SC-Homosexual-Ruling-Section-377-IPC
1) In a major setback to gay activists, the Supreme Court on 11 December, 2013 held that homosexuality or unnatural sex between two consenting adults would be an offence and this provision did not suffer from any constitutional infirmity. Which section of Indian Penal Code (IPC) was held constitutional by the Supreme Court in this ruling? – Section 377 (A Bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and S.J. Mukhopadaya in its judgment allowed a batch of appeals challenging the Delhi High Court judgment decriminalising Section 377 of IPC between two consenting adults. The court had reserved verdict on 27 March 2012 after marathon arguments since 15 February 2012 from counsel for the appellants, the Attorney General G. E. Vahanvati and others arguing for and against the judgment. The Bench while setting aside the High Court
judgment, however said it would be open to the government to accept the recommendations of the Attorney General G.E. Vahanvati either to delete Section 377 IPC from the statute book or bring in appropriate amendments. However, this Supreme Court ruling was severely criticized by numerous sections of society from India as well as abroad)
2) Who took over as the new Lokayukta of Gujarat on 11 December, 2013? – Justice (Retired) DP Buch (He was administered the oath of office by Governor Kamla Baniwal at a function in Raj Bhawan. The Gujarat cabinet, on 26 November, had finalized the name of Buch as the new Lokayukta under the Gujarat Lokayukta Act, 1986. The appointment of Buch comes three months after Justice (retired) RA Mehta refused to take up the post that had been mired in controversy)
3) Who was appointed as the new Finance Secretary of India on 10 December, 2013? – Sumit Bose (Bose takes place of R.S. Gujral, who retired during November 2013. Gujral was also looking after the expenditure department. Sumit Bose is an IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre (1976 batch) and was the senior-most secretary in the Finance Ministry that has two other secretaries- Arvind Mayaram (economic affairs) and Ratan P Watal (expenditure). He is due to retire in March 2014)
4) Which country is on its way to become first country in the world to have a national market for legal marijuana? – Uruguay (Uruguay’s Senate gave final congressional approval on 10 December 2013 to create the world’s first national marketplace for legal marijuana. The plan now awaits the signature of President Jose Mujica, who wants the market to begin operating next year. Uruguay’s drug control agency will have 120 days, until mid-April, to draft regulations imposing state control over the entire market for marijuana, from seed to smoke)
5) Who was selected as Person of the Year 2013 by Time magazine? - Pope Francis (Time magazine announced his name on 10 December 2013. He was selected because according to Time he had the greatest impact on the world, for good or bad, during 2013. Time said Pope Francis had changed the tone, the perception and focus of one of the world’s largest institutions in an extraordinary way. Leaker Edward Snowden finished second in this prestigious annual list)
6) A remote region in East Antarctica has set a new record for the coldest place on Earth, with temperatures dipping to a bone-chilling minus 93.2 degrees Celsius. This announcement was made by NASA scientists on 10 December 2013. This record lowest temperature of minus 136 Fahrenheit (minus 93.2 C) was recorded in several hollows of a high ridge in Antarctica on the East Antarctic Plateau. That is several degrees colder than the previous low of minus 128.6 F (minus 89.2 C), set in 1983 at the Russian Vostok Research Station in East Antarctica. When was this lowest temperature recorded? – On 10 August, 2010 (Scientists made the discovery while analysing the most detailed global surface temperature maps to date, developed with data from remote sensing satellites including the new Landsat 8, a joint project of NASA and the US Geological Survey (USGS). The coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth is northeastern Siberia, where temperatures in the towns of Verkhoyansk and Oimekon dropped to a bone-chilling 90 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (minus 67.8 C) in 1892 and 1933, respectively)
7) Who was appointed as the new CEO of General Motors (GM) to become the first woman to head any major car company? - Mary Barra (GM announced appointment of Barra to replace Dan Akerson on 15 January 2014. Barra is the product development chief of GM and a 33-year company veteran)
8) Pope Francis is Time magazine’s 'Person of the Year. Time magazine selected Pope Francis as its Person of the Year on Wednesday, saying the Catholic Church's new leader has changed the perception of the 2,000-year-old institution in an extraordinary way in a short time. The pope beat out NSA
9) Ayurvedic doctor-turned-politician Raman Singh was today sworn in as the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh for the third consecutive term. Governor Shekhar Dutt administered him the oath of office in Raipur on Thursday. 61 year old Singh led BJP to victory for the third time in assembly polls. Raman Singh has become the fourth chief minister of Chhattisgarh that came into existence in November 2000.
10) After a landslide victory in Mizoram Assembly polls, Lal Thanhawla will be sworn in for a second consecutive term as the Chief Minister on Saturday. Lal Thanhawla (71) and members of his council of ministers will be administered the oath of office by Governor Vakkom B Purushothaman at a ceremony which would begin at 11 am at the Raj Bhavan in Aizawl, a communique said on Thursday.
11) Banks might adopt Aadhaar as additional authentication or move to EMV (Euro pay MasterCard Visa) chip and pin technology to ensure security in card-based payment transactions, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) suggested. The central bank also said that all new card present infrastructures must be enabled with EMV chip and Pin technology as well as Aadhaar acceptance. The notification is based on Gowri Mukherjee-headed working group's recommendation. Mukherjee is the global head of digital marketing at Standard Chartered Bank.
12) Doha Bank has been granted the license to start its banking operations in India. The bank has been permitted to open a branch in Mumbai to provide full-scale banking services. This was announced by the Chairman of Doha Bank Board of Directors Sheikh Fahad Bin Mohammad Bin Jabor Al-Thani in Doha. Doha Bank now becomes the first Qatari bank to get the license from the Reserve Bank of India to start operations in India. The bank plans to start its operations soon as a Foreign Bank branch in the city of Mumbai. It will offer wholesale banking, retail banking, treasury and trade finance services.
13) Wipro has received the ‘2013 ESCAP-Sasakawa Award for Disability-Inclusive Business in Asia and the Pacific’, in the category ‘Disability-Inclusive Multinational Enterprise’. The award for Disability-Inclusive Business was established by ESCAP in cooperation with The Nippon Foundation (TNF) and the Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability (APCD) to recognise and honour companies that have made a significant breakthrough in engaging and hiring people with disabilities in their daily operations. The award is an initiative that views persons with disabilities as an untapped workforce.
14) India and the UAE are set to sign an agreement for promotion and protection of bilateral investments. Bilateral Investment Protection Agreement (BIPA), to be signed next week in New Delhi, will provide a comprehensive framework to investors from both the countries, the outgoing Ambassador of India to the UAE M K Lokesh said on Sunday.
15) Afghan President Hamid Karzai arrived in New Delhi Thursday afternoon on a four day official visit to India. A press release issued by the President's office in Kabul last evening said he will meet Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid and hold talks on various aspects of bilateral cooperation under the long term strategic partnership treaty between the two countries. Afghan President is also scheduled to meet the Indian business and industry leaders in Pune.
16) Samsung Electronics Co Ltd lost its case to have certain products by Apple Inc banned in South Korea Thursday when a Seoul court ruled the US manufacturer had not violated Samsung patents. Samsung in March 2012 filed for damages and a sales ban on some iPhone and iPad models, saying Apple had breached three patents on technology for handling and displaying text and messages from its flagship Galaxy product range.
17) Nearly 230 million children under the age of five around the world have never had their birth registered, which often means they will be barred from education, health care and social security, the UN children's agency said. A report by UNICEF to mark its 67th birthday on December 11 said that globally it amounts to one in three children under five.
18) De Villiers dethrones Kohli from top in ICC ODI rankings. Star batsman Virat Kohli lost his top position to AB de Villiers while most of his teammates, barring skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, also slipped in the latest ICC one-day rankings issued on Thursday after the 0-2 series loss to South Africa. De Villiers is the third batsman from South Africa after Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla to head the Test and ODI batting tables at the same time, and the ninth player overall. Amla achieved the distinction in February this year when he topped the charts after the Johannesburg Test against Pakistan.
19) Saina Nehwal has lost to the World No.1 and Olympic Champion Li Xuerui of China in the Group-B match of BWF World Super Series finals Badminton Tournament. Li defeated Saina 21-9 and 21-14 in a match today. Yesterday in the opening match, Saina lost to Japan's Minatsu Mitani 21-19, 22-24 and 19-21. With the second defeat in the tournament, her chances for getting into semi-finals have turned bleak.
20) Kabbadi World Cup: Indian Kabaddi teams both in Men and Women sections have stormed into the final of 4th World Cup Kabaddi Tournament at Bhatinda last night. Now in the final in the Men Section, Indian team will clash with Pakistan while Women team will face New Zealand.
21) SA win series 2-0. The final one-dayer of the 3-match cricket series between India and hosts South Africa was abandoned last night, due to rain at Centurion. Rain started at the innings break, after South Africa posted 301 for 8 in the stipulated 50 overs. Opener Quinton de Kock scored his third consecutive century. He made a superb 101, while Skipper AB de Villiers hit a brilliant 109.
1) सर्वोच्च न्यायालय ने समलैंगिंक कार्यकर्ताओं को एक बड़ा झटका देते हुए 11 दिसम्बर, 2013 को दिए अपने आदेश में दिल्ली उच्च न्यायालय के उस फैसले को रद कर दिया जिसमें दो व्यस्कों के बीच समलैंगिक सम्बंधों को अपराध की श्रेणी से बाहर कर दिया गया था। इस निर्णय के द्वारा सर्वोच्च न्यायालय ने भारतीय दण्ड संहिता (IPC) की किस धारा को संवैधानिक बताया? - धारा 377 (उल्लेखनीय है कि दिल्ली उच्च न्यायालय ने 2 जुलाई 2009 को फैसला सुनाया था जिसमें दो व्यस्कों के बीच एकांत में बनाए गए समलैंगिक संबंधों को अपराध की श्रेणी से बाहर कर दिया था। विभिन्न सामाजिक और धार्मिक संगठनों ने हाईकोर्ट के इस फैसले को सर्वोच्च न्यायालय में चुनौती दी थी। न्यायमूर्ति जीएस सिंघवी व न्यायमूर्ति सुधांशु ज्योति मुखोपाध्याय ने फैसले को चुनौती देने वाली याचिकाओं पर सुनवाई करते हुए 27 मार्च 2012 को फैसला सुरक्षित रख लिया था। अपना फैसला सुनाते हुए सर्वोच्च न्यायालय की पीठ ने कहा कि दिल्ली उच्च न्यायालय का फैसला कानूनन बने रहने लायक नहीं है और IPC की धारा 377 में कोई कानूनी खामी नहीं है। सर्वोच्च न्यायालय के इस फैसले की देश और विदेश में जबर्दस्त आलोचना हो रही है। इसके पहले शायद ही कभी न्यायालय के किसी फैसले की इतनी तीखी प्रतिक्रिया हुई हो)
2) किसे 11 दिसम्बर, 2013 को गुजरात के नये लोकायुक्त के रूप में शपथ दिलाई गई? - न्यायमूर्ति (सेवानिवृत्त) डी.पी. बुच (उन्हें राज्यपाल कमला बेनीवाल ने पद और गोपनीयता की शपथ दिलाई। 26 नवम्बर को गुजरात की कैबिनेट ने गुजरात लोकायुक्त कानून, 1986 के अंतर्गत बुच की नियुक्ति को अपनी स्वीकृति प्रदान की थी जिसे राज्यपाल ने भी अपनी स्वीकृति दे दी थी। उल्लेखनीय है कि यह नियुक्ति न्यायमूर्ति (सेवानिवृत्त) आर.ए.मेहता द्वारा राज्य सरकार के साथ चले विवादों के चलते लगभग तीन माह पहले लोकायुक्त का पद ग्रहण न करने के निर्णय के बाद हुई है)
3) 10 दिसम्बर, 2013 को किसे नया वित्त सचिव (Finance Secretary) नियुक्त किया गया? - सुमित बोस को (सुमित बोस ने नवम्बर 2013 के दौरान सेवानिवृत्त हुए आर.एस. गुजराल का स्थान लिया। गुजराल वित्त सचिव के अलावा व्यय विभाग (Expenditure Department) का काम भी देख रहे थे। बोस वित्त मंत्रालय में सबसे वरिष्ठ सचिव हैं और वे 1976 बैच के मध्य प्रदेश काडर के भारतीय प्रशासनिक सेवा के अधिकारी हैं। उन्हें मार्च 2014 में सेवानिवृत्त होना है)
4) कौन सा देश अपने यहाँ नशीले पदार्थ मारिजुआना (Marijuana) का राष्ट्रीय बाजार स्थापित करने की राह की ओर अग्रसर है जिससे ये देश मारिजुआना के व्यापार को कानूनी स्वरूप प्रदान करने वाला विश्व का पहला देश बन जायेगा? - उरुग्वे – Uruguay (उरुग्वे की सीनेट ने 10 दिसम्बर 2013 को इस सम्बन्ध में एक प्रस्ताव को अपनी स्वीकृति दी। अब इसे राष्ट्रपति जोस मूजिका (Jose Mujica) की स्वीकृति मिलना शेष है। इसे स्वीकृति मिल जाने के बाद उरुग्वे की मादक पदार्थ नियंत्रण एजेंसी को 120 दिनों में मारिजुआना के कानूनी व्यापार का ढांचा स्थापित करने के लिए आवश्यक दिशानिर्देश तैयार करना होगा जिससे मारिजुआना के संपूर्ण व्यापार का नियंत्रण सरकार के हाथ में आ जाए)
5) अमेरिका की टाइम (Time) पत्रिका ने किसे पर्सन ऑफ द ईयर 2013 के रूप में चुनने की घोषणा की? - पोप फ्रांसिस – Pope Francis (ईसाई रोमन कैथोलिक मत के सर्वोच्च व्यक्ति का प्रभाव टाइम पत्रिका ने इस वर्ष के दौरान सर्वाधिक देखा। पत्रिका का मानना है कि फ्रांसिस ने विश्व की सबसे शक्तिशाली संस्थाओं में से एक के प्रमुख के रूप में इस संस्था की धारणा और दृष्टिकोण में अपेक्षित बदलाव लाने में अपनी भूमिका निभाई। वहीं व्हिसलब्लोवर एडवर्ड स्नोडेन को इस प्रतिष्ठित सूची में दूसरे स्थान पर रखा गया)
6) नासा के वैज्ञानिकों द्वारा 10 दिसम्बर, 2013 को की गई घोषणा के अनुसार पूर्वी अंटार्कटिका स्थित एक सुदूर क्षेत्र में ठंड का नया रिकार्ड दर्ज किया गया है। यहाँ शून्य से 136 फेरेनहाइट नीचे (-93.2 डिग्री सेल्सियस) का अब तक का न्यूनतम तापमान दर्ज किया गया है। यह पूर्वी अंटार्कटिका स्थित रूसी जांच केन्द्र वोस्टोक (Vostok) में वर्ष 1983 में रिकार्ड किए गए न्यूनतम तापमान शून्य से 128.6 फेरेनहाइट नीचे (-89.2 डिग्री सेल्सियस) से भी नीचे है। -93.2 डिग्री सेल्सियस का यह न्यूनतम तापमान नासा द्वारा किस दिन रिकार्ड किया गया? - 10 अगस्त 2010 को (नासा के अनुसार तापमान सम्बन्धी यह निष्कर्ष अभी तक के सबसे उच्च-तकनीक वाले उपकरणों तथा लैण्डसैट - 8 (Landsat 8) नामक उपग्रह की मदद से निकाले गए हैं। हालांकि मानव द्वारा निवास के रूप में लगातार इस्तेमाल किए जा रहे किसी स्थान का न्यूनतम तापमान का रिकार्ड रूस के साइबेरिया के नाम दर्ज है। 1892 और 1933 में उत्तरी साइबेरिका के वर्कोयान्स (Verkhoyansk) और ओईमेकान (Oimekon) शहरों का तापमान शून्य से 67.8 डिग्री सेल्सियस नीचे रिकार्ड किया गया था)
7) अमेरिका ऑटोमोबाइल कम्पनी जनरल मोटर्स (GM) ने किसे कम्पनी की नई मुख्य कार्यकारी अधिकारी (CEO) नियुक्त किया है, जो इस नियुक्ति से किसी प्रमुख कार कम्पनी को नेतृत्व करने वाली पहली महिला बन गईं हैं? - मेरी बारा – Mary Barra (उल्लेखनीय है कि बारा को कम्पनी की यह जिम्मेदारी 15 जनवरी 2014 को प्रदान की जायेगी तथा वे डेन एकेरसन (Dan Akerson) का स्थान लेंगी। बारा पिछले 33 सालों से कम्पनी से जुड़ी हैं और अभी तक नए उत्पादों के विकास का कार्य देख रही थीं)
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