1.Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs)
The Centre has constituted the Committee known as the Expert Committee to study the various alternatives regarding the new Capital for the successor State of Andhra Pradesh.
2. US President Barack Obama has announced his intent to appoint three Indian-Americans to his 14-member advisory commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).
3. Social activist Anna Hazare, musician Zakir Hussain, veteran actor Rishi Kapoor and other prominent personalities receives the 72nd Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Awards by Bharat Ratna recipient Lata Mangeshkar at a function.
4. Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra made the cut, but London Games bronze winner Gagan Narang failed to qualify for the 10m air rifle event for the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
5. Ace Paralympic swimmer Sharath Gayakwad finished third in the 100m Butterfly, S8 category, at IDM Berlin 2014.
6. To fasten the process of identifying tax evaders, the Income Tax department has decided to set up a major data centre of such classified information.
7. Private steel firm, JSW Steel has commissioned Cold Roll Mill 2 (CRM-2) facility of 2.3 million tonne capacity at Vijaynagar in Karnataka, which will produce high end steel for the auto sector.
8. Japanese telecom firm NTT DoCoMo Inc said it will exit its loss-making mobile phone joint venture with Tata Group by selling its 26 per cent stake.
9. Vivek Gundotra, chief of Google's social networking venture Google+, is leaving the Internet company after nearly eight years.
10. As part of their shared objectives of promoting peace and economic prosperity in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Japan said they have decided to strengthen trilateral cooperation with countries like India, Australia and South Korea.
current affairs september
Cabinet nod for special status
The Union Cabinet approved an amendment to the Constitution
to provide special status to Bidar, Gulbarga, Yadgir, Koppal, Raichur and
Bellary districts in the Hyderabad Karnataka region. The Bill will enable
reservation in education and jobs, besides development, Union Labour Minister
Mallikarjun Kharge said.
Altamas Kabir next CJI
The seniormost Supreme Court judge, Altamas Kabir, will
become the 39th Chief Justice of India from September 29. The CJI, S.H.
Kapadia, who is retiring on September 28, has formally recommended his name to
the government. It is a normal practice for the outgoing CJI to suggest the
name of the next incumbent, based on seniority. Justice Kabir (64), who was
appointed Supreme Court judge on September 9, 2005, will have a tenure of a
little over nine months as CJI. He has rendered several landmark judgments,
particularly on human rights and election laws. Justice Kabir, who hails from
Kolkata, became judge of the Calcutta High Court in 1990. He was appointed
Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court on March 1, 2005. He will retire on
July 18, 2013.
Smoking scenes to be allowed with statutory warning, Centre
tells court
The Union government told the Supreme Court that it would
soon come out with a gazette notification allowing the film industry to
incorporate smoking scenes with statutory warnings alongside. The new rules
advise filmmakers to give a 20-second antismoking message as approved by the
Health Ministry with a voice-over of one of the actors seen smoking to be
displayed at the beginning and after intermission. Additionally, a static
message would have to be displayed for the duration of the smoking scene. In
2003, the government enacted the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products
(Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production,
Supply and Distribution) Act. In 2005, taking note of the rise in the incidence
of on-screen smoking, it further tightened the rules to place a complete ban on
showing any tobacco product. Smoking scenes were to be banned in new films.
Film producer and director Mahesh Bhatt challenged these rules in the Delhi
High Court, which in 2009 struck them down as a violation of the right to
creative expression of the moviemaker. The notification, which was to come into
effect from November 14, 2011, made it mandatory for all new movies that have
smoking scenes or tobacco use to provide a valid explanation. Also, running a
scroll, depicting anti-tobacco health warnings, during the scene was made
compulsory.
Haryana to adopt new Hb estimation method
Haryana would adopt painless and convenient method of
haemoglobin (Hb) estimation known as Hb Colour Scale Kit, National Rural Health
Mission (NRHM) Mission Director Rakesh Gupta said. A comprehensive health
check-up would be conducted for all the children of government schools and
Anganwadis to diagnose disease, deficiency and disability. The identified
children would be provided the facility of corrective surgeries and treatment
free of cost. The incidence of anaemia is very high in the school-going
children. All children up to the age of 18 years are being given Iron Folic
Acid tablets for improving Hb level and Albendazole tablets for deworming.
World Health Organization (WHO) would monitor the activities of IBSY to ensure
proper implementation of the scheme in the entire State.
President flags off solar powered passenger car
nt Pranab Mukherjee flagged off a solar-powered passenger
car developed by Delhi Technological University at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The car
has been designed and developed by a team of interdisciplinary group of
under-graduate students headed by Dhiraj Mishra of the Electronics and
Communication Engineering Department of DTU. The eco-friendly car with zero
emission has a high speed of 120 km/hour. A sedan with a seating capacity for
two, it has the option of adding three more seats. This car will represent
India at the Sasol Solar Challenge to be held in South Africa between September
15 and 29. The DTU solar car, code-named ‘Solaris’, is one of the most
innovative projects of DTU. Flexible modules of mono crystalline solar silicon
cells of 21.4 per cent efficiency have been pasted all over the top of the body
in order to entrap maximum solar energy. In all, 800 W is generated from the
solar modules. The innovations in the area of Page 2 of 4 5th September
2012
solar car began with the university team designing the first
solar car of India to participate in the World Solar Challenge organised in
Australia in 2011.
Prasar Bharti to take TAM to CCI for dubious data
Prasar Bharati will approach Competition Commission of India
against Television Audience Measurement (TAM) agency, citing monopolistic
practices and inaccurate representation of data on Doordarshan's coverage. This
decision comes together with to the I&B ministry asking advertising and
broadcasting associations to fast-track the effective functioning of the
Broadcast Audience Measurement Council's (BARC). BARC was set up as an
independent audience measurement agency based on the recommendations of the
Amit Mitra committee-- keeping in view the deficiencies in the viewership
measurement system. However, it has remained largely on paper since 2011.
Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar said, "We have decided to go to the
Competition Commission as advised by our legal team."
New U.P. industrial policy looks beyond Noida and Greater
Noida
With the State’s new Industrial and Infrastructure
Investment Policy aiming to remove regional imbalances considered to be the
bane of Uttar Pradesh and achieve a target of 11.2 per cent industrial growth,
a concerted effort has been made by the Akhilesh Yadav Government to look
beyond Noida and Greater Noida, which still are the most favoured destinations
for investors. The Industrial and Infrastructure Investment Policy, 2012,
approved by the State Cabinet, provides for special incentives to entrepreneurs
for setting up units in Purvanchal (eastern UP), Bundelkhand and Madhyanchal
(central UP). These are considered industrially backward regions due to a
multiplicity of factors like annual floods and bad infrastructure facilities.
In the Madhyanchal region, special incentives will be provided for boosting
industrial development in Lucknow, Kanpur and adjoining areas. Under the new
policy, the first in the past eight years, 100 per cent exemption in stamp duty
will be given to industrial units in Purvanchal, Bundelkhand and Madhyanchal.
Besides, 100 per cent exemption in stamp duty will also be given to
infrastructural facilities like roads, power, warehousing and cold storage.
Industrial estates developed by the private players will be entitled for 25 per
cent reimbursement of stamp duty.
LMU launches legal action over loss of licence
The crisis-hit London Metropolitan University (LMU)
announced that it was taking legal action against the U.K. Border Agency (UKBA)
for stripping it of its licence to sponsor and teach non-European foreign
students on the ground that it was sheltering “illegal immigrants” in the guise
of students. The university said it had instructed its lawyers to “commence
urgent legal action to challenge the revocation of its highly trusted status
for sponsoring international students, so that its students can return to study
as a matter of urgency.” The University will continue to give top priority to
the interests of our international students who have been so distressed by this
precipitate action. About 2,600 students, including 300 from India, have been
affected by the UKBA’s decision. They have three months until December 1 to
find places in other universities or return home, failing which they will be
deported. In a scathing report, the Commons Public Accounts Committee said
flawed implementation of student visa rules by the UKBA had allowed nearly
50,000 “bogus” foreign students to enter the country.
U.N. agencies urge action to avoid food crisis
The three U.N. food agencies have urged governments to take
quick action to curb rising prices of corn, wheat and soybeans and avoid a
repeat of the 2007-2008 food crises. The sharp rise in food prices in recent
months threatens to make life even more difficult for tens of millions of
people, particularly in poor countries, the heads of the U.N. World Food
Programme, Food and Agriculture Organisation and International Fund for
Agriculture Development warned. A prolonged drought in the U.S. the No. 1
exporter of corn, wheat and soybeans has helped drive up commodity prices. The
three agencies urged countries to avoid panic buying and refrain from imposing
export restrictions when production falls, saying that while it may temporarily
help consumers at home it makes life difficult for others. In the past, Russia
has imposed export bans to offset low domestic wheat production. The agencies
also said countries should adjust biofuel production requirements when food
supplies become scarce. Page 3 of 4 5th September 2012
Oracle to continue Itanium support for Hewlett-Packard
Oracle said it would continue to support Hewlett-Packard's
Itanium-based servers after it lost a bitter lawsuit in which it had argued
that it was not obliged to make new versions of database software compatible
with the servers. Oracle had argued that there had been no contract with HP
that required it to continue to support HP's servers based on Intel Corp's
Itanium chips and that it had made the decision as Itanium was approaching the
end of its life. Oracle software on HP's Itanium computers will be released
about the same time as Oracle software on IBM's Power systems.
Airtel to launch app to ease cell services
Bharti Airtel, the country's leading mobile phone company by
revenue and subscribers, will unveil a free app through which cellphone users
belonging to any service provider will be able to check outstanding bills,
register complaints, activate or deactivate services and even make payments for
Airtel services. Non-Airtel subscribers can use the app by paying a one-time
SMS authentication charge. The Java application can be downloaded on a feature
phone as well as a smartphone and is available on Android Marketplace,
BlackBerry App World, Nokia Store and will be there soon on App Store.
‘Banks will need Rs 5 lakh cr for Basel III norms’
Indian banks will require an additional capital of Rs 5 lakh
crore to meet the new global banking norms, Basel III, RBI Governor D Subbarao
said. The new norms are to be implemented in a phased manner by banks by
March 2018. The government, which owns 70 per cent of the banking system, alone
will have to pump in Rs 90,000 crore equity to retain its shareholding in the
Public Sector Banks (PSBs) at the current level to meet the norms. Subbarao
said “Reserve Bank’s estimates project an additional capital requirement of Rs
5 trillion (additional capital required by all banks to meet Basel III norms).
A new high for SJVN
“Mini navratna” public sector undertaking Sutlej Jal Vidyut
Nigam (SJVN) Limited, which is executing the 1,500-MW hydro-electric project,
has established new power generation records during 2011-12. With electricity
generation reaching the highest level of 7,610 million units against last
year’s 7,140 million units, a plant availability factor of more than 104 per
cent has been achieved against last year’s 98 per cent. SJVN Managing Director
R. P. Singh said the company had earned a total revenue of Rs.2,136.79 crore
and a net profit of Rs.1,068.68 crore. As a result, it declared a dividend of
Rs.388.84 crore for 2011-12 -- 17 per cent higher than last year’s dividend of
Rs.330.93 crore. Dividend received by equity partners the Union Government and
Himachal Pradesh is Rs.250.66 crore and Rs.99.17 crore respectively.
McDonald’s to open first vegetarian outlet
The world’s second-biggest restaurant chain after Subway
already tailors its menus to suit local tastes which in India means no beef to
avoid offending Hindus and no pork to cater for Muslim requirements. It will
open its first vegetarian outlet in the middle of year 2013 near the Golden
Temple in Amritsar. It will be the first time we have opened a vegetarian
restaurant in the world. The U.S. chain has plans to launch a vegetarian outlet
at Katra, near the Vaishno Devi cave shrine in Kashmir. It sees the potential
for many more vegetarian restaurants across the country. McDonald’s in India
already has a menu that is 50 per cent vegetarian. Its McAloo Tikki burger,
which uses a spicy fried potato-based patty, is a top seller at Rs. 28,
accounting for a quarter of the total sales.
Basel III to benefit Indian banking system: Subbarao
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor, D. Subbarao, said
that the Basel Committee was working on establishing a minimum set of
principles for domestic systemically important banks (D-SIBs), including some
large banks in India. This committee will also prescribe norms for higher loss
absorbency (HLA) capital standards for them as also evolve a sound resolution mechanism
for D-SIBs. Basel III seeks to mitigate this externality by identifying global
systemically important banks (G-SIBs) and mandating them to maintain a higher
level of capital dependent on their level of systemic importance. The list of
G-SIBs is to be reviewed annually. At present, no Indian bank appears in the
list of G-SIBs.
Deveshwar on RBI board
The Central Government has appointed ITC Chairman Y. C.
Deveshwar as a director on the central board of directors of the Reserve Bank
of India.
McIlroy captures title
World No.1 Rory McIlroy fired his second consecutive
four-under 67 to capture the PGA Tour’s Deutsche Bank championship by one shot
over South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen. McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, finished at
20-under-par 264 for his third victory of the season. He now has five career
PGA Tour wins. He joined Woods as the only three-time winners on the PGA Tour
this season but he had to overcome a couple of mistakes on the final holes to
do it.
Woods makes history
Tiger Woods finished third in the Deutsche Bank championship
to become the first golfer to make more than $100 million in earnings on the
PGA Tour.
Ashwin and Kohli achieve career-best rankings
Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin broke into the top 20
of ICC's Test Rankings for the first time at a career-best 18th spot after
guiding the team to a series whitewash over New Zealand. India pace bowlers
Zaheer Khan (15th) and Umesh Yadav (48th) slipped a place each. Kohli, who
scored 103 and 51 not out, has vaulted 12 places to achieve a career-best
ranking of 35. His overall rating of 580 is also a career-best for the batsman.
The rankings for Test bowlers is still headed by South Africa's Dale Steyn,
with teammate Vernon Philander and Saeed Ajmal of Pakistan in second and third
positions, respectively. Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakarra remains the top-ranked
batsman, followed by South Africa's Hashim Amla and West Indies veteran
Shivnarine Chanderpaul in second and third positions, respectively. The rankings
for Test all-rounders is still headed by Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan with
South Africa's Jacques Kallis in second spot.
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