Daily Current Affairs Updates - 3rd October 2013

International Affairs

• US President Barack Obama sent Wall Street a blunt warning on Wednesday that it should be very worried about a political crisis that has shut down the government and could trigger a US debt default.
• Invoking the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi on 'International Day of Non-Violence', UN chief Ban Ki-moon has asked nations to resort to peaceful dialogue for settling disputes and to end violence, including that meted out towards women.
• The US National Security Agency has sent some staffers home because of the government shutdown despite crucial security services being exempted from the shuttering of offices due to lack of funds.
• India & Japan enter into agreement in Information and Communications Technology to focus on broadband, traffic management and tele-medicine
• Maoist chief Prachanda, Nepali Congress general secretary Prakash Man Singh and other senior leaders filed nomination papers for the November 19 Constituent Assembly polls to be held in 240 constituencies.

National Affairs

• A special CBI court on Thursday sentenced RJD chief Lalu Prasad to five years in prison and imposed a fine of Rs 25 lakh in fodder scam.
•  President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday went to Brussels for his six-day state visit to Belgium and Turkey.
• Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will pay a day-long visit to his Amethi Lok Sabha constituency on October 7. During his visit, he will address a public meeting in Jagdishpur area,.
• Archaeological Survey of India has joined hands with Google India for an endeavour to create 360 degree online panoramic imagery of 100 "nationally-important monuments" in the country like Taj Mahal, Humayun's Tomb, Khajuraho and the Ajanta and Ellora caves, etc.
•  In a "giant leap" for the land-locked state, the first 24x7 satellite news channel "North East Live" has been launched in Arunachal Pradesh by Chief Minister Nabam Tuki.
• WestBengal govt launched 'Yuvashree' scheme under which a monthly dole of Rs 1,500 will be provided to unemployed youth.
• SEBI to soon announce more measures to improve country's investment climate, including for foreign investors
• The Kaziranga National Park (KNP) will be thrown open for tourists from November 1 for the next four months.
• Three top Indian universities today signed MoUs with three Belgian varsities for exchange of professors and students to expand bilateral cooperation in the field of education.
• Overcoming resistance from Seemandhra leaders from Congress, the Centre today took the first significant step towards creation of Telangana state from out of Andhra Pradesh and deciding that Hyderabad will be the joint capital of the two states for 10 years.
• Union Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi, HRD minister MM Pallam Raju  resign over Telangana decission.
• Govt approves Phase IV of National AIDS Control Programme

Awards and Honors

• Veteran Malayalam film actor Madhu to be presented the PravsiDohaBasheer award.

Business and Economy

• Railways today signed two agreements with state-owned steelmaker RINL for setting up a Rs 1,100 crore forged wheel factory in Rae Bareli.
• Providing more flexibility to entities entering into M&A deals, market regulator SEBI today allowed them to include preferential clauses like “right of first refusal, tag-along and drag-along” in their share purchase agreements.
• Paving the way for the biggest ever foreign investment in India's aviation sector, the Union Cabinet on Thursday cleared Jet Airways' proposed sale of 24 per cent equity to Abu Dhabi-based Etihad, days after the Rs 2,058 crore deal got regulatory clearances.

Sports

• India's Sania Mirza and her Zimbabwean partner Cara Black notched up a straight-game win over Chinese Taipei's Yung-Jan Chan and Jie Zheng in the quarter-finals of the China Open tennis tournament at beizing.