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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 10 April 2014

Save Vikrant campaign

Over 200 defence correspondents spread across the country have recently launched the ‘Save Vikrant Campaign.’ They are planning to meet the Defence Minister, seeking his immediate intervention to stop the sale of India’s first aircraft carrier. The majestic-class aircraft carrier, purchased from Britain in 1957, played a key role in enforcing the naval blockade of East Pakistan during the India-Pakistan War of 1971.
INS Vikrant is a symbol of our country’s valour and courage. It was Vikrant that fought many battles on the high seas, notably the 1971 war.
The auctioning of Vikrant is a matter of national shame.

Ratan Tata, the doyen of Indian industry, was recently inducted as a member of the Board of Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), a rare distinction for an Indian in the Chinese government-backed influential body.
This is the first time a senior Indian business leader was accorded the distinction.It is also a recognition for Tatas as a global conglomerate, he said.
The 15-member Board of BFA included former Japanese prime minister Yasuo Fukuda, former Malaysian prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badwai, former Singapore prime minister Goh Chok Tong and former prime minister of France Jean—Pierre Raffarin besides former US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.
BFA was formed in 2001 on the lines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Every year top world’s political and business leaders gather at Boao to brainstorm on global political and economic issues.
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI) is an ordinary member of the forum.

Israel has successfully launched a new observation satellite into orbit, one which is expected to be used to observe Iran and hostile militant groups in the Middle East.
The Israeli-made “Ofek 10” satellite was launched in cooperation with state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries. The satellite has already begun transmitting data and visual material. It is expected to be operational within months.
Israel is expected to use the satellite to keep tabs on Iran and the region. It believes Iran is trying to develop a nuclear weapon a charge Iran denies and accuses it of arming militants across the region.
Unlike other countries that launch satellites eastward in the direction of the earth’s orbit, Israel launched the satellite westward, opposite the direction of the earth’s orbit, to prevent debris following the launch to land in enemy countries east of Israel. The satellite completes a full orbit around the earth every 90 minutes.

Greece’s Finance Ministry says its first return to the markets in four years has seen strong demand, with the country raising 3 billion euros through five-year bonds at a coupon rate of 4.75 per cent.
Nearly 90 per cent of the sale was to international investors.
The bond sale is Greece’s first since 2010, when it became locked out of the international debt market by high interest rates due to a severe financial crisis. It has been relying on international bailout funds ever since.

Indian batting star Shikhar Dhawan has earned top honours by being named in the prestigious Wisden's list of Five Cricketers of the Year, an honour dating back to 1889, for his 2013 performance.
The Five Cricketers of the Year are Dhawan, Australia players Chris Rogers and Ryan Harris, England batsman Joe Root and England women's captain Charlotte Edwards.
Dhawan was acknowledged for his role in India's victorious Champions Trophy campaign in England, in which he was the highest run-scorer, amassing 363 runs in five ODIs at an average of 90.75 and was awarded the Man of the Series for his performance that included centuries against South Africa and West Indies.
The Cricketer of the Year is chosen by the editor of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, based on their 'excellence in, or performance on, the previous English summer' and it can be won only once in a player's career.

Varicose veins are a widely prevalent condition where veins, typically in the leg, swell and become twisted.
The development of varicose veins is not well understood.Women can get varicose veins during pregnancy and it is often seen in those who need to stand for long periods of time, such as policemen and shop assistants.
There is also a strong genetic component to it. When both parents suffered from the condition, their progeny had 90 per cent risk of developing it too, compared to a 25 per cent to 62 per cent risk when only parent had it and 20 per cent risk when neither parent had been affected..
The researchers decided to look at whether a gene know as ‘human forkhead box C2’ (FoxC2) could be involved. This gene is known to be important for blood vessel development.