such as Pahar Ganj, Rajendra Nagar and Karol Bagh in the West, Lajpat Nagar in South, Mayur Vihar, Patparganj and Laxmi Nagar in the East and around Dhaula Kuan in West Delhi, Sita Ram Bazar in Old Delhi. CSE used TSI hand-held pollution exposure-measuring devices which can measure both the mass and size fraction of particulate matter (PM).

Key highlight of CSE’s exposure monitoring:

• People breathed several times higher pollution than the ambient level monitored by DPCC: Overall, people breathed an hourly average that is at least three to four times higher than the ambient monitoring recorded at the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) stations.
• Exposure peaks in different locations were frightening—more than 2,500 microgramme per cubic metre (cum): After 3 pm, Mayur Vihar Phase I recorded one hourly average level as high as 1,763 microgramme per cum. In Patparganj, it peaked at 2114 microgramme/cum. At Laxmi Nagar, the exposure peaks were about 2,640 between 10.15 pm and 11.15 pm, and in Old Delhi 2,654 microgramme per cum after 11.30 pm.

Official real-time monitoring also indicates high peak build-up during Diwali evening. CSE tracked the changes in real-time data during Diwali evening and found rapid build-up as the evening progressed. The official release on Diwali pollution does not capture these changes in the evening when the crackers were burst. 

• Ambient levels increased rapidly in the evening: Official monitoring shows rapid build-up of pollution peaks at 8 pm. Real-time data for the evening of Diwali showed a spike in PM2.5 in the range of 399 to 608 microgramme per cum between 8 pm and midnight.
• Stunning build up of SO2: During pre-Diwali days on November 6 and 7, the SO2 level was as low as 23 but on Diwali, the higher range in 24 hours reached 64 microgramme per cum—an increase of 2.6 times. SO2 in combination with PM is a dangerous combination. In some locations like that of R K Puram, the build-up of SO2 in the evening was dramatic. The short duration peaks hit more than 250 microgramme per cum.

Official ambient monitoring shows comparatively lower range for most pollutants compared with last year

DPCC has released results of the ambient monitoring on Diwali day and compared them with last year. The plausible reasons are comparatively less cracker burning and also mild and improved wind compared to last year. The key highlights are as follows:

PM2.5: The 24-hour average ranged from 184µg/m3 to 369 µg/m3. The minimum was observed at Civil Lines and maximum at R K Puram. On Diwali day in 2014, the average concentration (for 24 hours) for PM2.5 ranged from 145 µg/m3 to 500 µg/m3

PM10: The 24-hour average ranged from 296µg/m3 to 778µg/m3. The minimum was observed at the airport and maximum at Anand Vihar. On Diwali day in 2014, the average concentration (for 24 hours) for PM10 ranged from 421 µg/m3 to 790 µg/m3.

Sulphur Dioxide (SO2): The 24-hour average varied from 26µg/m3 to 64µg/m3. The minimum was observed at IGI airport and maximum at Anand Vihar. On Diwali in 2014, the average concentration of SO2 (for 24 hours) varied from 8 µg/m3 to 87 µg/m3.

Oxides of Nitrogen (NO2): The 24-hour average varied from 37.0µg/m3 to 79.0µg/m3. The minimum was observed at Mandir Marg and maximum at R K Puram. On Diwali in 2014, the average concentration of NO2 (for 24 hours) varied from 39 µg/m3 to 194 µg/m3.

Carbon Monoxide (CO): The 24-hour average ranged from 1.1 mg/m3 to 4.0 mg/m3. The minimum was observed at Mandir Marg and maximum at Civil Lines. On Diwali in 2014, the average concentration (for 24 hours) for CO ranged from 0.9 mg/m3 to 3.0 mg/m3.

CSE warning

CSE had issued a warning a day before Diwali about the deadly impact of pollution caused by crackers at the onset of winter when the air is already saturated. The levels of tiny particles had already increased seven times since October 1 this year. This left no room for additional pollution in the city, especially from crackers that not only push up the pollution spike but also lace it with deadly cancer-causing substances.

"It is not enough to quibble over marginal changes in Diwali peak pollution from year to year. This requires strong community sensitisation as well as judicious mix of regulatory controls to protect public health," said Roy Chowdhury.

Chennai struggles as rains lash Tamil Nadu for second time in a week

Chennai struggles as rains lash Tamil Nadu for second time in a week

Author(s): Shreeshan Venkatesh

Just weeks ago, Chennai was staring at the possibility of a severe water shortage as storage in reservoirs stood at an abysmal 90 per cent deficit

A well-marked depression over southwest Bay of Bengal has been moving west-northwest towards Tamil Nadu and India's southeastern coast, causing heavy rains, severe flooding and water-logging in several areas including Chennai city. According to a bulletin issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), rains are set to continue for another day after which they will abate to some extent. But isolated thundershowers may be experienced until November 21.

Just weeks ago, Chennai was staring at the possibility of a severe water shortage as storage in reservoirs stood at an abysmal 90 per cent deficit. But two low pressure formations and heavy rains have changed the scenario considerably within a week as storage (5,088 mcft) in four reservoirs around Chennai stood at 46 per cent of the total capacity (11,088 mcft). During the same time last year, storage stood at over 40 per cent lower at 2,940 mcft.

Heavy rainfall may have brought good news for water security in Tamil Nadu, and Chennai in particular, but it has also exposed the state’s under-preparedness. Large parts of Tamil Nadu were flooded over the past week following the heavy rains. Chennai had received 265.5 mm of rainfall until 8.30 am on November 16. The city reported several instances of flooding and water-logging.

"Even though my my office is just 2 km away, there is no way I can reach. It looks like I will have to go back home today," said D Shankar, a commuter, on Monday morning. Schools and colleges in districts of Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur have been declared shut as another day of incessant rains is expected.

People can be seen wading through knee-deep or even waist-high water. Potholed roads have become a common sight. "The situation is very bad, there are several vehicles that are breaking down and so we have to be very careful about the routes that we take and the fares that we accept," says S Ramesh, a Chennai autorickshaw driver. 

City officials have been deployed in several areas to pump out the accumulated water. "We are trying to bring the situation back under control but water levels in several areas are so high that it might take some time and a lot of manpower," said a city official who declined to be named.

Several inter-state trains have been redirected due to flooding on the railway tracks. Suburban trains have also been affected and are running slow.

The death toll has also been mounting with 55 people reported to have lost their lives due to the rains. Four people died due to rain-related incidents on November 13 and 14 in Kancheepuram and Vellore districts. Chief Minister Jayalalithaa is reported to have been taking stock of the situation. A compensation of Rs 4 lakh has been announced for the families of each of the deceased from the Disaster Relief Fund.

Countries commit to take forward clean energy mission

Countries commit to take forward clean energy mission

Author(s): Aruna Kumarankandath

Acknowledging that clean energy is a vital part of the long-term response to climate change, some countries came together to enhance the pace of innovation

Around 20 countries, including India, the UK and Brazil, came together on the first day of COP 21 to launch Mission Innovation: Accelerating Clean Energy Revolution.

To mark the event, the White house announced in a statement, “The Mission Innovation members include some of the largest oil and gas producers—the United States, Canada, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Mexico, Norway and Indonesia—as well as many with high penetration of renewables in their power sectors such as Canada, Norway, Denmark, Brazil and Chile.”

Acknowledging that clean energy is a necessary part of the long-term response to climate change and energy security for nations, the countries came together to enhance the pace and scale of innovation. 

“This is an effort designed to accelerate clean energy innovation and address global climate change, provide affordable clean energy to consumers with a special focus on the developing world in creating commercial opportunities for creating clean energy in developing countries,” Brian Deese, one of Obama’s top advisers told the press.

The launch statement released a few objectives that the countries have set for themselves. These are as follows:

Double Governmental Investment in Clean Energy Innovation: each participating country would try to double their investment in clean energy research and development (R&D) in the next five years

Private Sector and Business Leadership: the countries are committed to working closely with the private sector and their investment in R&D for clean energy technologies. They praised the contribution made by the Breakthrough Energy Coalition.

Breakthrough Energy Coalition is a network of private capital formed by 28 industry leaders from 10 countries, including India, that aims to provide large funding commitments to basic and applied research in clean energy technologies.

Implementation: the countries will cooperate and collaborate to help all stakeholders in promotion, commercialisation and dissemination of clean energy technologies. They will create and enhance technology innovation roadmaps.

Information Sharing: countries should volunteer on annual basis information on its clean energy research and development efforts in a transparent and collaborative manner.

They also released a guide map to track various R&D efforts in the participating countries.

“Solving the clean energy problem is an essential part of building a better world, we won’t be able to make meaningful progress on other challenges—like educating or connecting the world—without secure energy and a stable climate,” said Mark Zuckerberg in a statement published on Facebook.

At the launch, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “We have to ensure, in the spirit of climate justice, that the life of a few does not crowd out the opportunities for the many still on the initial steps of the development ladder.For that we must come together in a partnership to bring clean energy within the reach of all.Innovation is vital for combating climate change and ensuring climate justice.”

Amidst the announcement of International Solar Alliance and Mission Innovation, clean and renewable energy has been brought to the forefront at COP21.

The question, however, remains whether these alliances would be able to actualise the promises they are making or whether they will be another set of alliances that do not yield any result. Much of this would only be revealed in time.

CURRENT AFFAIRS DEC/05/2015

1. HIMACHAL PRADESH FIRST STATE TO LAUNCH ROTAVIRUS VACCINATION PROJECT

i. Himachal Pradesh has became the first state of India to launch Rotavirus vaccination project.

ii. The vaccine will help in controlling the child mortality rate due to diarrhoea.

iii. Rotavirus vaccines are given to infants in three dose course at ages of six, ten and fourteen weeks.

iv. Rotavirus is a most common cause of diarrhea among infants below 11 months age group in India.

2. UNION GOVERNMENT LAUNCHED ACCESSIBLE INDIA CAMPAIGN FOR DIFFERENTLY-ABLED

i. Union Minister of Finance, Arun Jaitley, and Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment, Thaawarchand Gehlot  launched Accessible India Campaign.

ii. This campaign is also known as Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan.

iii. Accessible India Campaign is a nationwide campaign which aims to enable persons with disabilities to gain universal access, equal opportunity for development, independent living and participation in all aspects of life in an inclusive society.

3. 44TH NAVY DAY OBSERVED ON 4 DECEMBER

i. 4^th December is observed as navy day.

ii. The Navy day is celebrated every year to commemorate the success of Operation Trident of Indian Navy on Karachi Harbour during the 1971 Indo-Pak war.

CHIEF OF THE NAVAL STAFF: ADMIRAL RK DHOWAN

 DEFENCE MINISTER OF INDIA: MANOHAR PARRIKAR

4. BELGIUM TOPPED IN THE LIST OF NOVEMBER 2015 EDITION OF FIFA WORLD RANKINGS

i. Belgium topped the list of the November edition of the FIFA World Rankings.

ii. Indian team jumped six places to reach the 166^th spot from 172^nd rank.

iii. Top 5 teams in November 2015 edition are Belgium, Argentina, Spain, Germany, Chile.

5. RBI ANNOUNCED REVISED PRIORITY SECTOR LENDING NORMS FOR REGIONAL RURAL BANKS

i. The Reserve Bank of India released revised Priority Sector Lending norms for Regional Rural Banks.

ii. The PSL target was increased to 75 percent of total outstanding from the existing 60 percent. The revised target will be effective from 1 January 2016.

iii. The PSL norms have been revised considering the significance of RRBs in pursuit of financial inclusion agenda

iv. In revised PSL Norms Medium enterprises, social infrastructure and renewable energy were included under PSL category.

v. Limits of agriculture loans to farmers has been increased from 10 lakh to 50 lakh.

CURRENT AFFAIRS DEC/04/2015

1. LOK SABHA PASSES THE BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARDS BILL, 2015

i. The Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015 is passed by Lok Sabha.

ii. Loksabha has passed the bill to establish Bureau of Indian Standards.

iii. It will replaces the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 and establishes Bureau of Indian Standards as a national standard body for development of standardization, assessment and quality assurance of goods, articles, services, processes and systems.

iv. The Bureau of Indian Standards will formulate, certify and implement certain standards of quality for goods.

2. ADIDAS INDIA’S PULIN KUMAR GRABBED INBA AWARD

i. Pulin Kumar Senior Legal and Compliance Director of Adidas India, was honoured with the Indian National Bar Association's General Counsel of the year 2015 in New Delhi.

ii. The award was given by Senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani to Pulin on the occasion of INBA's Annual International Conference.

3. INDIA RE-ELECTED AS MEMBER OF INTERNATIONAL MARITIME COUNCIL

i. India has been re-elected to the Council of the International Maritime Organization.

ii. India was elected to the council under Category ‘B’ at the 29th session of the Assembly of the International Maritime Organization held recently in London.

iii. The IMO is an specialised agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships with 171 members

4. FIRST INDIA INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE FESTIVAL BEGINS AT IIT DELHI

i. The First India International Science Festival has been started at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi campus.

ii. The Festival has been organised by Union Ministry of Science and Technology.

iii. The India International Science Festival is expected to be the country’s biggest ever Technology and Industrial Expo.

iv. 4,000 delegates from India and abroad are expected to take part in the festival.

iv. The Festival will showcase the achievements of Indian scientists and institutions.

5. DELHI DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY AWARDED WITH E-INDIA AWARD

i. The Delhi Development Authority was awarded with the E-India Award.

ii. The award is given for adopting technology to serve the public  with better resources through mobile applications.

ii. The award was received by VS Tomar, Director Delhi Development Authority during the e-INDIA SUMMIT 2015 under the category of Digital India IT initiatives for extraordinary IT initiatives in the field of land protection and engineering projects.

CURRENT AFFAIRS DEC/03/2015

1. JUSTICE TIRATH SINGH THAKUR SWORN IN AS 43RD CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA

i. Justice Tirath Singh Thakur sworn in as 43rd Chief Justice of India by President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati  Bhavan, New Delhi.

ii.He has replaced Justice H L Dattu who retired on 2 December 2015.

iii.Justice Thakur headed the bench which delivered the verdict to in the spot-fixing scandal during IPL.

iv. He also headed the bench which ordered probe into the multi-crore chit fund scam known as Saradha scam.

2. BRAZIL ENTERED LONGEST RECESSION SINCE 1930S

i. Brazil’s economy is contracting from last some months, now it has contracted by 1.7 percent during July-September 2015 compared to April-June .

ii. It was Brazil's third consecutive quarter of contraction starting from January 2015 and makes the country's longest recession period since the 1930s.

iii. Inflation has risen above 10 percent in Brazil highest in 12 years.

Reasons for recession in Brazil: Main reasons for recession in Brazil are continuing global economic slowdown, decline in exports and scandal at the government-run oil company Petrobras.

3. INDIAN ECONOMY GREW BY 7.4% IN Q2 OF FY 2015-16: CSO

i. Central Statistical Office announced that India’s Gross Domestic Product grew by 7.4 percent in the second quarter of 2015-16 financial year.

ii. Central Statistical Office is a part of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

iii. India continues to be the fastest growing economy in the world in 2015 with growth rate of 7.4%.

iv. Recently India had overtaken China as the world’s fastest growing major economy.

4. UNION CABINET APPROVED MOU BETWEEN INDIA AND GERMANY FOR SOLAR ENERGY

i. The Union Cabinet approved a Memorandum of Understanding with Germany to expand bilateral development cooperation in Solar Energy.

ii. It will help in increasing use of solar energy in India through technical and financial cooperation.

iii. India has set target of having 100000 MW for solar power generation capacities by 2022 under the National Solar Mission.

5. UNION CABINET APPROVED MOU WITH ISRAEL ON WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION

i. The Union Cabinet gave its approval for Memorandum of Understanding between India and Israel in sectors relating to the field of water resources management and development cooperation.

ii. The MOU will help both the countries in strengthening the techniques in efficient use of water, micro-irrigation, re-use of waste water techniques.

6. VIJAY KUMAR CHOUDHARY ELECTED AS BIHAR ASSEMBLY SPEAKER

i. Senior Janata Dal (United) leader Vijay Kumar Chaudhary was elected as new Speaker of the Bihar Legislative Assembly.

ii. Recently Elections has been conducted in Bihar for the new government, Nitish kumar sworned in as new CM of Bihar.

CURRENT AFFAIRS DEC/02/2015

1. UNION GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES GIAN SCHEME TO BOOST HIGHER EDUCATION

i. Union Ministry of Human Resource Development has launched Global Initiative of Academic Networks Scheme to boost the quality of higher education in India.

ii.The scheme was launched by Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani at the Indian Institute of Technology  campus.

iii. The Scheme aims at improving the quality of higher education in the country through international collaboration.

iv.The scheme will Facilitate participation of high quality international academicians for delivering short-term courses and programs in Indian institutions.

UNION MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT: SMRITI IRANI

2. INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY OBSERVED ON 2^NDDECEMBER

i. The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery was observed globally on 2 December.

ii. The day is observed for the elimination of human trafficking, child labour and other forms of modern-day slavery.

iii.International Day for the Abolition of Slavery  focuses on eradicating different  forms of slavery, such as trafficking in persons, sexual exploitation, and the worst forms of child labour, forced marriage, and the forced recruitment of children for use in armed conflict.

3. THAKUR ANOOP SINGH WON GOLD MEDAL IN WORLD BODYBUILDING AND PHYSIQUE CHAMPIONSHIPS

i. India’s Thakur Anoop Singh has won gold medal in the 7th WBPF World Bodybuilding and Physique Championships.

ii. He won the medal in the fitness physique category.

iii.India won 11 medals in the championships and it was held in Bangkok, Thailand.

4. MAHARASHTRA IS BIGGEST STATE ECONOMY: BRICKWORK REPORT

i.Credit rating agency Brickwork Ratings has stated Maharashtra is the biggest economy among the states in India.

ii.In the list of biggest economies Maharashtra  is followed by Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

iii.Maharatra received  maximum revenues through taxes and is followed by Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.

iv.In case of  Services sector Growth Karnataka leads in the list is followed by Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

v.Fastest growing state is Bihar followed by Madhya Pradesh  and Goa.

vi. Slowest growing states is Telangana followed by Punjab, Rajasthan .

5. PRESIDENT GAVE HIS ASSENT TO LABOUR LAWS (GUJARAT AMENDMENT) BILL 2015

i. President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to the Labour Laws (Gujarat Amendment) Bill 2015.

ii.The Bill passed by the Gujarat Assembly in February 2015 now became an Act after the assent of President.

iii.The bill was passed by the Assembly with an aim to relax labour laws and give an impetus to industrialisation of the state.

CURRENT AFFAIRS DEC/01/2015

1. 1ST DECEMBER IS OBSERVED AS WORLD AIDS DAY

i. 1st December is observed in  World as  World Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome Day.

ii. The day is observed to raise awareness about the human immune deficiency virus infection.

iii. The Theme of the day is ‘Getting to zero, End AIDS by 2030

iv. World Health Organization has started World AIDS Day.

2. WORLD LEADERS LAUNCHED MISSION INNOVATION FOR ACCELERATING CLEAN ENERGY REVOLUTION

i. World leaders launched Mission Innovation for accelerating clean energy revolution across the world.

ii. The mission was launched by 20 countries, including India, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2015 in Paris, France.

iii. The main aim is to promote global clean energy innovation with an objective to make clean energy widely affordable.

3. ‘DR ABDUL KALAM IGNITE AWARD’ PRESENTED BY PRESIDENT PRANAB MUKHERJEE

i. President Pranab Mukharjee presented Dr APJ Abdul Kalam IGNITE awards 2015 to 40 school students of 27 districts from 18 states.

ii. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam IGNITE Award is a national competition of original technological ideas and innovations by children up to class 12 or those out of school up to the age of 17 years.

iii. The awards of IGNITE competition are announced every year on 15 October on the birth anniversary Dr APJ Abdul Kalam which is celebrated as the Children's Creativity and Innovation Day.

4. HINDUJA BROTHERS HONOURED WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AT ASIAN BUSINESS LEADERSHIP FORUM 2015

i. Hinduja Brothers were honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Asian Business Leadership Forum Series in Dubai.

ii. The award recognizes the most powerful and influential business leaders.

iii. The Asian Business Leadership Forum Series is Asia’s most prestigious annual business leadership event series.

5. WEALTH-X RELEASED WORLD'S 20 MOST GENEROUS PEOPLE LIST

i. Wealth-X released the World’s 20 Most Generous People list.

ii. The list was prepared after considering all the donations given by individuals till date.

iii. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has topped in the list of philanthropist in the world Sand Wipro’s Chairman Azim Premji was the only Indian in the list and he secured fourth position.