WBCS Current Affairs 22/02/2014 to 28/02/2014

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1.The Supreme Court of India referred the issue of legalizing euthanasia in the country to a five-judge Constitution bench. Euthanasia is the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering. Due to conflicted opinions on euthanasia, the apex court stated that the Constitution bench will go into all aspects of the issue and take a final decision on framing guidelines.
The PIL filed by NGO “Common Cause” had contended that a person whose life was ebbing out should be allowed to die, as the continuance of the life with the support system was an unnatural extension of the natural life span. The Centre had vociferously opposed the plea terming it as “suicide” which could not be allowed in the country.
Note: Jurisdictions where euthanasia or assisted suicide is legal – the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Estonia, Albania, and the US states of Washington, Oregon and Montana.

2.The Indian-American scientist, Ms. Sangeeta Bhatia developed a simple, cheap, paper test that could improve cancer diagnosis rates and help people to get treated earlier. Ms. Bhatia is professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

About the paper diagnostic test for cancer

The diagnostic, which works much like a pregnancy test, could reveal within minutes, based on a urine sample, whether a person has cancer. The synthetic biomarker technology relies on nano-particles that interact with tumour proteins called proteases, each of which can trigger release of hundreds of biomarkers that are then easily detectable in a patient’s urine.

Concept of synthetic biomarker technology: To amplify signals from tumor proteins (that would be hard to detect on their own) by injecting special nanoparticles into the body.
These proteins are known as Matrix Metallo Proteinase (MMP) that help cancer cells to escape from their original locations by cutting through proteins of the extra cellular matrix, which normally holds cells in place.
These nanoparticles, coated with peptides (short protein fragments), can interact with tumour proteins called proteases. In a patient’s body, these particles congregate at tumour sites, where cancer proteases cleave the peptides, which then accumulate in the kidneys and are excreted in the patient’s urine.
These biomarkers are easily detectable using an approach known as a lateral flow assay, the same technology used in pregnancy tests. In tests in mice, the researchers were able to accurately identify colon tumours, as well as blood clots.
Note: As per the current version of the technology, patients would first receive an injection of the nanoparticles, and then urinate onto the paper test strip. To make the process more convenient, the researchers are now working on a nanoparticle formulation that could be implanted under the skin for longer-term monitoring.

3.Northern Railway launched 24 x 7 security helpline No.1322 to provide speedy assistance to passengers in the event of thefts, harassment and other criminal incidents on rail premises.

4.Samsung launched second generation Gear smart watches powered by Tizen operating system to break the iOS and Android duopoly in the mobile market.
Samsung’s NX300M smart camera was the first device to run on Tizen, and the Gear 2 paves the way for what Samsung calls the “Tizen based wearable platform.”
About second-generation Gear smart watches
Available in two models: Gear 2 and the camera-less Gear 2 Neo.
Both the variants of the Gear 2 are IP67 certified water and dust resistant.
Powered by the Tizen operating system.

5.India’s middle order batsman, Cheteshwar Pujara has been appointed as the brand ambassador of the Gujarat state Election Commission for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.Objective: To encourage young voters of the region to caste their votes in the upcoming elections.

6.India and Canada signed 3 pacts for cooperation in health sector, audio-visual co-production and skill development. Currently, the Governor General of Canada, Mr. David Johnston is on a 9 day visit to India.

7.The Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) would carry out an experimental launch of GSLV Mark III in May/ June. The national space agency, ISRO is also set to send its next satellite IRNSS-1B on board rocket PSLV C24 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in March/April 2014.
About Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mark-III)
Function: Mid-Heavy Lift Launch System.
Manufacturer: ISRO.
Objective: To launch heavy satellites into geostationary orbit and will allow India to become less dependent on foreign rockets for heavy lifting.
Three stage vehicle with a first stage consisting of two identical large solid boosters strapped onto the second liquid stage. The third stage is a cryogenic stage.
Have an Indian built cryogenic stage with higher capacity than GSLV MK-2 and a passive cryo-stage where no engine will be burnt in the third stage.

8.Ms. Lakshmi Swaminathan became the first Indian to become president of Administrative Tribunal of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for three years. Ms. Swaminathan is the seventh president of the Tribunal. At present, she is a member of the Panel of Arbitrators of several public sector undertakings and NSE.

9.India’s top singles star, Somdev Devvarman won his third ATP Challenge Tennis title after beating top seed Aleksandr Nedovyesov by 6-3, 6-1 in the final in New Delhi. Saketh Myneni, lifted the men’s doubles title with Sanam Singh and they put a bow on the Indian swing with doubles titles in the capital city of New Delhi.

10.The Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) launched e-Wallet Scheme to make payment process fast and to reduce transaction failures due to bank payment related problems. (IRCTC is a public sector undertaking of the Ministry of Railways). At present, one has to make the payment for the fare of the ticket, while booking e-ticket, through Credit card, Debit card or Net banking.
“e-Wallet Scheme“
A rolling deposit scheme wherein the customers will have an account with the IRCTC and deposit money to be used in future for booking e-tickets from its website (http://www.irctc.co.in).
Names of all passengers booked on a fully wait-listed e-ticket are dropped at the time of preparation of reservation charts and fare is refunded automatically.
In case of ticket cancellation, the due refund will be credited to the e-Wallet account next day.
Available for PAN verified users only.

11.The Parliament of India approved the Whistleblowers Protection Bill 2014 to set up a mechanism to encourage persons for disclosure of information on corruption or willful misuse of power by public servants. The bill also seeks to provide punishment for false or frivolous complaints. Recently, the Rajya Sabha gave its nod to the bill without any amendment after keeping it pending for more than two years. The Lok Sabha had passed the bill in 2011.

About Whistle-blowers Protection Bill 2014
Objective: To provide and protect mechanism, methodologies to encourage the person for reporting any such corruption activities or any misuse of power by a bureaucrats or government officer.
Will provide an adequate protection to persons reporting corruption or wilful misuse of discretion which causes demonstrable loss to the government or commission of a criminal offence by a public servant.
Sets the procedure to inquire into the disclosures and provides adequate safeguards against victimisation of the whistleblower. It will also seek to provide punishment for false or frivolous complaints.
Note: The bill would create a legal framework to investigate and prosecute cases of corruption involving government officials.

12.India’s oldest parliamentarian, Mr. Rishang Keishing (94) decided to retire after serving the nation for seven decades. His term at Rajya Sabha (the Upper House of Parliament) ends on April 9, 2014.

13.An Indian origin doctor, Dr. Hemant Thatte developed a 21-chemical solution known as SOMAH Solution that could preserve a donated organ for up to a week before a transplant.
Dr. Hemant Thatte is a senior cardiovascular surgeon at HarvardUniversity.
What is SOMAH Solution?
SOMAH Solution in Sanskrit means elixir of immortality.
The new preservative that is a mixture of 21 chemicals, has the potential to store the heart (and other organs) for up to 7 days.
A research paper published in the medical journal Circulation in October 2009 showed cells of organs preserved in SOMAH had a lower rate of death than in another preservation solution.
The biggest advantage of SOMAH is that it can be used at room temperatures.
Presently, hearts and lungs need to be transplanted within 4-6 hours of being recovered from a brain-dead donor, the liver within 8 hours and kidneys within a bit more than 24 hours. In addition, the available organs cannot be transported long-distance for transplant and have to be made available locally.

14.The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXII Olympic Winter Games, held in Sochi, Russia. Host nation Russia finished on top of the medal table by winning 33 medals in the tournament.
Top five Countries who topped the list:
Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze
1 Russia (RUS)* 13 11 9
2 Norway (NOR) 11 5 10
3 Canada (CAN) 10 10 5
4 United States (USA) 9 7 12
5 Netherlands (NED) 8 7 9

15.The Sri Lankan parliament passed a law that makes it mandatory for putting graphic warning on cigarette packs. Under the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol Act, the three regulations passed to discourage smoking in the country.
As per the regulation
Pictorial warnings should be printed on the surface of both front and back portions of every cigarette packet, package or carton containing cigarettes covering 80% of the pack, package or cartoon.

16.The Chief Minister of Bihar, Mr. Nitish Kumar unveiled the world’s longest free Wi-Fi zone at the e-Bihar summit in Patna. The free Wi-Fi zone stretched nearly 20 km between the National Institute of Technology (NIT) at the eastern end of the Ashok Rajpath and Danapur at the western end of the state capital, Patna.
This new free Wi-Fi zone beats the current world’s longest zone of 3.5 km in China.

17.The Quadricycles will be allowed to run in cities across the country from October 1, 2014. It will have hard top and doors. As a safety measure, it will be mandatory for such vehicles to have seatbelts for both the occupants in the front and two in the rear seat.
Objective to permit Quadricycles: To replace the auto-rickshaws because the emission norms of these vehicles are better than auto-rickshaws.
About Quadricycles
Four-wheel vehicle with a small engine.
Maximum speed: 70 kmph.
Manufactured by Bajaj Auto.
Expected to run 35 km on a litre of fuel.
Won’t be allowed to ply on highways.
More efficient on security and safety concerns as it had introduced the provision of seatbelts and braking system like that of cars, which falls under M1 category of vehicles.
The weight of the battery excluded from the vehicle curb weight to promote no carbon emission.

18.The Union Cabinet gave its nod for classifying Odia as a classical language to give impetus to scholarships in the language. It is the sixth Indian language to get such prestigious tag after Sanskrit, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam.
There has been a long-standing demand that Odia, which is one of the oldest languages and has no resemblance to Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali, Telugu, etc, be declared as a classical language.
What is a ‘Classical Language’ ?
A classical language is a language with a literature (art of written work) that is classical. U.C.Berkeley linguist George L. Hart defined Classical Language as follows:
“It should be ancient, it should be an independent tradition that arose mostly on its own, not as an offshoot of another tradition, and it must have a large and extremely rich body of ancient literature.”
Classical languages are those which are ancient, of an independent nature and not a derivative of any other tradition. And based on above, Chinese, Sanskrit, Tamil, Hebrew, Greek and Latin are considered as the Classical Languages of the World. Of these only Chinese and Tamil are used by masses now.
In India, Tamil was the first to gain the Classical Language status, followed by Sanskrit in 2005. These two languages (Tamil and Sanskrit) are undoubtedly parental sources for many languages belonging to the Indo-European family and the Dravidian family of linguistic groups.
Which are the Classical Languages of India?
Languages thus far declared to be Classical are:
Tamil (2004)
Sanskrit (2005)
Kannada (2008)
Telugu (2008)
Malayalam (2013)
Odia (2014)

19.The Archaelogical Survey of India (ASI) and Google jointly launched 360-degree panoramic imagery of 30 out of 100 “nationally-important monuments”.
Objective: To create a dynamic, immersive online experience by which people within India and around the world can understand and engage more of India’s diverse cultural heritage.
In pursuance of the signed agreement with ASI and Union Culture Ministry, Google created a virtual walkthrough application using its Street View Trekker technology for the first time in India.
The images of sites that can be accessed on Google Maps through Street View are the Taj Mahal, Humayun’s Tomb, Qutub Minar, Red Fort, Jantar Mantar, Fatehpuri Sikri, Itimad-ud-Daula, Agra Fort, Krishnagiri Fort, Rajagiri Fort, Chandragiri Fort, Agha Khan Palace, Fort St George, Nagarjuna Hill, Raigad Fort, etc.

20.Email miles is a new GPS based system that tells us how far our email has travelled. This new technology uses Global Positioning System (GPS) and internet tracking to calculate the number of miles an email has travelled before reaching an inbox.
About the new technology “Email miles”
A free and open source plug-in for standard email software.
Inventor: Jonah Brucker-Cohen

21.India and oil-rich Gulf nation Bahrain signed three pacts to boost bilateral ties. The pacts were signed in the presence of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in New Delhi.

22.The Supreme Court ruled that people are free to adopt children irrespective of their religious background. The move paved the way for adoption of child by persons hailing from Muslim community even though it is not allowed under their personal law.
The bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam stated that the
Law entitles adoption by people belonging to any religion and any person, who does not submit himself to personal law, can adopt a child.
Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act is a small step towards the concept of Uniform Civil Code mentioned in Article 44 of the Constitution of India.
Act does not mandate any compulsive action by any prospective parent leaving such person with the liberty of accessing the provisions of the Act, if he so desires.
Act is an enabling legislation that gives a prospective parent the option of adopting an eligible child by following due procedure.
The SC judgment came on petition filed by activist Ms. Shabnam Hashmi who had approached the apex court after being refused permission to adopt.

23.As per study led by University of Minnesota researchers, the fertilization of natural grasslands, either intentionally or unintentionally as a side effect of global farming and industry, is having a destabilizing effect on global grassland ecosystems.
About the study on “Fertilization destabilizes Global Grassland Ecosystems”
First international experiment by using a network of natural grassland research sites around the world known as Nutrient Network (or NutNet).
Assessed the effect of fertilizer on 41 sites across 5 continents.
The experimental network included eco-systems from alpine areas of China to Serengeti in Tanzania.
Outcome: Found that plant diversity in natural ecosystems creates more stable ecosystems over time because of less synchronized growth of plants.
Also found that grassland diversity and stability reduces when fertilizers added.
In other words, the balance output of the ecological safety net on addition of fertilizer was upset across diverse grassland as the various organisms in those disappeared.
NutNet is a “grassroots campaign” that is supported by scientists who volunteer their time and resources.
Published in the international journal Nature.

24.The Minister for Minority Affairs Mr. K Rehman Khan inaugurated India’s first Minority Cyber Village in Chandoli in Alwar district of Rajasthan. Ministry of Minority Affairs has targeted villages with substantial population of minorities for this project. Minority people will be benefited more from this cyber village concept.

25.The social media giant, Facebook announced purchased popular mobile messaging company WhatsApp for a whopping $19 billion. To date, it is the largest acquisition by the Mark Zuckerberg-led firm, which will give it a stronghold in the market for messaging. (Facebook HQ:Menlo Park, California, US).
The whopping acquisition price includes $4 billion in cash, about $12 billion worth of Facebook shares and $3 billion in restricted stock units to be granted to WhatsApp founders and employees that will vest over four years following the closing of the deal.
About mobile messaging company WhatsApp
A cross-platform mobile app that allows users to exchange messages without having to pay telecom charges.
In other words, it is simple, fast and reliable mobile messaging service that is used by over 450 million people on every major mobile platform.
Why Facebook bought WhatsApp?
The acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook is to speed up the company’s ability to bring connectivity and utility around the world. As part of the deal, the WhatsApp co-founder and CEO Jan Koum would join the Facebook board.
Benefit: WhatsApp would complement the existing chat and messaging services to provide new tools for Facebook community.
WhatsApp’s core messaging product and Facebook’s existing messenger app will continue to operate as standalone applications.
The acquisition will not impact the WhatsApp’s brand and the company’s headquarters will remain in California’s Mountain View.

26.The Union Cabinet approved the creation of Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC), to check discrimination of minority communities in jobs and education.
About Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC)
Exclusively for minorities.
Mandate: To ensure that no minority community is discriminated against on religious grounds by redressing complaints.
Deal with grievances viz. denial of accommodation or buying rights to minorities in housing societies.
Has to make binding recommendations that people from minority communities find adequate representation in government employment or educational institutions.
The Justice Sachar Committee that went into the socio-economic backwardness of Muslims had recommended setting up of the Commission.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) also gave its nod to the proposal to set up coal regulator. The coal regulator would be
Set up through an executive order.
Empowered to specify the principles and methodology for determination of price of raw coal and washed coal and any other by-product generated during washing.
Also regulate methods for testing for declaration of grades or quality of coal, specify procedure for automatic coal sampling and adjudicate upon disputes between the parties. The bill for setting up a regulator for the sector is pending before Parliament.

27.Parliament passed “Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) bill-2014” to regulate street vending activities and protect the rights of urban street vendors besides ensuring steps against harassment by police and civic authorities. The Rajya Sabha adopted the bill by a voice vote and without discussion. (the bill was already passed by Lok Sabha).

Excerpts of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) bill-2014

Objective: To protect the rights of urban street vendors and regulating street vending activities and to create conducive atmosphere where street vendors will be eligible to carry out their business in a fair and transparent manner, without fear of eviction and harassment.
Legalizes street vending activities to ensure urban street vendors’ safety from police harassment.
Propose: To set up Town Vending Committees (TVC), which will be responsible for deciding vending zones and the number of vendors that each zone should have.
Provides protection of livelihoods rights, social security of street vendors, regulation of urban street vending in the country and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
Provides time-bound release of seized goods, for both perishable and non-perishable goods
There is a provision for establishment of an independent dispute redressal mechanism under the chairmanship of retired judicial officers to maintain impartiality towards grievance redressal of street vendors.
In order to avoid uncertainty of authorities, the Bill provides for a survey of all existing street vendors, and subsequent survey at-least once in every five years, and issue of certificate of vending to all the street vendors identified in the survey, with preference to SC, ST, OBC, women, persons with disabilities, minorities etc.
As per Section 29 of the Bill street vendors will be protected from harassment by police and other authorities and there is a prime clause to ensure they carry on their business without the fear of harassment by the authorities under any other law.
To prevent delay in implementation, the bill provides that the Rules under the Bill have to be notified within one year of its commencement, and Scheme has to be notified within six months of its commencement.
Note: The Parliament also passed two other bills: Governors Emoluments, (Allowances and Privileges) Amendment and National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research (Amendment). These two bills were also approved by the Rajya Sabha without discussion after these were adopted by the Lok Sabha.

28.The space rock, known as 2000 EM26, poses no threat and passed the Earth at just under nine times the distance to the moon. Though, it is defined as a potentially hazardous Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) that was large enough to cause significant damage in the event of an impact.

29.Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy resigned from the post of Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and also quitted from the membership of the State Assembly and the Congress Party. Andhra Pradesh Governor E S L Narasimhan accepted the resignation of Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and asked him to continue in office till alternative arrangements are made.
Why Mr. Reddy resigned from the CM post of Andhra?
To protest against the Congress and Centre’s decision to divide AP and the way the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Bill was dealt with in Parliament. Now, the formation of Telangana state waited for the formal nod of President, as the Telangana Bill passed in both Houses of Parliament.
Highlights of the Telangana Bill:
Telangana will have 10 districts and the rest of Andhra Pradesh 13 districts.
Hyderabad will remain the joint capital of Telangana and residuary Andhra Pradesh for ten years.
The Bhadrachalam division will continue to be with Khammam district which will be part of Telangana.
NTPC will construct a 4,000 MW power project in Telangana to solve the electricity problem in the region.
A petroleum university will be constructed in Seemandhra region while seats for Semmandhra students in educational institutes in Telangana will be reserved for ten years.
Article 371 D will continue for the both states to ensure equitable opportunities for education and public employment.
Note: Telangana will become the 29th state of India after the approval of President of India.