Hindu Notes from General Studies-01

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Mediterranean sharks face risk of ‘disappearing’

News:

• Sharks the sea’s top predators for millions of years are at risk of disappearing from the Mediterranean as overfishing and plastic pollution choke populations of the endangered hunters, conservationists have warned.

Beyond News:

• The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said that more than half of shark and ray species in the Mediterranean were under threat, and that almost a third of them have been fished to the brink of extinction.
• Its report, released ahead of Shark Awareness Day, singled out Libya and Tunisia as the worst culprits, with each country’s fishery hauling in about 4,200 tonnes of sharks a year three times that of the next biggest Mediterranean fisher, Italy.
• While some species are targeted for food, many of the sharks fished in the Mediterranean are bycatch caught up in nets set for other fish.
• The WWF said it had recorded more than 60 shark species entangled in fishing nets across the Mediterranean. In addition, the explosion of plastic pollution is endangering shark populations, either through the animals ingesting or becoming enmeshed in refuse items.
• The IUCN Red List of endangered species counts 79 endangered shark and 120 endangered ray species.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

Amended Motor Vehicles Bill reintroduced

News

• Amendments to the Motor Vehicle (MV) Act and the Surrogacy Regulation Bill were re-introduced by government in the Lok Sabha.

Beyond News

• The proposed amendments to the MV Act seeks to provide a compensation of ₹5 lakh for death and ₹2.5 lakh for grievous injury in a motor vehicle accident case.
• Among other provisions, the bill seeks to increase penalties for violations, facilitate grant of online learning licence, simplified provisions for insurance to provide expeditious help to accident victims and their families, and protection of good samaritans.
• The Bill also proposes to raise the time limit for renewal of driving licence from one month to one year before and after the expiry date.
• The Bill seeks to allow ethical altruistic surrogacy to the intending infertile Indian married couple between the age of 23-50 years and 26-55 years for female and male, respectively.
• The Bill states that a woman should be allowed to act as a surrogate only once, should be a close relative of the intending couple and “should be an ever-married woman having a child of her own and between the age of 25-35 years”.

WHO warns of too sugary baby foods

News

• Commercial baby foods often contain too much sugar and display confusing ingredient lists, according to a UN report that proposed new guidelines to improve infant diets.

Beyond News

• The World Health Organization (WHO) examined nearly 8,000 products from more than 500 stores in Austria, Bulgaria, Israel and Hungary between November 2017 and January 2018.
• In around half of products examined,more than 30% of calories were from total sugars and around a third of products contained added sugar or other sweetening agents, the European branch of the WHO stated.
• The WHO noted that while foods that naturally contain sugars, such as fruits and vegetables, can be appropriate in young child diets, “the very high levels of sugars present in commercial products is a cause for concern”.
• A high sugar intake can increase the risk of overweight and dental cavities, the organisation warned. And early exposure to overly sweet products can create a potentially harmful lifelong preference for sugary foods.
• Up to 60% of inspected food products were labelled as suitable for infants under six months old, contrary to WHO recommendations, that infants receive exclusively breast milk for the first six months of life.
• The WHO said it was updating its guidelines to help member countries adopt new legislation to curb high sugar intake.
• The WHO wants the promotion of breast milk substitutes to end, and recommends that children between six months and two years be fed nutrient-rich foods prepared at home.
• The organisation called for the banning of added sugars and sweeteners in baby foods, and said labels on candies and sweetened beverages ⁠ including fruit juices and condensed milk ⁠ should state the products are not suitable for children under three.

Lok Sabha passes NIA Amendment Bill

News

• The Lok Sabha passes The National Investigative Agency (Amendment) Bill, 2019.
• This Bill gives NIA officers power to investigate offences committed outside India too, and mandates the setting up of Special Courts.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

Trade deficit shrinks 8% in June

News

• India’s trade deficit narrowed by nearly 8% to $15.28 billion during the last month, as against $16.6 billion in June 2018.

Beyond News

• In June 2019, merchandise exports fell nearly 10% to $25.01 billion as against $27.70 billion in the year-ago month, the Commerce Ministry data showed. In rupee terms, exports stood at ₹1,73,682.55 crore, down 7.52% from ₹1,87,800.20 crore in June 2018.
• The data showed that merchandise imports too declined during the month under review from $44.30 billion to $40.29 billion, a fall of 9.06%.
• In rupee terms the decline was 6.85% from ₹3,00,351.83 crore to ₹2,79,771.07 crore in June 2019.
• It added that the negative growth is consistent with certain global trends, which have impacted India’s exports in recent months. The World Bank, in its Global Economic Prospects (June 2019), has projected weakening of global trade in 2019. Global trade is projected to grow at 2.6% this year a full percentage point below their previous forecast.
• The major commodities which led to this decline were petroleum products, rice, cotton yarn/Fabrics/made-ups, gems and jewellery, ready-made garments, organic & inorganic chemicals, and Engineering goods.
• On imports, the Commerce minister said that import of petroleum crude & products in June 2019 ($11.03 billion) has recorded a negative growth of 13.33% from a year earlier.

As ransomware rages, debate is on response

News

• Services in the U.S. cities of Baltimore and Maryland were paralysed earlier this year when a ransomware attack locked up computer networks and made it impossible for residents to make property transactions or pay their municipal bills.
• Officials refused to meet hacker demands for a ransom of $76,000 to unlock the systems, but have been saddled with an estimated $18 million in costs of restoring and rebuilding the city’s computer networks.

Beyond News

• The dilemma in such cases highlight tough choices faced by cities, hospitals and corporations hit by ransomware.
• Two Florida cities reportedly paid a total of $1 million in ransom this year, after which a new attack by the same group hit the State court system in Georgia.
• Globally, losses from ransomware rose by 60% last year to $8 billion, according to data.
• At least 170 county, city or State government systems have been hit since 2013, with 22 incidents this year.
• While the FBI and others warn against paying ransoms, there is no clear answer for victims when critical data is locked.
• Victims need to consider paying the ransom as a valid option, alongside other recovery efforts.
• Victims often fail to take preventive measures such as software updates and data backups that would limit the impact of ransomware.
• Coordinated efforts can help identify some malware and sometimes unlock data.

12 Indian beaches in the race to crest the ‘Blue Flag’ challenge

News

• The Union Environment Ministry has selected 12 beaches in India to vie for a ‘Blue Flag’ certification, an international recognition conferred on beaches that meet certain criteria of cleanliness and environmental propriety.

Beyond News

• To achieve the internationally recognised highest standard for the purpose of beach management, planning and execution of projects for infrastructure development, cleanliness, safety and security services, these beaches have been identified for Blue Flag Certification in different States and Union Territories.
• The Blue Flag Programme for beaches and marinas is run by the international, non-governmental, non-profit organisation FEE (the Foundation for Environmental Education). It started in France in 1985 and has been implemented in Europe since 1987, and in areas outside Europe since 2001, when South Africa joined.
• Japan and South Korea are the only countries in South and southeastern Asia to have Blue Flag beaches. Spain tops the list with 566 such beaches; Greece and France follow with 515 and 395, respectively.
• There are nearly 33 criteria that must be met to qualify for a Blue Flag certification, such as the water meeting certain quality standards, having waste disposal facilities, being disabled- friendly, have first aid equipment, and no access to pets in the main areas of the beach. Some criteria are voluntary and some compulsory.
• India is set to apply for certification for two beaches, at Shivrajpur and Ghogla, by the end of this month. About ₹20 crore have been spent on each and the FEE jury will decide by October if these beaches meet the mark.
• If approved, beaches are given the qualification for a year and must apply annually to continue meriting the right to fly the flag at their locations.
• To help Indian beaches meet these criteria, the Ministry has allowed structures such container toilet blocks, change rooms, shower panels, mini grey water treatment plants in an enclosed structure, mini solid waste recycling plants and off-grid solar photovoltaic panels, provided they are a minimum 10 metres from the high tide line.

Assam floods: PM calls CM Sarbananda Sonowal as flood toll rises; over 4,000 villages hit

News

• Prime Minister called up Assam Chief Minister to take stock of the flood situation that has claimed 15 lives and affected 42.86 lakh people so far.

Beyond News

• Floodwaters have inundated 95% of the 430 sq km Kaziranga National Park (KNP) and other one-horned rhino habitats such as the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Forest officials said 17 of the herbivores have drowned or died in accidents while moving to safety.
• Officials of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said the rising Brahmaputra and Barak rivers and their tributaries have inundated 30 of the State’s 33 districts.
• 86 lakh people across 4,157 villages have been affected and 83,180 of them have taken shelter in 183 relief camps across 26 districts.
• Sixteen persons also died of AES and Japanese Encephalitis.

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