Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Starred Articles

ISIS demanded ransom before killing Foley, trading European hostages for huge sums a main source of income for terror groups
World > ISIS > 21 August
The ISIS had asked for a $ 100 million ransom before killing James Foley, the freelance videographer and reporter for GlobalPost and Agence France-Presse. According to an investigation by the Times, kidnapping Europeans and demanding ransom has become a main source of revenue for al Qaida and its affiliates, which have earned at least $125 million in ransom payments in the past five years alone. Although ISIS has recently been expelled from Qaida, its tactics of kidnapping and demanding ransom appear to be in line with other Qaida branches. The United States, unlike several European countries that have given millions in ransom to the terror group to spare the lives of their citizens, refused to pay, which might have cost Foley his life. The ISIS is threatening to kill at least three other US citizens it holds if its demands remain unmet. ISIS is also holding citizens of Britain, which like the US has declined to pay ransoms. Amid growing criticism that the US had not done enough to secure the release of its citizens, authorities revealed that a United States Special Operations team tried and failed to rescue Foley as well as the other American hostages during a secret mission this summer. The ISIS has now threatened to kill a second of its hostages, Steven J. Sotloff, a freelance journalist for Time magazine, who was being held alongside Foley. The American’s government’s no-compromise policy means that captured Americans have little chance of being released. Only a few succeeded in running away and even fewer were rescued in special operations.

No petrol, diesel for vehicles with no PUC certificate in Delhi
India > Delhi > 22 August
In order to ensure that polluting vehicles are off roads, the Delhi Government has decided to stop sale of diesel and petrol to vehicles which do not possess Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates. The decision to this effect comes as per the recommendation of the city government’s high-powered committee on environment constituted by Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung. All vehicles registered till 2010 are required to get PUC certificates reissued every three months, while those purchased after 2010 have to get the certification done annually.
Delhi was named among the 5 most polluted cities across the world.
Supreme Court declares all coal blocks allocated since 1993 to 2010 illegal
India > Coalgate > 25 August
The Supreme Court has said that all coal blocks allocated since 1993 to 2010 by the screening committee were illegal as no objective criteria was followed and the allocations were done arbitrarily breaching guidelines. The Supreme Court bench, however, didn’t de-allocate the coal blocks and said that coal exploration from them will continue till further orders. The court has fixed September 1 as the date of the hearing to decide whether there is a need for cancelling the 218 coal block allocations. The coal blocks were allotted mainly in Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh to private companies. Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has decided to file a closure report in the coal block allocation scam involving Kumar Mangalam Birla and former Coal Secretary P C Parakh after a 10-month probe with the agency stating that they could not find any evidence in this matter.  
Others

Arvind Subramanian, US-based economist, set to become chief economic adviser
Politics and Government > Chief Economic Adviser > 22 August
US-based economist Mr. Arvind Subramanian is set to be named as chief economic adviser to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. The appointment of Subramanian, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, was recommended by finance minister Arun Jaitley. Cabinet-level approval is expected to follow.

To counter China, India deploys Akash missiles in northeast
World > India > 22 August
After basing Sukhoi-30MKI fighters at Tezpur and Chabua, India has now begun deploying six Akash surface-to-air missile (SAM) squadrons in the northeast to deter Chinese jets, helicopters and drones. IAF has started getting deliveries of the six Akash missile squadrons, which can "neutralize" multiple targets at 25 km interception range in all-weather conditions, earmarked for the eastern theatre.
The Akash deployment in the northeast is in tune with the overall plan to progressively achieve "meaningful and credible deterrence" against China.
China, incidentally, has been conducting major exercises with its J-10, Sukhoi-27UBK and Sukhoi-30MKK fighters in the high-altitude Qinghai-Tibet plateau in recent times.

Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha appointed 29th Thai PM
World > Thailand > 25 August
Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, chief of Thailand's National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), received a royal command appointing him the country's 29th prime minister at Army headquarters. He promised to solve national problems urgently and to be accountable.
Gen Prayuth promised to tackle corruption, especially that in the government sector, and to develop the nation in all dimensions. He asked general public to support the work of his government. The nation's economic problems would be solved quickly and sustainably to prepare Thailand for the ASEAN Community, he pledged.

Flipkart signs pact with Textiles ministry to provide online platform for weavers
Corporate > Flipkart > 25 August
Online e-retailer Flipkart.com has signed an agreement with the Textiles Ministry to provide an online marketing platform to textile weavers from across the country from September. The online initiative will help weavers tap the growing online market. Under the agreement, the company will help weavers choose the right designs, colour schemes and sizes according to what is in demand. The project is being launched on a pilot basis for six months, after which it will be assessed. Flipkart will connect the artisans directly to the buyer and help in relaying the orders to weavers, packaging, collecting and delivering to the buyer. Flipkart will charge a 3-4 commission on sale but there will be no listing charges. The transportation charge will be extra which will be mentioned clearly.

Supreme Court refuses to recognize pending criminal cases against MPs as disqualification
Politics and Government > Criminal Cases Against MPs > 27 August
The Supreme Court of India has refused to recognize pending criminal cases against MPs as a disqualification for their appointment as ministers. However, the SC bench said that both the Prime Minister and chief ministers of states owe it to constitutional morality not to appoint persons with criminal background as ministers. The SC said it cannot read an additional disqualification for appointment of ministers other than what is provided in the Constitution.

France gets new cabinet as political crisis averted
World > France > 27 August
Following the collapse of the government, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls's new cabinet has been unveiled after 4 months. President Hollande had to request the formation of a new cabinet - his third in just over two years - after the government fell apart last weekend.
The new government is said to have been formed in line with his "direction" and is seen by analysts as Hollande's last chance to save his five-year term as president. If the new cabinet fails to get the support of lawmakers, Hollande and France face a political crisis that could lead to the dissolution of parliament and a snap election
France has the world's fifth-largest economy by nominal figures and the ninth largest economy by PPP figures. It has the second-largest economy in Europe (behind its main economic partner Germany) in nominal figures, based on the dynamic industrial structure of the French economy.

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