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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 16 May 2015

:: National ::

Sahitya Akademi to publish satirical poem on Gandhi: Jnanpith winner

Notwithstanding the Supreme Court order stating that the right to free speech and expression is not absolute in the context of attributing obscene language to ‘revered, historical figures’, Jnanpith awardee Bhalchandra Nemade is set to publish the controversial poem Gandhi Mala Bethala (I met Gandhi).
Mr. Nemade says he wrote to the poet, Vasant Gurjar, in March and is awaiting a response. His letter dated March 21, praises Mr. Gurjar’s work and seeks his permission to publish the poem in a proposed volume on Gandhi’s works to be brought out by the Sahitya Akademi, which comes under the Department of Culture.
“The chairman of the Sahitya Akademi has decided to collect selective and important literary works on Mahatma Gandhi from 24 different Indian languages and I am the chief editor for the Marathi literature on Mahatma Gandhi…
“In my opinion your poem, Gandhi Mala Bethala is one of the best poems on Mahatma Gandhi so far published in Marathi poetry. Your poem expresses in a unique style the wide social spectrum of Indian society after assassination of the Mahatma by Godse. Please accord your permission for including your poem in the collection to be published by the Sahitya Akademi,” Mr. Nemade wrote.

Complete Tejpal trial in one year: SC

The Supreme Court gave a Goa lower court one year to complete the trial against Tehelka founder-editor Tarun Tejpal in a sexual assault case.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu agreed to a request from the trial judge to provide more time to conclude the proceedings in the case.
The apex court, in January, ordered the lower court to hold daily hearings and decide the case within eight months.
The court had expressed unhappiness over the fact that the trial proceedings have been stalled, and asked Mr. Tejpal's counsel to not delay it further and begin arguments on framing of charges in the case.
Mr. Tejpal has been charge sheeted for allegedly raping, sexually harassing and outraging the modesty of a junior colleague during an event at a Goa hotel in November 2013.

India, China to set up hotline between Army HQs (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: International ::

Luxembourg PM is the first gay EU leader to marry

Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel married his gay partner, becoming the first European Union leader to enter into a same-sex union in a symbol of growing social change across the continent.
Mr. Bettel (42), a centre-right politician who became Premier in 2013, tied the knot with Gauthier Destenay, a Belgian architect, just months after the conservative Roman Catholic duchy legalised gay weddings.
The Prime Minister, wearing a navy blue suit, and his partner, dressed in a dark grey suit, held hands as they arrived for the low key ceremony at the Luxembourg town hall, where around 100 well-wishers applauded them.
As well as being the first leader in the 28-nation EU to wed a gay partner, Mr. Bettel is only the second in the world after Iceland’s Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir, who married her writer partner in 2010. Iceland is not part of the EU.

Osama aide gets life term in U.S. (Register and Login to read Full News..)

Russia: bill to shut ‘undesirable’ NGOs approved (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: Business and Economy ::

Home Ministry may not give licence to Sun TV firms

The Home Ministry may not grant licence to Kalanithi Maran-promoted Sun TV Network’s group companies citing the alleged involvement of its owners in 2G spectrum scam and Aircel Maxis cases before various courts and investigating agencies.
The stand is likely to be communicated to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry as Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley had written to Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the issue, according to official sources here.
The company operates 45 radio channels under the brand name Suryan FM in Tamil Nadu and Red FM in rest of the country.
The Home Ministry said the company and its owners were allegedly involved in 2G scam, alleged bungling in Aircel-Maxis deal as well as running an “illegal” connections of telephones used for uploading their content, the sources said.
The company of Kalanithi, who is the brother of former union minister Dayanidhi Maran, had sought renewal of licence of its radio channels from one phase to another.

Taiwan explores biz opportunities in India (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: Science and Technology ::

New treatment for diabetes in offing: study

Australian researchers have discovered a link between protein intake and improved control of blood glucose in mice, opening the way for potential new treatments for diabetes in human beings.
Lead researcher Stefan Broer of Australian National University (ANU) said the findings show mice, with a reduced capacity to digest and absorb protein, are highly efficient at removing glucose from blood after a meal. “This is precisely what individuals with diabetes fail to do. This research has significant potential for the design of new drugs to treat type 2 diabetes,” said Professor Broer, from the ANU Research School of Biology.
Prof. Broer said the mice lacked a so—called transporter in the intestine that moves amino acids, the breakdown products of protein digestion, from the lumen of the intestine into the blood. This reduces the intake of protein and indirectly improves their efficiency at removing glucose from the blood.

Latest self-driving Google car heading to public streets

The latest version of Google’s self-driving car, a pod-like two-seater that needs no gas pedal or steering wheel, will make its debut on public roads this summer, a significant step in the technology giant’s mission to have driverless cars available to consumers in the next five years.
This prototype is the first vehicle built from scratch for the purpose of self-driving, Google says. It looks like a smart car with a shiny black bowler hat to hide its sensors, and it can drive, brake and recognise road hazards without human intervention. It has more capabilities than the prototype Google introduced last May, which was so rudimentary it had fake headlights.
The new pod is not designed for a long trip, or a joyride. It lacks air bags and other federally required safety features, so it cannot go more than 25 miles per hour. It is electric, and has to be recharged after 80 miles. And the pod can only drive in areas that have been thoroughly mapped by Google.
At first, it will likely even have a steering wheel and gas pedal that current California regulations require.
Google will initially build and test 25 pods, mostly in neighbourhoods surrounding its Mountain View headquarters. It will eventually build between 50 and 100, and will broaden testing to sites that are hillier and rainier.
The ultimate goal, says Google co-founder Sergey Brin, is computer-controlled cars that can eliminate human error, which is a factor in an estimated 90 percent of the 1.2 million road deaths that occur worldwide each year. Self-driving cars could also improve traffic congestion and transport the elderly and disabled.
Google shocked the auto industry in 2010 with its announcement that it was working on a driverless car. Mr. Brin insists Google does not aspire to be a car company, but wants its technology to be adopted by automakers. “We want to partner to bring self-driving to all the vehicles in the world,” Mr. Brin told a group of journalists.
For now the traditional automakers are pursuing their own self—driving technology, but with less ambitious timeline of 10 to 15 years for a truly driverless car.

With Multi-Object Tracking Radar, India joins big league (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: Sports ::

Bangladesh, India in final

India and Bangladesh, the top two teams, made the final of the SAARC golf championship .
On the penultimate day of the championship at the KGA course, India defeated Bhutan, while Bangladesh swamped a hapless Afghanistan in the semifinals. Both teams winning the 36-hole Match Play round without dropping a match.
The 18-hole morning session set the tone with India’s top amateur Viraj Madappa essaying a flawless, bogey free round to beat Bhutan’s Karma Wangchuk 8 and 7.
Pukhraj Singh Gill then beat Bhutan’s Capt. (retd) B.B. Gurung 7 and 5. But the India team captain Jaibir Singh was stretched to the fourth extra hole by Bhutan’s Tshendra Dorgi.
In the sudden death play-off with both players level after three holes, Jaibir Singh landed his tee shot on the green of the short, par-3 fourth hole and duly holed out for a par. But Dorgi failed to chip and putt finishing with a bogey.
India was as invincible in the afternoon session with Madappa and Gill winning by identical 6 and 5 margins.
Bangladesh, clearly the favourite in its semifinal against Afghanistan won all its three matches in the morning session.
India and Bangladesh will face off in the final .