Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:28-05-15
S.NO. / NEWS ITEM / SYLLUBUS / ESSENCE OF THE ARTICLE1. / Germany still hopeful of selling Eurofighters to India (Page 10) / a) I.R / a) Even as India and France begin negotiations to conclude a deal for direct purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets, Germany is still actively pushing for the sale of Eurofighter Typhoon jets to India.
2. / Funds diverted from Swiss banks (Page 10) / a) I.R / a) After Switzerland initiated measures to regulate its banks, most of the unaccounted money stored in Swiss banks is suspected to have been diverted to countries like Mauritius and Singapore.
3. / Overcoming a resilient Islamic State (Page 9) / a) International / a) The long-term remedy to the Islamic State is not Arab jails and American jets, but the creation of an honest and wide-ranging political dialogue in the region.
4. / N-talks could get extended: Iran (Page 12) / a) International / a) Official said the talks between Iran and world powers aimed at finalising a deal over Tehrans nuclear programme could go beyond a June 30 deadline.
5. / A.P and Telangana: life after divorce (Page 8) / a) National / a) While politicians will play games, people of AP and Telangana would like the economy to regain momentum. For this, both CMs should be less obsessed with building their capitals and focus on development.
6. / NGTs green rebuke for new capital on Krishna river bank (Page 11) / a) National / a) The National Green Tribunal has issued notices to the Ministry of Forests and Environment, APgovt and the AP Capital Region Development Authority for undertaking development works for the new capital city on Krishna River bank without conducting appropriate environmental impact assessment.
7. / Tripura withdraws AFSPA, says insurgency on the wane (Page 11) / a) National / a) The Tripura govt has revoked the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act as insurgency is on the decrease in the State.
8. / Rajan meets Jaitley ahead of monetary policy next week (Pg 13) / a) Economy / a) Among growing demand for rate cut, the RBI Governor Rajan met the Finance Minister Jaitley and discussed a wide range of issues.
9. / Unravelling the evolutionary history of coastal Kerala (Page 15) / a) S&T
b) Geography / a) Geoscientists are searching into the geological and evolutionary history of the coastal belt of Kerala to predict possible climatic and geomorphologic changes.
10. / Climate engineering may save coral reefs (Page 15) / a) S&T
b) Geography / a) A new technique involves injecting gas into the stratosphere, forming microscopic particles which reflect some of the suns energy and so help limit rising sea surface temperatures, saving corals.
S.NO. / NEWS ITEM / SYLLUBUS / BACKGROUND / IMPORTANT POINTS
1. / Germany still hopeful of selling Eurofighters to India (Page 10) / a) I.R / a) India – Germany relations
b) Eurofighter Typhoon jets
c) Rafale deal
d) Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)
e) Cyberspace and maritime security / a) Even as India and France begin negotiations to conclude a deal for direct purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets, Germany is still actively pushing for the sale of Eurofighter Typhoon jets to India.
b) The matter came up for discussion between visiting German Defence Minister and her Indian counterpart Parrikar in addition to cooperation on submarines. This assumes importance as Parrikar had on several occasions indicated the possibility of procuring another fighter aircraft (in addition to the 36 Rafale jets and LCA) to make up for the shortfall in fighter strength of Air Force.
c) Germany is one of the contenders for the Navys new line of six submarines under Project-75I estimated at over Rs.50,000 crore to be built by an Indian shipyard under technology transfer.
d) Calling India and Germany natural partners, German Defence Minister in discussions with PM Modi had strongly voiced for deepening cooperation, particularly in the fields of cyberspace and maritime security.
e) On Chinas increased assertions on high seas, she said there was huge interest of all nations dependent on economic trade to have an open sea.
2. / Funds diverted from Swiss banks (Page 10) / a) I.R / a) Iran – Switzerland relations
b) Black money
c) Double Tax Avoidance Treaties (DTAT)
d) Special Investigation Team (SIT) / a) After Switzerland initiated measures to regulate its banks, most of the unaccounted money stored in Swiss banks is suspected to have been diverted to countries like Mauritius and Singapore.
b) The Special Investigation Team on black money has taken cognisance of the issue raised by the enforcement agencies.
c) Over the years, Singapore has virtually adopted the Swiss model which extends banking secrecy and confidentiality to account holders. The model encouraged foreign investments by offering very low tax rates to individuals and corporations.
d) According to sources, several Hong Kong-based firms have also been found to be involved in routing unaccounted money originating from India.
e) Efforts are being made to amend the DTAT with several countries to ensure that we get prompt information on suspected black money cases,” said the official.
3. / Overcoming a resilient Islamic State (Page 9) / a) International / a) Islamic State (Daesh)
b) Syria and Iraq crisis
c) Ramadi
d) Palmyra
e) Lebanese Civil War / a) Maps depict names of places seized by the Islamic State (Daesh) and its al-Qaeda confreres - Syrias Raqqa, Idlib and Palmyra as well as Iraqs Mosul, Ramadi and Fallujah. Names of places have become associated with massacres.
b) Aerial bombardment by the West seems futile. The West cannot stem the tide of extremism. US Defence Secretary says that the Iraqi forces have no will to fight in Iraq. When confronted by the advance of Daesh toward Palmyra, the Syrian troops could put up little defence. Confidence in the ability of superior firepower to stop the spread of the black flag of Daesh seems to be at a low.
c) The test case is the destruction of Iraq by Western jets, which unleashed the social forces that produced Daesh. Its Caliph (Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi), was both in the Iraqi army and in its prisons - bombed by the Western jets, held in the Arab jails. The US bombed Daesh positions around Ramadi 165 times over month preceding its capture. It made little difference to attack of highly-motivated armies of Daesh.
d) Strikingly, in the war against Daesh, it is no longer the formal armies of states that are effective. In Syria, the most competent outfits are Lebanese militia Hezbollah, the Kurdish militia YPG (Peoples Protection Units), and the govt-backed Shabiha (ghosts). Iraqs army is a pale shadow of Iraqi Shia militias such as Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib Hezbollah. The war against Daesh is a war of non-state actors against non-state actors.
e) Militarily, the Iranian assistance has been crucial, but ideologically it is an albatross. A new sectarian geography is being written over old nation states, with enclaves based on religion emergent in both Iraq and Syria. The Iran-backed militias do not have credibility of a broad horizon in areas of Sunni discontent. They can stop Daesh advance, but they cannot roll it back.
f) Neither the Iraqi nor Syrian govt are close to implosion. Damascus still controls the bulk of Syrias population centres, even as large swathes of empty territory have gone over to Daesh and al-Qaeda affiliates. Syrias army remains intact, although it has been ill prepared for the new attack by extremist fighters, resupplied by Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia (with Western sponsorship).
g) A failed American policy of overthrowing the Bashar al-Assad-led govt in Syria and of micro-managing the Haideral-Abadi-led govt in Iraq has undermined state institutions. Support for al-Qaeda groups by Gulf Arabs, Turkey and West in western Syria against the Assad govt is going to prevent Syrias substantial military force from any significant operations against Daesh.
h) In June, the international community will gather in Paris, France, to discuss the problem of Daesh. On the agenda is Iraq, but as French Foreign Minister put it, it is not impossible that Syria will be examined. Western foreign ministers will take the main seats at the table, where they will set the tone of the meeting. This is exactly the kind of Western arrogance that allows Daesh to prove its credentials as an anti-Western force.
i) Such a meeting should be held in Cairo or Beirut, major cities in the Arab world. Its agenda needs to be set by a handshake between Iran and Saudi Arabia - in the midst of a regional Cold War that has deleterious effects. Irans Resistance Axis (Iraq, Syria, Hezbollah) needs to be in the room, where it would need to propose a grand bargain to the Gulf Arabs and Turkey.
j) Daesh will not be defeated on the battlefield alone. It will have to be suffocated by lack of resources. Grievances of the sect were set in motion by the bloody Lebanese Civil War, which lasted 15 years and left the country exhausted into peace. The long-term antidote to Daesh is not Arab jails and American jets but in creation of an honest and wide-ranging political dialogue.
4. / N-talks could get extended: Iran (Page 12) / a) International / a) Iran – P5+1 group nuclear deal
b) Irans nuclear programme / a) Official said talks between Iran and world powers aimed at finalising a deal over Tehrans nuclear programme could go beyond a June 30 deadline.
b) The two sides signed a framework agreement on April 2 and aim to seal a final deal by the end of June.
5. / A.P and Telangana: life after divorce (Page 8) / a) National / a) Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014
b) Bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh
c) Amaravathi / a) Both CMs of AP and Telangana have a problem. In Telangana, KCRs problem is similar to that of PM Modi - to meet the unrealistically high expectations generated among voters. In AP, Chandrababu Naidu has a different problem. He has had to lift the spirits of a distress and deeply dispirited people who view the erstwhile States bifurcation as betrayal.
b) While KCR tries to deal with unrealistic expectations by promoting fancy ideas of real estate development that may threaten Hyderabads green spaces, Naidu has sought to engineer enthusiasm for new State by inducting Singapore as a partner in the building of a modern capital (Amaravathi) and urging his people to Look East and join the Asian growth miracle.
c) Expert says that the reorganisation of States across India after Independence and the subsequent creation of AP was undertaken with far greater care and competence than the States dissolution this time.It is the insensitive of bifurcation process more than bifurcation itself that has sunk the chances of the Congress in both States.
d) Indeed, the bifurcation of other States, like Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh was handled more competently because the govt of the day was not seeking immediate political benefit from it, the way the Congress Party tried to in Telangana.
e) While politicians will play their games, the people of both States would like to see the economy regain momentum. For this to happen, both CMs should be less obsessed with building/rebuilding their respective State capitals and focus on their States overall development.
f) Erstwhile AP was weakened by the fact that it had only one major urban centre (Hyderabad) around which most business activity was centred. Bifurcation should be used as an opportunity to develop other urban centres in both States like Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, Tirupati and Kurnool in AP, and Warangal, Karimnagar and Nizamabad in Telangana.
g) If Hyderabad retains its cosmopolitan nature, investors will continue to group to it and the citys globalisation and development will continue, benefitting Telangana as a whole. Before the two States can hope to see a brighter future for themselves, overcoming the pain and emotion of bifurcation, the two State govts have to get their administrative act together and settle down to normal functioning.
h) The political leadership of both States should liberate themselves from narrow caste, communal and identity politics and must focus squarely on development and the creation of new opportunities so that both States can regain their growth momentum.
6. / NGTs green rebuke for new capital on Krishna river bank (Page 11) / a) National / a) National Green Tribunal (NGT)
b) AP Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA)
c) Amaravathi
d) Krishna River
e) Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
f) Social Impact Assessment (SIA)
g) Urbanisation / a) The NGT has issued notices to Ministry of Forests and Environment, AP govt and the APCRDA for undertaking development works for the new capital city on Krishna River bank without conducting appropriate EIA.
b) It has directed the Union environment and Forests Ministry to constitute an expert committee to analyse the environmental and social impact for developing the new capital city.
c) It has also directed the AP govt and the APCRDA to not undertake any development activity including urbanisation or infrastructure development on river floodplain, wetlands and fertile agricultural lands.
d) AP govt has been further directed to examine feasibility of large-scale urbanisation and infrastructure development on areas identified for formation of capital city and to propose alternatives which could lead to minimum devastation of natural resources.
7. / Tripura withdraws AFSPA, says insurgency on the wane (Page 11) / a) National / a) Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA)
b) Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council
c) Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura
d) Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura / a) The Tripura govt has revoked AFSPA as insurgency is on the decrease in the State. The repeal of the Act (which has been in force in the State since Feb 1997) came less than a month after the election to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council.
b) Tribal parties such as the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura and the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura had been demanding the withdrawal of the Act, saying it was aimed at suppressing the States 33 percent tribal population.
c) Last November, the Act (which confers sweeping powers on the armed forces) was extended for six months in the State.
8. / Rajan meets Jaitley ahead of monetary policy next week (Pg 13) / a) Economy / a) Monetary policy
b) Repo rate
c) CRR
d) Inflation
e) RBI / a) Among growing demand for rate cut, the RBI Governor Rajan met the Finance Minister Jaitley and discussed a wide range of issues.
b) The meeting assumes significance as noise is growing for a rate cut by RBI in its second bi-monthly policy on June 2.
c) The RBI is slated to review its monetary policy next week during which it will take a call on interest rate taking into account inflation and other economic parameters.
9. / Unravelling the evolutionary history of coastal Kerala (Page 15) / a) S&T
b) Geography / a) Climate change
b) Geomorphologic changes
c) Coastal belt of Kerala
d) Periyar River basin / a) Geoscientists are searching into the geological and evolutionary history of the coastal belt of Kerala to predict possible climatic and geomorphologic changes.
b) The sedimentological, palynological and geo-chronological analysis of the sediments collected from the boreholes will reveal the palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironment.
c) They said the focus is to understand the evolutionary process of the Kerala coast. Since climate changes are cyclic in nature, there is a need to know the climatological data going back to at least 20,000 years to precisely predict the future and possible climate and geomorphological changes.
d) The stable isotopic examinations of shells found in sediments can provide us information about temperature of water, productivity and influx of fresh water from land to water bodies. Historical data about sea level rises, mineral deposits and receding sea level can also be read out of the data.
e) They said the drilling studies in the coastal lands (areas below 10m from mean sea level) of Periyar River basin could unfold the channel migration over years and also provide insights into human migration and related aspects.
f) They said the coastal lands of the entire west coast will be covered under the ongoing research project. These studies will reveal how the coastal areas evolved over the years and the climatic and environmental conditions that influenced these changes.
10. / Climate engineering may save coral reefs (Page 15) / a) S&T
b) Geography / a) Coral reefs
b) Climate change / a) A new technique involves injecting gas into stratosphere, forming microscopic particles which reflect some of the suns energy and so help limit rising sea surface temperatures, saving corals.
NOTE: Read all articles in S&T Page 15.
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