CURRENT AFFAIRS MAY/02/2015

CURRENT AFFAIRS MAY/02/2015

1.MAHA FDA FILES FIR AGAINST SNAPDEAL, CEO KUNAL BAHL

The Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has ordered the filing of a first information report (FIR) against e-commerce major Snapdeal.com's CEO for selling I-Pill, Unwanted-72, emergency contraceptives and other drugs through their website snapdeal.com

FDA, in dummy transactions, ordered some of the banned drugs online on snapdeal.com and also got delivery last month.

Snapdeal.com had assured FDA todelist these medicenes but through continued to offer, exhibit and sell drugs like I-Pill, Unwanted-72, emergency contraceptives and other drugs through their website

Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has accused Snapdeal for listing prescription medicines on its site, days after it raided the Mumbai office of the company

FDA Commissioner Harshadeep Kamble said investigations into other e-commerce giants like Flipkart and Amazon are also under progress

The FIR was filed against snapdeal under relevant sections of the Drugs & Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954, and the Drugs & Cosmetic Rules, 1945.

Snapdeal said that  it invests significantly in educating sellers on engaging in fair and safe sales on the platform and consequences of selling inappropriate products but at times sellers end up listing such products

FDA investigation revealed that Jasper Infotech Pvt Ltd has agreements with various pharmaceutical deals all over India to supply drugs through Snapdeal.com and also collect payments.

About snapdeal:-

Snapdeal is an online marketplace, New Delhi, India.

The company was started by Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal in February 2010

2.MICROSOFT NAMED ITS NEXT WEB BROWSER AS EDGE,GOODBYE INTERNET EXPLORER

Microsoft has officially named its next-generation browser for Windows 10 as Microsoft Edge which has more new features and faster than Internet Explorer  and it will now replace Internet Explorer 

Microsoft Edge was first announced as in January as Project Spartan

Edge has new features as notation tool, a distraction—free reading mode, and website information from Cortana, a personal voice—assistant app for Windows

Microsoft Edge browser has Cortana built in which will understand of what the user likes, based on their previous history.

Microsoft Edge will include news feeds and suggested web sites, in order to "help people connect with and discover more content Another

New feature of Microsoft Edge is support for Web Extensions, add-ins for the browser written in HTML and JavaScript which is similar to those that have been available for Chrome and Firefox

3.INDIA IS ALL SET TO GETS IT OWN INDIGENOUS REAL TIME QUAKE MONITORING SYSTEM

India is all set to gets it own indigenous real time quake monitoring system parallel to United States Geological Survey (USGS)

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) is in the process of setting up an extensive network of integrated seismo-geodetic equipment across ten strategic locations including Agartala, Itanagar, Katra in Jammu, Jabalpur and Nagpur in the country.

The observatories will comprehensively monitor all earthquake activities in the sub-continent and will be able to study earthquake data in real time

GSI is establishing this system for the first time in India and should start functioning by the end of July

The data collected by the field observatories will be interlinked through VSAT and collated at Geological Survey of India's Data Receiving and Processing Unit in Kolkata and uploaded on the GSI portal

Anyone can get instant information about any tremor felt across the Indian subcontinent in real time from there.

4.NDTV’S EXECUTIVE CO-CHAIRMAN TO RECEIVE REDINK AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

Dr Prannoy Roy, Executive Co-Chairman of NDTV Group, has been awarded the 2015 RedInk Award for Lifetime Achievement for Excellence in Journalism

Dr Prannoy Roy has consistent and pioneering contribution to news television in India

The award, comprising a trophy and a citation, has been instituted by the Mumbai Press Club

The awards were presented by the Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu

Sreenivasan Jain of NDTV was presented 'Journalist of the Year' award.

Arnab Goswami, editor-in-chief of Times Now, was honoured with 'Impact Editor of the Year' award

About Dr Prannoy Roy :-

Dr Prannoy Roy, along with his wife and journalist Radhika Roy set up television news production company called New Delhi Television in 1988, now called NDTV.

Dr Prannoy Roy was distinguished for his unparalleled coverage of election news and changed the way people consumed TV news with his popular programmes such as ‘The News Tonight’ and ‘The World This Week’.

5.THEERA VETA DEFENCE EXERCISE IN ARABIAN SEA CONDUCTED BY COASTAL SECURITY

The Coastal security exercise ‘Theera Veta’ for coast of Kerala, Lakshadweep and Minicoy islands and the Union Territory of Mahe was conducted from 28-29 Apr 15

Theera Veta was conducted by the Coast Guard from its Ops room at Kochi and Kavaratti and monitored from the Joint Operation Centre (JOC), at Naval base, Kochi

Theera Veta was actively participated by all agencies such as the Indian Navy, the Coast Guard, Coastal Police, State and U/T administration, State/UT police, Fisheries Department including Marine Enforcement Wing Intelligence Bureau, Customs

Theera Veta is held periodically to revalidate the standard operating procedures with a focus on protecting the vital installations located coast to coast

6.FORMER GUJARAT ASSEMBLY SPEAKER BARJORJI PARDIWALA PASSED AWAY

Former Gujarat assembly speaker Barjorji Pardiwala,86, today passed away due to age-related illness at a city-based private hospital.

Barjorji Pardiwala, father of Gujarat High Court Justice J B Pardiwala, was also a renowned lawyer in Valsa Pardiwala joined the bar at Valsad town of Gujarat in 1955 and practiced for more than 40 years

Barjorji Pardiwala, successfully contested election as Congress nominee on Valsad assembly constituency and was made speaker of the seventh state assembly when Madhavsinh Solanki was chief minister for period from December 1989 to March 1990.

7.GOVT PROVIDES SOME RELIEF RELIEF TO FOREIGN INVESTORS FROM MAT

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced exemption from minimum alternate tax MAT on certain incomes of foreign firms

The government said that minimum alternate tax (MAT) would be applicable on the real estate and infrastructure investment trusts only when there is actual transfer of their units

MAT will not apply to capital gains on the sale of securities, royalty, technical service fees and interest income.

Earlier, MAT was also applicable on exchange of equity shares of an Special Purpose Vehicle for REIT or InVIT units

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also eased MAT rules for real estate investment trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure Investments Trusts (InvITs)

The finance minister Arun Jaitley lowered the export duty on low-grade iron ore to 10% from 30% to boost exports from Goa and revive mining of the commodity in the state

8.BELGIAN FOOTBALLER GREGORY MERTENS DIES AFTER COLLAPSING ON PITCH

Belgian footballer Gregory Mertens died three days after suffering a heart attack while playing for Lokeren's reserves

The 24-year-old defender had been in a critical condition after collapsing on the field 20 minutes into a reserve game against Genk on Monday since than he was on coma

Gregory was only at the club for one and a half years, but in that short time (he showed) quiet modesty and was indispensable