Nov 24th 2015-Current Affairs

>> Market regulator SEBI  has inked a pact with its counterpart in Bangladesh to enhance investor protection and creating effective securities markets in both the countries.

The pact will help in promoting "further development of economic links and cooperation between the two signatories and aims at enhancing investor protection and creating conditions for an effective development of securities markets in the two countries.

In the past, Sebi has signed 20 bilateral pacts with a number of countries. India is a signatory to multilateral MoU of International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO).

In order to encourage the exchange of information and assistance, Sebi has been signing pacts with the jurisdictions who are yet to become a signatory to the multilateral MoU of IOSCO.

>>Noted Marathi actor Prashant Damle will be conferred with the Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Award for outstanding contribution in the field of theatre, film and music.

The announcement was made by Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar at the 100th show of Damles Marathi play "Karti Kaljat Ghusli". 

The prestigious annual award is given to personalities from Marathi and Hindi theatre, music and films. Instituted in 1999 by Lata Mangeshkar and her family in the fond memory of her father, the award comprises of a cash prize of Rs one lakh, a moment and a citation.

The announcement of this years award was done by Hridaynath Mangeshkar, who was the chief guest for the 100th show of the "Karti Kaljat Ghusli".

Radha Mangeshkar, noted playback singer and daughter of Hridaynath, was also present on the occasion.

The award will be presented by Lata Mangeshkar in April next year on the occasion of the death anniversary of Master Dinanath.

"Prashant Damle is a leading actor of the Marathi theatre today. He has given his best to the Marathi stage in his career spanning over 33 years. His outstanding contribution comes at a very early age and that was point of contention before the jury. But the jury ultimately weighed in his favour looking at his enormous devotion to the theatre," said Hridaynath Mangeshkar.

>> In a bid to tackle the threat posed by e-commerce sites to small traders, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has launched a portal ‘e-lala’.

Inaugurating the portal, Minister of Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu said that global threat from e-commerce to small traders could be addressed by leveraging digital technology under the initiative, which needs to have proper outreach and marketing strategies.

MasterCard and HDFC Bank have partnered with the portal to provide digital payment solutions.

The portal allows only those merchants who have a physical presence through brick and mortar stores to become sellers. Each seller on the portal will have his own inbuilt Web site and a payment gateway is embodied in the portal to facilitate online payments. Consumers can make payments online or at the physical stores.

e-lala will have a speciality corner promoting unique products associated with each city, an enquiry corner that enables consumers to post their enquiries for a particular product to which response will be given in 24 hours and an artisans’ corner for artisans and entrepreneurs to display their products.

>>Sri Lanka has recently opened the Mahatma Gandhi International Centre (MGIC) in Matale, a city located in the heart of the country. 

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena inaugurated the centre on November 22. The Indian High Commissioner Y. K. Sinha attended the inauguration ceremony.

about the Mahatma Gandhi International Centre:

• The centre is a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi's contribution to humanity and his preaching of non-violence and its relevance worldwide

• It was built at a cost of more than Rs 4 crore. It consists of an auditorium, library, meditation centre and a conference hall

• The centre was established at the request of the members of Mahatma Gandhi Sabha, a local group of citizens that was founded following Gandhi's visit to Matale in 1927

• The centre will act as a platform to spread the teachings of Gandhi on harmony among different communities and cultural divisions

• It will also promote holistic practices such as meditation, yoga and other cultural activities

• Workshops, seminars, events and conferences on cultural diversity will be held at the centre.

>>Four-day World Congress on Disaster Management concluded with the unanimous adoption of ‘Visakhapatnam Declaration’ calling for a comprehensive action plan for a disaster-resilient society.

The declaration drafted after deliberations by over 1,000 delegates from 40 countries and 20 States in 25 sessions recommended effective funding mechanism by creating national disaster mitigation fund for resource implementation of local plans and building a platform of knowledge management / good practices / innovations at local level.

It mooted setting up of an independent experts’ group with statutory powers like a State Disaster Management Authority for formulating policies on disaster management.

The Visakhapatnam Declaration called for global linkages to undertake cooperative studies among communities and local governance on evidencing climate change understanding and local commitments and promote private sector participation to strengthen humanitarian commitments.

The declaration asked the authorities concerned to adopt proactive strategies such as comprehensive school safety, which includes children out of school (so that none is left behind) could be piloted as a regional cooperation among nations.

It sought use of modern and innovative technologies in all their forms and manifestations in space, telecom, earth sciences, cyber and geo-spatial mapping as drivers for early warning systems applicable for multi-hazard contexts, disaster surveillance and efficient use for dissemination to vulnerable communities / masses.

>>Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Michael Keating of the United Kingdom as his new Special Representative for Somalia and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM).

Mr. Keating will succeed Nicholas Kay of the United Kingdom who will complete his assignment at the end of the year. According to the Secretary-General’s spokesperson, Mr. Ban is grateful for Mr. Kay’s dedication, courage and excellent leadership of UNSOM over the past two and a half years, a critical period for Somalia’s political transformation.

According to a biographical note, Mr. Keating brings to this position extensive experience in supporting political and peacebuilding transitions, as well as leading complex humanitarian and recovery programmes in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa.

>>Veteran journalist, columnist and author Kuldip Nayar was today honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to journalism at the eighth edition of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence awards for years 2013 and 2014.

Nayar is former editor of the Indian Express. During Emergency he was jailed under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) for leading a protest against the excesses of the administration.

At a glittering ceremony attended by leading lights from diverse fields, Information and Broadcasting minister Arun Jaitley handed over the awards to 56 journalists for their exceptional reportage in print as well as broadcast media in various categories for years 2013 and 2014.

>>The Dayton Peace Accord was in news on 21 November 2015 as the world commemorated 20th Anniversary of the Signing of the Dayton Peace Accords.

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also commended the efforts of the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the consolidation of peace and political stability and the socioeconomic progress achieved during the past 20 years.

About Dayton Peace Accord
• The Dayton Peace Accords were signed on 21 November 1995 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio to end the Bosnian war and laid the foundations for a sovereign Bosnia and Herzegovina.

• The process of signing of accord was led by Richard Holbrooke, the then chief US peace negotiator and Secretary of State Warren Christopher.

• The accord divided Bosnia into two autonomous entities- the Serb Republic and the mainly Bosniak-Croat Federation and created a highly decentralised and unwieldy system of ethnic quotas.

• The Bosnian war lasted for about four years, claimed over 100000 lives, displaced millions and fuelled atrocities that horrified the world.

>>The largest animal cloning factory in the world is now likely underway in China — a path “no one has ever travelled” in cattle cloning and meeting the country’s skyrocketing demand for beef.

The projected 14,000-square-meter factory will be built and operated by Boyalife, which is allotting 200 million yuan ($313 million) for the project. Tianjin, a city situated about 100 miles from the Chinese capital, will be the site of the grand venture to be started in the first half of next year.

According to Boyalife's chief exectuive Xiao-Chun Xu, they are hoping at the moment to produce 100,000 cow embryos annually and to contribute five percent of China's premium cattle. 

Boyalife scientists will also explore cloning champion racehorses as well as sniffer dogs that can assist in rescue operations or detect illegal drugs and helping to save critically endangered species is another one of their targets.

>>The Indo-Pak border in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan has lighted with solar power.

In the first ever project of this kind in the country,Home Ministry has set up 5MW solar power plant at a cost of 6 crore and 45 lakh rupees in sarkari tala area.

The power generated by this plant will be sold by solar Energy Corporation at the rate of 5 rupees 45 paise per unit.