WBCS Current Affairs 26/03/2016 to 01/04/2016

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1. Asia’s largest and first of its kind optical telescope Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) was unveiled at Devasthal in Nainital District, Uttrakahnd. It was remotely activated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Belgian counterpart Charles Michel from Belgium. Key facts Aries telescope was joint collaborative technological effort between Indian and Belgian scientists. Location: It has been located at a height of 2,500 metres at Devasthal in Nainital district. The site was chosen for getting a clear view of the sky. Features: The ARIES optical telescope has mirror of 3.6 m diameter. The telescope facility has been incorporated with high end technology which enables it to be operated with the help of remote control from anywhere in the world. Applications: It will help in the study and exploration of planets, starts, magnetic field and astronomical debris. It will also help research of star structures and magnetic field structures of stars. Background The ARIES telescope has been a joint international effort between Indian, Russian and Belgian scientist. In March 2007 ARIES and Belgian company Advanced Mechanical and Optical Systems (AMOS) had entered a contract for design, manufacture, integration, testing, supply and installation of the telescope. Belgium also had funded 7 per cent of the project whose total cost is estimated to be more than 120 crore rupees.

2. India’s first indigenous composites sonar dome, a ship’s underwater eyes and ears, was flagged off by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. The sonar dome was dedicated to the nation dedicated to the nation and will be delivered to Mazgaon Docks, Mumbai for use in the warships of Indian Navy. Key facts The sonar dome is dsigned and produced by a Defence and Research Development Organisation’s (DRDO’s) Research and Development Establishment (Engineers) lab based in Pune. It is a first of its kind in the country to be manufactured by the Goa-based composites manufacturing company Kineco. The sonar dome functions as the ship’s underwater eyes and ears and mostly all anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ships have a sonar array fitted to the ship structure below the waterline. The sonar dome is a structure is fitted over the sonar array to make it acoustically transparent in order to avoid exposure of its electronics and sensors to surrounding hostile environment. With successfully building indigenous sonar dome, India joins a select group of nations which have the capability of realising large composites structure with complex geometry, high structural rigidity and multi-functional requirements with acoustic transparency. Sonar: It is an acronym for SOund Navigation And Ranging. It is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater) to navigate, communicate with or detect objects on or under the surface of the water, such as other vessels.

3. Faustin Archange Touadera (58) took the oath of office as the new President of Central African Republic (CAR). With this he becomes first elected leader of CAR since Muslim rebels had overthrown the government in early 2013. His presidency puts an end to a two-year transitional government that came into force in early 2014. Touadera is well respected former mathemathics Professor. He had served as Prime Minister as former Prime Minister of ex-president Francois Bozize from January 2008 to January 2013.

4. China has successfully launched 22nd new generation satellite into space as part of its domestic BeiDou Navigation System (BDS). It was launched using Long March-3A carrier rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center located in the south-western province of Sichuan. It was the 225th launch of the Long March carrier rocket. About BeiDou Navigation System (BNS) BNS is 2nd generation of the Chinese navigational system seen as rival to the US’s Global Positioning System (GPS). BeiDou is Mandarin means magnetic Compass which was one of the Chinese major invention in the history which had revolutionized the sea voyages. The system comprises total 35 satellites in two separate satellite constellations (i) Limited test system (operational since 2000) (ii) A full-scale global navigation system which is currently under construction. The BNS became operational in China in December 2011, with the constellation of 10 satellites. In December 2012, the system began offering services to customers in the Asia-Pacific region and on its completion in 2020 it will provide services to global customers. After completion, the project would become an equivalent of the US Global Positioning System, Russia’s Glonass, and Europe’s Galileo. Applications: (i) Civilian services: navigation, messaging, transportation and weather forecasting sectors. (ii) Military applications: ensure privacy for its military communications and missile launches by reducing the dependence on US operated GPS.

5. Htin Kyaw (69) sworn in as the first elected civilian (non-military) President of Myanmar after 53 years of military rule. Myanmar’s Army was in power since 1962 coup. He belongs to National League for Democracy (NLD) Party and succeeds Thein Sein, who had stepped down after end of five years of army-backed rule. Apart from him, Military backed Myint Swe and NLD member Henry Van Thio were sworn in as first vice-president and second vice-president of the country along 18 Cabinet ministers. Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi who is the leader of NLD party that has majority in the Parliament was sworn in as foreign affairs Minister. She also is Minister of President’s office, education, and energy and electric power. Htin Kyaw is a close aide and adviser of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. He was as the first civilian President of the country by the Myanmar’s Parliament on 15 March 2016. Even though NLD is having majority in Parliament, Aung San Suu Kyi was not able to become President as the military drafted 2008 constitution of country bars citizen having children of another country nationality. Her children hold British passports.

6. The Russian Government has approved a deal of ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) to acquire 15% stake in Vankor oilfield from Rosneft. The deal was signed between the OVL and Rosneft in September 2015 and is worth 1.3 billion US dollars. Vankor is Russia’s second biggest oil field with capacity of total 2.5 billion recoverable reserves barrels (or 500 million tonnes).

7. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared that Ebola outbreak in West Africa is no longer constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. WHO, a specialized agency of the United Nations has officially declared an end to a nearly 20-month Ebola outbreak emergency that has killed about 11,300 people. The declaration was made by WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan after accepting the recommendations of a committee of independent experts. The committee also has called for the lifting of any travel and trade restrictions affecting Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Ebola outbreak Guinea was birthplace of deadliest Ebola outbreak in history and was initially centred on country’s remote south-eastern region of Nzerekore in 2013. Later it had spread to its neighbouring countries Liberia and Sierra Leone and also seven other countries. So far has killed more than 11,300 people in these three worst hit western African nations.

8. Haryana became the first state in the country to implement the use of injectable contraceptives as a family planning measure. In this regard, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has launched ‘Project Salamati’ in assistance of Pathfinder International.

9. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has signed 11 unilateral Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs). With this CBDT has so far entered into 59 bilateral or unilateral APAs. 50 of these agreements have been signed in the current financial year i.e. 2016-17. Key facts The Advance Pricing Agreement (APA) programme was introduced in India by the Finance Act, 2012. It seeks provide a predictable and non-adversarial tax regime and to reduce litigation in the Indian transfer pricing regime. The APAs cover a wide range of international transactions, including royalty, corporate guarantees, software development services, IT enabled services and trading. The agreements also pertain to different industrial sectors like media, telecom, automobiles, IT services, etc. Some of these APAs have rollback provisions and provide certainty to the taxpayers for 9 years with regard to the covered international transactions. Rollback provisions in APAs were introduced in the July 2014 Budget to provide certainty on the pricing of international transactions for 4 years (rollback years).

10. Renowned playback singer P. Susheela Mohan created a new world record for singing highest number of songs. She has now been recognised by both the Guinness Book of World Records for singing most number of songs in Indian languages. Guinness Book of World Records officially credited her for singing record 17,695 songs (solo, duet and chorus backed songs) in twelve Indian languages. Asia Book of Records also has recognised her for singing close to 17, 330 songs. It bestowed certificate and a badge of honour to the singer for the most number of single studio recordings

11. The Union Government has unveiled Defence Procurement Procedure 2016 (DPP 2016). It was unveiled by Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on the sidelines of the Defexpo-2016 held in Goa. The DPP 2016 will replace the Defence Procurement Procedure 2013 (DPP 2013) and shall come into force on 1 April 2016. Highlights of DPP 2016 Aim: To ensure timely procurement of defence (military) equipment, systems, and platforms required by the armed forces through optimum utilization of allocated budgetary resources. Scope: It will cover all capital acquisitions undertaken by the Union Ministry of Defence, Defence Services and Indian Coast Guard (ICG) both from indigenous sources and import. Capital Acquisitions Schemes: They are broadly classified into 3 categories viz. Buy scheme: Outright purchase of equipment and procurements under this scheme are further categorized as Buy (Indian- IDDM), Buy (Indian), and Buy (Global). IDDM stands for Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured. Buy and Make scheme: The procurements are categorized as Buy and Make and Buy and Make (Indian). Make category Scheme: It seeks developing long-term indigenous defence capabilities and procurements. It empowers Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) to take a fast-track route in order to acquire weapons, which were limited to the armed forces till now. Procurement of defence equipment: Arranged in decreasing order of priority are categorized as (i) Buy (India-IDDM). (ii) Buy (Indian). (iii) Buy and Make (Indian). (iv) Buy and Make. (v) Buy (Global). Buy (India-IDDM) seeks to boost indigenous production and procurements under it should 40% sourced locally in terms of the content. It will promote domestic manufacturing, including government funding R&D and recognition of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in technology development. Background The DPP 2016 has been framed based on the recommendations of the Dhirendra Singh Committee that was appointed in May 2015 to review the DPP 2013. The Committee was tasked to evolve a policy framework to facilitate Make in India in defence manufacturing in order align the policy evolved with DPP-2013. It was also tasked to suggest requisite amendments in DPP-2013 in order to remove bottlenecks in the procurement process and also rationalize various aspects of defence procurement.

12. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to script history by launching a record number of 22 satellites in a single mission in May 2016. These satellites (micro and nano) will be launched using ISRO’s workhorse Polar rocket PSLV C34. It will be carrying India’s Cartosat 2C along with 21 other satellites from other countries, including US, Canada, Indonesia and Germany as co-passengers. This launch would be made from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota. Earlier in 2008, ISRO had sent ten satellites into orbit in a single mission. The US space agency NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) holds current world record for sending highest number of satellites in single launch. It had sent 29 satellites to the orbit in a single launch in 2013.

13. Public Sector Power equipment manufacturer Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has commissioned the second 40 MW hydropower generating unit at the Teesta low dam hydroelectric project (HEP) stage IV in West Bengal. The hydropower generating unit was successfully installed at the Teesta low dam HEP, a run-of-the-river greenfield project, located in Darjeeling district of the West Bengal. Key facts Teesta low dam HEP is being set up by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC). BHEL’s Bhopal, Jhansi, Rudrapur, Mumbai and Bengaluru facilities had supplied equipment for the project and execution of work was undertaken on site is being. The estimated annual energy (power) generation from the project is around 720 million units. It is expected to reduce green-house gas (GHGs) emissions and will help in achieving a low carbon development path for the state as well as the nation. So far, BHEL has commissioned nearly 400 hydro generating sets of various ratings with a cumulative capacity of around 20,000 MW in the country.

14. Russian grandmaster Sergey Karjakin has won the prestigious FIDE World Chess Candidates Tournament held in Moscow. In the final Round 14, he defeated American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana scoring 8.5 points. With this victory, he will now play with the incumbent world champion, Norwegian Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, in a match for the world chess crown in November 2016.

15. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Unites States Agency for International Development (USAID) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for development of solar parks in India. The MoU will facilitate 848 million US dollars in funding to develop solar parks across India. The collaboration of ADB and USAID will initially focus on the state of Rajasthan. Key facts The funding will assist India in developing the clean energy infrastructure by collaborating on design and development of PPP investment models for solar parks. It will help finance the development of solar parks in support of the Government of India’s renewable energy targets. The cooperation between two agencies will help to design and develop public-private partnership (PPP) models as well as study options for managing grid reliability. Under this agreement, USAID will align the technical resources of its existing Partnership to Advance Clean Energy Deployment (PACE-D) Program. USAID will support ADB’s investments in the development of solar parks and renewable energy transmission infrastructure in states.

16. The Telecom Commission has approved the number 112 as the single emergency number for India, similar to 911 of United States (US) and 999 of United Kingdom (UK). Henceforth Indian citizens in distress will be able to get all emergency services such as police, fire department and ambulance by just dialling this single-number. It will direct the call to concerned departments immediately for help. Key facts The service will also be accessible even through those landlines and mobile connections whose outgoing call facility has been temporarily suspended or stopped. Person in distress will be also able to make emergency communication even through SMS. This emergency system has facility to directly learn about the location of the caller or message sender that will be shared with the nearest help centre. The service will be operated and functioned by a call centre like facility. It will have representatives speaking in English, Hindi and the local language. At present, different Indian states have notified various emergency helpline numbers for assistance to special categories of citizens. With this 112 as the single emergency number, all existing emergency numbers such as police (100), ambulance (102), fire brigade (101) and Emergency Disaster Management (108) will be phased out.

17. India’s biggest ever land, naval and homeland security exhibition Defence Expo 2016 began in Goa. The four-day biennial event was inaugurated by the Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. This for the first time, the Expo is being held outside the national capital New Delhi.

18. The Union Government has notified the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, benefits and services) Act, 2016. The Act will provide statutory backing for transfer of subsidies and benefits to eligible people having Aadhaar (UID) number. Key facts Aadhaar Act seeks to provide efficient, transparent and targeted delivery of subsidies, benefits and services to individuals residing in India by assigning them unique identity numbers (UID) or Aadhaar number. It will be used for all benefit that will be linked to consolidated fund of India or the expenditure incurred from it. Both central and state government can use Aadhaar for disbursal for benefits and subsidies. However the Aadhaar number cannot be used as a proof of citizenship or domicile. The Act gives statutory for establishment of the Unique Identification Authority of India consisting of a Chairperson (part time or full time) and two Members (part time). Those individuals not having Aadhaar number shall be offered alternate and viable means of identification for delivery of the subsidies, benefits or service.

19. The 63rd National Film Awards for year 2015 were announced on 28 March 2016. Baahubali: The Beginning (Tamil, Telugu) directed by S. S. Rajamouli was selected as the Best feature film. Bajrangi Bhaijaan (Hindi) directed by Kabir Khan was selected as the Best Popular film providing wholesome entertainment. The 63rd National Film Awards in the various categories are as follows Best Actor: Amitabh Bachchan (Piku). Best Actress: Kangana Ranaut (Tanu Weds Manu Returns). Best Direction: Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Bajirao Mastani). Best Film on Social Issues: Niranayakam (Malayalam) directed by V. K. Prakash. Best Supporting Actor: Samuthirakani for the film Visaranai (Tamil). Best Supporting Actress: Tanvi Azmi for the film Bajirao Mastani (Hindi). Best Children’s Film: Duronto (Hindi) directed by Soumnedra Padhi. Best Child Artist: Gaurav Menon for the film Ben (Malayalam). Special Jury Award: Margarita with a Straw (Hindi) directed by Kalki Koechlin. Best Cinematography: Remo D’Souza for the film Bajirao Mastani (Hindi). Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director: Neeraj Ghaywan for the film Masaan (Hindi).

20. President Pranab Mukherjee has imposed Present’s Rule (State Emergency) in the state of Uttarakhand in the wake of constitutional breakdown under Article 356 of Constitution. In this regard, President has signed the proclamation state Emergency based on the recommendation of the Union Cabinet. With this proclamation, Congress Government headed by Chief Minister Harish Rawat ceased to function and the state Assembly has been suspended. Background The constitutional breakdown in state was due rebellion in the ruling Congress Government after its nine rebel MLAs rebelled, bringing government in minority in the state legislature. These 9 rebel MLAs were disqualified by the speaker under the anti-defection law. This disqualification had reduced the strength of the 70-member house to 61. So the final tally of Congress MLAs was 27 and BJP had 28 MLAs. About President’s Rule Article 356 empowers the President to issue a proclamation of Present’s Rule (State Emergency), if he is satisfied that situation has arisen in which government of a state cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. Notably, he can act accordance with the report of the Governor or without it.

21. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched India’s first indigenous rotavirus vaccine named Rotavac to combat infant mortality due to diarrhoea. It was launched by Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda as part country’s ambitious Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP). The vaccine is being introduced initially in four States Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh (first to launch it) and Odisha. It would be expanded to the entire country in a phased manner. The Rotavirus vaccine has been developed indigenously under a public-private partnership between the Union Ministry of Science Technology, Union Health Ministry, institutions of the US Government and NGOs in India supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The vaccine is administered orally to infants in three dose course at ages of six, ten and fourteen weeks as part of Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP). Note: The Rotavac vaccine is addition to three new vaccines that have been introduced by Union Government as part of country’s UIP. These three vaccines are Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV), Measles, Rubella (MR) vaccine, and Adult Japanese Encephalitis (JE) vaccine. About Rotavirus The Rotavirus is a genus of double-stranded RNA virus in the family Reoviridae. It most common causative agent of moderate-to-severe diarrhoea (MSD) among infants below 11 months age group and death among children less than five years of age. Transmission: The virus spreads from person to person due to bacterial and parasiting agents that are primarily transmitted through contaminated food or water. Impact on Health: It causes gastroenteritis after it damages the cells that line the small intestine and causes gastroenteritis. In some cases in causes malnutrition, delayed physical and mental development among children

22. Late Capt. Shankar Laxman was posthumously chosen for the 2016 Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award. The award carrying purse of Rs. 30 lakh was accepted by his son Manohar Singh Shekhawat during the 2016 Hockey India Annual Awards held in Bengaluru. Late Capt. Shankar Laxman was one of legendary hockey player in India. He was a goalkeeper and was part of the Olympic medal-winning teams of 1956 (Melbourne, Gold), 1960 (Rome, Silver), and 1964 (Tokyo, Gold). Other winners Dhruv Batra Player of the Year Award: P.R Sreejesh (male), Deepika (female). Baljit Singh Goalkeeper of the Year Award: Savita. Pargat Singh Defender of the Year Award: Kothajit Singh. Ajit Pal Singh Midfielder of the Year Award: Ritu Rani. Dhanraj Pillay Forward of the Year Award: Rani. Asunta Lakra Upcoming Player of the Year Award: Harjeet Singh (male), Preeti Dubey (female). Jaman Lal Sharma Award for Invaluable Contribution: Baldev Singh. President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement: Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy.

23. Indian-American Nandita Bakshi (57) has been appointed the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bank of the West, a subsidiary unit of French banking giant BNP Paribas. She will succeed Michael Shepherd who has been appointed as chairman of the BNP Paribas USA, a new holding company for all BNP Paribas subsidiaries in the United States.

24. An India-born academician Surya Deva has been appointed as the United Nations (UN) Adviser on Human Rights and Businesses. He was appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) as the Asia-Pacific representative of the UN Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises.

25. Syrian Army and popular defence forces have regained control of the ancient city of Palmyra from Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group. The liberation of the historic city of Palmyra from the ISIS terror group was undertaken by joint efforts of Syrian Army with support of national aviation and Russian Aerospace Forces. The ancient city of Palmyra is a UNESCO designated World Heritage site and home to some of the world’s most magnificent ancient ruins.

26. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has installed the Gadanki Ionospheric Radar Interferometer (GIRI) Radar System near Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. It was installed at the National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL), which is an autonomous research institute of the Department of Space (DoS). Features of GIRI Radar System Primary objective: Carry out unattended observations for studying the forcing from the sun like variation in solar flare, solar flux and magnetic storm on the ionospheric irregularities. Study unattended observations from the underneath atmosphere on the ionospheric irregularities (for e.g. waves generated by weather phenomena). Provide important information about the angular location of plasma irregularities during the onset phase. Also establish its relationship to background ionospheric state parameters and sunset terminator. Applications: Investigations made using this system are expected to improve the Equatorial Plasma Bubble (EPB) forecasting. It will further be detrimental for satellite based navigation/communication applications. Components: The GIRI has a 30 MHz radar system that will be engaged in meteor and space weather research. It consists of a rectangular antenna array of 160 two-element Yagi Uda-antenna. It will be arranged in a 20×8 matrix with 20 transmitter units. It also has 6 digital receivers including data processing systems, a host computer and a radar controller.

27. India and China have led the developing countries in investments made in renewable energy in 2015. It was revealed by the ‘Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment’ Report published by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Key facts For the first time commitments of emerging economies in solar, wind and other renewables’ capacity have surpassed those by wealthy nations. The developing world committed a total of 156 billion dollars in new renewables capacity in 2015 year, these figures up 19% on 2014. Within the developing-economy category, the “Big Three” of India, China and Brazil saw investment rise 16% to USD 120.2 billion. In contrast, renewable energy investments by developed countries were down by 8 per cent in 2015 to 130 billion dollars. A large part of the record-breaking investment in developing countries took place in China, with its investment commitment up by 17% to 102.9 billion dollars. India was also among the top 10 investing countries in renewable energy with its commitments rising 22% to USD 10.2 billion. It for the second time since 2011, India enjoyed a second successive year of increasing investment, breaching the USD 10 billion United States, Japan, UK Brazil, South Africa, Mexico and Chile also made it to the top 10 investing countries in 2015.

28. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been named among the world’s 50 greatest leaders by Fortune magazine. He is sole leader from India in the list and has been placed at 42nd position. 2016 edition is Fortune magazine’s third annual ‘World’s 50 Greatest Leaders’ list and it has been topped by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

29. Andhra Pradesh government inaugurated India’s first river linking project viz. Pattiseema lift irrigation project connecting Godavari River with Krishna River from the ongoing Polavaram Multi-purpose Irrigation Project. The project has been completed in a record time of one year by the Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL).

30. The Union Cabinet has given its approval for the implementation of the rural housing scheme of Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana- Gramin. Under the scheme, financial assistance will be provided for construction of pucca houses to all houseless and households living in dilapidated houses. Key facts The expenditure involved in implementing the project is Rs.81975 crore in a span of 3 years from 2016-17 to 2018-19. Under the scheme, it is proposed to provide assistance to one crore households for construction of pucca house. It will be implemented in rural areas throughout the country except in Delhi and Chandigarh. The beneficiaries will be identified using Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC)-2011 data ensuring total transparency and objectivity. The cost of houses would be shared between Centre and States Governments in the ratio 60:40 in plain areas and 90:10 for North Eastern and hilly states. Under this scheme, annual list of beneficiaries will be identified from the total list through participatory process by the Gram Sabha. Funds will be transferred electronically directly to the account of the beneficiary. He will be able to track the progress of his payments through the app. Inspection will be done though a mobile app. Locally appropriate house designs, will be mainly practised to address the natural calamities. The beneficiary is entitled to 90 days of unskilled labour from MGNREGA. This will be ensured through a server linkage between PMAY and MGNREGA. The additional requirement of building materials, bricks using cement stabilised earth or fly ash will be taken up under MGNREGA. National Technical Support Agency will be established to provide technical support to the Centre and States to ensure their quality of construction of the houses. Background During the President’s address in the Joint Session of Parliament in May 2014, it was announced that every family will have a pucca house with water connection, 24×7 electricity supply, toilet facilities by the time the nation completes 75 years of its Independence (by 2022).

31. Australian all-rounder Shane Watson (34) has declared his retirement from all forms of International Cricket after the end of his team’s campaign in the ongoing ICC World Twenty20. He made this announcement at I S Bindra Stadium in Mohali, Punjab. Earlier in 2015, he had announced his retirement from Test cricket at the end of 2015 Ashes tour of England.