Current Affairs
November 22, 2013
International Affairs
1. Serbia and China signed USD 716 million deal to build new coal-fired power plant unit and expand coal mining.
2. Iran's foreign ministry rejected as politically motivated a United Nations resolution which expresses "deep concern" over the Islamic republic's human rights record.
3. The United States voiced concern after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was given emergency powers to rule by decree for the coming months.
4. The International Monetary Fund has commended Sri Lankan authorities for delivering strong growth, low inflation, fiscal consolidation and a strengthening of the external accounts since the end of the war in 2009.
5. US and Australia agree to strengthen co-operation with India to improve maritime security, humanitarian assistance, and disaster operation
6. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has said that he and Afghan President Hamid Karzai had agreed on the terms of the bilateral security agreement (BSA) to cover the presence of American troops beyond 2014.
7. CPN-Maoist chairman Prachanda defeated by Nepali Congress candidate Rajan K C in Constituent Assembly elections of Nepal.
8. Iran and the six global powers are engaged in substantive talks in Geneva, in a bid to close the gaps that caused a possible nuclear deal to falter earlier this month.
9. Pakistani School girl and Peace campaigner Malala Yousafzai received the EU’s prestigious Sakharov human rights prize yesterday for her brave crusade for the right of the children to education. The European Parliament President Martin Schulz presented the award to the 16-year-old at a ceremony in Strasbourg, France. Malala, who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this year, dedicated the award to “the unsung heroes of Pakistan” and to human rights campaigners worldwide. The 50,000-euro (USD 65,000) prize is also considered Europe’s top human rights award.
10. British biochemist Frederick Sanger, who is the only person to win Nobel Prize two times for Chemistry passed away on 19th November in Cambridge, England. He was 95. He won the Nobel Prize in 1958 for development of the methods, which helped to unravel the chemical structure of Protein, mainly insulin. Another one in 1980, jointly with Walter Gilbert and Paul Berg for the development of the techniques to read the sequences of DNA, which carries the basic code for life.
National Affairs
11. Fifty-three years after their trip to India as Crown Prince and Crown Princess, Japanese Emperor Akihito and his wife Empress Michiko will arrive here on a six-day visit beginning November 30 with an aim to further strengthening bilateral ties.
12. The 3rd BRICS International Competition Conference, 2013 was inaugurated by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in New Delhi today.
13. UPA Chairperson SoniaGandhi launched expansion of the pro-poor health scheme- Rajiv Gandhi Jeevandayee Arogya Yojana in Nagpur today.
14. Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde inaugurated the annual DGP/IGP Conference at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
15. Cyclone Helen To Hit Andhra, Tamil Nadu Tonight, High Alert Sounded a latest report from the weather department has said.
16. The Allahabad High Court today banned director Sanjay Leela Bhansali's romantic saga "Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela" in Uttar Pradesh.
17. The Group of Ministers (GoM), set up to look into the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, will meet on November 27 to finalise its report along with the draft Telangana Bill before it is submitted to the Union Cabinet expectedly next week.
18. Tehelka editor TarunTejpal loses membership of the Prasar Bharti Board after sexual assault charges surface against him.
19. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy will be presented Brahm Gaurav award here on 24th November by Brahm Foundation for his service to society at this critical juncture. Swamy will be felicitated on the occasion of the Brahmin convention slated for Sunday.
20. Gurbax Singh Sandhu was retained as the national coach of the men’s Indian boxing team till the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Sandhu, under whose guidance India won its first Olympic and World Championships medal through Vijender Singh (75kg), has been with the team for two decades.
21. The All India Football Federation has re-appointed its General Secretary Kushal Das for a second term of another three years in its Executive Committee meeting in New Delhi. He had also served as Chief Financial Officer of the ICC and International Management Group (IMG) India. The Executive Committee also approved the recommendations of AIFF Technical Committee, headed by former captain Bhaichung Bhutia, to extend the contract of national team coach Wim Koevermans and Technical Director Rob Baan by one year.
22. Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal crashed out of the women’s singles competition at the Hong Kong Super Series badminton tournament in Kowloon today after suffering a narrow defeat against Porntip Buranaprasertsuk of Thailand. Ajay Jayaram’s campaign in the men’s singles competition also came to an end after he went down 18-21, 12-21 to Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia in another match today.
Business and Economy
23. World Bank President Jim Young Kim has said India was expected to have a good third quarter, which is in line with Finance Minister P Chidambaram's observations that the country's economy is now picking up.
24. SEBI team to visit the Vadodara Stock Exchange (VSEL) on Friday to look into the controversy regarding the exchange board
25. Coming down heavily on firms sitting idle on mines, the Coal Ministry has decided to de-allocate 11 blocks given to companies including Jindal Steel and Power Ltd. (JSPL) and Rathi Udyog Ltd.
26. Market regulator Sebi today finalised 75 applicants for the officer level job as part of its plan to beef up its headcount for faster and more effective execution of newly granted powers.
Awards and Honors
27. A Dutch Film named Kauwboy, directed by Boudewijn Koole won the Golden Elephant Award for best film in the 'International Live Action' category.
New Appointments
28. SantoshPanda appointed as the new chairman of National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE)
Science and Technology
29. ISRO's MarsOrbiter sends first picture of Earth, cyclonic storm 'Helen' captured in the picture.
Sports
30. WorldChessChampionship: VishwanathanAnand loses 9th game against MagnusCarlsen.
31. Kochi ODI :
India win by 6 wickets; lead three match series against WestIndies by 1-0.
ViratKohli declared man of the match for his commendable batting. He scored 86 runs in 84 balls.
QUIZ with Answers
1) Iran and six world powers on 20 November, 2013 began a new round of talks in Geneva over Tehran’s nuclear program. These talks center on efforts to reach a deal whereby Iran suspends or rolls back sensitive nuclear activities for six months in exchange for some relief from Western sanctions. Which are the six world powers which are negotiating with Iran at these talks?
United States, Russia, China, Britain, France, and Germany (The two sides last met in Geneva 10 days ago but failed to come to agreement. The effort to reach a six-month suspension of Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief is intended as a confidence-building measure that could them provide momentum for a final and comprehensive settlement of the Iran nuclear crisis)
2) The 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) started from 20 November, 2013 in Goa. Which was the first film to be screened at this premier event of Indian film calendar?
‘Don Juans’ (It is the latest film by Jiri Menzel, who is one of the best known Czech film and theatre directors. Jiri Menzel is also a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at this festival)
3) The voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) is to be used on a large-scale for the first time in the country in which state’s oncoming assembly election?
Mizoram (The VVPAT system was first experimented in the Noksen Assembly by-poll recently in Nagaland and Mizoram would be the first state where it would be introduced on a large scale. The VVPAT is a machine attached to EVMS which allows voters to verify that their vote has been cast in the way they wished. As soon as the voter casts his vote, the VVPAT will show a small slip in a glass covered screen with the symbol and the candidate he has voted for in a form of a small ballot paper, which after 3 to 4 seconds would automatically fall into an attached closed box. The VVPATs are being used in only ten assembly constituencies of Aizwal district of the total 40 assembly segments)
4) Taking note of the amendment made to the Representation of the People Act (RP Act) treating persons in lawful custody in a criminal case as a voter, the Supreme Court on 19 November, 2013 gave a big relief to political parties by allowing them to contest elections. Which section of the RP Act was amended by the Parliament, subsequent to which this judgment was given by the Supreme Court?
Section 62 (5) (This section was amended by the RP (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2013, which says “… by reasons of the prohibition to vote under this sub-section, a person whose name has been entered in the electoral roll shall not cease to be an elector.”)
5) The Supreme Court on 19 November, 2013 gave a reprieve till which date to the residents of the Campa Cola Housing Society in Mumbai to vacate their premises after noting that there is no permanent solution to this problem?
31 May, 2014 (A Bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and S. Nagappan passed this order after Attorney-General G.E. Vahanvati said no specific proposal for a permanent solution could be given by him on behalf of the Municipal Corporation. The Bench said extension of time was subject to the residents giving an undertaking, within six weeks, that they would vacate the premises)
6) Which teenager of Mumbai came to limelight on 20 November, 2013 after he smashed an astonishing 546 runs, which is the third highest score in the world in any format of cricket? – Prithvi Shaw (15-year old Shaw scored 546 runs while playing for Rizvi Springfield against St Francis D’Assisi Borivali in an inter-school match for the prestigious Harris Shield played at Azad Maidan, Mumbai on 20 November. In the process he also created a national record. The previous highest by an Indian in any form of registered competitive cricket is 515 by Dadabhoy Havewala for BB and CI Railway vs St. Xavier’s College at Mumbai during 1933-34 season)
Answer the following Questions:
1. The 44th edition of the Indian International Film Festival is started in Goa on 20th November 2013. Who became the first actor to receive the Centenary Award for the Film Personality of the Year, which marks Indian cinema's 100th birthday in IIFF?
[A] Waheeda Rehman
[B] Amitbh Bachchan
[C] Shahrukh Khan
[D] Dilip Kumar
2. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation has launched a user-friendly scheme aimed at making purchase of e-tickets easier in the second week of November 2013. The scheme is a rolling deposit scheme wherein the customers will have an account with the IRCTC and deposit money to be used in future for booking e-tickets from its website. What name has been given to the scheme?
[A] m-wallet
[B] i-wallet
[C] e-wallet
[D] r-wallet
3. Overseas unit of state explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) have signed a memorandum on joint exploration of crude oil with which company on 20 November 2013?
[A] Shell Canada
[B] Petrovietnam
[C] British Petroleum
[D] Qatar Petroleum
4. On 19 November 2013, who was selected for Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for the year 2013?
[A] Malal Yusufzai
[B] Nelson Mandela
[C] Ban Ki Moon
[D] Dr. Angela Merkel
5. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 19 November 2013 directed Public Sector Banks (PSBs) to provide loans to whom at 7 per cent per annum to avail the benefit of interest rate subvention scheme under the Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana-Aajeevika (SGSY) scheme?
[A] Women Self Help Groups
[B] Minority Groups
[C] Gram Sabha
[D] Grameen Mahila Sanghtan
Answers:
1. [A] Waheeda Rehman
2. [C] e-wallet
3. [B] Petrovietnam
4. [D] Dr. Angela Merkel
5. [A] Women Self Help Groups
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