Current Affairs For SSC CGL Exam - 09 February, 2014

Current Affairs For SSC CGL Exam

A nude or semi-nude picture of a woman cannot be called obscene per se unless it is designed to excite sexual passion or reveal an overt sexual desire, the Supreme Court has held.
Quashing a case against a newspaper for publishing a nude photo of German tennis legend Boris Becker with his fiancee in 1993, a bench of justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and A.K. Sikri said only those sex-related materials can be held to be obscene which have a tendency of exciting lustful thoughts.
A picture of a nude/semi-nude woman, as such, cannot per se be called obscene unless it has the tendency to arouse feeling or revealing an overt sexual desire.
Obscenity has to be judged from an average person point of view as the concept of obscenity would change with the passage of time and what might have been obscene at one point of time would not be considered as obscene at a later period.
The bench said the photograph, in which Becker had posed nude with his dark-skinned fiancee Barbara Feltus as a mark of protest against the practice of apartheid, wants to convey message to eradicate the evil of racism and to promote love.

The government has banned the retail sale of the controversial hormone drug Oxytocin by pharmacies to curb its misuse by dairy owners and farmers who use it boost milk production and plump up the size of vegetables and fruits.
It is believed that those consuming such dairy products and vegetables and fruits are hit by irreversible hormonal imbalance.
The ban restricts the Oxytocin bulk drug manufacturers from selling it to only those with licences to make the drug formulations. The drug makers on the other hand can supply it directly only to veterinary hospitals.
Under Schedule H of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rule, 1954, the drug can be distributed on the prescription of a Registered Medical Practitioner only. Further, to avoid its bulk sale, Oxytocin injections are packed only in single unit blister packs.
Oxytocin is available not only in the licensed pharmacies but also sold off the shelves by general grocery shops in many parts of the country.

Sikkim has become the only state in the country to achieve 100 per cent sanitation in rural and urban households, schools, sanitary complexes and Aanganwadi centres.
All 6,10,577 inhabitants in Sikkim have latrines with high sanitation and hygiene standards.
The Himalayan state has constructed 98,043 individual household latrines against the target of 87,014 till January, thus achieving 112.67 per cent target under Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan scheme implemented by Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
The state has also sensitised people to adopt a holistic approach to improve sanitation and hygiene in a clean environment while accelerating its overall development.
According to a survey conducted in 20 gram panchayats by Planning Commission, 17 village councils of Sikkim were declared as ‘best performance panchayats’, which is highest in the country. Sikkim also topped the list among all states of the country in net performance indicators.

In the final of the Shriram Capital-P.L. Reddy Memorial ATP $50,000 Challenger, Yuki Bhambri beat Alexander Kudryavtsev4-6, 6-3, 7-5. That the seventh seeded Indian hung in there in spite of struggling and handled the tricky Russian with elan says a lot about his mental make-up.
The Indian then made it a grand ‘double’, pocketing the doubles crown as well, in partnership with Michael Venus, by beating Sriram Balaji and Blaz Rola 6-4, 7-6(3). The singles victory — his third Challenger title — would give Bhambri 80 ranking points, and is certain to push him into the World’s top-150.

Justin Reid Ross’s 11th minute field goal gave Ranchi Rhinos a solitary-goal win over Mumbai Magicians in the Hero Hockey India League — its fourth win in six matches.
Ranchi captain Moritz Furste sparked the move leading to the goal with a crisp reverse-hit pass. Mumbai was taken by surprise when Ross moved forward in time for the pass, picked up the ball and advanced on his own.By the time the defence closed in, he had made space for a rasping reverse hit into the net.
Neither team forced penalty corners till quarter three. Turner went off on his own from the left up to the goal-line, trying to force defenders into mistakes but had nothing to show for his efforts.
Amon Tirkey earned the tie’s first penalty corner in the 55th minute but the Mumbai defence was spot on.

Sources: Various News Papers & PIB