National Current Affairs – UPSC/KAS Exams- 4th December 2018
Qatar to quit OPEC
Topic: International Affairs
IN NEWS: Qatar has taken the decision to leave the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) next month in order to focus on gas production.
More on the Topic:
- Qatar announced its plans to boost gas production to 110 million tonnes a year by 2024. Its oil production is around 6,00,000 barrels a day, making it the world’s 17th largest producer of crude, according to WorldData.info. It also only holds around 2% of the world’s global oil reserves, according to the CIA World Factbook.
- Although Qatar’s move came out of the blue, analysts say it will have limited impact on the global market.
OPEC
- The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is an intergovernmental organisation of 15 nations, founded in 1960 in Baghdad by the first five members (Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela), and headquartered since 1965 in Vienna, Austria.
- As of September 2018, the 15 countries accounted for an estimated 44 percent of global oil production and 81.5 percent of the world’s “proven” oil reserves, giving OPEC a major influence on global oil prices that were previously determined by the so called “Seven Sisters” grouping of multinational oil companies.
- The organization is also a significant provider of information about the international oil market.
- The current OPEC members are the following: Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, the Republic of the Congo, Saudi Arabia (the de facto leader), United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. Indonesia is a former member, and Qatar will no longer be the member of OPEC starting on 1 January 2019.
Source:The Hindu
NASA spacecraft arrives at ancient asteroid
Topic: Science and Technology
IN NEWS: After a two-year chase, a NASA spacecraft arrived Monday at the ancient asteroid Bennu, its first visitor in billions of years.
More on the Topic:
- The robotic explorer Osiris-Rex pulled within 12 miles (19 kilometers) of the diamond-shaped space rock. It will get even closer in the days ahead and go into orbit around Bennu.
- No spacecraft has ever orbited such a small cosmic body. It is the first U.S. attempt to gather asteroid samples for return to Earth, something only Japan has accomplished so far.
- Scientists are eager to study material from a carbon-rich asteroid like dark Bennu, which could hold evidence dating back to the beginning of our solar system 4.5 billion years ago. As such, it’s an astronomical time capsule.
- A Japanese spacecraft, meanwhile, has been hanging out at another near-Earth asteroid , also for samples. It is Japan’s second asteroid mission. This latest rock is named Ryugu and about double the size of Bennu.
- Japan managed to return some tiny particles in 2010 from its first asteroid mission , also named
Source:The Hindu
National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act
Topic: Polity and Governance
In news: The Supreme Court has dismissed the review petition challenging the striking down of a Constitutional Amendment that sought to give the executive a say in the appointment of top judges on grounds of delay and lack of merit.
More on the Topic:
- On 16 October 2015, in a 4-1 majority verdict, the Supreme Court held that both the Constitution (Ninety-ninth Amendment) Act, 2014, and the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act, 2014, were unconstitutional as it would undermine the independence of the judiciary.
- The majority said the two laws affect the independence of the judiciary, and judicial appointments, among other things, should be protected from executive control.
NJAC and the Act:
- NJAC is a body responsible for the appointment and transfer of judges to the higher judiciary in India. JAC Bill sought to replace the collegium system of appointing the judges of Supreme Court and 24 High Courts with judicial appointments commission wherein the executive will have a say in appointing the judges.
- A new article, Article 124A, (which provides for the composition of the NJAC) was to be inserted into the Constitution.
- The Bill provided for the procedure to be followed by the NJAC for recommending persons for appointment as Chief Justice of India and other Judges of the Supreme Court (SC), and Chief Justice and other Judges of High Courts (HC).
Members of the Commission:
- Chief Justice of India (Chairperson, ex officio)
- Two other senior judges of the Supreme Court next to the Chief Justice of India – ex officio
- The Union Minister of Law and Justice, ex-officio
- Two eminent persons (to be nominated by a committee consisting of the Chief Justice of India, Prime Minister of India and the Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha or where there is no such Leader of Opposition, then, the Leader of single largest Opposition Party in Lok Sabha), provided that of the two eminent persons, one person would be from the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes or OBC or minority communities or a woman. The eminent persons shall be nominated for a period of three years and shall not be eligible for re-nomination.
Source: The Hindu
Hornbill Festival
Topic: Culture
In news: The Union Home Minister inaugurated the hugely popular Hornbill Festival 2018 in Kohima, coinciding with the Formation Day of Nagaland.
More on the Topic:
- Nagas celebrate this festival to revive, protect, sustain and promote the richness of the Naga heritage and traditions.
- It occurs during 1 – 10 December on an annual basis.
- It is also called the “Festival of Festivals”.
- The festival pays tribute to Hornbill, the most admired and revered bird for the Nagas for its qualities of alertness and grandeur.
- It is organized by State Tourism and Art & Culture Departments and also supported by Union Government.
- Hornbill Festival was established on 1st December 1963 and was inaugurated by the then President S Radhakrishnan.
Source:The Hindu
India to start registration of drones, pilots, and operators
Topic: Governance
In news: Digital Sky Platform was launched to start registration of drones, pilots, and operators Registration portal for online permission.
Top features and facilities:
- New features will be developed to ease the process of flying for users.
- To provide oversight to security agencies.
- It is envisioned that in the future Digital Sky Service Providers (DSPs) will be extending the functionality of the platform through Application Program Interfaces (APIs).
- There is a need to gain permission to fly in different zones.
- Green zones – Flying in the green zones, requires only intimation of the time and location via the portal or the app.
- Yellow zones – Permission will be required for flying in yellow zones.
- Red zones – Flights will not be allowed to fly.
- If an RPAS does not have permission to fly, it will not be allowed to take-off under the policy of No-Permission-No-Takeoff (NPNT).
Source:The Hindu
1st Robot with Artificial Intelligence to Fly in Space
Topic: Science and Technology
In news: CIMON is a small robot endowed with artificial intelligence (AI) launched on a two-day trip to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s Dragon cargo capsule.
More on the Topic:
- CIMON was developed by the European aerospace company Airbus on behalf of the German space agency. The robot’s AI is IBM’s famous Watson system.
- CIMON is roughly spherical and weighs 11 lbs. (5 kilograms). The robot can converse with people, and it knows whom it’s talking to thanks to facial-recognition software.
Source: The Hindu
EX SHINYUU Maitri-2018
Topic: International Relations
In news:The Japanese Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) will participate in bilateral air exercise SHINYUU Maitri-18 with Indian Air Force.
More on the Topic:
- The theme of the exercise is joint Mobility/Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR) on Transport aircraft. The JASDF C2 aircraft along with aircrew/observers are part of this first air exercise between the two Air Forces.
Source: PIB
