Rajya Sabha Passes Judicial Accountability Bill

• Currently, judges for the higher judiciary are appointed by a Supreme Court collegium of five judges headed by the Chief Justice, a system implemented two decades ago.

• The proposed commission will be headed by the Chief Justice and have the two most senior judges of the Supreme Court, the Law Minister and two eminent persons as members and Secretary (Justice) in the Law Ministry as Convener.

• The government had said the current system of appointing judges was flawed and had led to a huge shortfall in courts across the country.

What is BRI-62?

• Bangladesh has become the first country to release seeds of the Zinc rich rice variety known as - "BRI-62"

• BRI-62 is world's first zinc enriched rice variety capable of fighting diarrhea and pneumonia-induced childhood deaths and stunted growth.

• Bangladesh Rice Institute (BRI) invented it.

Currency Swap Agreement with Japan and Bhutan

• India is exploring possibilities of entering into currency swap agreements with trade partners aiming to shore up exports and bring down trade deficit, which is putting pressure on the rupee.

• India has signed currency swap agreements with Japan ($ 15 billion) and Bhutan ($ 100 million). China has shown active interest in entering into such an agreement with India but it is yet to be signed.

• Currency swap agreements involve exchange of one currency for another currency and are generally motivated by the comparative advantage.

Andhra Pradesh accounts for 20% of AIDS patients in India

Andhra Pradesh has the highest number of HIV patients in the country. According to official statistics, the state had 5 lakh of the 24 lakh HIV positive patients in the country during 2011-12. Andhra Pradesh is followed by Maharashtra (4.19 lakh), Karnataka (2.45 lakh), West Bengal (1.67 lakh), Tamil Nadu (1.54 lakh), Gujarat (1.36 lakh) and Uttar Pradesh (1.09 lakh).

Illiteracy, poor health, unemployment, migration, non-traditional sex practices and trafficking are some of the factors contributing to the spread of HIV in the state, according to experts. "The government has failed to prevent the occurrence and spread of HIV in the state. It has failed to create awareness in society on the risks and symptoms of AIDS,"

Aaron Finch's T20 world record

• The opener bludgeoned a stunning, world-record 156 from only 63 balls in the first Twenty20 clash against England .

• The 26-year-old struggled after being handed his international debut in January, and averaged only 15 against Sri Lanka and West Indies with a top score of 38.

Poet and Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney dies aged 74

• World-renowned poet and playwright Seamus Heaney has died at the age of 74.

• Mr Heaney was a teacher and then had a distinguished career in poetry, winning the Nobel prize for literature in 1995.

Hindus, Sikhs get Afghan parliament seat

• Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has issued a legislative decree that gives minority Hindus and Sikhs a seat in the country's next parliamentarian election.

• A statement on Wednesday from the presidency said the seat would be in the parliament's lower house. 

• Karzai's decision comes after lawmakers declined to require a special seat for Hindus and Sikhs in the law. Under Afghan law, the president has the power to issue legislative decrees when the parliament is on vacation.

Understanding The Eastern Mediterranean region- Specially 'SYRIA'

The Eastern Mediterranean denotes the countries geographically to the east of the Mediterranean Sea. This region is also known as the region of Syria or the Levant. The countries and territories of the Eastern Mediterranean include: 

1.  Cyprus
2.  Greece
3.  Turkey
4.  Egypt
5.  State of Palestine
6.  Lebanon
7.  Syria
8.  Jordan
9.  Israel

Syria is the only significant crude oil producing country in the Eastern Mediterranean region (which comprises of Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, State of Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Israel).

People of Damascus (Capital of Syria)

Economy:

Syria is classified by the World Bank as a "lower middle income country." Syria remains dependent on the oil and agriculture sectors.The oil sector provides about 40% of export earnings. The agriculture sector contributes to about 20% of GDP and 20% of employment. Oil reserves are expected to decrease in the coming years and Syria has already become a net oil importer. Since the civil war began, the economy shrank by 35%, and the Syrian pound has fallen to one-sixth of its prewar value. The government increasingly relies on credit from Iran, Russia and China.

Global Competitiveness Report

• The Global Competitiveness Report (GCR) is a yearly report published by the World Economic Forum. Since 2004, the Global Competitiveness Report ranks countries based on the Global Competitiveness Index.

• The report "assesses the ability of countries to provide high levels of prosperity to their citizens. This in turn depends on how productively a country uses available resources. Therefore, the Global Competitiveness Index measures the set of institutions, policies, and factors that set the sustainable current and medium-term levels of economic prosperity."

• Since 2010, Switzerland has led the ranking as the most competitive economy in the world. The United States, which ranked first for several years, fell to fifth place due to the consequences of the financial crisis of 2007–2010 and its macroeconomic instability.

• India Ranks 60.

Also see 2013-14 rankings

Diana Nyad - First Woman to swim from Cuba to Florida

Diana Nyad born on August 22, 1949, is an American author, journalist, motivational speaker, and world record long-distance swimmer. In 2013, on her fifth attempt and at age 64, she became the first person confirmed to swim from Cuba to Florida without the protection of a shark cage, swimming from Havana to Key West (110 miles). Nyad was once ranked thirteenth among U.S. women squash players.

First Geothermal Project in India to be launched in (Tatapani) Chhattisgarh

• Tatapani is a newly formed district of Chhattisgarh. 

• India's first geo-thermal power project would use underground hot water springs at Tatapani to convert it into steam.

• state's Renewable Energy Development Agency ( CREDA) and NTPC are working jointly towards the implementation of the project.

The New Pension Bill

The Rajya Sabha passed the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) Bill, which will help extend pension cover to more citizens of the country through PFRDA's New Pension Scheme (NPS).

• The main objective of the bill is to help extend pension cover to more citizens of the country through PFRDA's New Pension Scheme (NPS). Currently just 12 percent of the workforce in the country has any formal pension or social security plan.

• The passage of the Pension Bill will make Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) a statutory authority. Earlier it had a non-statutory status.

• The Pension Bill would also provide subscribers a wide choice to invest their funds, depending on their capacity to take risk. A subscriber seeking minimum assured returns can opt for schemes providing minimum assured returns, as may be notified by the PFRDA.

• NPS is a defined contribution scheme and is based on the principle that 'you save while you earn'.

• The provisions of the Pension Bill will not apply to Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) subscribers. EPFO funds will be continued to be managed by the government.

• The Pension Bill allows foreign direct investment in the country's pension sector, the latest attempt by the government to attract more capital flows. Overseas investors can own stakes of up to 26% stake in domestic pension funds, or such percentage as may be approved for the insurance sector, whichever is higher etc.

• NPS was opened up for all citizens of the country including unorgnised sector workers, on voluntary basis, with effect from 1 May 2009.

• To encourage workers from the unorganised sector to voluntarily save for their retirement via NPS, the government launched the co-contributory pension scheme titled "Swavalamban Scheme" of NPS in the Budget of 2010-11. 

ICICI- First Private bank to launch ‘ATM On Wheels’ To Reach Rural Villages

• Villagers in the western state of Maharashtra, India, will soon have access to basic banking products and services thanks to a mobile “Branch on Wheels” offered by India’s largest private sector bank, ICICI Bank, as part of the bank’s financial inclusion initiative, aiming to expand its reach to citizens devoid of banking facilities.
• Two more could be opened in Odisha and Chhattisgrah states each depending on the success of its pilot project.
• The "Branch on Wheels" will be a van that travels to pre-identified unbanked villages at specific timings in the day, coming equipped with a GPS tracking system, laptops with 3G connections, LED TV, a safe, a printer, public announcement system, an UV Lamp that detects forged cheques, a note counting-cum-authentication machine that identifies fake currency notes and a unique low weight ATM.

Zubin Mehta gets Tagore Award for Communal Harmony

Who: Zubin Mehta
Profession: International Music Conductor  in western classical music specially the Munich’s Bavarian State Orchestra
Origin: Indian
Award: Tagore Award for Communal Harmony
Famous Concert: ‘Ehsaas-e-Kashmir’
More: The President called Mehta a "distinguished son of India" and also the country's "cultural ambassador".