Indian warships sent to Yemen
New Delhi: The two Indian warships sent to strife-torn Yemen to evacuate Indians will also provide anti-piracy escort services to the two passenger ships sent to Djibouti Port to bring back stranded nationals, Vice Chief of the Navy P Murugesan said today. Giving details of the evacuation plan, Vice Admiral Murugesan, who today took over as the Vice Chief, said the evacuation is being worked out through the sea and air routes.“Several agencies like Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Air India are going to participate in this operation,” he said speaking to reporters here. The Navy has dispatched its destroyer INS Mumbai and stealth frigate INS Tarkash for evacuation of Indians besides two passenger ships from Cochin. “The Indian naval ships will go and evacuate the persons as well as provide anti-piracy escort duties to the various assets deployed for the operation,” Murugesan said.Both Naval ships are capable of carrying people back to India. While INS Mumbai has a crew of about 350, INS Tarkash has a crew of about 250. All facilities will be extended to the stranded Indians. Meanwhile, asked about the recent crash of a Naval maritime surveillance aircraft, which claimed two lives, Murugesan said the Dornier was on a live combat mission training.“It was a pitch dark night, just one or two days after the new moon and it was a training exercises on the possible war scenarios. “While training in challenging situations, we are after all human beings, certain… the machinery also may fail,” he said. However, the Vice Chief said a Board of Inquiry is one and “only after its report is out, we would be able to know the exact reason behind the crash”
India skips Iran oil imports
- India halted oil imports from Iran for the first time in at least a decade in March as New Delhi responded to US pressure to keep its shipments from Tehran within sanction limits during the last month of negotiations on a preliminary nuclear deal.
Iran and six world powers have ramped up the pace of negotiations this week ahead of the Tuesday deadline for reaching an initial accord on a final nuclear agreement. Both sides have warned it was crucial to overcome differences that could still wreck any chance at a deal.
India is Iran’s second-biggest buyer on an annual basis after China, yet it did not take any crude from Tehran in March, according to tanker arrival data from trade sources and ship tracking services on the Thomson Reuters terminal.
Refinery sources said this was the first time in at least a decade that no imports were made over the space of a month – indicating how Washington is trying to maximise economic pressure on Tehran amid the talks aimed at stopping Iran from gaining the capacity to develop a nuclear bomb.
“There is pressure from the U.S. on all Asian buyers to stick to the sanctions regime,” said Johannes Benigni, chairman of JBC Energy GmbH in Vienna.
The halt in March comes after February imports hit a 1-1/2-year low for monthly imports, which together brought India’s annual crude and condensate purchases from Iran in the year to March 31 to an average 220,000 barrels per day (bpd) or 11 million tonnes, slightly below shipments in the previous year.
Days ahead of a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama to India in January, the oil ministry had told Essar Oil, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd and Indian Oil Corp – the Indian refiners that buy from Iran – to cut their imports over February and March to keep the fiscal-year figure in line with sanctions limits.
Refiners in India had raised imports during the April-December period by more than 40 percent, leading U.S. authorities to raise the alarm with India’s foreign ministry ahead of Obama’s visit.
The sanctions currently restrict Iran’s overall exports to 1 million-1.1 million bpd, with Asian buyers required to keep their purchases near end-2013 levels.
In February, imports by Iran’s four biggest buyers – China, India, Japan and South Korea – though down on-year, bounced back to average 1.02 million bpd, a two-month high, government and tanker-tracking data showed.
Jump in April imports expected
Despite India’s import halt in March, shipments are expected to resume next month, with at least MRPL and Essar loading Iranian oil, trade sources said.
India’s oil imports from Iran could sharply rise if sanctions are lifted and the Islamic nation continues to give oil on current terms, company officials said.
National Iranian Oil Co (NIOC) officials told Indian refiners it would continue to offer crude on 90-day credit terms and at a discount to the official selling price if sanctions were lifted, two sources said, although NIOC executives indicated Iran may stop offering free shipping.
“I will definitely consider Iranian oil based on economics. If current terms and conditions are retained, then we may buy,” said B. K. Namdeo, head of refining at Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd.
HPCL has not received any Iranian crude since May 2013, after first halting its purchases from Iran in 2012 because insurance companies under pressure from Western sanctions had stopped covering installations processing Iranian oil.
MRPL, which has continued to buy Iranian crude, said it would import more oil from Tehran if sanctions are lifted.
“Subject to approval by the oil ministry … we will increase the supply,” said Vijay Joshi, head of refinery operations at MRPL.
SC rejects Jat reservation in PG medical and dental courses
- NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected plea of Jat students seeking reservation in admission to PG medical and dental courses.
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Rejecting the plea, the Supreme Court said that at the time of All India counselling these Jat students were treated as OBCs.
"There is no vested right in favour of applicants as the court has already decided the issue," SC said.
The Supreme Court recently scrapped the Centre's controversial decision to grant reservation to the Jat community in jobs and educational institutions while terming it a reflection of "negative" and "retrograde" governance.
Political Finance and Law Commission Recommendations
The Election Commission of India (ECI) organized a National Consultation on "Political Finance and Law Commission Recommendations" which was held at Vigyan Bhawan on 30th March2015.This consultation had been initiated on the backdrop of the 255th Report of the Law Commission which had been presented on the 12th March 2015, making various recommendations for electoral reforms in the country.The seminar was attended by Justice A. P. Shah, Chairman, Law Commission, Former Chief Election Commissioners Sh. Lyngdoh, Sh. Krishnamurthy, Sh. Gopalaswami, Sh. Chawla and Sh. Quraishi, Sh. Satyanand Mishra, Former Chief Information Commissioner, Sh. S. S. Khan, Former Member, CBDT, and other distinguished guests comprising of representatives of political parties, eminent lawyers, academicians, Media representatives, Civil Society representatives and student representatives.The session was started with welcome by Sh. P. K. Dash, Director General, ECI, opening remarks by Dr. Nasim Zaidi, Election Commissioner and address by Sh. H. S. Brahma, Chief Election Commissioner . Justice A. P. Shah, Chairman, Law Commission addressed the general session giving brief overview of the Law Commission recommendations on Political Finance.This was followed by Technical Sessions on four different topics namely:- International Best Practices on Political Finance, Law Commission recommendations and expanding in-kind Government subsidy during election campaign; recommendations on contribution to political parties and candidates and Law Commission recommendations and reforms on accounting and disclosure of election expenses by parties, candidates and 3rd party campaigners and reforms on vote buying.The topics were discussed and deliberated in great detail by the participants in their respective groups. The groups made presentations summarizing their views on the topics deliberated by them.Finally, the day long National Consultation was concluded with a valedictory address by the Chief Election Commissioner Sh. H. S. Brahma and Dr. NasimZaidi, Election Commissioner.The consultation groups made important observations and gave their considered opinion on various aspects of political finance in India and recommendations made by the Law Commission in its 255th Report.There was broad consensus on the following issues . However, it is not exhaustive list.1. ‘Big Money’ in election to be controlled.2. Vote buying to be controlled within law.3. Transparency of accounts of parties / candidates .4. No corporate donation to political party.5. National Electoral Trust under the control of Election Commission for corporate donations.6. ECI to be given power to make rules.7. Third party campaigners to be monitored.8. Fast Track Courts to try election offence
NASA enters key partnerships for deep-space missions
- The US space agency has selected 12 Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) to develop the exploration capabilities necessary to enable commercial endeavours in human exploration to deep-space destinations such as Mars.
Through these public-private partnerships, selected companies will prepare concept studies and technology development projects in the areas of advanced propulsion, habitation and small satellites.
"Commercial partners were selected for their technical ability to mature key technologies and their commitment to the potential applications both for government and private sector uses," said William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for human exploration and operations at NASA headquarters in Washington DC.
This work ultimately will inform the strategy to move human presence further into the solar system.
Results from these studies and hardware developments will also help determine the role for international partner involvement by fully exploring domestic capabilities, and for Orion and Space Launch Systems missions in cis-lunar space - the space around the moon.
This work will advance system understanding and define a need for further testing of habitation systems and components on the International Space Station (ISS), NASA said in a statement.
Selected advanced electric projects will develop propulsion technology systems in the 50-300 kilowatt range to meet the needs of a variety of deep-space mission concepts.
State-of-the-art electric propulsion technology currently employed by NASA generates less than five kilowatts, and systems being developed for the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) are in the 40-kilowatt range.
Three NextSTEP advanced propulsion projects - $400,000 to $3.5 million per year - will have no more than a three-year performance period.
The seven NextSTEP habitat projects will have initial performance periods of up to 12 months, at a value of $400,000 to $1 million for the study and development efforts, and the potential for follow-on phases to be defined during the initial phase.
The last two NextSTEP CubeSat projects will have fixed-price contracts.
"This type of public-private partnership helps NASA stimulate the US space industry while expanding the frontiers of knowledge, capabilities and opportunities in space," added Jason Crusan from NASA's human exploration and operations mission directorate in Washington DC.
World's oldest person dies at 117 in Japan
TOKYO: The world's oldest person, Misao Okawa, died in Japan on Wednesday, a month after celebrating her 117th birthday.The nursing home where she lived in Osaka said she breathed her last around 7am.On the occasion of her birthday early last month, Okawa, a mother of three, grandmother of four and great-grandmother of six, was one of only a handful of people still alive who had been born in the 19th century.Her birth on March 5, 1898 predated the Wright brothers' first powered human flight by five years, she was already a teenager when World War I broke out and in her 70s by the time of the first moon landing.When she turned 114, she was officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest woman in the globe.Japan, known for the longevity of its people, is home to the world's oldest man — Sakari Momoi, who celebrated his 112th birthday in February.In 2013, life expectancy for women in Japan was 86.61, the longest in the world followed by Hong Kong women, according to the health ministry.For men it was 80.21, the fourth longest, after men in Hong Kong, Iceland and Switzerland.The world's oldest person is now believed to be American Gertrude Weaver, who is reportedly 116 years old.
Petrol prices cut by 49 paise/litre, diesel by Rs 1.21
- NEW DELHI: After two consecutive hikes, petrol prices were on Wednesday cut by 49 paise per litre and diesel by Rs 1.21 a litre on softening international oil rates.
The reduction in rates will be effective from midnight tonight.
Prices of petrol in Delhi will be Rs 60 a litre from tomorrow as against the current Rs 60.49, while diesel will cost Rs 48.50 per litre as compared with Rs 49.71 currently, Indian Oil Corp(IOC), the nation's largest oil company, said.
The reduction follows two rounds of price hikes in February and March — first by Rs 0.82 a litre in petrol and Rs 0.61 per litre in diesel on February 16 and by Rs 3.18 per litre in petrol and Rs 3.09 a litre in diesel on March 1.
Since the last price change, "the international prices of both petrol and diesel have declined. The rupee-US Dollar exchange rate has, however, depreciated. The impact of both these factors warrants decrease in retail selling prices of both petrol and diesel," IOC said in a statement.
Prior to these increases, petrol price had been cut on ten occasions since August 2014 and diesel six times since October 2014.
Cumulatively, petrol prices had been cut by Rs 17.11 per litre in ten reductions since August and diesel by Rs 12.96 a litre since its deregulation in October.
This trend was reversed when rates were raised on February 16.
Fuel prices would have been lower but for four consecutive excise duty hikes since November totalling Rs 7.75 a litre on petrol and Rs 7.50 on diesel.
"The movement of prices in international oil market and rupee-dollar exchange rate shall continue to be closely monitored and developing trends of the market will be reflected in future price changes," the IOC statement said.
Four IAS officers appointed in PMO
- NEW DELHI: Four IAS officers were today appointed as Director and Deputy Secretaries in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
The competent authority has approved lateral shift of Gulzar Natrajan as Director in the PMO, an order issued late at night by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said.
Natrajan, a 1999-batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, is presently Director in the DoPT.
IAS officers Brijesh Pandey, Mayur Maheshwari and Shrikar Keshav Pardeshi have been appointed Deputy Secretary in the PMO.
Pandey, a 2004-batch officer of Manipur-Tripura cadre, is presently Deputy Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs here.
Maheshwari, a 2003-batch officer, and Pardeshi-2001 batch officer are presently serving in their cadres -- Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra respectively.
Both the officers have been appointed for four years tenure or until further orders, it said.
Question for quiz
- 1. Section 54 of IPC deals with
(a) Soltary confinement
(b) Death
(c) Commutation of Sentence of imprisonment of life
(d) Commutation of Sentence of death2. Choose the incorrect pair
Section Particular
(a) 42 Local Law
(b) 120B Definition of Criminal Conspiracy
(c) 141 Unlawful assembly
(d) 146 Rioting
3. 'Fabricating False Evidence' comes under the section
(a) 191
(b) 192
(c) 197
(d) 204
4. Choose the incorrect pair
(a) 300 Murder
(b) 304B Dowery Death
(c) 309 Abetment of Suicide
(d) 359 Kidnapping
5. Section 499 of IPC deals with
(a) Defamation
(b) Criminal intimidation
(c) Misconduct in public by a drunken pserson
(d) Printing or engraving matter known to be defamatoryAnswers:1. d2. b3. b4. c5. a
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