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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 15 December 2014

National

Govt. is planning to establish ‘ Nataka Academy’

Litterateurs, research scholars, writers and professors of various colleges discussed the role being played by plays in the society. They underlined the need to encourage social, historic and mythological plays in the society.
The students along with researchers, writers and the faculty made it a platform to discuss on the impact of plays at the two-day seminar titled ‘Social Plays in Telugu – Social Awareness’ (Telugulo Sangeeka Natakalu – Samajika Chaitanyam), jointly organised by University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Telugu Department of Parvataneni Brahmaiah Siddhartha Arts and Science College, at Vijayawada.
Participants debated on the topics -- ‘ Telugu Natakam-Prapanchikarana Nepadyam’, ‘Telugu Nishidda Natakalu-Samajika Chaitanyam’, ‘Kanyasulkam-Oka Pariseelana’, ‘Maa Bhoomi Natakam-Samajika Chaitanyam’, ‘Telugu Sangeeka Natakam-Samajika Prayojanam’, ‘Boyi Bheemannagari Sangeeka Natakalu-Sameeksha and ‘Sangeeka Natakam-Samajam Pai Prabhavam’.
Speaking on the occasion, Andhra Arts Academy secretary Kuchibatla Anand said that plays were having power to influence the society and to eliminate social evils, and thanked the writers who were doing great service to the world through their scripts.
To bring back the past glory for plays, Government is mulling to set up ‘ Nataka Academy’ , which would encourage the writers and artistes in the State, he said.
Some writers said that plays which were part of the Indian tradition are waning due to increase in western culture, films and televisions and underlined the necessity to create awareness among the younger generation on the need to protect the culture.

Ancient university near Nalanda was founded during Kushan period

Excavation near the ancient Nalanda Institution, Art and Culture department secretary Anand Kishore said, showed that foundation of ‘Tiladhak University’ was laid during the Kushan period in first century AD and not the Gupta period.
This indicates that the Buddhist mahavihara found at the site may be older than the mahavihara at Nalanda and Vikramshila, director of State Archaeology Atul Kumar Verma, who is leading the excavation, said.
The site came into light when the former Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, toured the area in 2009. Mr. Kumar, seeing the prospect of its historical importance, had directed Art and Culture department to begin excavation.
The site is located 33 km west of Nalanda University and the Mahavihara in Ekangalsarai block of Nalanda district, the former Chief Minister’s native place.
Chinese Traveller Hsuan-Tsang referred to this mahavihara as “Tilakakiye” in the 7th Century. Literature discovered has confirmed its identity as “Tiladhak” or “Tiladhakay.”
However, officials said that according to Calcutta University’s S. Sanyal, who studied four monastery seals found during excavation, the mahavihara’s name is “Sri Prathamshipur mahaviharey bhikshu sanghas.”
“There is a need to ponder afresh over name of the ancient university after information emerging from reading of the seals found,” Mr. Verma said

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Persons in news

Shinzo Abe re-elected Japan PM

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won a comfortable re-election in a snap poll that he had billed as a referendum on his economic policies.
But a low turnout from unenthusiastic voters beset by a heavy snowfall across much of the country could cast doubt on the endorsement he will claim for “Abenomics” — his signature plan to fix the country’s flaccid economy.
Media exit polls shortly after voting showed his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner Komeito had swept the ballot, with an unassailable two-thirds majority in the lower house of parliament that will give them the power to override the upper house.
“Voter turnout is likely to be a record low, but we still can call it a landslide victory for Prime Minister Abe,” said Masaru Kohno, a Politics Professor at Waseda University in Tokyo.

Anerood Jugnauth is Mauritius Prime Minister

Mauritius President named veteran politician Sir Anerood Jugnauth as Prime Minister, after the 84-year-old won a landslide taking nearly three-quarters of the seats in Parliament.
Mr. Jugnauth, a former President and Prime Minister, was handed his letter of appointment at a meeting at State House, a statement from the office of President Kailash Purryag said.
Mr. Jugnauth’s centre-right Alliance Lepep swept 47 out of 62 seats in the Indian Ocean nation’s Parliament, after voters on Wednesday rejected the ruling party’s bid to boost presidential powers.
The coalition of the outgoing ruling Labour Party and the former opposition Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM) of ex-Prime Minister Paul Berenger took just 13 seats.
Two other lawmakers from local parties on the small island of Rodrigues, some 560 kilometres to the east, usually support the government.
Debate over constitutional reform — notably over a divisive proposal to strengthen presidential powers — made Wednesday’s poll one of the most crucial since the islands gained independence from Britain in 1968.
Mr. Jugnauth, previously PM between 1982 and 1995 and again between 2000 and 2003, has promised he will boost the economy.
Mauritius is one of the richest countries in Africa, a middle-income country of some 1.3 million people, with a per capita GDP of just over $9,000.

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International

A watered-down climate treaty at Lima

Over a day behind schedule, the world set the stage for a new climate treaty by agreeing to the Lima Call for Climate Action, which was slammed by NGOs and people’s movements.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in a statement said the governments agreed on the ground rules on contributions to the Paris 2015 Agreement and boost adaptation.
After two weeks of negotiations which were “exceedingly slow” and several revisions of the draft text, countries finally agreed to ground rules on their national contributions by March 2015 if they are ready or by October 2015, and also a framework for the new treaty in Paris.
These Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) will form the foundation for climate action post 2020 when the new agreement is set to come into effect, the UNFCCC said.
The adaptation aspect has been included in a wishy-washy manner as part of the INDCs and there is no financial road map to scale up commitments.
Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, the Minister of Environment, Peru, and the president of the Conference of Parties, said, “Lima has given a new urgency towards fast-tracking adaptation and building resilience across the developing world — not least by strengthening the link to finance and the development of national adaptation plans.”
Mr. Vidal, who worked hard to push for a deal in the last two days, added that governments had left Lima with a far clearer vision of what the draft Paris agreement would look like.
Pledges were made by both developed and developing countries prior to and during the climate talks that took the new Green Climate Fund (GCF) past $10 billion.
Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the UNFCCC, said: “Governments arrived in Lima on a wave of positive news and optimism resulting from the climate action announcements of the European Union, China and the United States to the scaling up of pledges for the Green Climate Fund.”

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Business & Economy

Reliance Group sells multiplex business to Carnival

Anil Ambani led Reliance Group has sold its multiplex business to South India based Carnival Group in the largest ever deal in this space.
The transaction will reduce Reliance Capital’s overall debt by Rs 700 crore and is part of Reliance Capital’s strategy to exit minority investments.
The deal will make Carnival the third largest multiplex operator with nationwide presence and over 300 screens, a statement said. The firms did not disclose the exact value of the deal.
The deal struck between Carnival Cinemas and Reliance MediaWorks, will exclude IMAX Wadala (Mumbai) and some other properties worth Rs 200 crore, the statement added.
Reliance Capital is the parent firm of Reliance MediaWorks, which operates one of the largest cinema chains, under the brand ‘BIG Cinemas’ with over 250 screens pan-India.
Sam Ghosh, CEO, Reliance Capital, said: “We are delighted to begin a long term relationship with the rapidly growing Carnival Group, through the sale of the multiplexes business of Reliance Media Works to them.”
Carnival Group is targeting to achieve “1,000 screens by the year 2017”, said its chairman Shrikant Bhasi. The proposed transaction is subject to necessary statutory and other approvals and is expected to be closed within the current financial year.

Sports

Germany wins Champions Trophy

Enjoying the strong backing of a partisan crowd of 7,000 in a city designed by German architect Otto Konigsberger, Olympic champion Germany made itself at home to see Pakistan off 2-0 in the final and lift the Champions Trophy at the Kalinga Stadium.
The World No.3 could not have asked for more as it ended the year by pocketing its 10th Champions Trophy crown. It had last won the tournament in 2007. A tired and lacklustre India was beaten 2-1 by World champion Australia in the battle for third place.
This was the fifth Champions Trophy final involving Germany and Pakistan, and the previous time they had met in the summit clash was way back in 1994, when Pakistan had emerged champion through penalty shoot-outs in front of home supporters in Lahore.
In changed times, with both teams seeking to groom the youngsters in their squads in the run-up to the 2016 Rio Olympics, the duel assumed importance for different reasons.
Thanks to the plans of master tactician Markus Weise, Germany stifled the Asian Games silver medallist with some brilliant possession and strong marking.
Germany, which shrugged off a below-par start to beat fine teams like England and Australia in the knockout stage, checked Pakistan’s free-flowing style.
Pakistan, facing the spectators’ wrath in the wake of its players’ offensive behaviour the previous night, remained busy protecting its citadel all the time, and could not manage a even a single meaningful attempt at the German goal in the opening 30 minutes.
Led by the effervescent Florian Fuchs upfront, Germany built constant pressure on the rival post, and drew first blood in the 18th minute when Christopher Wesley scored off a rebound following a penalty corner.
Germany maintained its stranglehold throughout and created several chances before Fuchs completed a spectacular solo to make it 2-0 three minutes before the hooter. The Germans celebrated with seconds to go, and thanked the crowd for their overwhelming support.
India, which had to settle for the fourth place for the second consecutive time, was mentally and physically drained after its nerve-wracking semifinal loss to Pakistan. It could hardly make an impact in the first half and conceded a goal.

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Science & Technology

Epidemic outbreaks test health apparatus

Whenever there is an epidemics outbreak, the health apparatus is put to the test. Most of the burden in tackling epidemics falls on the State since a majority of the population flock to the Government Hospitals and Primary Health Centres as not many can afford the huge costs of hospitalisation in private sector.
While the recent outbreak of Avian Influenza or the bird flu in the neighbouring State poses little risk to men, since it does not easily infect human beings, the State Health Department has put all PHCs on Kerala border on alert. As it is a virus-borne disease, it can spread quickly and infect a lot of people in a short time.
Coimbatore is no stranger to epidemic outbreaks. Right from Swine Flu to dengue and diarrhoea, the city has seen it all since it’s a major transmit point and also has an international airport.
S. Somasundaram, Deputy Director of Health Services, says while prevention measures are given importance, the department has also protocols in place to contain outbreaks.
The foremost priority was identifying the source of the outbreak such as mosquito breeding points for dengue. These will be destroyed and awareness programme will be taken up among the public. The health department has put in place protocols for all diseases, he adds.
Coimbatore Medical College Hospital has created an isolation ward to treat epidemic outbreaks patients. Further, another infectious disease ward has been created to quarantine patients with deadle disease such as Ebola, says the hospital Dean S. Revwathy.
The bio-technology and microbiology laboratories of the CMCH were equipped to detect most of the viral-borne disease. However, complicated cases such as ebola are sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, for confirmation, she adds.
Drug Control Department also keeps a close watch for epidemic outbreaks. The stocks in pharmacies are monitored on a monthly basis, according to a senior official.