16 November 2016 Current Affairs
“Post-Truth” Named Oxford Dictionaries Word of Year Amid 2016 Political Climate
The word “Post Truth” was named as word of the year 2016 by Oxford Dictionaries on 16 November 2016. Oxford Dictionary editors have chosen their 2016 international word of the year: “post-truth,” a term that saw a massive spike after Brexit and Donald Trump’s nomination as the Republican candidate for president. Oxford Dictionaries announced that use of the term rose 2,000 percent between 2015 and 2016, specifically in discussions of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union and the campaign of President-elect Trump.
Russia withdraws from International Criminal Court
Russia has officially withdrawn from International Criminal Court (ICC) after President Vladimir Putin signed an executive order in this regard. The executive order mentioned that Russia is pulling out of the 2002 Rome Statute, which establishes the ICC’s status and powers. However, Russia had never ratified the statue meaning it was never member subject to its jurisdiction. ICC based in The Hague, Netherlands is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal.
President launches National Student Startup Policy
President Pranab Mukherjee launched the National Student Startup Policy (NSSP) to promote technology-driven student start-ups. It was launched during the second Visitor’s Conference held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. The NSSP has been formulated by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). It aims to create 1 lakh technology based student start-ups and a million employment opportunities within the next 10 years. It also aims to propel Indian youth to contribute to the nation’s socio-economic progress through promotion of technology-driven student start-ups.
Steel Ministry to set up of Steel Research & Technology Mission of India
Ministry of Steel is planning to set up Steel Research & Technology Mission of India (SRTMI) to facilitate joint collaborative research projects in the iron and steel sector in India. The conceptualization of SRTMI was done by a high level task force set up by the Union Ministry of Steel. SRTMI has been setup as a Registered Society wherein the Union Ministry of Steel is a facilitator. It is an industry driven institutional initiative.It will be governed and administered by a Governing Body comprising the CEOs of steel companies, domain experts and a representative from Union Ministry of Steel. Initial corpus for setting up of SRTMI is. 200 crore rupees. Union Ministry of Steel will provide 50% of corpus and the balance will be provided by participating steel companies.
SC orders to constitute nodal agency to crack down sex selection ads
The Supreme Court ordered search engines Google, Yahoo and Microsoft’s Bing to immediately stop displaying advertisements relating to pre-natal sex determination tests. It also directed the Union government to constitute a nodal agency to monitor and trigger search engines to crack down on online pre-natal sex determination advertisements.
Supreme Court refuses to lift ban on Jallikattu
The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea filed by Tamil Nadu to review a 2014 apex court judgment banning Jallikattu. The apex court questioned the need to “tame” a domestic animal like the bull and further held that Jallikattu has nothing to do with exercise of the fundamental right of religious freedom. It also held that Jallikattu runs counter to the concept of welfare of the animal, which is the basic foundation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Tamil Nadu State Government countered that Jallikattu was defined as an act of “taming” of bulls under the Tamil Nadu Regulation of Jallikattu Act, 2009 and it does not amount to cruelty. This law was introduced to stop any kind of torture and taming a bull is not torture.
International Day for Tolerance 2016 observed across the world
The International Day for Tolerance is observed globally on 16 November every year. The Day aims at educating masses about the need for tolerance in society and helping them understand the negative effects of intolerance.