CURRENT AFFAIRS 23-08-2020

International  day  of  Remembrance  and  Tribute to the  Victims  of  Terrorism

What is in news?

International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism was observed on 21 August.

About:

• The General Assembly, in its resolution 72/165 (2017), established 21 August as the International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.

• It was proclaimed to honour and support the victims and survivors of terrorism and to promote and protect the full enjoyment of their human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Facts to remember :

• The Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, adopted unanimously in its resolution 60/288, on 8 September 2006, notes that the dehumanization of victims counts among the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism.

Belarus

What is in news?

The authoritarian ruler of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has been facing massive protests since August 9, when a controversial presidential vote showed him winning by a landslide. Lukashenko has been running the East European country since 1994.

About:

• Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest.

• Its capital is Minsk.

• After the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, Belarus became a sovereign nation, and its first presidential elections were held in 1994.

• Alexander Lukashenko has served as the country's first president since 1994. Belarus has been labelled "Europe's last dictatorship" by some Western journalists, on account of the country's poor human rights record and Lukashenko's self-described authoritarian style of government.

Aviptadil

What is in news?

An old drug formulation — RLF-100 — is being probed to treat Covid-19 patients after initial studies have shown that the drug is able to halt SARS-CoV-2 virus replication in lungs.

About:

• RLF-100, also called Aviptadil, is a formulation of synthetic human Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide (VIP).

• VIP is released throughout the body, but remains mostly concentrated in lungs.

• It is produced by immune cells and nerve endings and acts as a neurotransmitter. It helps improve muscle activity and blood flow in gastrointestinal tract. Studies have shown VIP has anti-inflammatory and anti-cytokine activity properties.

• RLF-100 is not a new finding. It was discovered in 1970 by Dr Sami Said, a pulmonary medicine specialist.

Automotive  Industry  Standard (AIS) 160

What is in news?

The Road Transport and Highways Ministry has come out with a draft notification for construction equipment vehicles that addresses issues of safety requirements, while such machines are running on public roads along with other vehicles.

About:

• Currently, certain safety requirements are already mandated for Construction Equipment Vehicles in Central Motors Vehicles Rules (CMVR), 1989, but the proposed draft notification aims to introduce Automotive Industry Standard, AIS 160 to introduce various safety requirements.

• Under this, Government has proposed stricter norms for construction machinery to ensure greater safety on highways.

• This includes features like machine-mounted audible travel alarms, requirements for operator station and maintenance areas, non-metallic fuel tank and wider operator visibility for construction equipment machinery.

International  day  Commemorating  the Victims of  Acts  of  Violence  based  on  Religion  or  Belief

What is in news?

International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief was observed on 22 August.

About:

• The UN General Assembly, in its resolution A/RES/73/296, designated 22 August as the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief.

• The day recognizes the importance of providing victims of acts of violence based on religion or belief and members of their families with appropriate support and assistance in accordance with applicable law.

Facts to remember :

• Freedom of religion or belief, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to peaceful assembly and the right to freedom of association are enshrined in articles 18, 19 and 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

International day for the remembrance of the slave trade and its abolition

What is in news?

International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition is being observed on 23 August.

About:

• The night of 22 to 23 August 1791, in Santo Domingo (today Haiti and the Dominican Republic) saw the beginning of the uprising that would play a crucial role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.

• It is against this background that the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is commemorated on 23 August each year.

• It was first celebrated in a number of countries, in particular in Haiti (23 August 1998) and Goree in Senegal (23 August 1999).

Organic waste converter (owc) plant

What is in news?

National Fertilizers Limited (NFL), a PSU under the Department of Fertilizers, Vijaipur (MP) is going to set up an Organic Waste Converter (OWC) Plant.

About:

• The biodegradable waste collected in the unit shall be transported to OWC where the same shall be segregated from non-degradable parts. It will take around 10 days to convert it into ready to use compost.

• The project aims to recycle around 2000 Kg per day of the biodegradable waste generated in township including the horticulture waste and convert it into ready to use compost.

• The unit plans to utilize this compost as manure thus substituting consumption of fertilisers/ manure used for developments of Parks or Public places. The compost can also be used by the residents in their Lawns and Kitchen Gardens.

Late  Payment  Surcharge (LPS)

What is in news?

Ministry of Power advised all power generation companies and transmission companies to charge late payment surcharge (LPS) at a rate not exceeding 12 per cent for payments under the Liquidity Infusion Scheme of Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC).

About:

• The rate of LPS in many cases ranges upto 18 per cent per annum and has adversely impacted Discoms during lockdown phase due to COVID-19.

• Discoms are given 60 days by power producers for payment of electricity supply bills. Post this period, the payment becomes overdue for which power generators charge penalty interest in most cases.

• The liquidity scheme worth Rs 90,000 crore was announced in May by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman under which the government was looking to infuse the amount in discoms.

BIS Daft  Standard for Drinking Water Supply

What is in news?

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has prepared a draft standard for the supply system of piped drinking water and has invited comments from water utilities on it.

About:

• Labelled ‘Drinking water supply quality management system — requirements for piped drinking water supply service’, the draft has been prepared by the BIS’ Public Drinking Water Supply Services Sectional Committee.

• It outlines the process of water supply, from raw water sources to household taps, and has been developed keeping in view the Centre’s Jal Jeevan Mission for providing safe and adequate drinking water to all rural households by 2024 through tap connections.

• It states that after treatment the drinking water should conform to the Indian Standard (IS) 10500 developed by the BIS.

• The concept of district metering area (DMA) should be adopted where possible. DMA is a concept for controlling leakages in the water network, which is essentially divided into a number of sectors, called the DMAs, and where flow meters are installed to detect leaks.

• Water should be sampled at the treatment plant every four hours against quality parameters. In the distribution system, the sampling should be done every eight hours at the water reservoirs. Random sampling should also be done at household levels.

• A Water Audit should be conducted on a quarterly basis. Water audit is a calculation of the amount of water put into distribution against the amount that is consumed.

Facts to remember :

• The IS 10500 outlines the acceptable limit of various substances in drinking water, including heavy metals such as arsenic, and other parameters like the pH value of water, its turbidity, the total dissolved solids in it, and the colour and odour.