Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 9 March 2015

:: National ::

President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurates WW-I centenary commemoration

The Centenary Commemoration of the First World War (1914-1918), in memory of the 1.5 million Indian soldiers who fought in the war, with President Pranab Mukherjee laying a wreath at Amar Jawan Jyoti in India Gate.
The commemoration, from March 10-14, is also in memory of the over 74,000 soldiers who laid down their lives fighting the war, whose names are etched in stone on the walls of India Gate. They fought in several theatres across Asia, Africa and Europe.
The centenary commemorations will continue till 2018.
“This is an endeavour of the Indian Army to commemorate the supreme gallantry and sacrifice that Indian soldiers rendered in various theatres of World War I,” Maj. Gen. N.P. Singh, Chief of Staff of 2 Corps, said during an interaction.
March 10 coincides with the Battle of Neuve Chapelle marking the British offensive in the Artois region of France, in which the Garhwal Brigade and the Meerut Division of the Indian Corps participated. Between 1914 and 1918, around 90,000 Indian soldiers fought on the French soil, more than 8,500 of whom perished.
General Jean-Pierre Bosser, Chief of Staff of the French Army, is currently on an official visit in India to pay tribute to the sacrifice of Indian soldiers who laid down their lives for France’s freedom during World War I.
The highlight is an exhibition at Manekshaw Centre in which the moments and conditions of World War I have been recreated.
The ‘Corner of Remembrance’ in the exhibition will have old letters and an old home with belongings of soldiers while the ‘Sacrifice Hall’ includes replicas of Indian memorials and paintings of Victoria Cross winners in India and abroad.
The Army has also created a replica of a World War I bunker showcasing the living conditions of the soldiers then.

‘India’s Daughter’ documentary: HC refuses urgent hearing on PIL to lift ban

The Delhi High Court refused to give urgent hearing to a PIL seeking lifting of the ban on telecast of a controversial documentary featuring an interview of one of the four convicts in the December 16 gangrape case.
A bench of justices B.D. Ahmed and Vibhu Bakhru said there is no so urgency in the matter and it will be heard on March 11.
“It will be listed on Wednesday. Nothing so important, that it needs to be heard today,” the court observed.
The court’s response came after two law students — Arun Menon and Kritika Padode —— in their public interest litigation (PIL) sought urgent hearing, saying the ban on the documentary is a clear violation of their fundamental rights under Article 19 of the Indian Constitution.
The duo approached the High Court after a trial court on March 4 had banned until further orders the broadcast of the interview of December 16, 2012 gangrape convict Mukesh Singh, which was allegedly conducted in July 2013 inside Tihar jail in New Delhi.
Earlier, a trial court had restrained the media from broadcasting or publishing the interview of Mukesh Singh after the Delhi police moved court for a restraining order against his interview.
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has also issued an advisory to all television channels to not broadcast the documentary on the victim.
The government has also sought an explanation from Tihar jail authorities over how the convict was interviewed while being in judicial custody.
A similar petition was filed last week, by a law student, who has sought lifting of the ban on the ground that it is “nothing but a honest look at the mind and mindset of one of the convicted rapists of the young woman”.
The plea also said that a direction be issued to the Supreme Court registry to constitute a three judge special bench to hear the appeals of the four death row convicts, which is pending since August 25, 2014.
Initially the apex court in July had stayed the execution of the four convicts in the gang-rape and murder case.
The other petition, prepared by Vibhor Anand, had also said that “it is legally wrong to oppose the screening of the film after giving it legal approval and after the documentary-makers fulfilled all legal commitments.”
It claimed that the parents of the gangrape victim have also not objected to the telecast of the documentary.
It also said that as per social media the public at large wanted to see the documentary as within 24 hours of its being put up on YouTube, it was viewed by more 2.86 lakh people.
The victim, a physiotherapy student was raped and assaulted with an iron rod after she was tricked into boarding an unregistered private bus to go home after watching a movie with a male friend on December 16, 2012.
Her male companion was badly beaten up and could not come to her rescue when she was assaulted in the bus. The two were later dumped naked and bleeding on the roadside.
The woman was airlifted to a Singapore hospital for treatment where she died — 13 days after the assault — of the injuries inflicted upon her.
Mukesh, along with three others, was convicted and sentenced to death in September 2013 for the gangrape and murder of the 23-year-old victim.

World’s first solar-powered aircraft (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: International ::

India is not a country of rapists: German envoy to discriminating German professor

“Let's be clear: India is not a country of rapists.” This was what German envoy in India Michael Steiner wrote, in his strongly worded letter, to a German professor who denied internship to an Indian male student citing “India's rape problem”.
Mr. Steiner also commended the high quality of public debate on rape in India, while advising the professor to “learn more about the diverse, dynamic and fascinating country”.
“In India, ‘the Nirbhaya case’ has triggered a lively, honest, sustained and very healthy public debate... of a quality that wouldn't be possible in many other countries,” he wrote in his letter.
Dr. Annette Beck-Sickinger, professor of biochemistry at Leipzig University, had refused to accept an Indian student for an internship because of India's “rape problem”.
“Unfortunately, I don't accept any Indian male students for internships. We hear a lot about the rape problem in India which I cannot support. I have many female students in my group, so I think this attitude is something I cannot support,” Dr. Beck-Sickinger wrote to the student.
Mr. Steiner asked the professor to correct her simplistic image “particularly unsuitable for a professor and teacher.”
“Yesterday, we celebrated International Women's Day at the German Embassy here in Delhi with many local activists including many men. Your oversimplifying and discriminating generalization is an offense to these women and men ardently committed to furthering women empowerment in India; and it is an offense to millions of law-abiding, tolerant, open-minded and hard-working Indians,” he wrote.
Women's rights activist Kavita Krishnan termed the professor's response “shameless racial profiling”.
“This is shameless racial profiling of Indian men. Very similar to how black men were earlier racially profiled as rapists... in no way does this help the cause of women,” said Ms. Krishnan.
“It is symptomatic of racism and orientalism... rape is a global problem and not exclusive to India,” she said.
The professor later tendered an unconditional public apology.
“I have made a mistake. I sincerely apologise to everyone whose feelings I have hurt,” she said.
However, it was Ambassador Steiner's unequivocal condemnation of the actions of the professor, that warmed the heart of several Indians, who thanked and congratulated him for the bold step.

Israel will not cede land to Palestinians: Netanyahu (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: Business & Economy ::

Govt working to wrest Khadi trademark from German firm

Government is working in tandem with the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) to expedite the process of de-registering ‘Khadi’ trademark in the European Union by a German company, Parliament was informed .
KVIC has also initiated the process to register ‘Khadi’ trademark in India and internationally.
The German company, named Khadi Natureprodukte GbR, has registered ‘Khadi’ as a trademark with the European agency, OHIM (Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market).
Spain-based OHIM is the nodal agency for Trademarks and Design Registration in the European Union.
“Indian Embassies abroad have been in touch with the authorities of European Union for cancellation of the registration of Khadi as a trademark,” Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Minister of State Giriraj Singh informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply.
The government, KVIC and the Indian Embassies are working in tandem to expedite the process of de-registering the trademark of Khadi, he added.
Singh said the process to register for international trademarks for ‘Khadi’ is being done in two stages — first at national level and second at international level.
He added that KVIC has filed an application to register ’Khadi’ as a word mark under IPR Authority in Mumbai.
“This mark has been filed for 27 classes under IPR Act covering various products relevant to KVIC comprising of Khadi fabrics and village industries,” Singh said.
Online registration for ‘Khadi’ as a “Word mark” has already been done and application for International IPR under Madrid Protocol has been filed for the US, European Union and Russia and China, he added.
KVIC is a statutory body engaged in promoting and developing khadi and village industries.

Shiv Nadar Foundation sells shares in HCL Technologies

The Shiv Nadar Foundation, a philanthropic arm of Shiv Nadar, Founder and Chairman of HCL, sold its entire stake in HCL Technologies for Rs.1,109 crore in the open market.
The proceeds are expected to be used for various objectives and initiatives of the foundation.
Established in 1994, the Shiv Nadar Foundation supports education and art. It runs institutions such as Shiv Nadar University, Shiv Nadar School and Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, among others.
Mr. Nadar has so far committed around Rs.6,000 crore from his wealth to philanthropy. The foundation has already spent around Rs.3,000 crore on philanthropic initiatives until March 31, 2014.
Under the initiative, Mr. Nadar wants to build prestigious educational institutions and improve the lot of the underprivileged by tackling critical parameters. He is also looking for a ‘one-size-fits-all’ model to solve India’s basic problems of water, education, employability, health and infrastructure.
According to bulk deal data on Bombay Stock Exchange, 56 lakh shares (0.8 per cent stake) were sold at Rs.1,980.18 a share, at a discount to the firm’s closing price of Rs. 2,064.75 on Thursday last.
“This transaction has been concluded at one go at a discount to the last closing price of HCL Technologies share to avoid any overhang in the market for shareholders of HCL Technologies,” Shiv Nadar Foundation said in a statement.
The Foundation said the sale was done to fulfil the governance, tax and legal regulations that required it to the sell the shares before March 31, 2015. It had previously sold HCL Technologies shares in February 2012.
After the transaction was announced, HCL Technologies shares declined to day’s low of Rs. 1,975. However, it recovered and closed flat at Rs. 2067.35 on the BSE.

Industrialist Deepak Khaitan passes away (Register and Login to read Full News..)

News Corp acquires VCCircle Network (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: Science & Technology ::

MH370 report: Air Traffic Control supervisor was sleeping on duty

The Air Traffic Control (ATC) supervisor was asleep on duty during the crucial hours following the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 last year, an interim report into the tragedy has said.
Released a year after the Boeing 777-200 went missing, transcripts of conversation between Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Controller and a Malaysia Airlines (MAS) official have showed that between 1.20 a.m. local time — when communications from the flight had ceased — and 5.20 a.m., the supervisor was asleep.
A controller started the four-minute-long conversation with the MAS official at 5.20 a.m. when he repeatedly pressed the former for details, especially whether there was any positive handover between Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control Centre and Ho Chi Minh City air traffic control.
The MAS official’s persistent request for information led the controller to say that he would wake his supervisor up.
The controller replied he only took over tower operations after 3 a.m., and was not sure about the details, Star Online reported.
The report said air traffic controllers in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City air traffic control took 20 minutes to ask why the plane had not yet entered its airspace when international protocols demand this should take place within two minutes.
The report has also found that the battery powering the underwater locator beacon on the aircraft had expired in 2012.
The nearly 600-page interim report submitted yesterday on the anniversary of the flight’s disappearance, however, does not cast any suspicion on the crew.
Termed an “oversight” by investigators, the battery expiry could be key in legal action against Malaysia Airlines and in determining compensation, the paper said.
Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8 last year while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew on board. There were five Indians on the flight.
The plane is believed to have ended its journey in the southern Indian Ocean.
A year-long, Australia-led search effort in the southern Indian Ocean where the aircraft is believed to have crashed has so far yielded no sign of the plane.
Malaysia’s Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) on January 29 had declared the plane’s disappearance an accident.

:: Sports ::

England out of World Cup after 15-run loss to Bangladesh

Bangladesh make it to the quarterfinals along with New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka from this pool.
Bangladesh beat England by 15 runs in Adelaide .
The Eoin Morgan-led side has crashed out of the mega-event as Bangladesh make it to the quarterfinals along with New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka from this pool.
Earlier, Mahmudullah became the first Bangladesh batsman to score a World Cup hundred, guiding his team to a decent 275 for seven against England in a crucial Pool A cricket match, in Adelaide on Monday.