Current Affairs: October 15, 2016

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October 15, 2016

India, Russia ink agreement to set up 25 Agro Irradiation Centers

India and Russia have signed an agreement for cooperation in

the development of a network of 25 integrated infrastructure

Agro irradiation centres. The agreement was signed between

Indian Agricultural Association, Hindustan Agro Co-Op Ltd

(HACL) and United Innovation Corporation (UIC), a

subsidiary of ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation of Russia. As part of the agreement,

India-Russia joint venture (JV) will be formed in which HACL will have the majority 51%

stakeholding. UIC will be a technology partner and will help set up the irradiation centres. In

first phase 7 centers will be set up in Maharashtra in Sindhurg, Satara, Solapur, JNPT, Jalana,

Napur and Pune.

India to eliminate use of HFC-23 by 2030

India has decided to eliminate use of HFC-23, a

greenhouse gas (GHG) that harms the ozone layer

by 2030. With this, India, is taking the lead on

tackling climate change. It was announced during

the 28th Meeting of the Parties toof parties to the

Montreal Protocol at Kigali in Rwanda. In this meeting, final negotiations are taking place to

substantially reduce the use of HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) by 2030. The elimination will

potentially check emissions of HFC-23 equivalent to 100 million tonnes of CO2 over the next 15

Current Affairs: October 15, 2016

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years. Indian companies will not be compensated for the costs involved in ensuring that these

gases are not released.

India ranked 97th in 2016 Global Hunger Index

India has been ranked low 97th among the 118

countries surveyed in 2016 Global Hunger Index

(GHI). In 2016 GHI, India has scored low 28.5 on a

0-100 point scale of the index. It describes India’s

hunger situation as ‚serious. The index was

released by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). The GHI is a

multidimensional statistical tool used to describe the state of countries’ hunger situation. It is

released annually by IFPRI since 2006. It ranks countries on a 100-point scale. Zero on the scale

is the best score (no hunger), and 100 is the worst. It highlights successes and failures in hunger

reduction and provides insights into the drivers of hunger. Thus, GHI aims to trigger actions to

reduce hunger.

Bob Dylan wins 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature

American singer-songwriter, artist and writer Bob Dylan

(75) has won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature. He is the

first American to win the prize since novelist Toni

Morrison in 1993. The Swedish Academy has selected

Dylan for this prestigious award for creating new poetic

expressions within the great American song tradition. He was born as Robert Allen

Zimmerman on May 24, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota. His debut album was ‘Bob Dylan’ released

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in 1962. He had adopted the name Dylan after the poet Dylan Thomas. He is one of the best-

selling artists (musician) of all time and has sold more than 100 million records.

India receives first Iranian oil parcel for emergency reserves

India has received the first parcel of crude oil from Iran

to partly fill the strategic storage in southern India as

part of the Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPRs) storage.

The first parcel of 2 million barrels of Iranian oil was

imported by Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals

Ltd (MRPL) with the help of very large crude carrier

(VLCC) Dino. India is planning to fill half of the storage with 6 million barrels of Iranian oil

while continuing talks with United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia for the remainder. The

second parcel of such reserve will be procured by Bharat Petroleum Corp.

Antonio Guterres elected as new Secretary-General of UN

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has formally

elected Antonio Guterres (67) as the new Secretary-General of

the United Nations. In this regard, 193 member states of UN

adopted by acclamation a resolution for appointing Antonio

Guterres. He will have five-year term beginning January 1,

2017. He will succeed retiring Ban Ki-moon who has completed two five-year terms as the

world’s top diplomat. Earlier in October 2016, Antonio Guterres had won unanimous support

from UN Security Council (UNSC). Antonio Guterres is Portuguese politician and diplomat. He

had entered politics in 1976 during Portugal’s first democratic election after the ‚Carnation

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Revolution‛ which had ended five decades of dictatorship. He was Prime Minister of Portugal

from 1995 to 2002.

Union Cabinet approves MoU between EXIM bank and NDB

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing

of a MoU on General Cooperation with New

Development Bank (NDB) or BRICS Bank and Export

Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank). The MoU will be

through the BRICS Interbank Cooperation

Mechanism. The MoU will help enhance trade and economic relations among the BRICS

countries. However there is no financial implication involved with signing of the MoU. This

MoU is a non-binding umbrella agreement. It aims at establishing a cooperation framework in

accordance with the national laws and regulations. Besides it also seeks for skills transfer and

knowledge sharing amongst the signatories.