Current Affairs
November 22, 2013
National Affairs
1. Justice Ajit Prakash Shah took over as the new Chairman of the 20th Law Commission of India today. Justice Shah succeeds Justice D. K. Jain who resigned last month to take over as the President of National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. Justice Shah started his career as a lawyer at Solapur district Court in Maharashtra and in Bombay High Court. He was Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court. The 20th Law Commission of India was constituted with the Order of the Government of India with effect from 1 September 2012. It has a three-year term ending on 31st August, 2015.
2. Goa Police filed an FIR against Tehelka Editor Tarun Tejpal, who has been accused by a woman journalist colleague of sexual assault during an event here about 10 days ago. Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had ordered a preliminary inquiry into the allegations by the girl that she was sexually abused by Tejpal during an event in Goa. Earlier, Tejpal had written to Tehelka’s Managing Editor, saying he was “recusing” from work for 6 months admitting to “bad lapse of judgement”.
3. Eminent Scientist and Bharat Ratna awardee Prof CNR Rao has become the first Indian scientist to be elected as honorary foreign member of Chinese Academy of Science (CAS). He was elected by CAS at its General Assembly held on November 4, the Centre said in a release that the academy had bestowed on him the prestigious Award for International Scientific Cooperation in January 2012. He has also been conferred 60 Honoris Causa (Honorary Doctorates) by various universities across the globe.
4. For the first time, Lok Adalats will be held tomorrow across the country (National LokAdalat ) in all courts including the Supreme Court and High Courts aiming to dispose of lakhs of cases in a day.
5. Prominent Indian-Americans author Salman Rushdie and filmmaker Mira Nair have been honoured for their commitment and contributions to the global artistic community. The Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC) honoured renowned Indian-American pathologist Majula Bansal also as it commemorates its 15th anniversary this year to celebrate its contributions of Indian performing, visual and literary arts to New York City’s diverse cultural scene.
6. PwC India announced that Deepak Kapoor, had been re-elected for a second term as its Chairman. Kapoor will hold office for a three-year period beginning January 1, 2014. He will also continue to serve on the PwC Global Strategy Council.
7. Five-time title-holder Viswanathan Anand’s reign as the world champion came to an end today with Norway’s Magnus Carlsen taking the crown after a hard-fought draw in the 10th game of the World Chess Championship match. Carlsen closed the championship with two games to spare by taking his tally to required 6.5 points against 3.5 by Anand. Anand had won the world championship title five times — 2000, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012.
8. Indian Cricketer Virat Kohli became the fastest batsman to score 5000 runs in one-day internationals when he scored 86 against the West Indies in the first ODI in Kochi yesterday. Virat Kohli achieved the feat in just 120 matches and 114 innings. He has so far scored 5005 runs, which included 17 centuries and 27 fifties in his short career.In terms of innings, Virat Kohli has equalled the record of Sir Viv Richards of West Indies, who also achieved the feat in 114 innings way back in 1987 but it was Viv’s 126th match.
9. Indian tennis player Sania Mirza came back into the top 10 of the world women’s doubles by jumping two ranks to ninth rank in the latest WTA Team Rankings issued this week. Sania had won back-to-back titles as she lifted the China Open trophy earlier this month, followed by another triumph in Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.
10. President Pranab Mukherjee to address special session of Arunachal Pradesh assembly on November 28 during a two-day visit to the state.
11. Karnataka's Minister of State for Information and Infrastructure Development Santosh Lad has resigned from his post following allegations over his role in the illegal mining scam.
12. Three Indians are among the six authors who have been shortlisted for the $50,000 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2014. The shortlisted works include “The Book of Destruction” by Anand and “Goat Days” by Benyamin and the third one is “Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer” by Cyrus Mistry. The winning titles were announced at a ceremony held at the London School of Economics in London.
13. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday said connectivity with the ASEAN was a strategic priority for his government as it was the key to regional development, building capacities and enhancing trade and investment.
International affairs
14. The United States marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy today.
15. US wants Afghanistan to sign the bilateral security agreement (BSA) by the end of this year to ensure smooth post 2014 transition, a top presidential aide has said.
16. Afghan President Hamid Karzai Thursday backed a proposed security pact with the United States that will see up to 15,000 foreign troops stay in the war-torn country, but said it would not be signed until after next year's election.
17. Saudi Arabia's embassy in Beirut has called on citizens to leave Lebanon because of the dangerous situation, its ambassador said, after some media linked the kingdom to deadly blasts.
18. US telecommunications regulators will consider next month allowing people to use cell phones and other broadband services during flights.
19. US media outlets protest White House media restrictions to ban photo journalists from covering Prez BarackObama at certain events.
20. European Union today said it is keen to conclude the proposed free trade agreement with India but it is for the country to take the initiative.
21. Asian Development Bank, one of the biggest donors to Nepal, today hailed the country for successfully holding the Constituent Assembly elections that would pave way for drafting a new constitution.
22. WorldBank doubles disaster aid to Philippines , adding USD 480 million in emergency aid.
New Appointments
23. US President Barack Obama has appointed an Indian-American Gargee Ghosh as member of the Presidents Global Development Council.
Business and Economy
24. The Department of Telecom has doubled penalty provision to Rs. 10 lakh on companies whose mobile towers will be found violating radiation emission levels.
25. State-run NHPC to commence the process of share buyback worth up to Rs 2,368 crore from 29th November.
26. Belgium's Princess Astrid, accompanied by its "biggest ever" 300-member business delegation and senior ministers, will arrive to India Saturday on a week-long visit to deepen trade and investment with a country whose potential they consider "huge".
Science and Technology
27. Australian scientists discovered ground-breaking technique for treating aggressive forms of leukaemia which will lead to long-term survival.
28. India ahead of China, Pakistan in Internet freedom. Revealed a study by World Wide Web Foundation
Awards and Honours
29. Indian-origin businessman Murli Kewalram Chanrai was presented the Outstanding Member of the South Asian Diaspora award by Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam.
30. Bollywood Actor Imran Khan has been awarded by animal rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India for stopping a trainer from hitting a canine on his film set.
31. Indian-origin British MP Priti Patel has been honoured here with the prestigious Asian Trader Editor's Award for her tireless campaigning to support small shops and convenience stores.
Sports
32. Rafael Nadal was ranked as the world number one at the end of the 2013 season as per the latest WTA ranking published this week, following the Czech Republic’s 3-2 win over Serbia in the Davis Cup final. Rafael Nadal secured 13,030 points followed by Novak Djokovic (12,260 points), David Ferrer (5,800 points), Andy Murray (5,790 5 points), Juan Martin Del Potro (5,255 points) and Roger Federer (4,205 points) at 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th positions respectively.
33. Serena Williams was named WTA player of the year for the second year running and the fifth time overall as she enjoyed one of the greatest seasons in WTA history. She won 78 of 82 matches, the US Open and French Open among 11 titles, and a record $12,385,572 in prize money. Since February, she’s been the oldest No. 1 in WTA history at 32. She was also player of the year in 2002, 2008, 2009 and 2012.
34. Norway's Magnus Carlsen becomes new World Chess Champion, by defeating Five-time title-holder India's Viswanathan Anand.
Current affairs related questions:
1) U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Afghan President Hamid Karzai on 20 November, 2013 agreed on the terms of the bilateral security agreement (BSA) to cover the presence of American troops beyond 2014. This BSA was put in which crucial 4-day assembly of elders which commenced on 21 November, 2013 in Kabul?
Loya Jirga (Loya Jirga is a grand assembly of tribal heads or elders which is usually convened for major events such as choosing a new king, adopting a constitution, or discussing important national political or emergency matters.This Loya Jirga has been convened to discuss the bilateral security pact that defines the role of thousands of U.S. troops who will remain after the NATO combat mission ends in 2014)
2) What are the main points pertaining to non-performing assets (NPAs) of Indian banking sector mentioned in the recently released RBI report ‘Trends and Progress of Banking Report 2012-13’?
(i) Gross NPAs as per cent of gross advances for scheduled commercial banks stood at 3.6% as at March 2013 as against 3.1% previous fiscal
(ii) Net NPAs as per cent of net advances for banks stood at 1.7% in FY13 as against 1.3% previous year
(iii) As the end of March 2013, the gross NPAs of Indian banking industry stood Rs. 1,94,000 crore. Public sector banks had highest amount of bad loans at Rs. 1,65,000 crore followed by private sector banks at Rs. 21,000 crore and foreign bank at Rs. 7,900 crore
(iv) The deterioration in asset quality was most perceptible for the SBI group with its NPA ratio reaching a high of 5 per cent at end March 2013
(v) Deterioration in asset quality in 2012-13 was primarily on account of the non-priority sector
3) Double Nobel-winning British biochemist Frederick Sanger passed away on 19 November, 2013 at the age of 95. Sanger was one of just four individuals to have been awarded two Nobel Prizes. Who are the other three personalities to have won two Nobels?
Marie Curie, Linus Pauling and John Bardeen (Sanger first won the Nobel Prize in 1958 at the age of 40 for his work on the structure of proteins. He had determined the sequence of the amino acids in insulin and showed how they are linked together. That work led to Sanger’s second Nobel Prize, awarded jointly in 1980 with Stanford University’s Paul Berg and Harvard University’s Walter Gilbert, for their work determining base sequences in nucleic acids)
4) Argentine forward Lionel Messi was presented with a record third Golden Boot on 20 November, 2013 for scoring the most goals in Europe’s domestic leagues last season. The 26-year-old helped his team win the 2012-13 Spanish league by scoring 46 goals despite missing several games with a right hamstring pull near the end of the season. Lionel Messi plays for which Spanish League team?
Barcelona (Messi also won the award for 34 goals in 2009-10, and a Spanish record of 50 in 2011-12)
5) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 19 November 2013 directed public sector banks (PSBs) to provide loans to women self-help groups (SHGs) at what rate of interest to avail the benefit of interest rate subvention scheme under the Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana-Aajeevika (SGSY) scheme?
7% per annum (As per this RBI notification, all women SHGs will be eligible for interest subvention to avail the credit upto 3 lakh Rupees at 7% per annum. SGSY is an initiative by the government to provide sustainable income to poor people living in rural areas of the country)
6) President’s Standards were awarded to two of the IAF’s Frontline Fighter Squadrons – 220 Squadron and 32 Squadron on 19 November, 2013 at Halwara Air Force base in Punjab. These two forward fighting squadrons are presently based at which Air Force Stations in Punjab?
220 Squadron at Air Force Station Halwara and 32 Squadron at Air Force Station Adampur
7) Who was presented with the Dayawati Modi Award for Art and Culture and Education on 19 November, 2013?
Anjolie Ela Menon, the renowned contemporary painter and muralist (This award carries a cash prize of Rs. 2.51 lakh and a silver citation and is being given by the Dayawati Modi Foundation)
QUIZ:
1. Tarun Tejpal had on Wednesday, 20th Nov 2013, announced his decision to step down as editor of the magazine he founded for six months following a journalist's complaint to the magazine's managing editor Shoma Chaudhury on November 18 alleging that while on duty she was sexually assaulted by Tejpal on two occasions on November 7 and 8 at the magazine's annual ThinkFest. Can you name the magazine?
[A] KobraPost
[B] Khabarnama
[C] Tehelka
[D] Gulelpost
2. A Silicon Valley jury has ruled on 21st Nov 2013 that Samsung must pay to Apple for copying iPhone and iPad features in its devices. How much fine has been imposed on Samsung for the same?
[A] $100 million
[B] $150 million
[C] $200 million
[D] $290 million
3. A cyclonic storm in Bay of Bengal, is heading to hit Andhra Pradesh coast on 22nd Nov 2013, while several parts of the region started receiving heavy rain under its impact. According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the severe cyclonic storm will cross the coast near Machillipatnam around Friday afternoon. What is the name of this cyclone?
[A] Helen
[B] Katrina
[C] Kareena
[D] Saifeena
4. Which media portal on Thursday, 21 Nov 2013, claimed to have done a sting operation on Aam Aadmi Party's senior leaders including Shazia Ilmi and Kumar Vishwas and alleged that they were involved in "raising funds through illegal means."?
[A] Tehelka
[B] Media Sarkar
[C] Zee News
[D] India TV
5. On 21st November 2013, which company launched a new lung cancer drug, Mycidac-C, priced at 40000 rupees for 10 course injection?
[A] Cipla
[B] Dr. Reddys Laboratories
[C] Cadila Pharmaceuticals
[D] Ranbaxy
Answers:
1. [C] Tehelka
2. [D] $290 million
3. [A] Helen
4. [B] Media Sarkar
5. [C] Cadila Pharmaceuticals
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