Current Affairs For SSC CGL Exam - 26 December, 2013

Current Affairs For SSC CGL Exam

India is poised again for a more active role in Syria, after having been involved in unsuccessful attempts to resolve the conflict in that country when it was a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for two years.
India has been informed of its invitation to Geneva II, the U.N.-sponsored international conference on Syria, scheduled for next month.
The first meeting resulted in the Geneva communiqué that supported a political transition without insisting on President Bashar-al Assad’s exit and a transition plan.
India was also an Observer in Friends of Syria, a grouping that tried to push through regime change.
Simultaneously, India is likely to join international efforts to destroy Syria’s stockpile.
New Delhi is exchanging documents with the Organisation for the Protection of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for finalising the details.

Readjustment of reserved constituencies will be done with 2001 population figures as base
A minor exercise being carried out by the Election Commission, on the orders of the Supreme Court, to change the status some Lok Sabha/Assembly constituencies from the general category to reserved seats for SCs/STs and vice versa will be completed well in time before the general election, Commissioner S.N.A Zaidi said on Wednesday.
Readjustment of reserved constituencies would be based on the notification issued by the Registrar- General of Census, with 2001 population figures as the base.
Informed sources said though this was an all-India exercise, large changes need not be expected — de-reservation of constituencies and vice versa — as it was being carried out only in places where there were significant changes in the SC/ST population or inclusion of new castes under the SC/ST.

There has been a major increase in attacks on Indian websites in recent months, the most vulnerable being those of critical government organisations like banking and finance, oil and gas and emergency services, according to the latest report of the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) under the Department of Electronics and Information Technology.
Asking all important agencies to instruct their website administrators to follow the “best practices to secure web applications and web servers,” CERT-In has said in an internal note that the most targeted websites included those having ‘.
In’ domain, which is mostly used by government ministries and departments, besides some major private organisations.

Concerned at feminisation of migration, which has often resulted in women being trafficked and becoming vulnerable to harm, including abuse at work, poor living conditions and health risks, the National Commission for Women has recommended special laws to protect them.
The panel has also demanded a national policy for domestic workers, and asked the Ministry of Women and Child Development to formulate a draft integrated plan of action to combat trafficking in women and children.
Taking suo motu cognisance of media reports of women being trafficked for forced labour, the NCW has recommended that the Ministry of Home Affairs draft a special law to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children. The special law should include the definition of trafficking as per Article 3 of United Nations Convention 2000 and its Protocol, to include the term “abuse of position of vulnerability” (which is missing in Section 370 of the Indian Penal Code).

Egypt’s military-installed government declared the Muslim Brotherhood of ousted president Mohamed Morsy a “terrorist” group on Wednesday, banning all its activities, Ministers said after a Cabinet meeting.
Deputy Prime Minister Hossam Eissa made the announcement. Social Solidarity Minister Ahmed al-Borei said the government would not allow it to even stage “protests.”
The decision is likely to accelerate a crackdown on the movement that has killed more than 1,000 people, mostly Islamists, in street clashes and imprisoned thousands since Mr. Morsy’s overthrow by the military in July.
It comes a day after a suicide car bombing of a police station killed 15 people, in an attack condemned by the Brotherhood and claimed by an Al-Qaeda-inspired group. Mr. Morsy’s supporters, who continue to organise demonstrations demanding his reinstatement, insist they are for peaceful protest. Egypt will notify Arab countries who signed a 1998 anti-terrorism treaty.