General Knowledge Sports: March 2011

Anand loses

•          World Champion Viswanathan Anand suffered a major defeat at the hands of Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine and slipped to the third position after the sixth round of the Amber Blindfold and Rapid Chess tournament.

•          The Indian ace went down in the rapid game with black pieces after drawing the blindfold affair. By virtue of the 0.5-1.5 defeat against Ivanchuk, Anand lost his second place in the combined standings to Magnus Carlsen.

Sania-Vesnina win doubles title; Djokovic beats Federer again

•           Sania Mirza and her Russian partner Elena Vesnina clinched their first title in just their third WTA event as a team, lifting the BNP Paribas Open women’s doubles trophy after upstaging Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Meghann Shaughnessy.

•           Sania and Vesnina beat eighth seeds Mattek-Sands and Shaughnessy 6-0, 7-5.

•          Women: Doubles (final): Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina bt Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Meghann Shaughnessy 6-0, 7-5

Saina wins first title of the year

•          India’s Saina Nehwal won her first title of the year with a commanding 21-13, 21-14 victory over South Korean Sung Ji Hyun in the Wilson Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold badminton.

•          It was Saina’s second victory against the unseeded Korean in as many meetings, having defeated her in the Indonesia Open Super Series last year.

Djokovic beats Nadal, takes title

•          Novak Djokovic won the ATP Indian Wells title, rallying to beat World No. 1 Rafael Nadal 4-6, 6­3, 6-2 and improve his record this season to 18-0.

•          Djokovic fired four aces, including two key ones to hold serve in the second set, in the two-hour, 25-minute match to capture his second Indian Wells crown.

•          The results (finals): Men: Novak Djokovic bt Rafael Nadal 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

•          Women: Caroline Wozniacki bt Marion Bartoli 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 .

Current Affairs "International Events" – March 2011

Yunus removed as Grameen Bank chief

• The central bank of Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Bank, has removed Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus as the Managing Director of Grameen Bank.

• The microcredit pioneer won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 along with the Grameen Bank, which he founded.

• The central bank had earlier sent a letter to the Grameen Bank Board informing it was not consulted when Dr. Yunus was appointed MD in 2000 for an indefinite period. The central bank expressed the opinion that Dr. Yunus, now 70, had passed the retirement age of 60 years and must step down.

• Under the Bank Company Act, the central bank is empowered to take legal action against a Director or Managing Director of any commercial and specialised bank for working against the interests of the depositors.

• Dr. Yunus faced serious controversies after a Norwegian television documentary last year alleged diversion of the bank’s funds to a partner organisation, the Grameen Kalyan Fund. The Norwegian government later cleared Dr. Yunus of any wrongdoing.

China plans Tibet-Xinjiang rail links

• China has unveiled plans to link up Tibet and Xinjiang, its two far-western frontier regions, with a new railway network as part of a wider initiative to boost infrastructure projects in border areas in the next Five-Year Plan (2011-15).

• Officials announced a new railway link that will shorten the distance between the two regions’ capitals, Lhasa and Urumqi, by more than 1,000 km and also provide the first direct rail link between the Qinghai-Tibet plateau and Xinjiang.

• Another railway line between Kashgar and Hotan, which is near the western section of India’s disputed border with China, has also opened to cargo traffic and will begin ferrying passengers by June this year, reports in the State media said.

• China will embark on a 10-year 310-billion yuan ($47.6 billion) project to add 8,000 km of railways in Xinjiang in the next Five-Year Plan (2011-15), stretching across 90 per cent of its counties. Six airports will also be built.

Thousands fleeing fighting in Ivory Coast

• More fighting has been reported from the West African state of Ivory Coast with thousands of people fleeing across the border to Liberia. The country has been in political turmoil ever since outgoing President Laurant Gbagbo refused to recognise his electoral defeat in the presidential poll held on November 28. Mr. Gbagbo’s rival Allassane Ouattara has been recognised as the President by the United Nations but the former leader has refused to relinquish power plunging the country into violence and uncertainty.

• Analysts say the political crisis following the disputed presidential election could spill over into full-blown civil war — nearly 400 people have been killed since the November 28 vote, according to the U.N. and Associated Press.

IAEA approves safeguards for new Pakistani reactors

• The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) gave its approval to a safeguards agreement for two new reactors that Pakistan said China was building for it at Chashma.

• The ‘Type-66’ agreement for the two reactors approved by the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors was identical to similar agreements already in place for Chashma-1 and Chashma-2.

• India is a member of the IAEA Board and gave its assent for the same reason the other members did — the agreement was of a standard type and there is nothing in the statute of the agency which prohibits the transfer of nuclear reactors to a country like Pakistan, which, like India, is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT). But China is a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the rules of the cartel — many of whose 46 members also sit on the IAEA Board — expressly ban the sale of nuclear equipment to countries that are outside the NPT and do not place all their nuclear facilities under international supervision.

UN Women’s scheme for widows

• To mark the 100 {+t} {+h} anniversary of International Women’s Day, UN Women announced a new regional programme to address the needs of widows in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

• “India has an estimated 40 million widows, and their lives are often mired in poverty, neglect, and deprivation. The time has come for us to act and create space for widows in mainstream policy and social welfare schemes. Their situation has to be recognised and addressed,” said Anne F. Stenhammer, Regional Programme Director, UN Women South Asia.

• The three-year programme, funded jointly by UN Women Swiss National Committee and Standard Chartered Bank, will be implemented in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka to reduce social ostracism faced by widows. This will be done by collecting data and evidence to highlight the stigma faced by them, by working with widows’ coalitions so they can speak up and access public

services, and finally by guaranteeing that discrimination and social practices against widows

are reviewed and repealed.

Dalai Lama to step down

• The Dalai Lama announced that he would step down as “political head” of the so-called Tibetan government-in-exile but would remain as religious leader and continue to advocate “meaningful autonomy” for Tibet.

• The Dalai Lama, 75, a Nobel Laureate, said he would hand over his “formal authority” to a “freely-elected” leader. He said he was committed to playing his part for the “just cause” of Tibet.

Illinois abolishes death penalty

• Illinois became the 16th State of the United States to abolish the death penalty when its Governor, Pat Quinn, announced the decision.

QUAKE, TSUNAMI RAVAGE JAPAN

• A ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded slammed Japan’s eastern coast, killing hundreds of people as it swept away boats, cars and homes while widespread fires burned out of control.

• Hours later, the tsunami hit Hawaii and warnings blanketed the Pacific, putting areas on alert as far away as South America, Canada, Alaska and the entire U.S. West Coast.

• The 8.9 offshore quake unleashed a 23-ft. tsunami and was followed by more than 50 aftershocks for hours, many of them of more than magnitude 6.0. Dozens of cities and villages along a 2,100 km. stretch of coastline were shaken by violent tremors that reached as far away as Tokyo, hundreds of kilometres from the epicentre. The area around a nuclear power plant in northeast Japan was evacuated after the reactor’s cooling system failed.

Japan races to avert nuclear meltdowns

• Facing an unprecedented nuclear crisis, Japan struggled hard to avert multiple meltdowns at two of its reactors damaged by the devastating earthquake and tsunami as it braced itself for a fresh explosion at the Fukushima plant amid fears that the toll may exceed 10,000 in the ravaged northeastern coast.

• The International Atomic Energy Agency said excessive levels of radiation at the Onagawa nuclear power plant led authorities to report a state of emergency there.

• The Kyodo news agency said 1.80 lakh people were evacuated from a 20-km radius of the Fukushima nuclear plant. Already over 3.5 lakh people have already moved out of the region.

• International disaster relief teams are being sent to Japan, with the U.N. helping to coordinate the operation.

China hints at new development approach to Tibet

• Ahead of the third anniversary of the March 14 riots in Tibet, a top official from the region said the government would pay more attention to preserving Tibetan culture to address rising concerns about imbalanced growth.

• Tibetans, as well as many of China’s 54 other minority groups who together make up 8.4 per cent of the population, have voiced concerns that focus on rapid development has eroded their cultures, with increasing migration of the majority ethnic Han Chinese to areas traditionally inhabited by ethnic minorities. Ahead of the anniversary of the riots, which left at least 22 people dead, the government has warned of “grave challenges” to stability in Tibet. In recent days, it has increased security restrictions in Lhasa and surrounding areas. It has also imposed travel bans on Tibetans and barred foreign tourists from travelling to Tibet.

Cooling systems fail at third reactor in plant

• The risk of partial meltdown at a stricken nuclear power plant in Japan increased as cooling systems failed at a third reactor, possibly exposing its fuel rods, only hours after a second explosion at a separate reactor blew the roof off a containment building.

• The widening problems underscore the difficulties Japanese authorities are having in bringing several damaged reactors under control three days after a devastating earthquake and a tsunami hit Japan’s northeast coast and shut down the electricity that runs the crucial cooling systems for reactors.

• Operators fear that if they cannot establish control, despite increasingly desperate measures to do so, the reactors could experience meltdowns, which would release catastrophic amounts of radiation.

• The Fukushima Daiichi plant and the Fukushima Daini power station, about 10 miles away, have been under a state of emergency.

• Tokyo Electric Power Company, which runs both plants, said it had restored the cooling systems at two of three reactors experiencing problems at Daini. That would leave a total of four reactors at the two plants with pumping difficulties.

• “The whole country was focused on Three Mile Island,” he said, referring to the Pennsylvania nuclear plant accident in 1979. “Here you have Tokyo Electric Power and the Japanese regulators focusing on multiple plants at the same time.”

Tri-nation group formed to free sailors

• Outside the glare of media, a tri-nation monitoring group of diplomats has been established in Dubai to brainstorm ways of rescuing sailors on board ships that Somali pirates have hijacked.

• Indian Consul-General. Mr. Verma hoped diplomats from Bangladesh, Tanzania and Pakistan would also join this group, as nationals from these countries were also aboard some of the hijacked ships.

• Somali pirates are holding 53 Indian sailors captive on board five ships: the MV Iceberg, the MV Suez, the MT Asphalt Venture, the MT Savina Caylyn and the MV Sinin.

Radiation levels alarming

• Japan’s nuclear crisis intensified dramatically after authorities announced that a second reactor unit at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi plant in northeastern Japan might have ruptured and appeared to be releasing radioactive steam.

• The break, at the No. 3 reactor unit, worsened the already perilous conditions at the plant, a day after officials said the containment vessel in the No. 2 reactor had also cracked.

• The developments were the latest in Japan’s swirling tragedy since an earthquake and tsunami struck the country with unbridled ferocity .

French air strike kicks off attacks on Qadhafi

UPSt

• France launched an air strike on a target in Libya, kicking off an international campaign to prevent Muammar Qadhafi’s forces from crushing a month-old uprising against his rule.

• A French warplane “opened fire at 5.45 p.m. (1645 GMT) on an unspecified vehicle,” French army spokesman Colonel Thierry Burckhard told journalists in Paris, adding the military was “assured of the threat” to civilians posed by the target.

• world leaders meeting in Paris agreed on ways to impose a no-fly zone over Libya in order to prevent attacks against civilian protesters by Col. Qadhafi’s forces.

• French officials indicated that French Mirage and Rafale fighters were already overflying Libyan airspace. The British, the French, the Italians, the Spaniards and the Norweigians are among those fully on board.

• Mr. Sarkozy also insisted on the international nature of the meeting, emphasising that the Arab League was fully represented.

• Five Arab nations — Iraq, Qatar, Jordan, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates — were present, as was Arab League General Secretary Amre Mussa. Saudi Arabia, which initially proposed the use of its air force, did not attend.

• Twenty-two heads of state and government as well as leaders of the United Nations and the European Union attended the meeting. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper were present.

Bahrain King pledges reform

• Bahrain’s King pledged to bring reforms and another demonstrator was confirmed to have died in a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, as international calls mounted for restraint.

• “I shall not allow a stop in the reform process which I began when I took the reins of power,” said King Hamad in a statement on the official BNA news agency.

• Bahrain faces mounting international pressure to exercise restraint and ensure the safety of jailed opposition leaders. Overnight, the United States said it was “deeply troubled” by the arrest of several opposition figures.

Election for head of Tibetan government-in-exile held

• The election for the next “Kalon Tripa,” chairperson of the cabinet of the so-called Tibetan government-in-exile, also referred to as its Prime Minister, generated keen interest in the Darjeeling hills not just within the Tibetan community there but also among the rest of the local population.

• The election is being considered especially significant as it is being held in the backdrop of the Dalai Lama announcing his intention to step down as the political head of the Tibetan government-in-exile.

Thousands protest in Syria

• Thousands of Syrians marched in the southern town of Daraa after the funeral of a protester killed in the previous day’s demonstration, a resident said.

UPSt

• Daraa has become the unexpected nerve centre of anti-regime protests in Syria, holding daily demonstrations despite a massive deployment of security forces and a heavy-handed crackdown on protests that left five dead.

• The protesters, who have been inspired by regime-changing revolts in Tunisia and Egypt, are demanding “freedom” and an end to 48 years of emergency laws in Syria under President Bashar al-Assad and his father Hafez.

NATO takes over military operations

• NATO will take over command and control of military operations in Libya, in particular the enforcement of the no-fly zone imposed under a Security Council resolution, said its Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

• The U.S. State Department, in a conference call with journalists, denied that any crack in the Western alliance, or in the international community’s support for the military action.

• nations such as Russia had disputed the U.S.’ claims surrounding civilian casualties resulting from the air strikes, the key backers of UNSCR 1973, authorising the no-fly zone, were on board.

Saleh proposes orderly exit

• Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh has announced fresh conditions for his early exit, after mounting popular pressure calling for his removal was significantly bolstered when, breaking ranks, powerful sections of the Army, joined the protesters.

• State television beamed images of Mr. Saleh addressing crowds, where he announced he would stand-down, but only after handing over power to “capable, responsible” hands. Calling for an orderly transition, Mr. Saleh, who has long projected himself as the pillar of stability in a tough political environment, said power could be transferred “peacefully and through constitutional means”. He invited the protesters for a “political dialogue” that could “pave the way for a political transition.”

Israel deploys Iron Dome

• Israel deployed a cutting-edge rocket defence system, rolling out the latest tool in its arsenal to stop a recent spike in attacks from the neighbouring Gaza Strip.

• The Iron Dome system has raised hopes that Israel has finally found a solution to the years of rocket fire from Gaza. The primitive rockets have evaded Israel’s high-tech weaponry, in part because their short flight path, just a few seconds, makes them hard to track.

Via-upscportal

Current Affairs "India and World" – March 2011

More funds sought to assist children, women in crisis situations

• The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) released the Humanitarian Action for Children Report, 2011, requesting $1.4 billion in its appeal to donors to assist children and women caught in the throes of crises. The report highlights 32 countries and emphasizes the increasing importance of strengthening the resilience of communities.

• The world witnessed overpowering humanitarian crises in 2010: flooding in Pakistan submerged one-fifth of the country; the earthquake in Haiti claimed over 200,000 lives and displaced millions; the parched earth and lack of food across the Sahel continues to threaten hundreds of thousands of children with acute malnutrition.

• The 32 countries targeted in this appeal have been prioritised based on the scale of the crisis, the severity of its impact on children and women, the chronic or protracted nature of the crisis, and the potential to bring about life-saving and long lasting results.

India-U.S. defence meetings kick off

• In the backdrop of the approaching United States-India Strategic Dialogue meetings in New Delhi this spring, the 11th U.S.-India Defence Policy Group (DPG) met in Washington during March 34 for extensive discussion on strengthening bilateral defence ties, particularly in the areas of maritime security, counterterrorism, disaster relief, and personnel exchanges.

• In a statement, Indian embassy said that both sides had “welcomed the removal of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Bharat Dynamics Limited from the U.S. Entities List,” especially as this relaxation of restrictions would likely open up new opportunities for cooperation in the field of defence supplies and industrial and technological cooperation between the two countries more generally.

India to make determined bid for NSG membership

• Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao lead India’s bid for full membership in the four international export control regimes — the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Missile Technology Control Regime, the Australia Group and the Wassenaar Group.
• The Foreign Secretary was address representatives of the 45-member NSG on March 28 in Vienna.

• India is already an adherent to the NSG and MTCR guidelines but does not, as it is not a full member, have a direct say in deciding on changes in norms.

• India had already secured summit-level support — from the United States, Russia and France — which is expected to impart the initial momentum, for this endeavour. Several member countries in the four international export control regimes had been positive to India’s bid.

India abstains from U.N. vote on Libya

• Withstanding last-minute U.S. pressure, India abstained from voting on a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution approving “all necessary measures,” including imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya. The resolution was passed with 10 members, including the U.S., France, the U.K. and Lebanon, voting in favour and five — Russia, China (both permanent members with veto rights), Brazil and Germany, besides India — abstaining.

• In a compromise, while approving the no-fly zone, the resolution excluded “a foreign occupation force of any form on any part of Libyan territory.” It widened the earlier scope of sanctions passed unanimously by the UNSC by proposing the freezing of assets of seven more persons close to Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi and five other entities, including state-owned companies. The earlier sanctions include an arms embargo, assets freeze and travel ban on Colonel Qadhafi and his loyalists and a referral to the Hague-based International Criminal Court.

• India contested the reasoning behind all these measures in its ‘Explanation of Vote.’ It felt that the UNSC should have focussed on ceasefire and bringing violence under control instead of choosing the option of “force based on relatively little credible information on the situation” from Libya.

• India said there was no clarity on details of enforcement measures, including “who and with what assets would they participate and how these measures will be exactly carried out.” Concern for civilians including its own nationals also weighed on India in deciding to abstain.

India set to play active role in oil game in Central Asia

• Amid talk of the New Great Game in Central Asia in which Western oil companies are pitted against Russians, India is set to play an active role in the emerging oil geopolitics in Central Asia and Russia. While a French think tank says the real game is between India and China, government sources maintained Central Asian countries and even Russia are trying to balance China by bringing in India.

• An early step could come during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Kazakhstan when an agreement on the Satpayev oil block is expected; giving India its first foothold in the oil-rich neighbourhood of the Caspian Sea basin. Officials are confident that this long-negotiated deal, in which ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) is likely to commit about Rs. 2,500 crore, will lead to prospects elsewhere in the vicinity.

• “This new game is not limited to oil but extends to other areas,” officials added. After inking a uranium supply agreement, India will discuss the possibility of Kazakhstan using Indian nuclear technology. Sparsely populated but accounting for 80 per cent of Central Asia’s land mass, Kazakhastan is ideal for the small and medium-sized civil nuclear power plants India specialises in.

Dr. Singh’s visit will also see Indian efforts to take advantage of Kazakhstan as the region’s number one destination for foreign investment — accounting for 80 per cent of the FDI accruing to all the five Central Asian countries.

• With Turkmenistan, India is actively discussing the four-nation (Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India) gas pipeline to select an operator for the project from among the American, Russian and Chinese companies likely to show interest. “The basic idea is for the operator to absorb the risks, build the pipeline, and transport the gas. The final delivery price would be important. This project will also be part of the new oil geo politics geopolitics,” the sources said.

• Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov is due in India before July. He is likely to hold talks on tapping India’s strengths in I.T., capacity building and development models. Political talks would cover Afghanistan, home to a sizeable Uzbek population. Its leaders are in the Northern Alliance with whom India has a great degree of comfort.

• No high-level interaction with the Tajikistan leadership is on the cards this year. The two countries remain close though Dushanbe is seeking to improve ties with Pakistan especially in the infrastructure sector. Tajikistan is said to host facilities for an Indian air base and this recently resulted in Pakistan creating the post of a Defence Attache at its embassy in Dushanbe.

• A high-level Indian visit to Kyrgyzstan could be on the cards later this year. The country has emerged as the most unstable but the most democratic country in the region and is of interest to New Delh more so because it shares the restive Ferghana Valley with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. This region is said to be the upper end of the arc of instability that stretches down to tribal areas in Pakistan and southern Afghanistan.

• India will continue with efforts to develop stronger ties in the hydrocarbons sector with Russia. The OVL is seeking equity in two giant fields granted to Sistema-Bashneft, whose association with India has the Russian leadership’s backing. The sources are hoping for clarity on the OVL’s role in Trebs and Titov fields by April-end.

Manmohan: India for deepening ties with Saudi Arabia

• In the backdrop of unrest in the Middle-East, Secretary General of the Saudi Arabian of the National Security Council Prince Bandar Bin Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

• The Saudi envoy briefed Dr. Singh on recent developments in West Asia, North Africa and the Gulf regions. He particularly focussed on the efforts being made by Saudi Arabia and the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries to bring peace and stability in the region.

• The Prime Minister expressed his deep appreciation to Prince Bandar for his visit and conveyed India’s firm commitment to further developing its strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia. The region was a major economic partner and source for energy for India and cooperation with India was a factor of peace and stability in the region, the Prime Minister said.

Bahrain appreciates Indians’ contribution

• Bahrain assured India of the safety and security of over 3.5 lakh Indians on its soil and appreciated their contribution to its progress and development.

• The Bahrain said that winds of transformation were sweeping across the region. Unlike other countries, the human development index in the six Gulf Coordination Council countries -Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudia Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar – was much higher.

Current Affairs Awards and Prizes – March 2011

The King’s Speech takes top Oscar crowns

• The judges for the 83rd Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, presented The King’s Speech with not only the Best Motion Picture award but also those for Best Actor (Colin Firth) and Best Director (Tom Hooper).

• The only top award that it missed out on was Best Actress, which went to an emotional Natalie Portman for her electrifying portrayal of a troubled ballerina in Black Swan.

Yashwantrao Chavan Award for Mahasweta Devi

• Celebrated Bengali writer and activist Mahasweta Devi was conferred the Yashwantrao Chavan National Award 2010 “for her contribution to national integration, democratic values and the socio-economic development of India.”

Majuli Island for Unesco World Heritage list

• The Government of India has proposed to nominate the name of Assam’s river-island, Majuli, for inclusion in the ‘cultural landscape’ category of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) World Heritage list. Considered the largest freshwater river-island in the world, Majuli is located in the middle of the mighty Brahmaputra.

• The Majuli dossier will be ready by October, to be submitted to the Unesco in February 2012. Majuli was shortlisted in the World Heritage Site (WHS) ‘Tentative List’ at the World Heritage Committee session at Suzhou in China. Subsequently, a comprehensive nomination dossier was submitted in 2006, followed by additional information in 2008.

• The revised dossier moves a step closer to securing WHS status for Majuli, incorporating all referred points of past conventions.

Chameli Devi Jain award for Open magazine correspondent

• The 2010 Chameli Devi Jain award for “Outstanding Woman Media Person” was presented to a former Tehelka correspondent from Thiruvananthapuram, Shahina K.K, at a function for her “demonstrated ability to focus on issues that have deep social consequences impacting lives and concerns of ordinary people.”

Abel Prize awarded to John Willard Milnor

• The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters has chosen one of the living legends of mathematics, John Willard Milnor of the Institute for Mathematical Sciences in the University of Stony Brook, U.S.A, for the award of its prestigious Abel Prize for the year 2011.

• The award carries 6 million Norwegian Kroner (approx. €750,000 or $1 m.)

• The Prize is given in recognition of contributions of extraordinary depth and influence to mathematical sciences and has been awarded annually since 2003. The Prize is named after the great Norwegian mathematical genius, Niels Henrik Abel (1802-29), often compared with the Indian wizard Srinivasa Ramanujan, who died at a very young age of 26.

• The past winners include such illustrious names as Jean-Pierre Serr (2003), Sir Michael Atiyah and Isadore M. Singer (2004), Peter D. Lax (2005), Lennart Carleson (2006), Srinivasa S. R. Varadhan (2007), John Griggs Thompson and Jacques Tits (2008), Mikhail Leonidovich Gromov (2009) and John Torrence Tate (2010).

• The 2011 award is being given to Professor Milnor, as the citation notes, “for [his] pioneering discoveries in topology, geometry and algebra.” He has even made significant contributions in number theory.

Young Scientist Award for 11

• Eleven scientists, including two from the Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Science (IISc), have been given the prestigious NASI-Scopus Young Scientist Award for 2010.

• The annual award was instituted five years ago by the National Academy of Sciences, India, (NASI) and Scopus, the abstract and citation database of the peer-reviewed scientific literature of Elsevier, the Amsterdam-based publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services.

• Each award carries a trophy, a citation and a cash prize of Rs.50,000.

Via-upscportal

Current Affairs For IAS-Exam-2011 March-2011 Part 2

UN Women’s scheme for widows

• To mark the 100 {+t} {+h} anniversary of International Women’s Day, UN Women announced a new regional programme to address the needs of widows in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

• “India has an estimated 40 million widows, and their lives are often mired in poverty, neglect, and deprivation. The time has come for us to act and create space for widows in mainstream policy and social welfare schemes. Their situation has to be recognised and addressed,” said Anne F. Stenhammer, Regional Programme Director, UN Women South Asia.

• The three-year programme, funded jointly by UN Women Swiss National Committee and Standard Chartered Bank, will be implemented in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka to reduce social ostracism faced by widows. This will be done by collecting data and evidence to highlight the stigma faced by them, by working with widows’ coalitions so they can speak up and access public

services, and finally by guaranteeing that discrimination and social practices against widows

are reviewed and repealed.

Dalai Lama to step down

The Dalai Lama announced that he would step down as “political head” of the so-called Tibetan government-in-exile but would remain as religious leader and continue to advocate “meaningful autonomy” for Tibet.

• The Dalai Lama, 75, a Nobel Laureate, said he would hand over his “formal authority” to a “freely-elected” leader. He said he was committed to playing his part for the “just cause” of Tibet.

Illinois abolishes death penalty

• Illinois became the 16th State of the United States to abolish the death penalty when its Governor, Pat Quinn, announced the decision.

QUAKE, TSUNAMI RAVAGE JAPAN

• A ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded slammed Japan’s eastern coast, killing hundreds of people as it swept away boats, cars and homes while widespread fires burned out of control.

• Hours later, the tsunami hit Hawaii and warnings blanketed the Pacific, putting areas on alert as far away as South America, Canada, Alaska and the entire U.S. West Coast.

• The 8.9 offshore quake unleashed a 23-ft. tsunami and was followed by more than 50 aftershocks for hours, many of them of more than magnitude 6.0. Dozens of cities and villages along a 2,100 km. stretch of coastline were shaken by violent tremors that reached as far away as Tokyo, hundreds of kilometres from the epicentre. The area around a nuclear power plant in northeast Japan was evacuated after the reactor’s cooling system failed.

Japan races to avert nuclear meltdowns

• Facing an unprecedented nuclear crisis, Japan struggled hard to avert multiple meltdowns at two of its reactors damaged by the devastating earthquake and tsunami as it braced itself for a fresh explosion at the Fukushima plant amid fears that the toll may exceed 10,000 in the ravaged northeastern coast.

• The International Atomic Energy Agency said excessive levels of radiation at the Onagawa nuclear power plant led authorities to report a state of emergency there.

• The Kyodo news agency said 1.80 lakh people were evacuated from a 20-km radius of the Fukushima nuclear plant. Already over 3.5 lakh people have already moved out of the region.

• International disaster relief teams are being sent to Japan, with the U.N. helping to coordinate the operation.

China hints at new development approach to Tibet

• Ahead of the third anniversary of the March 14 riots in Tibet, a top official from the region said the government would pay more attention to preserving Tibetan culture to address rising concerns about imbalanced growth.

• Tibetans, as well as many of China’s 54 other minority groups who together make up 8.4 per cent of the population, have voiced concerns that focus on rapid development has eroded their cultures, with increasing migration of the majority ethnic Han Chinese to areas traditionally inhabited by ethnic minorities. Ahead of the anniversary of the riots, which left at least 22 people dead, the government has warned of “grave challenges” to stability in Tibet. In recent days, it has increased security restrictions in Lhasa and surrounding areas. It has also imposed travel bans on Tibetans and barred foreign tourists from travelling to Tibet.

Cooling systems fail at third reactor in plant

• The risk of partial meltdown at a stricken nuclear power plant in Japan increased as cooling systems failed at a third reactor, possibly exposing its fuel rods, only hours after a second explosion at a separate reactor blew the roof off a containment building.

• The widening problems underscore the difficulties Japanese authorities are having in bringing several damaged reactors under control three days after a devastating earthquake and a tsunami hit Japan’s northeast coast and shut down the electricity that runs the crucial cooling systems for reactors.

• Operators fear that if they cannot establish control, despite increasingly desperate measures to do so, the reactors could experience meltdowns, which would release catastrophic amounts of radiation.

• The Fukushima Daiichi plant and the Fukushima Daini power station, about 10 miles away, have been under a state of emergency.

• Tokyo Electric Power Company, which runs both plants, said it had restored the cooling systems at two of three reactors experiencing problems at Daini. That would leave a total of four reactors at the two plants with pumping difficulties.

• “The whole country was focused on Three Mile Island,” he said, referring to the Pennsylvania nuclear plant accident in 1979. “Here you have Tokyo Electric Power and the Japanese regulators focusing on multiple plants at the same time.”

Current Affairs National – March 2011

01. When the Chiranjeevi Praja Rajyam Party Merges with Congress Party ?

• 01. Feb 6th 2011
• 02. Feb 4th 2011
• 03. Feb 5th 2011
• 04. None of these

02. What is the full form of SAARC ?

• 01.South Asian Association for Regional Corporation
• 02. South Asian Association for Region Cooperation
• 03. South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
• 04. None of these

03. The 2010-11 year Gross Domestic Product(GDP) Rate ?

• 01. 61,32,230 Cr.
• 02. 61,33,230 Cr.
• 03. 72,56,571 Cr.
• 04. None of these

04. Who is the ICC World Cup 2011 Champions Team ?

• 01. Sri Lanka
• 02. Pakistan
• 03. India
• 04. Australia

05. How much growth of Tigers in India ?

• 01. 1706
• 02. 2373
• 03. 1411
• 04. None of these

06. How much India Population in March 2011 ?

• 01. 1,30,00,00,000
• 02. 1,11,55,66,000
• 03. 1,21,01,93,422
• 04. None of these

07. Who was written by “Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle with India” Book ?

• 01. Tagore
• 02. Ambedkar
• 03. Joseph Lelyveld
• 04. Mahatma Gandhi

08. Who is the Censor board Chairperson 2011 ?

• 01. Leela Samson
• 02. Sathi Leelavathi
• 03. Anime Bans
• 04. None of these

09. Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Died on ?

• 01. 24 January 2011
• 02. 25 January 2011
• 03. 23 January 2011
• 04. None of these

10. Which milestone was crossed by india’s foreign exchange reserves recently ?

• 01. $350 billion
• 02. $325 billion
• 03. $300 billion
• 04. $275 billion

Current Affairs – March 2011

01. The Reserve of India on 17 March 2011 increased the interest rate at which it injects liquidity into the banking system by 25 basis points to 6.75 per cent (repo rate). It also revised its inflation projection for March-end 2011 from 7 % to _?

• A). 7.3
• B). 7.5
• C). 7.4
• D). 8

02. Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on 11 March 2011 announced in Lok Sabha an increase in the allocation under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLAD) Scheme from Rs.2 crore to Rs.5 crore per Member. When was the MPLAD scheme introduced?

• A). 1990
• B). 1991
• C). 1992
• D). 1993

03. Read the following sentences with regard to NSIC. 1. National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) is a public sector undertaking under the ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME). 2. NSIC was awarded the Mini Ratna status by the Indian Governmnet on 3 March 2011. 3. NSIC has a marked presence both in the service as well as the manufacturing sectors. 4. NSIC acts as a facilitator to promote small industries through various user-friendly and demand-driven schemes Which of the following sentence/sentences is/are not true with regards to NSIC?

• A). Only 3
• B). 1 & 3
• C). Only 2
• D). 2 & 4

04. Union Minister of Finance Pranab Mukherjee declared in the Lok Sabha on 11 March 2011 the extension of the existing Interest Subvention Scheme of providing short term loans to farmers at 7% interest with additional interest subvention for timely repayment to which of the following group?

• A). Small scale entrepreneurs
• B). Cottage industries & handicraft professionals
• C). Fishermen
• D). Horticulturists

05. Where is Angola located?

• A). India
• B). South Central Africa
• C). West Africa
• D). North Central Africa

06. Who is the New Chairmanship of Reserve Bank Of India Director ?

• A). Dr. D. Subbarao
• B). Pranab Mukherjee
• C). Usha Thorat
• D). R. Gandhi

07. Which are the Teams in 2nd semi final at World Cup 2011 ?

• A). India vs Australia
• B). New Zealand vs South Africa
• C). Srilanka vs England
• D). India vs Pakistan

08. Which of the following is not a specialized UN Agency?

• A). Food and Agricultural Organization
• B). Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
• C). International Development Association
• D). World Health Organization

09. Who is Former Telecom Minister was arrested under 2G Spectrum scam ?

• A). M Karunanidhi
• B). A Raja
• C). Kapil Sibal’s
• D). K. Sridhar

10. Rani Lakshmibai Award has been awarded ?

• A). Mura Kumari
• B). Sheela Deekshith Gupta
• C). Mrs. Pottabathini Padmavathi
• D). None of the above

11. How many Awards bagged by King’s Speech movie in 83rd Oscar Award ?

• A). Four
• B). Three
• C). Two
• D). Five

12. Which of the countries does not use Rupee as part of their currency ?

• A). Sri Lanka
• B). Indonesia
• C). Bangladesh
• D). Nepal

13. How Many Percent of Revenue GDP Ratio in Indian Budget 2011-12 to 2012-13 ?

• A). 10.2 to 10.5
• B). 10.4 to 10.8
• C). 9.32 to 9.30
• D). 10.3 to 10.4

14. Indian agriculture needs Rs 108000 crore to fight climate change in the next five years to ensure food for all at a reasonable price by 2020. National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture is implemented under which of the following?

• A). NABARD
• B). Prime Minister’s National Action Plan on Climate Change
• C). Bharat Nirman
• D). Accelerated Fodder Development Programme

15. What are pair of points that are at opposite ends of the planet called ?

• A). Atoll
• B). Antipodes
• C). Apolar
• D). Antipolar

16. Where is the Fukushima Nuclear Plant ?

• A). OFutaba District Japan
• B). Tokyo Japan
• C). Fukushima
• D). None of the above

17. Which Year Sri Krishna Committee started ?

• A). 2011-2012
• B). 2010-2011
• C). 2009-2011
• D). None of the above

18. When the Japan Earthquake coming In 2011?

• A). 13 March 2011
• B). 11 March 2011
• C). 14 March 2011
• D). 15 March 2011

19. Who is the Final Champions of ICC World Cup 2011 ?

• A). India
• B). Srilanka
• C). Pakistan
• D). New Zealand

20. How many Populations India in 2011 ?

• A). 121 Cr.
• B). 100 Cr.
• C). 98 Cr.
• D). 120 Cr.

Current Affairs For IAS-Exam-2011 March-2011 Part 3

Tri-nation group formed to free sailors


• Outside the glare of media, a tri-nation monitoring group of diplomats has been established in Dubai to brainstorm ways of rescuing sailors on board ships that Somali pirates have hijacked.
• Indian Consul-General. Mr. Verma hoped diplomats from Bangladesh, Tanzania and Pakistan would also join this group, as nationals from these countries were also aboard some of the hijacked ships.
• Somali pirates are holding 53 Indian sailors captive on board five ships: the MV Iceberg, the MV Suez, the MT Asphalt Venture, the MT Savina Caylyn and the MV Sinin.
Radiation levels alarming
• Japan’s nuclear crisis intensified dramatically after authorities announced that a second reactor unit at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi plant in northeastern Japan might have ruptured and appeared to be releasing radioactive steam.The break, at the No. 3 reactor unit, worsened the already perilous conditions at the plant, a day after officials said the containment vessel in the No. 2 reactor had also cracked.
• The developments were the latest in Japan’s swirling tragedy since an earthquake and tsunami struck the country with unbridled ferocity .

French air strike kicks off attacks on Qadhafi


• France launched an air strike on a target in Libya, kicking off an international campaign to prevent Muammar Qadhafi’s forces from crushing a month-old uprising against his rule.
• A French warplane “opened fire at 5.45 p.m. (1645 GMT) on an unspecified vehicle,” French army spokesman Colonel Thierry Burckhard told journalists in Paris, adding the military was “assured of the threat” to civilians posed by the target.
• world leaders meeting in Paris agreed on ways to impose a no-fly zone over Libya in order to prevent attacks against civilian protesters by Col. Qadhafi’s forces.
• French officials indicated that French Mirage and Rafale fighters were already overflying Libyan airspace. The British, the French, the Italians, the Spaniards and the Norweigians are among those fully on board.
• Mr. Sarkozy also insisted on the international nature of the meeting, emphasising that the Arab League was fully represented.
• Five Arab nations — Iraq, Qatar, Jordan, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates — were present, as was Arab League General Secretary Amre Mussa. Saudi Arabia, which initially proposed the use of its air force, did not attend.
• Twenty-two heads of state and government as well as leaders of the United Nations and the European Union attended the meeting. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper were present.

Bahrain King pledges reform


• Bahrain’s King pledged to bring reforms and another demonstrator was confirmed to have died in a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, as international calls mounted for restraint.
• “I shall not allow a stop in the reform process which I began when I took the reins of power,” said King Hamad in a statement on the official BNA news agency.
• Bahrain faces mounting international pressure to exercise restraint and ensure the safety of jailed opposition leaders. Overnight, the United States said it was “deeply troubled” by the arrest of several opposition figures.


Election for head of Tibetan government-in-exile held


• The election for the next “Kalon Tripa,” chairperson of the cabinet of the so-called Tibetan government-in-exile, also referred to as its Prime Minister, generated keen interest in the Darjeeling hills not just within the Tibetan community there but also among the rest of the local population.

• The election is being considered especially significant as it is being held in the backdrop of the Dalai Lama announcing his intention to step down as the political head of the Tibetan government-in-exile.
Thousands protest in Syria
• Thousands of Syrians marched in the southern town of Daraa after the funeral of a protester killed in the previous day’s demonstration, a resident said.
• Daraa has become the unexpected nerve centre of anti-regime protests in Syria, holding daily demonstrations despite a massive deployment of security forces and a heavy-handed crackdown on protests that left five dead.
• The protesters, who have been inspired by regime-changing revolts in Tunisia and Egypt, are demanding “freedom” and an end to 48 years of emergency laws in Syria under President Bashar al-Assad and his father Hafez.

NATO takes over military operations

• NATO will take over command and control of military operations in Libya, in particular the enforcement of the no-fly zone imposed under a Security Council resolution, said its Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
• The U.S. State Department, in a conference call with journalists, denied that any crack in the Western alliance, or in the international community’s support for the military action.
• nations such as Russia had disputed the U.S.’ claims surrounding civilian casualties resulting from the air strikes, the key backers of UNSCR 1973, authorising the no-fly zone, were on board.

Saleh proposes orderly exit

• Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh has announced fresh conditions for his early exit, after mounting popular pressure calling for his removal was significantly bolstered when, breaking ranks, powerful sections of the Army, joined the protesters.
• State television beamed images of Mr. Saleh addressing crowds, where he announced he would stand-down, but only after handing over power to “capable, responsible” hands. Calling for an orderly transition, Mr. Saleh, who has long projected himself as the pillar of stability in a tough political environment, said power could be transferred “peacefully and through constitutional means”. He invited the protesters for a “political dialogue” that could “pave the way for a political transition.”

Israel deploys Iron Dome

• Israel deployed a cutting-edge rocket defence system, rolling out the latest tool in its arsenal to stop a recent spike in attacks from the neighbouring Gaza Strip.
• The Iron Dome system has raised hopes that Israel has finally found a solution to the years of rocket fire from Gaza. The primitive rockets have evaded Israel’s high-tech weaponry, in part because their short flight path, just a few seconds, makes them hard to track.

• The government approved Iron Dome in 2007. Its developers have compared the effort to a high¬tech start-up, working around the clock in small teams to perfect its weapons, radar and software systems. The developer, local defence contractor Rafael, declared the system ready for use last year.

• Iron Dome uses sophisticated cameras and radar to track incoming rockets, determine where they will land, and intercept and destroy them far from their targets. If the system determines the rocket is headed to an area where casualties are unlikely, it can allow the weapon to explode on the ground.

Current Affairs For IAS-Exam-2011 March-2011 Part 1

Yunus removed as Grameen Bank chief

•          The central bank of Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Bank, has removed Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus as the Managing Director of Grameen Bank.

•          The microcredit pioneer won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 along with the Grameen Bank, which he founded.

•          The central bank had earlier sent a letter to the Grameen Bank Board informing it was not consulted when Dr. Yunus was appointed MD in 2000 for an indefinite period. The central bank expressed the opinion that Dr. Yunus, now 70, had passed the retirement age of 60 years and must step down.

•          Under the Bank Company Act, the central bank is empowered to take legal action against a Director or Managing Director of any commercial and specialised bank for working against the interests of the depositors.

•          Dr. Yunus faced serious controversies after a Norwegian television documentary last year alleged diversion of the bank’s funds to a partner organisation, the Grameen Kalyan Fund. The Norwegian government later cleared Dr. Yunus of any wrongdoing.

China plans Tibet-Xinjiang rail links

•          China has unveiled plans to link up Tibet and Xinjiang, its two far-western frontier regions, with a new railway network as part of a wider initiative to boost infrastructure projects in border areas in the next Five-Year Plan (2011-15).

•          Officials announced a new railway link that will shorten the distance between the two regions’ capitals, Lhasa and Urumqi, by more than 1,000 km and also provide the first direct rail link between the Qinghai-Tibet plateau and Xinjiang.

•          Another railway line between Kashgar and Hotan, which is near the western section of India’s disputed border with China, has also opened to cargo traffic and will begin ferrying passengers by June this year, reports in the State media said.

•          China will embark on a 10-year 310-billion yuan ($47.6 billion) project to add 8,000 km of railways in Xinjiang in the next Five-Year Plan (2011-15), stretching across 90 per cent of its counties. Six airports will also be

Thousands fleeing fighting in Ivory Coast

·         More fighting has been reported from the West African state of Ivory Coast with thousands of people fleeing across the border to Liberia. The country has been in political turmoil ever since outgoing President Laurant Gbagbo refused to recognise his electoral defeat in the presidential poll held on November 28. Mr. Gbagbo’s rival Allassane Ouattara has been recognised as the President by the United Nations but the former leader has refused to relinquish power plunging the country into violence and uncertainty.

·         Analysts say the political crisis following the disputed presidential election could spill over into full-blown civil war — nearly 400 people have been killed since the November 28 vote, according to the U.N. and Associated Press.

IAEA approves safeguards for new Pakistani reactors

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) gave its approval to a safeguards agreement for two new reactors that Pakistan said China was building for it at Chashma.

•         The ‘Type-66’ agreement for the two reactors approved by the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors was identical to similar agreements already in place for Chashma-1 and Chashma-2.

•          India is a member of the IAEA Board and gave its assent for the same reason the other members did — the agreement was of a standard type and there is nothing in the statute of the agency which prohibits the transfer of nuclear reactors to a country like Pakistan, which, like India, is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT). But China is a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the rules of the cartel — many of whose 46 members also sit on the IAEA Board — expressly ban the sale of nuclear equipment to countries that are outside the NPT and do not place all their nuclear facilities under international supervision.