EveryDayQuiz: Extensive Coverage Of Current Affairs 2/3/2016

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International Affairs

India is organising an international dialogue in Delhi during 10th & 11th March 2016 to present a model of 'no strings attached' assistance to developing countries that is unlike the western model of conditional assistance followed by the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development.

Several experts on development related subjects from Asia, Africa and South America will be part of the conference.

India has reduced its financial aid to Nepal by 40% in its general budget for 2016-17 fiscal year to ₹300 crore.

While the reduction in aid follows Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli's visit to India, the government has reportedly also reduced financial aid to other South East Asian countries excluding Maldives.

UN Syrian envoy Staffan de Mistura today announced that the United Nations will conduct the next round of Syria peace talks on March 9.

National Affairs

Haryana Government has changed the name of Mustafabad village in Yamuna Nagar district of state to Saraswati Nagar.

This new name was derived from mythological Saraswati River.
The village is located about 20 kms from the Yamuna Nagar district headquarters.
The revenue records of state government claimed the old dried-up riverbed of mythological Saraswati River exists near the village.

The Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation is planning to turn 100 ancient water tanks around the state into tourist hubs.

In 16 months, the water bodies will reportedly be de-silted, and developed into amusement parks.
The hills around them will be developed for adventure sports.

The government has revised the 'Indian Customs Declaration Form' to include drones in the list of prohibited and dutiable goods, making it mandatory for the flyers to declare them from April 1.

The revision has been made considering drones as a major security risk.
Duty-free allowance of foreigners has also been increased to ₹15,000 from the existing limit of ₹8,000.

Maharashtra government today approved the 'Prohibition on Social Boycott Bill'to tackle with social boycotting based on caste and community.

Under this bill, the maximum punishment for social boycotting will be 7 years in prison or fine up to ₹5 lakh.
Victims can now file a complaint with the Magistrate and the verdict should be out in six months.

Tamil Nadu government today launched internet services to every householdthrough the state-owned Arasu Cable TV Corporation.

Each household can get the services of broadband available in various packages, priced between Rs 299 and Rs 899 every month, inclusive of service tax.

Awards & Honors

Noted science journalist Pallava Bagla was today conferred with The national award for "Outstanding Efforts in the Field of Science and Technology Communication on Electronic Medium" for his efforts in science and technology communication on television.
Chairman of Reliance Industries, Mukesh Ambani, with a net worth of $20.6 billion, emerged as India's richest person in the Forbes’ 2016 list of the world’s billionaires.

He was placed 36th on the global list, and led a pack of 84 billionaires from India, including Sun Pharmaceutical MD Dilip Shanghvi ($16.7 billion) and Wipro chairman Azim Premji ($15 billion).

The Kerala State Film Awards 2015 were announced.

The best actor award was bagged by Dulquer Salmaan for his performances in the movie "Charlie" while the best actress award was bagged by Parvathy Nairfor her role as Kanchana in "Ennu Ninte Moideen".

People in News

Vineet Taneja, Chief Executive Officer of domestic handset maker Micromax has resigned from his position.

Taneja had joined Micromax in July 2014 after heading the cellphone business at Samsung India and Bharti Airtel. R

Science & Technology

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly today returned to Earth after spending 340 days in space aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Kelly has become the first US astronaut to spend the most time in space, at a total of 520 days.
Note : Kelly had left for the station on March 27, 2015 to study the effects of microgravity on the human body.

The US Department of Defense has invited experts to a 'Hack The Pentagon' eventin an attempt to test the cybersecurity of its public websites. T

he experts invited are US citizens who will undergo background checks before testing Pentagon networks.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter said this pilot programme will help strengthen USA's digital defenses and improve national security.

Business & Economy

Indian Railways today launched bar coding system for unreserved tickets to prevent revenue leakage and bring transparency in the ticketing system.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said bar coding of unreserved tickets, one of the rail budget 2016-17 commitments, will be launched in three stations of the city - New Delhi, Old Delhi and Nizamuddin.
The IT-based bar coding project has been introduced as a pilot project at nine ticket counters in these stations.

Zimbabwe's Treasury officials revealed that the country's banks currently face cash shortages after they stopped importing foreign currencies.

Fewer people are reportedly depositing savings and banking institutions are limiting ATM withdrawals.
Note : Since 2009, Zimbabwe has abandoned its own dollar after recording 500 billion percent inflation and switched to foreign currency.

Peer-to-peer marketplace app Mercari has become Japan’s first pre-IPO startup unicorn after raising 8.4 billion yen (about $75 million) at a valuation of over $1 billion.

Launched in 2013, Mercari lets users buy and sell products including fashion, electronics and handmade items.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh today announced that the government is planning to set up new nuclear power plants in Bihar, Haryana and Punjab.

The government also aims to increase the nuclear power generation capacity by three times in ten years.

The government informed the Rajya Sabha today that they have collected over ₹5 crore as fine under various provisions of tobacco prohibition law between April 2012 and September 2015.

The amount was collected for more than four lakh violations.

Note : The National Tobacco Control Programme is currently under implementation in 108 districts across 31 states in the country.

In a bid to deal with a spike in prices, the government is going to buy 15,000 tonnes of onions from farmers to create a buffer stock.

The stock would reportedly be utilised for market intervention in the event of a price rise during lean months.

Sports

South African spinner Aaron Phangiso has been suspended for the first two matches of the T20 series against Australia.

The ICC deemed his action illegal after his arm was found to be extending beyond the allowed 15 degrees.

Amir Hussain Lone, who lost both his arms at the age of eight in an accident in his father's cricket bat making sawmill, is the current state para-cricket team captainof Jammu and Kashmir.

The 26-year-old uses his feet to field and bowl, and bats by holding the bat between his shoulder and neck.

National:

1.President asks Government to expand e-Governance capabilities:

· President Pranab Mukherjee has said that Government must expand its e-governanace capabilities to transform India into a financially inclusive society.

· Addressing the 40th Civil Accounts Day function in New Delhi on March 1, 2016President said Direct Benefit Transfer scheme has made significant progress in reaching out to the excluded segment of the society. He said, DBT has also brought down corruption.

2.Indian Railways launched bar coding system for unreserved tickets:

· Indian Railways launched bar coding system for unreserved tickets to bring transparency and prevent revenue leakage in the ticketing system in New Delhi.

· The project will be introduced at nine ticket counters in the stations of New Delhi, Old Delhi and Nizamuddin as a pilot project.

· The system will prevent the circulation of unauthorised tickets which are affecting the railways’ revenue.

· As per the decision of Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), the encrypted Quick Response (QR) Code on the unreserved tickets would be printed through thermal printers.

3.India to hold global meet for assisting developing nations on March 10-11:

· India is organising an international dialogue in Delhi on March 10-11 to present a model of ‘no strings attached’ assistance to developing countries that is unlike the western model of conditional assistance followed by the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development.

· South-South Cooperation has emerged as a parallel mechanism to support global quest for improved quality of life across the world.

4.Union Government ordered rebidding for 10050 crore rupees Zoji La tunnel:

· Zoji La: A high mountain pass located on the Indian National Highway 1D between Srinagar and Leh in the western section of the Himalayan mountain range

· Union Government has ordered rebidding of the strategic 10050-crore rupees pass tunnel contract in Jammu and Kashmir, which was earlier given to IRB Infrastructure.

· Zoji La is 9 km from Sonamarg and provides a vital link between Ladakh and Kashmir. It runs at an elevation of approximately 3528 metres, and is the second highest pass after Fotu La on the Srinagar-Leh National Highway.

· During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, Zoji La was seized by Pakistani fighters in 1948 in their campaign to capture Ladakh. The pass was captured by Indian forces on 1 November 1948 in an assault codenamed Operation Bison.

5.SC sought Union Government view on petition challenging Triple Talaq & Polygamy practices:

· Supreme Court of India sought the Union Government’s view on Triple Talaq and Polygamy practices in Muslim religion.

· The apex court issued notices to Union ministries of Law, Minority Affairs, and Women and Child development, seeking their views on the matter by 28 March 2016.

· The National Commission for Women was also asked to submit its response.

· The response of government was sought by a two judge bench of Justice Anil R Dave and Justice AK Goel on a plea filed by a Muslim woman Shayara Bano from Kashipur in Uttarakhand.

6.Smart City-Coimbatore: City that means business aims even higher:

· Coimbatore, the second-largest industrial city in Tamil Nadu (after Chennai), prides itself on being “self-made”.

· It doesn’t have the patronage of a single public sector undertaking, and yet it has grown into an economic power house from engineering, to textiles to jewellery to education to hospitality to IT services on the strength of its entrepreneurial spirit.

· It is this buzz, and the ecosystem of entrepreneurship that the city provides, that has drawn business-oriented people from far.

7.Chennai gets India’s first self-cleaning smart toilets:

· Indian cities, public sanitation remains woefully inadequate, with rampant public urination and toilets being either dirty or too few. In a first of its kind project in India, over 180 self-cleaning public eToilets have been installed in the southern Indian city of Chennai.

· What makes these toilets even more user-friendly is that they can be located through anAndroid app called eToilet.

8.India Inks $3.1 Billion Deals For Apache And Chinook Helicopters With US:

· Indian Defence Ministry has issued an order worth Rs 22,000 crores for purchase of helicopters, CH-47 Chinook and AH-64 Apache, which will be inducted in the forces soon.

· Ministry had totalling Rs 22,000 crores, has been placed for the purchase of these choppers, which will strengthen the capabilities of country's defence forces.

9.Internet for every home launched in Tamil Nadu:

· Tamil Nadu government today launched internet services to every household through the state-owned Arasu Cable TV Corporation.

· Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa through a video conference launched the scheme aimed at providing internet services to every household across the state.

· Each household can get the services of broadband available in various packages, priced between Rs. 299 and Rs. 899 every month, inclusive of service tax, an official release said.

· The government-run BSNL, private telecom player Bharti Airtel, Bengaluru-based ACT Net along with other local players offer internet services to both residential and commercial establishments in the state currently.

10.Haryana renamed Mustafabad village as Saraswati Nagar:

· Haryana government renamed village Mustafabad in Yamuna Nagar district to Saraswati Nagar. A notification to this effect was issued by Haryana Revenue and Disaster Management Department.

· The village is located about 20 kilometers from the district headquarters and officials say an old dried-up riverbed of Saraswati River exists near the village. Revenue records substantiate the claim.

· In May 2015, aquifers were discovered during the excavation of the alignment of the underground channel of the river at Mugalwali village

11.46 New Coal Blocks Identified in India:

· The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has identified 46 new coal blocks in the country, including 12 each in West bengal and Chattisgarh and 11 in Madhya Pradesh

· GSI Director General Harbans Singh said the blocks would soon be handed over to the Coal Ministry for detailed exploration, which generally takes 12-18 months, following which they will be ready for auctioning.

12.Delhi Schools asked to ban fatty food in Canteen:

· Delhi government has directed schools in the national capital to consider banning the sale of food items with high fat, sugar and salt content from canteens

· In a circular issued by the Directorate of Education, schools have been asked to sensitize students and parents about the ill effects of such food items and promote alternative healthy food items.

13.Government to buy 15k tonnes of Onion for Buffer Stock:

· Government to buy 15,000 tonnes of Onion from Farmers to create a Buffer Stock .

· The Stock would be utilised for market intervention in the event of a price rise during lean months.

· Meanwhile, the government purchased over 50,000 tonnes of Pulses in the just concluded Kharif Marketing Season.

14.Price of Non- Subsidised LPG Slashed by Rs.61.5 per Cylinder:

· Price of Non Subsidised LPG was slashed by 61.5 per cylinder on global cues.

· A 14.2 Kg Cylinder will now cost Rs. 513.50 in Delhi. This is the Second Consecutive Price cut after a reduction of 82.5 in February.

· The Prices of LPG are revised on the first day of every month based on the average international price in the preceding month.

International:

15.Moody’s Analytics cut its outlook for China to negative:

· US ratings agency Moody's Analytics in the first week of March 2016 cut its outlook for China from ‘stable’ to ‘negative’.

· It was based on expectations that fiscal strength of Beijing would be sliding down and the negative outlook comes on the heels of fresh data suggesting economy of China is continuing to lose steam.

· During the reaffirmation process of its current debt rating, Moody’s has alerted to have reforms to avoid a downgrade.

16.Japan to stipulate 80% emission cut goal by 2050:

· The Japanese government will stipulate a long-term goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050 from current levels

· The move follows the international climate agreement reached in Paris in December 2015.

· The plan, being compiled by the environment ministry and the ministry of economy, trade and industry (METI), is likely to be approved by the cabinet before Japan hosts the Group of Seven (G7) summit in May.

· Prior to the global climate talks in Paris, the administration decided on a goal of slashing greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent in 2030 from 2013 levels, which will be included in the upcoming plan.

17.Sri Lanka calls for compromise on Fishing row with India:

· The Minister of Fisheries of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka has called for a compromise by the fishermen of the two countries to end the row over fishing in the sea between India and Sri Lanka.

· Provincial minister B. Deniswaran said he believes a solution can be found only when the fishermen sit across a table and discuss the issue with an open mind and in a spirit of give and take.

18.Myanmar prepones Presidential nominations:

· Myanmar’s parliament announced on March 1, 2016 that the presidential nominees will be announced on March 10, a last-minute change following weeks of talks between the National League for Democracy and the military.

· Parliament brought forward the date of Presidential elections from March 17 to March 10, when three nominees from the Lower House, the Upper House and the military will be announced.

19.UN Security Council to vote against North Korea:

· The United Nations Security Council is expected to vote on March 1, 2016 on a resolution that would impose new sanctions on North Korea in response to its latest nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

· The resolution, drafted by the United States and introduced last Thursday, calls for a total arms embargo on Pyongyang, a mandatory inspection of all cargo in and out of North Korea, whether by land, sea or air, and halts imports of all products that could be used for military purposes.

20.Strategic dialogue between US and Pakistan:

· After the controversial deal of F-16 jets between US and Pakistan, a strategic dialogue on key areas is likely to take place. This ministerial level dialogue will focus on areas like economy, security and counter terrorism.

· This is the 3^rd strategic dialogue between US and Pakistan after the Nawaz sheriff government came into power

Banking :

21.RBI Working on E-Pension Ecosystem:

· RBI is working on an e-pension ecosystem which would help in resolving issues concerning ghost pensions.

· RBI Deputy Governor H R Khan was speaking at the Civil Accounts Day function in New Delhi .

· He said just like the EMI calculators for housing loan, we can have a pension calculator.

· E-pension system will also help in moving towards "less cash society". There are about 55 lakh central government pensioners. EPFO has 49 lakh pensioners under the Employees Pension Scheme run by it.

22.IFC launched its first Uridishi Masala bond mobilizing $ 4.3 million:

· International Finance Corporation, a member of World Bank group has launched its first Uridishi masala bond in India to mobilize 300 million rupees from Japanese household investors to promote private sector investment in India.

· Masala bonds are rupee-denominated instruments sold only to offshore investors

· Uridishi bonds are sold to Japanese household investors

· IFC Vice president and Treasurer- Jing dong Hua

23.New RBI norms to help banks unlock 40,000 crore:

· The Reserve Bank of India relaxed norms relating to the treatment of certain balance-sheet items, including property, which will help banks unlock capital aggregating about 40,000 crore.

· The revised norms will give PSBs access to additional capital of 35,000 crore, while it could be about 5,000 crore for private sector banks.

· These standards aim to improve the banking sector’s ability to absorb shocks arising from financial stress and improve risk management and governance.

Business and Economy:

24.India's GDP Growth likely to rise to 7.8% in FY 17: Nomura

· India's GDP growth is likely to pick up pace and grow to 7.8% in fiscal 2016-17 from 7.6% this year, largely driven by higher discretionary demand, a Nomura report.

· According to the Japanese financial services major, the pick-up in growth numbers would be driven by several factors including higher discretionary demand on 7th Pay Commission wage hike, low inflation, high corporate profitability, ongoing implementation of public capital expenditure (Capex) and an accommodative monetary policy stance.

25.Zee Media to acquire 80% stake in India Today companies:

· Zee Media Corporation will acquire up to 80 per cent stake in India Today group’s loss-making e-commerce and TV shopping entities — Today Merchandise and Today Retail Network Pvt Ltd — for Rs 166 crore in staggered payments over the next four years.

· By June, Zee Media would acquire 49 per cent stake by investing Rs 39.7 crore by subscribing equity shares of both companies and had managerial and operational control over the target company.

26.Infosys to collaborate with Microsoft on analytics solutions:

· Infosys announced that it will collaborate with Microsoft Corp to deploy advanced analytics solutions to support healthcare organisations in their digital transformation.

· Infosys has developed healthcare analytics solutions to augment the current processes and make them more efficient using Microsoft Cortana Analytics Suite,the company said in a statement.

· Infosys analytics healthcare solutions will enable healthcare professionals to unlock the potential of a wide range of datasets.

27.Bill Gates richest man in world : Forbes

· According to Forbes’ annual ranking of billionaires, Microsoft’s co-founder Bill Gates continued his reign as the world’s richest person with a net worth of $75 billion.

· He has been number one for 3 years in a row and topped the list 17 out of 22 years.

· Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani leading the pack of 84 Indian billionaires in 2016.

· Occupying the second spot on the list is Spanish billionaire Amancio Ortega, founder of closing retail giant Zara and the richest man in Europe.

· On the third spot is billionaire philanthropist and Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett, Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helu (4) and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos (5).

28.Ola to Shut Down Grocery Delivery App Ola Store:

· According to Reports, Ola is set to shut down its grocery delivery app Ola Store.

· Launched in 2015, Ola Store let users order daily needs and grocery products with flexible payment and delivery options in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Gurgaon.

Awards and Honours:

29.Kerala State Film Awards 2015 announced:

· State Minister for Forest Transport, Sports, Environment, and Cinema Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan declared the winners of the prestigious Kerala State Film Awards 2015 in Thiruvananthapuram.

· The award for the Best Actor went to Dulquer Salmaan for his performances in Charlie. Parvathy grabbed the trophy for the Best Actress for her performances in Ennu Ninte Moideen and Charlie. Sanalkumar Sashidharan's Ozhivu Divasathe Kali was named the Best Movie of 2015.

30.Science Journalist Pallava Bagla bags National Award:

· Noted science journalist Pallava Bagla was today conferred with an award for his efforts in science and technology communication on television.

· The national award for “Outstanding Efforts in the Field of Science and Technology Communication on Electronic Medium”, carrying a citation, memento and cash, was presented by Union Minister of Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan.

31.Indian Accent again bags the Best Restaurant of India:

· Indian Accent, the famous restaurant situated in New Delhi again bags the best restaurant award in India in the Asia’s best 50 Restaurants event sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua panna presented at Gala ceremony in the Thai capital.

· The award was given to the restaurant for the second consecutive time and it was collected by Sandeep tandon, Managing director of Old World Hospitality and Shantanu Mehrotra- the Executive Chef of Indian Accent

· It is also listed in the world’s best 100 restaurants list, the only restaurant from India

· Recently Indian Accent have opened a branch in Newyork

· Chairman of Old World Hospitality-Rohit Khattar

32.Veteran playwright Ratan Thiyam named for 11th META Theatre Award:

· Veteran playwright and director Ratan Thiyam was named for Lifetime Achievement Award of the 11^th edition of the Mahindra Excellence Theatre Awards (META).

· He was selected for the award for creating a new language in theatre and enriching the art form in various roles as writer, director, designer, composer and choreographer. He is the current chairman of the National School of Drama.

· In the past, this award has been given to theatre greats such as Zohra Sehgal, Badal Sarkar, Khaled Chowdhury, Ebrahim Alkazi, Girish Karnad and Heisnam Kanhailal.

33.Windham-Campbell prizes for the year 2016 announced:

· The Donald Windham Sandy M. Campbell Literature Prizes is an American literary award which offers prizes in three categories: fiction, non-fiction and drama. The award was established at Yale University in 2011 with the first prizes presented in 2013. The Winners are:

Fiction

• Tessa Hadley (United Kingdom)

• CE Morgan (United States)

• Jerry Pinto (India)

Nonfiction

• Hilton Als (United States)

• Stanley Crouch (United States)

• Helen Garner (Australia)

Drama

• Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (United States)

• Hannah Moscovitch (Canada)

• Abbie Spallen (Ireland)

34.Ottawa airport takes silver in customer service awards:

· The capital’s airport has received top marks in the 2015 Airport Service Quality customer service survey involving 300 airports in 80 countries.

· Ottawa tied for second place, along with Dallas Love Field, and the Grand Rapids, Jacksonville and Tampa airports, among all airports in North America.

· The Indianapolis airport took first place and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport finished third in North America. Saskatoon earned the distinction of most improved airport in North America.

Science and Technology:

35.Space Station crew lands in Kazakhstan:

· A Soyuz capsule carrying NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko, Sergey Volkov landed in Kazakhstan, NASA television reported.

· The landing took place in a steppe near the Kazakh city of Zhezkazgan at 10:26 local time (0426 GMT), it said.

· NASA astronaut Scott Kelly is closing the door on a space mission that has spanned a U.S.-record of 340 days.

· They has circled the world 5,440 times and experienced 10,880 orbital sunrises and sunsets.

36.WhatsApp Finally Lets You Send Documents Over Chat:

· Facebook-owned WhatsApp Messenger has finally received the ability to send documents over chats.

· The feature is visible in the most recent builds available via Google Play and the App Store - Android v2.12.453 and iOS v2.12.4. WhatsApp has also introduced a bunch of other features with the updates.

Sports:

37.India advances to third level in World Table Tennis team Championship:

· India’s men and women teams advanced to the third round of the World Table Tennis Team Championships after notching up contrasting wins in the second round at Kuala Lumpur today.

· After winning their first Second Division against Vietnam yesterday, the Indian men’s team ran into Turkey this morning and it was a quiet affair in the second round

38.India storm into the Asia Cup final:

· India stormed into the final of the Asia Cup tournament with another comfortable five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka, riding on Virat Kohli’s unbeaten half-century.

· It was their third successive victory, clinching a berth for the summit clash as they now stand on the cusp of their sixth continental championship trophy.

· The ever-consistent Virat Kohli once again made a significant contribution with a 56 not out off 47 balls with seven fours.

39.Ainslie leads Sailing Team to World Series Title:

· Four-Time Olympic gold medal Winning Sailor Uk's Sir Ben Ainslie led the Land Rover BAR team to win the 35th America's Cup World Series in Muscat, Oman.

· Next America's Cup title tournament to be held in June 2017 in Bermuda.

40.Basanta Bahadur Rana won gold in 50km race walk at National Championships:

· Olympian Basanta Bahadur Singh Rana won the gold medal in men's 50km race walk event on the final day of the National Championships in Jaipur.

41.Cricketer Aaron Phangiso suspended for illegal bowling action:

· International Cricket Council (ICC) banned South Africa left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso from bowling.

· He was banned after his bowling action, which exceeded 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under the regulations, was found illegal.

:: NATIONAL ::

Document for Lalit Modi’s extradition submitted

Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers submitted documents for the extradition of former cricket administrator Lalit Modi to the Prevention of Money Launder- ing Act (PMLA) court.
Interpol had asked for certain documents from ED to be sent to the London court, as a requirement for Lalit Modi’s extradition. It is part of the procedure followed as per the extradition Act.
Despite several efforts, Interpol had not issued a Red Corner Notice against Mr Modi.

Supreme Court questions the validity of All-India Bar Examination

The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned whether the conduct of the All-India Bar Examination (AIBE) is a violation of the fundamental right to practise a profession, leaving the Bar Council of India in the dock.
Law graduates are required to clear the AIBE within two years of their enrolment in order to practise law. Its rules notified in 2010, the AIBE was advertised by the BCI as a positive step to improve the quality of the profession.
“To say that one has to pass an examination for practising as an advocate will negate his or her right to profession.
“He has a fundamental right to practise. Conditions can’t be put after enrolment. If, at all, it is required, the condition should be put at the enrolment stage,” the Bench said.
The apex court has called for Law Commission reports on the issue of holding such an examination and posted the case for March 2.

India would ask questions about Pak team to probe Pathankot attack

As the decks were cleared for the visit of Pakistani investigators to India to probe the attack on the Pathankot airbase, India will ask the neighbouring country about the “composition of the team” and the “contents of the evidence required by them.”
India has accused the Pakistan-based outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) of planning and executing the attack on the airbase on the intervening night of January 1-2.
The decision to let the Pakistani team access the airbase, a highly sensitive defence installation, would be taken by Prime Minister Narendra Mo- di and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
After India gave evidence, Pakistan registered a First In- formation Report (FIR) a few days ago. The Counter Terrorism Division (CTD) of the Pakistani Police arrested three suspects.
The three accused arrested by Pakistan have been identified as Khalid Mahmood, Irshadul Haque and Muhammad Shoaib. They had allegedly facilitated the attack.

:: India & World ::

First Raisina Dialogue started in New Delhi

The Raisina Dialogue conference, attended by speakers from 40 countries, is being seen as the government’s attempt to rival conferences around the world that attract global players such as the Shangri-La dialogue in Singapore, and the Munich Conference on national security.
Speaking at the inauguration, Ms. Swaraj and her Bangladesh counterpart Mahbboob Ali spoke of the importance of building road and rail connectivity through the “BBIN” grouping of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal.
Tensions between India and Pakistan have held back South Asian integration, said former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga, calling for greater South Asian cooperation and economic integration.

:: INTERNATIONAL ::

Fight against Sunni militancy on cards in Iraq

Recent gains against the Islamic State (IS) in eastern Syria have helped sever critical supply lines to Iraq and set the stage for what will be the biggest fight yet against the Sunni militancy, the battle to retake Mosul.
U.S.-backed forces had begun laying the groundwork for the fight by moving to isolate Mosul from the IS’s de facto headquarters in Raqqa, Syria.
Kurdish and Arab forces retook the town of Shaddadi in eastern Syria last week, cutting of what Defense Secretary called the last major artery between Raqqa and Mosul.
Retaking Mosul could also sharply demoralise IS fighters, raising questions about whether the group could still credibly call itself a caliphate.
The long fight by Iraqi security forces to take back Ramadi from the IS, which concluded in December, offers a preview of the battle to come over Mosul.
Advancing inch by inch, Iraqi forces, backed by U.S. airstrikes, took more than five months to gain control of the city centre of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province.

Constitutional restrictions makes it difficult for Suu Kyi to get countries top post

Myanmar’s Parliament will bring forward a vote for the next President to March 10, it was announced on Tuesday, leaving little time for Aung San Suu Kyi to strike a deal to let her take the top office.
The country’s democracy figurehead is currently banned from becoming President under the junta-era Constitution.
Ms. Suu Kyi has held several rounds of closed-door talks with the powerful military since her National League for Democracy (NLD) party won crushing victory at elections.
But news that the presidential vote has been brought forward by one week suggests negotiations have failed to reach a deal to clear her path to power.

:: BUSINESS & ECONOMY ::

Faced by backlash from salaried class government to look into EPF tax

Faced with a strong and immediate backlash from the salaried class, political parties and trade unions, the Prime Minister’s Office stepped in to take stock of the issue as well as the intent behind the proposal early in the day, holding a fairly long parley with Finance Minister.
By noon, the revenue secretary had clarified in an interview to All India Radio that the tax would only be applicable on interest income paid on EPF savings and if an employee chose to buy an annuity with 60 per cent of his EPF account balance at retirement, it would be tax-free.
This position, however, changed further, with the finance ministry issuing a clarification.
Clarification stated that the idea to tax interest income was only based on some representations received today and will be considered by the FM before passage of the Finance Bill, along with other suggestions on the proposal.
When NPS (created in 2004) was not there, EPF was given the exempt-exempt-exempt (EEE) tax status mainly for the 3 crore people, not the 70 lakh high-income people who were allowed to join EPF on a voluntary basis.
An investment instrument with EEE status means that all contributions, the return on them and the withdrawal of the accumulated corpus are tax-free. The NPS so far has an EET regime that taxes only withdrawals on retirement.

RBI unlocked additional capital to Indian banks

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) revised norms on capital recognition, making available an additional Rs.40,000 crore to Indian banks.
The move comes at a time when public sector banks are facing pressure on their profitability due to a sharp rise in non-performing assets, which is eroding their capital base.
The announcement is a big relief for, mainly, public sector banks, after finance minister Arun Jaitley announced in his budget speech a capital infusion of Rs. 25,000 crore for the fiscal year starting in April.
RBI said banks can recognise foreign currency reserves arising due to translation of financial statements of foreign operations to the re- porting currency as common equity tier-I (CET1) capital.
Deferred tax assets arising due to timing differences may be recognised as CET1 capital up to 10 per cent of a bank’s CET1 capital, it added.

Agriculture minister believes budget will help in getting 4 percent in agriculture

Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said the Union Budget would put the agricultural sector towards path of progress and would help in addressing agriculture distress and achieve 4 per cent growth.
“Budgetary provision of Rs.35,984 crore for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry – 2016-2017 manifests that NDA government is committed to villages, the poor and farmers,” Mr. Singh said.
“Governments positive steps coupled with a good monsoon could help agriculture sector grow at 4 per cent in the next fiscal year,” he added.
He said the government aims to double the in- come of farmers in the next five years.
“We also intend to multiply yield per unit, a better return of the products related to farmers,” he said.

1st Raisina Dialogue Inaugurated By Sushma Swaraj In New Delhi

i. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has inaugurated the 1st Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi.

ii. Envisioned as India’s flagship conference of geopolitics and geo-economics, the Raisina Dialogue 2016 is designed to explore prospects and opportunities for Asian integration.

iii. It is a key to not only India's development but the entire region and the Asian continent.

iv. The conclave has focused on Asia's physical, economic, human and digital connectivity. Over 450 delegates from around 40 countries are participating in the three-day conference. The delegates also include former president of Sri Lanka Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and former president of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai.

v. As per officials "the Asian century in effect is really about once again integrating Asia with itself, integrating Asia within itself, and integrating Asia with the world". The theme of this inaugural edition of the Dialogue is "Connecting Asia" which tries to capture the various facets of these ambitions.

2. Mukesh Ambani Again Tops 84 Indian Billionaires in Forbes List

i. Mukesh Ambani Reliance Industries chairman again topped 84 Indian billionaires in Forbes 2016 list of the world's richest people once again headed by Bill Gates with a net worth of $75 billion.

ii. Mukesh Ambani with a net worth of $19.3 billion was ranked 36th among world's 1,810 billionaires with an aggregate net worth of $6.48 trillion, down from $7.05 trillion last year.

iii. Technology guru Gates, who has topped the list for 17 of the last 22 years was followed by Spanish clothing retailer Amancio Ortega, best known for the Zara fashion chain, with Warren Buffett remaining in the third spot.

iv. United states led with the greatest number of billionaires, with 540, followed by China with 251, Germany with 120, India with 84 and Russia with 77.

v. China had the most of 198 newcomer billionaires, adding 70 to the list. Thirty-three newcomers were from the US, 8 from India and 28 from Germany Notable newcomers included Flipkart cofounders Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal (No. 1476) of India.

3. M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation To Establish A Research Chair In Kalinga Institute Of Social Sciences (KISS)

i. The MS Swaminathan Research Foundation has signed a MOU with Bhubaneswar -based Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) to establish a Research Chair.

ii. The Chair will be named after MS Swaminathan, father of Indian Green Revolution for promoting knowledge and skill for empowerment for less privileged children in India.

iii. This is the first-ever initiative of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation to establish a Research Chair in any private institute in the country.

iv. The Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) is the largest residential institute for the tribals in the world.

v. It provides free of cost accommodation, education, food, health care from Kindergarten to Post Graduation to more than 25,000 children of whom 12,200 are girls.

4. UltraTech acquired cement units of Jaiprakash Associates

i. Aditya Birla Group firm UltraTech has announced the acquisition of debt-ridden JP Group’s cement plants for Rs 16,500 crore, making it the biggest deal in the sector.

ii. The buyer will pay an additional amount of Rs 470 crore to complete the grinding unit.

iii. In a transaction that will take its cement portfolio to nearly 91 million tonne, UltraTech Cement will acquire 22.4 mt of assets from Jaiprakash Associates.

iv. The deal includes two units in Madhya Pradesh.

v. UltraTech Cement said it entered into a binding Memorandum of Understanding with Jaiprakash Associates Limited for the acquisition of its identified cement plants having total cement capacity of 22.4 MTPA (million tons per annum) situated in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

5. TCS Recognized As Top Global Employer

i. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading IT services company has been recognized as a Global Top Employer by the Top Employers Institute.

ii. The assessment was done among 1,072 companies worldwide and the TCS become 1st with an exceptional performer across 9 core HR areas including talent strategy, workforce planning, on-boarding, learning and development, performance management and leadership development, among others. These things makes the company one in only eight organizations worldwide to have achieved this status.

iii. This certification is only awarded to the best employers around the world organisations that demonstrate the highest standards of employee offerings.

iv. Others in the list include CJSC Technip, DHL, Dimension data, Saint Gobain, JT International, Mobinil, Mobistar, Orange and Valeo.

v. This year, it was also certified as the Region-wide Top Employer in Europe for the 4th consecutive year. TCS earned the foremost rating in the United Kingdom and Germany, and also received an accreditation in six other countries in Europe - Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

6. Sanjeev Kapoor joins Vistara as Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer

i. Sanjiv Kapoor has been appointed as the Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer of Vistara Airlines.

ii. Kapoor will be responsible for managing a wide portfolio of Vistaras commercial and planning functions, including strategy development, network planning, pricing and revenue management, sales and distribution, among others.

iii. He will also be responsible for in-flight services and ground operations of the carrier.

iv. Kapoor succeeds Giam Ming Toh, who is returning to Singapore Airlines on completion of his deputation with Vistara.

v. Tata Sons holds a majority 51 per cent stake in Vistara - a joint venture with Singapore Airlines, which holds the remaining 49 per cent. Kapoor joins Vistara with over 19 years of experience in the airline industry, in various leadership and consulting role.

7. Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain Takes Over As Chief Of Staff, Eastern Naval Command

i. Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain took over as the Chief of Staff of the Visakhapatnam.

ii. He succeeds Vice Admiral Bimal Verma who has been transferred as Commander-in-Chief of Andaman & Nicobar Command at Port Blair.

iii. Vice Admiral Jain is an alumnus of the Sainik School (Rewa), National Defence Academy (Pune), the Defence Services Staff College (Wellington, Ooty), the College of Naval Warfare (Mumbai) and the National Defence College (Pretoria, South Africa).

iv. He was commissioned in the Indian Navy on 01 July 1982 and post specialisation in Gunnery and Missile Warfare, he held appointments as Gunnery Officer of missile destroyers, IN Ships Ranvijay and Ranvir.

8. RBI unlocks Rs.40000 crore additional capital for banks

i. At the time when public sector banks are facing pressure on their profitability due to a sharp rise in non-performing assets, which is eroding their capital base.

ii. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) move comes revised norms on capital recognition, making available an additional Rs.40,000 crore to Indian banks, this announcement is a big relief for, mainly, public sector banks.

iii. Finance minister Arun Jaitley announced after his budget speech a capital infusion of Rs. 25,000 crore for the fiscal year starting in April.

iv. The minister did not make any increases to the capital infusion amount that was decided in August 2015.

v. Many public sector banks reported huge losses for the quarter ended December 2015 after the RBI asked lenders to identify several accounts as non-performing. Banks are expected to post weak earnings in the current quarter too.

9. Mrugank Paranjape Appointed As MCX MD

i. Multi Commodity Exchange announced the appointment of Mrugank Paranjape as MD & CEO of the exchange.

ii. He will succeed Manoj Vaish. The exchange has also re designated Parveen Kumar Singhal, the present Joint Managing Director as President & Whole Time Director with effect from April 1. The appointment will be for a period of three years and subject to prior approval from SEBI.

iii. Mr. Mrugank Paranjape was Asia Pacific Head of Trust & Securities Services/Cash Management for Financial Institutions and Regional Head of Securities for The Global Network Banking Division, Deutsche Bank (Malaysia) Berhad since last 14 years. Currently, he is India Head, Deutsche Bank.

iv. Last May, SEBI rejected the exchange's proposal to appoint Balasubramaniam Venkataramani, Chief Business Officer of BSE as MD & CEO as MCX had not followed proper procedure.

v. The exchange remained without a full-time MD & CEO since May 2014 when Vaish resigned after just three months stint.

10. Scott Kelly, American Astronaut, Returns to Earth After 340 Days in Space

i. NASA(National Aeronautics and Space Administration) astronaut and Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Kornienko returned on Earth.

ii. After a historic 340-day mission aboard the International Space Station.

iii. It was a science experiment to study the effects of microgravity on the human body, so that NASA can prepare astronauts for longer flights to Mars and beyond.

iv. Mr. Kelly, who spent the time about 249 miles above the planet aboard the International Space Station, and the Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko landed on Eastern in Kazakhstany.

11. George Kennedy The Oscar Winning Actor Passed Away

i. George Kennedy, who has passed away recently, was one of America’s most recognizable and versatile character actors.

ii. He was 91 year old. He appeared in more than 175 films, ranging from westerns to disaster movies and from thrillers to comedies.

iii. Mr. Kennedy's the tough guy character won an academy award for his portrayal of a savage chain-gang convict in the 1960s. He had undergone emergency triple bypass surgery in 2002.

iv. His biggest acting achievement came in Cool Hand Luke, a 1967 film about a rebellious war hero played by Paul Newman who is bent on bucking the system as a prisoner on a Southern chain gang. Its theme of rebelling against authority and the establishment helped make it one of the most important films of the tumultuous 1960s.

v. Kennedy played the role of Dragline, the chain-gang boss who goes from Luke’s No 1 nemesis to his biggest disciple as Newman’s character takes on folk hero status among fellow inmates. The movie garnered four Academy Award nominations, and Kennedy was named best supporting actor.

12. Aaron Phangiso Suspended For illegal Bowling Action

i. Aaron Phangiso, the South African left-arm spinner, has been suspended from bowling in domestic cricket with immediate effect after his action was found to be illegal.

ii. Cricket South Africa announced An International Cricket Council (ICC) movement expert found his arm extended beyond the 15 degrees allowed.

ii. Phangiso’s action was reported after he took 2 for 38 for the Highveld Lions in their eight-wicket win against Warriors in the semifinal of South Africa’s domestic Momentum One Day Cup.

1. Portugal nominated ex-refugee chief Antonio Guterres for UN Secretary-General

1. Portugal Government on 29 February 2016 nominated former Portuguese Prime Minister and head of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres as a candidate for General Secretary at United Nations.

2. Guterres served as Prime Minister in 1995-2002 and as UN Refugee Agency High Commissioner in 2005-2015.

With this, Guterres joined a list of six mostly Eastern and Central European candidates to succeed Ban Ki-moon on 1 January 2017. Ban took the office in January 2007.

3. According to the UN Charter, the UN Security Council recommends a candidate to the General Assembly, where he or she must garner no less than two-thirds of the votes to be appointed Secretary General.

2. India signed MoU with World Bank for Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Quality Improvement Project

1. The Zoji La tunnel was in news in the first week of March 2016. It was in news because the Union Government has ordered rebidding of the strategic 10050-crore rupees tunnel contract in Jammu and Kashmir, which was earlier given to IRB Infrastructure.

2. The decision to rebid the tunnel project was taken at a meeting, presided by Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.

As some doubts were raised in respect of the project, rebidding was ordered to maintain complete transparency and uphold probity in public life.

3. Zoji La is 9 km from Sonamarg and provides a vital link between Ladakh and Kashmir. It runs at an elevation of approximately 3528 metres, and is the second highest pass after Fotu La on the Srinagar-Leh National Highway.

3. Zero Discrimination Day observed with theme Stand out

1. Zero Discrimination Day was observed across the world on 1 March 2016. The day was observed with the theme - Stand Out.

2. Zero Discrimination Day is an opportunity to join together against discrimination and celebrate everyone’s right to live a full and productive life with dignity. It calls for fair and just societies and urges people to value, embrace diversity and recognize the diverse set of talents and skills that each person brings.

4. Three British scientists win 2016 Brain Prize

1. Three British scientists have won a prestigious 2016 Grete Lundbeck European Brain Research Prize (also known as Brain Prize) for giving vital insight how the human brain remembers, learns and navigates.

2. These scientists are

Timothy Bliss: He is a visiting worker at the Crick Institute in London.

Graham Collingridge: He is professor of neuroscience in anatomy at the University of Bristol. He is also head of the Department of Physiology at the University of Toronto.

Richard Morris: He is a professor of neuroscience at the University of Edinburgh

5. Military Exercise Force Eighteen begins in Pune

1. The multinational Military Exercise Force Eighteen conducted by Indian Army has started in at Pune, Maharashtra. In this seven-day military exercise (till March 8, 2016) over 300 participants from 18 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Plus countries are participating. Participating countries 2. ASEAN countries along with ASEAN Plus nations viz. India, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, China, South Korea, Russia and US . 10 ASEAN countries from South East Asia are Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

6. IFC launches Uridashi Masala Bonds

1. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the investment arm of the World Bank has launched its first Uridashi Masala Bonds (Japanese bonds). These masala bonds were launched to mobilise 30 crore rupees from Japanese retail investors and will be sold to Japanese household investors.

2. The proceeds from these bonds will be used for promoting private sector development in India. JP Morgan is the sole arranger of the bonds and Daisen Hinomaru Securities is its distributor.

3. Masala bonds are rupee-denominated instruments sold only to offshore investors by Indian corporates for raising money from overseas investors. They do not face currency fluctuation risks. Corporates mainly use it as alternative to external commercial borrowings (ECBs) that are to raised and repaid in dollar or other currency terms. But ECBs face currency risk due fluctuations in exchange rate.

7. Hashim Thaci elected as President of Kosovo

1. Hashim Thaci has been elected as the President of Kosovo by the Parliament of the country in the third round. He will succeed Atifete Jahjaga. In the third round, 81 Members of Parliament (MPs) off total 120 took part and Hashim Thaci secured 71 votes of them, proving required simple majority.

2. With this, Hashim Thaci becomes fourth President of Kosovo after the country had unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Prior getting elected as President he was serving as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Government led by Isa Mustafa, which had assumed office in December 2014.

8. India at 90th rank in terms of energy security, access: WEF

1. India has been ranked at the 90th place in a list of 126 countries compiled by WEF on the basis of their ability to deliver secure, affordable and sustainable energy, which was topped by Switzerland.

2. The latest Global Energy Architecture Performance Index Report, explored the energy architecture of 126 countries based on their ability to provide energy access across three dimensions of the "energy triangle" - affordability, environmental sustainability, security and access.

3. The list was topped by Switzerland followed by Norway and Sweden in the second and third place, respectively.

4. Others in the top 10 include France (4th), Denmark (5th), Austria (6th), Spain (7th), Colombia (8th), New Zealand (9th) and Uruguay (10th).

5. Among the BRIC nations, Brazil was the top performer as it was ranked at the 25th place, followed by Russia (52nd), India (90th), China (94).

#SSC #IBPS #SBI #RBI #NABARD #NICL #NIACL #CAT #NMAT #everydayquiz

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Extensive Coverage Of Current Affairs 2/3/2016