Daily Current Affairs: 25 March 2014

1) IPL fixing scandal: SC asks Srinivasan to step down for fair probe-  Coming down heavily on BCCI president N Srinivasan, the Supreme Court on Tuesday asked him to step down for a free and fair probe in the betting and spot fixing scandal involving his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan and some cricketers, failing which it would pass an order.

2) Russia suspended from G8, but not expelled: The United States and its allies suspended Russia from the Group of Eight, but the BRICS nations refused to join in the campaign to isolate Moscow. At a meeting in the Netherlands on Monday the leaders of the G8 announced that they would cancel their planned June meeting in Sochi, Russia, and would meet instead in Brussels in the G7 format without Russia.

3) MK Alagiri expelled from DMK:  DMK chief M Karunanidhi on Friday suspended his elder son MK Alagiri from the party, citing indiscipline. In a statement DMK said former Union minister M K Alagiri has been suspended from all party posts for anti-party activities. DMK on January 10 had suspended five loyalists of Alagiri for violating party discipline. The suspension of the five come just days after Karunanidhi warned his son for going against party decorum and publicly airing his views about alliance issues.

4) Japanese architect Shigeru Ban wins 2014 Pritzker Prize: Shigeru Ban, Japanese architect known for his creative and inexpensive designs for disaster relief shelters, has won the 2014 Pritzker Architecture Prize. The annual award, considered the most prestigious prize in the world of architecture, is given to designers who have “significantly contributed to humanity” and for “excellence in built work.”

5) Lightweight revolver “Nirbheek” launched: More than a year after the shocking Delhi gang rape, the Indian Ordinance factory on Tuesday launched a light-weight revolver, “Nirbheek,” designed especially for women to defend themselves from assault. “Nirbheek,” a .32 bore revolver, weighing 500gm, can be carried by women in their purses or handbags. The nomenclature of the light-weight revolver is inspired by ‘Nirbhaya,’ the name given by the media to a paramedical student who was brutally gang raped (and who died later) in a bus in Delhi in 2012. The revolver, priced at Rs 1,22,360, is made of titanium alloy, said Abdul Hamid, General Manager of the Field Gun Factory.

6) Jet Airways' acting CEO quits: Jet Airways' acting CEO Ravishankar Gopalakrishnan has resigned from the post, spending less than three months in the job. He was made CEO in mid-January when Gary Kenneth Toomey quit from the position. The airline had then said Gopalakrishnan will remain CEO till a new chief is appointed. Jet spokespersons did not comment on the latest CEO resignation.

7) Takru is new revenue secretary: The government on Tuesday appointed Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Takru as revenue secretary. He will take over charge from Sumit Bose, also finance secretary. Bose retires on March 31. Gurdial Singh Sandhu from the Rajasthan cadre was named financial services secretary. He will take over from Takru when the latter relinquishes his charge, the appointments committee of the Cabinet said on Tuesday.

 

8) Veteran actress Nanda passes away at 75: Legendary actress Nanda who is best known for films like Hum Dono (1961), Teen Deviyan and Kanoon (1960), passed away on Tuesday morning, following a heart attack. She was 75.

9) Amitabh Bachchan receives India’s Global Icon of the Year award: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan was conferred India’s Global Icon of the Year award at the NRI of the Year awards. The 71-year-old, who has been ruling the film industry for over four decades now, dedicated the award to the younger generation of actors in the film industry.