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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 07 June 2014

New Ukraine President

Petro Poroshenko has taken the oath of office as Ukraine’s President, assuming leadership of a country mired in a violent uprising and economic troubles.
Mr. Poroshenko, who became a billionaire as a candy tycoon, was elected after the pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych fled the country in the wake of months of street protests.
The ceremony in the Ukrainian Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, was attended by high-ranking delegations from Western governments, which include U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden, E.U. President Herman Van Rompuy and the presidents of Poland and Germany, Bronislaw Komorowski and Joachim Gauck.

Full capacity attained in Kudankulam reactor

The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project crossed the much-awaited milestone as the first reactor of the upcoming nuclear park attained its maximum capacity of 1,000 MW.
The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) engineers were operating 1,000 MWe reactors built with VVER technology, supplied by Atomstroyexports, Russia.
When the reactor reached 90 per cent of its capacity on May 5 last, it was expected that the first unit would attain the maximum power generation capacity within a week or so.
Though the NPCIL had originally planned to commission the first of the 2 X 1,000 MWe reactor within five years from the date of ‘first pouring of concrete’, the completely new technology for the NPCIL technocrats, a range of technical issues, delayed supply of components, incorporation of additional safety measures, anti-KKNPP struggle and other reasons delayed its completion. Finally, the reactor is now ready for commercial power generation 11 months after it attained criticality last year.

New high commissioner for human rights

U.N. secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has said he will appoint Jordan’s ambassador as the new high commissioner for human rights, bringing to that post a voice from the West Asia.
Mr. Ban’s office announced that Prince Zeid al Hussein, a long-time diplomat and former U.N. peacekeeper, has been nominated to replace Navi Pillay.
The South African-born Ms. Pillay’s term as U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights was originally set to end in 2012 but was extended for two years.
Prince Zeid, who has been ambassador to both the U.N. and the United States, announced in late April he would resign as U.N. ambassador.

India, U.S. policy forum meet

Trade officials of India and the U.S. are expected to meet in Delhi to prepare the groundwork for the ministerial level meeting of the Trade Policy Forum (TPF).
The U.S.-India TPF is an inter-agency collaboration led by the USTR. It is the principal trade dialogue between the countries.
It has five focus groups: Agriculture, Investment, Innovation and Creativity (intellectual property rights), Services, and Tariff and Non-Tariff Barriers.
In recent months, the U.S. has increased its attack against India’s intellectual property regime and safety issues related to domestic pharmaceutical sector. The American pharma sector had alleged that the Indian IPR laws discriminate against U.S. companies and violate global norms.
The USTR in its Special 301 report had kept India out of the priority list, but has said that they would do an ‘out-of-cycle’ review of India’s IPR regime.
At present, bilateral trade is around $100 billion. The U.S.-India Business Council had said bilateral trade between the countries could touch $500-billion mark over the next one decade.

Rafael Nadal in eighth French Open final

Rafael Nadal will face Novak Djokovic in the French Open final in Paris where he will be aiming for a ninth title at Roland Garros.

A look at the Spaniard's eight victories so far:

2013 bt David Ferrer (ESP) 6-3, 6-2, 6-3:Nadal overcomes a worrying security breach to become the first man to capture the same Grand Slam title eight times.
2012 bt Novak Djokovic (SRB) 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5: Nadal takes victory when Djokovic double faults and he breaks the tie for six French Opens he shares with Bjorn Borg. It is his 11th Grand Slam title while for Djokovic, the Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open champion.
2011 bt Roger Federer (SUI) 7-5, 7-6 (7/3), 5-7, 6-1: Nadal wins a 10th Grand Slam crown and equals Bjorn Borg's record of six French Open titles.
2010 bt Robin Soderling (SWE) 6-4, 6-2, 6-4: Nadal overpowers the man who 12 months earlier inflicted his lone defeat at Roland Garros. The win puts him second on the all-time list of French Open winners, one behind Bjorn Borg whose last title came in 1981.
2008 bt Roger Federer (SUI) 6-1, 6-3, 6-0: Nadal and Federer meet again but the Swiss star is handed a sobering defeat with the final set passing in a blur in just 27 minutes. It's the first time Federer suffers a 'bagel' since a 1999 Roland-Garros first round loss to Australia's Pat Rafter.
2007 bt Roger Federer (SUI) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4: It was Federer's second consecutive chance to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slam titles at once, having won the Wimbledon, U.S. Open and Australian Open, in 2006-2007. But Nadal becomes first man since Bjorn Borg to win three Roland Garros titles in a row.
2006 bt Roger Federer (SUI) 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4): 20-year-old Nadal becomes the first man to beat Federer in a Grand Slam final.
2005 bt Mariano Puerto (ARG) 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 6-1 7-5: On his debut, Nadal, 19, is seeded fourth and beats top seed Federer in the semifinals before seeing off world number 37 Puerta to claim his first French Open title.