NARUMUGAI IAS STUDY POINT

04.10.2010 - Current Affairs

2010-10-04T16:51:00.000+05:30

CHENNAI: A section of employees of Chennai's public transport system, Metropolitan Transport Corporation, went on a flash strike on Monday morning, demanding action against those who had assaulted their colleagues.They warned of intensifying their agitation if their grievances were not addressed.
LONDON: Russian archaeologists have unearthed some ancient and virtually unknown settlements which they believe were built by the original Aryan race about 4000 years ago.According to the team which has discovered 20 of the spiral-shaped settlements in remote part of Russia steppe in southern Siberia bordering Kazakhstan, the buildings date back to the beginning of Western civilisation in Europe.
STOCKHOLM: British physiologist Robert Edwards, whose work led to the first "test-tube baby", won the 2010 Nobel prize for medicine or physiology, the prize-awarding institute said on Monday.Edwards, 85, won the prize of 10 million Swedish crowns ($1.5 million), Sweden's Karolinska Institute said.
MUMBAI: National carrier Air India will launch a flight to Chicago from Hyderabad via Delhi by this month-end.We are all set to operate flight service to Chicago connecting Hyderabad with New Delhi from October 31," airline sources said, adding that a plan to launch a direct service to San Francisco was also being studied.
AHMEDABAD: Naxalism, which has wreaked havoc in various parts of the country in the recent times, may soon get a management perspective. A team of five students of the post graduate programme for executives ( PGPX) at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) took the initiative to find out the root cause for the disturbance. Now, they will come up with a way to tackle it.
NEW DELHI: After the reverses it has suffered, including the loss in last year's national election, BJP is now -- almost literally -- facing an 'identity theft', allegedly at the hands of the Congress.And the clash in the virtual world promises to be fierce. On Sunday, the party announced it had served a legal notice to Congress, accusing it of "petty, pickpocketlike theft" of its online identity.

29.09.2010 - Current Affairs

2010-09-29T19:36:00.000+05:30

NEW DELHI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday dropped former captain Sunil Gavaskar from the governing council of the Indian Premier League (IPL) but retained Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and Ravi Shastri.The governing council was reconstituted after the board suspended IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi earlier this year over charges of murky dealings.
NANDURBAR (Maharashtra): Ten adivasis from the tribal hamlet of Tembhli on Wednesday became the first to receive the Unique Identity Numbers from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, who said this would help the poor get the benefits of welfare projects.Singh and Gandhi distributed the first ten 'Adhaar' cards of Unique Identification Authority of India to ten residents of the tribal hamlet.
MELBOURNE: After a long lull in the racial attacks in Victoria, a 21-year-old man was reportedly bashed and bruised after being asked if he was an Indian.According to a local newspaper Dandenong Leader, police said the man was walking to Sandown Park rail station about 6.40 am when four teenage males on bikes approached him, three with baseball bats.
An al-Qaeda-linked plot to launch a Mumbai-style terror attack simultaneously on London and major cities in France and Germany was disrupted by intelligence agencies, a report has said.
LONDON: Computers may soon be able to recycle part of their own waste heat, using a material being studied by researchers.The material is a semiconductor called gallium manganese arsenide. Researchers at the Ohio State University describe the detection of an effect that converts heat into a quantum mechanical phenomenon – known as spin – in a semiconductor.

28.09.2010 - Current Affairs

2010-09-28T20:04:00.000+05:30

The Allahabad High Court will deliver its verdict in the 60-year-old Ramjanambhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit on Thursday after the Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the path by dismissing a petition seeking its deferment.
Buckling under pressure from the opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Tamil Nadu government today decided to hand over to Central Bureau of Investigation five cases regarding repeated death threats issued to its party chief Jayalalithaa.
MUMBAI: Maharashtra Government today submitted to the Bombay High Court a CCTV footage of Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab assaulting jail staff and opposed his plea for a closed-door interview with his lawyers.The high court is hearing confirmation of death sentence awarded to Kasab for his role in the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai in which 166 people were killed.
NEW DELHI: India is still allowing the sale of Rosiglitazone — the diabetes drug that has been found to cause heart attacks.Even as several countries start to take action against the drug — Europe and UAE are banning its sale while US has placed stringent restrictions over its sale — India is yet to take a call on whether to take the drug off its shelves.
WASHINGTON: The United States has a secret "retribution" plan to bomb more than 150 terror camps in Pakistan in the event of another major terrorist attack originating from that country.This startling disclosure about Washington's "all bets off" policy towards an ostensibly dubious ally in the war on terror is contained in Bob Woodward's opus " Obama's War," which details an evolving US approach in the region.
LONDON: Cell phone users may soon be able to recharge their devices wirelessly. Japanese technology company Fujitsu has developed a system capable of simultaneously charging multiple portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, digital cameras and laptop computers without the need for cable connections.

27.09.2010 - Current Affairs

2010-09-27T15:07:00.000+05:30

Initiating long-pending reforms in the selection process for the elite all-India services like the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS), the government has decided to introduce an aptitude test at the preliminary examination level while doing away with the assessment on the optional subjects.The Civil Services Aptitude Test, which will be common for all candidates, would be introduced from next year, Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Prithviraj Chavan said in an interaction with The Indian Express journalists at the ‘Idea Exchange’ programme here.
NEW DELHI: South Africa led the charge of the African nations against the shoddy Commonwealth Games preparations on Sunday. As the Delhi government carried out frantic clean-up operations in the Games Village, South Africa set the cat among the pigeons by saying a snake had been found in an athlete's room.South Africa's high commissioner to India Harris Majeke told reporters a snake had been found in the room of an athlete at the Games Village. "That was really a threat to the lives of our athletes," he said, complaining of filth in the living quarters including basements of the buildings. "When everything is done, then we will ask our teams to come," he added.
NEW DELHI: The Indian establishment is worried about a startling increase in the number of stand-offs between Indian and Chinese border patrols and more aggressive posturing by Chinese soldiers along the border.The political leadership has been briefed about this qualitative change in the assertiveness of Chinese troops along the border, sources said.
MUMBAI: Wikipedia, the world's free online encyclopedia that is one of most visited sites after Google with 375 million visitors a month, will shortly be launching an India office - probably in Mumbai - besides setting up an India Chapter of the Wiki Foundation, the owners of Wikipedia and its other arms, in Bangalore said.
BEIJING: A sophisticated malicious computer software, or malware, described by security firms as a "new cyber-weapon," is attempting to infiltrate factory computers in China's key industries, threatening the country's national security, cyber experts have warned.Called Stuxnet, the worm was first discovered in mid-June and was specially written to attack Siemens supervisory control and data (SCADA) systems commonly used to control and monitor industrial facilities - from traffic lights and oil rigs to power and nuclear plants, the state-run Global Times daily reported quoting experts.
LONDON: In good news for people working away from their offices, HP has introduced a new range of printers that connect directly with mobile devices and can be accessed remotely.The launch of the new ePrint platform gives each device an e-mail address and allows documents to be e-mailed directly to the printer for immediate printing.

24.09.2010 - Current Affairs

2010-09-24T17:59:00.000+05:30

The Tamil Nadu Government today announced a ten per cent hike in the Dearness Allowance (DA) for its staff, teachers and pensioners.Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had ordered the increase with retrospective effect from September 1, 2010, an official release here said.The hike would cost the exchequer an additional Rs 2,190 crore annually, the release added.
India’s indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II ballistic missile failed to take off during a user trial from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur off the Orissa coast on Friday apparently due to a technical problem, defence sources said.
WASHINGTON: Ahead of his meeting with Indian counterpart A K Antony, US defence secretary Robert Gates has said the Pentagon wants to strengthen and expand its military to military ties with India."We are looking to expand this relationship in ways that are mutually beneficial," Gates told reporters at a Pentagon briefing ahead of the crucial Antony visit next week.
NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) has, for the first time, been ranked number eight for its two-year Postgraduate Programme (PGP). According to the latest Financial Times (FT) Business School rankings for its Masters in Management programme 2010, the premier Indian B-school's MBA programme has been placed among the top 10 in the list of 65 B-schools. This is the first time IIM-A participated in the ranking assessment.
MELBOURNE: India bribed 72 Commonwealth countries $100,000 each to get the hosting rights for the scandal-hit 19th edition of the Games which will start in Delhi from October 3-14, a media report claimed.A report in the Daily Telegraph claimed that Delhi pipped Hamilton in the bid after offering huge sums of money to the 72 Commonwealth countries during the final presentation in Jamaica.
MUMBAI: India and Argentina have signed an agreement for cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy, according to department of atomic energy.Agreement between the government of India and the Argentine Republic for Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy was signed at Vienna by Dr S Banerjee, chairman of Atomic Energy Commission and Dr Norma Boero, president of the Atomic Energy Commission of Argentina (CNEA)
NEW DELHI: A MiG-27 of the IAF crashed 40 km east of the Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal at 8.30 am on Friday morning.The aircraft crashed at Duria village in West Midnapore district this morning but the pilot ejected safely.

23.09.2010 - Current Affairs

2010-09-23T16:05:00.000+05:30

In a bid to restrict the large-scale smuggling of contraband spirit into the State, the Excise Department has suggested that modern X-ray scanners be installed at major border check-posts to scan the inside of vehicles without unloading passengers and cargo.Official sources said on Tuesday that the State government would possibly require the permission of the Central government authority on radiological protection to install such large scanners, which would cost approximately Rs.12 crore a piece.
Having burnt their fingers with the online Common Admission Test (CAT) last year after virus attacks undid the IIMs’ first attempt at switching from a paper-pencil test to a computer-based one, the country’s top-notch business schools are now working on a plan to set up their own online testing firm.
BAREILLY: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today demanded Rs 2000 crore from the Centre for conducting flood relief operations in the state."We need Rs 2000 crore for flood relief operations in the state. Of the Rs 2000 crore, Rs 1000 crore was needed for Bundelkhand and Poorvanchal (eastern UP) and the rest for Western UP," Mayawati told reporters here after undertaking an aerial survey of the flood affected areas.
CHENNAI: Thirty two unemployed SC/ST graduates were appointed as bank officers for ICICI Bank on Friday, as part of a placement scheme overseen by Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing and Development Corporation (TAHDCO).
NEW DELHI: With just a day left for the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court to deliver its verdict on the contentious issue of the title suits of the disputed site at Ayodhya, suspense over its outcome and anxiety over the possible fallout keeps rising.

20.09.2010 - Current Affairs

2010-09-20T12:45:00.000+05:30

An all-party delegation led by Home Minister P. Chidambaram arrived here on Monday on a two-day visit to assess the ground situation in Kashmir Valley which has witnessed unabated violence in recent months.
India put up an improved performance to crush Pakistan in straight sets, 25-17, 25-15, 25-22, in the final league match of the third Asian volleyball championship (central zone) at the Netaji Indoor Stadium to set up a revenge match in the final against Iran on Monday.
NEW DELHI: The month's wettest day, with heavy rain in the morning and an incessant drizzle thereafter, made Sunday the coldest September day experienced by Delhiites in at least five years. The maximum temperature crashed to 23.6 degrees Celsius -- 10 degrees below normal -- barely 0.5 degrees above the minimum temperature. The city saw 56.2mm rain till 8.30pm, most of came between 8.30am and 11.30am.
BANGALORE: Its good news for citizens, for they get to voice their opinions and ideas before the Planning Commission. The panel will introduce an inclusive process, which will help people to participate in the 12th five-year plan.
MUMBAI: The plethora of online Nigerian frauds, instances of hacking and obscene text messages might be spiralling endlessly, but the city is yet to see a single conviction in cyber crime cases in the last 10 years.
PARIS: A Frenchman whose arms and legs were amputated swam across the English Channel this weekend using leg prostheses that have flippers attached.Philippe Croizon, 42, had expected the tough crossing to take up to 24 hours and instead, he finished in only 13 and a half. His team believe this is a record time for a disabled swimmer.
People who think more about whether they are right have more cells in an area of the brain known as the frontal lobes.UK scientists, writing in Science, looked at how brain size varied depending on how much people thought about decisions.But a nationwide survey recently found that some people think too much about life.

19.09.2010 - Current Affairs

2010-09-20T03:27:00.000+05:30

BJP Parliamentary Party chief L.K. Advani called up Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Sunday to discuss the firing outside the Jama Masjid in which two foreign tourists were injured, and enquired about the steps being taken to handle the situation.
China has suspended senior bilateral contact with Japan over the detention of a Chinese captain accused of ramming his boat against Japanese patrol vessels in disputed waters, said state media on Sunday.
The Indian economy is entering a new phase of development as the prospects for balanced growth in 2010-11 have given rise to expectations that the performance in the next and subsequent years will be even more heartening. As a result of the bountiful rainfall in many regions in North India and even in the areas such as Bihar and Eastern States where it was apprehended for a time that severe drought condition would prevail, the yield of food and cash crops in the kharif season may constitute an all-time record.
Bharti Airtel on Friday said it had tied up with technology major IBM for managing its computing technology and services for its African operations spanning 16 countries. The strategic partnership would enable Bharti Airtel to scale up its network and systems to cater to more than 10-crore African customers by 2012.
When Indian officials last month wanted to engage with their Chinese counterparts over the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) objection to the visit of the chief of the Army's Northern Command, they were faced with a problem. They were directed to voice their concerns to an official in the Foreign Ministry. Yet, this was a government department that had had no role in the decision, and, according to some officials, had even voiced reservations that the PLA's move would unnecessarily strain relations against the backdrop of a recent warming up of ties.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has embarked on a major programme with an aim to introduce career-oriented programmes in universities and colleges across the country. In the academic year 2011-12, the commission will support a variety of such courses in science, arts and commerce. These courses will be offered as an add-on activity under the scheme.
Making amends for their opening-day defeats, Somdev and Bopanna downed their higher-ranked rivals in a do-or-die situation and led India to its first ever win in a Davis Cup tie from a 0-2 deficit.

Current Affairs - 09.09.2010

2010-09-10T01:31:00.000+05:30

Nakoda, a leading player in the polyester filament yarn segment, is set to commence its wind power project in Madhya Pradesh. It proposes to acquire wind mills from Global Wind Power, a company floated by Reliance ADAG Group. The company will invest Rs.32.92 crore. After commissioning of the new machines, Nakoda's wind power capacity will increase from 6.75 MW to 12 MW, says a company release.
India has slipped by two places to 51st in the World Economic Forum's global competitiveness rankings, while rival China has managed to improve its standing to 29th.As per the WEF's Global Competitiveness Report 2010-11, released today, Switzerland is No. 1 in the world in terms of its ability to provide the most competitive environment on several fronts.
Private sector lender ICICI Bank has been awarded the World Finance Awards 2010 in three categories.The three categories are Excellence in NRI services-Worldwide, Excellence in Remittance Business-Worldwide and Excellence in Private Banking Business-Asia-Pacific Region awards at the prestigious World Finance Awards, UK, 2010, a press release stated.
President Barack Obama today underlined his determination to end tax incentives for companies that create jobs overseas, saying he will provide a generous tax credit to companies that create more jobs in the US.Amid indication that outsourcing could become a hot issue in the November elections, Obama said the tax breaks should go to companies that create jobs in the US and not overseas.
India today condemned the plan of small Florida church pastor to burn copies of the holy Quran to mark the 9/11 attacks and called on US authorities to take "strong action" to prevent such an "outrage" being committed.Union Home Minister P Chidambaram while deploring Pastor Terry Jones's move to burn copies of Islam's holiest text on September 11 also urged the Indian media to exercise "great restraint" over the coverage of the act to help maintain peace and harmony.
A year-long Environmental Impact Assessment study has been taken up on the Sethusamudhram project by the Centre and only after it is completed will it be decided whether to continue the project or not, said Rajendra K. Pachauri, Director-General, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), here on Thursday.

Current Affairs - 08.09.2010

2010-09-09T03:05:00.000+05:30

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday staked claim to form a government in Jharkhand under the former Chief Minister, Arjun Munda. In Ranchi, party leaders presented to Governor M.O.H. Farook a list of 45 MLAs ready to give unconditional support to the new government.
An ordinance has been promulgated by the Governor to give preference to persons who have studied in Tamil medium for jobs in the State.According to the gazette, candidates who have studied in the Tamil medium have little chance of getting employed in the Central government, other State Governments or in the private sector.
China on Tuesday underlined its role in South Asia, saying that as an “important member” of Asia it was willing to work with India for peace and stability in the sub-continent.Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said China was committed to safeguarding peace and stability of Asia, including South Asia.
NEW DELHI: Facing shortage of teaching staff in the wake of capacity augmentation, IITs have proposed to appoint foreign nationals to its faculty positions.The move, if accepted, could enable the prestigio us institutes to appoint foreign teachers on permanent positions which could be up to 10 per cent of the faculty strength, said IIT officials.
AGARTALA: Indian and Bangladesh railway officials Wednesday completed technical formalities and finalised alignments to link their networks to improve connectivity between the two countries.Senior officials of Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR), Bangladesh Railways and the Tripura government held a series of meetings here this week and visited several places proposed to be utilised for laying the railway tracks.

Current Affairs - 07.09.2010

2010-09-09T02:55:00.001+05:30

Banking services will be hit in Bangalore on Tuesday in view of the all-India strike called by the Left parties.The State Bank of India (SBI) and Indian Overseas Bank branches are expected to function, but services in the associate banks of SBI, and Canara Bank and Syndicate Bank are likely to be hit.
A group of 141 Indian fishermen were on Monday released by Pakistani authorities from Malir Jail in Karachi, completing the process of freeing 442 fishermen.
As many as 650 persons, mainly volunteers and teachers from schools and colleges took part in the Lead India 2020 launched here on Saturday by District Collector P. Umanath and City Police Commissioner C. Sylendra Babu.
KOLAR GOLD FIELDS: Declared sick and shut down in 2001, Kolar mines may glitter again.Plans are afoot to revive the second deepest mine in the world (the first is in S Africa). After serving the nation for 121 years, Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) still has reserves that could yield 10 tonnes of gold per year for 15 years. With gold selling at a record Rs 19,000-plus per 10 grams, it would be a windfall.
At the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur, the paediatrics department emergency ward is overflowing with patients — two-to-a-bed is the rule, many beds have even three. There is no other way to accommodate 240 patients on 108 beds. NEW DELHI: Eight more people died today as unrelenting rains wreaked havoc in northern India where major rivers swelled dangerously causing flooding in several areas and Army called in for relief and rescue operations in Haryana.

Current Affairs - 06.09.2010

2010-09-07T01:24:00.001+05:30

The term of the 243-member Assembly will end on November 27. This will be the first election after Mr. Quraishi took over as the Chief Election Commissioner on July 30.
Biopiracy, which is gradually robbing India of its precious assets and rich bio-diversity, has emerged as one of the biggest concerns before the union environment and forests ministry.
BrahMos cruise missile was successfully test-fired on Sunday and the highlight of the mission was the missile performing a steep dive at a supersonic speed.
India, looking to launch a second green revolution to boost its food security, has begun looking at distant South America where countries have been able to ramp up food production with new technology and farming methods. And to take lessons first-hand, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar will visit Argentina, Brazil and Mexico this month.
India has replaced the U.S. as the second most important foreign directive investment (FDI) destination for transnational corporations, according to a survey conducted by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Asked about China's needling of India by referring to J&K as 'India-controlled Kashmir', PM Manmohan Singh agreed that Beijing could be tempted to use Kashmir and Pakistan 'to keep India in low-level equilibrium'.
As number of dengue cases rose to 1370, Delhi Government today asked citizens not to panic and said there was no shortage of platelets in any of its designated hospitals offering treatment to the people affected by the vector-borne disease.

Current Affairs - 25.08.2010

2010-08-25T21:44:00.000+05:30

Orient Green Power Limited (OGPL), a subsidiary of Singapore-based Orient Green Power Pte. Ltd. with a diversified portfolio of renewable energy plants in India, has drawn up plans to increase the capacity to 800 MW by March 2012. As on March 31, 2010, its installed capacity was 193.1 MW comprising 152.6 MW of wind farms and 40.5 MW from biomass-based power plants. By the end of the current financial year, it plans to reach a capacity of 340 MW.
Anil Dhirubhai Ambani-owned Reliance Life Insurance has announced that it has crossed the Rs.15,000-crore-mark in assets under management (AUM). “This milestone closely follows the Rs.10,000-crore AUM mark recorded by the company in September 2009,” the company said in a statement. The company is targeting to double the AUM to Rs.30,000 crore by 2011-12.
Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh has acted boldly and impartially by relying on scientific expertise and rejecting the application from Vedanta Resources for forest clearance to start bauxite mining in Orissa's Niyamgiri hills. In doing so, he has laudably upheld due process, human rights, and environmental laws. The transparent manner in which the Ministry went about assessing environmental concerns and the impact the project would have on tribal groups in the proposed mining area before arriving at a decision is particularly noteworthy.
Tamil Nadu Government decides to urge AICTE not to grant approval for establishing anymore new engineering colleges in the State.
Home minister P Chidambaram today hoped a starting point would be found in the next few days to help break the vicious cycle of violence in Kashmir and re-start the process of dialogue for peace.
Describing the security scenario in the country as "critical", defence minister A K Antony on Wednesday said more high profile indigenous defence equipment were needed.
Even the most extreme geoengineering approaches will not stop sea levels from rising due to climate change, a study suggests.New research proposes that as many as 150 million people could be affected as ocean levels increases by 30cm to 70cm by the end of this century.

Current Affairs - 24.08.2010

2010-08-25T00:26:00.000+05:30

THANJAVUR: The Centre has proposed to spend Rs 25 crore for various renovation and development works in Brihadeeswara Temple in Thanjavur in view of its millennium celebrations.
BANGALORE: Elections to zilla and taluk panchayats will see 50% reservation for women.Governor H R Bhardwaj has approved the Panchayat Raj Act (Amendment) Bill, 2010, paving the way for enhancing women's reservation from the existing 33% to 50%, and use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in elections to panchayat raj institutions.
The West Bengal government has allocated Rs. 400 crore for 2010-11 for construction of new dwelling units and renovation of the existing ones for all homeless slum-dwellers and those who were not beneficiaries of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.Of this amount, about Rs. 50 crore has already been granted.
Kolkata:Arrested Lashkar-e-Toiba operative David Headley has indicated to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) that the “Karachi set-up”, sponsored by an al-Qaeda arm that aims to target India by “using militants of local origin”, was responsible for the July 11, 2006 serial train blasts in Mumbai and the attack on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Srinagar rally on November 17, 2004.
World chess champion Viswanathan Anand has refused to accept the honorary doctorate, which was to have been conferred on him by the University of Hyderabad (UoH) at a special convocation at the ongoing International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) 2010 here on Tuesday.
Responding to the concerns of exporters and the sudden decline in exports last month, the UPA government on Monday announced sops worth Rs.1,052 crore to the labour-intensive textile, handicrafts and leather sectors to help them cruise through the fragile global economic recovery phase.
The government today extended sops worth Rs 1,052 crore to exporters, particularly for the labour-intensive textile, handicrafts and leather sectors, to help them see through the fragile economic recovery."We are not yet out of the woods," Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said while extending the schemes like DEPB, under which taxes are reimbursed to exporters, subsidised interest and sops for import of capital goods. Releasing the annual supplement to the Foreign Trade Policy 2009-14, he said the revenue implication of these measures would be Rs 1,052 crore.
An Indian-origin scientist-led team claims to have discovered a culprit in breast cancer - a master control switch with the power to set off a cascade of reactions orchestrated by a cancer-causing gene named Wnt1.Although the cancer-causing gene (or oncogene) Wnt1 has been connected with breast cancer for over 30 years, the signals that trigger it remain largely unknown.
CHANDIGARH: After Bhakra dam brimming to its capacity, rising water levels in Pong Dam have now become a cause for concern. The dam has crossed 1375 feet mark against its capacity of 1390 feet compelling authorities to release water, after over a decade. The dam saw its inflow increase by 10 times compared to last year even as uninterrupted heavy inflows compelled Bhakra Beas Management Board to release over 60,000 cusecs of water in Sutlej on Monday.
SINGAPORE: The yen struck a 15-year high against the dollar and a nine-year peak against the euro on Tuesday as investors and speculators tested the resolve of Japanese authorities to stem the yen's steady rise.

Current Affairs - 23.08.2010

2010-08-24T23:12:00.000+05:30

The National Highway Authority of India(NHAI) has decided to launch a four digit toll free number to benefit distressed road users in not only saving their lives, but also helping in all possible ways and notably better the road safety in the country.
Pakistan has eased visa restrictions for aid workers from all countries except India and Israel to help the nation deal with the humanitarian crisis caused by the devastating floods.
NEW DELHI: Under attack from Left and Right for some proposed amendments in the Nuclear Liability Bill, government on Monday sought to reach out to BJP but the main Opposition party said it doubts the "intent" behind the move and could not commit support unless the changes are dropped.
PATNA: More than two lakh employees of the Bihar government on Monday went on an indefinite strike demanding implementation of recommendations of the sixth pay commission in "letter and spirit". The Bihar State Non-Gazetted Employees Federation (BSNGEF) called for the strike in support of their seven point charter of demands.
NEW DELHI: Enterprising British youngsters are utilising their school holidays to gain first-hand knowledge of the impact of globalisation. At least 30 are learning Indian business processes at leading multinational companies, acquiring basic knowledge of Indian culture as lodgers with Indian families and familiarising themselves with the education environment at schools in India.

Current Affairs - 22.08.2010

2010-08-23T20:05:00.000+05:30

India launches phase-II of African e-network project Conceptualized on the vision of former Indian President Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam of connecting India with all the 53 countries of the African Union with a satellite and fibre optic network for sharing India’s expertise in education and health care, the project is being implemented in 47 African countries, of which actual commissioning has been completed in 34 countries.
A new cellphone could prove to be a boon for millions of heart patients as it also monitors their conditions.The H’andy Sana, a touch-screen phone, includes an application called Heart Suite, which enables users to measure, record and send electrocardiograms (ECGs).
Personal music players and more exposure to live music could have caused an increase in hearing loss among teenagers, research in the US suggests. The study noticed that the number of teenagers suffering from hearing problems has shot up by nearly a third in the past 20 years. Also, between 2005 and 2006, one in five adolescents suffered some form of hearing loss, The Telegraph reported on Wednesday. The increase was significantly 6.5 million more than in an earlier survey conducted between 1988 and 1994.
The Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (ELCOT) has almost completed the structural works in its building in Navalpattu IT Park where 50,000 sq feet IT space is to be provided to clients.
GREENSBORO: Arjun Atwal won the Wyndham Championship by one stroke Sunday, becoming the first Monday qualifier to win on the PGA Tour in 24 years.

Current Affairs - 21.08.2010

2010-08-22T19:07:00.000+05:30

Despite an uproar by Opposition parties inside and outside Parliament, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry is likely to undertake a further, but minor, hike in the prices of petrol after the conclusion of Parliament's monsoon session in the first week of September.
NEW DELHI: The proposed takeover of Cairn Energy's India business could see NRI billionaire Anil Agarwal emerging as the richest promoter of a corporate house ahead of Mukesh Ambani, who has ruled the list for long.
NEW YORK: India ranks 78th on the World's Best Countries' list compiled by Newsweek magazine, which placed nations on the basis of health, education, economy and politics.
China recorded more than 26,000 geological disasters in the first seven months of this year, nearly 10 times the number in the same period last year, Minister of Land and Resources Xu Shaoshi said.
NEW DELHI: The Nuclear Liability Bill faced fresh roadblocks on Sunday with the BJP and the Left parties asserting that they would oppose any dilution of the suppliers' liability.
Scientists have called for rapid curbing of carbon dioxide emission levels in order to limit ocean acidification as well as global warming.Dr. Toby Tyrrell of the University of Southampton’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and colleagues used computer models to quantify the likely response of ocean acidification to a range of carbon dioxide emission scenarios, including aggressive mitigation.

Current Affairs - 20.08.2010

2010-08-20T17:47:00.000+05:30

Government on Friday faced protests in the Lok Sabha, hours after it decided to raise MPs' salary to Rs 50,000 with several non-BJP opposition members storming the well demanding that it be raised to Rs 80,00
Pakistan has finally accepted the USD five million aid offered by India for flood relief victims and said such a gesture was appreciated.
The steep hike in H-1B and L1 visa fees, which would cost Indian IT firms an additional USD 250 million annually, has come into effect from August 14, the US said today.
MUSCAT: An on-flight bomb scare that turned out to be a hoax forced an Air India passenger jet to make an emergency landing at Muscat airport on Friday, Omani police said.
Corruption in Nigeria's police has become institutionalised and junior officers are expected to share bribes, US-based Human Rights Watch says.
The discovery of a rare magnetic star - or magnetar - is challenging theories about the origin of black holes.Magnetars are a special type of neutron star with a powerful magnetic field. They are formed by gravitational collapse after the original, or progenitor star, dies and forms a catastrophic supernova.
A research team at Heriot-Watt University is investigating whether urine could be used as a source of renewable energy.The scientists have developed a system to test whether it can be used in fuel cells as an alternative to flammable hydrogen or toxic methanol.It could offer a non-toxic, low-cost, easily transportable alternative. Dr Shanwen Tao and his research partner, Dr Rong Lan, have been awarded a £130,000 grant to develop it.
A strange double earthquake was responsible for the tsunami that devastated parts of the South Pacific in 2009, scientists claim.In a rare set of events, an initial 8.1 magnitude earthquake was immediately followed by a second 8.0 shock.The resulting tsunami devastated the South Pacific islands of Tonga and Samoa.

Current Affairs - 19.08.2010

2010-08-20T17:26:00.000+05:30

Maoist attacks have led to 217 disruptions in the movement of trains as a result of which the Railways have suffered a loss of Rs. 1,000 crore, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee informed the Rajya Sabha today.
The State Government plans to build a bed dam across the Vaigai at Mandivalasai near here to carry water to 67 tanks, including Kalari, one of the biggest tanks in the district.A sum of Rs.14.15 crore has been earmarked for the scheme, which is meant to enable easy flow of water through the waterways to the respective tanks. It will be implemented under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
Sabla - Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls. Centre cleared the implementation of this scheme. Aimed at enhancing their nutritional and economic status.Scheme will run with ICDS- integrated child development scheme in 200 select districts tgting girls in age gp 11-18.4500 has been allocated for implementing sabla during 11th plan.Cost of the scheme will bw shared equally by centre, states, & union territories
After remaining in incarceration for 20 months, former Chairman of Satyam Computers, B. Ramalinga Raju was freed from judicial custody on Thursday evening but remained in the Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) for further treatment.
The world's biggest chip maker, Intel, has agreed to buy the security technology firm, McAfee.Intel will pay $7.68bn (£5bn) in cash.
A diet rich in green leafy vegetables may reduce the risk of developing diabetes, UK research says.In an analysis of six studies into fruit and vegetable intake, only food including spinach and cabbage was found to have a significant positive effect.

Current Affairs - 18.08.2010

2010-08-19T21:24:00.001+05:30

Human Rights activist Ansar Burney has urged the Pakistan government to accept the donation offered by India for the flood relief work “in the greater interest of peace and love.”
The government on Thursday introduced a bill in the Rajya Sabha to award death penalty to those involved in the hijacking of civilian planes.The Anti-Hijacking (Amendment) Bill 2010, introduced in the Rajya Sabha by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, seeks to have a provision to deal with hijacking, making the law more comprehensive and stringent.
Iran will begin building its third uranium enrichment plant in early 2011, a top official said, defying world powers who have imposed new sanctions on Tehran for pursuing the sensitive nuclear work.
India Inc on Thursday delivered a stern message to China, which is: the Chinese industry is putting at risk its own growth prospects in India by treating Indian companies as junior and unequal partners.
MELBOURNE: An Indian-origin woman has been appointed as state's multicultural commissioner by the Victorian government to strengthen the multiculturalism and diversity in the state.

Current Affairs - 17.08.2010

2010-08-18T02:15:00.001+05:30

Public sector lender Indian Bank has hiked the interest rates on its deposits of Rs. five crore and below the maturity of two years and above by 50 basis points from 7.25 per cent to 7.75 per cent, the bank said today.
Scientists have created red blood cells for the first time from spare IVF embryos ells in Britain as part of a multi-million pound project to manufacture synthetic blood on mass-scale.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday announced a Rs 125 crore relief packaged for the Leh cloudburst victims and said all houses destroyed by the natural calamity will be reconstructed within the next two-and-a-half months.
WASHINGTON: China has moved new advanced longer range CSS-5 missiles close to the borders with India and developed contingency plans to shift airborne forces at short notice to the region, according to Pentagon.
NEW DELHI: The two hands to produce count for more than that one mouth to feed, after all. Driven by a sterling demographic dividend, continuing structural reform and globalisation, India is poised to accelerate its growth rate to 9-9.5% over 2013-15, even as China will cool down to a more sedate 9% by 2012 and to 8% by 2015. So finds a new report by Morgan Stanley, authored by Chetan Ahya (managing director for Asia and India economist, who writes a monthly column for ET) and Tanvee Gupta.
An Indian entrepreneur is relaunching the famous East India Company with the opening of a luxury food store in London on Saturday.The event takes place on the same day that - more than 135 years ago - the company was dissolved.

Current Affairs - 16.08.2010

2010-08-16T22:39:00.001+05:30

India remains very supportive of South Africa joining the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) group soon, Indian High Commissioner Virendra Gupta said at a function to mark the country’s 64th Independence Day in Johannesburg.
The Union Cabinet on Monday deferred a decision on hiking the salary and allowances of MPs though the issue was discussed in detail.The proposed increase is unlikely to be effected in the current session of Parliament.
NEW DELHI: Coinciding with the beginning of a search for chairman Ratan Tata's successor, the Tata Group has become the country's wealthiest, with a market value of about Rs 3,71,000 crore — higher than that of the business houses led by the two Ambani siblings.
MUMBAI: The country’s centres of excellence, mentored by foreign governments, have graded their graduates based on a Western system — the cumulative grade point index — for several years. Now, a section of them is moving to a more conventional marking system — based on percentage — after public sector undertaking (PSU) companies recruiting from top institutes have asked IITs, IIMs and National Institutes of Technology to provide an equivalence of their grades by giving percentages.
MUMBAI: Indiagold buying stayed weak for a fourth session on Monday as prices extended gains to hit its highest level in six weeks, with traders watching the rupee for direction, dealers said.
A common type of bacteria has surprised researchers by demonstrating the ability to "smell" chemicals in the air.
New Delhi might have been a reluctant midwife these past few years but it always managed to come out on the right side of the changes Nepal was undergoing. Not anymore.

Current Affairs - 15.08.2010

2010-08-15T23:46:00.001+05:30

Highlights of Prime Minister’s Independence Day speech

PM says government working for new inclusive India.
PM asks Naxals to abjure violence, come forward for talks.
PM invites alienated and dissatisfied groups in Jammu and Kashmir and North East to experience the potential of Indian democracy to accommodate divergent views and aspirations.
PM says India wants a strong, stable and united Pakistan, but Islamabad has to act against terror.
Government committed to the aam aadmi (common man).
It is working for food safety and social security net, says PM.
PM says farmers have been paid record minimum support price.
Inflation will come down, assures the PM.
Time for consolidation and fine tuning of Bharat Nirman flagship programmes, says the PM.
PM announces separate councils for higher education and health, asks for a clean India campaign.
PM cautions against harsh words and offensive language in public life.
PM appeals to make the Commonwealth Games a success.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday said peace talks with neighbouring Pakistan would not succeed unless Islamabad stopped cross-border terrorism.In a speech delivered from the historic Red Fort in New Delhi on the country’s 64th Independence Day, Dr. Singh also called for an end to violent separatist protests in Kashmir and invited Maoist rebels for talks.
Government has declared the Leh disaster as a "calamity of severe nature", allowing MPs to contribute Rs 50 lakhs from the MPLAD scheme towards relief in the cloudburst affected region."In the event of calamity of severe nature in any part of the country, an MP can recommend works upto a maximum of Rs 50 lakhs for the affected district," the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha Secretariats have told the members.
The Supreme Court on Friday asked Parliament to revisit the provision relating to cruelty and dowry harassment, pointing out that large number of frivolous complaints are filed and courts are flooded with such matrimonial cases.A Bench of Justice Dalveer Bhandari and Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan said “a serious relook of the entire provision is warranted by the legislation.”
The devastating earthquake that rocked Haiti in January was unleashed by a previously undetected fault line, not the well-known one initially blamed, according to an analysis of new data.It’s unclear how dangerous the new, unmapped fault might be or how it’s discovery changes the overall earthquake hazard risk for Haiti, said Eric Calais, a professor of geophysics at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, who presented the findings this week at a scientific conference in Brazil.
A British toy maker has invented a super-smart robot that can learn from the Internet, crack jokes and sing karaoke.
KOLKATA: The West Bengal government on Sunday announced a post-retirement pension scheme for journalists and promised to implement a health insurance scheme for them soon. "All accredited journalists will be given a monthly pension of Rs 2,000 after retirement. We are planning to raise this amount in the future," finance ministerAsim Dasgupta said at an Independence Day function at the Press Club, Kolkata.
ISLAMABAD: UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Sunday urged the world to quicken aid for up to 20 million people hit by Pakistan's worst humanitarian crisis as he flew in to visit areas ravaged by record floods. The United Nations has appealed for 460 million dollars to deal with the immediate aftermath of the floods but has warned that billions will be required in the long term with villages, businesses, crops and infrastructure wiped out.
Global climate change is partly to blame for the abnormally hot and dry weather in Moscow, cloaked in a haze of smoke from wildfires, say researchers.The UK Met Office said there are likely to be more extreme high temperatures in the future.Experts from the environmental group WWF Russia have also linked climate change and hot weather to raging wildfires around the Russian capital.
U.S. President Barack Obama sent his congratulations to all who will celebrate the 63rd anniversary of India’s Independence this weekend and said, “Indians around the world can not only look back on their history with pride, but can also look ahead to a future filled with hope and further progress.”

Current Affairs - 14.08.2010

2010-08-15T22:59:00.000+05:30

NEW DELHI: Wonders never cease to exist. Two Delhi students have discovered a new asteroid as part of a unique astronomy project connected to the USspace agency NASA.Amanjot Singh and Sahil Wadhwa, both Class 12 students of Ryan International School, discovered a main belt asteroid (2010 PO24) on Aug 6 as part of the All India Asteroid Search Campaign (AIASC).
Bihar brains have once again made it to the Union civil services aspirants — with a bang. Begusarai boasts of having two sons of the soil in the elite club of top 50 successful IAS aspirants this year. While Rajiv Roshan, a native of Gaura village under Teghra subdivision, has secured 23rd rank, Shambhu Kumar of Sihma village is placed 47th.
Stepping in amid questions over Commonwealth Games preparations, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave overriding powers to a committee headed by Cabinet Secretary, bringing into its ambit the Organising Committee that has been tainted by corruption charges.
Keen to push through the nuclear liability Bill in the ongoing session of Parliament, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Friday reached out to the Left to build a consensus on the contentious Bill.However, given the Bill is crucial to implementing the India-US nuclear deal, which they had unsuccessfully tried to block, there is little chance of the Left parties coming on board.
The proponents of extreme ideologies and the followers of Left Wing Extremism must abandon their path of violence. I call on them to join national efforts for growth and development," President Pratibha Patil today said in the address telecast on national television, on the eve of 64th Independence Day

Current Affairs - 13.08.2010

2010-08-13T15:33:00.001+05:30

The presence of the NDM-1 gene, which alters bacteria and makes them resistant to antibiotics, was detected in India in a study which concluded last year, a study that’s, ironically, being trashed by the Government as “shocking and unscientific.” Several MPs have also called it an “MNC-pharma conspiracy” to undermine medical tourism in India because the study says the gene has been identified in 37 people who returned to the UK after undergoing surgery in India or Pakistan.
Sankara Nethralaya on Thursday launched a distance mode course for opticians as part of the silver jubilee celebrations of the Elite School of Optometry (ESO). The course, to be offered jointly by Sankara Nethralaya and the Association of British Dispensing Opticians College (ABDO), United Kingdom, will provide opticians with professional acumen in not just dispensing glasses and lenses but will also give them the knowledge to be able to identify some of the common eye problems such as refractive errors.
Washington: Slamming WikiLeaks' announcement that it is going ahead with its plan to post additional 15,000 classified documents on Afghan war on its website, the Pentagon termed it as the height of irresponsibility.
US President Barack Obama is all set to sign into law a new Border Security Bill proposing a steep hike in H-1B and L-1 visa fees, a move that would affect Indian IT firms which may have to shell out an additional USD 250 million annually. Ignoring India's concern over some provisions in the Bill, the US Senate last night passed the legislation which was approved by vote by the House of Representatives this week.
Human brain on a microchip? Yes, Canadian scientists have created such a microchip basically a neurochip, that "communicates" with brain cells, a discovery that they claim could help patients with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
London: For three years, Connie McPherson had debilitating leg ulcers that were so painful she sometimes couldn’t sleep. Despite repeated surgery, antibiotics, steroids and other treatments, nothing helped. Then last year, she took part in a trial for a new gel aimed at chronic wounds.
Melbourne: Australian opposition Liberal party running neck to neck in the race for forming the new government has said it favours uranium exports and greater engagement with India, if elected to power. Cautioning against over-reliance on China, which is currently Australia’s biggest trading partner, the Liberal party leader Tony Abbott said he also favours resuming a Free Trade Agreement and greater defence co-operation with New Delhi.