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BRAIN TREEC I V I L S E R V I C E S E X A M I N A T I O N

C U R R E N T A F F A I R S & G E N E R A L K N O W L E D G E

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1st January, 2009 to 31st January, 2009

10. President Pratibha Patil has given assent to the Criminal Procedure Code ( Amendment ) Bill,which restrains the police from arresting a person for criminal offences for which the maximum

sentences is up to seven year imprisonment. The Bill, passed in the last session of parliament,has now become a law and it will come into force from the date of notification by the centre.It incorporates the recommendations of the Law Commission, the Justice Malimath Committeereport and guidelines issued by the supreme court from time to time to prevent over crowding of

jails with under trials.

BACKGROUNDER

Before the amendment, section 41 of the CrPC permitted the police to arrest withoutwarrant any person who has been concerned with any cognizable offence, even on themere presence of reasonable suspicion. The new provisions stipulate that for cognizableoffences punishable with a maximum imprisonment of less than seven years, arrests should

be made only against the existence of credible information or a reasonable complaint.The police moreover, are obliged to record in writing the reasons for making such arrests,which are permitted only under certain conditions, for example, to prevent the person fromcommitting further crimes or tampering with evidence. When an arrest is not justified underthese conditions, the police may only issue a notice of appearance : asking the presence of a

person suspected of the crime to appear before it or at any other specified place.

The Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill 2008 is based substantially on a draft prepared by the Law Commission in its 177th report and reflects the spirit of severalSupreme Court judgements on the power and procedure to make arrests. The hope is thatthe new provisions will act as a check on the notorious tendency of the police to be arrest

happy. The Third report of the National Police Commission suggested that nearly 60% of arrests

were unnecessary and unjustified. It estimated that the abuse of the arrest law accountedfor more than 43% of expenditure on jails. By making this law more humane and rational,the amending Bill takes an important step towards improving what Supreme Court oncedescribed as the hallmark a nations civilization- the methods uses to enforce the criminallaw.

11. The government has decided to place Madrasa certificates on a par with those issued by theCBSE and affiliates of the Council of Board of School Education in India (COBSE). HRDMinister Arjun Singh approved the recommendations of the CBSE and the COBSE to provide

Madrasa certification equivalence with other school education boards. This would make passouts from Madrasas eligible for jobs under government of India.

12. Byrraju Ramalinga Raju resigned as Chairman of Satyam Computers, Indias fourth largestInformation Technology Company, after admitting to the Board of Directors that accounts werefudged to the tune of Rs. 7,106 crore over several years. The government announced that thecase of financial bungling by Satyam Computer services would be referred to the SeriousFraud Investigation Office (SFIO) after verification of facts by the Registrar of Companies(ROC) in Hyderabad. The centre set up a three member board by nominating HDFCchairman Deepak Parekh, the former Nasscom president, Kiran Kamik, and the ex-SEBI member,C. Achutan, as independent directors to take charge of the Hyderabad based IT major Satyamand chart out the future course of action. Taru Das, C.I.I. Chief Mentor, Chartered Accountant

T.N. Manoharan and S.B. Maynak of LIC were also added to the board recently.

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13. Five states have declared the truckers strike illegal and invoked the Essential ServicesMaintenance Act ( ESMA) to ensure smooth supply of essential commodities. The five states

that notified ESMA are Delhi Rajasthan, U.P., Gujarat and A.P.14. Slumdog Millionaire, a British movie with Indian content and backdrop, has emerged the big

winner at the 66th Golden globes. It scoped four awards. A.R. Rahman became the first Indianto win the Golden globe for Best Original Music score with Jai Ho. Based on Indian diplomatVikas Swarups novel Q and A, the film was directed by Danny Boyle.

15. The government has decided to set up an Anomaly Committee to settle disputes arising outof implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations. It will receive representationson anomalies up to six months from the date of its constitution.

16. The Army conducted a flight trial of Supersonic Cruise Missile. BrahMos at the Pokhran rangein Rajasthan. This is the 18th flight of BrahMos, which had been inducted into both the Navy andthe Army. The missile, jointly developed by Indian and Russia, can cruise up to an altitude of 14km and destroy targets 290 km away. Its maximum velocity is almost three times the speedof sound. It can carry conventional warheads weighing up to 300 kg. BrahMos can be launchedfrom land, ships, submarines and aircraft.

17. The Haryana government has passed the Regulation of Property Dealers and Consultants Act,2008. This Act makes it compulsory for property dealers to register and obtain a licence for

practice. The idea is to bring more professionalism to the trade, protect the consumers and -through a system of penalties - hold the property dealers and consultants responsible for anyunfair practice. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) launched the InternationalYear of Natural Fibres (IYNF) 2009 in a bid to emphasise the value of fibres while helpingto sustain the incomes of farmers. The production of animal and vegetable fibres was a majoragricultural sector, worth about $40 billion annually to the worlds farmers. The main objectiveof the IYNF is to raise the profile of fibres and to emphasise their value to consumers whilehelping farmers sustain their incomes.

18. The first solar eclipse of 2009 occurred over the Indian ocean and Western Indonesia onJanuary 26. It is Annular with the moon not appearing large enough to fully cover the sunsdisk.

ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE

An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon is farther from the earth than normal in itselliptical orbit, and hence its apparent size is not quite sufficient to cover the suncompletely. Even though the sun-moon- earth alignment will remain perfect, the moon in itsfarthest point will appear slightly smaller in diameter than the sun and a thin ring of sunlight

will remain visible around the dark silhouette of the moon. The name annular eclipse comesfrom the Latin annulus, meaning ring.

19. United States authorities have approved the first human trials using embryonic stem cellstesting a pioneering therapy for stroke patients. The clearance of the clinical trial - of a treatmentfor spinal cord injury was announced by Gerun, the biotechnology company that first appliedto the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA) to conduct the trial last March. The FDAapproval comes a little more than 10 years after the first human embryonic stem cells mereisolated at the University of Wisconsin, in work financed by Geron. Because the embryonicstem cells can turn into any type of cell in the body the theory is they might one day be able to

provide tissues to replace worm out organs or non- functioning cells to treat diabetes, heartattacks and other diseases. The field is known as Regenerative Medicine.





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20. To mark the birth bi-centenary of Louis Braille, the Indian government instituted a new awardin 2008, for the best Braille Press in the country. It was given to Shri A.K. Mittal of All IndiaConfederation of Blinds. From 2009, the award will be given as a part of National awards for

empowerment of persons with Disabilities, given on 3rd

December every year on the occasion ofthe International Day for persons with disabilities.

21. 25 Indian and three Bangladeshi crew members ofM.T. Biscaglia, a Liberian flag vessel thatwas hijacked by Somalia pirates in the Gulf of Aden, were released, National Union ofSeafarers of Indian Genera Secretary Abdul Gani Serang said. The ship operated out ofSingapore by Ishima Private Ltd. owned by a company in Marshal Islands.

22. K.C. Verma, the Internal Security Adviser to Home Minister P. Chidambaram, will be the nextChief of countrys External Intelligence Agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

23. The Srilankan military announced the capture of Mullaithivu town, the last major settlement ofthe LTTE in the only district still under its control. With this loss, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil

Eelam are now confined to Puthukudiyiruppu and Vishwamadu areas of the district. Mullaithivutown is situated in a narrow stretch of land between Nathikandal lagoon and the Indian Ocean. Ithas been under the control of the Tigers since 1996 and was considered their main military

base.

24.

PADMA AWARDS ANNOUNCED

Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission, Anil Kakodkar, ISRO Chief Madhavan Nair,Sister Nirmala, Superior General of Mother Jesesas Kolkota based Missionaries ofChairties, and noted environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna are among the 10 distinguished

personalities honoured with Padma Vibhushan, the countrys second highest Civilian award,on the 60th Republic Day.

In all, 133 personalities from various fields were named, including 10 for PadmaVibhushan, 30 for Padma Bhushan and 93 for Padma Shri. The first Olympic Gold medalistshooter Abhinav Bindra, Cricket captain M.S. Dhoni, Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar andAishwarya Rai Bachan figure among the awardees for Padma Shri.

The first Chancellor of Sweden based World Maritime University Chandrika PrasadSrivastava, noted historian D.P. Chattopadhyaya, Jasbir Singh Bajaj from Punjab andPurushottam Lal from U.P. both from the world of medicine the former Governor and notedcivil servant Govind Narain and industrialist A.S. Ganguly from Maharashtra were the otherPadma Vibhushan awardees.

The countrys highest civilian award - Bharat Ratna was already announced for 86 year oldvocalist Pandit Bhimsen Joshi in November last.

25. Dominic Emmanuel, who has been working on inter-religious dialogue, and Anjuman Sair E-Gul Faroshan, known for its annual Phol Walon Kis Sair (in Delhi), have been selected for the

National Communal Harmony Award for 2008. The jury, headed by Vice President M.HamidAnsari selected Delhi based Mr. Emanuel in the Individual Category and Anjuman Sair-E-GulFaroshan, in the organization category.





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26. The Euro, the European Union single currency turned ten this month. It is the single mostvisible symbol of post- war European Integration that enables the free movement of personsand services across national borders.

Since its launch, first merely for bank transactions and then replacing the legal tenders of12 countries from 2002, the Euro has eliminated the cost of currency exchange duringinternal travel and facilitated the comparison of prices in cross-border trade. The Europeancentral banks fundamental objective of ensuring price stability and keeping fiscal deficit

below three per cent of GDP has occasioned some acrimonious divisions with nationalgovernments that are wedded to social security programmes.

The Euro is today the worlds second largest global currency after the United Statesdollar, with about a quarter of the share of foreign exchange reserves. The euro zonesattractiveness as the worlds largest single trading destination has led emerging economiesto rethink the green back as the sole currency peg for exchange rates. For EU countries thatare yet to adopt the euro, which include the U.K. Hungary and Poland, the message from

it all is create the political climate to expedite an early entry.

27. Archaeologists in China have unearthed the earliest man-made cave houses and privately owned pottery workshops which date back 5,500 years. After four years of excavation, a row of17 cave houses were found on a cliff along the Jinghe river in the northwest Chinas ShaanxiProvince, they were built between 3500 and 3000 B.C. The cave houses belonged to a late

Neolithic culture named Yangshao that originated in the middle reaches of the Yellow river andwas considered a main origin of Chinese civilization. Yangshao was best known for red

pottery ware with painted patterns.

28. Pulitzer prize winning U.S. novelist John Updike died. His books and short stories chronicled

small-tow American life.29. The former President, R. Venkatraman passed away. He presided over the era of coalition

politics at the centre in late 1980s. Mr. Venkatraman was elevated from Vice- Presidency,assumed the office of President on July 25, 1987 and his term lasted till July 25th, 1992.Earlier he held they key portfolios of Defence, Finance and was also Deputy Chairman ofPlanning Commission. He was a member of the Constituent Assembly that drafted theConstitution.

30. India and Kazakhstan signed a major agreement for supply of Uranium and a comprehensivecooperation in Civil Nuclear Energy Programme. In another agreement, oil and natural gascorporation Videsh Limited (OVL) and its partner company Mittal Energy Limited signed adeal with Kazakhastans state owned Kaz Munai Gas to take a 25% stake in Kazakhstans

prospective Satpayev oil field in the Caspian sea. An extradition treaty an MOU for cooperationin space and a protocol on accession of Kazakhstan to WTO were also signed, after delegationlevel talks between the visiting President of Kazakhstan, Mr. Nussultan Nazarbayer and thePresident Mrs. Pratibha Devi Singh Patil in New Delhi.

31. Slovakia has become the 16th member of the Euro zone the second former communistcountry to do so. Banks will soon swap Korunas ( crowns Slovakian currency ) for euros.Slovakia sees its adoption of the euro as a shield from the turbulence that has hit currenciesin neighbouring ex-soviet bloc countries. Slovakia ( capital-Bratislava) has enjoyed rapideconomic growth since joining the European union in 2004. The small alpine state of Sloveniaformerly part of Yugoslavia, was the first ex-communist country to join the euro, two years ago.





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32. Brazil and France sign arms deal worth 8.6 km euro ( $ 12 bn, 8.2 bn ). Brazil signed the

defence deal with France to buy 50 helicopter and five submarines. The deal includes transfers

of technology intended to help Brazil develop its own arms industry. The four submarines will

be conventional and the fifth one would be nuclear powered.

33. The year 2010 may be declared as the year for affordable housing. This was recommended in

the National Conference of Ministers of Housing, Urban Development and Municipal Admin

held in New Delhi on 20th January 2009. The other recommendations are: 1) States to plan for

slum free city 2) Steps to create a healthy rental market. 3) Enlarge and strengthen housing micro

finance.

34. Exports of Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine appear to have completely stopped amid a

dispute over gas supplies between the two countries. The EU depends on Russia for about a

quarter of its total gas supplies, 80% of which is pumped through Ukraine. Russias gas

company Gazprom has accused Ukraine of shutting off the final pipeline carrying gas to Europe, but Ukraines Naftogaz said that the taps are in Russia.

Dependence on Russia for gas : 100% - Latvia, Slovakia, Finland, Estonia. More than 80% -

Bulgaria, Lithuania, Czech Republic. More than 60% - Greece, Austria, Hungary.

Russian, Ukraine and European Union officials have signed a deal which should pave the

way for the re-opening of gas supplies to Europe. The deal was signed by Ukranian Prime

Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Czech Prime Minister

Mirek Topolanek. Under the deal EU, Ukranian and Russian observers will monitor supplies,

in order to calm Russian fears that Ukraine is siphoning off gas for its own use.

35. A gene mutation that almost guarantees the development of heart disease is carried by 60 m people. Around 4% people from the Indian sub-continent have the mutation, which increases the

risk of heart disease seven-fold. Heart disease is the number one killer in the world and India is

particularly badly hit. In the test tube, cells with the mutation- where 25 letters of genetic code

are missing the MYBPC3 protein is abnormal and messes the heart muscle structure.

36. U.S. sets worlds largest marine protection area. Parts of three Pacific island chains, comprising

5,00,000 sq km of sea and sea floor were being designated by president George Bush ( when in

power ) as national monuments to protect from oil and gas extraction and commercial fishing in

what will be the largest marine conservation effort in history. New national monuments :

1) Marianas Marine N.M. String of Undersea volcanoes and vents of Mariana Trench, which

at 11000 metres is worlds deepest underwater canyon. Coral reefs arounds three innermost

islands of Marianas. 2) Pacific Remote Islands N.M. 3) Rose Atoll Marine N.M. (Highest

proportion of live coral cover on the planet).

DISCLAIMER

The information presented above has been collected from a variety of sources. Brain Tree

exercises due care and caution in collecting the data before publication. Inspite of this, if any

omission, inaccuracy or printing errors occur with regard to the data, Brain Tree will not be held

responsible or liable.



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