General Awareness Magazine for IBPS, Bank Exams

Issue : VOL. - 03 (September 2014)

File Type: PDF ONLY "NO HARD COPY"

Contents:

• National (Full Material Buy Online)

• International (Full Material Buy Online)

• Economy (Full Material Buy Online)

• India And The World (Full Material Buy Online)

• Sports (Full Material Buy Online)

• In The News (Full Material Buy Online)

• Science and Technology (Full Material Buy Online)

:: National ::

‘Zero tolerance on rhino poaching’

• Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change PrakashJavadekar announced that a Special Rhino Protection Force of local youth would be raised to check poaching in the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) and other rhino-populated areas in Assam.

• “There will be zero tolerance towards rhino poaching and our efforts would be to bring down the number of rhino poaching incidents to zero,” he said.

• Addressing a press conference after two-day visit to the national park, the Minister announced that his Ministry would request the CBI to expand the scope of its ongoing probe into rhino poaching in the KNP by including more cases and fast-track it.

• A comprehensive plan would be undertaken to ensure free movement of park animals through the six animal corridors across the National Highway 37 passing through the world heritage site.

Modi offers assistance for PoK flood relief

• In a humanitarian gesture, Prime Minister NarendraModi on offered all possible assistance to Pakistan for carrying out relief operations in the flood-ravaged Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK).
• Making the offer after undertaking a visit to flood-hit Jammu and Kashmir for a first-hand assessment of the situation, Mr. Modi expressed his anguish at the loss that has been caused in PoK.

Home Ministry asks States to fasttrack cases against MPs, MLAs

• The Home Ministry has asked all State governments to speed up cases against MPs and MLAs facing charges which attract disqualification, directing them to seek day-to-day trial in courts, appoint special public prosecutors and ensure regular monitoring.

• The direction came in the wake of Supreme Court setting a deadline to complete trial in cases involving lawmakers.

• The step is also in line with Prime Minister NarendraModi’s direction on July 24 asking the Home Minister and Law Minister to work out a mechanism to settle cases against politicians within a year to cleanse politics from tainted lawmakers.

• Any sentence which attracts punishment of two years and above can lead to disqualification from Parliament or state legislature.

• According to a March 10, 2014 direction of the Supreme Court, cases against MPs and MLAs which attract disqualification under Section 8(1), 8(2) and 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act needed to be completed within one year of framing charges.

Govt to go ahead with key appointments without LoP

• The Government has decided to go ahead with the appointments to various statutory bodies like CVC, NHRC and Lokpal without the Leader of Opposition in the LokSabha as a member of the selection committee choosing them.

• The move comes following a recent reference from the LokSabha secretariat in this regard, official sources said.

• The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) had written to the LokSabha seeking information on the LoP. The secretariat has informed the DoPT that there is no recognisedLoP in the LokSabha, they said.

• The Government will go ahead with the appointments to various statutory bodies without the LoP, the sources said.

• LokSabha Speaker SumitraMahajan had rejected the Congress’ demand for LoP status for its nominee.

• Congress with 44 seats in the 543-member LokSabha has emerged as the second largest party after BJP’s 282 but fell short by 11 to stake claim for the LoP for which it requires a strength of 55.

• There is no mandatory requirement of the LoP in the selection committee that recommends persons for Central Vigilance Commissioner, Vigilance Commissioner, chairpersons and members for the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and Lokpal, they said.

• The appointment of a Central Vigilance Commissioner and Vigilance Commissioner is done by the President on the basis of recommendation from a three member selection committee headed by Prime Minister and comprising Minister for Home Affairs and the Leader of Opposition in the House of the People, as per the Central Vigilance Act 2003.

• The Act further has a provision that when no such leader (LoP) has been recognised then the selection committee can include the leader of the single largest group in opposition in the LokSabha.

• “No appointment of a Central Vigilance Commissioner or a Vigilance Commissioner shall be invalid merely by reason of any vacancy in the Committee,” the Act says.

Government of India can print Re 1 note: Law Ministry

• Putting to rest the debate on printing of one rupee notes, the Law Ministry has opined that the Government of India has all the powers to print currency notes of this denomination.

• While the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has the authority to issue bank notes of denominational values of Rs. 2, Rs. 5, Rs. 10, Rs. 20, Rs. 50, Rs. 100, Rs. 500, Rs. 1,000, Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 10,000, the one rupee note was printed and issued by the central government.

• The Government of India also has the sole right to mint coins of all denominations.

• However, since the RBI was of the view that with the repeal of Section 2 of the Currency Ordinance, the Government of India is not empowered to issue note of denominational value of one rupee, the law ministry opinion was taken.

• The Law Ministry in its opinion stated that the Coinage Act of 2011, which consolidates the laws relating to coinage and the mints, does not bar the Government of India from printing one rupee notes.

• Section 4 of the Act provides that the central government may authorise minting of coin of denomination not higher than Rs. 1,000, it said, adding that the definition of coin in the Act makes it clear that Government of India one rupee note is included in the definition of coin.

• The Act defines a coin as “made of any metal or any other material stamped by the Government or any other authority empowered by the Government in this behalf and which is a legal tender including commemorative coin and Government of India one rupee note,” the ministry said in its opinion.“Further, apart from the metal, the coin may be made of any other material,” it said.

• The ministry said while repealing the Currency Ordinance, 1940, “necessary provisions for inclusion of Government of India one rupee note within the meaning of ‘Coin’ have been consciously incorporated in the Coinage Act, 2011. Further, the RBI, as per Section 24(1) of the RBI Act, 1934, is not empowered to issue bank note of denomination of value of one rupee.”

• “Central government is not precluded to issue one rupee Government of India note under the Coinage Act, 2011. The dimension, design, material and standard weight of such One Rupee Note have to be prescribed by the Central Government in terms of Section 4 and 5 of the Coinage Act, 2011,” the opinion said.

• The printing of notes in the denominations of Re. 1 and Rs. 2 has been discontinued as these denominations have been coinised. However, such notes issued earlier are still in circulation.

:: International Issues ::

Another American journalist ‘beheaded’

• An Internet video posted purported to show the beheading of another U.S. journalist, Steven Sotloff, by Islamic State, which called it “retribution” for U.S. airstrikes.

U.N. troops’ captors set demands

• Al-Qaeda-linked Syria rebels who are holding more than 40 United Nations peacekeepers hostage in the Golan Heights are demanding they be expunged from a U.N. terror blacklist, Fiji revealed.
• The Pacific nation’s Army chiefMoseseTikoitoga said the rebels also wanted humanitarian aid sent to a small town which is an Al-Nusra Front stronghold just outside Damascus. They are also seeking compensation for three of their fighters who were wounded in recent days.

UNICEF helps Sierra Leone combat Ebola

• With funds from the World Bank, UNICEF has facilitated the delivery of medicines and other supplies worth over $825,000 for the treatment of people who have contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone.

• A chartered UN cargo aircraft landed at the Lungi International Airport with the drugs and medical supplies, Ximhua reported.

• The supplies include latex gloves, intravenous fluids, assorted antibiotics and personal protective equipment, all of which are urgently needed to fight the Ebola epidemic.

• “The World Bank is committed to improving the health of the people in Sierra Leone and eliminating Ebola,” said Ato Brown, World Bank’s country manager in Sierra Leone.

• The funding from the World Bank comes from its $200 million pledge last month to help Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to contain the spread of Ebola, help their communities cope with the economic impact of the crisis, and improve public health systems in West Africa.

• The supplies have been transferred to the Central Medical Store in Freetown for immediate dispatch to different Ebola treatment centres.

• The Ebola outbreak has claimed over 2,000 lives in West African countries this year.

North Korea test-fires more tactical missiles

• North Korea test-fired three missiles into the sea , South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
• The launch occurred at a site in the North’s border town of Wonsan, it said.
• The missiles were presumed to have landed about 210 kilometres out in the East Sea.
• “The military is staying vigilant and paying attention to movements of the North Korean military in case of an additional launch,” an officer was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency.
• The officer said it was presumed to be a new type of tactical missile.

South Africa ‘refuses’ Dalai Lama visa for Nobel summit

• South Africa has refused to grant a visa for the Dalai Lama to attend the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Cape Town next month, his representative said.
• The government “conveyed by phone to me they will not be able to grant the visa for the reason that it would disturb relations between China and South Africa,” NangsaChoedon told AFP.
• The refusal could provoke a boycott of the 14th annual peace summit, according to a spokesman for South African laureate and former Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Asian Games contingent referred to the PMO

• Unable to declare the pruned list of athletes and officials for the Asian Games, the Union Sports Ministry opted to send the file to the Prime Minister, even as it faced considerable pressure from all sides.
• It was learnt that the Sports Authority of India (SAI) had recommended a list of nearly 400 athletes, as against an overall list of 950 members, including 24 per cent officials.
• The argument was to keep a possible proportion of a medal for every three sportspersons.
• The SAI was pleased with the improved strike rate of a medal for every 3.41 athletes in the recent Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

China to develop industrial parks

• China will set up two industrial parks in India, one each in Gujarat and Maharashtra, and the two countries are expected to sign agreements for this soon.
• Chinese Consul-General in Mumbai, Liu Youfa, told presspersons that a park would come up near Pune on about 5 sq. km and another near Ahmedabad on about 10 sq. km.
• The park in Maharashtra will be focussed on automobile sector and that in Gujarat on the power sector.
• The Pune park will be completed in about 12 years in three stages and is likely to see total investment of $5 billion.
• The first phase will be completed in three years.

:: India & The World ::

India, Japan should jointly work on heritage cities: Modi

• Prime Minister NarendraModi said India and Japan faced a common challenge in preserving and building smart heritage cities.
• After meeting Kyoto’s Mayor DaisakuKadokawa, the Prime Minister said that he had learnt how the city was dealing with civic issues..

India-Japan ties will only bring psychological comfort: China daily

• “The increasing intimacy between Tokyo and New Delhi will bring at most psychological comfort to the two countries,” China’s State-run Global Times newspaper said in an editorial .
• On the “blossoming personal friendship” between NarendraModi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, the paper said China-India relations denoted much more than that.
• “Abe’s harangue on the Indo-Pacific concept makes Indians comfortable. It is South Asia where India has to make its presence felt… Sino-Indian ties can in no way be counterbalanced by Japan-Indian friendship,” the editorial said.
• While mentioning that Mr. Modi had not named China in his remarks in Japan, the paper referred to Japanese and Western public opinion that the comments were directed at China.

India, Vietnam to sign key oil search pact

• President Pranab Mukherjee arrived for a four-day state visit during which India and Vietnam are expected to sign agreements on oil exploration and air connectivity.
• The President will also visit the historic city of Ho Chi Minh. The visit marks the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two nations.
• Mr. Mukherjee was received at the NoiBai International Airport by the Vietnamese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs and Chairman of President’s Office Dao Viet Trung and was given a guard of honour.
• Key agreements between ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) and Petro Vietnam for joint oil explorations in the South China Sea blocks are expected to be signed during the visit. Oil Minister DharmendraPradhan is part of the delegation accompanying the President.

Developed nations back India’s stand at WTO

• India said it has won the support of major developed countries, including the U.K. and Germany, as also the European Commission, for its stand at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) demanding that the implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) be kept pending unless its apprehensions on the issue of food security are addressed.

• Finance Secretary Arvind Mayaram was leading the Indian delegation as Union Finance Minister ArunJaitley is indisposed.

• “Many countries like the United Kingdom, Germany, Finland, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden and the European Commission emphasised on the need for expressing deep concern on non-implementation of TFA without mentioning India’s concern on the issue of food security,” the release said.

• He also garnered the support of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Russia for India’s standpoint, it added.

• India is not opposed to the TFA as it increases the ease of doing business but wants its adoption postponed till there is “satisfactory” progress on finding a permanent protection for its minimum support prices to farmers against the WTO’s agriculture subsidy caps that are benchmarked to food prices of the 1980s.

• At the WTO’s General Council meeting in Geneva on July 31, India stalled the ratification of the TFA owing to these concerns.

• India got a reference to BRICS and disappointment with poor progress on the IMF quota reforms also included in the ASEM communiqué.

• The communiqué talks about enhanced cooperation between countries of Asia and Europe to create sustainable and profitable growth.

:: Economy Issue ::

Panel set up to conduct forensic audit of NSEL

• On a plea made by investors, the Bombay High Court, formed a committee headed by a retired high court judge to conduct a forensic audit of the troubled NSEL and liquidate the assets of its defaulting borrowers in the over Rs.5,500 crore payments scam.

• The three-member committee, headed by Justice (Retd) V. C. Daga, will also have a solicitor and a chartered accountant, according to Advocate AmeetNaik, who represents NSEL in the case.

• The committee will ascertain the liability that is outstanding against the defaulting borrowers of NSEL, conduct a forensic audit, and monetise the assets, the court said in its order.

• The committee will determine where the amount has gone, and is empowered to ascertain the assets of company.

• It has also been empowered to distribute the assets to the duped investors but distribution of funds will require the court’s permission.

World Bank rider for pedestrian project

• The World Bank has told the Chennai Corporation that its funding of the pedestrian plaza at T. Nagar is conditional. It has advised the civic body to complete a study on environment and the social impact of the proposed pedestrianisation project in that area.
• The study by the Chennai Corporation is also expected to assess the impact of the project on ‘reducing extreme poverty’ and ‘promoting shared prosperity’.
• The Rs.83-crore pedestrian plaza, part of the T. Nagar redevelopment proposal, had already been approved by the Corporation Council a few months ago.
• “Funding for the project will not be approved without a proper study of the social and environmental aspects of such an innovative urban infrastructure project,” said officials.
• Work on commissioning the plaza with a commercial theme was expected to begin this month. But the requirement of a new study is likely to delay the project, they said.
• The plaza is likely to become operational by May next.
• The levels of pollution caused by traffic diversions, the increased number of visitors to T. Nagar, the rise in garbage collection and heightened commercial activity will also be assessed. Displacement of hawkers and impact on their livelihood will be part of the study.

Promotional air fares from IndiGo

• Budget carrier IndiGo started promotional air fares by offering discounted one-way fares starting at a low of Rs.999 (all inclusive one-way fare), a day after SpiceJet started its offer of Rs.499 one-way charge.
• According to IndiGo, its Delhi-Jaipur flight is priced at Rs.999 one-way, followed by Rs.1,399 Srinagar-Chandigarh.
• The fares go all the way up to Rs.4,829 for Bangalore-Delhi. The fares are applicable for booking in 90 days in advance. — IANS

:: Science & Technology ::

INS Sumitra to be commissioned tomorrow

• INS Sumitra , a new-generation naval offshore patrol vessel (NOPV) built by Goa Shipyard Ltd., will be commissioned by the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Robin K. Dhowan, in Chennai.
• The state-of-the-art warship will join the Eastern Naval Command in Chennai for maritime surveillance and coastal security.
• This largest offshore patrol vessel of the Navy will be the fourth in its class, built on an in-house design of the shipyard.
• The ship carries most sophisticated weapons such as guns, heavy-calibre super rapid gun mount, rapid-fire Russian AK630 guns, Kavach chaff launchers and the Sanket electronic warfare system and electronic sensors.

Toyota launches ‘Innova Limited Edition 2014’

• Toyota Kirloskar Motor launched ‘Innova Limited Edition 2014’ for the festive season. Only 1,500 units of the new Innova LE, in an exclusive brand new colour — Bronze Mica Metallic — besides Silver Mica Metallic, will be available till November.
• It is based on the existing Gx Grade and comes with the options of seven and eight seater in both Euro III and Euro IV engines, a release from the company said.
• Available in the diesel variant, the price starts from Rs.12,90,947 to Rs.13,00,710 (ex-showroom New Delhi).
• Innova LE will be available at Toyota showrooms at select cities whereas in other cities, Innova Limited Edition accessory package will be available.

MH17 hit by high speed objects: report

• A Malaysian passenger jet blew up in mid-air over eastern Ukraine after being hit by numerous “high speed objects,” according to an interim report published on the disaster that claimed 298 lives.

• Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 “broke up in the air probably as the result of structural damage caused by a large number of high-energy objects that penetrated the aircraft from outside,” said a highly anticipated report by the Dutch Safety Board.

• The findings appear to back up claims that the Boeing 777, which crashed in July as it was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was hit by shrapnel from a missile.

• “There are no indications that the MH17 crash was caused by a technical fault or by actions of the crew,” the report said.

• Kiev and the West have accused pro-Russian separatists of shooting down the plane with a surface-to-air BUK missile supplied by Moscow. But Russia blamed government forces for the attack.

NASA to send first 3D printer into space station

• NASA is all set to send the fourth SpaceX Cargo Mission, that would carry among other equipments a 3D printer to the International Space Station (ISS) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on September 20.

• Space Exploration Technologies Corp’ (SpaceX) Falcon-9 rocket will launch a Dragon cargo spacecraft loaded with more than 5,000 pounds of scientific equipment and supplies, the U.S. space agency said in a statement.

• It will also carry a small flowering plant related to cabbage that would allow scientists to study plant growth and adaptations in space.

• It will be the fifth trip by a Dragon spacecraft to the orbiting laboratory.

• The spacecraft’s 2.5 tonnes of supplies and materials are critical for the implementation of 255 science and research investigations that will occur during the station’s Expeditions 41 and 42.

• Besides, the spacecraft will carry science payloads like the ISS-Rapid Scatterometer to monitor ocean surface wind speed and direction.

:: Sports ::

India end England tour with narrow T20 defeat

• India’s long tour of England ended on a heartbreaking note as England held their nerves to pull off a thrilling three-run victory in the only T20 International in Birmingham.
• Chasing a competitive 181 for seven, India needed 17 runs in the final over of the match but captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni could not steer the team home in a contest that went down to the wire at Edbaston.
• India ended at 177 for five after England posted 180 for seven, thank to captain Eoin Morgan’s 71 runs off 31 balls.

National TSD Rally

• The Rally of Coimbatore, the fourth round of the third FMSCI Indian National TSD Rally Championship for four wheelers will be held.
• Organised by the Coimbatore Auto Sports Club, the rally has attracted over 40 competitors.
• An open TSD event will also be held concurrently with the championship event.
• It includes a novice and all-ladies class.

Pals Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki to meet in U.S. Open final

• Serena Williams overwhelmed 17th-seeded Ekaterina Makarova of Russia 6-1, 6-3 in the semifinals to extend her U.S. Open winning streak to 20 matches.
• If Williams can make that 21 in a row by beating Caroline Wozniacki in Sunday’s final, the 32-year-old American will become the first woman since Chris Evert in the 1970s to win three consecutive titles at the tournament.

Fenesta National tennis championship: Prize money doubled for Nationals

• The prize money for the Fenesta National tennis championship has been doubled for this year to a total prize purse of Rs. 18 lakh.
• Making the announcement in a press conference here , the Chairman and Senior Managing Director of DCM Shriram Limited, Ajay Shriram, said that the initiative was to celebrate the organisation’s long association with the game, dating back to the first edition in 1992.
• Welcoming the move, the president of the All India Tennis Association (AITA), Anil Khanna, responded by announcing a wild card each to the men’s and women’s winners of the event for the Delhi Open.

Anand fifth in World rankings

• An inactive ViswanathanAnand moved up two places to be fifth in the latest World rankings after USA’s Hikaru Nakamura and Russia’s Sergey Karjakin slipped a few rungs following their below par performances in the Chess Olympiad in Norway last month.

• World champion Magnus Carlsen held on to the top spot despite losing seven rating points. LevonAronian was the other player to hold a published rating in excess of 2800.

• The lists: World (top-10): 1. Magnus Carlsen (Nor, 2870), 2. LevonAronian (Arm, 2804), 3. FabianoCaruana (Ita, 2801), 4. Alexander Grischuk (Rus, 2789), 5. ViswanathanAnand (2785), 6. VeselinTopalov (2784), 7. Hikaru Nakamura (USA, 2782), 8. Sergey Karjakin (Rus, 2777), 9. MaximeVachier-Lagrave (Fra, 2768), 10. Vladimir Kramnik (Rus, 2760).

• India (top-10): 1. ViswanathanAnand (2785), 2. P. Hari Krishna (2725), 3. K. Sasikiran (2680), 4. ParimarjanNegi (2669), 5. Abhijeet Gupta (2642), 6. ViditGujarathi (2621), 7-8. B. Adhiban (2619), SandipanChanda (2619), 9. Surya ShekharGanguly (2614), 10. S. P. Sethuraman (2613).

• India women (top-10): 1. K. Humpy (2598), 2. D. Harika (2523), 3. Tania Sachdev (2404), 4. EeshaKaravade (2389), 5. Mary Ann Gomes (2355), 6. Padmini Rout (2354), 7. SoumyaSwaminathan (2352), 8. Bhakti Kulkarni (2328), 9. S. Vijayalakshmi (2314), 10. N. Raghavi (2253).

:: In The News (Person) ::

Gopal Subramanium

• Former Solicitor-General GopalSubramanium has withdrawn his letter to the Supreme Court opting out as amicus curiae in the PadmanabhaSwamy temple case.
• Mr. Subramanium has already swung into action and left for Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala to inspect the temple premises and prepare an additional report on the administration of the temple.
• Supreme Court sources said the case files had been sent back to him and he was expected to appear in the case in November. They said he decided to withdraw his letter after the court asked him to reconsider his decision.
• Early this month, he had written to Chief Justice of India R.M. Lodha, expressing his decision to bow out as amicus curiae. He had also returned the files concerning the case to the Supreme Court Registry.
• Mr. Subramanium’s report on the condition of the temple and its assets in Thiruvananthapuram had created a storm.
• The report had complained of corruption and disregard of ethics in the temple’s administration.

Akkineni

• Legendary actor AkkineniNageswaraRao will be the first Indian actor to be honoured with a postage stamp by the U.S. Post Service (USPS).
• The Akkineni Foundation of America (AFA) has said that the stamp will be issued on the birth anniversary of NageshwaraRao, who died of cancer early this year.
• A special release ceremony is being planned by AFA on September 20 in Dallas, Texas.
• The AFA is also planning to release the stamp in India on December 17 at the first International Akkineni Awards Ceremony being planned at ANR College, Gudivada in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh.

Versatile Bapu

• The man whose pencil etched what was universally accepted as the epitome of beauty is no more.
• Artist, cartoonist, film director, designer and painter, Bapu (born SathirajuLakshminarayana) leaves behind a legacy as one of the finest filmmakers on the firmament of Indian cinema.
• The director was conferred with Padma Shri last year. He has won the National Film awards twice and the Andhra Pradesh State government’s Nandi awards for 6 of his films in addition to receiving awards from several other institutions.

H.L. Dattu

• President Pranab Mukherjee has cleared the appointment of Justice H.L. Dattu, the senior-most judge in the Supreme Court, as the 42nd Chief Justice of India.
• Justice Dattu could become the last Chief Justice of India to be appointed under the collegium system of judicial appointments.
• If the States ratify the National Judicial Appointments Commission, a constitutional body, the collegium system will come to an end and the executive will get an equal role in appointments to the highest judiciary.
• Justice Dattu will become the Chief Justice of India after the retirement of CJI R.M. Lodha on September 27, 2014. He will hold the post for a little over a year until his retirement on December 2, 2015.

David Haines

• Islamic State (IS) extremists released a video showing the beheading of British aid worker David Haines, who was abducted in Syria last year.
• IS militants recently beheaded two American journalists, James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and posted the videos online after the U.S. began launching airstrikes and humanitarian missions in August to aid waning Iraqi and Kurdish security forces in northern Iraq.

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