Current Affairs: JAN 23 2014

Current Affairs

January 23, 2014

International Affairs

1. Shane Warne has been appointed as spin coach for Australia’s World Twenty20 campaign in Bangladesh in March. Cricket Australia announced on Thursday that Warne would support head coach Darren Lehmann as a consultant, providing specialist coaching to the squad’s spinners. — 24 January 2014

2. Scientists in the UK have created the fastest ever real-world internet connection, using commercial-grade fibre optic lines to clock up speeds of 1.4 terabits per second. It’s believed to be the fastest speed test of its kind, and would allow users to hypothetically download 44 high-definition films in a single second. — 23 January 2014

3. Eugenie Bouchard has become first Canadian in history to reach the semi-finals of a Grand Slam after winning a thrilling three-set marathon 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 over former World No. 1 Ana Ivanovic.— 22 January 2014

National Affairs

4. Mines Minister Dinsha Patel has dedicated to the nation advanced light helicopter ”Garuda Vasudha” of Geological Survey of India (GSI), equipped with modern sensors for exploring hidden mineral resources. The helicopter was launched from the Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) Complex, Bangalore…The Garuda Vasudha a ‘Dhruv’ category helicopter has been indigenously built by HAL and the HGSS comprising four aerogeophysical sensors.

5. Garuda Vasudha is used for extensive surveys by the GSI for locating hidden mineral health. Remote Sensing and Aerial Survey Wing of Geological Survey of India will be using both the aerial and heliborne survey together to locate mineral resources which will fulfill the rising demands.

6. Nation celebrates 117th birth anniversary of Netaji

i. Nation celebrates the 117th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose today.

ii. On the occasion the main programme was held in Darjeeling, West Bengal where Chief Minister Ms Mamta Banerjee and other distinguished persons paid rich tributes to Netaji.

iii. Ms Banerjee recalled Netaji’s contribution to the freedom movement of the country. She said that the deals of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose are still relevant in the present day to keep the country united.

iv. Various programmes are being organized in Odisha to mark the birth anniversary of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose. On the occasion, his birth place at Cuttack has witnessed a beeline of visitors since the morning.

7. 10 crore jobs to be created in manufacturing sector: Sharma

i. India is looking to create as many as 100 million skilled jobs in the manufacturing sector by raising its share of GDP to 25 per cent from 16 per cent, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said.

ii . The Commerce and Industry Minister is in Davos for the World Economic Forum annual meet.

iii. India aims to raise manufacturing (sector’s) share of GDP from 16 per cent to 25 per cent and create 100 million skilled jobs. This is a must do,” Mr. Sharma said while addressing an WEF session on manufacturing.

iv. Mr. Sharma, who will meet around 80 business leaders from India and abroad at an investment round-table here, on Wednesday met top executives of global firms, including Diageo, Heineken and Shell, and pitched the India growth story.

8. Ansari launches book ‘Resurgent India: Glimpses of Rajiv Gandhi Vision of India’(Re-issue)

i. ‘Resurgent India: Glimpses of Rajiv Gandhi’s Vision of India’ was launched by Vice President Hamid Ansari in Delhi.

ii. Speaking about the book, ‘Resurgent India’s author and former Lok Sabha Secretary General P.D.T Acharya said on Wednesday: “Rajiv Gandhi is perhaps one of the most misunderstood prime ministers in Indian history.

iii. It is important to understand the heart and mind of one of the nation’s most influential leaders to understand his ambitious policies in their entirety.”

iv. The main theme of ‘Resurgent India’ is an objective evaluation of Rajiv Gandhi’s contributions to the nation.

9. Garuda Vasudha Advanced Light Helicopter of Geological Survey of India launched

i. Minister of Mines, Dinsha Patel launched the Advanced Light Helicopter named Garuda Vasudha of Geological Survey of India from the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), Bangalore on 23 January 2014.

ii. The Garuda Vasudha a Dhruv category built by HAL dedicated to the nation.

iii. The Ministry also laid the foundation stone of a Centre of Excellence Laboratory building of GSI at Bangalore, worth of 42 crore.

iv. Garuda Vasudha is used for extensive surveys by the GSI for locating hidden mineral health.

v. Remote Sensing and Aerial Survey Wing of Geological Survey of India will be using both the aerial and heliborne survey together to locate mineral resources which will fulfill the rising demands.

10. Haridwar to host 12th National Inter-District Athletics meet

i. The 12th edition of the three-day National Inter-District Athletics meet will be held from April 25 this year at Haridwar.

ii. The year marked both the 11th and 12th editions of the meet because the 11th edition was to be held in October last year, but was postponed to this month.

iii. Satisfied with the performance of the athletes in the recently concluded 11th edition at Ranchi, the AFI’s Executive Director, AK Kesri, told reporters that the Haridwar edition would also attract participation of many districts.

Awards

11. Kerala Tourism has been conferred the United Nations Award for creating innovative initiatives for sustainable tourism, the first time India has ever won the recognition. Kerala won the UNWTO Ulysses Award for Innovation in Public Policy and Governance, the highest honour given to the government bodies for shaping global tourism policies through innovative initiatives. Kerala Tourism was chosen for the honour for its path—breaking ‘Responsible Tourism’ project in Kumarakom, which has successfully linked the local community with the Hospitality industry and government departments, thereby creating a model for empowerment and development of the people in the area while sustaining eco—friendly tourism.

Science and Technology

12. Scientists detect water on dwarf planet: Astronomers have for the first time detected water vapour on a dwarf planet located in GKthe main asteroid belt, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.This is the first time water vapour has been unequivocally detected on Ceres or any other object in the asteroid belt and provides proof that Ceres has an icy surface and an atmosphere,” said Michael Kuppers of ESA in Spain, lead author of a paper published in the journal Nature.Ceres is roughly 950 kilometres in diameter. When it was first was spotted in 1801, astronomers thought it was a planet orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. Later, other cosmic bodies with similar orbits were found, marking the discovery of our solar system’s main belt of asteroids.

Appointments

13. T. Nanda Kumar to be appointed NDDB Chairman: Nanda Kumar will be the new Chairman of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), replacing Amrita Patel who has been holding the post since 1998. Nanda Kumar, currently Member of the National Disaster Management Authority, is slated to take over from March 1 “His name has been cleared by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister. Patel is currently on extension and will remain as Chairman till February 28.

14. Rakesh Khurana, appointed dean of Harvard College

i. Indian-origin academician Rakesh Khurana has been appointed dean of the prestigious Harvard College and will take over his new role in July.

ii. Mr Khurana is the Marvin Bower Professor of Leadership Development at Harvard Business School (HBS), professor of sociology in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) and co-master of Cabot House at Harvard.

iii. Mr Khurana succeeds Evelynn Hammonds, professor of African and African American Studies, who stepped down last June after completing her five-year term. He will assume the role on July 1.

iv. Mr Khurana earned his bachelors from Cornell University and began graduate studies at Harvard in 1993, earning his Ph.D. in 1998.

Banking Affairs

15. RBI’s ‘bold’ report may hit govt block: A central bank panel’s report on a new monetary policy regime has been termed as bold but is unlikely to get the backing of the finance ministry, experts and officials say.

The panel headed by Urijit Patel, deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India, in its report released on Tuesday said the target should be to bring CPI inflation down to 8% in 12 months and to 6% over 24 months before adopting a 4% target.The panel said since India is exposed to external shocks, the 4% target should have a band of 2% around it.

16. RBI recent move to withdraw all currency notes: RBI advisory to withdraw all currency notes, including Rs 500 and Rs 1000, issued before 2005.The Reserve Bank of India decided to withdraw all currency notes issued prior to 2005, including Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations, after March 31 in a move apparently aimed at curbing black money and fake currencies.”After March 31, 2014, it (RBI) will completely withdraw from circulation all bank notes issued prior to 2005. From April 1, 2014, the public will be required to approach banks for exchanging these notes,” the RBI said in a statement.

Business and Economy

17. Sensex makes new record at 21,374 : The Indian stock market made another record high today, but investors and experts seem to be not at all enthused about the same. The Sensex closed the day up 35.99 points higher at 21,373.66, its fresh lifetime closing high. The broader NSE index closed up 0.11%, up 6.7 points, at 6,345.65, just short of its record high of 6,363.90 hit on December 9, 2013.

Sports

18. Mahesh Bhupathi launched IPTL in Melbourne: Tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi launched the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) in Melbourne, Australia on 21 January 2014. He also announced the name of the teams during the launch of IPTL. Mahesh Bhupati linked arms with German tennis legend Boris Becker, and American Justin Gimelstob, a former pro and member of the ATP board to launch the IPL styles IPTL.The IPTL is expected to start in Asia from 1 December 2014 to 20 December 2014 for which the auction of players will be held in UAE on 2 March 2014. Each team is expected to field 10 players.

20. Sania-Tecau sail into Australian Open semis: India’s Sania Mirza and her Romanian partner Horia Tecau stormed into the semifinals of the mixed doubles event at the Australian Open with straight sets victory over Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Julia Georges on Thursday. Sixth seed Sania and Tecau hardly broke a sweat to prevail over the unseeded Aisam-Julia combination 6-3, 6-4 in their quarterfinal clash that lasted just 63 minutes.

21. Indian-origin academician Rakesh Khurana has been appointed dean of the prestigious Harvard College and will take over his new role in July. Mr Khurana is the Marvin Bower Professor of Leadership Development at Harvard Business School (HBS), professor of sociology in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) and co-master of Cabot House at Harvard. Mr Khurana succeeds Evelynn Hammonds, professor of African and African American Studies, who stepped down last June after completing her five-year term. He will assume the role on July 1.

22. Sehwag, Gambhir not in World T20 probables list: Gautam Gambhir, statemate Virender Sehwag and Pathan brothers Yusuf and Irfan are the notable omissions in India’s 30-member list of probables for the upcoming World T20 in March and April this year. Gambhir, who is India’s highest scorer in T20 Internationals with 932 runs from 37 games at a strike rate of 119.02, played a big role in India’s World T20 title win back in 2007 but has of late dropped off the selection radar. Sehwag, meanwhile, looked totally off-colour in domestic cricket this season and his exclusion was, to an extent, expected.

23. India’s Olympic bronze medallist shuttler Saina Nehwal dropped a place to be at 9th position, while P V Sindhu retained her 11th spot in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) ranking published today. Saina, who had endured a tough season last year where she could not win a single title, was overtaken by Juliane Schenk of Germany. At the same time, top male shuttler Parupalli Kashyap jumped two places to be at No. 18, while Mumbai’s Ajay Jayaram moved up a place to be at 21st position.

24. Real Madrid retain title of world’s richest soccer club

i. Spain’s Real Madrid retained the title of the world’s richest soccer club in the past year thanks to sponsorship and TV deals robust enough to endure a season without a major trophy, a study showed on Thursday.

ii. Real’s revenue of 519 million euros ($704 million) put the club ahead of domestic rivals Barcelona in fiscal 2012/2013, with European champions Bayern Munich edging into third ahead of Manchester United, in the annual Football Money League compiled by accountants Deloitte.

iii. Revenue for the top 20 teams rose by 8 percent to 5.4 billion euros, Deloitte said, underlining the appeal of soccer to broadcasters and sponsors targeting mass consumer markets.

iv. Real Madrid and Barcelona are two of the most consistently successful teams in Europe, fielding top players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi respectively.

Passer away

25. Sudhir Mahato, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Jharkhand died

i. Sudhir Mahato (58), the former Deputy Chief Minister of Jharkhand died on 22 January 2014 following a heart attack at Ghatsila in Singhbhum district.

ii. He is a leader of the JMM (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha). Now he is survived by his wife and four daughters.

iii. He won the assembly elections for the first time in 1990 from Ichchagarh and retained it in 2005, the year he became the Deputy Chief Minister. In 2009, he last the seat in the polls.

Sudhir Mahato
• He has been a member of Legislative Assembly of Bihar Assembly and Jharkhand Assembly from 1995 and 2005
• In 2005 he served as the Deputy Chief Minister Jharkhand and also as Industry Minister Jharkhand
• He was the President cum Chairman of Jharkhand Cricket Academy –

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