Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 29 December 2014

National

Congress celebrated its 130th Foundation Day

• A subdued Congress celebrated its 130th Foundation Day, in the backdrop of the series of electoral losses in the States and its lowest ever tally in the Lok Sabha.

• While Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who had been hospitalised earlier this month, unfurled the party flag at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi, Vice-president Rahul Gandhi was conspicuous by his absence.

• On the Congress’s possible role in government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, Ms. Gandhi said: “We have not got the people’s mandate. Others we will have to form the government.” Former J&K Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, however, said the party offered its support to the PDP and it was now for the regional party to take a decision.

• He downplayed the absence of Mr. Gandhi and some other leaders saying the party’s top most leaders was present. The former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party treasurer Motilal Vora were present.

• The Congress’s Lok Sabha tally fell from 206 in 2009 to 44 in the 2014 elections, with the party hitting a new low.

• The Assembly elections that have followed since the May 16 Lok Sabha results have also seen the party’s numbers diminish in State Assemblies.

• “Victory or loss in one election is nothing if it is compared to what Congress leaders have done in the past for the country. We have seen many ups and downs,” Mr. Azad said.

• At a recent interaction of the party’s general secretaries with Mr. Gandhi, several leaders pointed out that the party needs to establish its connect with the masses, another Congress leader revealed.

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International

IS group executed nearly 2000 people since June

• Islamic State group jihadists have murdered nearly 2,000 people in Syria — half of them from an important Sunni tribe — since announcing their “caliphate” in June, a monitoring group said. “The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has documented the execution ... of 1,878 people in Syria between June 28 and December 27,” it said in a statement.

• It also said the victims were shot dead, beheaded or stoned to death in the provinces of Aleppo, Deir Ezzor, Hama, Homs, Hasakeh and Raqa. Of those killed 1,175 were civilians who included four children and eight women.

AirAsia flight believed to have crashed in sea says official

• The AirAsia flight carrying 162 people that went missing after its pilot failed to gain permission to alter course to avoid a storm is believed to have crashed into the sea, a senior Indonesian rescue agency official said.

• "Based on our coordinate estimation, initial estimation is in the water," Soelistyo, head of Indonesia's search and rescue agency, said of the missing plane's likely location.

• The search for a missing AirAsia jet carrying 162 people that disappeared more than 24 hours ago on a flight from Indonesia to Singapore resumed with first light.

• First Admiral Sigit Setiayana, the Naval Aviation Center commander at the Surabaya air force base, said that 12 navy ships, five planes, three helicopters and a number of warships were taking part, along with ships and planes from Singapore and Malaysia.

• AirAsia Flight 8501 vanished on its way from Surabaya to Singapore. Searchers had to fight against heavy rain on Sunday before work was suspended due to darkness.

• The plane’s disappearance and suspected crash caps an astonishingly tragic year for air travel in Southeast Asia. The Malaysia-based carrier’s loss comes on top of the still-unexplained disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in March and the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in July over Ukraine.

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Business & Economy

Focus will be on medium-term inflation targeting says RBI Governor

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan, said the central bank would like to focus on medium-term inflation targeting and will not chase the short-term goals.

• “The medium-term is what gives you time to let the economy adjust to the changes that are happening. This is the sensible inflation targeting that we have to debate about,” he said at the annual conference of Indian Economic Association.

• Mr. Rajan said no country in the world chased short-term inflation target ignoring domestic and global developments. “What typically done is ... medium-term flexible inflation targeting ... We want to achieve this objective, and we are going to give a time to reach that objective.

• And, if we go off track, we will re-calibrate to reach that objective within the medium-term. So, I don’t have to achieve tomorrow but I have to try and get back to it over the medium-term,” he said.

• The RBI-appointed Urjit Patel panel has suggested that the central bank should aim at 8 per cent retail inflation (CPI) by March 2015, and 6 per cent by March 2016.

• “I do believe RBI still has a role in controlling inflation. We are not going to close shop and go home,” the governor said. The RBI has kept interest rate (repo) unchanged at 8 per cent since January despite industry and government urging it to cut the rate.

• The Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation is on a decline, and in November, dropped to zero level, the lowest in about five-and-a-half years. Retail inflation, too, fell for the fifth straight month in November at 4.38 per cent.

BSE Sensex surges in early trade on global trends

• Rising for the second straight session, the benchmark BSE Sensex spurted by over 265 points in early trade led by gains in metal, realty and auto stocks amidst a firming trend at other Asian markets.

• The 30-share index, which had gained 33.17 points in the previous session, rallied by 265.47 points, or 0.97 per cent, to 27,507.25. All the sectoral indices were trading in positive zone with gains up to 1.35 per cent, extending major support to the Sensex and Nifty.

• Also, the wide-based Nifty of the National Stock Exchange moved up by 78.45 points, or 0.95 per cent, to 8,279.15. Brokers said revival of buying by foreign funds, though selective on the Indian bourses after remaining net sellers and buying by retail investors, buoyed trading sentiments.

• Besides, a firming trend at other Asian markets on reports that China had unveiled fresh measures to boost the economy too had positive impact, they said.

• Among Asian markets, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was higher by 2.06 per cent, while Japan’s Nikkei moved up by 0.18 per cent in early trade. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.13 per cent higher.

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Sports

L. Sarita determined to win an Olympic medal in 2016

• Overwhelmed by the support she received from Boxing India and her fellow countrymen including cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar while facing the prospect of a life ban, boxer L Sarita Devi hopes to make it count by winning a medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

• “I really thank Sachin Tendulkar, Boxing India and my fellow countrymen who stood behind me and gave me a second chance. I don’t want to let go their support in vain and win an Olympic medal,” Sarita Devi, who was handed a one-year ban by AIBA for showing dissent at the Asian Games Incheon in October, said.

• Here in the city for a felicitation programme, the Manipuri boxer said she wants to forget the past and start a new life.

• “I don’t want to talk about what happened. I was very much mentally disturbed and I’ve forgotten every bit of it. All my focus is now on earning my country an Olympic medal in 2016,” the 29-year-old said.

• The lightweight pugilist was furious after losing her semifinal to local favourite Park Ji-na and she refused to accept the bronze medal, prompting the AIBA to suspend her indefinitely.

• AIBA later handed her a one-year ban which would get over in October next year and can be further reduced based on her conduct.

• “Everyone learns from experience and I too have to learn to be positive... I have brought the country medals, including from Asian games, Commonwealth Games, Asian championship and World Championship. Before I put off my gloves, I want to bring Olympic glory for India,” she added.

Persons in News

Raghuvar Das assumes office as CM of Jharkhand

• The Bharatiya Janata Party leader Raghuvar Das was sworn in as Chief Minister of Jharkhand in Ranchi. Three BJP MLAs and one of the All-Jharkhand Students’ Union were sworn in as Ministers.

• Governor Syed Ahmed administered the oath of office to them. Mr. Das is the first Chief Minister of the State from outside a tribal community. Neelkanth Munda, C.P. Singh and Louis Marandi from the BJP and Chandraprakash Chaudhury from the AJSU are the new Ministers.

• More Ministers are likely to be appointed as, by law, the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly allows a 12-strong Cabinet. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah could not attend the swearing-in as dense fog in Delhi upset their travel plans.

• Union Ministers Venkaiah Naidu and Radha Mohan Singh; Union Ministers of State Sudarshan Bhagat and Jayant Sinha; and Raman Singh and Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Ministers of Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, attended the function. The former Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren, was present.

• The 14-year-old State of Jharkhand has a coalition government with an absolute majority for the first time, with the BJP securing 37 seats and the AJSU bagging five in the Assembly election. Nine governments have ruled the State, and President’s Rule was imposed thrice.

• After the swearing-in, Mr. Das went to the Karmatoli locality of Ranchi and wielded a broom to initiate the Swachh Bharat campaign in the State. He later attended a meeting with top officials in the Secretariat.

• The appointment of Mr. Chaudhury, 45, as Minister has raised eyebrows as he faced corruption charges while he was a member of the Madhu Koda Cabinet from September 2006 to August 2008.

• In August 2010, the Jharkhand High Court ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the assets of Mr. Koda, Mr. Chaudhury and other Ministers. Again, the CBI raided his house and office in May 2012 for his alleged involvement in a cash-for-vote scam during the Rajya Sabha elections.

Science & Technology

19 Swamp deer translocated from Kaziranga to Manas National Park

• Nineteen swamp deer have been translocated for the first time in the country from Kaziranga National Park to Manas National Park in Assam.

• The capture process was initiated on December 9 last in the presence of Markus Hofmyr of SANParks, South Africa and other experts and they were released in the Manas, according to Assam Forest Minister Rakibul Hussain.

• A team of experts from Assam Forest Department, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and Assam College of Veterinary Science monitored the entire process and part of an ongoing project supported by the ONGC.

• Popularly known as ‘Barasingha’, the entire population of this sub-species of eastern swamp deer is currently found only in Kaziranga.

• The animals travelled more than 400 km and were released in a specially prepared enclosure or boma in Manas which is secured by a two-line power fence installed over a barrier to deter leopards.

• The enclosure was also flooded and short grass was brought from nearby areas for transplantation to ensure well-being of the herd.

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Sources: Various News Papers & PIB

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