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Obesity
costs the world $2 trillion every year
World
> Obesity > Nov 20
According to a study by
McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), one third of the world's population
is overweight or obese, which costs the world $2 trillion dollars
annually in terms of costs related to health and lower productivity.
It outranks alcoholism, climate change, air pollution and drug
problems but falls behind armed conflicts and smoking. The problem is
showing no signs of improving and at the current rate half of the
world's population will be obese by the year 2030. Obesity also
accounts for 5% of the deaths globally. Strict measures such as the
promotion of healthy nutritious foods and restrictions on the
advertising of high calorie foods and drinks will have to be
undertaken to curb the rate of obesity.
Chinese
hydroelectric dam built on Brahmaputra river
World
> China > Nov 24
China has announced the
completion of a major hydropower dam, called Yarlung Zangbo built on
the Brahmaputra. Following the announcement, India and Bangladesh
fear flash floods and related risks like landslides involving lives
of millions of people downstream. India has been worried about the
consequences of damming the Brahmaputra. However, Indian officials
have so far been satisfied by Beijing’s explanations.
Beijing said that the dam is
built to empower the development of electricity deprived regions.
Thorough study of the impact of dam building and behavioral changes
in the Brahmaputra will be commissioned soon.
Portuguese
ex-PM Jose Socrates in jail over fraud case
World
> Portugal > Nov 24
Former Portuguese Prime
Minister Jose Socrates is being investigated for suspected
corruption, money-laundering and tax fraud. Subsequently, he is
obligated to spend a third straight night in jail after being
detained by the police. The investigating judge has decided to
continue the interrogation. The judge needs to rule whether Socrates
should be released or held pending a trial.
The Attorney-General's
office said he and three others are suspected of colluding in crimes.
Home
secretary warns Britain against greatest terror threat in its history
World
> Britain > Nov 24
Theresa May, home secretary
has warned Britain of the greatest terrorist threat. She stated that
the dangers posed by the Islamic State are larger than that of any
other terror organisation ever. She also explained the diversity of
terrorist groups indicating the existence of "violent
individuals" and "lone wolves” who are more active than
others. The counterterrorism measures adopted by UK include
cancellation of overseas suspects' passports, allowing the government
to control their potential return to the UK, and changes to Terrorist
Prevention and Investigation Measures, allowing authorities to force
suspects leave their country.
Others
Pakistan
will speak to Kashmiri leaders before talks with India
World
> India-
Pakistan > Nov 20
Pakistan Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif has said that Pakistan will consult Kashmiri leaders
before entering into any negotiations with India. He alleged that
Pakistan had initiated dialogue with India regarding the Kashmir
issue but India cancelled the scheduled foreign secretary talks.
Therefore, he is now resorting to the Kashmiri leaders. PM Sharif has
been using the Kashmir issue by speaking about it at local and
international forums to garner support within the country's powerful
military establishment as well as to counter intense political
opposition to his rule.
CBI
director Ranjit Sinha removed from the 2G scam probing committee by
SC
Politics
and Government >
2G Scam > Nov 20
Referring to the charges
levelled against CBI chief Ranjit Sinha of helping people accused in
the 2G scam, the Supreme Court has said that there appears to be some
credibility to the allegations. As a result, the apex court has
ordered the disgraced chief to stay out of the scam investigation. It
further stated that the senior most officer investigating the scam
should take over the responsibilities of the CBI chief.
2G spectrum scam was a scam
involving politicians and government officials of India illegally
undercharging companies for
frequency allocation licenses, which they would then use to
create 2G spectrum subscriptions for cell phones. The shortfall
between the money collected and the money that the law mandated to be
collected is estimated to be Rs. 1766 billion, as valued by the
Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
Tech
Mahindra makes a $240 million acquisition of LCC
Corporate
> Tech
Mahindra > Nov 20
India's fifth largest
software services exporter Tech Mahindra, is set to acquire a US
based network services company Lightbridge Communications Corporation
(LCC) for $240 million. The deal is set to be finalised by late 2015.
LLC is one of the global leaders in providing network engineering
services to the telecommunications industry and generates an annual
revenue of more than $400 million. The acquisition is set to make
Tech Mahindra an important player in the network services market
globally and is an important step for the company to go global.
Indians
form 450,000 of the illegal immigrant population in the US
According to a report,
Indians form around 4% of the immigrant population of the United
States of America. The total immigrant population is around 11.2
million, which has remained unchanged since 2009. The number of
Mexicans has gone down by 500,000 who form the highest of the lot.
Other countries comprising the list are - China (300,000), the
Philippines (200,000), South Korea (180,000), the Dominican Republic
(170,000) and Colombia (150,000).
1020
rhinos killed in South Africa in 2014
World
> Rhinoceros
Poaching > Nov 20
According to a report from
the environmental affairs of South Africa, 1020 rhinoceros were
killed in the country during the current year. This is a huge setback
for the government, which has been taking multiple efforts to curb
the poaching of the endangered species. The increased demand for the
animals' horn from Asian countries has propelled the number of
deaths. The officials termed the number of deaths as tragic, but,
were also boastful about the increase in arrests of suspected
poachers. The country has launched a number of rescue operations for
the endangered animal, including the deployment of armed forces near
national parks.
Research
by scientists at IIT - Bombay reduces the time and money required for
dialysis by half
Science
and Technology >
Dialysis
Treatment > Nov 21
Researchers at IIT -
Bombay's chemical engineering department have come up with a special
membrane, which promises to reduce money and time required for
dialysis by 50%. As dialysis is a recurring process and it requires a
new filter each time that needs to be imported and increases the
costs involved, due to which 90% of the patients die as they cannot
afford treatment. A filter developed indigenously will reduce the
cost dramatically. The membrane developed by IIT - B is a key
component of the filter and removes impurities from the blood during
dialysis.
Dialyses is the process of
artificially removing waste and excess water from the bloodstream of
the people suffering from chronic kidney diseases.
CBSE
to reiterate three language formula
India
> Education > Nov 24
After the government decided
to drop German as the third language in the curriculum of Kendriya
Vidyalaya schools, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)
has decided to issue a circular to all affiliated institutions saying
a third language apart from Hindi and English should be a part of the
syllabus. The language would be a modern Indian language. It is not
clear at the moment if the board will ask private schools to
discontinue teaching the third foreign language, and things will be
apparent after the circular is issued.
New
transport bill will require proof of registration of a parking space
Politics
and Government >
Road Transport
Law > Nov 24
According to a new bill that
is set to be passed, booking a parking space would be mandatory
before buying a new car. This rule will come into effect if the
government has its way and implements the new Road Transport &
Safety Bill 2014. According to the law, a fresh application for
vehicle registration should be accompanied by the proof of parking
space approved by a government authority. While the move is a
provisional one and needs to be approved by the parliament, industry
experts have criticised the suggestion as the market for cars is
already sluggish. Government officials on the other hand have a
different opinion and say the move will create awareness among car
buyers.
US
officer fired 12-year old boy with fake gun
World
> USA > Nov 24
A 12-year boy was shot by a
US officer after he pointed a gun that was "probably fake” at
a playground. The boy had pulled out a replica handgun after being
told to raise his hands by the officers. The officers were called by
someone on the emergency call number complaining about a 12-year boy
with the “fake gun”. However the officers failed to notice that
the gun was lacking the orange safety indicator usually found on the
muzzle. The incident is being investigated by the police department
and the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave,
which is standard procedure.
Special
court questions CBI over ex-PM exclusion from the coal scam probe
India
> Coal
Scam > Nov 25
Former Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh, who was also the coal minister during his tenure at
the office was not probed in the coal scam interrogation by the CBI.
This move of the CBI has come under the scanner, and the
investigation body was questioned by a special court. In response to
the above allegation, the investigating officer retorted that the
officials from the PM's office were questioned and that the
questioning of the then coal minister (PM) was not necessary.
Coal allocation scam, is a
political scandal concerning the Indian government's allocation of
the nation's coal deposits to public sector entities and private
companies by the UPA government.
Honda
admits under-reporting of accidents in US since 2003
Corporate
> Honda > Nov 25
Japanese auto giant Honda
Motor Co. has admitted that it failed to notify US safety regulators
the occurrence of 1729 accidents related to their vehicles. It
ascribed the error to a third party audit of the casualties, blaming
data entry faults for the irregularity. The company assured it will
take steps to rectify the error. The statement comes as a follow-up
to the notice issued to the company by the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration to fulfil its legal obligation to report deaths
and injuries involving air bags. The automobile giant and Japanese
firm Takata Corp have been in the centre of a controversy surrounding
faulty air-bags in Honda cars, provided by the latter.
