Today's Current Affairs-1st September 2022

INTERNATIONAL

Solomon Islands to ban foreign navy ships following China pact

• After refusing access to US and UK ships to its ports earlier this month, the Solomon Islands has now temporarily halted all naval visits. The Pacific Island country’s Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare made the announcement hours after the US embassy in Canberra, Australia said it had been informed that US Navy ships would be barred from docking in the country’s ports. Observers believe that the country’s move is a departure from the norm and raises concerns about China’s growing influence in the country and the region at large.
• Earlier this year, the Solomon Islands established a security agreement with China, saying it needed Beijing’s assistance with its domestic security situation. But the announcement had rattled the US, Australia and others in the Indo-Pacific region. The concerns were that the agreement could potentially “lead to a Chinese military base on the island nation, and the power-projection capabilities the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) would gain as a result”, according to a report by The Brookings Institution.
• There is no dispute that China has been rapidly increasing its presence and influence in the region for over three decades, particularly in the South Pacific. According to a report by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), Beijing “views the Pacific Island region as an important component of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

About China:

Capital: Beijing

President: Xi Jinping

Currency: Renminbi

Official language: Mandarin

About US:

Attorney general: Merrick Garland 

Capital: Washington, D.C.

President: Joe Biden

Currency: United States Dollar

About UK:

Prime minister: Boris Johnson 

Capital: London

Currency: Pound sterling

 NATIONAL

J&K Police launches online mobile application 'JK Ecop'

• The Jammu & Kashmir Police has launched an online Mobile application “JK Ecop”. The App enables the common citizens to use a host of services ranging from registering a complaint to downloading a copy of an FIR. A citizen can also make requests like obtaining a character certificate, employee verification, or tenant verification through this App. Details about missing persons and unidentified dead bodies etc. can also be obtained through this portal.
• Other services regarding the traffic police are also available to the citizens through this App. These services range from reporting a traffic violation to reporting an accident. Information about the Highway status in the app will help the citizens to plan their travel. Paying a challan online through this app will not only help the citizens but will also ease the burden of the department.

About Jammu and Kashmir:

Lieutenant Governor: Manoj Sinha

Capital: Srinagar (summer) & Jammu (winter)

UGC to launch 'e - Samadhan' portal to resolve grievances of students, staff

• University Grants Commission (UGC) will now monitor and resolve all grievances of students and staff in varsities through a centralised portal called `e-Samadhan`. This platform ensures transparency, prevents unfair practices in Higher Education Institutions and provides a time-bound mechanism for redressal of grievances, according to the UGC. The commission has merged its existing portals and helplines except for the anti-ragging helpline and developed the new portal.
• UGC e-samadhan, a step forward for the service to stakeholders which would be a single Window system for all the stakeholders for registering their complaints/ grievances on the portal which would be available all the time at the click of a mouse.
• University Grants Commission has vast and wide stakeholder composition which includes 1043 Universities, 42343 Colleges, 3.85 Crore Students and 15.03 Lacs Teachers ( AISHE 2019-20).

About University Grants Commission:

Founded: 1956

Headquarters: New Delhi

Chairman: Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar

 SPORTS

Rahul Sharma announces retirement from Int’l and first-class cricket

• Indian Spinner Rahul Sharma has announced retirement from international and domestic cricket. In 2011, the tall leg-spinner came into the limelight where he represented Pune Warriors in IPL. Rahul Sharma made his ODI debut against West Indies in 2011 under Virendra Sehwag’s Captaincy. He made his T20 debut in 2012 against Australia under the Captaincy of MS Dhoni. Later that year, he played his final series on the Sri Lanka tour. The former cricketer wrote an emotional post on his retirement from all forms of cricket.
• Rahul Sharma is born on 20th July 1987. He is an Indian cricketer and primarily a right-handed legbreaker and googly bowler. Since 2006, he has been a member of the Punjab Cricket Team. In 2011, in IPL, came into the limelight for his magnificent performance in bowling for Pune Warriors. He made his debut in first-class cricket in 2006 for Punjab against Rajasthan. Rahul Sharma made his IPL debut for Deccan Chargers in 2010. He made his ODI debut in 2011.

 Assam Lad Amlan Borgohain Sets New 100m National Record

• Amlan Borgohain, who holds the 200m national record, has now added the 100m record to his name. The 24-year-old from Assam clocked 10.25s (wind speed +1.8, legal) to break the six-year-old national record of Amiya Kumar Mallick (10.26s) at the 87th all-India inter-Railway athletics championships in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh.
• Borgohain’s previous best, 10.34s, came at the National Open in Warangal last year. However, it is not anywhere close to the entry standard (10.00s) for next year’s World Championships in Budapest. He is the reigning national champion in the 100m and 200m. Amlan Borgohain holds the 200m national record of 20.52s, set in April this year at the Federation Cup.

About Assam:

Capital: Dispur

Chief Minister: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Governor: Prof Jagdish Mukhi

Language: Assamese language

 SUMMIT'S & MOU's

Tata Steel and Punjab govt ink pact to set up steel scrap based electric are furnace steel plant

• The Tata steel company and the Punjabi government have agreed to establish a 0.75 million tonne per year (MnTPA) long products steel facility with an electric arc furnace (EAF) powered by scrap. Tata Steel’s decision to build the greenfield facility at Kadiana Khurd in Ludhiana’s Hitech Valley is a part of the company’s commitment to investing in a circular economy and switching to low-carbon steel making through steel recycling.
• According to the company, it is a step toward its objective of having Net Zero carbon emissions by 2045.
• Tata Steel opened its 0.5 MnTPA steel recycling plant in Rohtak, Haryana, in August of last year. It is the nation’s first cutting-edge facility for processing scrap.
• The Company wants to reduce its CO2 emissions in India to 1.8 tCO2/tcs by 2030 and to 2 tCO2/tcs by 2025.
• In the first quarter of fiscal year 23 compared to fiscal year 22, the steel major’s net profit decreased 21% to Rs 7,714 crore on an increase in net sales of 18.8% to Rs 63128.32 crore. On the BSE, Tata Steel shares decreased 2.09% to Rs 105.15.

About Punjab:

Capital: Chandigarh

Governor: Banwarilal Purohit

Chief Minister: Bhagwant Mann

About Tata Steel:

Parent: Tata Group

Founded: 25 August 1907, Jamshedpur

Founder: Jamsetji Tata

Headquarters: Mumbai

Jagan announces plastic-free Andhra Pradesh by 2027 as MoU signed with Parley

• Andhra Pradesh government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the ‘Parley for the Oceans’, a U.S.-based company that works for plastic-waste management. The minister of Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) Audimulapa Suresh, MAUD Principal Secretary, Y.Sri Lakshmi, and Founder of Parley for the Oceans, Cyrill Gutsch. The MoU was signed under the presence of Chief Minister of Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and an event was held at the AU Convention Centre in Vishakhapatnam.
• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister says that in the coming six years ₹16,000 crores will be invested in the state.
• The program also brings employment for more than 20,000 locals with a minimum of at least ₹16,000 per month.

About Andhra Pradesh:

Capital: Amaravati

Governor: Biswabhusan Harichandan

Chief Minister: YS Jagan Mohan Reddy

Founded: 1 November 1956

 RANKING

Daily wage earners biggest group among death by suicides in 2021: NCRB

• The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) released a Accidental Deaths & Suicides report, as per the number of suicide-related deaths in India reached an all-time high in 2021. In 2017, 1.64 lakh people committed suicide, a 7.2% rise from 2020, when 1.53 lakh people had done so. Since 1967, the first year for which statistics are available, there have been more suicide-related fatalities than ever before. 11.3 suicides per 100,000 individuals have been reported up to this time, as per the Accidental Deaths & Suicides report.
• As per the information on accidental fatalities and suicides given by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in Accidental Deaths & Suicides, this number was around 1.39 lakh in 2019.
• 22,207 people committed suicide in Maharashtra in 2021, the state with the highest reported suicide rate, as per Accidental Deaths & Suicides report.
• Domestic issues and illnesses were the main contributors to suicide deaths in the nation last year. They represented 33.2% and 18.6% of all suicide cases, respectively.

About National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB):

Headquarters: Delhi - 110037

Founded: 11 March 1986

Parent department: Ministry of Home Affairs

Agency executive: Vivek Gogia, IPS, Director;

Key document: Creation of NCRB (Notification)

 BANKING AND ECONOMY

Reliance Industries to Build India’s First and World’s Largest Carbon Fibre Plant

• Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani has announced to build of India’s first and one of the world’s largest Carbon Fibre plants at Hazira, Gujarat. The plants will have a capacity of 20,000 MTPA based on Acrylonitrile feedstock. Overall, in the Oil to Chemical segment (O2C), Ambani Ambani announced an investment of Rs 75,000 crore over the next five years to expand capacities in existing and new value chains. These value chains are – Polyester value chain, Vinyl chain, and New Materials. The first phase of the plant will be completed in 2025.
• The company will further integrate its composites business with Carbon Fibre to produce Carbon Fibre composites. Apart from other applications, Carbon Fibre composites are also used to meet the rapidly growing light-weight requirements of Mobility and Renewable Energy. Thus, Carbon Fibre promises to be a multi-decade growth engine for O2C, Ambani highlighted. Reliance has commenced its journey to becoming net carbon zero by 2035 with a set of concrete actions.

About Reliance Industries Limited (RIL):

Founded: 8 May 1973

Founder: Dhirubhai Ambani

Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra

CMD: Mukesh Ambani

Director: Nita Ambani

SEBI fines Aadhaar Ventures, its directors for violating market norms

• Aadhaar Ventures India Ltd. (AVIL) and its directors were fined a total of Rs 25 lakh by the capital markets regulator SEBI for breaking the listing requirements and insider trading laws. Aadhaar Ventures India Ltd. (AVIL), its directors Jils Raichand Madan, Somabhai Sunderbhai Meena, and Jyoti Munver, and the regulator each received a fine of Rs. 10 lakh (to be paid jointly and severally) for disclosure violations.
• It fined Aadhaar Ventures India Ltd. (AVIL) and Meena Rs. 5 lakh (to be paid jointly and severally) for breaking the rules on insider trading.
• Aadhaar Ventures India Ltd. (AVIL), Madan, Meena, and Munver had violated disclosure lapses by failing to disclose the information to the stock exchange.
• The order was issued after SEBI opened a preliminary investigation into claims of price manipulation in the Aadhaar Ventures India Ltd. (AVIL) stock and discovered that the company had made an announcement in August 2014 regarding the acquisition of a business in Africa and the subsequent establishment of an overseas subsidiary in Singapore—an announcement that did not come to pass.
• SEBI then carried out a separate inquiry for the months of July to September 2014.
• The outcome of SEBI’s appeal, which is currently before the Supreme Court, might, however, affect the severity of this penalty. Listing conditions are covered by Section 23E of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act.

About SEBI:

Founded: 12 April 1992

Sector: Securities market

Headquarters: Mumbai

Agency executive: Madhabi Puri Buch (Chairperson)