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Current Affairs for IAS Exams – 11 June 2016

:: National ::

High Court of Bombay to give order on Udta Punjab Movie on 13th

After hearing arguments for a day-and-half, the Bombay High Court reserved its order for June 13 on the censorship of Shahid Kapoor-starrer Udta Punjab .
Among the many suggestions made by the review committee of the body are the removal of the “signboard of Punjab” in the beginning of the movie and the use of expletives.
The court had asked how the integrity of the State would be hit by pulling down just one signboard.
On the “constant” use of expletives in the film, the court told the producers that “you may not rely on expletives to show the frustration of your character.”
To which senior counsel Ravi Kadam, appearing for Phantom Films, producer of Udta Punjab , said 34 films made in the past had used expletives explicitly.
The court then said that maybe the board felt that they had gone too far.
Discussing a scene where a character is shown scratching a body part, the court said it need not be shown at all and could be deleted.
After the court talked about a scene where actor Shahid Kapoor is shown urinating before a crowd, the producers agreed to remove it.
When the board went on to justify all the 13 cuts saying that the film was meant for public exhibition, the court said that “if people don’t like something they have a remote” and that the CBFC should only certify a film and not censor it.
The court also said if the movie was glorifying the use of drugs, then it should be banned.
The film is scheduled for release on June 17 and deals with the drug abuse in Punjab and the review committee of the board said that ‘the theme, presentation, language and visuals of the film are not suitable for non-adults.’
Bombay High Court to pass order on producers’ plea on June 13.

High court of Kerala stayed the directive of NGT

Providing a respite to the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation, (KSRTC), private bus operators and owners of diesel vehicles of 2,000 cc and above, the Kerala High Court stayed the directive of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
Kochi Special Circuit Bench of the NGT banned diesel vehicles older than 10 years in six cities in the State.
Justice P.B. Suresh Kumar had earlier stayed the tribunal’s directive restraining the State government from registering new diesel vehicles of 2000 cc and above except that of the public or local authorities.
In M.C. Mehta vs. Union of India and others case had prohibited use of diesel vehicles of more than 15 years in Delhi after granting the bus operators reasonable time to replace their vehicles.
The court observed that a perusal of the apex court judgment would indicate that the decision was rendered having regard to the air pollution level in the national capital region of Delhi.
The court also referred to the arguments of the counsel that the air quality level in the State was far superior to that in Delhi.
That apart, no data was available with the tribunal regarding the air quality level prevailing in the six cites.

India hopes to get the support of China for NSG membership (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: International ::

Chinese President might visit Nepal this year

Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to visit Nepal in October following his participation in the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) summit in Panaji, the South China Morning Post reported.
The presidential visit will cap growing ties between Kathmandu and Beijing, which acquired a high profile after China became an energy supplier to Nepal, breaking India’s monopoly in fuel exports, in the midst of a violent agitation over the adoption of Nepal’s new Constitution.
apart from an “assessment” of the possibility of Mr. Xi’s visit, two other topics were prominently discussed during Admiral Sun’s talks with Nepal’s Defence Minister.
First, the visiting Admiral discussed the extension of the Qinghai-Tibet railway to Kathmandu and further to Lumbini, close to the border with India.
Last month an international freight train left for Nepal from Lanzhou in China’s Gansu province, to cover a distance of 2,431 km to Xigaze in Tibet, the last railhead.
The goods were then to be transported by road to the Geelong land port in Nepal, and further to Kathmandu, 160 km away.
Second, the two sides discussed Nepal’s integration in China’s One Belt One Road, Eurasian connectivity project. China-Nepal ties acquired fresh momentum during the visit to China by Nepal’s Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli in March.
Nepal’s Vice-President Nanda Bahadur Pun left for a week long visit to Kunming, which is hosting a China-South Asia expo, apart from a meeting of the China-South Asia think tank forum.

German Chancellor wants Britain to stay in EU

German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed she hoped that Britain would vote to remain in the European Union in a June 23 referendum that her Finance Minister labelled a “wakeup call.”
Britain and Germany have traditionally been allies in the EU on matters such as free trade.
She added that “we have very close cooperation on many questions with Great Britain, and would of course like to continue this within the framework of the European Union.”
Germany has the biggest economy in the 28-nation bloc, and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble told Der Spiegel magazine that a British exit, known as Brexit, would bad for both Britain and the EU. “
Mr. Schäuble said if it comes to a British exit, that the possibility of other countries following Britain’s lead “cannot be ruled out.”
Even if Britain’s voters choose to remain in the European Union, the referendum itself shows a dissatisfaction that EU leaders can’t ignore, the Finance Minister added in his remarks.

U.S. has asked Pak to ensure that its territory is not used for planning attacks in India (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: Science and Technology ::

A revolutionary new way of tackling climate change developed

Scientists have turned carbon dioxide into stone in a matter of months by pumping it deep underground, offering a revolutionary new way of storing the greenhouse gas to tackle climate change.
The pioneering experiment in Iceland mixed CO{-2}emissions with water and pumped it hundreds of metres underground into volcanic basalt rock — where it rapidly turned into a solid.
Previous attempts to inject CO{-2}into sandstone soils or deep saline aquifers have struggled, as they relied on capping rocks to hold the gas down — triggering fears it could eventually leak.
In contrast, the Carbfix project at Iceland’s Hellisheidi plant — the world’s largest geothermal facility, which powers Reykjavik — sought to solidify the CO2.
The plant produces 40,000 tons of CO{-2}a year — just five percent of the emissions of a similarly sized coal plant, but still significant. In 2012, they began pumping 250 tons of CO{-2}mixed with water underground.
Encouraged by the success, the company has scaled up the project and from this summer will be burying some 10,000 tonnes of CO{-2}each year.
A 2014 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that without carbon sequestration technology, adequately limiting global warming could prove impossible.
Basalt makes up most of the world’s seafloors and approximately 10 per cent of continental rocks, according to the study’s researchers.
A porous, blackish rock, basalt is rich in calcium, iron and magnesium, minerals researchers said are needed to solidify carbon for storage.

:: India and World ::

Obama administration named Indo-US ties as “Modi Doctrine”

Describing the visit of PM Modi as “historic”, the Obama Administration has named his vision of Indo-U.S. ties as “Modi Doctrine” that has overcome the “hesitations of history” and working for the betterment of the global good.
“The most important outcome in my mind of the visit this week and of the years of effort that preceded it is the clear and compelling vision that was laid out by Prime Minister Modi before joint session of the U.S. Congress,”.
Mr. Modi in his speech furthered his bold vision of India-U.S. partnership that could anchor peace, prosperity and stability from Asia to Africa, from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific and help ensure the security of the sea lanes of commerce.

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:: Business and Economy ::

Renewable energy sector has for the first time surpassed hydro power generation

Helped by policy initiatives and early stage private investments in solar and wind power, the renewable energy sector has for the first time surpassed hydro power generation.
According to the Central Electricity Authority data, the total capacity of renewable energy sector increased to 42,849.38 MW, surpassing the total capacity of hydro power sector at 42,783.42 MW.
The total capacity of the thermal sector stood at 2,11,420.40 MW, the data showed.
The renewable energy investments in solar and wind have benefited from a strong central policy and several years of early-stage private sector investment, respectively.
In contrast, hydro power suffered from multiple challenges, including non-availability of long-term financing; the cost imposed by royalty power to be offered free to the state government; and limited opportunities for the private sector.
The government has ambitious plans for deployment of 175 GW renewable power capacities by 2022, including 100 GW of solar and 60 GW of wind, which may require investment of around $150 billion in the next seven years.