Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 10 JULY 2019

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::NATIONAL::

The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to examine a “substantial question” put forth by the Union government as to whether illegal immigrants can even be considered for ‘refugee’ status.
The court said it would examine the issue and asked the parties and intervenors to complete pleadings by the next hearing.
The petitions said the Centre’s move violated the constitutional guarantee that the Indian State should “protect the life and liberty of every human being, whether citizen or not.”
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had even issued notice to the government on the proposed deportation.
The UNHRC report of 2016 on rights violations and abuses against Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar had noted successive patterns of serious rights violations, violations to the right to life, liberty and security of the Rohingya by State security forces and other officials in Myanmar.

The Central government has admitted that 75 lakh families fall below the poverty line annually due to the rising cost of health care in India.
The minister for Chemical & Fertilisers informed the House that the Central government is providing generic medicines under the PradhanMantriBhartiyaJanaushadhiPariyojana (PMBJP) which are normally cheaper by 50-90% of average price of top 3 brands of corresponding medicines.
He explained that the product basket of PMBJP now comprises 900 medicines and 154 surgicals and consumable items. Out of this, 714 medicines and 53 surgicals are now available for sale at PMBJP Kendras.
All manufacturers of scheduled medicines (branded or generic) have to sell their products within the ceiling price (plus applicable local taxes) fixed by the NPPA. A manufacturer is at liberty to fix the maximum retail price of a non-scheduled formulation (branded or generic) launched by it.

The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision has said that India is compliant regarding regulation on large exposures though, in some some respects, regulations are stricter than the Basel large-exposures framework.
In a report on assessment of large exposure regulations, it said India is compliant with the highest grade of regulation.
The large exposures framework applies to all scheduled commercial banks apart from regional rural banks. The framework became partially effective since April 2019 and the same circular was modified in June 2019.
The report says from April 2020 onwards, the obligation to assess the connectedness based on economic interdependence and the inclusion of non-centrally cleared derivatives exposures in calculation of the large exposure limits will also enter into force as per the revised circular.
The four-phased assessment began in early 2018 and started with self-assessment by the RBI, followed by an on-site assessment where the team met the officials of the RBI and rating agencies, a review and finally a desk assessment of the draft regulation.

The government’s proposal of abolishing merchant discount rate (MDR) will impact non-bank payment providers as banks will recover the money from them, industry players said.
The Union Budget proposed doing away with any charges on customers and merchants. MDR is the rate that the merchant has to pay to the service providers of digital payments.
“This announcement of industry bearing MDR would lead to the whole digital payment industry without any business and revenue model,” said Naveen Surya, Chairman Emeritus, Payment Council of India (PCI).
PCI said digital payments in India had received quite high interest from various investors, both domestic and international, and any “knee-jerk” policy changes were likely to spook such investors.

European powers urged Iran to reverse its move to increase uranium enrichment, as a French envoy arrived in Tehran to boost efforts to save a landmark 2015 nuclear deal.
The accord between Iran and world powers promised sanctions relief, economic benefits and an end to international isolation of the Islamic republic in return for stringent curbs on its nuclear programme. The European parties to the deal along with the EU's diplomatic chief today called on Tehran to reverse breaches of the agreement.
French President Emmanuel Macron sent his top diplomatic advisor to Tehran after Iran announced yesterday that it had passed 4.5 percent uranium enrichment -- above the 3.67 percent limit under the agreement though still far below the 90 percent necessary for military purposes.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that Emmanuel Bonne arrived in the Iranian capital today. A meeting with Rear-Admiral Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, is planned for tomorrow morning.

More than 300 women will join a round-the-world voyage launching in October to highlight the devastating impact of plastic pollution in the oceans and conduct scientific research into the escalating crisis.
Millions of tonnes of plastic, from food packaging to fishing gear enters the sea each year, leading some marine experts to warn that there could be more plastic than fish in our oceans by 2050.
The two-year all-female voyage comprises scientists, teachers, filmmakers, product designers, photographers and athletes.
It is organised by eXXpedition, a non-profit focusing on marine pollution - will collect samples from some of the planet’s most important and diverse marine environments to build a picture of the state of the seas.
The 38,000 nautical mile trip will cover the Arctic, the Galapagos Islands, the South Pacific islands and central ocean areas where plastic accumulates because of circulating currents.
“There’s not one silver bullet solution. We need to be working from every sector, from every angle. “We need design of new materials, we need policy change, we need education, we need the arts to be shifting mindsets, we need engineers. The only way we are going to solve it is by all working together,” Ms.Penn,one of the crew members said.

India's Dutee Chand has clinched a Gold medal in the 100-metre dash event at the World Universiade at Napoli in Italy. The 23-year-old sprinter clocked 11.32 seconds as she led the race from start to finish. Del Ponte of Switzerland won the Silver, while German Lisa Kwayie took home the Bronze.
With the Gold, Dutee has become the first Indian woman track and field athlete to win the coveted yellow metal at the event. She is also now only the second Indian sprinter to win a Gold in a global event after 19-year old Hima Das.