Union Government declares NSCN(K) as terror organization
Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has declared Naga militant outfit National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) formally known as NSCN (K) as a terrorist organization.
In this regard MHA has issued an official gazette notification mentioning that
• NSCN (K) and all its formations and front organisations have been declared as a terrorist organization under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
• NSCN (K) has resorted to terrorism by killing civilians and security forces and in June 2015 it was engaged in other violent activities including the attack on an Army convoy in Chandel district of Manipur.
About National Socialist Council of Nagaland- Khaplang
• NSCN (K) came into existence in 1988 under the leadership of S.S. Khaplang.
• It is as an offshoot of NSCN which was established with an objective of forming a sovereign state of Nagalim by unifying all the areas inhabited by the Naga people in Northeast India and Myanmar.
• Presently NSCN-K is active along the Indo-Myanmar border and has strength of around 1,000 cadres with several camps across the border in Myanmar.
India, Bangladesh sign SOP for operationalising Agreement on Coastal Shipping
India and Bangladesh have signed the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for operationalising the Agreement on Coastal Shipping between both countries.
The agreement was signed in June 2015 in order to improve the bilateral trade by reducing the logistic costs of EXIM transport.
Key facts of SOP
• The SOP has been framed as per the terms and conditions of the Agreement on Coastal Shipping and its provisions have been agreed by both the countries.
• It would pave the way to promote coastal shipping between India and Bangladesh and further enhance bilateral trade by bringing down the cost of transportation of export-import (EXIM) cargo.
• It would in turn facilitate trade and transportation of goods between the two neighbours through coastal and inland waters.
• Both countries would stipulate same treatment to each other’s national vessels on similar grounds of national vessels used in international sea transportation.
• The two sides also have agreed to use of vessels of River Sea Vessel (RSV) category for Indo-Bangladesh coastal shipping.
Advantages of agreement
• Connectivity to North East India: It would enable opening of coastal shipping between India and Bangladesh.
• Thus, help to enhance the movement of cargo to the landlocked North East Indian states through coastal shipping up to Chittagong and thereafter by road and inland waterways.
• Hub ports: The deep draft ports on the eastern coast of India can be used as hub ports for the further onward transportation of cargo via the coastal mode through RSV category of vessels to Bangladesh.
• Attract enhanced cargo: Indian ports will be able to attract enhanced cargo and help in reducing the overall transportation cost to Bangladesh.
• Trans-shipment ports: Indian ports can also serve as trans-shipment ports for transportation of cargo from Bangladesh. Thus, it will enhance throughput as a result of Indo-Bangladesh coastal trade.
It should be noted that, during the past few years India’s trade with Bangladesh has grown rapidly and now Bangladesh has emerged as India’s largest trading partner in South Asia.
Philippines to host 2015 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit
Philippines is going to host 2015 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit from 18&ndash19 November 2015 in its capital city Manila for the first time in nearly two decades.
It is second time Philippines hosting the Asia-Pacific region’s most high-level business event i.e. APEC summit and had previously hosted it in 1996.
For first time Philippines had hosted the APEC summit under the leadership of then-President Fidel Ramos who had vowed to help develop an action plan on facilitating free trade in the region.
Theme of 2015 APEC Summit: “Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World”. Under this theme, Philippines is going to push for inclusive growth and highlight the role of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which account for more than 97 per cent of businesses in APEC economies.
Two key road maps will be endorsed in 2015 APEC Summit. They are
• The Cebu Action Plan for financial integration: Aims to protect the APEC member countries from financial crises.
• Boracay Action Agenda: It is meant to help micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to access the regional and global market.
About Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
•APEC is regional economic forum comprising of 21 member countries accounting nearly half of the world’s trade and about 57 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP).
• It was established in 1989 in order to leverage the growing interdependence of Asia-Pacific region’s economies and promote free trade in the region.
• Headquarter: Hong Kong.
• 21 Members are: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Chile, Peru, Russian and Vietnam.
• India is observer of APEC since 2011 and has applied for membership.
India, Australia seal N-deal procedures
India and Australia have sealed Nuclear-deal procedures for supply of uranium from later to energy starved India.
N-deal procedures were formally completed between both countries following a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart Malcolm Turnbull in Antalya, Turkey on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit.
Following the conclusion of the agreement, India has become the first country to buy Uranium from Australia without being a signatory to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Background
• India and Australia had started talks on the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement in 2012 after Australia had lifted the long-standing ban on selling uranium to energy-starved India.
• The cooperation agreement was signed between two countries in September 2014 to sell uranium as a nuclear fuel for peaceful power generation.
It should be noted that Australia has about a 40 percent of world’s recoverable uranium resource and annually exports around 7,000 tonnes of it.
In India, nuclear energy contributes just 3% of its electricity generation and it has currently signed nuclear energy agreements with 11 countries. Presently, India imports uranium from France, Russia and Kazakhstan to supply fuel to its two dozen small reactors at six sites with a total capacity of 4,780 MW which accounts for 2% of its total power capacity.
Health Ministry inaugurates country’s first AMRIT outlet at AIIMS in New Delhi
Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has opened country’s first Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) outlet at AIIMS in New Delhi to sell drugs at highly discounted rates.
The retail outlet was inaugurated by Union Health Minister J P Nadda at AIIMS campus in New Delhi under the AMRIT programme which aims drugs to sell drugs at highly discounted rates.
Key facts
• The pilot AMRIT outlet will provide drugs for cancer and cardiovascular diseases at highly discounted rates.
• At this outlet the prices of 202 cancer and 186 cardio-vascular drugs will reduced on an average by 60 to 90 per cent.
• The pilot AMRIT oultlet will be managed by the government-owned HLL Lifecare Ltd (HLL), which will sell both drugs and implants at significant discount on market rates.
• These drugs and implants will be sold based upon authentic prescriptions from doctors to AIIMS patients and also patients availing treatment at other hospitals.
Later, HLL Lifecare Ltd will establish and run the AMRIT chain of pharmacies across the country with an aim to reduce the cost of treatment for the patients.
Saina Nehwal wins silver medal at 2015 China Open
Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal has won silver medal at 2015 China Open Superseries Premier Badminton tournament after finishing at second position in the Women’s Singles category.
In the final match played at the Haixia Olympic Sports Centre in Fuzhou, the defending champion and top seeded Saina lost to sixth placed Xuerui Li from China by 12-21, 15-21 score.
Saina and Li had met 12 times against each other and Saina has won just 2 of those games. The final of China Open tournament was overall Saina’s fifth final of the year 2015 and the third instance in 2015 that the World No. 1 has come out second best.
Note: In year 2014, India’s Srikanth Kidambi and Saina Nehwal had created history by winning 2014 China Open in Men’s Singles and Women’s Singles category respectively.
Other Results of 2015 China Open
• Men’s Singles category: won by Lee Chong Wei from Malaysia.
• Men’s Doubles category: won by South Korea pair of Kim Gi-jung and Kim Sa Rang.
• Women’s Doubles category: won by Chinese pair of Tang Yuanting and Yu Yang.
• Mixed Doubles category: won by Chinese pair of Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei.
Nico Roseberg wins 2015 Brazilian Grand Prix title of F1
Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg from Germany has won the 2015 Brazilian Grand Prix title of Formula One (F1) held at Autódromo José Carlos Pace in Socorro district of Sao Paulo.
It was Rosberg’s overall thirteenth championship title of F1 in his career and the fifth win in the 2015 season after Spain, Monaco, Australian and Mexican Grand Prix.
Result of 2015 Mexican Gand Prix
• First Position: Nico Rosberg (Germany) of Mercedes team.
• Second Position: Lewis Hamilton (Britain) of Mercedes team.
• Third Position: Sebastian Vettel (Germany) of Ferrari team.
• Fourth Position: Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) of Ferrari team.
• Fifth Position: Valtteri Bottas (Finland) of Williams team.
• Sixth Position: Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) of Force India team.
• Twelfth Position: Sergio Perez (Mexico) of Force India team.
Noted Children’s Book Writer Kamala Laxman passes away
A noted writer of children’s books Kamala Laxman passed away on 14 November 2015 in Pune. She was 90.
She was widow of legendary cartoonist R K Laxman who was best known for his creation The Common Man for his daily cartoon strip You Said It in the daily The Times of India.
About Kamala Laxman
• Laxman was born in Chennai and had graduated from Delhi’s Indraprastha College. She had studied interior decoration from Sir JJ School of Arts in Mumbai.
• She was the second wife of R.K. Laxman. Incidentally, his first wife was also known as Kamala who was renowned Bharatnatyam danseuse and movie star. They were divorced in 1960.
• Notable Children books: The Thama Stories, Raman of Tenali & Other Stories, Thama and His Missing Mother etc.
• Her Tenali Raman stories were serialised into 13 episodes and were telecasted on Doordarshan.
• She was commissioned to write a series for children by the India Book House in the 1970s.
President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurates 35th IITF in New Delhi
President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated 35th edition of India International Trade Fair (IITF) at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.
The 14 day fair has been organised by India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), under aegis of Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry. In this edition over 7,000 firms from India and overseas are participating.
This year Afghanistan has been roped as the partner country and Bangladesh is the focus country. Within Indian states, Goa and Jharkhand are roped as partner states, while Madhya Pradesh is the focus state.
Theme of 2015 edition of IITF is Make in India in order to encourage companies to manufacture their products in India.
The major objective behind this international trade festival is to focus on 25 sectors of Indian economy for skill enhancement and job creation. Some of these sectors are: automobiles, chemicals, Information Technology (IT), textiles, ports, pharmaceuticals, leather, aviation, tourism and hospitality, railway, auto components, wellness, design manufacturing, renewable energy, mining, bio-technology, and electronics etc.
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