1.
Today is UN day
i. Today is the United Nations' Day.
iii. The theme of this year
is-‘Partnerships for Global Progress’. In his message, UN Secretary General Ban
Ki-Moon said this is the time to reflect on what more the UN can do to realise
the vision for a better world.
iv. UN relief agencies also play an
important role in assisting over 34 million refugees and others fleeing war,
famine and persecution. v. The world body also provides food to approximately
90 million people in 75 countries.
2.
Bihar nurse
to share stage with Malala at UN function
i. A Bihar woman health official is set to share stage with
Malala Yousufzai.
ii. Martha Dodray, in
her mid-40s, is an auxiliary nursing midwife posted at Kusheshwarsthan primary
health centre in the state's Darbhanga district. She was selected by the United
Nations Foundation (UNF) for her extraordinary work to eradicate polio.
iii. She said she walked
several kilometres each day to reach remote and inaccessible villages to
administer polio vaccine to hundreds of children, mostly belonging to poorest
of the poor.
iv. "Marha was recently selected as one of the best polio
workers in India for her devotion and hard work in polio vaccination drive. v. Her name was recommended for the
award ceremony in New York," Darbhanga civil surgeon UK Choudhary said.
vi. Bihar has not
reported a single case of polio in the last three years and has virtually
remained polio free since August 2010.
3.
RBI forms
panel to implement new bill payment system
i. The Reserve Bank of India has
constituted a GIRO Advisory Group (GAG) to
implement a national Indian Bill Payment System so that households will be able
to use bank accounts to pay school fees, utilities, medical bills and make
remittances electronically.
ii. The terms of reference of GAG, which is headed by Prof. Umesh Bellur,
Professor, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, include suggesting the
nature of organisation to undertake the GIRO-based bill payments and framing
guidelines for setting up and operating the GIRO-based bill payments.
iii. The group will also recommend the
criteria (financial, governance, ownership, technical, operational, etc.) for
the entity to seek authorisation for setting up bill payments system in the
country under the Payment & Settlement System Act 2007.
iv. If GAG is of the opinion that a new
organisation be created on the lines of entity like National Payments
Corporation of India (NPCI), then it will have to make recommendations, among
others, on the nature of the organisation (whether Section 25 company or profit
making entity, etc.); membership composition; capital structure &
contributions by stakeholders.
4.
Austrade,
YES Bank ink pact for knowledge sharing in food sector
i. The Australian Trade Commission
(Austrade) and YES Bank on Wednesday entered into a memorandum of understanding
(MoU) to explore avenues for mutually beneficial knowledge sharing in food
processing and agricultural sectors.
ii. The tie-up marked the start of a
relationship in which Australia can offer to India some insights on how to
expand food exports to Japan and Europe, said Nicola Watkinson, Minister
Commercial and Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner-South Asia, Austrade.
iii. According to the MoU, Austrade and YES
Bank have agreed to jointly organise workshops across India to create awareness
about Australian capabilities in the food and agri-business sectors.
iv. Austrade will assist Australian
companies in their expansion in India through identification of joint venture
partners and investment opportunities in India.
v. Australia’s food exports are estimated at $30 billion each year and nearly 60 per
cent of its exports are accounted for by agricultural products.
5.
Former Indian Bank
Chairman sent to imprisonment
i. A CBI court
here yesterday sentenced former Chairman and Managing Director of Indian Bank M Gopalakrishnan and four others to one
year imprisonment for defrauding various branches of the bank to the tune of
about Rs 6.5 crore.
ii. CBI Principal Sessions Judge S
Malathi also ordered Gopalakrishnan, N Ramakrishnan, bank valuer, V Ravikumar
of Arul Builders, K Sai Jagannathan of Incom Builders, and Businessman
Varadarajulu to pay a fine ranging from Rs 15,000 to 40,000.
iii. Apart from sanctioning the loan
without sufficient collateral security, Gopalakrishnan waived the loan amount
of 64 lakhs to Arul Builders, 50 lakhs to Incom Builders and Rs.6.72 lakhs to
Incom builders.
6. Google tops world’s best multinational workplaces list
i. Internet
giant Google has emerged as the world’s best multinational company to work for,
followed by software developer SAS Institute and network storage provider
NetApp in the second and third place, respectively.
ii. Software giant
Microsoft was ranked fourth by human resources consultancy ‘Great Place to Work
Institute’, which has compiled a list of 25 such companies.
iii. “The 25 companies on the 2013 World’s
Best Multinational Workplaces list set a high standard for us all. Their
outstanding achievement builds a better society by creating great workplaces,”
it said.
iv. The list also includes Autodesk ranked at the 11th
place, followed by Monsanto (12th), BBVA (13th), American Express (14th), Hilti
(15th), Telefonica (16th), Accor (17th), Quintiles (18th), SC Johnson (19th),
FedEx Express (20th), Atento (21st), Mars (22nd), McDonald’s (23rd), The
Coca-Cola Company (24th) and Novartis (25th).
v. Others in the top 10 include W.L Gore & Associates,
which was ranked 5th on the list, followed by personal and household goods
maker Kimberly-Clark (6th), hospitality giant Marriott (7th), consumer goods
firm Diageo (8th), National Instruments (9th) and IT company Cisco (10th).
7. Manna Dey, the legendary singer died at 94
i. Manna Dey, the
legendary singer died on 23 October 2013 in Bangalore hospital. He was 94 years old.
ii. He was treated for
respiratory illness died of cardiac arrest. He is survived by his daughters
Shuroma and Sumita.
iii. He was born in the
year 1919. His original name was Prabodh Chandra Dey but he was
nicknamed Manna
iv. He sang many songs in different languages like Malayalam, Kannada, Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, Hindi, Assamese, Punjabi and Bhojpuri
iv. He sang many songs in different languages like Malayalam, Kannada, Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, Hindi, Assamese, Punjabi and Bhojpuri
v. His popular tracks
include Poocho Na Kaise Maine (Meri Surat Teri Aankhen), Ae Meri Zohra Jabeen
(Waqt), Zindagi Kaisi Hai Paheli(Anand), Yeh Dosti (Sholay) and Ek Chatur Naar
(Padosan) and Laga Chunari Mein Daag (Dil Hi Toh Hai) and'Yeh Raat Bheegi
Bheegi' (Chori Chori).
8. Ranbir
Kapoor new brand ambassador of Philips
i. Actor Ranbir Kapoor was Thursday named
the brand ambassador for Philips, the country's leading lighting company.
ii. "Endorsing India's No 1
lighting brand Philips is a great opportunity and I am privileged to be
associated with this power house of innovation. I am thrilled to be associated
with Philips," Ranbir told reporters at the launch of new LED lighting
solutions.
iii.
In their new ad Philips revive the iconic song "Saara zamana haseeno ka
Deewana", originally picturised on Amitabh Bachchan who sported an
electric lightbulb suit in it. It now features Ranbir in a suit of LED lights.
iv. The "Barfi" star said: "I have tried to redo
Amitjis 'Saara Zamaana song'. We have modernized the suit that was worn by him
then. It was fun re-doing the song."
9. SC awards Rs. 5.96 cr compensation in medical
negligence case
i. The Supreme Court on Thursday awarded
Rs 5.96 crore as compensation to be paid by Kolkata-based AMRI Hospital and
three doctors to a US-based Indian-origin doctor for medical negligence which
led to the death of his wife in 1998.
ii. A bench of justices S.J. Mukhopadhaya and V. Gopala
Gowda asked the hospital and the three doctors to pay the amount within eight
weeks to Kunal Saha, an Ohio-based AIDS researcher.
iii. The National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission
(NCDRC) in 2011 had awarded Rs. 1.73 crore to the doctor whose wife Anuradha
Saha died in 1998 following faulty treatment administered at the hospital.
iv. The court said out of the total compensation amount, Dr.
Balram Prasad and Dr. Sukumar Mukherjee will pay Rs. 10 lakh each and Dr.
Baidyanath Halder will have to pay Rs. 5 lakh to Dr. Saha within eight weeks.
v. In 2009, though the apex court absolved the doctors and
the hospitals of criminal liability for medical negligence, it had held them
culpable of civil liabilities and referred Dr. Saha’s plea for compensation
under provisions of the Consumer Protection Act to NCDRC, which, had in 2006
dismissed, the case.
10. Sebi
has disqualified Cals Refineries from issuing equity shares
i. Market regulator Sebi has disqualified Cals Refineries
from issuing equity shares and any other security for a further eight years, as
the company was found guilty in a case involving irregularities in issuance of
Global Depository Receipts (GDRs).
ii. An interim prohibitory order was imposed on the company
in 2011 and the company has already undergone restrictions for two years, while
a final order was passed today imposing a ten-year ban on the company from
issuance of any securities.The case is related to alleged market manipulation
in trading of GDRs -- a financial instrument used to raise capital overseas --
of certain companies including Cals.
iii. However, Sebi noted that Cals had already undergone the
prohibition imposed on it for a period of about two years following an interim
order in 2011 by the market regulator in view of the GDR manipulation charges
against the company.
iv. Sebi said the modus operandi adopted by Cals Refineries
in conceiving the fraudulent arrangement of GDR issue to defraud investors and
also facilitating the unjust enrichment of its promoter at the expense of
investors has been fraught with mala fides at every stage of its execution.
11. Carol Burnett Honoured With the Mark Twain Prize for
American Humor
i. The US
comedian Carol Burnett was on 20 October 2013 honoured with the Mark Twain
Prize for American Humor.
ii. Three artists- Dame
Julie Andrews, Tony Bennett and Tina Fey performed specifically in the honour
of Carol Burnett at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts.
iii. The variety shows of Carol Burnett started in 1960s. These shows ran continuously for 11 years and fetched around 30 million viewers in a week.
iii. The variety shows of Carol Burnett started in 1960s. These shows ran continuously for 11 years and fetched around 30 million viewers in a week.
iv. Carol Burnett
received her first break for the Ed Sullivan Show. Thereafter, she also acted
on Broadway and appeared on The Garry Moore Show.
About the Mark Twain
Prize for American Humor
i. The
Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is the foremost award for humour in America
ii. It was first awarded
in the year 1988 by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
iii. The
award is named after the essayist and humorist Mark Twain, who belonged to the
19th century and was a renowned novelist as well. Mark Twain made significant
contribution to American humour.
iv. Every
year, the prize is presented in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall in Washington
DC.
v. The recipients of the Twain Prize receive an 1884 bronze portrait bust of Mark Twain sculpted by Karl Gerhardt.
v. The recipients of the Twain Prize receive an 1884 bronze portrait bust of Mark Twain sculpted by Karl Gerhardt.
12.
Tendulkar only Indian in Wisden all
time World test XI
i. India's retiring batsman Sachin
Tendulkar has been named in the Wisden all-time World Test XI.
ii. Tendulkar was named at number four
spot in the team announced to mark 150 years of the Cricketers' Almanac in
London.
iii. The team captained by legendary
Australian batsman Don Bradman has four Englishmen, three West Indians, two
Australians, one Indian and a Pakistani.
iv. Tendulkar's contemporaries like
Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting and Jaques Kallis could not make it to the team, nor
other Indian greats like Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev.
v. The members of Wisden World XI are:
Jack Hobbs (England), W G Grace (England), Don Bradman (Australia, captain),
Sachin Tendulkar (India), Vivian Richards (West Indies), Garry Sobers (West
Indies), Alan Knott (England), Wasim Akram (Pakistan), Shane Warne (Australia),
Malcolm Marshall (West Indies), Sydney Barnes (England).
vi. Tendulkar will retire from Test
cricket after playing against the West Indies in his landmark 200th match in
Mumbai next month.
13.
Sports Ministry & Federation of
Indian Chamber of Commerce launch “Sports 2014”
i. The Sports Ministry and Federation
of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) have launched 'India Sports
2014' at the 5th Global Sports Summit to promote sports among youth in the
country.
ii. The event will be an umbrella
programme, focusing on all aspects of sports and will bring the entire sports
fraternity on one platform.
iii. The first edition will not only
serve as a platform for the Indian sports industry to showcase their strength
but will also act as a catalyst in promoting sports amongst the youth.
iv. The event will include an
international exhibition on sports sector at the National Stadium, an
international conference on sports sector, reverse buyer-seller meet by sports
goods export promotion council, networking dinner and concurrent sports
activities and tournaments.