1. World Bank commits $150 million to combat Zika 

(i) Recently, the World Bank announced that it will provide $150 million to help countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat the rapidly-spreading Zika virus. 

(ii) The funding, which will be provided immediately, is a result of extensive consultations with governments in the region. As per the World Bank’s estimates the short-term economic impact of the virus on the region is likely to be around $3.5 billion.

(iii) Countries like Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Argentina, Belize and Jamaica may suffer significant economic impact.

2. Ontario to invest Rs.300 cr in India’s cleantech sector 

(i) Government of Ontario, Canada recently committed investments worth Rs 300 crore in India’s cleantech sector with the objective to enhance renewable and other innovative clean technologies. 

(ii) In the recent visit to India, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, signed a number of MoU with Indian government, 13 in the cleantech sector. The estimated value of these agreement in the cleantech sector is CAD 59.4 million (about Rs 300 crore). 

(iii) In a statement the Ontario government said, “India’s energy sector has a huge potential for renewable and other innovative clean technologies to address the energy supply gap, which is where the partnerships assume a strategic importance for the country.”

 (iv) To this effect, Ontario-based Advanced Energy Centre signed agreements with Tech Mahindra, Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) and India Smart Grid Forum.

3. US imposes sanctions on North Korea 

(i) US President Barack Obama recently signed a law imposing sanctions on North Korea over the nation’s nuclear programme and due to supposed cyber-hacking incidents. 

(ii) North Korea recently launched a long-range rocket, which is considered to be a test of banned missile technology and also carried out its fourth underground nuclear test. 

(iii) The sanctions aim to stop North Korea from getting funds to develop miniaturised nuclear warheads. As China and the US are negotiating over a UN Security Council resolution on new sanctions, China pointed that these measures could badly cripple the North Korean economy.  

4. Tendulkar’s autobiography enters Limca book of Records

(i) Sachin Tendulkar’s autobiography Playing It My Way entered the Limca Book of Records for being the best-selling adult hardback across both fiction and non-fiction categories.

(ii) It also boasts of a record in retail value terms having registered Rs.13.51 crore with its cover price being Rs.899.Published by Hachette India on November 6, 2014, the book has broken all the records for an adult hardback with 1,50,289 copies confirmed on order subscriptions. 

(iii) On day one of the book’s order, it already pulled ahead of both the pre-order and lifetime sales of the world’s top adult hardbacks like Dan Brown’s Inferno, Walter Issacson’s Steve Jobs and JK Rowling’s Casual Vacancy.

5. BHEL commissions 270 MW unit GVK power plant in Punjab 

(i) The government-owned power plant equipment manufacturer Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL) recently commissioned a 270 MW generation unit at the Goindwal Sahib Thermal Power Project of private producer GVK Power & Infra in Punjab.

(ii) The second unit of the same project is also likely to be commissioned soon. BHEL had previously commissioned four hydro sets of 82.5 MW each at the Alaknanda Hydro Power Project in Uttarakhand for the same developer. 

(iii) Besides coal-based thermal projects, BHEL has a strong presence in Punjab’s hydro sector, with nearly 95% share in the hydro-electricity generating capacity of the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd. (PSPCL).

6. Maharashtra devises policy for easy transport of harvested organs

 (i)The Maharashtra government recently decided to formulate a comprehensive policy on ‘Green Corridor’ to enable smooth passage of harvested organs within a specified time. 

(ii) The policy aims to tackle the hassles faced by the police over jurisdiction issues, obtaining requisite No Objection Certificates (NoCs), and creating a green corridor for the smooth passage of ambulances carrying harvested organs.

7. MM Mammen elected as Chairman of ATMA

(i) Recently, K M Mammen was unanimously elected as the Chairman of the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ATMA), which is among the most active national industry bodies for the automotive tyre sector. He will replace Raghupati Singhania.

(ii) Satish Sharma, President (Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa) of Apollo Tyres Ltd., has been appointed as the Vice-President of the body. 

Note: Eleven tyre companies comprising Indian and international tyre majors and representing over 90% of production of tyres in India are members of ATMA. These are: Apollo Tyres, Birla Tyres, Bridgestone India, Ceat, Continental India, Goodyear India, JK Tyre & Industries, Michelin, MRF, TVS Tyres and Yokohama.

8. Noted vocalist Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan passes away 

(i) Recently, eminent Hindustani classical vocalist Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan passed away at the age of 107 at his residence in Kolkata.

(ii) Khan was a receipt of Padma Bhushan in 2013 and Sangeet Natak Akademi award. Additionally, he was a resident guru at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in the Kolkata for the past 20 years. 

(iii) Reacting to this new, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, “Saddened at the passing away of veteran vocalist Padma Bhushan Abdul Rashid Khan. India has lost a great gem in the world of music.”

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