Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 16 APRIL 2019
::NATIONAL::
SC issues notice to centre on entry of women to mosques
- The Supreme Court today issued notice to the Centre and asked it to
respond on a petition seeking permission for Muslim women to enter mosques
to offer prayers.
- A bench, headed by Justice SA Bobde, told the counsel appearing for the
petitioners that it will hear the matter because of the apex court's
judgment in the Sabarimala temple case.
- In the petition, a couple has sought the apex court's direction to
declare as illegal and unconstitutional the practice of prohibiting the
entry of Muslim women into mosques to offer prayers.
- During the hearing, the bench also sought to know from the petitioners'
counsel as to whether Muslim women were allowed to enter a mosque in foreign
countries. The counsel informed the bench that Muslim women were allowed to
enter a mosque at the holy Mecca and also in Canada.
- In September last year, a five-judge constitution bench headed by then
Chief Justice DipakMisra, had allowed entry of women of all ages into the
Sabarimala temple in Kerala. It had said, the ban amounted to gender
discrimination.
IMD forecasts normal monsoon this year
- A temperature rise greater than 1 degree Celsius for three months at a
trot is considered a “strong” El Nino (and threatening to the monsoon). A
0.5 degree Celsius-1 degree Celsius rise is called “weak El Nino
conditions.” Currently, the El Nino is 0.9 degree Celsius.
- The IMD’s models in March, expect the El Nino to peak around May and
then recede for the rest of the monsoon months. “Globally too, other models
that track El Nino expect it to recede after June or July. So that reflects
in our forecast (of a normal as opposed to below normal monsoon rains),”
said Mr.Rajeevan. In any given year, the odds of ‘below normal’ rains are
17%.
- This year the IMD’s assessment says the odds are 32% which Mr.Rajeevan
admitted was “significant.” However the odds of ‘near normal’ rains this
year were 39%, the IMD’s forecast notes. “It’s a matter of how you expect
the El Nino to pan out,we combine our own experience with the model’s
insights to make the forecast,” said K.J. Ramesh, Director-General, IMD.
- Another factor, called a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) (which
refers to a warming in the western Arabian ocean) could neutralise the
potential negative impact from the El Nino.
::ECONOMY::
Ministerial panel gives 12months to PSE’s for monetising non-core assets
- State-run companies will have 12 months to monetise non-core assets
identified by a ministerial panel headed by the finance minister, failing
which the finance ministry may restrict budgetary allocations to the CPSEs.
- The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) on
Monday issued guidelines for monetisation of non-core assets of CPSEs and
immovable enemy properties, following a Cabinet decision in February.
- According to the guidelines, an inter-ministerial group (IMG) chaired by
the secretary of DIPAM will identify the non-core assets of the CPSEs on its
own, and also on the basis of recommendations of the NitiAayog. The final
call will, however, be taken by the finance minister-headed panel.
Indian trading exchanges amongst world’s top derivative trading centres
- Indian exchanges do not offer trading in exotic derivative instruments
like their counterparts in the developed markets in the U.S. and Europe, but
that has not stopped the bourses from becoming one of the largest derivative
trading centres globally.
- According to the latest report by the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE)
and the International Options Market Association (IOMA), the National Stock
Exchange (NSE) and the BSE accounted for 96% of the currency derivatives
trading in the Asia-Pacific region in 2018.
- Further, the NSE was the global leader in terms of volume of trading of
index options and eighth in single stock options in the calendar year 2018.
The year also saw India’s largest bourse being ranked second in the volume
of single stock futures contracts.
- According to the WFE-IOMA 2018 Derivatives Report, the NSE saw a total
of 221.5 crore index options contracts being traded in 2018 with Bank Nifty
options and Nifty options contracts featuring among the top traded contracts
globally.
- The volume of stock futures contracts was pegged at over 25 crore giving
the NSE the second spot in the global ranking. More importantly, the annual
growth rate in volume on the Indian exchange is also among the highest in
the world.
- In 2018, NSE’s volume of index options rose 63%, which was the highest
among the top 10 bourses in the category. The volume of NSE’s single stock
options also registered a rise of 46%, which was second only to Brazil’s 75%
surge.
- In the currency derivatives segment, the NSE and the BSE together
account for 96% of such derivatives volume in the Asia-Pacific region. The
two Indian exchanges occupy the top two ranks with nearly 211 crore
contracts traded in 2018.
- In commodities as well, an India exchange is featured among the top 10
globally. In 2018, the Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) was ranked
eighth globally with a little over 23 crore contracts traded while
registering a 16% rise during the year. In India, MCX is the biggest
commodity bourse with a market share of more than 90%.
::INTERNATIONAL::
- World Health Organization (WHO) has raised alarm over a 300 percent
increase in the case of measles globally in the first quarter of 2019
compared with last year. The UN body said provisional data has indicated aa
clear trend, with all regions of the world seeing outbreaks.
- The WHO has said yesterday that the early trends for 2019 likely
underestimated the severity of the outbreaks since only about one in 10
actual measles cases was reported. So far this year, 170 countries have
reported 112,163 measles cases to WHO.
- At this time in 2018, 163 countries had reported 28,124 cases. It also
added that Africa has witnessed the most dramatic rise - up 700% which has
weaker vaccination coverage than other regions. Measles, an airborne
infection causing fever, cough and rashes that can be deadly in rare cases -
had been officially eliminated in many countries with advanced healthcare
systems.
::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::
Nirbhay sub-sonic cruise missile test fired
- Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) today successfully
test fired indigenously designed & developed Long Range Sub-Sonic Cruise
Missile “Nirbhay” from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), ChandipurOdisha.
- It is the sixth development flight trial with objective to prove the
repeatability of boost phase, cruise phase using way point navigation at
very low altitudes.
- The missile took off vertically turning horizontally into desired
direction, booster separated, wing deployed, engine started, cruised all the
intended waypoints. The missile demonstrated its sea-skimming capability to
cruise at very low altitudes.
- The entire flight was fully tracked by a chain of Electro Optical
Tracking Systems, Radars and Ground Telemetry Systems deployed all along the
sea coast.All the mission objectives were met.
::SPORTS::
Indian squad for 2019 world cup announced
- India announced their 15-man squad for the ICC World Cup to be played in
England from 30th of next month. ViratKohli will lead the team.
- The squad was announced by the BCCI Acting Honorary Secretary Amitabh
Choudhary in Mumbai, with Chairman of Selectors M.S.K. Prasad sharing the
dais.
- While there were no major surprises in the 15, the inclusion of Dinesh
Karthik was the notable factor.
- Karthik returned to India's World Cup squad after 12 years, while
Rishabh Pant was excluded.
