News Bits - 25 Feb 2015

  

1. Land and Coal Bills introduced in Lok Sabha.
2. Corals in the Great Barrier Reef are eating small plastic debris in the ocean, Australian researchers said on Tuesday raising fears about the impact the indigestible fragments have on their health and other marine life.
3. A gold-painted Chinese statue of a Buddha in sitting position hides the mummified remains of a high-status monk who lived nearly 1,000 years ago, scientists have found.
4. Not for the first time, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has asked the Coal Ministry to not auction the Mahan coal block in Singrauli as it is located in an inviolate forest area.
5. New proposal to resolve Ayodhya case ; out-of-court settlement proposal suggests that the 70 acres of disputed premises would accommodate both mosque and temple with a partition wall at a height of 100 feet ; plan to put before the Supreme Court.
6. The national capital emerged as the most vulnerable city to cyber attacks in the country last year, as more and more people accessed the Internet either through desktop or mobile phones, according to a study by security solutions firm F-Secure.
7. Deadlock over Rafale persists ; Though specific details were not forthcoming, Defence Ministry officials indicated that the issue came up for discussion and both sides decided to continue negotiations.
8. The government on Tuesday faced embarrassment in the Rajya Sabha as a united Opposition forced it to defer its motion for withdrawal of three Bills including one on FDI in insurance on which ordinances have been promulgated.The government had brought motion for withdrawal of the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2008, the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2014 and the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2014. The Bills are expected to be introduced in the Lok Sabha.
9. 14th Finance Commission (FFC) Report Tabled in Parliament; FFC Recommends by Majority Decision that the States’ Share in the Net Proceeds of the Union Tax Revenues be Raised to 42% Which is a Huge Jump from the 32% Recommended by the 13th Finance Commission 
10. Airports Authority of India has issued Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to implement Public Private Partnership (PPP) Projects at select four airports, namely, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports.
11. Special Fund of Rs. 2,000 Crore has been Created in Nabard for Providing Affordable Credit to Entrepreneurs

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