Moscow declaration: WHO seeks co-ordinated action on TB, end of HIV co-infection deaths by 2020

• Health ministers, NGOs, and private sector representatives from 120 countries adopted the Moscow Declaration to eliminating additional deaths from HIV co-infection by 2020 and achieving synergy in coordinated action against TB and non-communicable diseases.
• India is among the signatories to the declaration.
• The Moscow declaration emphasised the need for fixing multi-sectoral responsibility towards ending TB by 2035, the global target.
• A national inter-ministerial commission will be set up by 2018 to achieve “fast-tracking universal access to health care through all state and non-state care providers by adopting WHO-recommended TB diagnostics, drugs, technologies etc.
• The TB report card will be reviewed by the UN General Assembly in 2018 during a high-level meeting.
• Topic- GS-2- Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

• The Indian Navy sealed a deal with Tata Power SED for supply of portable diver detection sonar which are fitted on ships to detect underwater threats.
• The defence ministry said that the contract, under the ‘Buy and Make’ category, has been finalised in consonance with the government’s ‘Make in India’ policy for the defence sector.
• Tata Power Strategic Engineering Division (Tata Power SED) has partnered with Israel’s DSIT Solutions Ltd for manufacturing the sonars under technology transfer at its facility in Bengaluru.
• The sonar is one of the largest in the world market.
• This is the second contract to be signed by the Indian Navy under the ‘Buy and Make (Indian)’ category to boost government’s defence indigenisation effort.
• The first contract under this category was signed earlier this year by the Navy for supply of surface surveillance radar for IN warships.

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is preparing to hand over the entire gamut of launch vehicle manufacture to domestic industry by 2020.
• ISRO already has a partnership with private industry to produce satellites.
• The IRNSS-1H communication satellite aboard the ill-fated PSLV C-39 was the first to be produced by a consortium of six companies.
• Reusable launch vehicles promise to bring down launch cost but pose a problem for industry due to lower demand.

1. Geosynchronous satellite- is a satellite in geosynchronous orbit, with an orbital period the same as the Earth’s rotation period.

• A special case of geosynchronous satellite is the geostationary satellite, which has geostationary orbit – a circular geosynchronous orbit directly above the Earth’s equator.
• Geo-stationary satellite is used to telecast. TV programmes from one part of the world to another, in weather forecasting, in predictions of floods and droughts.

2. Polar Satellite- Revolves around the earth in polar orbit at a height of 800km (app.) Time periods of these satellites is 84 min.

Lower earth orbit	180 km – 2000 km
Mid earth orbit	2000 km – 35786 km (approximate)
High earth orbit	> 35786 km (approximate) (geosynchronous)

• In Assam, the first ever Namami Barak festival has begun today in Silchar.
• Namami Barak is an attempt to pay tribute to the River Barak and to showcase of Barak's potential & possibilities to emerge as a hub of trade and commerce.
• The event is being organised at 3 locations in Barak Valley also known as Southern Assam.

• In pursuance of Act East Policy of India and demonstration of its commitment to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific Region, Indian Naval Ships Satpura and Kadmatt are entering Port Laem Chabang, Thailand.
• This year, India also celebrates the 25th anniversary of its partnership with ASEAN and 70 years of diplomatic relations with Thailand.
• India’s ‘Look East’ and ‘Act East’ policies have been a perfect conjugate to ASEAN’S endeavours. Ships of the Indian Navy are deployed every year to ASEAN countries and symbolise India’s commitment to her partners.

• Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has signed a joint venture agreement with a China Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC) to construct 750 MW West Seti hydropower Project.
• The agreement was signed at Kathmandu in Nepal.
• The estimated cost of the project will be 1.8 billion US dollars.
• CTGC will have 75% stake in the joint venture and NEA will hold remaining 25%.

• According to the African Union (AU), Zimbabwean military's takeover of power of President Mr. Robert Mugabe (93-year) seems like a coup.
• Last week, Emmerson Mnangagwa (vice-president) was fired and making Mr.
• Mugabe's wife Grace the president's likely successor which left top military officials feeling side lined.
• Robert Mugabe has not yet been formally deposed as president, although his days — even hours — appear to be numbered.

• Assam tea planters have decided to move the Union Ministry for Industry and Commerce and Tea Board of India against the ASEAN free trade agreement which envisages reducing agriculture commodity import tariffs to 50 percent.
• Planters in Assam, which is India’s largest tea-producing state, fear that cheap tea will flood the Indian market and Indian tea will not be able to withstand the competition owing to high labour cost, low productivity of labours and land.

ASEAN

• Established in 1967 in Bangkok via Bangkok Declaration.
• Currently there are 10-member states and 2 observer states are part of it.
• The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a regional intergovernmental organisation comprising ten Southeast Asian states which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, military, educational and cultural integration amongst its members and Asian states.
• Its headquarter is in Jakarta, Indonesia.
• India is not member of it.
• The 10-member states of ASEAN are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.

• India is ranked 14th in this year's Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2018 out of 56 nations and the European Union by environmental organisation Germanwatch.
• There is an improvement from its 20th position last year, for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by opting to transform its electricity sector towards green technology.

• The Karnataka Private Medical Establishments Act was passed in 2007 to "to bring a comprehensive legislation in place of the Karnataka Private Nursing Home (Regulation) Act, 1976" that will be the legal control over private medical establishments (PMEs) in the State.
• The Bill also made the registration of PMEs mandatory and laid down guidelines to ensure their quality.
• Recently KPME Amendment Bill 2017 was introduced in Karnataka Assembly.

• The Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (Amendment) Bill 2017 is an amendment to the existing KPME Bill that intends to bring the PMEs under the purview of the government.
• This latest amendment will pave way for the Karnataka government fixing the rates for each class of treatment, and will provide grievance redressal systems.
• It also aims to put a stop to the practice of demanding advance payment in case of emergency treatment, and not releasing dead bodies to relatives till all dues have been settled.
• The Indian Medical Association State-unit protesting against this bill.

• Worldwide, 15 million babies are born preterm and more than a million die as a result.
• In order to accelerate efforts to save millions of newborn infants, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) asked countries to implement a set of simple interventions beneficial for mothers and newborns, called Early Essential Newborn Care (EENC).
• According to the WHO, millions of newborns can be protected through skin-to-skin contact.
• The core of EENC is the First Embrace -- immediate and thorough drying after birth followed by skin-to-skin contact until completion of the first breastfeed, appropriately timed clamping and cutting of the cord, and exclusive breastfeeding.
• First Embrace keeps babies calm, stimulates breathing, prevents hypothermia, reduces anaemia, prevents brain haemorrhage, strengthens immunity from infections, and provides adequate and appropriate nutrition from breastfeeding, said WHO.
• First time EENC Launched at Manila in March 2015 by WHO and UNICEF.