Daily Current Affairs Updates - 15th October 2013

International Affairs

• Singapore has started a national project to digitized literature by local Tamil writers and complete the collection before its 50th Independence Day in 2015.
• Italy has announced new "humanitarian" naval and aerial patrols in the Mediterranean following several recent tragedies in which hundreds of migrants were drowned. Prime minister Enrico Letta said the "Safe Seas" mission would start Tuesday south of Sicily.
• None of Syria's chemical weapons sites are under rebel control, the key opposition National Coalition (NC) announced Tuesday.

National Affairs

• The 7th edition of the annual Kerala Bird Race, an event to promote interest in bird watching among the public, to be held on November 10 in Thiruvananthapuram,  Kochi and Kozhikode.
• The most awaited telecom mergers and acquisition guidelines which were expected to be released on Tuesday, will be released, in about next two weeks time, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal said.
• Mumbai police issues summons to Pakistani singer AdnanSami for overstaying in India after expiry of visa.
• INS Sunayna, the second of the Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel class of ship, was commissioned in Kochi on Tuesday by Vice Admiral Satish Soni, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief Southern Naval Command.
• The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday lodged fresh FIR in the Coalgate scam. The premiere agency has named Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, NALCO and HINDALCO in its new FIR.
• India, on Tuesday, signed an agreement with Finland to produce indigenous ethanol to promote use of clean technologies and cut down the oil import bill.
• The Delhi High Court has upheld a city government circular issuing guidelines to set up Parents-Teachers Associations (PTA) in all aided and unaided schools, saying this is also applicable to minority schools.
• Himachal Pradesh government has decided to offer free traveling facility in state-run buses to Muslim women on the occasion of Id-ul-Zuha.
• The State Bank of India donated Rs 2 crore to Chief Minister's Relief Fund for restoration and relief operation in cyclone and flood hits areas in Odisha.

Business and Economy

• Fair trade regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Tuesday said it will initiate recovery proceedings against cine star Aamir Khan, two film producers associations and six others for failing to pay penalties imposed on them.
• India's largest software exporter TCS on Tuesday reported a 35 percent rise in consolidated net profit at Rs 4,633.33 crore for the July-September period of the current financial year.

Sports

• Sahara Force India Academy driver Jehan Daruvala claimed the British KF3 Championship after he held on to second place in the final race in Shenington.
• The Wankhede stadium in Mumbai will host Sachin Tendulkar's landmark 200th and final Test with the BCCI acceding to the legendary batsman's wish to play his farewell match in front of his home crowd.
• Kolkata and Mumbai will host the India vs. WestIndies Tests; First Test  from November 6-10 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
• India’s VikashMalik (60kg) enters second round of WorldBoxing Championships. He defeated Kyrgyzstan's Meder Mamakeev 3-0.
• Brazil's iconic Maracana Stadium has reopened to tourists, more than four months after ending a three-year, $500 million facelift.
• India's leading professional cueist Pankaj Advani opened his campaign at the Indian Open world ranking snooker tournament with a dominating 4-1 victory over world number 29 Marcus Campbell on Tuesday.

04:38 - By Unknown 0

Current Affairs Updates 14th October 2013

International Affairs

• The secretive leader of the Afghan Taliban Mullah Mohammad Omar, pledged on Monday that his followers will keep fighting if the government in Kabul signs a crucial security deal with the United States.
• With an accountability court under the National Accountability Bureau reopening five references of corruption against former President Asif Ali Zardari, he is now required to make an appearance in court on October 29.
• Jamat ud Dawa (JuD) chief and the man India wants for the November 26, 2008 terror attacks, Hafiz Mohammed Saeed on Monday scoffed at the idea that U.S. and India can get together and stop the funding of groups like JuD.
• The failed U.S. navy Seals raid along the coastal town of Barawe in Somalia was part of a broader US-Somali military and intelligence engagement to fight insurgents in the conflict-prone east African state, Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud said in a rare interview.

National Affairs

• Indian National League (INL) on Monday announced its support to the ruling AIADMK in the December 4, by-election to Yercaud Assembly constituency. INL would also campaign for the AIADMK candidate, INL president Syed J. Inayathullah said in a statement in Chennai.
• As the process to create the separate Telangana has been moved to the government level from the Congress party with the setting up of GoM, the Committee headed by Defense Minister and Congress’s trouble-shooter A.K. Antony, set up by the party leadership to hear the grievances of the Seemandhra leaders, seems to have been silently wound up.
• The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Secretariats have sought the Law Ministry’s opinion on disqualification of Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad and two others as MPs, following their conviction in corruption cases, what with the Supreme Court declaring ultra vires Section 8 (4) of the Representation of the People Act (RP Act), 1951.

Awards and Honors

• Americans Eugene Fama, Lars Peter Hansen and Robert Shiller won the Nobel prize for economics on Monday for developing new methods to study trends in asset markets.

Deaths

• The former Union Minister, Mohan Dharia, passed away at a hospital here on Monday morning. He was 88. He was accorded a state funeral. He was a fierce advocate of farmer rights. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2005.

Science AND Technology

• Microsoft is updating its Windows software for cellphones to accommodate larger devices and make it easier for motorists to reduce distractions while driving.

Economy

• In what could make the almost difficult the task of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to cut interest rates, headline inflation unexpectedly touched a seven-month of 6.46 in September riding on the back of a whopping 323 per cent increase in price of onion followed by all round hike in price of other fruit and vegetable items.
• In a bid to attract dollars into the country and arrest the fall of the rupee, the Reserve Bank of India recently facilitated a swap deal on Foreign Currency Non Resident (FCNR) dollar deposits. According to the deal, banks that bring in FCNR deposits for a tenure of over 3 years will be able to avail of a forward rate at a premium of 3.5% as against the current market rate of 7%. As a result, banks have started to heavily market FCNR deposits to Non Resident Indians (NRIs).
• The new job generation in Bangalore, the IT capital of the nation, during the second quarter of FY 2013-14 surged by 12.3 per cent as against the previous quarter, industry body ASSOCHAM has said in a joint study.
• ONGC Videsh Ltd, the overseas arm of state-owned Oil & Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), today said it bought an additional 12 per cent stake in a Brazilian oilfield for $529 million after blocking a Chinese entry. 

 Current Affairs Updates - 14th October 2013

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Current Affairs Updates of 12th and 13th October 2013

International Affairs

• India and the US on Sunday (13th) agreed to work together to target the financial network and fund raising activities of Pakistan-based terror outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the Haqqani network and individual terrorists associated with these organizations.
• A Malaysian appeals court ruled on Monday that only Muslims can use the word “Allah” to refer to god, upholding a government ban on the word being used in a Catholic publication.
• North Korea on Saturday issued a fresh warning of an "all-out war", urging the United States to stop military drills and what it described as "nuclear blackmail".
• Maldivian President Mohamed Waheed withdrew from the 2013 presidential election, even as a fresh directive from the Supreme Court on re-registration of voters added uncertainty to holding of polls on October 19.

National Affairs

• India has detained an armed ship operated by a US maritime security company and the 35 people on board for failing to produce papers authorizing it to carry weapons and ammunition in Indian waters, the coast guard said on Sunday.
• India, the world's child marriage capital, has once again failed its under-age brides. The country has refused to sign the first-ever global resolution on early and forced marriage of children led by the UN.
• India made it clear at the just-concluded Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) meeting of the Committee on World Food Security in Rome that the procurement of foodgrains and distribution under the new Food Security Act will not be substantially higher than the ongoing public distribution system, indicating that it will not contribute to international price distortions.
• The department of posts launched a Mobile Money Transfer Service (MMTS) across the 1,350 post offices in Andhra Pradesh effective from Saturday.
• A team of auditors from Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has slammed the Haryana government for adopting a "pick and choose" method while selecting candidates for state-level awards for outstanding artists in music, art and folk singing.
• The HIV-AIDS patients can look forward to life insurance cover from April 1, 2014.The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) will be making in mandatory for insurers to offer insurance cover for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Science and Technology

• Indian technologists have developed a Bluetooth-enabled device that can serve as a Swiss army knife for smartphones.
• Under a potential change to Australia's national privacy laws, bosses are likely to be banned from demanding access to job seekers' Facebook or other social media pages or accounts.
• An Iranian newspaper is reporting that the Islamic Republic plans to send another monkey into space within a month.
•  He hacked some of the most secured internet networks existing on world wide web and got rewarded by his targets. Monendra Sahu, a young mining engineer from National Institute of Technology (NIT-Raipur) has the distinction of hacking websites of Microsoft, Google, Nokia, Blackberry, Yahoo and many others and is now listed in the "Security Hall of Fame".

Economy

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will soon come out with new rules for the entry of foreign banks that may even allow them to take over Indian banks, RBI governor Raghuram Rajan has said.
• Telecom major Airtel has increased international call rates by up to 80% this month, mainly due to the impact of depreciation in rupee. Another leading operator Idea Cellular has also hiked international call rates by up to 25%, according to the company's website.
• The pharmaceutical industry has been the subject of increased scrutiny by regulatory bodies worldwide and in the recent past, Indian pharma sector too has witnessed more scrutiny. The US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is one regulator that requires the highest standards of safety and quality and even as an increasing number of Indian companies are attracted to and have a presence in the U.S. market, this also means that the numbers of inspections and defaults are rising.
• India has asked the World Bank and other multilateral development banks to create special windows for ensuring finance for infrastructure development, which should include provision to help projects that face a sudden scarcity of funds due to volatile capital flows.
• Expressing full confidence in the American economy and asserting there are low chances of US default, RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has ruled out selling out the Indian assets in the United States.

Sports

• Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel stormed to a fourth victory in five years at the Japanese Grand Prix Sunday but will have to wait to celebrate a fourth successive Formula One world title.

 Current Affairs Updates of 12th and 13th October 2013

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Daily Current Affairs Updates - 11th October 2013

International Affairs

• Pakistani teenage rights activist Malala Yousafzai says she wants to become the Prime Minister, following in the footsteps of her role model late Benazir Bhutto, and aspires to use that position to serve her nation.
• India and Indonesia today strengthened bilateral cooperation by inking six pacts in diverse areas, ranging from health and disaster management to combating illicit trafficking of drugs.
• External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid will visit Brazil from October 14-17 to co-chair the Sixth India-Brazil Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) with his counterpart Luiz Alberto Figueiredo in Brasilia.

National Affairs

• Queen Elizabeth II's Baton for next year's Commonwealth Games will arrive in India on Friday night following a grand launch by her at Buckingham Palace earlier this week.
• International Day of the GirlChild was being observed.
• Dengue figure in the capital has crossed the alarming 3,000-mark, with about 400 new cases being detected in the last few days. 3,298 cases have been reported in the city so far with North Delhi alone accounting for over 1,500 cases, a report released by the MCD said.
• First meeting of GoM headed by HM SushilKumarShinde, to look into bifurcation of AndhraPradesh to be held in NewDelhi.
• Odisha and Andhra Pradesh today braced for the "very severe" cyclone that is expected to hit the east coast with winds gusting up to 220 kmph tomorrow evening, as lakhs of people were being evacuated to safer places and the military kept on standby.

Science and Technology

• 8th century AD cave temple discovered in TamilNadu by ASI, inscription of 11th century Chola period donating land to the temple also found.

Business and Economy

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan has sent out a clear message when he told a media channel that India is not facing any economic crisis and won't approach the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for funds in the next five years.
• The Indian economy is expected to recover significantly by next year on account of the series of policy decisions taken by the government, a top IMF official said today.
•  New RTGS (real-time gross settlement), a mechanism that transfers money from one bank to another, will be operational from 19th October.

Awards and Honors

• The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2013 is to be awarded to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons.
• Indian boy Varun Arora wins Young Innovators Competition by United Nations along with 9 others from across the world.

Sports

• Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium is set to host the farewell Test for Sachin Tendulkar after the legendary batsman expressed a wish to play his landmark 200th match against the West Indies next month in front of his home crowd.

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Current Affairs Updates of 10th October 2013

International Affairs

• Delegates from some 140 countries and territories on Thursday signed a United Nations treaty to control mercury near the site of Japan's worst industrial poisoning, after Tokyo pledged $2 billion to help poorer nations combat pollution.
• Pakistan rearrested former president Pervez Musharraf on Thursday following accusations that he was personally responsible for the deaths of more than 100 people after he ordered commandos to storm the Red Mosque in 2007.

National Affairs

• President Pranab Mukherjee has cut short his scheduled visit to Bihar by a day possibly because it was clashing with a rally of BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in Patna.
• Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Thursday indicated that placing Andhra Pradesh under President 's rule was a possibility if the crisis in Seemandhra worsened further.
• On the eve of the International Day of the Girl Child on Friday 11, Unesco's Education for All Global Monitoring Report releases figures showing that if all girls went to primary school, one-sixth of child marriages could be prevented among girls aged under 15 years in sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia. If all girls got the chance to go to secondary school, child marriages could be reduced by two-thirds in these regions, saving almost two million girls from becoming child brides.
• Faced with a financial crunch due to shortfall in revenue, the Congress-led UDF Government in Kerala announced a slew of austerity measures, including restrictions on creation of new posts and foreign travel by Ministers and bureaucrats.

Science and Technology

• A free-floating planet has been directly imaged just 80 light years away from Earth by scientists at Hawaii. This lonely planet is an orphan - it has no mother star, like Earth has Sun, to orbit around. Dubbed PSO J318.5-22, it has a mass only six times that of Jupiter and it formed a mere 12 million years ago — a newborn in planet lifetimes.
• A study conducted near Heathrow, London's biggest airport, has linked aircraft noise to higher rates of heart disease and stroke.
• Over two years after introducing them in the US, Google on Thursday announced that Chromebooks would be available in India from October 17. Chromebooks are light and portable laptops that are powered by Google's Chrome OS instead of Microsoft Windows.

Awards and Honors

• Pakistani teenage activist  Malala Yousafzai (16), who  shot in the head by the Taliban last year for campaigning for better rights for girls, won the European Union's annual human rights award on Thursday, beating fugitive US intelligence analyst Edward Snowden.
• Canada's Alice Munro won the Nobel literature prize on Thursday for her short stories that focus on the frailties of the human condition, becoming just the 13th woman to win in the history of the coveted award.

Economy

• The number of millionaires in the country is expected to jump over 66% at 3 lakh by 2018, even as 94% of India's population has wealth below $10,000, according to a global wealth report.
• Global wealth has risen by 68% over the past 10 years to reach a new all-time high of $241 trillion and the United States accounts for nearly three quarters of the increase, Credit Suisse said in its World Wealth Report.
• Noting that India's slowdown has significant spillover effects on the rest of South Asia, the World Bank has said South Asian countries need to work hard on reforms.
• Years after dropping out of an ONGC-led consortium for developing a giant oilfield in Venezuela, Reliance Industries is close to taking an oil block in the Latin American nation that can produce as much as 10 million tons of oil per annum.

Sports

• Sachin Tendulkar, regarded as the greatest batsman in contemporary cricket, called it quits from Test cricket, announcing his retirement after his 200th match against the West Indies next month, bringing the curtains down on an extraordinary career spanning a marathon 24 years. 

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8th October 2013 Current Affairs Updates

International Affairs

• President Barack Obama has said that US administration is ready to accept a short term increase in debt ceiling along with reopening of the federal government and then negotiate rest of the issues with the Republicans.
• The United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) has held that France violated the religious freedom of 57-year-old Shingara Mann Singh by asking him to remove his turban for his passport photograph in 2005 and also failed to demonstrate that the curb imposed on him was necessary.
• British foreign secretary William Hague said on Tuesday that Britain and Iran had embarked on a process that could lead to the reopening of their embassies after diplomatic relations broke down in 2011.

National Affairs

• The Maldives must hold a fresh round of presidential polls before October 20, the Supreme Court has ruled while annulling the first phase as the government on Tuesday appealed to all parties to support new elections.
• Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said it was impossible for India to normalize its relations with Pakistan until the neighbouring country stops infiltration and ceasefire violations.
• India on Tuesday successfully test-fired for the second time in two days its indigenously developed nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile, which has a strike range of 350 km, from a test range at Chandipur near here.
• The Supreme Court on Tuesday posted for final hearing on October 22 a batch of petitions and applications filed by the Union government and oil companies seeking a modification of the interim order that restrained the government from making the Aadhaar card mandatory for transfer of social welfare benefits to beneficiaries.
• Jailed RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, sitting JD(U) MP Jagdish Sharma and former MLA R. K. Rana on Tuesday appeared through video conferencing before a special CBI court in another fodder scam case in Ranchi.
• The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the post-Godhra riots has asked the Supreme Court for permission to file a plea for slapping the death penalty on Maya Kodnani, the former Gujarat Minister convicted for involvement in the Naroda Patiya 2002 riots.
• A Nasa spacecraft bound for Jupiter will swing by earth on Wednesday to get the boost it needs to arrive at the giant gas planet in 2016.

Awards and Honors

• Peter Higgs of Britain and Francois Englert of Belgium won the Nobel Physics Prize on Tuesday for the their theory on the " God particle", the Higgs Boson that explains why mass exists.

Economy

• India is projected to see moderate average annual growth of 5.9 per cent during the 2014-18 period amid the country witnessing macroeconomic weaknesses, according to Paris-based think tank OECD.
• Software giant Adobe, which makes software such as Photoshop and Acrobat, will repurchase stock worth $2 billion by fiscal 2015.
• After raising a massive $200 million investment a few months back, E-commerce giant Flipkart has now raised an additional $160 million in its latest funding round from new and existing investors.
• The United States launches on Tuesday a new $100 bill that comes with, for the iconic greenback, a new touch of color, as well as special features to foil counterfeiters.
• Ending speculations over future of their partnership, Bharti Enterprises and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. said on Wednesday they are going separate ways for operations in the Indian retail sector.

Sports 

• In a big relief to N Srinivasan, the Supreme Court  allowed him to take charge as BCCI President even as it constituted a three-member committee headed by former Punjab & Haryana Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal to inquire into the allegation of betting and spot-fixing against his son-in-law and owners of Rajasthan Royals.

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US Launches a new $100 Banknote with New Security Features

The United States on Tuesday (8th October 2013)  launched a new hi-tech $100 bank note that comes with several new security features including a new touch of colour, as well as special features to foil counterfeiters. In its first remake since 1996, the $100 banknote, which takes a key role in cash transactions for everyone from small traders to big drug traffickers worldwide, sports a blue 3D security ribbon and a bell and inkwell logo that authorities say are particularly difficult to replicate.

These combine with traditional security features, such as a portrait watermark and an embedded security thread that glows pink under ultraviolet light. On the back, too, it depicts Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. 

It adds a yellowish “100” in one corner and, next to Franklin, a tan quill and bronze-coloured inkwell. Cutting vertically through the middle of the banknote is a blue security ribbon. The new design comes primarily to fight the increasing sophistication of counterfeiters, said Sonja Danburg, program manager in charge of currency education at the Federal Reserve.

The redesigned banknote, which features a portrait of US founding father and scientist Benjamin Franklin, also includes raised "intaglio" printing that gives the notes a distinctive feel, and microprinted words that are difficult to read without magnification.

Below is the specimen copy of the note 

The new US $100 bill is introduced by Michelle Scipione, vice president of the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank Cash Services Department, during an event at the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial in Philadelphia October 8, 2013.  

 Sandy Juarez, director of project management for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Miami Branch, holds a new $100 bill, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013, during a news conference at the Federal Reserve building in Doral, Fla. 

09:17 - By Unknown 0

Current Affairs updates of 4th and 5th October 2013

National Affairs

• Two fast track courts have been formed by the Tripura High Court for speedy disposal of cases related to crime against women.
• Hours before the model code of conduct came into effect in Delhi, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit launched a new website of the culture department.

Appointments

• S. Varadarajan took over charge as chairman and managing director (CMD) of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL). S.Varadarajan has succeeded R.K. Singh.
• Corporation Bank has a new Chairman and Managing Director in S.R. Bansal. Prior to this elevation, Bansal was an Executive Director at Punjab National Bank.
• Former Supreme Court judge C.V. Wigneswaran was sworn in as the first chief minister of Sri Lanka’s northern province, most of which was under LTTE's control for nearly 30 years.

Awards and Honors

• Leading industrialist Ratan Tata has been inducted into the prestigious National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in the US for his outstanding contributions to industrial development in India and across the world.
• Veteran director Shyam Benegal will head the accomplished jury for the Seventh Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) to be held in Brisbane on December 12.
• Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra presented the Dogra Ratan Awards for the 2012 to five prominent personalities for their contributions in various fields.
• The awards were given to 
• .Padma Shri Vijay Kumar Chopra (Editor-in-chief of the Punjab Kesari Group of Newspapers), 
• Prof Zahur-ud-Din (eminent Urdu writer) 
• Honorary Captain S Bana Singh, 
• Amit Dutta (noted filmmaker) and 
• Ravinder Jamwal (reputed sculptor)

Science and Technology

• The two new species described from Uruguay, Chaco castanea and Chaco costai, are middle sized spiders that range between 1 and 2 cm in body size. Like all Nemesiids they have elongated body and robust legs with predominantly black-brownish coloration.
• India and Bangladesh have begun cooperation in the power sector in a big way with the launching two projects - a 500 MW grid and 1320 megawatt Maitri MW Thermal station.

Business and Economy

• The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development has sanctioned Rs 40.35 crore for rural water supply scheme in the Union Territory of Puducherry under Nabard’s Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF).
• The Reserve Bank set up a three-member committee under former Governor Bimal Jalan to scrutinise applications for new bank licences, which are expected to be awarded by by January.
• RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan on Friday said the central bank is working on the contours of the scheme that will provide cheap loans to buyers of consumer goods.
• With an aim to make Indian capital markets an easier and attractive investment destination for overseas investors, SEBI has finalised detailed regulations for ‘foreign portfolio investors’ (FPIs).

Deaths

• Vietnam's legendary General Vo Nguyen Giap, whose guerrilla tactics defeated the French and American armies, died at the age of 102, prompting an outpouring of tributes for the independence hero.

Sports

• Portugal's Luis Leao Pinto won 9th Himalaya Bicycle Rally.

10:05 - By Unknown 0

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.

00:35 - By Unknown 0

Daily Current Affairs of October 2nd

International Affairs

• Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has inaugurated the first phase of the 2000MW nuclear power plant project in Pabna.
• Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant has a new leak of radioactive water after workers overfilled a storage tank.

National Affairs

• The Union Cabinet on Wednesday decided to withdraw the controversial ordinance as well as the bill protecting the convicted lawmakers.
• Nation celebrated the birth anniversaries of Shri Lal Bahadur Sashtri and Gandhiji. 
• The Delhi Public Works Department has given an assurance to the National Green Tribunal that it will take care of the greenbelt along the elevated road project on the Vikas Puri-Mukarba Chowk of Delhi by planting 2908 trees to replace the 1476 which will be cut.
• Amid the Rs 5,600 crore payment crisis at the National Spot Exchange, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs has ordered the inspection of account books of the bourse and its promoter Financial Technologies India.
• New train service connecting Hoshiarpur with Delhi was flagged off from Hoshiarpur railway station on 2nd October 2013.
• To mark the 144th Birth Anniversary Celebrations of Gandhiji, Sam Pitroda, Chairman, National Innovation Council, has organised a Twitter conference to discuss the life and message of Mahatma Gandhi.
• JD(U) suspended two Lok Sabha MPs, Jai Narayan Nishad and Purnmasi Ram, from the party for six years on charge of engaging in anti-party activities.
• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy unveiled the model coach of Hyderabad Metro (which is going to be completed by  March 2015). The coach will be open for public viewing from Thursday.

Deaths

• Best-selling US author Tom Clancy, known to millions for his Jack Ryan series of novels, has died aged 66.

Busniess and Economy

• The International Monetary Fund said that the US government shutdown caused by a budget impasse has been shrugged off by financial markets, but warned the uncertainty could tighten credit.

Sports

• Leander Paes and Sania Mirza smoothly moved into the China Open quarter-finals with partners in their respective events.

00:35 - By Unknown 0

1st October 2013 Current Affairs Updates

International Affairs

• An advance group of international inspectors arrived in Syria on Tuesday to begin the ambitious task of overseeing the destruction of President Bashar Assad’s chemical weapons programme.
• U.S.-Venezuela ties reached a breaking point on Monday as Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro expelled the top American diplomat and two other officials for “plotting to sabotage the country’s electrical grid and the economy”.
• Buddhist mobs attacked Muslim neighbourhoods in Myanmar’s restive Rakhine State, killing at least four people just hours before a planned visit to the area by the President.
• Thirty one Indian fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy two months ago for allegedly breaching the country’s maritime boundary were on Tuesday freed by a court.
• India on Tuesday expressed the hope that its bilateral trade with Africa will reach the targeted level of $100 billion by 2015.

National Affairs

• Denying having any reservations on food law, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said that successful implementation of the world’s largest social welfare scheme should be ‘enshrined’ on strong domestic production and not on imported grains.
• Hyderabad's growth in the last three decades has come at the cost of 375 lakes going extinct, the latest National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) survey has revealed.
• Congress MP and former Union Minister Rasheed Masood was on Tuesday sentenced to four years in jail by a special CBI court in a corruption case.
• In the continuing tug of war between Narendra Modi government and the Governor, the state assembly on Tuesday passed the Gujarat Lokayukta Ayog Bill 2013 for a second time without incorporating any major changes sought by Raj Bhavan, setting the stage for a fresh confrontation. 

Awards and Honors

• A senior Indian journalist, Ravi Shankar Narsimhan, has been presented with " Friendship award" by China which is the highest honor given to foreigners.Narsimhan is the executive editor in the overseas edition of the Beijing based China Daily.

Science and Technology 

• In a first, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has detected propylene, a chemical essential for creation of plastic, on Saturn’s moon Titan.

 
Appointments

• Former Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai has been appointed as country’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.

Business and Economy

• Coal India Ltd (CIL), closed the first-half of current fiscal with a production of 200.5 million tonnes, which was 4.7 per cent higher than the same period in the previous year.
• British luxury car maker Bentley, on Wednesday, launched its super premium sedan Flying Spur in the Indian market at a starting price of Rs 3.10 crore (ex-showroom Delhi).
• The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex was up 137 points on Tuesday after current account deficit numbers came in better than expected and auto sales picked up last month, helping investors to shrug off concerns about the US government shutdown.
• Android lovers in Japan now have a cool way to download apps. Google Japan has launched Google Play vending machines that will sell users different games.
• College students and graduates know getting an internship can be the gateway to a job but landing one can often be difficult. However, a new mobile app from Nokia is aiming to change that by showing them job opportunities nearby. By aiming a smartphone at a nearby building that houses companies users will be able to see available internships there.

Sports

• Indian 3on3 team, comprising of Ajay Pratap Singh, Lovneet Atwal, P Vijay and Amit Kanarjee, brought home the bronze medal at KFC under-21 3ON3 International Challenge in Beijing.
• Top-seeded Juan Martin del Potro moved into the second round of the Japan Open with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus.

00:33 - By Unknown 0

30th September 2013 - Current Affairs Updates

International Affairs :

• The US government began a partial shutdown today for the first time in 17 years, potentially putting up to 1 million workers on unpaid leave, closing national parks and stalling medical research projects.
• Indonesian journalist Stefanus Teguh Edi Pramono was on Monday awarded the Agence France-Presse Kate Webb Prize for his brave reporting on Syria's bloody civil war and the Jakarta drugs trade.
• Russia today successfully launched a Proton-M rocket with a European communication satellite on board, marking a return of its most important unmanned space vehicle three months after one exploded on takeoff.

National Affairs :

• In a move to spread message and articles written by Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, city-based Navajivan Trust on Monday announced the launch of ‘Harijan’ magazine —popularly known as voice of Gandhi.
• The Punjab and Haryana High Court today upheld the order of its single bench, which had set aside the appointments of 1,983 Physical Training Instructors (PTIs) made by the Haryana government over three years back.
• The government today said it is organising a meeting of the state food ministers to review preparations for implementation of the Food security law.
• Shahrukh Khan may soon become the “goodwill ambassador” of the Republic of Korea.According to Joon-gyu Lee, Ambassador of Republic of Korea to India, Khan has accepted a proposal from the country in this regard.

 

Science and Technology :

• NASA is planning to launch a toaster-sized 3D printer into space next year to help astronauts manufacture spare parts and tools in zero gravity.
• Thousands of fossilised dinosaur footprints have been discovered along the rocky banks of Alaska's Yukon River.The large and small footprints may have just scratched the surface of a major new dinosaur site nearly inside the Arctic Circle.

Appointments :

• Narayanaswamy Srinivasan re-elected as the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for a third term at its 84th annual general meeting (AGM) held at Chennai.
• Andhra Pradesh government on Monday appointed B Prasada Rao, an IPS officer of 1979 batch, as the Director General of Police (DGP) on an ad hoc basis following retirement of incumbent V Dinesh Reddy.

Awards and Honors : 

• An Indian-American poet has become the first non-Irish person to have won the prestigious 2013 Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award for the collection of his debut poems.

Business and Economy :  

• The Raghuram Rajan panel report has opened the window for according special category status to Bihar and other backward states but all that will require a political will, said panel member Shaibal Gupta. The panel set up to evolve a methodology for devolution of funds to states on the basis of their need and performance recently submitted its report to the Centre.
• The wage gap between developed countries and emerging market economies like India, China, and the Philippines, are likely to shrink significantly by 2030, and the average Indian wage could more than quadruple over the said period, says a PwC report.
• India's external economy didn't deteriorate as badly as expected in the June quarter as the government's efforts to rein in gold imports paid off while the core sector grew at its strongest pace in seven months, providing more good news for an embattled economy that's yet to show any definite signs of revival.
• Apple is the new most valuable brand in the world, according to a closely followed annual report.
• A new study suggests Small sensors installed in most smartphones and laptops are sensitive enough to detect moderate and large earthquakes greater than magnitude 5.
• Microsoft's Windows platform has reached a 9.2 percent share in the smartphone operating system (OS) market in key European markets, driven by Nokia's low and mid-range models, market research firm Kantar said today.

00:33 - By Unknown 0

Current Affairs Updates 29th September 2013

NATIONAL EVENTS

• West Bengal government has withdrawn a bill aimed at protecting interests of depositors from chit funds that was awaiting Presidential assent following objections from the Centre and promised to get back with a new one.
• Every year on 29 September celebrated as the World Heart Day since 1999. The theme of the 2013 World Heart Day is “A life course approach to the prevention and control of cardiovascular disease (CVD) with a focus on women and children because healthy children lead to healthy adults and healthy adults lead to healthy families and communities”.
• Foodgrain allocation to Maharashtra from the Central government would increase from the current 36.5 lakh tonnes to 45 lakh tonnes after the National Food Security Bill comes into effect, Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh said.
• Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said Sangla valley in Himachal Pradesh would have a modern sewerage system.It is the first tribal village in Himachal Pradesh to have sewerage scheme.
• Train Protection Warning System, a sophisticated accident prevention technology, is expected to be operational in Kolkata Metro by September end.

 

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

• Indian and Chinese officials held fourth round of talks and discussed various issues like finalising a key border security mechanism expected to be signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's proposed visit here next month.
• The Taliban is afraid of women's power and the power of education, said Pakistani teenager activist Malala Yousafzai as she has been honoured by the prestigious Harvard University.
• Megan Young of Philippines crowned Miss World 2013 at the Bali Nasa Dua Convention Center in Bali, Indonesia.

 

APPOINTMENTS

• Ruchira Kamboj, currently the Chief of Protocol, has been appointed as the next Permanent Representative of India to UNESCO, Paris, with the rank of Ambassador.
• Long-serving Indian team manager Ranjib Biswal appointed the chairman of IPL in the BCCI's AGM.

SPORTS

• Former Junior World Champion Nikhat Zareen bags silver in Youth World Boxing Championships after losing out in the title clash.
• Olympian Swaran Singh Virk led the Indian rowers' impressive showing by clinching a gold medal at the 15th Asian Senior Rowing Championship at Luan, China.
• A dominant India triumphed in the 3rd Sultan of Johor Cup with a thumping 3-0 victory over hosts Malaysia in the title clash of the under-21 hockey tournament.
• India Blue beat Delhi by 50 runs to win NKP Salve Challenger Trophy.

00:32 - By Unknown 0

Current Affairs Updates - 28th September 2013

 Current Affairs Updates - 28th September 2013

Internationa Affairs

• Five years after India and the US signed a landmark civil nuclear deal, the two countries have clinched the first commercial agreement on civilian nuclear power cooperation that was stalled over India's nuclear liability law.
• Recognising climate change as a "defining challenge", India and US have announced the establishment of a joint working group to develop and enhance action-oriented cooperation in this key sector.
• PChidambaram and JacobLew (United States Secretary of the Treasury) would hold the next round of India-US economic dialogue in Washington on 13th October

National Affairs

• Haryana govt starts new scheme "Pravasi Haryanvi Bhagidari Vikas Yojna" aimed at improving its coordination with NRIs for the purpose of achieving greater development for the state.
• NationalGreenTribunal bans digging of earth across the country for making bricks and roads without prior environment clearance.
• Trinamool Congress MP Kunal Ghosh has been suspended from the party for his for anti-party activies.
• The Jammu & Kashmir Government is planning to prepare a comprehensive plan of Rs 600 crore under Restructured Re- structured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (R-APDRP) for improving the power scenario in Jammu city and peripheral areas including R S Pura and Akhnoor towns.
• A high-tech'cyber dome' would be set up by the Kerala government to counter and probe cyber related crimes.

Business and Economy

• Unveiling a new plan for high growth through diversification and expansion, aluminium giant Nalco is set to invest more than Rs 33,000 crore in a host of sectors including energy to boost its productivity and profitability.

Sports

• FIFA has ordered Ukraine to play its next World Cup qualifier in an empty stadium after its fans hurled racist abuse during its match against San Marino.
• 17 Year old Reigning junior world champion Nikhat Zareen (54kg) continued her winning run to enter the final of the AIBA Women’s Youth World Boxing Championships in Albena, Bulgaria.
• Senior politician and Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association chief Rajiv Shukla, MCA president Ravi Savant and DDCA secretary Sneh Bansal are the three new vice-presidents of the BCCI.
• Sania Mirza wins 4th title of the season and 18th overall with Cara Black of Zimbabwe to lift the Pan Pacific Open trophy on Saturday.
• All India Football Federation announces 23-member squad for the AFC U-19 Championship Qualifiers to be held in Doha from 4th October

05:51 - By Unknown 0

Daily Current Affairs Updates - 27th September 2013

 Daily Current Affairs Updates - 27th September 2013

International Affairs

• The United States and China agreed to keep up a tough sanctions regime on North Korea amid warnings that the reclusive nation is still managing to pursue its nuclear program.
• Israel denounces Iran's call to acknowledge its nuclear weapons, accusing HassanRouhani of diverting attention from Iran's nuclear work.
• Iran and six world powers have headed into nuclear talks at the United Nations with US officials tamping down expectations of any quick breakthrough.
• The IMF approved Friday a standby loan of nearly 2 billion euros ($2.7 billion) for Romania, to match a backup loan of the same size requested from the European Union (EU).

National Affairs

• The 14-day DelhiPhotoFestival 2013 began at India Habitat Centre in the national capital on 27th September 2013.
• World Tourism Day is being observed
• 81st Birth anniversary of famous Indian film director YashChopra observed
• Birth anniversary of Vithalbhai Patel, great freedom fighter, social worker observed
• Death anniversary of 18th century social reformer RajaRamMohanRoy is observed
• As part the new strategy, Doordarshan has decided to air big-budget programmes for which producers can also bring advertisers or enter into arrangement with private channels for jointly telecasting cost intensive productions.
• Leading by example, Oil Minister M Veerappa Moily announced that he will travel by public transport every Wednesday, starting October 9, as part of the fuel conservation drive to save $5 billion in oil import bill.

New Appointments

• Indian American trailblazer SriSrinivasan sworn in as judge of top US court.

Awards and Honors

• RBI governor RaghuramRajan receives Fifth Deutsche Bank Prize for Financial Economics 2013  in recognition of his ground-breaking research work which influenced financial & macro-economic policies.

Science and Technology

• The launch of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), which was deferred on August 19 following a flaw in the rocket, will take place on December 15, Indian Space Research Organisation chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan anounced.
• Google celebrates its 15th birthday with a trip down memory lane, and an update to search engine formula which helped spawn the tech giant.
• NASA's Mars rover Curiosity discovers water during its first sample analysis of the Red planet's surface.

Business and Economy

• Toyota will recall nearly 700,000 Sienna minivans in North America to fix a gear shift defect.
• Wipro  entered  the National Stock Exchange's 50-share Nifty index, while Reliance Infrastructure exit.

Sports

• The 54th edition of the prestigious Subroto Cup, the biggest inter-school tournament for scouting talented footballers began at Ambedkar Stadium in NewDelhi.
• ViditGujrathi wins bronze medal in World Junior Chess Championship after settling for a quick draw with winner Yu Yangyi of China.
• Top Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal was steady at number four even as rising star P V Sindhu regained her place in the top 10 after climbing two places in the latest world badminton rankings.

05:51 - By Unknown 0