TNPSC Current Affairs July 21, 2018

www.tnpsc.academy – TNPSC Current Affairs July 21, 2018 (21/07/2018)

 

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Topic: Latest Diary of Events, Places in News

Rani-ki-Vav

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will soon be releasing a new lavender Rs 100 currency note. The banknote highlights the rich and diverse cultural heritage of India as it prominently displays a photograph of ‘Rani-ki-vav’ (The Queen’s Stepwell), an 11th century architectural wonder.

About ‘Rani- ki- vav’:

Located in Gujarat’s Patan, the 900-year-old structure is a major tourist attraction, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and was awarded as the cleanest iconic place in India in 2016. It is located on the banks of Saraswati River.

It was built by the Solanki dynasty’s queen Udayamati in the 11th century as a memorial to her deceased husband Bhimdev I.

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Topic: General Administrations, International Diary of Events

Israel Adopts Jewish Nation-State Law

Israel’s parliament has adopted a law defining the country as the nation state of the Jewish people, provoking fears it could lead to blatant discrimination against Arab citizens.

The Nationality Bill:

The law speaks of Israel as the historic homeland of the Jews and says they have a “unique” right to self-determination there.

The legislation makes Hebrew the country’s national language and defines the establishment of Jewish communities as being in the national interest.

Arabic, previously considered an official language, was granted only special status. It also establishes the flag, the national symbol and anthem. The legislation becomes part of the country’s basic laws, which serve as a de facto constitution.

Why was this law created?

The question of Israel’s status as a Jewish state is politically controversial and has long been debated. Before now, it has not been enshrined in law.

Some Israeli Jewish politicians consider that the founding principles of Israel’s creation, as a state for Jews in their ancient homeland, are under threat and could become less relevant, or obsolete, in the future.

Fears over the high birth-rate of Israeli Arabs, as well as possible alternatives to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which could challenge Israel’s Jewish majority, have spurred on calls to anchor the Jewishness of Israel in law.

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Topic: World Records, Latest Diary of Events, Profile of States

Global slavery Index 2018

The report of the Global slavery Index 2018 has been released recently. It is published by the Australia-based human rights group Walk Free Foundation.

The estimation data were drawn from 54 surveys conducted in 48 countries which included a module on Modern Slavery, with a total sample of 71,158 individual interviews.

What is Modern Slavery?

“In the context of this report, modern slavery covers a set of specific legal concepts including forced labour, debt bondage, forced marriage, slavery and slavery-like practices, and human trafficking”.

It is used as an umbrella term which refers to situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, deception, and abuse of power.

Performance of various countries:

North Korea is at the top of the list with 104.6 per 1,000 and Japan registering the lowest prevalence rate of 0.3 per 1,000.

Globally, nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of modern slavery’s victims are women and girls. There are more female than male victims across all forms of modern slavery.

Extent of modern slavery in India:

Among 167 countries, India ranked 53. However, in absolute numbers, India topped the list on prevalence.

The index estimates that on any given day in 2016 there were nearly 8 million people living in “modern slavery” in India — a claim strongly contested by the government on the grounds that its parameters were poorly defined and too wide-ranging.

The report said that in terms of prevalence, there were 6.1 victims for every thousand people.

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Topic : General Administration, Latest Diary of Events

Delhi Dialogue 2018

10th edition of the Delhi Dialogue (DD X) was held in New Delhi. This is the first major event to be organized after the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit, that was held in New Delhi in January 2018.

Theme: “Strengthening India-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation”.

What is Delhi Dialogue?

It is a premier annual track 1.5 event to discuss politico-security, economic and socio-cultural engagement between India and ASEAN.

It has been held annually since 2009 and political leaders, policy makers, senior officials, diplomats, think tanks and academicians from both sides participate in the discussions pertaining to ASEAN-India relations.

It is aimed at finding a common ground and expanding the scope of cooperation between India and ASEAN nations.

ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations):

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand.

It was established with the signing of an ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the ministers of the founding countries.

Its founding countries are Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

Eventually, Brunei Darussalam then joined on 7 January 1984, Viet Nam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999, making up to ten Member States of ASEAN.

Key Facts:

The theme of ninth edition of dialogue was “ASEAN-India Relations: Charting the Course for the Next 25 Years”. It had marked the 25th anniversary of ASEAN-India Partnership.

The term track 1.5 diplomacy is used by some analysts to define a situation where official and non-official actors cooperate in conflict resolution.

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Topic: Sports and Medals, Latest Diary of Events

2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens

The 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens was the seventh edition of the Rugby World Cup Sevens. Organised by World Rugby, it was held in San Francisco, United States.

Who won?

New Zealand won the championship for both events — defeating England in the men’s final and France in the women’s final.

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Topic : Latest Diary of Events

Hackers stole 1.5 million health records: Singapore

Hackers have stolen the health records of 1.5 million Singaporeans, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Attackers specifically and repeatedly targeted the personal particulars and outpatient information of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.