Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 31 July 2014

Panel seeks one more week to submit report on UPSC test

• A three-member committee looking into the UPSC’s Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) issue has sought one more week to submit its report
• The government declined to give a timeframe for resolving the matter. The issue would be resolved “as soon as possible” keeping in mind the sentiments of the candidates.

Kisan TV: ideas sought on Twitter

• Prasar Bharati Chief Executive Officer Jawahar Sircar took to the social media to seek ideas on the contours and content of Kisan TV proposed in the Budget.
• This was following a need felt for a “reach out” strategy to de-bureaucratise schemes for the Doordarshan’s channel. The Union Finance Minister had set aside Rs. 100 crore for the channel.
• Kisan TV will be dedicated to the interests of agriculture and allied sectors. The idea is to disseminate real-time information to farmers on varied issues, including new farming techniques, conservation and organic farming.

First batch of Indians from Libya to return by Friday

• The first batch of Indian nationals stuck in conflict-ridden Libya is expected to return before the weekend.
• North African country is witnessing the fiercest violence since the fall of Muammar Qadhafi, several countries are evacuating their citizens from Libya.
• External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj chaired a high-level meeting to take stock of the situation. Ms. Swaraj directed transfer of funds from the Indian Community Welfare Fund (set up by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs) for use by Indians in difficult circumstances in Libya.
• Libyan companies employing about 450 Indian nationals had agreed to allow them to return to India, the MEA informed.
• Unknown kidnappers on Wednesday seized a Philippine nurse in the Libyan capital, held her for several hours and raped her.

Batra’s panel to ‘Indianise’ education

• In a move parallel to the new government’s reported decision to set up a commission on educational reforms, the controversial teacher-turned-activist Dinanath Batra decided to form a “non-governmental” commission to “Indianise” education.

• The Non-Governmental Education Commission (NGEC) will have 31 members, including Mr. Batra.

• Some of the courses recommended under these models have already been introduced in a few universities, he said. The Jalandhar-based Punjab Technical University, Mr. Batra said, had included Vedic Mathematics, Value Education and Integral Humanism.

U.S. team to meet Doval, Ministers today

• The visiting U.S. delegation will hold meetings with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and later with Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley.
• One sticking point during the talks will be the recent revelations of U.S. NSA surveillance on Indian missions as well as the BJP leadership.
• There is considerable disquiet in India about the authorisations provided for the U.S. NSA that contravene privacy norms for entities, individuals and the government of India. These issues are likely to figure.
• The two sides will discuss other issues, including the stalled nuclear deal, intelligence sharing on terror, climate change, visa and patent issues during their dialogue.

EU sanctions on Russia could self-harm

• The impact of the new and most comprehensive sanctions against Russia, which the European Union announced will do some self-damage, but the burden of that should be equally shared amongst European economies, said U.K.

• The raft of sanctions was announced by the EU. In their statement, the 28 member-nations said, “It is meant as a strong warning: illegal annexation of territory and deliberate destabilisation of a neighbouring sovereign country cannot be accepted in 21st century Europe. Furthermore, when the violence created spirals out of control and leads to the killing of almost 300 innocent civilians in their flight from the Netherlands to Malaysia, the situation requires urgent and determined response.”

• The sanctions will “limit access to EU capital markets for Russian state-owned financial institutions, impose an embargo on trade in arms, establish an export ban for dual use goods for military end-users, and curtail Russian access to sensitive technologies particularly in the field of the oil sector.”

• The EU had only last week put another 15 Russian individuals and 18 entities to asset freezes and visa bans on their list for “undermining Ukrainian territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

• Germany’s endorsement tilted the balance in favour of going for the higher level of sanctions. As the strongest EU economy, and the country with the biggest trade ties with Russia, its backing was crucial.

• The sanctions will not apply retroactively, but will take effect only for future transactions. Thus, the concerns of at least one nation, France, will be addressed as the curbs on arms sale will not stop its sale of two Mistral helicopter carrier warships to Russia under a contract signed in 2011.

Magsaysay for Chinese scribe, lawyer

• An influential Chinese journalist and a crusading environmental lawyer from China are among this year’s winners of Asia’s Magsaysay awards.

• Among this year's six awardees is Hu Shuli (61), founder and editor of Caijing, a business magazine famed for its groundbreaking investigative reporting that has had a profound impact on China.

• Another winner was Chinese lawyer Wang Canfa (55), founder of the Centre for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims, which has handled thousands of environmental complaints and beaten powerful industrialists in court.

• Also honoured were Indonesian anthropologist Saur Marlina Manurung, National Museum of Afghanistan director Omara Khan Masoudi, Filipino teacher Randy Halasan, and the Pakistani non-government group The Citizen’s Foundation.

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Sources: Various News Papers & PIB

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