Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 30 MARCH 2019
::NATIONAL::
Centre to set up terror monitoring group in Kashmir
- The Centre has set up a multi-disciplinary terror monitoring group (MDTMG)
to ensure synergised and concerted action against terror financing and
terror-related activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
- According to an official order, the MDTMG will have representatives
from the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Intelligence Bureau, CBI, NIA, and
Income Tax Department
- It will also take action against hardcore sympathisers among
government employees, including teachers, who are providing covert or
overt support to terror activities.
- The order said the monitoring group will have to investigate
networks of various channels being used to fund terror and
terror-related activities and take coordinated action to stop flow of
such funds.
- The ADGP CID of JK Police will head the MDTMG which will meet on a
weekly basis and submit their action taken report regularly.
Diplomats caution against PM’s UAE visit in the midst of elections
- A high-level political visit to Abu Dhabi in the middle of the
general elections would be detrimental to the long-term India-UAE
relationship, veteran diplomats and commentators have said.
- “The United Arab Emirates is the most liberal of the Gulf monarchies
and our relationship with them is also very old. However, a visit by the
Prime Minister to participate in ashilanyasin election season will throw
up visuals that will be used in the elections,” said Ambassador Rajiv
Dogra cautioning against such a trip.
- Local sources in Abu Dhabi and a diplomatic source confirmed that
there is a possibility of a visit by the Prime Minister on April 20 to
participate at theshilanyasceremony in the BAPS Abu Dhabi Hindu Temple
where work began in February 2018 during his visit to Abu Dhabi.
- Then, a controversy had broken out after an old video of a UAE
journalist saying Hindu religious words had been telecast in a few
Indian TV channels where the person was introduced as the Crown Prince
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed of Abu Dhabi. Some of the anti-Islam comments
at that time attributed to SakshiMaharaj of the BJP also had drawn
negative comments from the concerned quarters.
::ECONOMY::
Indian coffee varieties get GI tags
- Five varieties of Indian coffee have been awarded the Geographical
Indication (GI) tag, a move that will enhance their visibility globally
and allow growers to get the right value.
- While Coorg Arabica coffee is grown specifically in Kodagu district
of Karnataka, Wayanaad Robusta coffee is from Wayanad district in east
Kerala, Chikmagalur Arabica coffee from Chikmagalur district in the
Deccan plateau of Karnataka, Araku Valley Arabica coffee from the hilly
tracks of Visakhapatnam district in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha region,
and Bababudangiris Arabica coffee from the central portion of
Chikmagalur district
- The Monsooned Malabar Robusta Coffee, a unique coffee from India,
was given the GI certification earlier, according to an official
statement issued on Friday by the Department for Promotion of Industry
and Internal Trade.
- India is the only country where the entire coffee cultivation is
grown under shade, hand-picked and sun-dried. It is cultivated across
4.54 lakh hectares by 3.66 lakh farmers, the statement said.
SC issues notices to telecom operators based on CBI plea
- The Supreme Court on Friday sought a response from telecom service
providers BhartiAirtel Limited and Vodafone Mobile Services on a CBI
plea that they were met with “surprisingly and strangely evasive”
replies to repeated requests for crucial call data records in connection
with the probe into multi-croreponzi scam cases, including the Saradha
group scandal.
- The CBI said it has been writing to the service providers for the
call records of certain mobile phone numbers since last year. The agency
said it specifically wanted to know what was the period for which the
call records were requested by the West Bengal Police. Secondly, it
wanted to know the period for which the call records were “actually
supplied” by the service providers to the police.
- The CBI has repeatedly alleged in the Supreme Court that the West
Bengal government-appointed Special Investigation Team, of which former
Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar was functional head, had
delayed handing over the call records of influential accused persons by
14 months. The call records, when checked, were found to be incomplete
and “tampered”.
- The CBI application submitted that “till date”, despite
communications from the Centre, the service providers had not shared the
information.
- It said Vodafone finally replied on February 12, 2019, and it failed
to “disclose the relevant information” sought by the agency. Airtel
replied in February and March 2019, but their response was
“conspicuously silent”.
::INTERNATIONAL::
British Parliament rejects Brexit again
- British lawmakers have rejected the Brexit deal proposed by
embattled Prime Minister Theresa May in Parliament for the third time,
throwing the UK's divorce plans with the EU into further chaos.
- Last night, MPs voted in the House of Commons against the terms of
Britain's so-called divorce from the European Union (EU) by 344 to 286.
An approval to the deal, struck between May and the EU, would have given
the British parliament time until May 22 to get all the accompanying
legislation passed.
- The key vote took place on the day Britain was earlier scheduled to
exit the bloc, until the EU leaders granted more time.The EU had given
May until April 12 to propose a different way forward if her divorce
bill does not clear the UK Parliament hurdle.
- Commenting on the outcome, May told MPs that the implications of the
house's decision are grave and this government will continue to press
for the orderly Brexit that the result of the referendum demand.
- Meanwhile the opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said it
is clear that this House does not support the deal and it now has to
change.
- In the past, the House of Commons rejected May's withdrawal plan
twice, both times by overwhelming margins.
::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::
Indian ASAT debris to disintegrate in 45 days confirms officials
- The satellite targeted with an Anti-Satellite (ASAT) missile under
Mission Shakti has broken up into at least 270 pieces, most of which are
expected to disintegrate within 45 days, Defence sources said on Friday.
- Being in the Low Earth Orbit, the debris would fall towards earth
and burn up as soon as they enter the atmosphere.
- Officials identified the targeted satellite as Microsat-R, an
imaging satellite that was launched by the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) on January 24 using a Polar Satellite Launch
Vehicle. The satellite, weighing 740 kg, was placed in an orbit of 274
km above earth
- On Wednesday, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
shot down Microsat-R with a modified exo-atmospheric missile of the
ballistic missile defence at an altitude of 300 km.
- The ASAT test was tracked by sensors of various agencies. Upon
impact, data transmission from the satellite stopped and electro-optic
systems confirmed an explosion, the official said.
- Other ISRO satellites and systems too noticed the breakup of
Microsat-R, another official said, adding that the debris was being
monitored.
::SPORTS::
Manu Bhaker and Saourabhclinches gold in Asian championship
- Young pistol shooters Manu Bhaker and SaurabhChaudhary on Friday
clinched a gold medal each, their second in the competition, as India
continued their domination at the 12th Asian Airgun Championships in
Taoyuan, Chinese Taipei.
- Manu won the women's 10 metre Air Pistol on day three of
competitions while Saurabh bagged a team gold in the men's event.
AbhishekVerma also won individual silver in the men's 10-metre Air
Pistol.
- The women's pistol team also won a bronze to further bolster India's
tally to five gold, three silver and one bronze medals with half the
competition still to go.
