Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 25 February 2015

:: National ::

A united Opposition, backed by sustained protests outside, compelled the Modi government to agree to consult leaders of all parties to find a way out of the Land Acquisition Bill imbroglio.
However, the government, despite pressure from both the Opposition and RSS affiliates, sources said, is reluctant to give in and make all the changes suggested, as then, the final product will resemble the original Land Acquisition Act.
At BJP parliamentary party meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged MPs to explain the Bill’s provisions to their constituents to counter the Opposition’s criticism.
The government-Opposition stand-off in Parliament on five other ordinances continued, with each side registering a minor victory of its own. Simultaneously, the NDA’s parliamentary managers tried to create public opinion to use the infrequently deployed provision of a joint session.

The British Army is examining proposals to re-establish a Sikh Regiment, along the lines of the erstwhile British Indian Army.
Chief of the general staff, General Sir Nicholas Carter, is looking into the feasibility of a Sikh unit, including the possibility of a reserve company, and it “may well have merit,” U.K. armed forces minister Mark Francois told the House of Commons recently.
A new unit would inherit many of the “proud traditions of Sikh regiments” from the army’s past, he said.
Latest figures show the British armed forces have around 160 Sikhs in their ranks, including 130 in the army.
Thousands of Sikhs had served in the British Indian Army during the two World Wars. They were known for their bravery and gallantry and won as many as 10 Victoria Crosses, the highest British battlefield honour.
In 2007, the U.K.’s Ministry of Defence had scrapped a similar plan after the Commission for Racial Equality warned it could be seen as divisive and perceived as “segregation“.
The Network of Sikh Organisations said it was in favour of a Sikh unit.

A release said that in accordance with its procedures, Vice-Chair Ismail El Gizouli was designated as the Acting IPCC Chair.
The decision was taken at a session of the IPCC Bureau ahead of the 41st session of the IPCC that began in Nairobi .