Current Affairs: 06/12/2017

1. Fifth Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement Released by RBI

i. On the basis of an assessment of the current and evolving macroeconomic situation at its meeting, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to keep the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 6.0 percent.

ii. Consequently, the Reverse Repo Rate (RRR) under the LAF remains at 5.75 percent, and the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate at 6.25 percent.

iii. The projection of real GVA growth for 2017-18 of the October resolution at 6.7per cent has been retained, with risks evenly balanced.

2. Vice President Inaugurated 12th Annual Convention

i. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the 12th Annual convention of central information commission at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi.

ii. The Vice President stressed on maintaining transparency and accountability in public life. As per the Minister of State in PMO Dr. Jitender Singh, the government has filled all vacant posts in the commission.

3. 6th International Tourism Mart to Begin in Guwahati

i. The 6th International Tourism Mart-2017 begins in Guwahati, Assam. The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in association with the North Eastern States is organizing this Mart from 5-7 December 2017.

ii. Shri Jagdish Mukhi, Governor of Assam inaugurated the 6th International Tourism Mart (ITM) -2017". It will put the spotlight on India’s “Act East Policy”, blossoming ties with ASEAN and the larger East Asia region, home to the world’s rapidly growing economies and India’s emerging tourism markets.

4. 10th Jaipur International Film Festival

i. The 10th Jaipur International Film Festival (JIFF) is all set to present International Cinema to film buffs. The second and the last list of films selected for the Festival was released that includes a total of 48 films from 13 countries.

ii. List of Feature films-

1. Angrezi Mein Kehte Hein directed by Harish Vyas from India/Hindi
2. Half Widow directed by Danish Renzu from India/ Kashmiri and Urdu
3. Andarkahini (Self-Exile) directed by Arnab Middya from India/Bengali
4. Inkblot directed by Vedanti Dani from India/English
5. POV-Point of view directed by Prabhakar Jha from India/Hindi
6. Donaire Y Esplendor (Grace & Splendor) directed by Arturo Montenegro from Panama/ Spanish

iii. The films for screening were selected by a 51 member-international committee of selectors from India, United States, Canada, France, Germany and Bangladesh. 

5. International Solar Alliance is Now a Legal Entity

i. In terms of its Framework Agreement, with ratification by Guinea as the 15th country in November 2017, the International Solar Alliance (ISA) has now become a treaty-based international intergovernmental organization. The International Solar Alliance is India's global initiative.

ii. The ISA was jointly launched by the PM Narendra Modi and the president of France in November 2015 in Paris, on the sidelines of COP-21, the UN climate conference. Till date, 46 countries have signed and 19 countries have ratified the framework agreement of the ISA.

6. MP Assembly Passes Bill Awarding Death for Rape of Girls Aged 12 or less

i. The Madhya Pradesh Assembly unanimously passed a Bill awarding death to those found guilty of raping girls aged 12 and below. With this, Madhya Pradesh becomes the first State where those convicted of such rapes will face the gallows.

ii. Introduced in the House by Law and Legislative Affairs Minister Rampal Singh, the Bill was discussed in detail and then passed by all parties.

7. Supreme Court Allows Trump's Travel Ban to go into Full Effect

i. In a major victory for President Donald Trump, the US Supreme Court has allowed his travel ban to take full effect pending appeal, for people coming from six Muslim-majority countries.

ii. As a result of the Supreme Court's ruling, Trump's travel ban, which restricts travel to the US by people from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia and Chad without bona fide connections to the US, can take full effect while legal challenges proceed.

8. Government Unveils Mid-Term Review of Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20

i. Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu let out more incentives while unveiling the mid-term review of the Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20 with a view to boosting exports.

ii. The minister stated that the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) incentive rate will be raised by 2 percent across the board for labor-intensive/MSME sectors.

9. Time Readers Vote Saudi Crown Prince Person of the Year

i. Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been voted the Time magazine readers’ Person of the Year, despite spearheading the continued bombardment of Yemen, leading to the starvation of its citizens.

ii. The award goes to those who “for better or worse” influenced the year. The 32-year-old scored 24 percent of the vote, with the #MeToo movement against sexual assault and harassment. Bin Salman overtook Hillary Clinton, Vladimir Putin and even the Pope to be crowned the people’s choice, winning far more votes than the three combined.

10. Akash Missile Successfully Launched

i. The Surface to Air Missile AKASH with indigenous radio frequency seeker against target Banshee has been successfully launched from the Launch Complex-III at ITR Chandipur, Odisha.

ii. The Radars, telemetry and electro-optical systems along the coast have tracked and monitored all the health parameters of the missile. This missile is being inducted into Army as Short Range Surface to Air Missile (SRSAM).

11. Syrian Boy Wins Children's Peace Prize

i. Sixteen-year-old Mohamad Al Jounde from Syria was awarded the International Children's Peace Prize for his efforts to ensure the rights of Syrian refugee children.

ii. Al Jounde, a refugee of the Syrian civil war, set up a school together with his family in a Lebanese refugee camp that currently provides 200 children with education. Al Jounde received the prize from Malala Yousafzai, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for her work for children's rights.

12. Russia Banned from 2018 Winter Olympics

i. Russia was banned from the 2018 Winter Games by the International Olympic Committee over its state-orchestrated doping programme, but clean Russian athletes will be allowed to compete under an Olympic flag.

ii. The sanction was the toughest ever leveled by the IOC for drug cheating and came just 65 days ahead of the Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

13. Yuvraj Singh Launches UNICEF-ICC's Adolescent Campaign

i. Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh will be promoting a UNICEF sports initiative for youngsters in South Asia, which will also have the ICC's backing. Yuvraj launched the "Power of Sports to Shape the Future of Adolescents" campaign in South Asia.

ii. Yuvraj was joined by under-19 players from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka who will compete in the ICC under-19 World Cup in New Zealand in January 2018.

14. Mujeeb Zadran From Afghanistan Becomes First Cricketer Born in 21st Century

i. Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Zadran, the 16-year-old off-spinner, became the youngest ever from Afghanistan to play International cricket and overall he is the 9th youngest to make debut in ODI cricket.

ii. He was born in Khost on March 28 in 2001. Zadran has been making the headlines over the last couple of months for his outstanding performances for their Under-19 team.

15. UP, First State to Endorse Centre's Triple Talaq Draft Bill

i. Uttar Pradesh becomes the first state to endorse the Centre's draft bill that makes instant triple talaq a cognizable and non-bailable offense.

ii. As per the draft law, its three years' imprisonment and a fine to a Muslim man trying to divorce his wife by uttering "talaq" three times. The bill is all set to be introduced in the coming winter session of parliament.