Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 25 May 2016

:: NATIONAL ::

President gave his assent to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test ordinance

President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test ordinance before he embarked on his China visit.
This prepared the ground for exempting State government medical colleges from the Supreme Court-mandated single all-India entrance exam for a year.
Stating that the ordinance had given a “firm and statutory” support to the common entrance test, Health Minister J.P. Nadda told a press conference that all postgraduate (PG) admissions will be done through NEET this year.
For undergraduate (UG) courses, an exemption has been made for ‘State quota’ seats in government medical colleges and private institutions for this academic session.
The Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Ordinance, 2016, and The Dentists (Amendment) Ordinance, 2016, are being promulgated to amend the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956, and Dentists Act, 1948, respectively to make way for a uniform entrance examination for UG and PG courses.
This is with a stipulation that for the 2016-17 academic session, the States can opt to conduct their own examinations for UG courses.
The first phase of NEET was conducted on May 1, and the second phase is scheduled to be held on July 24.

21st edition of the European Union Film Festival in India

Actor-director Ralph Fiennes’ Shakespearean drama Coriolanus will open the 21st edition of the European Union Film Festival here on May 27. The festival will showcase 24 films from 24 European countries.
Organised by the Delegation of the European Union and embassies of EU Member States in partnership with local organisations, including the Federation of Film Societies of India.
The festival will traverse through 11 cities, including Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Coimbatore and Jodhpur till August 14.
The European Union Film Festival has won a special place in the Indian film calendar and in the hearts of viewers by showcasing the wry, the unexpected, the beautiful and even the tragic events of ordinary lives in unfamiliar settings.

Rain in North India will be good for crop

Widespread rain in the past 24 hours across several parts of the north and central India will boost Kharif sowing, easing concerns over the possible late arrival of monsoon, officials and experts said.
In its recent forecast, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the monsoon would reach Kerala by June 7.
The monsoon rains, that usually reach Kerala by June 1, are crucial for agriculture, more importantly this year after two years of back-to-back drought.
Rain occurred in most places of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and in many places of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, besides many eastern States, in the past 24 hours, according to the IMD.

IT dept to ‘name and shame’ taxpayers who have above one crore default

The Income Tax department, beginning this financial year, has decided to ‘name and shame’ all category of taxpayers who have a default of Rs. one crore and above.
The department has begun publishing the names of tax defaulters in leading national dailies since last year and has named 67 such defaulters till now with their addresses, contacts, PAN card number and shareholders in case of companies.
The earlier exercise was restricted to people with huge defaults to the tune of about Rs. 20-30 crore.

:: International ::

The political crisis in Kathmandu escalated further

The political crisis in Kathmandu escalated further after a 29-party alliance agitating against the Nepali government boycotted the political talks held in Kathmandu under the leadership of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli.
They said that they did not attend the talks as the government did not extend them a formal invitation.
After the talks, Prime Minister Oli issued a two-page note mentioning the government’s response to the demands for constitutional amendments made by the Madhesi parties.
However, the Madhesis criticised it as an insincere attempt.
The Madhesis have been on the warpath since May 14 demanding amendments. The first agitation from September 2015 to February 2016 took place under the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM).
The present agitation has other groups as well, making it more representative.

:: Science and Technology ::

Actions on Air Quality reports says airr pollution is rising

The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) meeting at Nairobi noted that air pollution has increased by 8 per cent and progress and policies on air quality fall short of what is needed to save millions of lives each year.
The UNEA report “Actions on Air Quality”, said the declining air quality across the globe was threatening to add to the seven million air pollution deaths across the world in what was described as a ‘’global public health emergency.”
A snapshot on the actions on air quality taken by countries across different regions saw India figure high among those with stringent air quality laws and regulations but it was also among those countries where burning of both agricultural and municipal wastes is not regulated and commonly practised.
This underlined the glaring gap between expression of intent and the ground that needs to be covered in implementing the policies.
While India was ranked among countries where major investments have been made in public transport in the last 5 years, it also figures among nations with neither low sulphur fuels (50 ppm) nor advanced vehicle emission standards.
The report noted that “India with major air quality challenges in many cities has established air quality laws besides regulation and implementation strategies for them.”
The report comes close on the heels of World Health Organisation (WHO) findings which listed 13 of India’s cities among the world’s top 20 polluted cities.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner spoke of “reclaiming our air’’ as more and more people around the world are affected by air pollution and the negative health affects.
More than 80 per cent of the people live in urban areas and are exposed to pollutants that exceed the WHO limits and have a bearing on lives, productivity and the economy of the countries concerned, according to the report.
The cost of reducing air pollution in 2010 for India was pegged at $0.5 trillion and $1.4 trillion for China.
However, on an optimistic note, the report said there have been improvements in access to cleaner cooking fuels and efforts point to a growing momentum for change.

Solar storms may have provided the crucial energy needed to warm Earth

Solar storms four billion years ago may have provided the crucial energy needed to warm Earth and seed life despite the Sun’s faintness, new research has revealed.
Some four billion years ago, the sun shone with only about three-quarters the brightness we see today, but its surface roiled with giant eruptions spewing enormous amounts of solar material and radiation out into space.
The eruptions also may have furnished the energy needed to turn simple molecules into the complex molecules such as RNA and DNA that were necessary for life, said NASA researchers.
That means Earth should have been an icy ball. Instead, geological evidence says it was a warm globe with liquid water.
Understanding what conditions were necessary for life on our planet helps us both trace the origins of life on Earth and guide the search for life on other planets.
Until now, however, fully mapping Earth’s evolution has been hindered by the simple fact that the young Sun wasn’t luminous enough to warm Earth.
Scientists are able to piece together the history of the Sun by searching for similar stars in our galaxy. By placing these sun-like stars in order according to their age, the stars appear as a functional timeline of how our own Sun evolved.
Such flares are often accompanied by huge clouds of solar material, called coronal mass ejections or CMEs which erupt out into space. NASA’s Kepler mission has found stars that resemble our Sun about a few million years after its birth.
The Kepler data showed many examples of what are called “superflares” — enormous explosions so rare today that we only experience them once every 100 years or so.
Yet the Kepler data also show these youngsters producing as many as 10 superflares a day.

:: Business and Economy ::

IOR nations decided to evolve mechanism on Special Economic Zones

India and several other nations bordering the Indian Ocean have decided to evolve a regional mechanism for cooperation on Special Economic Zones (SEZ) – or duty-free enclaves with tax holidays — to boost exports.
The first-of-its-kind meeting between SEZ authorities from these Indian Ocean Rim (IOR) nations was held on May 19-20 at Chabahar, Iran, which houses a Free Trade Zone (FTZ) – a synonym for SEZs.
The meeting comes at a time of global economic and trade slowdown and attempts are being made by countries to boost growth through trade.
Participants at the Chabahar meet also considered a proposal to form a “joint FTZ” among the IOR Association (IORA) member countries since most of these FTZs are situated or are being built in coastal regions.
The meeting also assumes importance given that India had on Monday signed a pact with Iran to develop the Chabahar port, and agreed to provide $500 million for the purpose.
A World Bank said, “More and more countries have begun to implement this instrument (SEZs) for their industrialization process, especially as a way of attracting foreign direct investments mostly in the manufacturing sector, creating jobs, generating exports and foreign exchanges.”
It noted that some countries have been successful while others, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa, were still struggling.

Govt. aims at top 30 slot for ease of doing business

Amitabh Kant, Niti Aayog Chief Executive Officer, said the government wants India to be among the top 30 countries in terms of ease of doing business over the next three to four years.
According to the World Bank's Doing Business Report 2016, India ranks 130 out of 189 countries.
“This is one government that is focused on innovation and trying to make India an easy, simple place to do business,” Mr. Kant said.
India had gained 12 positions in ease of doing business, Mr. Kant said.
The government had taken various steps, which include bringing in a bankruptcy law, an e-biz platform for single channel of approvals and a national company law tribunal, he said.
India could be a leading player and attract $7 billion or 4.5 per cent of the world's investments by 2020, according to the report.