Aggregate Measurement of Support
The US and Australia accused India of exceeding the WTO’s 10% subsidy limit for developing countries by providing excessive subsidies to sugarcane farmers.
- These subsidies or domestic support are called aggregate measurement of support (AMS) in trade parlance.
About AMS
- It calculates annual support provided for agricultural products.
- It includes all product-specific support and non-product-specific support in one single figure.
- It is used to identify trade distortion subsidies that may need reduction as per the Agreement on Agriculture.
- Tags :
- WTO
- Aggregate Measurement of Support
Krishi Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC)
Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) inaugurated a Krishi ICCC at Krishi Bhavan in New Delhi.
About Krishi ICCC
- It is a tech-driven solution under MoA&FW for informed decision-making in agriculture using technologies like artificial intelligence, remote sensing, and Geographic Information Systems.
- It monitors farm sector by consolidating geospatial information from various sources like sowing data from Digital Crop Survey, Unified Portal for Agricultural Statistics for market intelligence etc.
- Application: Customised farmer advisories based on GIS soil mapping and weather data; Proactive drought management, Identification of crop diversification etc.
- Tags :
- Krishi ICCC
- Applications of Krishi ICCC
Shinku La tunnel
Border Road Organisation will soon commence the construction of the 4.1-km long Shinku La tunnel.
About Shinku La tunnel
- Once completed, this tunnel will become the world’s highest tunnel at 15,800 ft, surpassing Mila tunnel in China.
- It will provide all-weather connectivity from Manali to Leh.
- It is expected to streamline the transportation of heavy machinery to strategic locations such as Kargil, Siachen, etc.
- Tags :
- Border Road Organisation
- Shinku La tunnel
INTERPOL (International Criminal Police Organization)
- Interpol issues blue colour notice against an absconding MP who faces serious sexual harassment allegations.
- Blue Notice refers to collect additional information about a person’s identity, location or activities in relation to a criminal investigation.
About INTERPOL
- Established in 1956 at Lyon (France).
- General Assembly is supreme governing body; meets once a year; comprises representatives of every member country.
- 196 Member countries including India.
- Supports national efforts in combating crimes across four global areas – Terrorism; Cybercrime; Organized crime; and Financial crime and Anti-corruption.
- Tags :
- INTERPOL
- Blue Colour Notice
Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus)
- For the first time, Scientists studying the sperm whales have outlined that they communicate using bursts of clicking noises- called codas- sounding a bit like Morse code.
About Sperm Whale
- Characteristics: Largest of the toothed whales and only males tend to be observed closer to poles.
- Distribution: Found in deep open waters, or around islands and coastal areas with deep canyons or very narrow continental shelves.
- Found in India, Argentina; Bangladesh etc.
- Threats: Vessel Strikes, Entanglement in Fishing Gear, Underwater noise pollution etc.
- Conservation status
- IUCN: Vulnerable
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule II