GKCA Update

1st to 31st Mar

Starred Articles
02 Twitter employees get ISIS threats
Mar World > Terrorism
World

The Twitter employees, specifically Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, have been given open threats for blocking
the accounts associated with the group. With the aid of the UKs counter-terrorism internet referral unit,
Twitter has been shutting down ISIS related accounts, following in the footsteps on YouTube. The posting by
the ISIS, called on ISIS sympathizers to attack the social media company and its "interests." Twitter said that it
is investigating the authenticity of the threats.

05 David Warner makes 178 runs against Afghanistan

Mar Sport > Cricket

David Warner made Australia's highest World Cup individual score of 178, beating the 158 of Matthew Hayden
against West Indies in 2007. Warner's innings included 19 fours and five sixes . With this, Australia made a
record World Cup total of 417 for six wickets in a Pool A match against Afghanistan. Warner's 260-run secondwicket partnership with Steve Smith was also an Australian ODI record.

05 Indian- American doctor to get Fulbright Nehru Distinguished Chair

> Fulbright Nehru Distinguished Chair
Mar Awards
A top Indian-American physician has been selected for the prestigious Fulbright-Nehru Distinguished Chair to
India. Dr. Rahul Jindal's program will be hosted by Ahmedabad-based HL Trivedi Institute of Transplantation
Sciences for the specified duration. Awards in the Fulbright Distinguished Chairs Program are viewed as among
the most prestigious appointments in the Fulbright Scholar Program. The Chairs Program consists of lectures
and research ranging from three to 12 months.

06 ISIS attacks ancient Iraq city

> ISIS
Mar World
In a retaliation against Iraqi government offensive, the Islamic State group bulldozed the ancient city of Nimrud
with heavy machinery, appropriating the archaeological attractions dating back 13 centuries BC . The UN
termed the latest jihadists' attack on Iraqi cultural treasures as "war crime". Iraq's officials and locals have
highly condemned the destruction of their cultural heritage. The assault against Nimrud came just a week after
the release of a video showing Islamic State forces smashing museum statues and carvings in Mosul, the city
they seized along with much of northern Iraq last June.

09 Modi government shortlists L&T, Pipavav for submarine project

Mar India > Submarine Project

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Pipavav Defence & Offshore have been shortlisted by the Narendra Modi
government, for Rs 60,000-crore contract to build six conventional submarines under its Project 75i. The two
private sector shipyards - L&Ts Katupalli yard and Pipavav unit- were selected by a high level committee by
vice-admiral Subhedar, which had considered both public and private shipyards to shortlist candidates for the
project. Project 75i is designed to purchase 6 next generation diesel submarines with Air Independent
Propulsion System (AIP) technology for Indian Navy by 2022.

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11 Coal scam case: Manmohan Singh, KM Birla, PC Parakh summoned as

Mar accused
Politics & Government > Coal Scam
A special court has summoned former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla,
ex-coal secretary P C Parakh and three others as accused pertaining to allocation of Talabira-II coal block in
Odisha in 2005. The six accused have been asked to appear before the court on April 8 and if convicted, they
are liable to be sentenced for a maximum of life imprisonment. The then Prime Minister Singh was holding the
coal portfolio in 2005 when Talabira II coal block in Odisha was allotted to M/s Hindalco .

16 India tops globally on censoring Facebook content

> Facebook censor
Mar India
Facebook witnessed increased requests from governments across the world to restrict content this year
compared to the last. According to official reports, the number of requests increased to 35,051 in the second
half of 2014 from 34,946 in the first half. It got 9,707 pieces of content for violating local laws, 11 percent more
than in the first half, with access restricted to 5,832 pieces in India and 3,624 in Turkey. In an official
statement, Facebook has said that it will continue to entertain such requests from governments, provided the
requests are not unreasonable. The website also updated its community standards to create awareness
amongst users about the kind of posts that are not allowed.

16 China becomes world's third largest weapons exporter

Mar World > China weapon export

China has overtaken Germany to become the world's third largest weapons exporter. China's share in the
global arms market rose by 143 % between the years 2010-2014, a time when the overall arms market
increased by 16%, according to the data compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
(SIPRI). China's share now accounts for 5% of the total arms export in the world behind USA and Russia the
world leaders. China has long been a major importer of weapons, but of late its soaring economy, adaptation
of foreign technology and its low priced products have largely reversed the trend.

17 Israel's Netanyahu emerges winner beating Herzoc by small margin

> Israel elections
Mar World
Benjamin Netanyahu beat his close ally-turned-rival Isaac Herzog of the Zionist Union by marginal votes, to
emerge as the winner of the Israel elections. The two parties will now compete to form a coalition that
commands a majority in the 120-seat parliament. The preliminary exit polls had shown a near death heat
between the two parties. Netanyahu, who has governed the country for the past six years had offended many
voters and alienated allies in the campaigning process.

22 US proposal on food stock-holding faces opposition from India

Mar India > Food Stock

World India along with the other members of the G-33 group have opposed a new US proposal of food stock-holding

to attain the purpose of food security in developing countries at the World Trade Organisation. According to
India, the proposal might allow the US to dictate terms to other countries about the food security programmes
to be adopted. The proposal comprises of three main elements reviewing trade effects of existing food
security programmes and their ability to meet goals; evaluating the problems encountered in implementing
food security programmes due to constraints in the existing WTO rules and drawing the best practices and
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recommendations on food stock-holding. The G-33 countries demanded a permanent solution rather than
reviewing existing ones for temporary relief. The group also demanded that stock-holding for food security
should come under the 'Green Box' subsidies, which cause no or minimum trade distortion.

24 Shashi Kapoor to be awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke award 2014

Mar Awards > Dadasaheb Phalke

World The central government announced that Veteran film actor and producer Shashi Kapoor is to be awarded the
46th Dada Saheb Phalke Award 2014. He will be the third member from the Kapoor clan to win the coveted
honour after father Prithviraj Kapoor and elder brother Raj Kapoor.
The award is the highest one presented in the field of cinema and is conferred by the India Government for
outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian Cinema. It was introduced in 1969 to
commemorate the birth centenary year of Dadasaheb Phalke.

25 62nd National Film Awards

Mar India > Cinema

World The winners of the National Film Awards were announced in Delhi yesterday, the ceremony for which shall be
held on May 3, 2015. Following are the prominent winners : Best Hindi Film: Queen, Best Feature Film: Court
(Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati & English), Best Educational Film: Komal & Behind the Glass Wall, Best Animation
Film: Sound of Joy, Best Actor: Vijay for Nanu Avanalla Avalu (Kannada), Best Actress: Kangana Ranaut for
Queen, Best Music Direction Haider, Best Male Playback Singer: Sukhwinder Singh for the song Bismil from
Haider, Best Female Playback Singer: Uttara Unnikrishanan for the song Azhagu in Saivam (Tamil), Best
Choreography: Bismil for Haider and Best Costume Designer: Dolly Ahluwalia for Haider.

25 Supreme Court scraps section 66A of the IT act

Mar India > Judiciary

World The Supreme Court on Tuesday, scrapped a controversial cyber law under the Section 66A of the IT Act, which

gave police the power to arrest anyone for posting annoying or offensive comments online. The
cancellation of the act comes on the grounds that it robs a citizen of his/her right to freedom of expression and
speech. Any person found guilty under the controversial act was previously liable for imprisonment up to a
period of three years. However, the court has said that posting inflammatory and derogatory comments online
would still be punishable under the Indian Penal Code. The court also ordered that all convictions made under
the act should be dropped with immediate effect.

28 Saina Nehwal becomes 1st Indian woman to reach rank 1; wins Indian Open
series along with Kadambi Srikanth
Mar Super
Sports > Badminton
It was a double bonanza for India on Sunday, 30th March, 2015 as both the women's and men's singles titles of
the Indian Open super series was won by Indians. Just days after Saina Nehwal created history by becoming
the first Indian woman to become the number one women's badminton player, she won the women's singles
final of the Indian Open super series by defeating former World Champion Ratchanok Intanon in the final.
Likewise, 22 year-old Kadambi Srikanth defeated Danish World No.6 Viktor Axelsen in 55 minutes to clinch the
men's single title of the same event.

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30 Australia wins ICC Cricket World Cup '15

Mar Sports > ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

Four-time world cup winners Australia defeated first time finalists New Zealand to win the World Cup for a
fifth time at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday, 29th March, 2015. After winning the toss, New
Zealand captain Brendon Mccullum elected to bat first. New Zealand lost early wickets and managed to make
only 183 before losing all 10 wickets. James Faulkner who picked up two crucial back to back wickets, was
adjudged the 'player of the match'. In their reply, the Australians were professional and lost only 3 wickets to
get past the New Zealand score of 183. Captain Michael Clarke top scored with a 72 ball 74. Australian pacer
Mitchell Stark, who took 22 wickets in the tournament, was adjudged as the player of the tournament.
Australia is the only country to have won the World Cup 5 times.
Following the match, Australian Skipper Michael Clarke retired from One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and New
Zealand great and one of the best left-arm spinners, Daniel Vettori, also retired from all forms of international
cricket. Vettori finished his career with 305 wickets in 295 ODIs and 362 in 113 Tests. Michael Clarke has 7,981
runs from 245 matches with eight centuries and 58 half-centuries.

31 Bharat Ratna, Padma awardees 2015

> Bharat Ratna, Padma Awards
Mar Awards
Acclaimed educationist and freedom fighter Madan Mohan Malviya and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee were honoured with the Bharat Ratna, Indias highest civilian award. BJP stalwart LK Advani and
Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal were conferred with the Padma Vibhushan, Indias second highest
civilian honour. With this, Parkash Singh Badal became the first chief minister to be conferred the Padma
Vibhushan. Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, Rajat Sharma, Satpal are some of the prominent names who received
Padma Bhushan. Padma Shri was awarded to Prasoon Joshi, Jaya Kumari Chikkala, Nikhil Tandon, Arunima
Sinha and N. Prabhakar to name a few.

31 Gujarat assembly passes anti-terrorism and organised crime Bill

Mar Politics and Government > Gujarat anti-terrorism Bill

The Gujarat assembly on Tuesday, 31st March, 2015, passed the controversial Control of Terrorism and
Organised Crime Bill (GCTOC), which allows the police to record telephonic conversations and present them as
evidence in court. The bill was passed despite stiff opposition from the opposing Congress party. Another
provision of the bill provides the acceptance of a confession made in front of a police officer as evidence. The
bill is a revised version of the controversial Gujarat Control of Organised Crime (GUJCOC) Bill, which was
rejected multiple times in the parliament.

31 Ex-Nigerian dictator Muhammadu Buhari voted to power

Mar World > Nigeria

In the presidential elections held in Nigeria last week, former Major General of the Nigerian army
Muhammadu Buhari triumphed over incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan. Muhammadu Buhari rose in
power in the year 1983 after outing the then president in a military coup to become the head of state for a
period of two years. He unsuccessfully fought the 2003, 2007 and 2011 presidential elections. The 2015
elections have been hailed as the smoothest and most orderly one in Nigeria's history. During his tenure,
Jonathan had faced severe criticism regarding his handling of the Boko Haram militant threat in the country.

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Awards
28 Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award of Hockey India awarded
Balbir Singh Senior
Mar to
Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award
Legendary hockey player Balbir Singh Senior received the Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award
from Hockey India. A trophy and a cash prize of 30 lakh rupees were given to the awardee. Balbir Singh Senior
was the Vice Captain of the Indian Hockey team during Helsinki Olympics and Captain during Melbourne
Olympics. He holds a record of most goals (five) made in 1952 Olympic final which still remains unbeaten and
also figures in the list of 16 iconic Olympians of all-time.

Banking and Insurance

26 SBI to minimise stake in its general insurance venture
Bank of India
Mar State
The State Bank of India (SBI) has decided to reduce its stake in its insurance venture SBI General. The SBI
currently holds a 74% stake in the insurance venture, while its foreign partner Insurance Australia Group (IAG)
holds a 26% stake. IAG is now all set to increase its stake from 26% to 49%. The move comes after passing of
the Insurance Laws Bill, 2015 in the parliament, which seeks to increase foreign direct investment up to 49 %
subject to the condition that the management control remains with Indians. The insurer would most likely
undergo a name change to signify the revised share-holding pattern.

Corporate
04 Largest-ever spectrum auction begins today
Mar Spectrum Auction

The much hyped 2G and 3G spectrum auction to commence today, with government expecting a collection of
Rs 82,000. Most of the spectrum being put up for the auction is presently held by Airtel, Vodafone, Idea
Cellular and Reliance Telecom. Since their licenses are about to expire, they will have to bid for spectrum to
continue offering mobile and other telecom services. The government had collected Rs.62,162 crore from the
last spectrum auction in February 2014 and is aiming for Rs 1 lakh crore this year. The second round of the coal
auction also starts today.

17 Zomato plans global expansion

Mar Zomato

Online food ordering and restaurant delivery portal Zomato is planning to open subsidiaries in over a dozen
countries. In a bid to compete with its rival - Foodpanda, a Germany based website, which has operations in
around 40 countries worldwide, Gurgaon based Zomato has completed the paperwork to set up shop in five
countries Mexico, Sweden, Germany, Finland and Norway. The six year old company already has presence in
over 20 countries including India, Dubai, UK, Brazil, Canada, Australia, Turkey, Poland and New Zealand; and if
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the on paper aspect is taken into account the presence is extended to over 40 countries. Zomato is expected to
earn around Rs. 100 crores this fiscal and has till date raised over Rs. 1300 crores through multiple financers.

Economy
04 RBI slashes repo rate by 25 basis points citing fiscal deficit issues
Mar RBI

The RBI has decided to slash its repo rates by 25 basis points under the liquidity adjustment facility with
immediate effect. RBI governor Raghuram Rajan cited the drop in the combined fiscal deficit resulting from the
transfer of funds to the states, as the reason for the cut. He also said that the government has been
transferring a significantly larger amount to the states, without entirely devolving responsibility for funding
central programmes. The move comes less than a week after the Union Budget where finance minister Arun
Jaitley announced the signing of a monetary policy framework where RBI has been given a flexible inflation
target of 4% in the medium term.

India
03 Aadhar card to be added to voter list
Mar Aadhar card

With a view to eliminate bogus voters, district administration has launched a drive to collect aadhar card
numbers and link it to electoral rolls. The staff has been instructed to mention the Aadhar card number of the
individuals against their name in the voter list. The voter ID card will have the aadhar number now.

09 India might soon become world's third largest economy

Largest Economy
Mar Third
In a recent commentary posted on Project Syndicate website, Jim ONeill known for coining the acronym BRIC,
said that India will soon take its place as the worlds third largest economy. Neil bases his prediction on the
growing investment climate of India. According to him, with the current growth rate, India might surpass Italy
and Brazil to become the worlds seventh largest economy in 2017; by 2020, there is a reasonable chance that
it will overtake France and the United Kingdom to become the fifth largest.

12 India to develop two islands in Indian Ocean

Ocean Development
Mar Indian
PM Narendra Modi's ocean outreach comprising visits to Mauritius, Seychelles and Sri Lanka has resulted in
India's acquisition of ''infrastructure development rights'' for two islands in the region - Agalega from Mauritius
and Assumption from Seychelles. India has signed four agreements with the Indian Ocean island nation to
boost security and maritime partnership. This move has strengthened its partnership with Seychelles and
provided India a foothold in the middle of the Indian Ocean. China had been overshadowing India in
establishing its position in Indian Ocean by undertaking mega infrastructure projects in several littoral
countries.

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12 Supreme Court orders against High Courts entertaining pleas against Armed
Tribunal
Mar Forces
Armed forces Tribunal
The SC has ordered that the verdicts passed by the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) under a writ petition cannot
be challenged by the high courts. According to Justices SJ Mukhopadhaya and NV Ramana who passed the
judgement, an HC entertaining a petition under article 226 of the constitution against an order passed by the
AFT, would contradict a key aspect of the AFT act. The ruling came after the SC overruled the order of the Delhi
HC, which was against the AFT's decision reprimanding an army officer. Article 30 of the AFT act now states
that the final decision of the tribunal can only be challenged in the SC.

17 SC removes Jats out of the OBC reservation bracket

Mar Jats Reservation

The Supreme Court has decided to overlook the decision to include Jats into the Central list of Other Backward
Classes (OBC). An SC bench comprising of Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman stated that
Jats are not socially or economically backward and also said that caste alone should not be a factor to
determine the backwardness of a class. The bench termed that Jats are a politically established caste and their
inclusion inside the category would adversely impact the welfare of other communities. The decision came
after a PIL filed by the OBC Reservation Raksha Samiti - an organisation for members of communities that are
included in the Central List of Backward Classes.

19 India to import oil from Iraq to fill strategic reserves

Mar Oil

World India is planning to import 8 million barrels of oil from Iraq in order to fill its Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR),
on the back of low prices and ready supply. The SPR purchases could alleviate the effect of an expected pause
in Chinese stock build. The oil ministry has instructed IOC and HPCL to buy 8 million barrels of Basra oil in MayJune, Basra oil is more suitable for refineries on India's east coast and are to be used only in the case of supply
disruptions. The finance ministry has provided Rs. 2400 crores for the purchase.

20 Ratan Tata to head panel set up to reform railways

Mar Railways

World A new innovation council of railways, called 'Kaya Kalp', is to be formed in order to help reform the state-run

transporter, which is to be headed by industrialist Ratan Tata. The council will also have two prominent
railways union leaders. It is an attempt to unite the railway unions, which have been averse to reforms and
privatisation of the railways. Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu said more important members would be added
to the council in the near future to make it more dynamic.

23 J&K chief ministers says AFSPA to be gradually scrapped

Mar Jammu and Kashmir

World Jammu and Kashmir CM Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said his government would work on gradually scrapping the
Armed Forces Special Powers Act 9 (AFSPA) from the state. The announcement comes two days after the twin
terrorist attacks, which killed 3 security personnel.

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The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), is an Act of the Parliament of India which was passed on 11
September 1958. It is a law with just six sections granting special powers to the Indian Armed Forces in what
the act terms as disturbed areas.

24 Andhra Pradesh to name its capital Amravati

Mar Andhra Pradesh
World

The chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu has decided to name the new capital of the state as
Amravati. The core capital region lies on the banks of the river Krishna, and is directly linked to a 2000 year old
history of a small town named by the same name, which is 20 km away from the core capital region and has a
Buddhist history. The state cabinet zeroed in on the name as Amaravati is also associated with Telugu heritage
dating back to the Satavahana kingdom. The foundation stone for the capital would be laid on the 12th of June
this year in a grand ceremony.

30 Lt. Kiran Shekhawat, first woman officer to die in line of duty

Mar Military

Lt. Kiran Shekhawat, India's first woman officer to die in line of duty, was cremated with full military honors in
Kurthala village, Haryana. Lt. Shekhawats body was recovered from the fuselage of the ill-fated Dornier
Aircraft of the Navy which had crashed during a training sortie off the Goa coast. Commoners and politicians
paid their homage to the deceased officer.

31 India sends ships to rescue Indians from Yemen

Mar Indians rescued

After the failure of the plan to airlift Indians from strife-torn Yemen, the government has decided to take the
sea route for rescue operation. Two merchant vessels and two warships have left for Yemen to bring them
back. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has briefed King Salman on Indias evacuation plan and requested his
support and cooperation. Yemen is witnessing attacks by Shiite militiamen on the president and other state
figures.

Politics and Government

03 Maharashtra bans beef, 5 years jail, Rs 10,000 fine for possession or sale
Mar Ban on Beef

President Pranab Mukherjee has assented to the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill, 1995,
which will enforce a ban on beef in Maharashtra. Earlier the slaughter of cows was prohibited in the state
under the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act of 1976. But now even killing of bulls as well as bullocks will
not be allowed. Anyone found to be selling beef or in possession of it can be jailed for five years and fined Rs
10,000. This move is believed to hike the prices of other meats and will turn many people jobless.

04 PM puts Mufti controversy to rest

Mar Mufti Controversy

PM Modi finally gave his statement on the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed
crediting Pakistan, Hurriyat and militants for smooth conduct of elections in the State, controversy. He put rest
to the ongoing arguments in the Parliament on Mufti's statement. The opposition demanded PM's statement
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on the issue and a resolution condemning the CM's statement. PM Modi said that he does not support the
statement. Following PM's statement, Mufti reiterated the stand of the government saying the credit for the
smooth conduct of elections goes to the Election Commission, people, Army men, and paramilitary.

10 Government seeks Parliament approval for Rs 11,000 crore CST grants to

states
Mar CST grants
An amount of Rs 11,000 crore will soon be provided to the states as the first tranche of long-pending central
sales tax compensation by the government, ahead of the goods and services tax (GST) rollout. The government
has sought approval for additional spending of Rs 36,953 crore that included the first tranche of compensation
for CST in accordance with finance minister Arun Jaitley's promise to states. The government has already
introduced the constitution amendment bill in Parliament for GST and expects to roll out the new regime that
will replace multiple state and central taxes with a single levy.

17 After saanvli comment, Sharad Yadav hits back at Smriti Irani

Mar Sharad Yadav

JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav hit back at Smriti Irani in Rajya Sabha after his remarks on saanvli (darkcomplexioned) women. Yadav's comment on dark complexioned women had met with Smirti Irani's appeal,
requesting him to stop making such comments. However, Sharad Yadav hit back at her saying I know what
you are. He has refused to apologise for his earlier remarks and said that he is ready to participate in a debate
any time.

19 Nitin Gadkari asks for an open debate on Land Bill

Mar Nitin Gadkari

World Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has written an open letter to all the people who have opposed the Land Bill,

calling them for an open debate on any platform. The Land Bill, which has been passed in the Lok Sabha faces
opposition in the Rajya Sabha, where the government is in minority. This move from the minister is seen by
many as an attempt to break the impasse at the parliament. According to the letter, the BJP is open to debate
all aspects of the bill and is also ready to make changes to it if required.

27 India stands 37th among 102 countries in Open Government Index

openness
Mar Government
In the recent World Justice Project's (WJP) Open Government Index 2015 report, India was ranked at 37th
place among 102 countries. The index measures the government openness based on the general public's
experiences and perceptions. It uses four dimensions i.e publicised laws and government data, right to
information, civic participation and complaint mechanisms to measure government openness. India scored
0.57 in the range of 0 to 1 with 1 indicating greatest openness.

29 HRD Minister says new National Education Policy to come out by December
Mar National Education Policy

Union Human Resource Development minister Smriti Irani has said that the central government is working on a
new National Education Policy (NEP), which will come out by December this year. The announcement was
made during a girls school convocation ceremony, where the minister mentioned that the new policy would
be formed with an aim of 'education for all'. The minister also said that education ministers of all the states will
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be asked to give their inputs, to help the centre to come out with a holistic policy that can be framed with
respect to the country's needs.

29 BJP becomes largest political party in the world

Mar BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) replaced the Communist Party of China as the largest political party in the
world after its total strength reached 8.80 crore members on Sunday. BJP owes this title to the ambitious
membership drive launched by Amit Shah which helped the party hit the 8.80 crore mark, beating the
Communist Party of China's 8.60 crore members. The speeding up of the membership drive comes amid hectic
meetings and tours by Shah to various states to step up the effort and hit the 10 crore mark by the end of this
month.

30 AAP sacks founding members Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav and also
its internal Lokpal
Mar Aam Aadmi Party
Two of the founding members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav were
sacked from the party's national executive in the light of bitter differences between the duo and Delhi CM and
AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal. The move comes after the duo termed as 'rebels' were removed from the party's
political affairs committee, which is AAP's top decision making body. The ousted duo now have three options,
first to approach the courts or the Election Commission for justice, second to start a new political party on the
same terms and principles they duo had in mind for the AAP, and the third being to not get involved in a
political party but start a people's movement taking up issues like public activists. However, the duo has hinted
towards the second of the three options. In another turn of events the crisis continued for AAP as it sacked its
internal Lokpal, former Indian navy chief L Ramdas, and replaced him with a three member panel.

Sports
22 Sri Lanka's Kumara Sangakara, Mahela Jayawardene and Pakistan's Misbahand Shahid Afridi bid adieu to ODI cricket
Mar ul-Haq
Cricket

World The ongoing Cricket World Cup 2015 (CWC '15) has seen four of the game's legends depart. After Sri Lanka lost
their quarter final game against South Africa on the 18th of March, 2015; two of its batting stalwarts Kumara
Sangakara and Mahela Jayawardene announced retirements from one day international cricket. Similarly,
Pakistan lost their quarter final match against co-hosts Australia on the 22nd of March, 2015, which saw
captain Misbah-ul-Haq and veteran all rounder Shahid Afridi hanging their boots off the 50 over format of the
game. All the four departing cricketers did not receive the fairytale send off, seen so often these days in
international cricket due to their last minute decisions.

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World
03 Iraq fights to reclaim Tikrit from IS
Mar Terrorism

Iraq has launched one of the largest operations against ISIS to retake Tikrit which has been under the captive
of ISIS and the jihadists' main hub in Iraq. The jihadists have been retaliating the attack, making it difficult for
Iraq to gain victory over them. The offensive is the biggest military operation in the province since the Sunni
Islamist radicals captured parts of north Iraq last June and advanced towards the capital. According to military
sources, warplanes were involved in the attack, excluding those of the US-led coalition fighting IS.

07 NASAs Dawn spacecraft arrives at dwarf planet's orbit

Mar NASA

NASA's Dawn spacecraft has become the first mission in the history to achieve orbit around the dwarf planet
Ceres. According to NASA, the spacecraft had reached 61,000 kilometres from Ceres when it was captured by
the dwarf planets gravity. Following this accomplishment, Dawn will work on providing new insights and
capturing images of the planet. Dawn is currently in Ceres shadows and wont take new pictures until it
emerges in April.

08 Republicans warn Iran against signing nuclear deal with Obama

deal
Mar Nuclear
In an open letter addressed to the Iran leaders, the Republican US Senators have said that any nuclear deal
with President Barack Obama could last only as long as he remains in office. The letter says that any deal not
approved by Congress would be merely "an executive agreement" that could be revoked by Congress.
According to the senators, Obama's hastiness would leave Iran with the liberty of being able to build a nuclear
weapon under the agreement.

09 US declares Venezuela a national security threat, sanctions top officials

Mar Venezeula

In the worst bilateral diplomatic dispute between the United States and Venezuela, President Barack Obama
issued and signed an executive order declaring Venezuela a national security threat. Obama has ordered
sanctions against seven officials from Venezuela. The orders were issued for people whose actions undermined
democratic processes or institutions, had committed acts of violence or abuse of human rights, were involved
in prohibiting or penalizing freedom of expression, or were government officials involved in public corruption.
Following this, Venezuealan President Nicolas Maduro angrily denounced the sanctions calling it an attempt to
overthrow his government.

09 India-Nepal joint military exercise concludes

- Nepal
Mar India
The joint India-Nepal military exercise named Surya Kiran VIII concluded at Salijhandi in Nepal. The exercise
was mainly aimed to strengthen the understanding between Indian Army & Nepalese Army and develop
interoperability in Jungle Warfare and Counter Terrorism operations in mountainous terrain. The training
ended with an exercise in which troops of both nations carried out a search and destroy mission in the general
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area of Saljhandi. The exercise was conducted under the aegis of Nepalese Army and it had started on 23
February 2015.

12 David Hale nominated by Obama as ambassador to Pakistan

Mar US Ambassador to Pakistan

Veteran diplomat David Hale has been appointed as the next ambassador to Pakistan by the US President
Barack Obama. Mr. Hale has been serving as the US Ambassador to Lebanon since 2013. Mr. Hale has also
served as Director of the Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs, Executive Assistant to the Secretary of State
and in other positions overseas in Bahrain, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia.

15 Suicide bombers kill 15, wound 78 in Pakistan

Mar Pakistan Christian Attack

Two suicide bombers blew themselves up at two Christian churches in Pakistan in a latest attack on religious
minorities. The attack left at least 15 persons dead and more than 70 injured. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Jamaatur-Ahrar accepts responsibility for the suicide attacks on the churches in Lahore . They were quoted saying
that they will continue to do so until the Islamic system is put into place in Pakistan. The devastating incident
created outrage among the mob who took to street to protest against the attack.

16 24 dead, 3,300 displaced after Cyclone Pam devastates Vanuatu

Mar New Zealand Cyclone

Vanautu in New Zealand was hit by a dreadful cyclone killing 24 people and sweeping away homes of 3,300.
The New Zealand relief workers failed to reach the affected area due to poor weather and communications
issues for days. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said 3,300 people are sheltering in
37 evacuation centres on the main island of Efate and in the provinces of Torba and Penama. Officials are
dispatching aid to the worst-hit areas.

18 Ex-lawyer of the doctor who helped CIA find Osama shot dead
Mar Pakistan
Samiullah Afridi the former lawyer of a Pakistani doctor who helped CIA locate Osama Bin Laden's
whereabouts, was killed by an unidentified gunman in Northwest Pakistan near the city of Peshawar. Two
different militant groups have claimed responsibility for the incident. Dr. Shakeel Afridi helped the CIA by
organising a fake vaccination camp to help trace Osama's location in 2011.

23 Sri Lanka's first field marshal Sarath Fonseka

Mar Sri Lanka

World Sri Lanka on Sunday conferred its highest military rank to former army chief Sarath Fonseka. The new

government bestowed the title of Field Marshal on the army veteran who was stripped of all honours by the
previous government as he tried to challenge the then president Mahinda Rajapaksa's re-election. The new
government used its executive powers to drop all charges against Fonseka and then appointed him to the
office of the field marshal.

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23 Pakistan celebrates National Day with 1st military parade since 2008, V.K.
Mar Singh's visit sparks controversy
World World > Pakistan

Pakistan conducted a military parade on its National Day for the 1st time since 2008 in the city of Islamabad.
The dazzling event saw precision parachute drops and state-of-the-art aircraft on display along with the
Pakistani military might. Pakistan had sent an invitation to Chinese president, Xi Jinping to be the guest of
honour for the event, but that could not happen. The event also saw commandos fire a remote controlled
drone missile, which is an achievement by itself.
Meanwhile, union minister of state for foreign affairs Gen VK Singh has created a controversy by attending the
Pakistan National Day at the Pakistani embassy in New Delhi. The minister has offered to resign from his post,
as his visit is viewed as anti-national by some segments of the political and social class. The minister gave a
statement that he attended the event on the Indian government's behalf, as it is a part of diplomatic civility.

23 Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew dies at 91

Mar World > Singapore

World Lee Kuan Yew, the man who transformed Singapore from a small port city into a wealthy global hub, passed

away at the age of 91 on Monday, 23rd March, 2015. The cause of death is believed to be Pneumonia. He was
the nation's prime minister for 31 years and is hailed as the architect of the country's growth. He was a key
personality in securing the country's freedom from Britain and also in separating it from Malaysia. The funeral
is scheduled to be held on the 29th of March.

27 Narendra Modi and Kailash Satyarthi feature in 50 greatest leaders' list

by Fortune Magazine
Mar compiled
World > 50 greatest leaders list
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi have featured in the list of world's 50
greatest leaders who have contributed to business, government and philanthropy. The list compiled by
Fortune magazine features Narendra Modi on the 5th place and Kailash Satyarthi in the 28th position.
Fortune magazine cited Modi's efforts to make India more business-friendly and less regulated, addressing
violence against women, improving sanitation and Satyarthi's initiatives against child labour for their inclusion
in the list. The ranking topped by Apple CEO Tim Cook, surprisingly left out US President Barack Obama, for the
second year in a row.

28 Germanwings plane crashes in France, 150 killed

Mar World > Germanwings

An Airbus operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings budget airline crashed into a mountainside in the French
Alps, killing 144 passengers and six crew members. The flight that departed from Spain was supposed to arrive
at the German airport. Reports are rife with speculations about the co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz's mental instability
and that he had hid his illness from his employers. Lubitz suspected of deliberately crashing the airliner last
week had undergone psychotherapy years ago because of suicidal tendencies, a situation experts say is hard
for airlines to detect. The matter is being investigated further.

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30 Another blogger stabbed to death in Bangladesh

> Bangladesh
Mar World
One more blogger, Washiqur Rahman, who used to write against religious fundamentalism was stabbed to
death in the Bangladesh capital. The attack comes a month after Avijit Roy, a US-based Bangladeshi atheist
blogger, was hacked to death in the Muslim-majority Bangladesh. According to the head of the Blogger and
Online Activists Network in Bangladesh, Rahman was a progressive free thinker and was against religious
fundamentalism. The attacks have posed a threat to the country's independent writers.

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