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*11th biennial ministerial conference of the World Trade Organisationended in a stalemate.

*Division of countries: industrial vs. developing

*India: Offensive list missed: “Permanent Solution” of food stockpile

Defensive list achieved: “Peace Clause”

The failure of industrial countries to fast-track e-commerce talks, and commitments that reductions in fishing subsidies would not be discussed at least until the next ministerial in 2019, are being seen by India as points in its favour.

*Developing nations wants clarity on e-com and market access as per Doha Round 2001.

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*US wants to clarify the definition of “Developed Country”

*USA-Japan-EU: Aimed at China on trade-distorting practices such as over-

capacity and mandatory technology transfer policies

*India and China submitted a proposal to end the trade-distorting farm

subsidies of Western nations.

*India rightly argued that while its GDP may be growing, the country has

hundreds of millions living in poverty and without food security.

*While India can, and must, develop a multi-pronged approach to end

hunger, it is correct to seek clarifications that its sovereign right to

provide subsidies for food security is not compromised by the WTO.

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*Central TB Division: Rs 500 a month to each of India’s 35 lakh diagnosed TB patients

*For: Loss of wages, travel and nutrition

*Malnutrition, which has a complicated relationship with TB.*Early study: prisoner-of-war camp in Germany in the 1940s showed that Soviet inmates, who didn’t receive

extra rations from the Red Cross as their British counterparts did, were around 16 times more likely to develop the disease.

*Since then, evidence linking low body mass index and nutritional deficiencies with higher rates of disease has piled up.

*One calculation suggests that half of all adult Indian TB patients get the disease due to malnutrition.

*Recommendations: Double the ration of TB patient family, access to proteins

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*Do pre-packaged protein powders work better than rations of cereals

and pulses?

*Do TB patients need more of certain vitamins and minerals than healthy

people do?

*A recently announced 2000-subject study by the Indian Council of

Medical Research in Jharkhand may go some way in plugging this

knowledge gap, but more research is required.

*But understanding what constitutes such a diet, and making sure that

patients get it, isn’t as straightforward.

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*Irony

*2017 Forbes India List says that the combined net worth of India’s 100 wealthiest

stood at a whopping $479 billion

*Top corporate borrower groups in India are unable to repay loans and make

timely interest payments.

*NPAs that have brought many public sector banks on the verge of

bankruptcy.

*23 Nov 17: Govt. amended the IBC 2016.

*Many are of the view that if the errant promoter is disqualified from the bidding

process it will lead to further losses for banks.

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*May 2017 ordinance directed banks to accept deep haircuts on their non-

performing loans.

*No explicit direction to recall the outstanding loans and recover as much as possible against the

personal guarantees of promoters.

*GMR Infrastructure, GVK Power and Infrastructure, and Jaiprakash Associates borrowed more money

than they could repay is being overlooked and their inability to repay is sought to be justified by

“circumstances beyond their control”.

*Not been downgraded on their creditworthiness parameter

*32,000 odd home buyers of Jaypee Infratech

Corporates-bank nexus

*A government bailout of the corporate sector.

*RBI making credit available to defaulting corporates at negative rates of

interest.

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*Recent ordinance: It makes the resolution professional all powerful.

*Up to them to decide who will be eligible to bid for the defaulter companies

or their assets.

*Having failed to repay even the reduced amounts of loan and interest to

the banks, wilful defaulters/ defaulters of these companies should not

qualify as eligible bidders.

*So far, none of the first 12 corporates referred to the IBC has been debarred from bidding back their

companies after driving them aground.

*Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) is the regulator set up on

October 1, 2016 under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.

*Advisory committees on corporate insolvency and liquidation are chaired by several top corporates.

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*The appointment of corporates as heads of important corporate

insolvency advisory committees under IBBI does not inspire confidence in

the credibility of the resolution process.

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*20th round Special Representatives of India and China

*The set of remarks, therefore, broadly underpin the direction of ties

with China in the near term.

*Wang Yi used the phrase “critical period” after he met Ms. Swaraj.

*“correct choice regarding the future direction of bilateral relations”

*“overall development momentum were unsatisfactory”

*“genuine cultivation of mutual trust”

*“Dong Lang incident caused by the Indian border troops’ illegal crossing of the

China-India boundary into the Chinese territory was a severe test for bilateral

relations… lessons should be learned to prevent similar incidents from happening

again”

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*Mr. Wang also set out some tasks that needed to be undertaken: both

sides should enhance strategic communications at all levels, restore

established dialogue mechanisms (emphasis added), deepen practical co-

operation in various fields “and meanwhile, well manage existing

differences and well safeguard peace and tranquillity in border areas”.

*He also specifically alluded to the benefits that await India were it to

come aboard the Belt and Road Initiative, which New Delhi has shown

some reluctance towards.

*Special Representatives (SR) — set up with so much fanfare in 2003 — is

pointless thing.

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*Mr. Wang’s candid remarks should come days after the tenth round of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Co-ordination on India China Border Affairs, (WMCC) which concluded with a positive spin having been imparted to them as having been “constructive and forward looking”, but without firm dates for the next meeting.

*As many as four lines ran across the border areas: one where we perceived the LAC to be, one where the Chinese perceived the LAC to be, one where we perceived the Chinese perceived the line to be and one where the Chinese perceived where we thought our line lay.

*Whether it is China’s opposition to India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group, or its steadfast support to Pakistan’s mollycoddling of terrorist groups that are inimical to India, or its pointed message to encourage Bhutan to settle its boundary dispute with China in a way that would make the Indian Army’s presence in Doklam eventually redundant. Just look at the Chinese penetration of the area we consider to be our backyard: whether it is Sri Lanka, Nepal, and now the Maldives. Can Bhutan be far behind?

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Cabinet nod for Bill making instant triple talaq a crime

*Bill that makes instant triple talaq, or talaq-e-biddat, a criminal

offence.

*Muslim man resorting to instant talaq can be jailed for up to three years.

*The government intends to introduce the Bill in the winter session of

Parliament.

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Link Aadhaar, bank account by March 31

*An Aadhaar holder will have to furnish his unique ID card to open a new

bank account, a five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, led

by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, orally clarified on Friday.

*The Bench, however, extended the last date of the linking process to

March 31, 2018, for the existing bank accounts.

*The Bench scheduled the final hearing on 28 separate writ petitions

challenging the very validity of the Aadhaar scheme for January 17, 2018.

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Gujarat animus finds echo in Rajya Sabha

*The Opposition stalled the proceedings in the Rajya Sabha on the first day of the winter session on Friday, demanding an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remarks that his predecessor, Manmohan Singh, and others have entered into a conspiracy with Pakistan to defeat the BJP in Gujarat.

*The protest began right in the morning after Chairman M. VenkaiahNaidu disallowed a notice by the Congress and other Opposition parties seeking suspension of business to discuss the matter.

*The Opposition members also protested against the disqualification of the former Janata Dal(U) leaders Sharad Yadav and Ali Anwar from the House.

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‘India should secure infrastructure against cyberthreats’

*India needs to worry about terror groups attacking critical infrastructure

such as power plants, telecom and banking systems, saysEugene

Kaspersky, founder of the world’s biggest private cybersecurity firm.

*Cyberweapons are like a nuclear weapon now, a deterrent. But worried

about cyberterrorism.

*There are many groups that are responsible to no one and they are the

worst case scenario for us.

*CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team)

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NGT once again bans plastic use in Haridwar, Rishikesh to save Ganga

*Green panel imposes Rs5,000 fine on violators

*The bench headed by NGT chairperson Swatanter Kumar banned the

sale, manufacture and storage of all such plastic items, till Uttarkashi.

*The green panel specified that the ban would be applicable to towns in

Uttarakhand, along river Ganga and its tributaries.

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*.

Thorough check An Israeli soldier aims his weapon at journalists in Hebron on Friday. Troops shot dead three

Palestinians as protests over U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital entered the

second week.REUTERS

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*.

The way forward: British Prime Minister Theresa May, left, and U.K. Permanent Representative to the EU Tim Barrow

arrive to attend a European Union summit in Brussels. AFP

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Govt. to return MDR to banks to boost digital

*To cover transactions of up to Rs 2,000

*The Centre said it would reimburse the merchant discount rate (MDR)

applicable on digital transactions up to Rs 2,000 for the next two years

to give a fillip to digital payments in the country. This will be applicable

on transactions done using debit cards, UPI BHIM application or Aadhaar.

*The decision, cleared by the Cabinet, was expected to cost the

exchequer more than Rs2,500 crore.

*MDR is payable by the merchant to the bank when a payment is made at

a merchant point of sale.

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Slowdown bottoming out, says RBI’s Patel

*Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Urjit Patel said with growth picking up in the second quarter of the current financial year, the economic slowdown may have bottomed out.

*Official data released this month, showed gross domestic product (GDP) in the July-September quarter expanded 6.3% year-on-year, snapping a four-quarter slowdown. Growth in the preceding quarter was 5.7%.

*‘Efficiency augmenting’: GST and Demonetisation

*The RBI chief said international investors had warmed to the Indian economy as reflected in the sizeable foreign investment inflows.

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Questions

1. Which parts of the Earth’s surface experience least variation in

incoming solar radiation throughout the year?

A. Poles

B. Equatorial regions

C. Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn

D. Arctic and Antarctic Circles

2. A Chief Election Commissioner can be removed in a manner similar to

that of

A. Vice-President

B. Speaker

C. Governor

D. Judge of the Supreme Court

Boris Johnson U.K.

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Question

1.Government of India has raised the customs duty on

electronic items. Explain how this decision can impact

“Make in India”?

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