1. World Bank commits $150 million to combat Zika
(i)
Recently, the World Bank announced that it will provide $150 million to
help countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat the
rapidly-spreading Zika virus.
(ii) The funding, which will be
provided immediately, is a result of extensive consultations with
governments in the region. As per the World Bank's estimates the
short-term economic impact of the virus on the region is likely to be
around $3.5 billion.
(iii) Countries like Mexico, Cuba, the
Dominican Republic, Brazil, Argentina, Belize and Jamaica may suffer
significant economic impact.
2. Ontario to invest Rs.300 cr in India's cleantech sector
(i)
Government of Ontario, Canada recently committed investments worth Rs
300 crore in India's cleantech sector with the objective to enhance
renewable and other innovative clean technologies.
(ii) In the
recent visit to India, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, signed a number
of MoU with Indian government, 13 in the cleantech sector. The estimated
value of these agreement in the cleantech sector is CAD 59.4 million
(about Rs 300 crore).
(iii) In a statement the Ontario government
said, "India's energy sector has a huge potential for renewable and
other innovative clean technologies to address the energy supply gap,
which is where the partnerships assume a strategic importance for the
country."
(iv) To this effect, Ontario-based Advanced Energy
Centre signed agreements with Tech Mahindra, Himachal Pradesh State
Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) and India Smart Grid Forum.
3. US imposes sanctions on North Korea
(i)
US President Barack Obama recently signed a law imposing sanctions on
North Korea over the nation's nuclear programme and due to supposed
cyber-hacking incidents.
(ii) North Korea recently launched a
long-range rocket, which is considered to be a test of banned missile
technology and also carried out its fourth underground nuclear test.
(iii)
The sanctions aim to stop North Korea from getting funds to develop
miniaturised nuclear warheads. As China and the US are negotiating over a
UN Security Council resolution on new sanctions, China pointed that
these measures could badly cripple the North Korean economy.
4. Tendulkar's autobiography enters Limca book of Records
(i)
Sachin Tendulkar's autobiography Playing It My Way entered the Limca
Book of Records for being the best-selling adult hardback across both
fiction and non-fiction categories.
(ii) It also boasts of a
record in retail value terms having registered Rs.13.51 crore with its
cover price being Rs.899.Published by Hachette India on November 6,
2014, the book has broken all the records for an adult hardback with
1,50,289 copies confirmed on order subscriptions.
(iii) On day
one of the book's order, it already pulled ahead of both the pre-order
and lifetime sales of the world's top adult hardbacks like Dan Brown's
Inferno, Walter Issacson's Steve Jobs and JK Rowling's Casual Vacancy.
5. BHEL commissions 270 MW unit GVK power plant in Punjab
(i)
The government-owned power plant equipment manufacturer Bharat Heavy
Electricals Ltd. (BHEL) recently commissioned a 270 MW generation unit
at the Goindwal Sahib Thermal Power Project of private producer GVK
Power & Infra in Punjab.
(ii) The second unit of the same
project is also likely to be commissioned soon. BHEL had previously
commissioned four hydro sets of 82.5 MW each at the Alaknanda Hydro
Power Project in Uttarakhand for the same developer.
(iii)
Besides coal-based thermal projects, BHEL has a strong presence in
Punjab's hydro sector, with nearly 95% share in the hydro-electricity
generating capacity of the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd. (PSPCL).
6. Maharashtra devises policy for easy transport of harvested organs
(i)The
Maharashtra government recently decided to formulate a comprehensive
policy on 'Green Corridor' to enable smooth passage of harvested organs
within a specified time.
(ii) The policy aims to tackle the
hassles faced by the police over jurisdiction issues, obtaining
requisite No Objection Certificates (NoCs), and creating a green
corridor for the smooth passage of ambulances carrying harvested organs.
7. MM Mammen elected as Chairman of ATMA
(i)
Recently, K M Mammen was unanimously elected as the Chairman of the
Automotive Tyre Manufacturers' Association (ATMA), which is among the
most active national industry bodies for the automotive tyre sector. He
will replace Raghupati Singhania.
(ii) Satish Sharma, President
(Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa) of Apollo Tyres Ltd., has been
appointed as the Vice-President of the body.
Note: Eleven tyre
companies comprising Indian and international tyre majors and
representing over 90% of production of tyres in India are members of
ATMA. These are: Apollo Tyres, Birla Tyres, Bridgestone India, Ceat,
Continental India, Goodyear India, JK Tyre & Industries, Michelin,
MRF, TVS Tyres and Yokohama.
8. Noted vocalist Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan passes away
(i)
Recently, eminent Hindustani classical vocalist Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan
passed away at the age of 107 at his residence in Kolkata.
(ii)
Khan was a receipt of Padma Bhushan in 2013 and Sangeet Natak Akademi
award. Additionally, he was a resident guru at the ITC Sangeet Research
Academy in the Kolkata for the past 20 years.
(iii) Reacting to
this new, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, "Saddened at
the passing away of veteran vocalist Padma Bhushan Abdul Rashid Khan.
India has lost a great gem in the world of music."