Current Affairs March 2014

Vice Admiral KR Nair, AVSM, VSM takes over as Chief of Materiel[31/03/2014]
Vice Admiral KR Nair, AVSM, VSM took over as the Chief of Materiel of Indian Navy on 31st March 2014. Vice Admiral KR Nair was commissioned on 01 Jan 1977 and is an alumnus of National Defence Academy and National Defence College. The Flag Officer has held various appointments at sea and in “Repair & Training Organisations” including the appointment of Additional and Deputy General Manager at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, Principal Director Weapon and Equipment at IHQ MoD(N).

He was also the Commanding Officer of INS Tunir at Mumbai. The Flag Officer was appointed as the Assistant Chief of Materiel (Information Technology and Systems) on promotion to Flag rank. He was Admiral Superintendent Dockyard (Visakhapatnam) from Apr 2011 to May 2012.

The Admiral has been awarded Vishisht Seva Medal in 2007 and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2012. The Flag Officer was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral on 01 Nov 12 and has held the appointment of Controller Warship Production and Acquisition from 01 Nov 12 to 31 Mar 14, prior assuming the appointment of Chief of Materiel.

Djokovic beats Nadal to win fourth Miami title[31/03/2014]
Novak Djokovic won his fourth career title at the Miami Masters on 30th March 2014 with a 6—3, 6—3 defeat of top seed Rafael Nadal. The trophy comes in addition to titles in 2007, 2011, 2012 and marked the third win in a row in the series in which Djokovic now stands 18 wins and 22 defeats.

Hamilton storms to big win in Malaysian Grand Prix[31/03/2014]
Lewis Hamilton led from pole position to win the Malaysian Grand Prix on 30th March 2014 ahead of Nico Rosberg in a Mercedes show of strength. Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel was third ahead of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.

Serena beats Li Na for Sony Open title[30/03/2014]
Serena Williams won a record seventh Key Biscayne title on 29th March 2014 when she overcame a slow start and a set point to beat Li Na 7-5, 6-1 at the Sony Open. Williams surpassed the tournament record of six titles she shared with Andre Agassi. By beating Li, she extended her winning streak against top-10 opponents to 15 matches.

Anurag Kumar is IISc. new director[30/03/2014]
The council of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) on Saturday selected, as its 20th director, Anurag Kumar, who is now the Chairman of the Electrical Sciences Division at the institute. IISc.’s present director, P. Balaram, retires on July 31 after an eight-year tenure.

An electrical engineer with a 26-year-old association with the IISc., Prof. Kumar graduated in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur, in 1977 and did his Ph.D. at Cornell University, the U.S., in 1981.

Myanmar holds first census in 3 decades[30/03/2014]
Myanmar is holding its first census in three decades despite calls to postpone it because of fears it could further stoke ethnic tensions and violence.

The government says that members of a long-persecuted Muslim minority cannot list themselves as “Rohingya” despite U.N. assurances. And administrators in some rebel-controlled areas along the border say they will bar census takers.

Census workers, most of them school teachers, started going door-to-door at 7 a.m. on Sunday. By the time they finish on April 10, they hope to have visited an estimated 12 million households.

Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist nation of 60 million, emerged from a half-century of military rule in 2011. But new found freedoms that accompanied its transition to democracy have given voice to religious violence that has left up to 280 people dead.

Andrej Kiska elected Slovak President[30/03/2014]
Political newcomer Andrej Kiska has been elected to the largely ceremonial post of Slovakia’s President, in an embarrassing defeat for his rival, Prime Minister Robert Fico, according to complete results released early on 30th March.

Mr. Kiska, a successful businessman-turned-philanthropist, won 59.4 percent of the vote in a runoff ballot, the Statistics Office said. Mr. Fico, who trailed with 40.6 percent, conceded defeat and congratulated his challenger.

Amartya Sen, Raghuram Rajan, Arundhati Roy among 5 Indians in the running for top world thinker title[29/03/2014]
Five Indians - of which four are economists - are in the running for the title of "the world's most important thinker 2014" as part of an annual global poll taking place for the past 10 years.

The Prospect magazine has been inviting the public to vote on its list of influential thinkers since 2004 when it drew up a list of the top 100 British public intellectuals. In 2005, they extended the search to the rest of the globe and readers voted online.

The 2014 list has four Indian economists - Amartya Sen, Kaushik Basu, Partha Dasgupta and Raghuram Rajan. The only other entry from India is writer and Booker prize winner Arundhati Roy.

Gavaskar to run IPL 2014[29/03/2014]
Without giving any opinion on the merits of the allegations against BCCI president N. Srinivasan, the Supreme Court on 28th March 2014 appointed the former India skipper, Sunil Gavaskar, as the interim president of the board to discharge the functions of the Indian Premier League 2014 until its final order on the IPL spot-fixing and betting scandal. A Bench of Justices A.K. Patnaik and Ibrahim Kalifulla, however, permitted both Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals to participate in this year’s IPL that commences on April 16.

Justice R.M. Lodha to be next CJI[29/03/2014]
Justice R.M. Lodha, the senior most judge of the Supreme Court, has been recommended to be the 41st Chief Justice of India to succeed CJI P. Sathasivam, who retires on April 26. The Union Law Ministry has received a communication from the CJI, recommending Justice Lodha's name.

Rakhigarhi, the biggest Harappan site[28/03/2014]
The discovery of two more mounds in January at the Harappan site of Rakhigarhi in Hisar district, Haryana, has led to archaeologists establishing it as the biggest Harappan civilisation site. Until now, specialists in the Harappan civilisation had argued that Mohenjo-daro in Pakistan was the largest among the 2,000 Harappan sites known to exist in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The archaeological remains at Mohenjo-daro extend around 300 hectares. Mohenjo-daro, Harappa and Ganweriwala (all in Pakistan) and Rakhigarhi and Dholavira (both in India) are ranked as the first to the fifth biggest Harappan sites.

“With the discovery of two additional mounds, the total area of the Rakhigarhi site will be 350 hectares,” asserted Professor Vasant Shinde, Vice-Chancellor/Director, Deccan College Post-Graduate & Research Institute, a deemed-to-be university in Pune. The two mounds are in addition to the seven mounds already discovered at Rakhigarhi, about 160 km from New Delhi. The eighth and ninth mounds, spread over 25 hectares each, are situated to the east and west of the main site. Villagers have destroyed much of these two mounds for cultivation. A team of archaeology teachers and students of the Deccan College discovered them when they surveyed the site in January.

Dr. Shinde, a specialist in Harappan civilisation and Director of the current excavation at Rakhigarhi, called it “an important discovery.” He said: “Our discovery makes Rakhigarhi the biggest Harappan site, bigger than Mohenjo-daro. The two new mounds show that the Rakhigarhi site was quite extensive. They have the same material as the main site. So they are part of the main site. On the surface of mound nine, we noticed some burnt clay clots and circular furnaces, indicating this was the industrial area of the Harappan site of Rakhigarhi.”

India's external debt at $426 billion in December[28/03/2014]
India's total external debt stock stood at $ 426.0 billion on 31 December 2013, 5.2 per cent higher than that on 31, March, 2013. The external debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio has marginally worsened from 23.3 percent to 21.8 per cent, according to official data released on 28th March 2014.

The increase in external debt was due to long-term debt, especially Non Resident Indian (NRI) deposits, the release said: "A sharp increase in NRI deposits reflected the impact of fresh FCNR (Foreign Currency Non Resident) deposits mobilised under the swap scheme during September-November 2013".

Mathematician Yakov Grigorevich Sinai is 2014 Abel Laureate[27/03/2014]
Russian mathematician Yakov Grigorevich Sinai, one of the most influential mathematicians of the 20th Century, has been chosen for the 2014 Abel Prize by the Norwegian Academy of Science Letters. The President of the Academy, Nils Chr. Stenseth, announced this on Wednesday in Oslo.

Seventy-eight year-old Sinai, who concurrently holds the positions of a Senior Researcher at the Landau Institute of Theoretical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, and a mathematics professor at Princeton University, U.S., has been selected for the Award, as the citation says, "for his fundamental contributions to dynamical systems, ergodic theory and mathematical physics."

The Abel Prize recognises contributions of extraordinary depth and influence to the mathematical sciences and has been awarded annually since 2003. It carries a cash award of Norwegian Kronor 6,00,000 (about $1 million). The Abel Prize is the mathematician’s Nobel Prize (both in prestige and value). For mathematics, there is no Nobel award.

Bangladesh enters Guinness book[27/03/2014]
Creating a new Guinness world record, over two-and-half lakh Bangladeshis on Wednesday performed a chorus of their national anthem at the national parade ground here to mark the country's 43rd Independence Day.

The erstwhile East Pakistan witnessed a historic moment after 2,54,681 persons gathered at the venue to chant "Amar shonar Bongla, ami tume balobashi… (My golden Bengal, I love you)" - penned and tuned by poet Rabindranath Tagore - which inspired the nation during the liberation war against Pakistan in 1971.

WHO Certifies India as Polio Free[27/03/2014]
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on 27th March 2014 presented official certification to India for its ‘Polio Free’ status. India is among other countries in its South East Asian region which have been certified as being free of the wild polio virus. The Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Sh Ghulam Nabi Azad received the official certificate at a function. This achievement makes the South-East Asia Region, the fourth WHO Region to be certified as polio-free, after the Region of the Americas in 1994, the Western Pacific Region in 2000 and the European Region in 2002.

Japanese architect wins Pritzker[26/03/2014]
Shigeru Ban, Japanese architect known for his creative and inexpensive designs for disaster relief shelters, has won the 2014 Pritzker Architecture Prize. The annual award, considered the most prestigious prize in the world of architecture, is given to designers who have "significantly contributed to humanity" and for "excellence in built work."

In a significant departure this year, the prize has recognised for the first time an architect for his contribution to the critical, but often overlooked, area of housing disaster victims. Architectural awards in general favour designers who construct monumental, novel and expensive buildings.

Seven million deaths caused by air pollution in 2012: WHO[26/03/2014]
Approximately seven million people died of air pollution around the world in 2012, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has estimated in its new study.

The finding, more than doubling the previous estimates, means that one out of every eight deaths occurred due to outdoor or indoor air pollution. With these updated figures, air pollution has become the single biggest environmental health risk across the world.

The whopping jump in estimates (the last estimates were for 2008) are based partly upon better understanding of how air pollution causes cardiovascular diseases and cancer, and partly reflective of better monitoring mechanisms in place.

Vettel and Missy walk away with top honours [26/03/2014]
Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel and swimmer Missy Franklin won the Laureus World Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards respectively in a 'starry night' at the Istana Budaya centre here, which saw a galaxy of luminaries from the world of sports and entertainment descending on a common platform.

Jeev nominated for Asian Tour's "Player of the Decade" award[24/03/2014]
Ace Indian golfer Jeev Milkha Singh named as one of five golfers nominated for Asian Tour's "Player of the Decade" award.

The 42-year-old Indian, a two-time Asian Tour Order of Merit champion and a winner of six tournaments, was named alongside Korea's K.J. Choi and Y.E. Yang and the Thai duo of Thongchai Jaidee and Thaworn Wiratchant as the five players nominated for the prestigious award.

Russia's Upper House approves Crimea annexation[21/03/2014]
Russia's Upper House of Parliament unanimously approved a treaty on annexing Ukraine's Crimea region on Friday, clearing the way for President Vladimir Putin to sign it into law.

The Federation Council followed the State Duma lower house by voting for the treaty. Putin was expected to complete the ratification process by signing the treaty at a ceremony with the speakers of both chambers later on today.

Anand Mahindra, Lakshmi Mittal among world’s greatest leaders: Fortune magazine[21/03/2014]
Indian business honchos Anand Mahindra and Lakshmi Mittal are among the world’s 50 greatest leaders, according to Fortune magazine.

The list of leaders, which includes Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, the Dalai Lama and Pope Francis, through their leadership are "energising" their followers and making the world better, it said.

Russia, Crimea sign accession pact[19/03/2014]
Russian President Vladimir Putin on 18th March 2014 signed a treaty on Crimea’s accession to Russia after delivering a defiant speech defending his move and blasting the West for pursuing “containment” of Russia and flouting international law. The treaty was also signed by the Crimean leaders who attended a special joint session of the Russian Parliament in the Kremlin. Mr. Putin said he was confident the Russian Parliament would ratify the pact.

India’s longest mural adorns Tihar Jail[19/03/2014]
The ongoing street art festival in the Capital will conclude on Wednesday by giving the country its longest mural - the verses of a poem written by a Tihar Jail inmate painted across the prison’s wall.

Spread across 968m the entire length of the front wall of Tihar Jail - the mural was given final touches by volunteers, the eve of its formal inauguration by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung.

The poem chosen for the mural is called Chardiwari or four walls. A collaboration between street artists and sign painters, the mural, which consists of graffiti works between gigantic words written in Devnagri script, took nearly a fortnight to complete

The poem written by inmate Seema Ranghuvanshi is featured in Tinka Tinka Tihar , a collection of poems written by four female prisoners in the jail. Chardiwari talks about a person who though confined within the walls of a prison and longing for her loved ones, lives with the hope of meeting them in the future.

Russia suspended from G-8: France[19/03/2014]
France’s foreign minister says that leaders of the Group of Eight world powers have suspended Russia’s participation in the club amid tensions over Ukraine and Russia’s incursion into Crimea.

The other seven members of the group had already suspended preparations for a G-8 summit that Russia is scheduled to host in June in Sochi.

Djokovic beats Federer to win Indian Wells title[17/03/2014]
Novak Djokovic of Serbia beats Roger Federer of Switzerland to win Indian Wells title. Novak Djokovic came into Indian Wells for the first time in four years without a title.

Serena Williams continues to lead WTA tennis rankings[17/03/2014]
Serena Williams continues to top the women’s tennis rankings released by the WTA.

WTA top 10 as of March 17 (previous ranking in parenthesis): 1. (1) Serena Williams, United States, 12,660 points 2. (2) Li Na, China, 7,185 3. (3) Agnieszka Radwanska, Poland, 6,215 4. (4) Victoria Azarenka, Belarus, 5,441 5. (7) Simona Halep, Romania, 4,775 6. (8) Jelena Jankovic, Serbia, 4,590 7. (5) Maria Sharapova, Russia, 4,271 8. (9) Petra Kvitova, Czech Republic, 4,235 9. (6) Angelique Kerber, Germany, 4,050 10. (10)Sara Errani, Italy, 3,830

Serbia’s ruling party wins snap poll[17/03/2014]
Serbia’s ruling Progressive Party (SNS) and its leader Aleksandar Vucic exceeded expectations and won an absolute majority in snap elections Sunday, annihilating the opposition.

The centre-right SNS won 49 per cent of the votes, according to preliminary projections by the commercial election monitoring agency CESID. That translates to 157 of the 250 seats in parliament based on the proportional electoral system used in Serbia. It’s more than double the 73 won by the party in elections two years ago.

EU mulls sanctions against Russia over Crimea referendum[17/03/2014]
The European Union’s foreign ministers were set Monday to consider punishing Moscow with sanctions over its actions in Crimea, one day after the Ukrainian peninsula voted to join Russia in a referendum.

Tensions between Moscow and the West have reached fever pitch, after thousands of suspected Russian troops began controlling access to Crimea’s airports and blocking local Ukrainian military bases in late February.

Moscow argues that the Crimean population, 60 per cent of which is made up of ethnic Russians, has a right to self-determination. But the West rejected its referendum as illegal.

Karnataka pips Railways to win Vijay Hazare Trophy[16/03/2014]
Karnataka completed a historic treble at domestic-level by emerging champions in the Vijay Hazare Trophy with a four-wicket win over Railways.

Chasing 158, the Ranji and Irani Trophy champions had a jittery start after they lost five wickets in 26 runs to be 47/5 in the 12th over but sensible batting by youngsters Karun Nair (53 not out) and Lokesh Rahul (38) set up the chase with a 66-run partnership.

Rani-ki-Vav and Himalayan Park nominated for heritage status[16/03/2014]
India has nominated Rani-ki-Vav, a 11th-century step well located in Patan, Gujarat, and the Great Himalayan National Park in Himachal Pradesh as candidates for UNESCO’s World Heritage Site status this year. The World Heritage Committee, which will convene in Doha, Qatar, in June, will review the nomination and take a final decision.