12 October 2016 Current Affairs

First World Tsunami Awareness Day to be observed on Nov 5

The government of India will be observing the First World Tsunami Awareness Day on November 5. It will be observed during the upcoming Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) 2016. The conference is slated to take place in Delhi between November 2-5.


India receives first Iranian oil parcel for emergency reserves

India has received the first parcel of crude oil from Iran to partly fill the strategic storage in southern India as part of the Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPRs) storage. The first parcel of 2 million barrels of Iranian oil was imported by Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) with the help of very large crude carrier (VLCC) Dino. India is planning to fill half of the storage with 6 million barrels of Iranian oil while continuing talks with United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia for the remainder. The second parcel of such reserve will be procured by Bharat Petroleum Corp. India imports around 80% of its crude oil requirement from the international market. Most of these imports come from Middle East which is unstable region. Any price aberrations in crude oil prices have a direct impact on the Indian economy especially upon the current account and inflation amounting to strategic risks. Thus, it is necessary for India to have SPRs which will act as a valuable buffer against short term oil supply disruptions and global price shocks.


Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank awarded by Ugandan govt for his literary work

Former Uttarakhand chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has been conferred with a prestigious award by the Ugandan government for promoting human values through his literature. Nishank, who is currently a BJP MP from Haridwar, has authored a number of books and anthologies.


IISER researchers use human hair to produce cheaper cathodes for solar cells

Researchers from Kolkata based Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) have produced cost-effective, metal-free cathodes using human hair for use in solar cells. This is the first instance where a bio-waste-derived electrode (in this case human hair) has been used as cathode in a quantum dot sensitised solar cell device. IISER researchers have developed graphitic porous carbon cathode by cleaning and drying human hair and treating with sulphuric acid to achieve precarbonisation. It was then heated at different temperatures in the presence of inert gas for six hours to carbonise and bring better electrical conductivity for efficient charge transfer. This efficient green cathode achieves highly catalytic graphitic porous carbon stage at optimum temperature of 850 degrees C.


Govt appoints G Mahalingam as Sebi whole-time member

Government has appointed Reserve Bank’s Executive Director G Mahalingam as a Whole-Time Member of markets regulator Sebi. Apart from the Chairman, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) can have three Whole-Time Members (WTMs). Mahalingam’s appointment follows the retirement of Prashant Saran as WTM in June this year.


R Ashwin regains No. 1 spot in Test rankings

Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has reclaimed the number one spot in Test rankings for bowlers following a career-best match haul of 13 for 140 in the third Test against New Zealand in Indore. Ashwin, who was named man of the series after he finished with 27 wickets in a 3-0 sweep by India, now has 220 wickets, the most by any bowler after 39 Tests.


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