Current Affairs December 16 2013

Current Affairs

December 16, 2013

1. Landslide win for Bachelet in Chile presidential vote

i. Michelle Bachelet’s landslide presidential victory was the biggest in eight decades, yet turnout was the lowest since Chile’s return to democracy, suggesting she’ll lack a clear mandate to push for radical change when she begins her second turn in the office next year.

ii. Ms. Bachelet won 62 percent of the votes, easily defeating her conservative rival, Evelyn Matthei, who got only 37 percent in the worst performance by the right in two decades.

iii. Ms. Bachelet, a moderate socialist, ended her 2006-10 presidency with 84 percent approval ratings despite failing to achieve any major changes. This time, Chilean Leftists vow to hold her to her promises, which include a $15 billion spending program to overhaul education, improve health care and reduce the vast gap between rich and poor.

Note: Chile is the world’s top copper exporter, and its fast-growing economy, low unemployment and stable democracy are the envy of Latin America. But millions of Chileans who have protested in the streets in recent years say more of the copper wealth should be used to reduce income inequality and fix public schools.

2. ICC Suspends Offspinner Shillingford Over Action

i. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has suspended West Indies offspinner Shane Shillingford from bowling in international matches because of illegal action.

ii. The ICC said in a statement Monday that an independent biomechanical analysis found the amount of elbow extension in Shillingford’s bowling arm exceeded the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under regulations.

iii.Shillingford will be unable to bowl in international matches “until such time that he has submitted to a fresh analysis, which concludes that he has remedied his bowling action.”

iv. The ICC has banned Shillingford’s teammate and fellow-offspinner, Marlon Samuels, from bowling his quicker deliveries on similar grounds. He is allowed to bowl his normal off-break deliveries in international matches.

v. Both bowlers were reported during last month’s test between India and the West Indies.

vi. Shilligford has taken 65 wickets in 14 test matches since making his debut against South Africa in 2010. Samuels, who bowls occasionally in test matches, has 34 wickets in 50 tests.

3. CVR Rajendran appointed CMD of Andhra Bank

i. CVR Rajendran was on 13 December 2013 appointed as the Chairman and ManagingDirector of Andhra Bank.

ii. He was appointed by Union Ministry of Finance, Government of India. Rajendran is appointed for a period of five years or until superannuation, whichever is earlier. He is due to superannuate in April 2015.

iii. Prior to this post, Rajendran was Executive Director of Bank of Maharashtra. Rajendran started his career in Corporation Bank, and has experience in international banking and investment banking, among other divisions. He also held the post of general manager of the treasury and information technology division of Corporation Bank.

4. Andy Murray crowned BBC ‘Sports Personality of the year’

i. Andy Murray, the first British tennis player to win the Wimbledon in 77 years, was crowned the ‘BBC Sports Personality of the Year’.

ii. To nobody`s s surprise, the favourite, thanks to his landmark victory against Novak Djokovic on that historic July afternoon on Centre Court, was rewarded with the famous old camera trophy.
iii. According to `The Telegraph`, it was presented to him in Miami, where he had opted to stay and train, by Martina Navratilova while back at the awards show in Leeds, where last year`s winner Sir Bradley Wiggins announced his victory, the news was also received with a rapturous salute from an audience of 12,000.

iv. Surprise runner-up to Murray was Wales and Lions rugby star Leigh Halfpenny while champion jockey Tony McCoy finished third

5. Ethiopian Runner Atsedu Tsegay won Delhi Half Marathon 2013

i. Ethiopian runner Atsedu Tsegay on 15 December 2013 won the Men’s Delhi Half Marathon (21.097 km) by creating a new race record. Tsegay clocked 59 minutes 10 seconds beating the previous record of 59 minutes 15 seconds held by Deriba Merga since 2008.
ii.Former junior world champion Geoffrey Kipsang of Kenya came second, while his compatriot Wilson Kiprop finished third. G. Laxman was the top finisher for India, with a timing of 1 hour 04 minutes and 44 seconds.

Women’s category

i. In women’s category Kenyan athlete Florence Kiplagat finished on top with a timing of 1 hour 07 minutes and 58 seconds. Gladys Cherono came second, while Lucy Kabuu finished third. Among the Indian athletes, Preeja Sreedharan was the top finisher. She clocked 1 hour 20 minutes 04 seconds.

6. Indian Idol winner Sandeep Acharya passes away

i. Sandeep Acharya, who won the second season of Indian Idol in 2006, passed away at a Gurgaon hospital on Sunday.

ii. The 29-year-old singer, who hailed from Rajasthan, had been suffering from jaundice for a fortnight. However, he apparently neglected his health and had to be admitted to a local hospital in his hometown, Bikaner, in a critical condition.

iii. When his health did not improve, he was taken to Gurgaon. He breathed his last on Sunday at 9am.

iv. His younger brother, Akshay, said on Sunday, “Last night, doctors said his condition was under control and he was showing signs of recovery. We were all hoping we’d soon take him home. But nobody knew that he would leave us forever.”

v. Acharya is survived by his wife and a one-month-old daughter. His last rites will be performed in Bikaner.

7. WB to launch insurance coverage for Ganga Sagar pilgrims this year

i. The West Bengal government has decided to launch insurance coverage for the Ganga Sagar pilgrims this year. Giving this information in Kolkata, state disaster management Minister Javed Khan said that under the insurance coverage, five lakh rupees compensation will be given in the event of death of any pilgrim and 50,000 rupees each for the injured.
ii. He also informed that the disaster management department has decided to open 10 temporary fire fighting stations at Sagar Island during the Ganga Sagar mela slated to be held in the middle of next month.

8. China's first lunar rover 'Jade Rabbit' (Yutu), aboard the Chang'e-3 probe, soft lands on Moon. This success makes China the 3rd country after USand Russia to achieve this feat. Its the first such mission in almost 4 decades after Soviet Union's mission in 1976.

QUIZ:

1. The government will shortly launch the defence ministry's internet spy system that will be capable of detecting words like 'attack', 'bomb', 'blast' or 'kill' in a matter of seconds from reams of tweets, status updates, emails, instant messaging transcripts, internet calls, blogs and forums. Intelligence Bureau and Cabinet Secretariat are currently testing the system, which will be deployed by all national security agencies. What is the name given to this system?

[A] Rakshak

[B] HawkEye

[C] iSpy

[D] Netra

2. Who was elected as Chile's president on Sunday, 15th Dec 2013 in a landslide victory - with about 62% support, the highest proportion of votes any presidential candidate has obtained since Chile returned to holding democratic elections in 1989?

[A] Evelyn Matthei

[B] Peter O Toole

[C] Michelle Bachelet

[D] Patricio Navia

3. On Monday, 16 Dec 2013, Budget airliners SpiceJet Ltd has entered into a three-year interline agreement with another airlines to offer greater connectivity between flights operated by both the carriers. Can you name the airlines with which Spicejet partnered?

[A] Thai Airways

[B] Tiger air

[C] Qatar Airlines

[D] Lufthansa

4. On 13 December 2013, who was appointed as the Chairman of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for a period of five years by the Union Government of India?

[A] Harsh Kumar Bhanwala

[B] Sachin Joshi

[C] Prakash Bakshi

[D] GD Suri

5. On 15 December 2013, who won the Men's Delhi Half Marathon (21.097 km) by creating a new race record by clocking 59 minutes 10 seconds?

[A] Atsedu Tsegay

[B] Deriba Merga

[C] Geoffrey Kipsang

[D] Wilson Kiprop

Answers:

1. [D]

2. [C]

3. [B]

4. [A]

5. [A]