Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 28 October 2014

:: National ::

Govt. names industrialists in Black money issue

• The Centre disclosed in the Supreme Court that Pradip Burman of Dabur, Rajkot-based bullion trader Pankaj Chimanlal Lodhiya and Goa-based mining baron Radha Satish Timblo of Timblo Private Ltd. were among those who had stashed black money abroad.

• Other Directors of Timblo — Chetan S. Timblo, Rohan S. Timblo and Mrs. Mallika R. Timblo were also named in the affidavit, ahead of the hearing.

• While disclosing these names, the Centre sought modification of the May 1 apex court order to disclose all names of foreign account holders and pleaded that only those names against which investigations had been completed and prosecution launched should be disclosed.

• The court must consider whether in directing the disclosure of all names, international standards had been violated, the Centre said. Stating that the disclosed names were received from French tax authorities and prosecution had been launched against them under the provisions of the Income Tax Act, the Centre’s affidavit said, “The government is committed to disclose names of persons holding illegal money abroad.

• However, every account held by an Indian in a foreign country may not be illegal and the fundamental right of citizens to privacy under Article 21 of the Constitution cannot be ignored.” The Centre argued that under the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement, confidentiality had to be maintained.

Cyclone Nilofar gains strength in the state

• Cyclone Nilofar, the second one to hit India after ‘Hudhud,’ has gained intensity and is expected to hit the Gujarat coast.

• “It has turned into a very severe cyclonic storm. Its current location is in the Arabian Sea, about 1165 kilometres south-west of Kutch. During landfall, the wind speed will be in the range of 100 to 110 km an hour. The maximum wind speed can be 125 km an hour.

• Kutch and Saurashtra are likely to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall. Some parts in these regions may also receive extremely heavy rains,” Manorama Mohanty, Director, Ahmedabad Meteorological Centre, told.

• Gujarat is preparing its disaster management apparatus and has issued an alert to fishermen and farmers. “The rains will start on 30th. All those living in ‘kacha’ houses will be moved to storm shelters,” said Kutch Collector M.S. Patel.

UNICEF wants to support India in ‘Clean India Mission’ (Register and Login to read Full News..)

NCW chief L. Kumaramangalam wants legalisation of sex work (Register and Login to read Full News..)

Government may clear some Bills in winter session (Register and Login to read Full News..)

No sewage will be allowed to drain into Ganga: Govt. (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: International ::

Ebola has become election issue

• Ever since Ebola first “arrived” in the U.S. from West Africa a few months ago via doctor Kent Brantly, an increasingly charged debate has engulfed its domestic containment policy, and now, one week ahead of the mid-term elections, a spat between federal and state governments over quarantine protocols threatens to politicise the issue further.

• The latest turn of events came after Kaci Hickox, a Sierra Leone-returned nurse placed under mandatory 21-day quarantine in New Jersey despite testing negative twice for the deadly virus and not showing any symptoms, criticised the “knee-jerk reaction by politicians” to Ebola, saying, “to quarantine someone without a better plan in place, without more forethought, is just preposterous.”

• Over the weekend Ms. Hickox’s lawyer said to media that she planned to file a federal lawsuit challenging her confinement as a violation of her civil rights, especially as it raised “serious constitutional and civil liberties issues… [and] the [quarantine] policy is overly broad when applied to her.”

• However, the New Jersey Department of Health issued a statement this morning that Ms. Hickox has been “symptom-free for the last 24 hours,” and that it decided to discharge her after consulting with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Currency down after election in Brazil (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: Persons in News ::

P. Sainath, Al Jazeera won World Media Summit awards

• Sainath, Al Jazeera English, USA Today and Global Post were among the winners of the World Media Summit (WMS) Global Awards for Excellence, 2014.

• These are the first comprehensive news awards covering multiple media formats, including press, photo, video and integrated media to honour “truth, objectivity and excellence” in journalism, according to a release.

• Mr. Sainath won the Public Welfare Award for Exemplary News Professionals in Developing Countries, while Al Jazeera English received the Public Welfare Award for Exemplary News Teams in Developing Countries,.

• News professionals who found honourable mentions were: Meera Srinivasan, Sri Lanka correspondent; Surendra Paudel of Nepal Republic Media Private Limited, Nepal; Tan EE Long of Nanyang, Malaysia; Sheuli Akter of Ns NewsWire, Bangladesh; and Adow Jubat of The Standard Group Limited, Kenya.

• The honourable mentions for news teams were: This Week in Palestine; Truth vs. Hype, New Delhi Television Limited; Rural Damascus, Al Jazeera and Outlook India.

:: Science & Technology ::

Submit report on Olive Ridley breeding along Marina: Authority

• The Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority asked the Chennai Corporation to submit a report on the breeding of Olive Ridley turtles on the stretch of the Marina Loop Road from Lighthouse to Srinivasapuram.

• This followed wildlife activists' concern over the Corporation’s plan to beautify the southern part of the Marina as it is the natural spot where Olive Ridley turtles breed.

• The Corporation was planning to start work this year after obtaining clearance from the authority. The project covers development of walkways and the creation of benches, a gallery, bicycle track, concrete roads, rainwater trenches and streetlight fittings at an estimated cost of Rs. 40 crore for the 2.8-km stretch from Lighthouse to Foreshore Estate.

• Akila Balu of Students’ Sea Turtle Conservation Network said the stretch had the highest number of nesting sites last season—December 2013 to May 2014. “We found plenty of nests over there. The number exceeded 200 last seasons. The Forest Department also relocated a large number of hatchlings for the first time.”

• An official said, “The primary goal of the project is to keep the beach clean. The project will not disturb turtle nesting sites. The light fittings will be designed suitably.”

• Nityanand Jayaraman of the Save Chennai Beaches campaign said that turtles preferred nesting on either side of the Adyar estuary.

NASA observatory captures largest sunspot

• NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) has spotted an image of a gigantic sunspot - the largest in last 24 years.
• The flare erupted from a particularly large active region dubbed as AR 12192. The sunspot soon grew to be the largest active region observed in the current solar cycle - a periodic change in the Sun’s activity and appearance - which began in 2008.
• This is the fourth substantial X-class flare from this active region since October 19. X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength.

Gangotri glacier is ‘rapidly disintegrating’ says report (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: Business & Economy ::

Indian IT companies get domestic boost

• Domestic businesses of Indian IT companies appear to have got a shot in the armwith the Modi Government’s focus on technology and its steps to reduce the digital divide.
• For the first time in several quarters, the India-focused units of Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro and Zensar Technologies have grown by 4-25 per cent sequentially in the three months ended September 30.
• The jump in domestic business could be attributed to the overall buoyancy in the market coupled with the Centre’s push on delivering effective governance through technology.
• “If you look at India in particular, I am very happy to state that it has performed well this quarter, on the base of positive growth last quarter. The deal pipeline in India is also looking good.
• We are seeing spending, and we are seeing a lot of strategic programmes being initiated,” N Chandrasekaran, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of TCS, recently said in a conference call with analysts. TCS recorded a 9 per cent rise in Q2 revenue from India.

Microsoft launches ‘Nokia 130’ in India (Register and Login to read Full News..)

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Sources: Various News Papers & PIB