Current Affairs - 2019-20

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The American Cancer Society presents the Luther L. Terry Awards. The awards recognize individuals and organizations that continue the work of Dr. Luther Terry. Dr. Terry was the ninth Surgeon General of the United States from 1961 to 1965. He is known for his warnings against the dangers of tobacco use.  The Luther L. Terry Awards recognize those who carry on Dr. Terry’s legacy and the importance of continuing his work. For example, in 2018, Professor Elif Dagli and Dr. Constantine Vardavas were recognized for their work on tobacco control.  Dr. Terry released the Smoking and Health-Report, which became one of the most important and widely quoted documents in medicine.

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The Ministry of Railways has signed MoU with Ministry of AYUSH in New Delhi on February 6, 2018 to augment Ayush services in Railway hospitals i.e. New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Guwahati. As per MoU, Ministry of Railways will provide logistics and infrastructure in the form of Land & building, Equipments, Furniture, AYUSH medicines and consumables as well as Manpower. It will organize and provide orientation training to newly recruited AYUSH Doctors and AYUSH Paramedicals. Ministry of AYUSH in turn will provide all other technical inputs required for introduction of AYUSH Systems in the five identified Railways Hospitals. The Ministry will also provide technical knowhow regarding the pharmacopoeia, medicine inventory, hospital planning. Presently, Indian Railways is running 126 Homeopathic Clinics and 40 Ayurvedic Clinics through Staff Benefit Fund under Welfare Section of Establishment Directorate.

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The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed a UN Decade of Action on Nutrition, paving the way for tackling child hunger and ending all forms of malnutrition once and for all. Every country in the world in 2015, agreed to eliminate malnutrition by 2030. Brazil became the first country to make SMART commitments as part of the United Nations (UN) Decade of Action on Nutrition 2016-2025.

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Recently, Scientists have discovered a new planet called Ross 128b that could possibly sustain life. This planet is located just 11 light-years away. It is a temperate planet that orbits a “quiet star”. It gets its name from the fact that it doesn’t spew out life-threatening bursts of radiation. The planet was discovered using ESO’s unique planet-hunting HARPS instrument.

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INS Chakra is an 8,140-tonne nuclear-powered submarine manufactured by Russia. It was taken by India on lease from Russia in 2012 for a period of 10 years. The Russian experts after examination of the damaged submarine have asked 125 crore for its repair. The Arihant is based on Russian double hull design with a sealed nuclear reactor section. Recently, it also suffered a major damage due to “human error” and is back in services after repairs. INS Arihant was built with Russia’s help under Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project.

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Kandhamal Haladi is a golden yellow spice, named after the Kandhamal district in Odisha where it is produced. It is being cultivated there from time immemorial and is known for its medicinal value.

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Venezuela and Libya were recently suspended from voting in the UN General Assembly for the third time in three years because of millions of dollars in unpaid dues to the world body. Venezuela is required to pay a minimum of $25,200,296 to restore its voting rights and Libya needs to pay at least $6,594,842.

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The Helsinki Rules are an international guideline that regulate how rivers and their connected groundwaters that cross national boundaries may be used. The International Law Association (ILA) adopted the Helsinki Rules in Helsinki, Finland in 1966. The Helsinki Rules established a common legal framework guiding the use of surface water and connected groundwater in international drainage basins. The Helsinki Rules describe in detail the relevant factors to be considered, including the drainage area within each basin state, hydrology, and climate in the basin. These factors determine basin water resources within each state and their variability.
The Helsinki Rules were succeeded by the Berlin Rules on Water Resources in 2004. The ILA adopted the Rules on International Groundwaters, also known as the Seoul Rules, in Seoul, Korea in 1986.

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Maldives left the Commonwealth in October 2016, claiming that it was "unfairly and unjustly" treated by the global body.

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The International Conference for Sustainable Development for the year 2017 has been proposed to be held in Rome, Italy. The European Centre of Sustainable Development will be organizing the conference.