National Political News
1. Indian Forces monitor the movement of Chinese troops on the line of control in North Kashmir’s Nowgam Sector in KupwaraDistrict. Intelligence Reports suggest that Chinese troops are trying to create military infrastructure in the area of GilgitBaltistan in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir(POK). The GilgitBaltistan area of POK is Shia Muslim dominated and restive as the adjoining area of NWFP and the rest of Pakistan is Sunni Muslim dominated.
China has denied any such move on the part of its troops in the GilgitBaltistanarea.
2. The sting operation on West Bengal TMC’s leading lights puts their leader Mamta Banerjee in a quandary . On reflecting back to 14 March 2001, a sting operation was conducted against Vajpayee Govt.’s defence minister Late George Fernandez and his friend Jaya Jaitley by Tehelka TV channel which had rocked NDA Govt. with Mamta Banerjee along with her TMC colleagues pulling out of the NDA Govt.which ultimately collapsed.
Now on 14 March 2016, the sting surfaces against her colleagues and political dispensations are calling for her resignation.
3. NCP stalwartChagganBhujbal , former Dy. Chief Minister of Maharashtra, arrested by enforcement directorate in a money laundering case .
4. A 5 Judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court passes orders for maintaining status quo on the refilling of Satluj Yamuna link canal by farmers in Punjab. The Punjab assembly had passed a resolution at the initiative of the Punjab Chief Minister for refilling of the canal and handing it back to the farmers whose land was acquired for construction of the same. Punjab has refused to allow any water beyond its rights to flow into Haryana through SYL. A cheque of Rs. 191.75 crores has been sent to Haryana Govt. by Punjab Govt. which the former has refused to accept.
In another unusual move on the issue , INLD legislators of Haryana barged into Punjab Assembly and the same was reciprocated by Punjab Congress MLAs vis –a-vis the Haryana Assembly .
5. Majlis-e-Muslimeen chief AsaduddinOwaisi courts controversy over declining to raise Bharat Mata ki Jai slogan. In Maharashtra Assembly his party MLA was suspended for his refusal to raise the slogan. Owaisi seeks solace from the constitution of India where no such reference is there to raise the slogan.
International News
1. The US capital Washington in District Columbia and Wyoming primaries vote in favor of Donald Trump’s rivals Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio respectively.
The gap between Cruz and Trump in the total count of primaries for the Republican Party nomination for the American Presidential Election 2016 is narrowing.
The Democratic Party candidate Hilary Clinton wins the primaries of North Carolina, Ohio and Illinois. Her delegate strength for theDemocratic Party nomination stands at 1561 currently.
2. Ankara the capital of Turkey has become the hot seat of car bombing killing 27 and wounding many more in the second such attack within a month.
The suicide female bomber in the car bombing attack appeared to be a Kurd as per Turkish Govt.
The Turkish Govt. has bombed Kurdish settlements in its country adjoining the Iraqi border in reprisal.
3. The tallest building in the World,BurjKhalifa in Dubai stands at 829.8 meters. It is going to have a close relation in China‘s tallest sky scraper in Shanghai at 632 meters with 126 storey’s,due for opening shortly.
4. Myanmar elected its first Civilian President in many decades in 69 yers old HtinKyow, a close aide of Nobel Laureate Aung San SuiiKyi who may actually be the power behind the Govt. She herself could not contest because of a constitutional bar on her in Myanmar. The country is on way to becoming a democracy from an isolated and oppressed state under military rule for decades.
5. Russian War planes fly back home from Syria as Russian President Vladimir Putin decides to withdraw a major part of his forces who were fighting in favor of President Assad of Syria against the ISIS and other groups inimical to him.
6. Restless KhyberPakhtunwa province of Pakistan, a hot bed of Taliban terrorism rocked as its capital city Peshawar faces another bomb blast killing 17 Govt. employees in retaliation of death sentences confirmed on 13 Taliban Militants by authorities there.
7. Maiduguri, Nigeria the birthplace of Islamist terrorist organization Boko Haram is the scene of a suicide bomb attack on a prayer congregation at a mosque during dawn prayers by Islamist Terrorists owing allegiance to it.
Science and Technology
1. NASA tests heat shield technology that will carry a space craft safely through high temperature Martian atmosphere. It is called the Hypersonic Inflatable Aero dynamic Decelerator (HIAD) and it works like parachute using the drag of the planet’s atmosphere to slow the speed of the space craft.
2. Russia and the European Union have launched a space craft to Mars from Baiknour Spaceport in Kazakhstan as a test flight for future manned missions to Mars. It is powered by Proton rocket under the ExoMars programme and shall study the presence of gasses like Methane – the building blocks of life on the planet Mars.
3. Chernobyl Nuclear Power plant disaster 30 years ago is still creating health problems in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus with highly dangerous radiation levels from isotopes of radioactive material still persisting.
Commerce
A Rs. 290000 crore tax notice including back dated interest of Rs. 18800croresslapped on Cairn Energy PLC.based in England. The notice pertains to 2014 income tax assessment order of Rs. 10247 crores on alleged capital gains made in 2006 on the reorganization of its India Business.
2. Bharti Airtel to buy Videocon Telecom’s 4G spectrum in 1800 Mhz. band in six circles for Rs. 4428 crores.BhartiAirtel will then have its presence in pan India’s 19 circles against RelianceJio’s 22 circles.
3. Rupee hits the 66.50 mark against the dollar on strong FII inflows into the Indian Markets.
4. Govt. slashes the interest rate on major saving instruments in line with G-Sec rates. The PPF interest rate now stands at 8.1% against 8.7%,KisanVikasPatra at 7.8 against 8.7% and similar reduction in post office savings rates has been effected.
Sports:
1. Lin Dan of China wins the prestigious all England Badminton Championship title for the sixth time.He beats fellow Chinese TianHouwei 21-9, 21-9 in the all China final.
Inthe Women’s single final of the tournament Japan’s NozomiOkuhara bet Wang Shixian of China 21-11, 16-21, and 21-19.
2. In soccer’s Champion League tournamentAtletico Madrid beat PSV Eindhoven 8-7 on penalties to reach the quarterfinals. Manchester city defeatsDynamo Kiev and Bayern Munich also enter the quarterfinal beating Juventes 4-2.
3. T-20 International Tournament of cricket.
India lost the opening match of the tournament to New Zealand in Nagpur in the Group Match. In another group match against Pakistan at Kolkata,India came out a winner, thanks to a patient knock from ViratKohli.
In other group matches, Pakistan defeated Bangladesh at Kolkata. West Indies beat England at Mumbai , Sri Lanka defeat Afganistan, England beat South Africa and New Zealand defeats Australia.
