Current Affairs for IAS Exams – 19 April 2016

:: National ::

In yet another step to secure the presence of liquor baron Vijay Mallya, the Enforcement Directorate obtained a non-bailable warrant against him from a Special Court here.
The Ministry of External Affairs had earlier suspended Mr. Mallya’s passport on the ED’s advice.
The businessman, who left the country in the midst of efforts by a consortium of banks to recover dues from Kingfisher Airlines, did not appear before the agency in response to summons on three occasions.
Mr. Mallya was summoned thrice for his statement to be recorded, but he repeatedly failed to appear before the ED.
ED would seek a Look Out Circular at all airports and ports in India in Mr. Mallya’s name on the basis of the NBW. The ED would also approach Interpol for issue of a Red Notice against him.

The heirs of Maharaja Ranjit Singh gave the Kohinoor diamond to the British as “voluntary compensation” to cover the expenses of the Anglo-Sikh Wars, the Centre told the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court is hearing a petition filed by an NGO, All India Human Rights & Social Justice Front, on whether the government intends to make a bid to get back the Kohinoor.
There is a long journey of one of the world’s most famous diamonds from Indian shores to find a place of pride in the Crown jewels of the United Kingdom.
During a visit to India, British Prime Minister David Cameron was reported by the media to have ruled out handing back the 105-carat Kohinoor. The diamond is on display at the Tower of London.
Meanwhile, Chief Justice Thakur enquired whether Tipu Sultan’s sword was brought back to India.

The fight to oust Brazil’s President speeded up after lawmakers authorised impeachment proceedings against her, deepening the country’s political crisis.
Rivals of the 68-year-old leftist leader said they would rush to the Senate to launch an impeachment trial, after lower house voted overwhelmingly against her.
Ms. Rousseff’s supporters denounced the vote as an attack on Brazil’s democracy just three decades after it emerged from a military dictatorship.
367 of the 513 deputies in the lower house of Congress backed impeachment — well over the two thirds majority needed to move the case forward.
She is accused of illegally manipulating budget figures but her supporters say there is no evidence and the impeachment drive amounts to a “coup”.
The case now passes to the upper house which is expected to vote in May on whether to open an impeachment trial.
Experts consider it almost certain the Senate will vote to launch a trial, since its political makeup reflects that of the lower house. If that happened, Ms. Rousseff would step down for up to 180 days while the trial got under way.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama agreed to strengthen a Syria ceasefire brokered by their two nations.
Mr. Putin stressed the need for moderate rebels to distance themselves from Islamic State and al-Nusra Front jihadists and also urged the closure of the border between Syria and Turkey from where “supplies of arms for extremists” are continuing.
A partial ceasefire, which was negotiated by the U.S. and Russia and took effect on February 27, had dramatically curtailed violence across much of Syria and raised hopes that a lasting deal could be struck in Geneva to end the bloodshed.
Syria’s opposition has postponed its “formal participation” in peace talks in protest over escalating violence, but will remain in Geneva and may continue informal discussions with mediators, the UN envoy said.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, that China needed to cooperate with India’s campaign to declare Masood Azhar, leader of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed, a global terrorist through the U.N. Security Council’s 1267 Committee against terrorism.
A bilateral meeting between Mr. Wang and Ms. Swaraj happened in Moscow on the sideline of the trilateral Russia-India-China (RIC) ministerial meeting.
The discussion between the two Foreign Ministers was the first bilateral high-level contact almost a fortnight after China put a “technical hold” on India’s bid to declare Masood Azhar a global terrorist through the 1267 Committee.
China’s attitude toward India’s campaign at the U.N. would be keenly observed over the coming months as current stand would automatically end India’s diplomatic bid against Masood Azhar.
Both the Foreign Ministers reviewed the number of high-level bilateral engagements planned for 2016.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s first official visit to Beijing which began on Monday would usher in bilateral and multi-lateral high-level activities, including the September G-20- meet in Hangzhou.

The rate of wholesale price inflation remained negative for the seventeenth consecutive month, coming in at (-)0.85 per cent in March, compared to (-)0.91 per cent in February.
Inflation in the primary articles segment of the index raced to 2.1 per cent in March, up from 1.6 per cent in February.
The food segment saw a rate of inflation of 3.7 per cent in March compared to 3.35 per cent in the previous month.
The fuel & power segment continued to pull back the rate of inflation, coming in at (-)8.3 per cent in March from (-)6.4 per cent in February.
The manufacturing sector registered its 13th month of a negative rate of inflation, coming in at (-)0.13 in March, compared to (-)0.6 per cent in February.

Widening income inequality, slower growth and the growing dominance of China and India in the region has meant that Asian governments must integrate a more robust resilience into their national plans, according to an independent evaluation of the Asian Development Bank’s operations in South Asia.
The report also finds that the Asia and Pacific regions now account for 51 per cent of the world’s poor.
The report says, while the Asia-Pacific region in 1990 accounted for 1.5 billion people living in poverty, or 80 per cent of the global total, this proportion has come down to 51 per cent as of 2012, or 456 million people.
Within the region, South Asia accounts for 34 per cent of this 456 million poor people. The report defines the poor as those living below $1.9 a day.