Current Affairs search results for tag: national-news

1. Lok Sabha passes the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021

Tags: National News

• The bill will amend various sections of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and 1951.
• Highlights of the bill-
• The bill will allow voluntary linkage of Voter ID with Aadhaar by amending Section 23 of Representation of the People Act, 1950.
• This is a long-pending electoral reform to remove multiple enrolments in the name of one person.
• It is voluntary, so, people who cannot furnish their Aadhaar numbers will be allowed to present other documents to establish identity.
• From now, there will be four “qualifying” dates for eligible people to register as voters. They are January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1 in a calendar year.
• At present the qualifying date for the eligible persons who are 18 years or above to register as voters is January 1 of the Year.
• The bill will also allow the elections to become gender-neutral for service voters by replacing the word ‘wife’ with ‘spouse’. 
• At present, an Armyman’s wife is entitled to be enrolled as a service voter, but a woman officer’s husband is not. With ‘wife’ being replaced by the term ‘spouse’, this will change.

Representation of Peoples Act 1950	Representation of Peoples Act 1951
Qualification of voters. Preparation of electoral rolls. Delimitation of constituencies. Allocation of seats in the Parliament and state legislatures.	The actual conduct of elections. Administrative machinery for conducting elections. Poll. Election offenses. Election disputes. By-elections. Registration of political parties.

2. Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Foreign Minister meeting

Tags: International News

• The 17th Session of the Emergency Meeting of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers was held in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan.on 19 December 2021.
•  It was focussed on the situation in Afghanistan 
• The OIC appointed Ambassador Tariq Ali Bakheet as his Special Envoy on Afghanistan.
• The Special Envoy will coordinate delivery of humanitarian assistance and support, and is mandated to pursue economic and political engagement with Afghanistan.
• The Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi also attended the conference 
• The OIC appealed to the world to help the people Afghanistan who are facing starvation 
• No country in the world recognizes the Taliban government in Afghanistan and humanitarian aid to the country has almost been stopped leading to hunger and starvation in Afghanistan.
• The foreign minister of five   muslim Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan skipped this meeting and instead went to India to attend a meeting on Afghnasitan.
• The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was  founded in 1969 as the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.
• It is the second largest intergovernmental organization after the United Nations, with the membership of 57 states, covering four continents. 
• The OIC is the collective voice of the Muslim world to ensure and safeguard their interest in economic socio and political areas in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony.
• Its Headquarters is in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• India is not the member of OIC

3. 3rd Meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue.

Tags: International News

• The 3rd India Central Asia Dialogue meeting was held in New Delhi on 18-19 December.
• The meeting was attended by the Foreign Ministers of Central Asian Republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
• The meeting was hosted by the External Affairs Minister S.Jaishankar. 
• The meeting focussed on trade and connectivity, development partnership and regional developments, including the situation in Afghanistan.
• The dialogue also discussed increasing links in the “4 Cs” of commerce, capacity enhancement, connectivity, and contacts.
• India and the Central Asian countries will mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations next year.

4. Five Central Asian Leaders to be the Chief Guest for Republic day function 2022

Tags: National News

The Government of India has confirmed that the five Central Asian Republic presidents will be the chief Guest at the Republic Day 2022 functions.

 The following leaders 

•  Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, 
• Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev,
•  Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon, 
• Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, and 
• President Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan, will attend the function.
• India and the Central Asian countries will mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations next year.

5. PM Modi attends Goa Liberation Day celebrations

Tags: National News

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi attended the function marking the 60th anniversary of the Goa Liberation from the Portuguese in 1961.
• The event was held at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee Stadium at Taleigao, Goa.
• Prime Minister felicitated freedom fighters and veterans of Operation Vijay, (the military action in 1961 by which India liberated the territories of Goa, Daman, and Diu from Portuguese rule. )
• Prime minister also laid the foundation stone of the  India International University of Legal Education and Research of Bar Council of India Trust  at Goa 
• The University will be managed by the Bar Council of India. 
• He inaugurated Aviation Skill Development Centre at  the under construction Mopa Airport in North Goa , Goa
• He inaugurated the renovated Aguada Fort Jail museum. It was built by the Portuguese and many freedom fighters like Ram Manohar Lohia, T B Cunha were imprisoned here. It has now been converted into a museum depicting the state's liberation struggle.

About Goa

• Became a state on 30th May 1987
• Capital - Panaji
• Chief Minister - Pramod Sawant
• India's smallest state by area. 
• Goa has the highest GDP per capita among all Indian states. 
• Goa hosts the annual International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

6. International News

Tags: International News

1. G-7 Foreign and Development Ministers Meeting

• The United Kingdom, which is currently the chairman of the Group of 7 countries, hosted the foreign ministers meeting of the member countries at Liverpool in England on 11-12 December 2021.
• The meeting  was held in the midst of concern that Russia is going to attack Ukraine which is denied by Russia.
• The Foreign Ministers of India, European Union, Australia, South Korea, along with representatives from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN}  will take part in G-7 foreign ministers as guests.

2. India to supply medicines to the Afghan people

• The Government of India has joined Qatar, the UAE, Turkmenistan and Pakistan that have sent humanitarian support to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
• India has sent medical relief material to the Indira Gandhi Children Hospital in Kabul.
• The medical relief material will be handed to the WHO (World Health Organisation ) in Kabul as the Indian does not recognise the Taliban government in Kabul led by Habitullah Akhunzada .
• The relief material was sent back by special Kam Air flights that had  brought 10 Indians and 94 Afghan minority community members from Afghanistan to India. 

3. Saudi Arabia bans Tablighi Jamaat

• Saudi Arabia has stunned the Islamic World by banning the Tablighi Jamaat, the Islamist proselytizing(conversion) movement. 
• The Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs announced the measure on its social media platform terming the Sunni Islamic organisation as "one of the gates of terrorism" and that Tablighi Jamaat poses "a danger to society".

Saudi Arabia 

Capital of Saudi Arabia: RIyadh 

Currency: Saudi Riyal

4. Tigray rebels retake Ethiopian world heritage Lalibela

• Tigray rebels on 12th December recaptured the north Ethiopian town of Lalibela, home to a UNESCO world heritage site from the Ethiopian government  forces.
• Ethiopian Civil War
• The conflict started on 4 November, when the   Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a military offensive against  the northern regional forces in Tigray.
• The escalation came after months of feuding between Mr Abiy's government and leaders of Tigray's dominant political party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) .

5. New Caledonia votes to remain part of France

• Voters in the French island territory of New Caledonia chose overwhelmingly to stay part of France, in a referendum  held on 12 December which was boycotted by pro-independence forces.
• Official results showed 96% of those who took part chose to stay in France. However the overall turnout was less than 44%.
• The referendum held on 12 December  was the third and last in a decades-long process aimed at settling tensions between native Kanaks seeking independence and those who want the territory to remain part of France.
• Capital of New Caledonia: Noumea.
• Currency: CFP Franc

6. Israeli PM’s historic visit to UAE

• Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett arrived in the United Arab Emirates for the first ever official visit by a Prime Minister of Israel to the UAE.. 
• The UAE last year became the third Arab nation to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel after Egypt and Jordan.
• Bahrain and Morocco then followed as part of a series of deals referred to as Abraham Accords brokered by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
• Sudan also agreed to normalise ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords, but full relations have not yet materialised. 

For details of the Abraham accord refer to the 25 November post.

7. “India” 4th Most Powerful Country in Asia

• In the Asia Power Index for 2021 that ranks 26 nations and territories in Asia- Pacific, prepared by the Lowy Institute of Sydney, India has been ranked 4th most powerful Asian country. 
• Rank of the powerful countries:
• United States  82.2 points
• China  74.6
• Japan  38.7
• India  37.7 
• Russia 33.0 

Highlights of the report:

• India lost 2.0 points (-5% change) in overall score in 2021 (compared to 2020).
• India performed better in future resource measures where it finished behind only the United States and China.
• India finishes in 4th place in four other measures, i.e. Economic Capability, Military Capability (+0.5), Resilience (+1.7) and Cultural Influence.
• India remains in the 7th place in its “Defence Networks”, reflecting progress in its regional defence diplomacy - notably with the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue which includes: Australia, Japan and the United States.
• On the other hand, India has slipped into 8th position for economic relationships, as it falls further behind in regional trade integration efforts.

8. India votes against UN draft resolution on climate change

• India voted against a draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) linking climate to security. This resolution was moved by Niger, which holds the UNSC presidency for December. It was also sponsored by Ireland.
• Niger organized a debate titled ‘Maintenance of international peace and security: security in the context of terrorism and climate change”. One of the objectives of the debate was to examine how terrorism and security risks could be linked to climate change.
• The resolution was vetoed by Russia even though 12 countries voted in its favour with China abstaining from the vote and India voting against it.
• Government of India’s views were put forward by India’s Permanent Representative and Ambassador to the United Nations, T.S. Tirumurti. 

9. Super Typhoon Rai lashes Philippines

• Super Typhoon Rai, known locally as Odette, continued to wreak havoc across the Philippines, as the storm moved west across the archipelago, bringing with it heavy rain and widespread flooding.
• Rai, the 15th typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, weakened slightly from a Category 5 to a Category 3 storm (as per Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale) after making landfall Thursday on Siargao Island, a popular tourist and surfing destination on the central east coast. 

10. 488 journalists jailed, 46 killed across the world in 2021 - Reporters without Borders

Reporters without Borders (RSF)’s the international non-profit organization for safeguarding the right to freedom of information, has released their latest annual roundup of violence and abuse suffered by journalists across the world.

Report Highlights-

• There are currently 488 media professionals imprisoned around the world.
• The number killed this year — 46 — was the lowest since it began issuing annual tallies.
• China once again has the highest number of imprisoned journalists at 127.
• The most dangerous countries were Mexico and Afghanistan, with seven and six journalist deaths respectively, followed by Yemen and India with four deaths each.

11. The World Health Organisation has granted emergency approval to Covovax (NVX-CoV2373)

• It is manufactured by the Serum Institute of India under license from the U.S.­ based Novavax.
• It will be distributed as part of global vaccine­ sharing system COVAX(COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access).
• COVAX is a worldwide initiative through the alliance of  GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the World Health Organization (WHO).

It is the 3rd vaccine from India after CoviShield and Covaxin to receive WHO emergency use listing (EUL).

12. President Kovind inaugurates Kalibari Temple in Dhaka

President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the renovated Sri Ramna Kali Mandir in Dhaka on 17th December 2021.

• The temple was destroyed by the Pakistani Army’s operation codenamed 'Operation Searchlight' in 1971, targeting the resistance movement in the country.
• The President and First Lady Savita Kovind offered prayers at the renovated temple.

7. President Kovind inaugurates Kalibari Temple in Dhaka

Tags: International News

President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the renovated Sri Ramna Kali Mandir in Dhaka on 17th December 2021.

• The temple was destroyed by the Pakistani Army’s operation codenamed 'Operation Searchlight' in 1971, targeting the resistance movement in the country.
• The President and First Lady Savita Kovind offered prayers at the renovated temple.

8. Bill to raise women’s legal age of marriage to 21

Tags: National News

• The Union Government next week is going to introduce The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021
• The bill will amend The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.
• The bill seeks to raise the legal age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years and bring it at par with men.

The Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929 / Sharda Act  The Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929, passed on 28 September 1929, in the Imperial Legislative Council of India. The bill was popularly known as the Sharda Act, after its sponsor Harbilas Sharda. It fixed the age of marriage for girls at 14 years and boys at 18 years.  In 1949, after India's independence, it was amended to 15 for girls, and  In 1978 to 18 for girls and 21 for boys. Later in 2006, The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act replaced the imperial Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929.

9. ICMR Approved CoviDelta Diagnostic Kit

Tags: National News

• The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved the CoviDelta diagnostic kit.
• CoviDelta diagnostic kit is developed indigenously by Pune ­based GenePath Diagnostics.
• The kit detects all current variants of COVID­19 and detects Delta and Omicron variants in a single test.
• It was used to detect the presence of the first Omicron case in Pune.

10. The World Health Organisation has granted emergency approval to Covovax (NVX-CoV2373)

Tags: International News

• It is an Indian manufactured Coronavirus Vaccine.
• It is manufactured by the Serum Institute of India under license from the U.S.­ based Novavax
• Covovax requires two doses and is stable at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius refrigerated temperatures.
• It will be distributed as part of global vaccine­ sharing system COVAX(COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access). 
• COVAX is a worldwide initiative through the alliance of  GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the World Health Organization (WHO).

It is the 3rd vaccine from India after Covi Shield and Covaxin to receive WHO emergency use listing (EUL).

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