News Roundup - 22 November 2015

1. In the wake of recent Paris attacks, UN Security Council passed the resolution to authorise countries around the world to “take all necessary measures” to fight the Islamic State.
2. The 10th International Children’s Film Festival: First time outside Banglore, the festival will see 16 cinemas at Mangaluru screening Children’s films from November 23 to 26.
3. PM Modi said comprehensive Intellectual property rights policy would be in place by year-end.
4. Republic Day Chief Guest: French President Francois Hollande. France is going to host the COP21, Paris Climate Conference from November 30.
5. Third Jaipur Art Summit: A controversy erupted on plastic cow exhibition by Siddhartha Kararwal at Jawahar Kala Kendra. While the artist sough to display the ill effects of plastic on animals some people took it as a sign of violence against cow.
6. Three day meet of International Pepper Community (IPC): IPC is an inter-governmental body of major pepper producing countries established under UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). The three day program will host 40th Peppertech meeting on the second day and Pepperexim Meeting on the third day of the convention. The main agenda of meet is to discuss and promote safe use of chemicals for controlling pests and diseases in pepper.
7. Omnicom Group, world’s second largest advertising company,  bought Brazil’s Grupo ABC for 1 billion Reais (USD 270 million).
8. Airbnb raised over USD 100 million in a new round of funding. World’s largest accommodation booking site holds no properties.

Credits: The Google, Hindu

News Roundup - 25 December 2014

1. Three years after a Supreme Court judgment legalised passive euthanasia under “exceptional circumstances,” the government has fully endorsed the apex court’s guidelines giving High Courts the power to decide on applications seeking permission to withdraw life support in the best interest of the patient.
2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 102nd Indian Science Congress at Mumbai on January 3.
3. CIL and GAIL, along with Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers (RCF) and Fertilizer Corp of India Ltd (FCIL), will set up an integrated coal gasification-cum-fertilizer and ammonium nitrate complex at Talcher in Odisha by 2019.
4. Senior IAS officer S. Bhattacharya has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director of Coal India Ltd. (CIL).

Credits: The Hindu, Google.

News Roundup - 23 December 2014

1. The 13th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be held in Gujarat from January 7 to 9. Gujarat has been chosen as the partner State as 2015 happens to be the 100th year of Mahatma Gandhi’s return to India from South Africa.
2. Over two decades after it was first published, the first revised English edition of “Why I Assassinated Gandhi” – which includes Nathuram Godse’s statement before the court at the Red Fort trial in its “unabridged form,” the judgment and his will – is back in circulation. The revised edition has been compiled and edited by Virender Mehra. Farsight Publishers and Distributors — which brought out the revised edition six months ago in arrangement with Surya Bharti Prakashan, the original publishers of the book in 1993 — maintained that they took up the task because “both sides” of the assassination should come out. The ban on Nathuram Godse’s statement to the special court was lifted by the Bombay High Court in 1968.
3. Princess Cristina, the sister of Spain’s King Felipe VI, will be the first member of the royal family ever to appear in the dock after a judge on Monday ordered her to be tried for tax fraud. The historic decision comes after four years of investigations that plunged the royal family into crisis and contributed to the abdication of King Juan Carlos in June. She is accused of taking part in tax evasion by her husband, the former Olympic handball player Inaki Urdangarin. He is accused of embezzling and laundering millions of euros in public funds. Princess Cristina Federica of Bourbon and Greece is the youngest daughter of Juan Carlos and sixth in line to the Spanish throne. She married Urdangarin in 1997 in a glittering ceremony in Barcelona. The case is a big headache for King Felipe who took the throne on June 19 promising an “honest and transparent monarchy”.
4. The son of kung fu star Jackie Chan, Jaycee Chan, has been charged with providing a venue for others to use drugs.
5. Opening up of the coal sector and upgradation of state-run Coal India and its subsidiaries are vital for scaling up domestic production of the dry fuel, as per the final report of the Advisory Group for Integrated Development of Power, Coal, and Renewable Energy.
6. Jet Airways (India) concluded a $150-million (about Rs.945 crore) five-year syndicated loan facility, which was fully subscribed by banks spread across the Middle East region. 

Credits : The Hindu, Google.

News Roundup - 22 December 2014

1. India may end support to Palestine at UN. It is in stark contrast with the policy till now. Starting with 1974 when India voted against partition of Palestine. In 1974, it became the first non-Arab State to recognise Palestine Liberation Organisation as the sole, legitimate representative of Palestinians. In 1988, it became one of the first countries to recognise the state of Palestine. In 1996, it opened representative office in Gaza.In 1999, it co-sponsored the draft resolution on right of Palestinians to self-determination. In 2003, it voted against building of separation wall by Israel.In 2011, India voted to admit Palestine as full member of the UNESCO. In 2012, it voted to grant Palestine non-observer State status at UN. In 2014, it supported UNHRC resolution to launch probe into Israel's offensive in Gaza.
2. Only 21.62 crore people (17% of total population) were covered by health insurance at the end of March 2014, as per estimate by IRDA. However, as per World Bank Report released in Oct 2012, "Government-Sponsored Health Insurance in India: Are you Covered?", over 30 crore people (>25%  of total population).

Credit: The Hindu, Google.

News Roundup - 20 December 2014

1. China is setting the stage for linking southeast Asia with its New Silk Road initiative, through a railway corridor that would connect the country’s Yunan province with Thailand and Laos.
2. Pakistan became an associate member of CERN, the world’s top particle physics lab for nuclear research, allowing the nuclear-armed country to have more access to the Swiss-based facility’s research.
3. Australian Engineering Group Downer EDI has won a $2-billion contract from Adani group’s Carmichael Coal Mine project in Queensland in one of the largest deals of its type signed in the country in recent years.
4. Online restaurant search firm Zomato acquired Italy’s restaurant search service Cibando. Cibando has 82,000 restaurants listed across various cities in Italy and has now a 10-member team. Zomato said it would invest $6 million in Italy over the next two years to grow the team and the business in the country. This is Zomato’s fifth acquisition. Zomato acquired MenuMania in New Zealand, Lunchtime in Czech Republic, Obedovat in Slovakia, and Gastronauci in Poland recently.
5. Apart from subsuming various Central indirect taxes and levies and State taxes, the Constitution (122^nd Amendment) Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha, confers simultaneous power to Union and State legislations to legislate on Goods and Service Tax (GST). All goods and services, except alcoholic liquor for human consumption, will be brought under the purview of GST. Petroleum and petroleum products have also been constitutionally brought under GST. However, it has also been provided that petroleum products shall not be subject to the levy of GST till notified at a future date on the recommendation of the GST Council. The present taxes levied by the States and the Centre on petroleum and petroleum products, i.e., Sales Tax/VAT, CST and Excise duty only, will continue to be levied in the interim period.

Credits: The Hindu, Google.

News Roundup - 19 December 2014

1. Pakistani authorities detain Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, a key planner of the 2008 Mumbai attack, for three more months. He was granted bail by a court that caused an outrage in India.
2. Government has decided to pay 8.75% interest on provident fund for 2014-15.

Credits: Google.

News Roundup - 18 December 2014

1. The International Boxing Association (AIBA) has suspended former world champion and multiple Asian winner L. Sarita Devi from all levels of boxing activities for one year, starting from October 1 2014 (the date of the Asian Games medal ceremony). She will however be able to participate in the qualifying events for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
2. Tashi Malik and Nungshi Malik from Dehradun scaled Mount Vinson, Antarctica’s highest mountain at 4,892 metres and’ have become the world’s first twins and siblings to climb the highest peaks on the seven continents. The 23-year-old twins accomplished their “Mission 2 for 7” on Tuesday night (IST) when they conquered the mountain. The mission, which they have dedicated to the cause of the Indian girl child, started by conquering Mt. Kilimanjaro in February 2012. The mission progressed as they conquered Mt. Everest in May 2013; Mt. Elbrus in August 2013; Mt. Aconcagua in January 2014; Mt. Carstensz Pyramid in March 2014; and Mt. McKinley in June 2014.
3. United States announced a “historic” thaw in relations with Cuba, saying it would work to re-establish diplomatic ties with Havana and ease long-standing trade and travel sanctions. The United States imposed a trade embargo against Cuba — the Cold War foe closest to its shores — in 1960 and the two countries have not had diplomatic relations since 1961. It hurt the Caribbean island state’s economy, but it failed to unseat the Havana governments led first by revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and latterly by his brother Raul.
4. USAID head Rajiv Shah announced that he is going to step down.
5. U.K. on Wednesday announced its first woman Bishop, Reverend Libby Lane (Bishop of Stockport), exactly a month after historic change was made to the law to end centuries of male domination of the Church of England.
6. Microsoft is looking at starting a pilot project of its ‘White-Fi’ technology that uses the unused spectrum in frequencies used for broadcasting of television signals, and is likely to offer solution to tackle the problem of last mile broadband connectivity in the country. The pilot, once started, is expected to last for about three months. Other countries where Microsoft has helped implement the technology are Kenya, Singapore, the U.S. and London. The 200-600 MHz frequency is used for TV channels to carry data. In India, 93 per cent of this spectrum is not utilised.
7. India is on track to achieve projected 5.5 per cent economic growth rate in 2014-15 - Asian Development Bank.

 Credits: The Hindu, Google.