Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 12 April 2014

Heartbleed : the internet bug

Heartbleed is an Internet bug that has been widely employed in software that secures users’ personal information on the web.
In an advisory to users in the country, the Computer Emergency Response Team of India, a nodal agency, has categorised the problem’s severity as “high”.
Ominously named Heartbleed, this bug interferes with the regular function of software called OpenSSL by causing it to spill the secrets, it’s tasked with protecting, to malicious attackers.
When users key in their personal information on a website and hit ‘Enter,’ the data is on the Internet travelling between your computer and the site’s server. To safeguard it, the site uses OpenSSL (SSL refers to Secure Sockets Layer) to encrypt it — turning it into an incoherent jumble of characters — using an encryption key.
With Heartbleed in the picture, OpenSSL allows malicious messages sent to the server implementing it to potentially hand over the encryption key to the attacker.
Companies like Amazon and Google have issued advisories to their customers stating that they have updated their systems and eliminated the threat. Kaspersky, a security firm, advised caution because a Heartbleed attack leaves no traces nor does it give users a chance to protect themselves.

A day after a complaint was filed against BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi over his marital status, Chief Election Commissioner V.S. Sampath said the Commission would examine it in accordance with the Supreme Court judgements.
Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal moved the Election Commission over the issue of the marital status of Mr. Modi by seeking action by the poll body against the BJP leader for “hiding” facts in election affidavits filed by him in the past.
He said that between 2002 and 2012, Mr. Modi had filed election affidavits while contesting the Gujarat assembly elections, where he had not mentioned his marital status.

Natco Pharmaceuticals, the Hyderabad-based generic pharmaceutical company, has filed a ‘pre-grant opposition’ with the Indian Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trademarks to prevent the granting of a patent to U.S. pharmaceutical major Gilead Sciences for its breakthrough drug for treatment of Hepatitis C, Sovaldi.
Under India’s patent laws, a third party can dispute the validity of a pending patent application.
The grant of a patent can be opposed under 11 grounds that include lack of novelty and inventive step.
Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) and Initiative for Medicine and Access to Knowledge (I-MAK) have also filed pre-grant opposition on similar grounds earlier.
Sofosbuvir is considered a breakthrough as it is a once-daily regimen expected to replace the injection-based therapy. It is a direct-acting anti-viral (DAA), and reduces treatment time to 12 weeks from 24-48 weeks. The existing treatment has several side-effects while sofosbuvir has none.

MRF is set to emerge as a major supplier of tyres for the Indian Air Force (IAF) as the country’s leading tyre maker has now created yet another record of supplying aircraft tyres for the defence.
After successfully producing and supplying tyres for Indian defence helicopters, the company has now started supplying indigenously developed tyres for Sukhoi 30 MKI, the most advanced fighter aircraft group in the IAF fleet.
Though MRF has been supplying tyres to various vehicles of Defence Forces, its journey to supply aviation tyres began in 2001. After meeting all requirements and securing approvals from various authorities, it started supplying helicopter tyres for Chetak fleet in 2008. In the same year, it took up the project of developing main wheel tyres for Sukhoi 30 MKI.
After completion of the tests, the product has been cleared by CEMILAC (The certifying authority for Military aviation) for commercial production in 2012. These tyres are being produced at its facility at Medak (Andhra Pradesh).

A Kuwaiti opposition group led by a former lawmaker convicted of making comments considered insulting to the ruling Emir says it plans to launch a series of street protests to press for reform in the Gulf state.
Former lawmaker Musallam al-Barrak’s reform agenda includes allowing people to run for the position of prime minister. Currently, Prime Ministers are appointed by the Emir and are from the ruling family.
Al-Barrak is known in Kuwait for an October 2012 speech where he suggested that the Emir was trying to turn the country into an “autocracy”. He was sentenced to five years imprisonment, but was allowed to remain free on bail after he refused to surrender to authorities and his supporters fought security forces.

Calibrated and clearly communicated monetary policies will build trust and improve business sentiments across the world by leaving little room for speculations , according to the Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram.
Recent risks of very low inflation in euro areas might demand use of appropriate tools in the coming time to thwart deflation tendencies.
Mr Mayaram represented India during the ongoing spring meet of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
In terms of exchange rate policy, while flexible exchange rates are desirable, a cautious approach should be followed before going for currency revaluations which can result in trust deficit and currency wars.