Today's GK(26-9-13)

Revealed: Qatar’s ‘World Cup slaves’

Dozens of Nepalese migrant labourers have died in Qatar in recent weeks and thousands more are enduring appalling labour abuses, a Guardian investigation has found, raising serious questions about Qatar’s preparations to host the 2022 World Cup.

This summer, Nepalese workers died at a rate of almost one a day in Qatar, many of them young men who had sudden heart attacks. The investigation found evidence to suggest that thousands of Nepalese, who make up the single largest group of labourers in Qatar, face exploitation and abuses that amount to modern-day slavery, as defined by the International Labour Organisation, during a building binge paving the way for 2022.

According to documents obtained from the Nepalese embassy in Doha, at least 44 workers died between June 4, 2013 and August 8, 2013. More than half died of heart attacks, heart failure or workplace accidents.

The investigation also reveals:

— Evidence of forced labour on a huge World Cup infrastructure project.

— Some Nepalese men have alleged that they have not been paid for months and have had their salaries retained to stop them running away.

— Some workers on other sites say employers routinely confiscate passports and refuse to issue ID cards, in effect reducing them to the status of illegal aliens.

— Some labourers say they have been denied access to free drinking water in the desert heat.

— About 30 Nepalese sought refuge at their embassy in Doha to escape the brutal conditions of their employment.

TRAI for pan-India number portability in six months

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), on Wednesday, recommended implementation of mobile number portability across the country within six months. When implemented, this will allow users to retain their mobile numbers even when they shift their service area .

 Presently, mobile number portability (MNP) is available within the same service area.

 “The facility of pan-India portability will allow a subscriber to change his service area without change of mobile number,” the regulator said. It explained that post implementation, subscribers in Andhra Pradesh, for example, will be able to port their numbers to Karnataka, Maharashtra, Haryana, and so on.

 In February this year, TRAI had invited inputs from stakeholders on issues relating to processing of porting request, routing and charging of calls, method for implementing inter-service area porting and amendments required in the existing licence conditions of the MNP service licence, among others.

 “After analysis of the inputs received, extensive deliberations with the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) and internal analysis, the Authority’s recommendations have been finalised,” TRAI said.

 The regulator suggested that service providers be given six months time to implement full MNP in the country.

 “As the NTP (National Telecom Policy) 2012 had already declared that full MNP is around the corner, operators seem to be prepared for it operationally to rollout nation-wide,” Hemant Joshi, Partner, Deloitte Haskins & Sells said, adding that the move  is unlikely it will have significant impact on the revenues of the operator as India is mostly a prepaid market.

 During the consultation process, TSPs have requested to waive the testing fee by the Department of Telecommunications for acceptance tests to be conducted for implementation of full MNP, following which the regulator has recommended that the fee may be reduced to 25 per cent of the current fee.

 On the issue as to who would bear the STD charges while calling the number that had been ported to another service area, TRAI said most service providers were of the view that STD rates had plummeted to almost the same level as local call rates, hence, it was not a major issue.

Randall Oliphant Appointed as The Chairman of The World Gold Council

BCCI imposed a Life Ban on Former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi

UNICEF Released Report on Infant Mortality Rate

According to report released on 12 September 2013 by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) the global Infant Mortality rate (IMR) decreased from 61 deaths in 1990 to 37 deaths in 2011.Annual infant deaths declined from 8.4 million in 1990 to 5 million in 2011.

According to the report India’s infant mortality rate shown a minor decline in 2012 compared to 2011. Infant Mortality rate decreased from 44 deaths for every 1000 live births in 2011 to 42 deaths for every 1000 live in 2012.

According to latest report released by Register General of India data the following are the highlights of the report

• Kerala is good performing state in India with IMR of 12.

• Assam stood at worst in India with IMR 55.The performance of West Bengal is also not good. The IMR of West Bengal is stood at 32.

•States like Uttar Pradesh and Odisha improved well .IMR declined from 57 in 2011 to 53 in 2012 in both states.

• Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu showed a one-point decline.

• Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir improved their IMR by two points.

• Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi and Karnataka improved their IMR by three points.

Main causes for High IMR in India

The main causes for high infant mortality rate in India are low awareness of health and reproductive rights, maternal anemia and the burden of malnutrition.


About Infant Mortality rate (IMR)

Infant mortality rate (IMR) is the number of deaths of children less than one year of age per 1000 live birth

UN-backed Court upheld War Crimes Convictions of Charles Taylor

A UN-backed special court in The Hague upheld war crimes convictions of Liberian President Charles Taylor. It ruled that his convictions had been proved beyond doubt. He was sentenced in May 2012 for helping rebels who committed atrocities in Sierra Leone during its civil war.
His lawyers argued that there were legal errors during his trial. Taylor was accused of supplying weapons to the Revolutionary United Front rebels in lieu for a constant flow of so-called blood diamonds.

He was found guilty at his trial of 11 crimes which includes terrorism, rape, murder and the use of child soldiers by rebel groups in neighbouring Sierra Leone during the civil war of 1991-2002.

Charles Taylor became the first former head of state convicted by an international war crimes court since World War II.

TCS to Launch First All Women BPO Centre in Saudi Arabia

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on 24 September 2013 tied up with Saudi Aramco and General Electric (GE) to set up the first all-female business process outsourcing (BPO) centre in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.

The centre in Riyadh will be staffed by Saudi females and will start by catering to Saudi Aramco (Energy Company) and GE (US Engineering Conglomerate) as anchor clients. It will help to localise the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in Saudi Arabia.

TCS, India's largest software services exporter, will own 76 percent while GE will own 24 percent of the equity.

The new venture expected to create up to 3000 jobs for Saudi female professionals. GE will create up to 1000 employment opportunities. The initiative would create new jobs in finance and accounting, HR, IT and supply chain management services.

Aircel and Micromax signed Agreement for Integrated Device Sales and Activation

General Assembly of The United Nations Signed a Declaration Against Sexual Violence

The 68th session of General Assembly of the United Nations on 25 September 2013 signed a declaration pledging new action to end sexual violence in conflict zones. The declaration was titled ‘Time To Act’. Ministers from 113 countries signed the declaration in General Assembly of the United Nations held in New York.

It also declared that it will adopt a new International Protocol in 2014 to help and ensure that evidence collected can stand up in the court.
The declaration adopted in the background of recent increase in the number of rape cases and sexual violence against women.

About General Assembly of the United Nations

• It the deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations.
• It has all 193 Members of the United Nations.
• It provides a unique forum for multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of international issues covered by the Charter.