Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:28-05-15
S.NO. NEWS ITEM
SYLLUBUS
1.
Germany still
a) I.R
hopeful of selling
Eurofighters to
India (Page 10)
2.
Funds diverted
a) I.R
from Swiss banks
(Page 10)
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Overcoming a
a)
resilient Islamic
State (Page 9)
N-talks could get a)
extended: Iran
(Page 12)
A.P and
a)
Telangana: life
after divorce
(Page 8)
NGTs green
a)
rebuke for new
capital on Krishna
river bank (Page
11)
Tripura withdraws a)
AFSPA, says
insurgency on the
wane (Page 11)
Rajan meets
a)
Jaitley ahead of
monetary policy
next week (Pg 13)
Unravelling the a)
evolutionary
history of coastal b)
Kerala (Page 15)
Climate
a)
engineering may
save coral reefs b)
(Page 15)
ESSENCE OF THE ARTICLE
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
National
a) The National Green Tribunal has issued notices to
the Ministry of Forests and Environment, AP govt 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.
National
a) The Tripura govt has revoked the Armed Forces
(Special Powers) Act as insurgency is on the decrease in
the State.
Economy
a) Among growing demand for rate cut, the RBI
Governor Rajan met the Finance Minister Jaitley and
discussed a wide range of issues.
S&T
a) Geoscientists are searching into the geological and
evolutionary history of the coastal belt of Kerala to
predict possible climatic and geomorphologic changes.
Geography
S&T
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.
1
Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:28-05-15
S.NO. NEWS ITEM
SYLLUBUS
1.
Germany still
a) I.R
hopeful of selling
Eurofighters to
India (Page 10)
BACKGROUND
a) India – Germany
relations
IMPORTANT POINTS
a) Even as India and France
begin negotiations to conclude
a deal for direct purchase of 36
b) Eurofighter Typhoon Rafale fighter jets, Germany is
still actively pushing for the
jets
sale of Eurofighter Typhoon
jets to India.
c) Rafale deal
d) Light Combat
Aircraft (LCA)
e) Cyberspace and
maritime security
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
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Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:28-05-15
2.
Funds diverted a)
from Swiss banks
(Page 10)
I.R
a) Iran – Switzerland
relations
b) Black money
c) Double Tax
Avoidance Treaties
(DTAT)
there was huge interest of all
nations dependent on economic
trade to have an open sea.
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.
d) Special Investigation b) The Special Investigation
Team on black money has taken
Team (SIT)
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.
3.
Overcoming a
a)
resilient Islamic
State (Page 9)
International
a) Islamic State
(Daesh)
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.
a) Maps depict names of
places seized by the Islamic
State (Daesh) and its al-Qaeda
confreres - Syrias Raqqa, Idlib
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Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:28-05-15
b)
c)
d)
e)
Syria and Iraq crisis and Palmyra as well as Iraqs
Mosul, Ramadi and Fallujah.
Names of places have become
Ramadi
associated with massacres.
Palmyra
b) Aerial bombardment by
Lebanese Civil War 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
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Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:28-05-15
militias such as Asaib Ahl alHaq and Kataib Hezbollah. The
war against Daesh is a war of
non-state actors against nonstate 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 alAssad-led govt in Syria and of
micro-managing the Haider alAbadi-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
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Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:28-05-15
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
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Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:28-05-15
4.
N-talks could get a)
extended: Iran
(Page 12)
International
a) Iran – P5+1 group
nuclear deal
b) Irans nuclear
programme
5.
A.P and
Telangana: life
after divorce
(Page 8)
a)
National
to Daesh is not Arab jails and
American jets but in creation of
an honest and wide-ranging
political dialogue.
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.
a) Both CMs of AP and
a) Andhra Pradesh
Reorganisation Act 2014 Telangana have a problem. In
Telangana, KCRs problem is
similar to that of PM Modi - to
b) Bifurcation of
meet the unrealistically high
Andhra Pradesh
expectations generated among
voters. In AP, Chandrababu
c) Amaravathi
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
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Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:28-05-15
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
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Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:28-05-15
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.
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
g)
Urbanisation
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.
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
e) Environmental
Ministry to constitute an expert
Impact Assessment (EIA) committee to analyse the
environmental and social
f) Social Impact
impact for developing the new
Assessment (SIA)
capital city.
c) It has also directed the AP
govt and the APCRDA to not
undertake any development
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Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:28-05-15
activity including urbanisation
or infrastructure development
on river floodplain, wetlands
and fertile agricultural lands.
7.
Tripura
a)
withdraws
AFSPA, says
insurgency on the
wane (Page 11)
National
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.
a) The Tripura govt has
a) Armed Forces
revoked AFSPA as insurgency
(Special Powers) Act
is on the decrease in the State.
(AFSPA)
The repeal of the Act (which
b) Tripura Tribal Areas has been in force in the State
since Feb 1997) came less than
Autonomous District
a month after the election to the
Council
Tripura Tribal Areas
Autonomous District Council.
c) Indigenous
Nationalist Party of
Tripura
b) Tribal parties such as the
Indigenous Nationalist Party of
d) Indigenous Peoples Tripura and the Indigenous
Peoples Front of Tripura had
Front of Tripura
been demanding the withdrawal
of the Act, saying it was aimed
at suppressing the States 33
percent tribal population.
8.
Rajan meets
a)
Jaitley ahead of
monetary policy
next week (Pg
13)
Economy
a)
Monetary policy
b)
Repo rate
c) Last November, the Act
(which confers sweeping
powers on the armed forces)
was extended for six months in
the State.
a) Among growing demand
for rate cut, the RBI Governor
Rajan met the Finance Minister
Jaitley and discussed a wide
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Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:28-05-15
9.
Unravelling the a)
evolutionary
history of coastal b)
Kerala (Page 15)
c)
CRR
range of issues.
d)
Inflation
e)
RBI
b) The meeting assumes
significance as noise is growing
for a rate cut by RBI in its
second bi-monthly policy on
June 2.
S&T
a)
Climate change
Geography
b) Geomorphologic
changes
c) Coastal belt of
Kerala
d)
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.
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,
Periyar River basin palynological and geochronological 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
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Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:28-05-15
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.
10.
Climate
a)
engineering may
save coral reefs b)
(Page 15)
S&T
a)
Coral reefs
Geography
b)
Climate change
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.
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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