Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 29 March 2014

Tax administration reform panel

As part of bringing in more credibility among tax payers and to streamline income tax procedures, the Government has set up a Tax Administration Reform Commission comprising officials from public and private sector agencies, Advisor to Finance Minister.
Dr Shome, is also the chairman of Tax Administration Reform Commission (TARC).
The Commission members comprise former chairmen of two tax boards, former Chief Financial Officer from IT service provider Tata Consultancy Services and an Ex-Vice President for Taxation from the Murugappa Group.

Russia has ruled out intervening militarily in mainland Ukraine even as it sought to shift into higher gear diplomatic efforts to resolve the worst post-Cold War crisis.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said Moscow has “absolutely no intention” of moving its forces into Ukraine, in what is the most categorical refutation to date of alarmist Western reports of imminent Russian “invasion.”
Russia, for its part, has set forth its vision for resolving the Ukraine crisis.
In Moscow’s view, presidential elections in Ukraine, now scheduled for May 25, should be postponed and held only after the new Constitution has been approved in a national referendum.

Egypt has partially reopened its border crossing with the Hamas—ruled Gaza Strip after closing it for almost two months.
The Hamas—run Interior Ministry said on its website that Egypt partly opened the Rafah crossing, the Palestinian enclave’s only window to the outside world, in both directions for three days.
The travel is limited to patients, students, and holders of foreign passports.
Up to 10,000 Palestinians have applied to exit through Rafah, the ministry said.
Around 150 to 300 people can leave Gaza each day through the crossing.
Since the closure, Egypt has partly reopened it three times to allow the travel of Palestinian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.
The crossing has been repeatedly closed since the Egyptian military overthrew Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in July.
Ties between Hamas, an offshoot of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, and Egypt’s military—backed government have since worsened.
In December, Egypt designated the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.

Sri Lankans went to polls to elect representatives to provincial councils, which in a way might be a form of referendum on a resolution against Sri Lanka adopted at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Elections for the western and southern provincial councils got underway with both the government and the opposition confident of coming out on top.
The government is confident of winning the elections and says it will use the results to tell the international community that the public have opposed international intervention in Sri Lanka.
The government rejected the resolution adopted by the U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva which called for an international investigation in Sri Lanka over alleged civil war crimes.
Meanwhile, the main opposition is seeking a mandate to push for early presidential and general elections to remove the Mahinda Rajapaksa government.
The incumbent government has won successive elections following the end of the civil war in 2009, except elections in the Tamil-dominated north of the country held last year.

South Africa confirmed its semifinal place in the World Twenty20 tournament with a three-run win over England recently.
AB de Villiers smashed 69 not out off only 28 balls to help South Africa reach a massive 196-5. Hashim Amla scored 57 while Quinton de Kock made 29.
England came close with 193-7 in response but will now go home.

The BJP has announced the expulsion of senior leader Jaswant Singh and Subhash Mahariya for six years.
The decision comes in the wake of Mr. Singh’s decision to contest as an Independent from Barmer and Mr. Mahariya’s announcement to do the same from Sikar in Rajasthan.
This is the second time the party has taken such action Mr. Singh. He was earlier expelled in 2009 for praising Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan’s founding father.
According to sources in the BJP, the party’s constitution allows it to expel members if they contest against its official candidates in elections, or if they drag the party to court over an internal issue.
Mr. Singh has refused to accept the party’s decision to field Col. Sonaram from Barmer and, despite hectic parleys, has not agreed to withdraw his nomination.