DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS - 8 AUGUST 2019- 10 MOST IMPORTANT TOPICS FROM THE HINDU

IMPORTANT TOPICS FOR TODAY 

                        http://dailycurrentaffairs-sumit.blogspot.com
                                             
BY SUMIT BHARDWAJ                                       8th August 2019

1.Pakistan expels Indian envoy, suspends bilateral trade 

(GS-2)

• CONTEXT: Islamabad has also decided to review of bilateral arrangements with New Delhi and to take the Kashmir issue to the U.N. Security Council.
• Pakistan on August 7 expelled the Indian High Commissioner and suspended bilateral trade in response to New Delhi’s decision to end special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
• “The Government of India has been told to withdraw its High Commissioner to Pakistan. The Indian government has also been informed that Pakistan will not be sending its High Commissioner-designate to India,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
• Ajay Bisaria is India’s High Commissioner in Islamabad.
• WHAT IS bilateral trade ?
• Bilateral trade or clearing trade is trade exclusively between two states, particularly, barter trade based on bilateral deals between governments, and without using hard currency for payment.
• U.N. Security Council:
• The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), charged with ensuring international peace and security, accepting new members to the United Nations and approving any changes to its charter. Its powers include the establishment of peacekeeping operations and international sanctions as well as the authorization of military actions through resolutions – it is the only body of the United Nations with the authority to issue binding resolutions to member states. The council held its first session on 17 January 1946.
• Like the UN as a whole, the Security Council was created following World War II to address the failings of a previous international organization, the League of Nations, in maintaining world peace. In its early decades, the Security Council was largely paralyzed by the Cold War division between the US and USSR and their respective allies, though it authorized interventions in the Korean War and the Congo Crisis and peacekeeping missions in the Suez Crisis, Cyprus, and West New Guinea. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, UN peacekeeping efforts increased dramatically in scale, and the Security Council authorized major military and peacekeeping missions in Kuwait, Namibia, Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• The Security Council consists of fifteen members. The great powers that were the victors of World War II – the Soviet Union (now represented by Russia), the United Kingdom, France, Republic of China (now represented by the People's Republic of China), and the United States – serve as the body's five permanent members. These can veto any substantive resolution, including those on the admission of new member states or nominees for the office of Secretary-General. In addition, the council has 10 non-permanent members, elected on a regional basis to serve a term of two years. The body's presidency rotates monthly among its members.
• Resolutions of the Security Council are typically enforced by UN peacekeepers, military forces voluntarily provided by member states and funded independently of the main UN budget. As of 2016, 103,510 peacekeepers and 16,471 civilians were deployed on sixteen peacekeeping operations and one special political mission

2.RBI takes offbeat tack to help reverse growth slowdown                 (GS-3)

• CONTEXT: The Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday opted to break with convention by reducing the key policy rate, the repo rate, by 35 basis points (bps) to 5.4% as it focused monetary policy measures on helping revive demand to tackle a deepening economic slowdown.
• While central banks typically cut or raise interest rates in increments of a quarter percentage point or multiples, Governor Shaktikanta Das said too much should not be read into the departure from convention.
• The Reserve Bank of India :
• The Reserve Bank of India is India's central banking institution, which controls the issuance and supply of the Indian rupee. Until the Monetary Policy Committee was established in 2016, it also controlled monetary policy in India.
• What is REPO rate?
• REPO denotes Re Purchase Option – the rate by which RBI gives loans to other banks. In other words, it is the rate at which banks buy back the securities they keep with the RBI at a later period. Bank gives loan to the public at a higher rate, often 1% higher than REPO rate, at a rate known as Bank Rate. RBI at times borrows from banks at a rate lower than REPO rate, and that rate is known as Reverse REPO rate .
• Monetary policy :
• What is meant by Monetary Policy?
• Monetary Policy of India Components
• Monetary policy refers to the policy of the central bank – ie Reserve Bank of India – in matters of interest rates, money supply and availability of credit.
• It is through the monetary policy, RBI controls inflation in the country.
• RBI uses various monetary instruments like REPO rate, Reverse RERO rate, SLR, CRR etc to achieve its purpose. (This is explained well in one of our earlier articles – basics of economy concepts).
• In short, Monetary policy refers to the use of monetary instruments under the control of the central bank to regulate magnitudes such as interest rates, money supply and availability of credit with a view to achieving the ultimate objective of economic policy.
• How does the Reserve Bank of India get its mandate to conduct monetary policy?
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is vested with the responsibility of conducting monetary policy. This responsibility is explicitly mandated under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
• What is the main goal of Monetary Policy of India?
• Maintain price stability
• The primary objective of monetary policy is to maintain price stability while keeping in mind the objective of growth. Price stability is a necessary precondition for sustainable growth.
• To maintain price stability, inflation needs to be controlled. The government of India sets an inflation target for every five years. RBI has an important role in the consultation process regarding inflation targeting. The current inflation targeting framework in India is flexible in nature.
• Flexible Inflation Targeting Framework (FITF)
• Flexible Inflation Targeting Framework: Now there is a flexible inflation targeting framework in India (after the 2016 amendment to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act, 1934).
• Who sets the inflation target in India: The amended RBI Act provides for the inflation target to be set by the Government of India, in consultation with the Reserve Bank, once every five years.
• Current Inflation Target: The Central Government has notified 4 percent Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation as the target for the period from August 5, 2016, to March 31, 2021, with the upper tolerance limit of 6 percent and the lower tolerance limit of 2 percent.
• Factors that constitute a failure to achieve the inflation target: (1) the average inflation is more than the upper tolerance level of the inflation target for any three consecutive quarters, OR (2) the average inflation is less than the lower tolerance level for any three consecutive quarters.
• The Monetary Policy Framework (MPF)
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
• While the Government of India sets the Flexible Inflation Targeting Framework in India, it is the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) which operates the Monetary Policy Framework of the country.
• The amended RBI Act explicitly provides the legislative mandate to the Reserve Bank to operate the monetary policy framework of the country.
• The framework aims at setting the policy (repo) rate based on an assessment of the current and evolving macroeconomic situation, and modulation of liquidity conditions to anchor money market rates at or around the repo rate.
• Note: Repo rate changes transmit through the money market to the entire financial system, which, in turn, influences aggregate demand – a key determinant of inflation and growth.
• Once the repo rate is announced, the operating framework designed by the Reserve Bank envisages liquidity management on a day-to-day basis through appropriate actions, which aim at anchoring the operating target – the weighted average call rate (WACR) – around the repo rate.
• Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)
• Now in India, the policy interest rate required to achieve the inflation target is decided by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). MPC is a six-member committee constituted by the Central Government (Section 45ZB of the amended RBI Act, 1934).
• The MPC is required to meet at least four times in a year. The quorum for the meeting of the MPC is four members. Each member of the MPC has one vote, and in the event of an equality of votes, the Governor has a second or casting vote.
• The resolution adopted by the MPC is published after the conclusion of every meeting of the MPC. Once in every six months, the Reserve Bank is required to publish a document called the Monetary Policy Report to explain: (1) the sources of inflation and(2) the forecast of inflation for 6-18 months ahead.
• The Central Government in September 2016 constituted the present MPC as under:
• Governor of the Reserve Bank of India – Chairperson, ex officio;
• Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, in charge of Monetary Policy – Member, ex officio;
• One officer of the Reserve Bank of India to be nominated by the Central Board  AND THREE MORE MEMBERS.
• The Monetary Policy Process (MPP)
• The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) determines the policy interest rate required to achieve the inflation target.
• The Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Department (MPD) assists the MPC in formulating the monetary policy. Views of key stakeholders in the economy and analytical work of the Reserve Bank contribute to the process of arriving at the decision on the policy repo rate.
• The Financial Markets Operations Department (FMOD) operationalises the monetary policy, mainly through day-to-day liquidity management operations.
• The Financial Market Committee (FMC) meets daily to review the liquidity conditions so as to ensure that the operating target of monetary policy (weighted average lending rate) is kept close to the policy repo rate. This parameter is also known as the weighted average call money rate (WACR).
• Monetary Policy Instruments (MPI)
• Monetary Policy Instruments
• There are several direct and indirect instruments that are used for implementing monetary policy.
• Repo Rate: The (fixed) interest rate at which the Reserve Bank provides overnight liquidity to banks against the collateral of government and other approved securities under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF).
• Reverse Repo Rate: The (fixed) interest rate at which the Reserve Bank absorbs liquidity, on an overnight basis, from banks against the collateral of eligible government securities under the LAF.
• Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF): The LAF consists of overnight as well as term repo auctions. Progressively, the Reserve Bank has increased the proportion of liquidity injected under fine-tuning variable rate repo auctions of a range of tenors. The aim of term repo is to help develop the inter-bank term money market, which in turn can set market-based benchmarks for pricing of loans and deposits, and hence improve the transmission of monetary policy. The Reserve Bank also conducts variable interest rate reverse repo auctions, as necessitated under the market conditions.
• Marginal Standing Facility (MSF): A facility under which scheduled commercial banks can borrow an additional amount of overnight money from the Reserve Bank by dipping into their Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) portfolio up to a limit at a penal rate of interest. This provides a safety valve against unanticipated liquidity shocks to the banking system.
• Corridor: The MSF rate and reverse repo rate determine the corridor for the daily movement in the weighted average call money rate.
• Bank Rate: It is the rate at which the Reserve Bank is ready to buy or rediscount bills of exchange or other commercial papers. The Bank Rate is published under Section 49 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. This rate has been aligned to the MSF rate and, therefore, changes automatically as and when the MSF rate changes alongside policy repo rate changes.
• Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR): The average daily balance that a bank is required to maintain with the Reserve Bank as a share of such percent of its Net demand and time liabilities (NDTL) that the Reserve Bank may notify from time to time in the Gazette of India.
• Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR): The share of NDTL that a bank is required to maintain in safe and liquid assets, such as unencumbered government securities, cash and gold. Changes in SLR often influence the availability of resources in the banking system for lending to the private sector.
• Open Market Operations (OMOs): These include both, outright purchase and sale of government securities, for injection and absorption of durable liquidity, respectively.
• Market Stabilisation Scheme (MSS): This instrument for monetary management was introduced in 2004. Surplus liquidity of a more enduring nature arising from large capital inflows is absorbed through the sale of short-dated government securities and treasury bills. The cash so mobilised is held in a separate government account with the Reserve Bank.
• Summary
• Monetary policy refers to the use of monetary instruments under the control of the central bank to regulate magnitudes such as interest rates, money supply and availability of credit with a view to achieving the ultimate objective of economic policy.

3.Centre unveils plan for coastal zone management            (GS-1,2)

• CONTEXT: The plan will lay out guidelines out for coastal States to adopt when they approve and regulate projects in coastal zones.
• The Environment Ministry has unveiled a draft plan that will dictate how prospective infrastructure projects situated along the coast ought to be assessed before they can apply for clearance.
• The draft Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) is part of a World Bank-funded project.
• The document lays out guidelines out for coastal States to adopt when they approve and regulate projects in coastal zones.
• Integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) has to be a continuous process rather than a “one-off” investment action, the report said.
• So far three coastal States, namely Gujarat, Odisha and West Bengal, have prepared Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plans with support from the World Bank.
• Such plans would be prepared for the selected coastal stretches in other States/UT, the project notes.
• The Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) . As of October 1, 2018, the ESF applies to all new World Bank investment project financing.
• The Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) enables the World Bank and Borrowers to better manage environmental and social risks of projects and to improve development outcomes. It was launched on October 1, 2018.
• The ESF offers broad and systematic coverage of environmental and social risks. It makes important advances in areas such as transparency, non-discrimination, public participation, and accountability—including expanded roles for grievance mechanisms. It brings the World Bank’s environmental and social protections into closer harmony with those of other development institutions. 
• The ESF consists of:
• the World Bank’s Vision for Sustainable Development
• the World Bank’s Environmental and Social Policy for Investment Project Financing (IPF), which sets out the requirements that apply to the Bank
• the 10 Environmental and Social Standards (ESS), which set out the requirements that apply to Borrowers
• Bank Directive: Environmental and Social Directive for Investment Project Financing
• Bank Directive on Addressing Risks and Impacts on Disadvantaged or Vulnerable Individuals or Groups
• Integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) :
• Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is a resource management system following an integrative, holistic approach and an interactive planning process in addressing the complex management issues in the coastal area 
• This concept was borne in 1992 during the Earth Summit of Rio de Janeiro. The policy regarding ICZM is set out in the proceedings of the summit within Agenda 21, Chapter 17. The European Commission defines ICZM as “a dynamic, multidisciplinary and iterative process to promote sustainable management of coastal zones. It covers the full cycle of information collection, planning (in its broadest sense), decision making, management and monitoring of implementation. ICZM uses the informed participation and cooperation of all stakeholders to assess the societal goals in a given coastal area, and to take actions towards meeting these objectives. ICZM seeks, over the long-term, to balance environmental, economic, social, cultural and recreational objectives, all within the limits set by natural dynamics. 'Integrated' in ICZM refers to the integration of objectives and also to the integration of the many instruments needed to meet these objectives. It means integration of all relevant policy areas, sectors, and levels of administration. It means integration of the terrestrial and marine components of the target territory, in both time and space

• 4.RS clears Bill for more judges in SC

(GS-2)

• CONTEXT:The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed a Bill proposing an increase in the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court from 30 to 33 judges. The House cleared the Bill by voice vote after the government agreed to a wider discussion on the functioning of the Supreme Court in the next session.
• The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2019:
• The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2019 was introduced in Lok Sabha on August 5, 2019 by the Minister of Law and Justice, Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad. The Bill amends the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956. 
• The Act fixes the maximum number of judges in the Supreme Court at 30 judges (excluding the Chief Justice of India). The Bill increases this number from 30 to 33. 

5.Pilgrims leave for Kailash Mansarovar 

(GS-1,2)

• CONTEXT:
• Officials acknowledge that there is a visible delay for some reasons in China
• Two batches of Indian pilgrims for Kailash Mansarovar yatra did not receive the necessary Chinese visa till Tuesday night. indicating an unusual procedural delay.
• Sources inform that the visas are issued at least a day before the beginning of the journey, but they have not been issued to the two batches who were to leave on Wednesday morning.
• The pilgrims are scheduled to reach Tibet after a bus journey through the Lipulekh pass and are currently waiting for the travel documents from the Chinese embassy in Delhi.
• While officials expressed hope that the visa would be issued soon, they nevertheless acknowledged that there was a visible delay for some reasons in China.
• Kailash Mansarovar:
•  About Kailash Mansarovar Yatra The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is undertaken by two routes, via- 
• Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand– This route passes through a very mountainous area. 
• Nathu La Pass in Sikkim– This route opened a few years ago in Sikkim is fully motorable. It requires minimum walking and therefore helps senior citizens who are unable to undertake arduous trekking, to participate in yatra. 
• Itinerary: The Yatra involves a treacherous route that crosses territorial boundaries of India, Nepal and China. According to Yatra scheduled this year, 18 batches of 60 pilgrims each will trek across the Lipulekh pass in Uttarakhand and 10 batches consisting of 50 pilgrims each will go via the Nathula route to Sikkim. 
• Importance: This pilgrimage plays an important step towards promoting people to people exchanges, strengthening friendship and understanding between India and China. 
• Organised by: The yatra is organised with support from governments of Delhi, Uttarakhand and Sikkim and also with cooperation of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
•  The Government of China also extended the support in organising the annual yatra. The logistical support and facilities for pilgrims in India is providea by Uttarakhands’ Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN), Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation (STDC) and their associated organisations.

6.‘Hong Kong facing worst crisis since 1997’

(GS-2)

• CONTEXT:HONG KONG PROTEST..
• Chinese official says protests are getting increasingly violent and having “a broad impact on society”
• China on Wednesday said Hong Kong is facing the most severe crisis since the city was handed over to Beijing by Britain in 1997.
• Those protests are getting increasingly violent and having “an increasingly broad impact on society,” said Zhang Xiaoming, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong.
• HONG KONG PROTEST:
• The 2019 Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests are a series of ongoing demonstrations in Hong Kong against the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill proposed by the government of Hong Kong. The legislation was proposed by the Security Bureau in February 2019 in response to a murder that occurred in Taiwan the previous year in which the suspect had fled to Hong Kong. As a special administrative region, Hong Kong is jurisdictionally distinct from mainland China and maintains a separate governing and legal system under the "one country, two systems" principle. The regional government was unable to transfer the fugitive to Taiwanese authorities, citing a lack of formal extradition arrangements between the two jurisdictions.
• If enacted, the bill would allow local authorities to detain and extradite people who are wanted in countries or territories that Hong Kong does not have extradition agreements with, including mainland China and Taiwan.Opponents of the legislation fear that it would place Hong Kong residents and visitors under the jurisdiction of mainland courts (which are controlled by the Communist Party of China) and apply not only to criminals, but political dissidents as well.
• Demonstrations against the bill first occurred in March and April,but escalated in June. At least 240,000 people (up to one million according to organisers) marched in protest of the bill on 9 June. Protests on 12 June, the day the bill was scheduled to proceed to a second reading in the Legislative Council, marked a sharp escalation in violence, as riot police employed tear gas and rubber bullets against demonstrators.Since this protest, accusations of excessive force by police have eroded public trust in law enforcement. Investigations into police behaviour and greater accountability for their actions became part of protestor demands in subsequent marches.Following this protest, at least 338,000 people (up to two million according to organisers)attended a larger march on 16 June.
• On 1 July, the 22nd anniversary of the territory's handover from the United Kingdom in 1997, over 190,000 people (550,000 estimated by organisers) participated in the annual pro-democracy protest. A portion of these demonstrators split from the march and broke into the Legislative Council Complex, vandalising government and pro-Beijing symbols in the chamber.
• Chief Executive Carrie Lam suspended the extradition bill on 15 June and further declared it to be "dead" on 9 July, using an ambiguous Cantonese phrase that may be translated as "dying a peaceful death".However, she did not state that the bill would be fully withdrawn from the legislative process and has not addressed other protestors' demands.Executive Council members Regina Ip and Bernard Charnwut Chan have stated that the government does not intend to make further concessions. Instead, it will focus on preparing a policy address in October and wait for protestor momentum to slow before District Council elections in November.
• Protests have continued through the summer, often escalating into heated confrontations between police, democracy activists, pro-Beijing triad gang members, and local residents. As demonstrations continue, protestors have increasingly called for direct elections to choose Legislative Council members and the Chief Executive, an issue that itself triggered mass protests in 2014

7.Banks get more headroom for lending to  NBFCs            (GS-3)

• CONTEXT:
• RBI raises cap on exposure to single NBFC to 20%; lower risk weight for consumer loans may cut capital needs by RS12,500 cr.
• The on-going liquidity crunch faced by non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) has made the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to take further measures to increase credit flow to the sector.
• The central bank has decided to increase the cap on a bank’s exposure to a single NBFC to 20% of its tier-I capital from 15% now.
• Further, RBI has decided to give ‘priority sector’ tag for banks lending to NBFCs, for on-lending to farm, small and medium enterprises and housing sector.
• Banks have been allowed to lend to the NBFCs for on-lending to the agriculture sector up to RS10 lakh, up to RS20 lakh to micro and small enterprises, and for housing, up to RS20 lakh per borrower. These will be classified as priority sector lending.
• WHAT ARE NBFC’S?
• Non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) are financial institutions that offer various banking services but do not have a banking license. Generally, these institutions are not allowed to take traditional demand deposits—readily available funds, such as those in checking or savings accounts—from the public. This limitation keeps them outside the scope of conventional oversight from federal and state financial regulators.
• NBFCs can offer banking services such as loans and credit facilities, currency exchange, retirement planning, money markets, underwriting, and merger activities.
• What ails NBFCs and particularly IL&FS?
• Several corporates, mutual funds and insurance companies had invested in short-term instruments such as commercial papers (CPs) and non-convertible debentures (NCDs) of the IL&FS group that has been defaulting on payments since August 2018. This has stoked fears that funds of many could have been stuck in IL&FS debt instruments which, in turn could lead to a liquidity crunch for them. This has become a cause of concern that the funding cost for NBFCs will zoom and result in a sharp decline in their margins.
• Banks have slowed down lending to NBFCs, virtually closing a major resource avenue for NBFCs.
• The fundamental issue, is an asset-liability mismatch in the operations of NBFCs like IL&FS. These firms borrow funds from the market — for 3 or 5 years — and lend for longer tenures — 10 to 15 years. Now, because interest rate are rising, the margin of NBFCs have suffered and consequently, funding to NBFCs has decreased. Hence, lack of funds has triggered such a scenario.
• Further, because of erosion of credibility of debt payment, their stocks have suffered majorly.
• There were more than 200 subsidiaries in case of IL&FS which brought considerable management problem, further worsening the status of NBFCs.

8.Transfer funds 24x7 via NEFT from Dec.
(GS-3)

• CONTEXT:FROM December, you can transfer funds round-the-clock using the National Electronic Funds Transfer or NEFT facility. RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das announced on Wednesday that the central bank would make available the NEFT system 24x7 from December.
• Currently the system is available from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on all working days except second and fourth Saturdays of the month.
• National Electronic Funds Transfer or NEFT :
• National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) is an electronic funds transfer system maintained by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Started in November 2005, the setup was established and maintained by Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT). NEFT enables bank customers in India to transfer funds between any two NEFT-enabled bank accounts on a one-to-one basis. It is done via electronic messages. Unlike real-time gross settlement (RTGS), fund transfers through the NEFT system do not occur in real-time basis. NEFT settles fund transfers in half-hourly batches with 23 settlements occurring between 8:00 am and 6:30 pm on week days and the first, third and fifth Saturday of the calendar month. Transfers initiated outside this time period are settled at the next available window. No settlements are made on the second and fourth Saturday of the month, or on Sundays, or on public holidays.
• As of January 2011, NEFT facilities were available at 74,680 branches offices of 101 banks across the country (out of around 82,400 bank branches), and online through the website of NEFT-enabled banks. NEFT has gained popularity due to the ease and efficiency with which the transactions can be concluded. This is reflected from the fact that 42% of all electronic transactions in the 2008 financial year were NEFT transactions.

9.Mexico’s cactus offers alternative to plastics

(GS-3)

• CONTEXT:
• Mexico’s prickly pear cactus, which is emblazoned on the country’s flag, could soon play a new and innovative role in the production of biodegradable plastics.
• A packaging material that is made from the plant has been developed by a Mexican researcher and is offering a promising solution to one of the world’s biggest pollution conundrums.
• “The pulp is strained to obtain a juice that I then use,” said Sandra Pascoe, who developed the product and works at the Atemajac Valley University in the western city of Guadalajara.
• That substance is then mixed with non-toxic additives and stretched to produce sheets that are coloured with pigments and folded to form different types of packaging.
• “What we’re doing is trying to concentrate on objects that don’t have a long life,” she said, particularly “single-use” packaging.
• Ms. Pascoe is still conducting tests, but hopes to patent her product later this year and look for partners in early 2020, with an eye towards large scale production.
• The cacti Ms. Pascoe uses for her experiments come from San Esteban, a small town on the outskirts of Guadalajara, where they grow by the hundreds.
• San Esteban is located in Jalisco state where, starting next year, single-use non-recyclable plastic bags, straws and other disposable items will be banned.
• Pascoe says her new material would be no more than a “drop in the ocean” in the battle to preserve the environment.
• Given the rampant production of industrial plastics and the time it takes to make her material, there would need to be “other recycling strategies” to make any concrete difference, she said.

• 10.Even in cities, natural signs can warn of floods, researchers find    (GS-3)

• CONTEXT:A study says indigenous knowledge on how nature flags up extreme weather is also relevant in urban areas to help alert residents
• Indigenous knowledge about how to spot flood risks ahead of time could save lives in cities, researchers said on Wednesday, as climate change and population growth put millions of people at risk of increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.
• Understanding changes in natural indicators - such as plants, birds and temperatures - could be used to alert urban residents to extreme weather where forecasts are seen as unreliable, said a study in the Journal of the British Academy.
• "Indigenous knowledge is often overlooked," said Caroline Knowles, director of the cities and infrastructure programme at the British Academy, the UK's national body for humanities and social sciences.
• "There are knowledge transfers that can be made between rural and peri-urban spaces that could save lives and livelihoods around the world," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
• The study interviewed 1,050 people in 21 rural and urban communities in Ghana, including the capital city Accra and the main city of Tamale in its Northern Region.
• Researchers documented natural indicators used by indigenous communities to predict floods, droughts and temperature changes.
• Those include links between rainfall patterns and ant behaviour, appearances by certain birds, flowering of baobab trees and observations of heat intensity, passed down between generations.
• Knowles said not all rural indicators could be transferred to urban spaces, but some are relevant for both environments, such as clouds, heat, insects and trees.
• Promoting tree-planting in urban areas could offer further opportunities to apply indigenous knowledge on flora in cities, said study author Raymond Abudu Kasei from Ghana's University for Development Studies.
• More than 3 million urban dwellers could be at risk of flooding from extreme rainfall by 2050 as climate change brings more unpredictable weather hazards, the study said.
• Extreme heat and power blackouts, alongside food and water shortages, are other threats if climate-changing emissions are not curbed, a 2018 report for the C40 cities network found.
• 
  

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