Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:15-06-15
S.NO. NEWS ITEM
SYLLUBUS
1.
Call to preserve a) I.R
Kotnis spirit in
India-China ties
(Page 11)
2.
Fear runs high in a) I.R
enclaves (Page
11)
b) National
3.
4300 from Af,
a)
Pak get
citizenship (Page b)
1)
4.
Sub-optimal
accord (Page 8)
a)
5.
The hot SaudiIran cold war
(Page 8)
a)
6.
7.
8.
ESSENCE OF THE ARTICLE
a) A senior Chinese political leader said that the
exchange of recent visits by PM Modi and the Chinese
President Xi have ensured a new environment of
friendship and co-operation between the two countries.
a) As the Indian and Bangladeshi governments are set
to conclude the process of exchange of enclaves by July
31, residents of some of the enclaves in West Bengals
Cooch Behar district are allegedly being harassed by
anti-social elements.
I.R
a) The NDA govt said it had granted citizenship to
nearly 4300 Hindu and Sikh refugees from Pakistan and
National
Afghanistan in its one year of being in power, nearly four
times the number granted to such persons in preceding
five years under UPA-II.
International a) The 16-point agreement signed on June 8 among
Nepals four largest political parties should bring closure
to the long-delayed process of promulgating a new
Constitution for Naya Nepal.
International a) Saudi Arabian-Iran rivalry is no longer about two
nations fighting for supremacy, but is now deeply
intertwined with regional geopolitics and sectarian
equations. Any effort to find long-lasting peace in West
Asia should primarily address this problem IS derives its
strength from the weakening of nation states.
Disinvestment
a)
hopes slip on
stock market
volatility (Page
13)
Submarine begins a)
search for missing
aircraft (Page 11) b)
Economy
a) The govts efforts to offload a portion of its
shareholding in public sector undertakings have begun in
right intense.
National
Comet probe
Philae wakes up
(Page 12)
a)
S&T
b)
Geography
a) The Indian Navys submarine INS Sindhudhvaj
commenced its search to confirm transmission signals
likely from the sonar locator beacon of the Coast Guards
missing Dornier aircraft CG 791.
a) Mission officials said that Europes tiny robot lab
Philae (moving through space on the back of a comet)
awoke overnight and sent home its first message in
nearly seven months.
S&T
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Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:15-06-15
S.NO. NEWS ITEM
SYLLUBUS
1.
Call to preserve a) I.R
Kotnis spirit in
India-China ties
(Page 11)
BACKGROUND
a) India – China
relations
b) Industrial and
cultural cooperation
IMPORTANT POINTS
a) A senior Chinese political
leader Zhang Dejiang said that
the exchange of recent visits by
PM Modi and the Chinese
President Xi have ensured a
new environment of friendship
and co-operation between the
two countries.
b) On a visit to Mumbai, he
said the legendary work of Dr.
Dwarkanath Kotnis in his
country will always be
remembered and this Kotnis
spirit of friendship and service
must be preserved.
2.
Fear runs high in a)
enclaves (Page
11)
b)
I.R
National
c) Earlier, he met
Maharashtra CM Devendra
Fadnavis and explored the
possibilities of enhancing
industrial and cultural
cooperation in various fields.
a) India – Bangladesh a) As the Indian and
relations
Bangladeshi governments are
set to conclude the process of
b) Land Boundary
exchange of enclaves by July
Agreement (LBA)
31, residents of some of the
enclaves in West Bengals
c) Marijuana
Cooch Behar district are
cultivation
allegedly being harassed by
anti-social elements.
b) Activists working in the
enclaves say that due to the
absence of any police and
administration in the enclaves
so far, these culprits used to run
extortion rackets and other
illegal activities there. On June
6, both countries exchanged
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Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:15-06-15
instruments of ratification of
the LBA 1974.
3.
4300 from Af,
a)
Pak get
citizenship (Page b)
1)
I.R
National
c) The Powtharkuchi enclave
in the Dinhata (which had a
history of illegal activities such
as the cultivation of marijuana)
was classified as highly
sensitive. With the agreement,
those who run the marijuana
business fear that their business
would stop. A resident said the
marijuana season is just a
month away and we are afraid
these culprits will create
trouble.
a) Citizenship for
a) The NDA govt said it had
Hindu and Sikh refugees granted citizenship to nearly
4300 Hindu and Sikh refugees
b) Israels Law of
from Pakistan and Afghanistan
Return
in its one year of being in
power, nearly four times the
number granted to such persons
in preceding five years under
UPA-II.
b) According to officials, this
rapid increase in granting
citizenships is in keeping with
BJPs stated aim of positioning
India as a natural home for
Hindus fleeing persecution
anywhere in the world, a policy
similar to Israels Law of Return
that grants only Jews the right
to return and settle there. This
policy was outlined in the BJPs
election manifesto for the 2014
Lok Sabha elections.
c) The decision was taken to
address difficulty being faced
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Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:15-06-15
4.
Sub-optimal
accord (Page 8)
a)
International
a) Nepals new
Constitution process
b) Westminster
parliamentary model
c) Constituent
Assembly (CA)
by Hindu and Sikh minorities of
Pakistan, Bangladesh and
Afghanistan who had come
with the intention of settling
permanently in India. There are
400 Pakistani Hindu refugee
settlements in cities such as
Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner and
Jaipur. Hindu refugees from
Bangladesh mostly live in West
Bengal and northeastern States.
a) The 16-point agreement
signed on June 8 among Nepals
four largest political parties
should bring closure to the
long-delayed process of
promulgating a new
Constitution for Naya Nepal.
d) Communist Party of b) Losing from earthquakes
Nepal (Unified Marxist- in April and May, Nepal sorely
required its polity and its
Leninist)
elected CA to push for an
e) Nepali Congress
accord to resolve outstanding
issues - key ones being state
restructuring and the form of
governance. On the latter issue,
the deal decided to retain the
Westminster parliamentary
model with an executive Prime
Minister and a constitutional
head of state in the President.
c) Maoists had been opposed
to the parliamentary model, but
have agreed to take the process
of promulgation forward. On
state restructuring, the accord
has roughly identified an eightstate model whose boundaries
would be decided by a federal
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Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:15-06-15
commission.
d) State restructuring was a
key demand among the plainsdwellers, minorities and jana
jatis in the run-up to the first
CA elections in 2008.
e) The decision under the
accord to leave the task of
resolving what is effectively a
political issue to an unelected
commission is therefore not an
optimal one. Ironically, the first
iteration of the CA (before its
dissolution in 2012) had
managed to nearly resolve the
state restructuring issue before
some elements from the
Communist Party of Nepal
(Unified Marxist-Leninist) and
the Nepali Congress managed
to prevent a closing solution.
5.
The hot SaudiIran cold war
(Page 8)
a)
International
f) It is to be hoped that the
proposed commission manages
to bring about a federal
structure that is close enough to
what was nearly arrived at by
the first CA.
a) Saudi-Iran cold war a) The rapid rise of the ISIS
is a development that must have
b) Islamic State in Iraq taken many by surprise. What
and Syria (ISIS)
was once a small group of
Sunni militants in north-western
c) Syria and Iraq crisis
Iraq engaged in a sectarian
battle with the Shia govt in
d) Islamic State (IS)
Baghdad till 3 years ago (the ale) Al-Qaeda
Qaeda of Iraq) has now
transformed itself into one of
f) Iranian Revolution the most sophisticated forms of
jihadi machinery in the world,
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Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:15-06-15
g) Islamic revolution of controlling territories that are as
1979
large as Great Britain with a
population of around 8 million.
h) Iran-Iraq war of
1980-88
b) IS derives its strength from
weakening of nation states. And
i) Gulf Cooperation
there are at least 3 factors that
Council (GCC)
have contributed to weakening
of states in contemporary West
Asia - external interventions;
the Arab revolts and Saudi-Iran
hostility. First two gave SaudiIran balance of power conflict a
new context and battlefields,
and together are reshaping West
Asian geopolitics.
c) The Saudi-Iran competition
dates back to the days before
the Iranian Revolution. Both the
Pahlavi dynasty of Iran and the
al-Saud royal family of Saudi
Arabia competed for regional
influence as well as for an edge
in the global energy market,
even as they remained the two
pillars of USs West Asian
policy. The Islamic revolution
of 1979 (that overthrew the
monarchy in Iran) brought
about an ideological twist to
this competition - Shia Islamist
Republicanism versus Sunni
Wahhabism.
d) Sunni monarchs and
dictators faced two challenges
in the aftermath of the Iranian
revolution. First, the possibility
of their own people (inspired by
the Iranian revolution) turning
against them; and second, the
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Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:15-06-15
potential rise of Iran as a
regional power. To prevent
both, they wanted to contain
Iran.
e) On the other hand, Tehran
seeing Riyadh as the leader of a
bloc that sought to destroy its
natural rise, wanted to counter
those efforts. The stage was set
for a new form of rivalry in the
region. Its first definite
manifestation was the Iran-Iraq
war of 1980-88, in which most
Sunni states stood behind an
aggressive Saddam Hussein
despite their differences with
him.
f) Though the Sunni coalition
could not achieve its goal of
overthrowing Islamic regime in
Tehran, it succeeded in locking
Iran into a long-lasting conflict
with Iraq. At the same time, the
Saudis stitched together an
alliance of Gulf monarchies to
strengthen their regional
standing. The formation of the
GCC (a group of conservative
Gulf monarchies) in 1981 was
initially designed to counter
Iranian influence.
g) It became the lynchpin of
Saudi strategy towards Tehran.
In the years that followed, an
emergence of a Saudi-led axis
of Sunni Arab monarchies and
dictatorships voiced itself
against Iran. Iran was behind
the formation of the Hezbollah,
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Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:15-06-15
a Shia militia-cum-political
movement in Lebanon, in the
early 1980s, and had been one
of the consistent supporters of
the Palestinian militant group,
Hamas.
h) What changed the rules of
this balance of power game was
the American invasion of Iraq
in 2003. The war not only
defeated Saddam Hussein (Irans
biggest direct threat in region)
but also set the stage for the
political rise of Iraqs majority
Shia community, who had
historical ties with Iran.
i) The formation of a Shia
govt in Baghdad has only
strengthened Iranian influence
in Iraq. Saudi Arabia (which
had seen Iraq as a buffer
between Iran and the rest of the
region) was alarmed by the fall
of Baghdad into Iranian hands.
To be sure, it was a historical
blow for their interests, though
that was not least of American
intentions while launching the
war.
j) This cold war went beyond
Iraq into greater West Asia with
breakout of Arab street revolts.
In the fall of Egypts Hosni
Mubarak, Saudi Arabia lost an
ally. Iraq had already gone into
Iranian camp and Riyadh did
not want the same to happen in
Bahrain, a GCC member.
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Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:15-06-15
k) In Syria, a Sunni majority
country ruled by the Alawitedominated Baath party, this
Saudi-Iranian rivalry played out
disastrously. When protests
broke out in Syria, the Saudis
changed tack. If they batted for
stability in Egypt, Bahrain and
Yemen, their slogan in Syria
has been regime change,
because Damascus has been an
ally of Tehran. Saudi Arabia
and its GCC allies actively
funded and weaponised Syrian
rebel groups which played a
major role in destabilising parts
of the country.
l) Syria is now effectively a
divided country where at least
five blocs (including the
regime, the IS and the so-called
moderate rebels) hold on to
territories. In Iraq, Baghdads
writ rules only in Shia majority
regions, while the Iraqi Armys
fight against the IS is largely
backed by Iran-controlled
militias. Yemen is being
destroyed by Saudi bombers,
while the Houthis are tightening
their grip over the country.
Lebanon could be the next
battleground where Iran-backed
Hezbollah is a strong actor.
m) The Saudi-led axis has
already expressed concerns
over Hezbollahs growing power
in the country, where Sunni
extremist groups are
particularly targeting Hezbollah
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Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:15-06-15
positions, threatening to drag
the country into another civil
war.
6.
Disinvestment
hopes slip on
stock market
volatility (Page
13)
a)
Economy
n) The Saudi-Iran rivalry is
no longer about two nations
competing for supremacy; its
now deeply intertwined with
regional geopolitics and
sectarian equations. Any effort
to find long-lasting peace in
West Asia should primarily
address this problem. If not, this
game of destabilising the region
in the name of proxy battles
will go on, creating conditions
for the emergence of more
groups like IS.
a) The govts efforts to offload
a) Disinvestment
a portion of its shareholding in
b) Public Sector
PSUs have begun in right
intense. In third week of May,
Undertakings (PSUs)
the CCEA headed by the PM
c) Cabinet Committee gave its approval to Department
of Disinvestment for the sale of
on Economic Affairs
govt stake in 20 PSUs.
(CCEA)
d)
Stock market
b) The market prices of the
shares of the companies, being
divested will obviously not be
the same as those prevailing at
the time of cabinet approval.
The govt would have based
their expectations on extremely
optimistic stock quotes. The
mistake of basing estimates on
a volatile market stands
exposed so early in the year.
c) It is also problematic as to
whether the market can absorb
so many shares at one ago at the
assumed price. However, the
govt is right in planning ahead.
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Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:15-06-15
It should minimise the faults
that had troubled disinvestment
programme over the years.
d) The term disinvestment
refers to the process through
which the govt offloads a
portion of its shareholding in a
PSU. Capital receipts collected
will help in central government
finances. Under disinvestment,
govt will remain the majority
shareholder even if its postdivestment shareholding is
smaller than before.
e) Govt ownership with at
least 51 percent stake after
divestment has been nonnegotiable in most cases.
Economic logic would suggest
a further divestment in some
PSBs to enable them raise
additional capital. However,
even if govt would remain the
biggest shareholder, it will not
let its stake come down to
below 51 percent.
f) With such a large budgetary
target, the govt faces a number
of daunting challenges. Some of
these are common, inherent in
the process itself. The most
important challenge is for the
govts economic managers to
remain steady in the face of
severe criticism that could
obstruct the process.
g) If the conventional
divestment (the govt sells only
a small portion and keeps the
majority stake) can be so
controversial, strategic sale has
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Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:15-06-15
become almost impossible.
Here, the govt cedes control
along with a majority stake and
control to strategic partner.
7.
Submarine begins a)
search for
missing aircraft b)
(Page 11)
National
a)
INS Sindhudhvaj
S&T
b)
INS Sandhayak
c) National Remote
Sensing Centre
h) The shadow looms over
one important source of public
finance. The stock markets are
unreliable and the other usual
challenges remain as difficult as
ever.
a) The Indian Navys
submarine INS Sindhudhvaj
commenced its search to
confirm transmission signals
likely from the sonar locator
beacon of the Coast Guards
missing Dornier aircraft CG
791.
b) INS Sindhudhvaj was
called in following intermittent
transmission signals, likely
from the missing aircraft. They
were picked up by naval ship
INS Sandhayak.
8.
Comet probe
a)
Philae wakes up
(Page 12)
b)
S&T
a)
Philae
Geography
b)
Comet 67P
c)
Rosetta
e)
Solar system
c) The National Remote
Sensing Centre - Hyderabad
(which was requested to
provide satellite imagery of the
search area) is likely to provide
a second imagery.
a) Mission officials said that
Europes tiny robot lab Philae
(moving through space on back
of a comet) awoke overnight
and sent home its first message
in nearly seven months.
b) The mission seeks to
unlock the long-held secrets of
comets - ancient clusters of ice
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Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:15-06-15
and dust that scientists believe
may reveal how the Solar
System was formed.
c) Philae touched down on
the comet on Nov 12 after an
epic 10-year trek piggybacking
on Rosetta. But instead of
striking itself onto the iceballs
surface, the lander bounced
several times before settling at
an angle in a dark ditch.
d) The hope was that better
light as the comet approaches
the Sun would recharge Philaes
batteries enough for it to reboot,
then make contact, and
ultimately carry out a new
series of experiments. But three
bids to make contact, in March,
April and May, all came to
nothing.
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