Daily Current Affairs 12 November 2019

Current Affairs Of Today Are

1) MPC for MILAN 2020

• The Mid Planning Conference (MPC) for MILAN exercise concluded at HQENC Visakhapatnam 08 Nov 19. The three-day conference was attended by 29 delegates from 17 friendly Foreign Navies.
• The scope of exercise planned during the harbor and sea phase of MILAN 2020 was discussed in detail with the delegates of the participating countries during the conference.  

About MILAN

MILAN series of biennial a multilateral naval exercise which commenced in 1995, was conducted at Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) until last year, is being conducted for the first time on the mainland at ENC with increased scope and complexity of the Exercise. MILAN 2020 is aimed to enhance professional interaction between friendly foreign navies and learn from each other’s strengths and best practices in the maritime domain. The event would also provide an excellent opportunity for Operational Commanders of friendly foreign navies to interact with each other in areas of mutual interest.

2) WHO's affordable insulin 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is launching an initiative to expand access to affordable insulin on the occasion of World Diabetes Day on November 14. Stating that more than 420 million people worldwide, mostly in low­ and middle­income countries, live with diabetes, the WHO noted that many who require insulin do not have access to it, often due to high costs.

The global report on diabetes shows that essential medicines and technologies, including insulin, are generally available in only 1 in 3 of the poorest countries

International Diabetes Federation Diabetes Atlas (7th Edition)

According to the International Diabetes Federation Diabetes Atlas (7th Edition), China had the largest number of patients (11.43 cr.) followed by India (7.29 cr.) in 2017

National Family Health Survey 2015­-16

 As per the National Family Health Survey 2015­16, 5.8% of women and 8.0% of men in India are having a blood sugar level above 140 mg/dl, in the age group of 15-­49 years.

3) U.S. court refuses to ban work permits for H-1B holders’ spouses 

U.S. court has refused to strike down, for the time being, the rule that allowed spouses of H­-1B visa holders to work in America

About the ban

The H-­1B visa is a non­immigrant visa that allows U.S. companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. A 2015 rule issued by former U.S. President Barack Obama allowed work permits for certain categories of H-­4 visa holders, primarily spouses of those having H-­1B work visas waiting for their Green Card, to work in the U.S. Indians, in particular women, were the greatest beneficiary of this rule, which has been challenged by several U.S. workers with the current Trump administration supporting their cause, saying that it wants to rescind the rule.

4) Scientific Reports shows the anti-­retroviral activity of Seaweed

Two species of marine brown algae, also known as macroalgae (seaweed), Dictiyota bartaysiana and Turbinaria decurrence  were chosen by the team for extraction of the bioactive compound

The medicinal properties of compounds extracted from seaweed have been used for medicinal purposes. These compounds, as a class called sulphated polysaccharides, have been shown to have anti-­inflammatory and anti-viral properties. Their anti­-retroviral activity also makes them potential drugs against HIV.

A team from Chennai has extracted sulphated polysaccharide known as fucoidan from two seaweed species collected from the Mandapam, Thondi and Rameswaram regions along the coast of Tamil Nadu. The team further shows that, in vitro, this compound inhibits the functioning of the HIV-­1 strain of the human immunodeficiency virus to a degree that is comparable to the drug tenofovir that is presently in vogue for anti-retroviral action.

The idea that sulphated polysaccharides can inhibit the activity of viral strains and arrest their growth has been known for some time now. 

About HIV

HIV comes in two strains, HIV-­1 and HIV-­2, and of these the former strain is more widespread and this is the strain that the group studied. The proliferation of HIV in cells is related to the expression of a protein called gagP24. The bioactive compound extracted from the seaweed and purified was used to treat cell lines (in vitro) and these were compared with two types of control cells. One set of controls was not treated with any chemical, and the second set was treated with tenofovir. The HIV cell lines treated with fucoidan did show a high percentage of inhibition (close to 90%) of the expression of the protein as compared with untreated controls. The drug tenofovir had a high degree

of inhibition effect also

5) Sample Registration Survey (SRS)

The report by the Sample Registration Survey (SRS) from 2015 to 2017 shows that Indian women in their 20s make up for the biggest chunk of maternal deaths. 68% of deaths were among women in the age group of 20­-29. 

The MMR of India has declined from 130 in 2014-­2016 to 122 in 2015-­17. The drop has been most significant in an empowered action group (EAG) States from 188 to 175

Read more about MMR click here

6) BRICS Summit 2019

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Brasilia, Brazil on 13th - 14th November 2019 to attend the 11th BRICS summit. The theme of the BRICS summit this year is "Economic Growth for an Innovative Future.”

Prime Minister is scheduled to hold separate bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Chinese Premier Xi Jinping apart from the BRICS business forum closing ceremony and the closed & Plenary Sessions of the XI BRICS Summit.

The discussions are expected to be focused on challenges and opportunities for the exercise of national sovereignty in the contemporary world. This will be followed by the BRICS Plenary Session where the leaders will discuss the intra BRICS cooperation for the economic development of BRICS societies.

About BRICS Summit

BRICS brings together five major emerging economies comprising 42 percent of the world's population, having 23 percent of the global GDP and around 17 percent of the share and world trade.

BRICS cooperation has two pillars including consultations on issues of mutual interest through the meeting of leaders and ministers as well as cooperation through the meeting of senior officials in several areas including trade, finance, health, education, science and technology, agriculture, communications IT, etc.

7)  Index of Industrial Production (IIP) shrinks by 4.3% 

Industrial activity in September contracted sharply by 4.3%, driven by major slowdowns in the capital goods, mining, and manufacturing sectors, according to official data released by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).

This is the first time after November 2012 that all three broad­based sectors have contracted and the lowest monthly growth in the 2011­-12 base year series

Contraction of Different Sectors 

• Within the Index, the capital goods sector saw a contraction of 20.7%, compared with shrinkage of 21% in August. 
• The mining sector contracted by 8.5%, compared with a lack of vital growth of 0.1% in August.
• The manufacturing sector contracted 3.9% in September, compared with a contraction of 1.2% in the previous month. 
• The electricity sector, too, saw a continued contraction, shrinking 2.6%, compared with a contraction of 0.9% in August.
• The consumer durables sector continued to shrink in September, by 9.9%, compared with a contraction of 9.1% in August. 

Reason for Contraction

• The Indian economy is presently facing a structural growth slowdown originating from declining household savings rate, and low agricultural growth.
• Low agricultural growth is feeding into low agricultural and non­agricultural wage growth in rural areas, which is impacting rural demand adversely

8) Suranga Bawadi enters the World Monument Watch list by World Monuments Fund

• Suranga Bawadi, an integral part of the ancient Karez system of supplying water through subterranean tunnels built during the Adil Shahi era in Karnataka’s Vijayapura, is now set to get funding for restoration. 
• The World Monuments Fund has included it in the World Monument Watch list for 2020 along with 24 other monuments from across the world. The monument has been selected under the “Ancient Water System of the Deccan Plateau” 
• The World Monuments Fund works in collaboration with the local stakeholders, including the district administration, the Archaeological Survey of India and local explorers of ancient monuments, in highlighting the need for restoration of an ancient monument

About Karez system

• Karez is believed to the one of the best systems in the world.
• The Karez system was built in the 16th century by Ali Adil Shah–I, his successor, Ibrahim Adil Shah–II, brought in several changes by adding more structures to strengthen it.
• The Adil Shahis built the magnificent underground system to supply water to the city, which had a population of nearly 12 lakh then