Current affairs - November 14 2013

Current Affairs

November 14, 2013

1) Nation remembered Jawaharlal Nehru on his 124th birth anniversary:  Country fondly remembered its first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on his 124th birth anniversary with President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice President Hamid Ansari leading the country in paying homage to him. Nehru was born to Motilal Nehru and Swaroop Rani on November 14, 1889, in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh and his birthday is celebrated as Children's Day in India as he was fond of children.

2) World Diabetes Day observed: World Diabetes Day was observed on 14 November 2013 across the world to raise awareness of diabetes. The theme for period 2009-13 is Education and Prevention. World Diabetes Day is an annual campaign, led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and its member associations. The date was chosen because it marks the birthday of Frederick Banting, who, along with Charles Best, is credited with the discovery of insulin in 1921.

3) Government released postage stamps on Sachin Tendulkar: Union Law Minister Kapil Sibal released commemorative postage stamps to pay tribute to Sachin Tendulkar on 14 November 2013 (Thursday) at Wankhade Stadium, Mumbai before the start of 2nd Cricket Test match between India and West Indies. The 40-year old batting great is only the second person after Mother Teresa to have a stamp released after him, when he is alive.

4) British Prime Minister David Cameron is on official visit to India: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and British Prime Minister expressed satisfaction that despite the continuing global economic slowdown and the Eurozone difficulties, India-UK trade ties have been resilient. Prime Minister Cameroon arrived in the national capital late Wednesday night and is scheduled to depart from Kolkata late on Thursday night for Colombo to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Governments meet.

5) Prince Charles celebrated 65th birthday in Kerala lake resort: Prince Charles today celebrated his 65th birth day at the famed backwaters resort Kumarakom in the south Indian state Kerala. For Charles, on a visit to India with wife Camilla, the celebrations were on a modest scale at the sylvan settings of the Lake Resort.

6) Chennai lighthouse reopened to public after 22 years: It was a perfect gift for children on Children’s day. The lighthouse on the Marina beach in Chennai was thrown open to public after a gap of 22 years. It was closed following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. The 45.72 m tall Madras lighthouse was inaugurated in 1977 by the then Union Shipping Minister G.S. Dhillon.

7) Sri Lankan President satisfied over Khurshid’s presence at CHOGM: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has expressed satisfaction over External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid attending the CHOGM summit.

8) Volkswagen recalls 2.6 million cars worldwide: Volkswagen on Thursday announced one of the largest recalls in its history, calling 2.6 million cars into its workshops because of problems with lights, transmissions and leaks in their fuel lines.

9) 7 killed, 40 hurt in Volvo bus fire: Even as Volvo Buses continues with its probe into the fire that gutted one of its buses killing 45 people near Mehaboobnagar on October 30, an eerily similar accident near Haveri, Karnataka has killed seven persons and injured 40 early Friday morning.

10) International children’s film festival under way: eighteenth edition of Golden Elephant, the international children’s film festival of India, began in Hyderabad on Thursday, with Bollywood hero Ranbir Kapoor and Tare Zameen Par fame Darsheel Safary participating in a glittering inaugural function at the Telugu Lalitha Kala Thoranam.

11) Sachin's 200th Test: Tendulkar shines in farewell Test, India in driver’s seat- Iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar kept his emotions in check and showed his genius for one last time in front of adoring fans with an unbeaten 38 as India seized early control of his 200th and final cricket Test against the West Indies after a disciplined bowling display.

12) Pune girl wins ‘Doodle 4 Google India’ contest: Search giant Google has featured the doodle painted by a class 10 student from Pune, Gayatri Ketharaman, in its home page as a tribute on Children's Day that seeks to represent women's empowerment. The painting, titled 'Sky's The Limit For Indian Women', is the winner of Google's "Doodle 4 Google India 2013 – Celebrating Indian Women" contest.

13) Aviva India unveils pension plan `Aviva Next Innings’: Private life insurerAviva India has launched a pension plan Aviva Next Innings. In addition to the life cover, the plan offers a guaranteed corpus of 210 per cent of the total premiums paid, upon retirement.

14) PM to inaugurate Mahila Bank on Indira Gandhi’s birthday: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi will inaugurate country’s first all-women Bharatiya Mahila Bank in Mumbai on November 19, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Headquartered in Delhi, the bank proposes to have 25 branches by March 31, 2014.

15) INS Vikramaditya set to join Indian Navy on Nov 16: Defence Minister, A.K. Antony, will induct the long-delayed aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, designed to boost India’s maritime capabilities, at a shipyard in Russia on Saturday.

16) Malayalam film actor-producer Augustine died in Kozhikode at 56: Malayalam film actor- producer Augustine died at a private hospital in Kozhikode this morning.  He was 56. Augustine, who acted in over 100 films, portrayed several characters that remain etched in the memory of film buffs. His major films include Devasuram, Sadayam, Aaram Thampuran, Nandanam, Indian Rupee, Shutter among others.

17) Usha Ananthasubramanian appointed as CMD of Bharatiya Mahila Bank on 12 November 2013. Before joining BMB, she was an GKExecutive Director with Punjab National Bank (PNB).

18) Retired bureaucrat Krishna Mohan Sahni was appointed Chairman of the National Multi-Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (NMCE) on 12 November 2013. His appointment was approved by the Forward Markets Commission, the commission which is responsible for regulating the commodities markets in India.

19) Justice R. Banumathi, Judge of the Madras High Court was on 12 November 2013 appointed as the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court. She was appointed by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee.

20) Seeking to calm currency markets, the Reserve Bank has said the current account deficit in 2013-14 will be USD 56 billion– much lower than the quantum projected earlier– and there is no fundamental reason for rupee depreciation. The current account deficit (CAD), which is the difference between outflow and inflow of foreign exchange, touched an all-time high of USD 88.2 billion or 4.8 percent of the GDP in 2012-13.

21) India’s public broadcaster Prasar Bharati and Radio-Television of Slovenia (RTV-SLO) on 13 November 2013 signed an MoU to develop and strengthen mutual friendly relations through an increased cooperation in the field of broadcasting. The agreement was signed by head of international department of RTV SLO, Suzana Vidas Karoli and Member Personnel of Prasar Bharati, VAM Hussain. The MoU allows to explore further opportunities in potential projects of production of programmes.

22) Elaborate arrangements have been made for the 18th International Children’s Film Festival of India (ICFFI) to be held in Hyderabad from tomorrow. Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tiwari will be formally opening the week-long children’s festival at a colorful event tomorrow evening. Bollywood Actor Ranbir Kapoor, legendary film personality Gulzar and Tare Zameen Par fame Darseel will be among a host of celebrities to take part in the opening ceremony.

23) Russia on 12 November 2013 successfully launched the Proton-M rocket carrying a defense satellite, Raduga-1M from its Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It is important to note that Russia restarted the launch of Proton rockets in September 2013 after a small gap in order to check why a Proton rocket launched on 2 July 2013 exploded while taking off. The Proton-M rocket is the most popular rocket of Russia for the commercial satellite launches.

24) MTNL (Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited) signed a MoU with Los Alamos Technical Associates, Inc. (LATA) of USA on 12 November 2013. The MoU has been signed to launch the state of the of the art training programs on Cyber Security, Risk and Crisis Management, Public Safety and Disaster Management, Homeland Security/ Critical Infrastructure Protection, Security Operations Management, Industrial Security, Fire & Safety Management etc.

25) India with 20 gold 20 silver and 12 bronze medals has topped the medals tally position in the 2nd Junior SAF Games that concluded today in Ranchi. Sri Lanka with 10 gold, 10 silver and 14 bronze medals have secured 2nd position while Bangladesh with 3 bronze has come at the third position. Pakistan with one bronze is at the fourth position.

26) EC notice to Modi over ‘khooni panja’ remark. The Election Commission Wednesday issued notice to BJP prime minister candidate Narendra Modi over remarks he made at a rally in Chhattisgarh, terming the Congress election symbol, the hand, the “khooni panja” (bloodied paw). The remark was made Thursday last during an election rally at Dongargarh in Chhattisgarh.

Simple Quiz:

1) India’s first private Metro to roll out in which city form today?

[A] Noida

[B] Chennai

[C] Gurgaon

[D] Bangalore

2) Which Indian state government employees recently go on strike?

[A] Delhi

[B] Andhra Pradesh

[C] Tamil Nadu

[D] Haryana

3) Who among the following bank quarter 2 profit slides 35% in worst quarterly fall in 2 years?

[A] Punjab National Bank

[B] State Bank of India

[C] Bank of Baroda

[D] Axis Bank

4) In which Indian state at least 7 killed, 40 injured in bus fire?

[A] Karnataka

[B] Mizoram

[C] Himachal Pradesh

[D] Nagaland

5) Which countries people might outnumber American internet users to become the world’s second-largest online community after China?

[A] Japan

[B] London

[C] India

[D] Australia

6) Who recently issues notice to Narendra Modi for ‘khooni panja’ remarks?

[A] Election Commission

[B] Supreme Court

[C] Delhi High Court

[D] Delhi Police

7) Who appointed as secretary-archives and director general-archives during the election duty of Ashok Khemka?

[A] Bijay Kumar Patnaik

[B] Vibha Puri Das

[C] Sheela Balakrishnan

[D] Pradeep Kasni

8) Who among the following nation Opium Production hits record high?

[A] India

[B] Afghanistan

[C] China

[D] New Zealand

9) Who was poised to become the 15th U.S. state to extend marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples on Wednesday?

[A] Missouri

[B] Virginia

[C] Illinois

[D] Hawaii

10) Name the painting who has been recently sells for record $142.4 million in New York?

[A] The Scream

[B] The Card Players

[C] Three Studies of Lucian Freud

[D] Eight Elvises

11. Headline inflation at a high percent and rising food prices are definitely not a good sign for the economy. October WPI inflation figure realeased on 14th November 2013 stands at 8-month high. What is WPI (Wholesale Price Index) for October 2013?

[A] 6.2 %

[B] 6.6 %

[C] 6.9 %

[D] 7 %

12. Defence Minister AK Antony will induct which long-delayed aircraft carrier designed to boost India's maritime capabilities, at a shipyard in Russia on Saturday, 16 November 2013?

[A] INS Vikramaditya

[B] INS Prahari

[C] INS Raksha

[D] INS Samudragupt

13. The week long 18th International Children's Film Festival of India (ICFFI) opens up in which city tomorrow, 15th Nov 2013?

[A] Bangalore

[B] New Delhi

[C] Hyderabad

[D] Mumbai

14. According to the study, whose result was released on 14 Nov 2013, the net bad assets of the 40 listed banks have jumped ________ per cent to Rs 1,28,533 crore during the first half of this financial year, from Rs 93,109 crore at the end of the last financial year.

[A] 34

[B] 35

[C] 36

[D] 38

15. India's Law Minister Kapil Sibal on Thursday, 14th Nov 2013, unveiled special edition postage stamps on which personality?

[A] Sachin Tendulkar

[B] Major Dhyanchand

[C] Lata Mangeshkar

[D] Sardar Patel

Answers:

1. Gurgaon: India’s first private Metro to roll out in Gurgaon form today
2. Haryana: Haryana government employees go on strike
3. State Bank of India: State Bank of India quarter 2 profit slides 35% in worst quarterly fall in 2 years
4. Karnataka: 7 killed, 40 injured in Karnataka bus fire
5. India: India’s netizens set to be world’s second-biggest internet user base
6. Election Commission: Election Commission issues notice to Narendra Modi for ‘khooni panja’ remarks
7. Pradeep Kasni: Ashok Khemka’s post given to another IAS officer
8. Afghanistan: Opium Production in Afghanistan hits record high
9. Hawaii: Hawaii governor set to sign gay marriage bill into law
10. Three Studies of Lucian Freud: Francis Bacon painting sells for record $142.4 million in New York

11. [D] 7 %

12. [A] INS Vikramaditya

13. [C] Hyderabad

14. [D] 38

15. [A] Sachin Tendulkar

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Current affairs - November 13 2013

Current Affairs

November 13, 2013

1) PFRDA chief Yogesh Agarwal resigned: Yogesh Agarwal, chairman of the Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority (PFRDA), resigned on Wednesday three years into his five-year term that was to end in 2015.  In a statement, PFRDA merely said Agarwal has stepped down without specifying any reason. Anup Wadha a joint secretary in the finance ministry, will act as interim chairman of the pension regulator, which recently became a statutory body after Parliament passed the PFRDA bill in the monsoon session.

2) India Post to release special stamp on Sachin Tendulkar on 14 Nov 2013: Sachin Tendulkar has undoubtedly left his ‘stamp’ on the game of cricket. Now, India Post wants to capture his imprint for ‘post’erity. The Department of Posts is set to come out with a special stamp of Rs 20 to honour the legend’s last and record 200th Test match appearance on 14 Nov (Thursday). Designed in-house, India Post has 30.1 lakh sets of two stamps, 24.1 lakh sets of miniature sheets, and 16.1 lakh sheetlets of the stamp — all for Tendulkar’s fans. India Post officials said the stamp will be released by Union Law Minister Kapil Sibal on Thursday — just after the toss. The stamp will be available at all major post offices.

3) Khurshid arrived in Sri Lanka for CHOGM summit: Notwithstanding the demand of political parties in Tamil Nadu for complete boycott, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid arrived in SriLAnka today on a five-day visit to represent India at the CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) Summit.

4) Govt to set up 120 community colleges soon: Government is moving towards setting up a framework of community colleges based on the North American model, Minister of State, HRD, Shashi Tharoor, said on Wednesday.

5) New World Trade Centre deemed tallest US skyscraper: New York’s new One World Trade Centre will be the tallest US skyscraper when it is completed, topping the former Sears Tower in Chicago, a panel of architects decided yesterday. Architects at the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat agreed that the trade centre’s 124.4 meter (408 foot) antenna was a permanent architectural feature of the building and should be counted in determining its height.

6) Philippines typhoon death toll tops 1,800: Official death toll in the Philippines from one of the world’s strongest typhoons rose to 1,833, the national disaster relief agency said on Wednesday.

7) World Cup 2015: Tickets to go on sale next year; priced under $50:  Tickets for the 2015 cricket World Cup, to be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, will go on sale from February 14 next year and more than two third of them have been priced at $50 or less. The organisers are expecting more than a million people to attend matches and more than a billion to watch on television.

8) Twitter appointed Parminder Singh as Asia/India head: Micro-blogging Website Twitter has appointed Parminder Singh as the Managing Director of Asia, North Africa and India. Singh has worked at Google as Managing Director – display solution sales for Asia Pacific region for five years.

9) SBI not to merge any associate bank this fiscal: State Bank of India has gone back on its plan to bring one of its associate bank’s under its fold in the current fiscal. “For the time being, the associate bank merger is on the backburner. Nothing is going to happen till March 31, 2014,” said S. Vishvanathan, Managing Director, Associates and Subsidiaries. In August, the then chairman of the bank, Pratip Chaudhuri, had said that SBI will merge one of its associate bank with itself by end of September.

SBI has five associate banks — State Bank of Hyderabad, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Travancore, State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur and State Bank of Patiala.

10) Usha Ananthasubramanian appointed as CMD of Bharatiya Mahila Bank on 12 November 2013. Before joining BMB, she was an Executive Director with Punjab National Bank (PNB).

11) Justice R. Banumathi, Judge of the Madras High Court was on 12 November 2013appointed as the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court. She was appointed by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee.

12) Elaborate arrangements have been made for the 18th International Children’s Film Festival of India (ICFFI) to be held in Hyderabad from tomorrow. Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tiwari will be formally opening the week-long children’s festival at a colorful event tomorrow evening. Bollywood Actor Ranbir Kapoor, legendary film personality Gulzar and Tare Zameen Par fame Darseel will be among a host of celebrities to take part in the opening ceremony.

Simple Quiz:

1) Who among the following telecom company recently slashes 2G data tariffs by up to 90%?

[A] Idea Cellular

[B] Vodafone

[C] Reliance

[D] Aircel India

2) Who has been recently won the ATP World Tour Finals in London?

[A] Rafael Nadal

[B] Roger Federer

[C] Novak Djokovic

[D] Andy Murray

3) Which country toped medal tally in South Asian Junior Athletics?

[A] India

[B] New Zealand

[C] Ireland

[D] Malaysia

4) How many eminent scientists awarded Infosys Science Foundation awards 2013?

[A] Ten

[B] Seven

[C] Two

[D] Five

5) Name the former Narendra Modi government minister who recently granted 3 month bail on medical grounds?

[A] H.M. Dhruv

[B] Sheikh Ghulam Ali

[C] R.B. Shreekumar

[D] Maya Kodnani

6) Which Jail recently bans home-made food for inmates?

[A] Tihar Jail

[B] Yerwada Central Jail

[C] Chanchalguda Central Jail

[D] Puzhal Central Prison

7) Which Political party recently releases second list of candidates for Delhi assembly elections?

[A] Bharatiya Janata Party

[B] Janata Dal (United)

[C] Samata Party

[D] Lokshakti Party

8) Who has been recently elected as new Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court?

[A] R. Banumathi

[B] Rangalal Mishra

[C] Mukul Rao Sinha

[D] Parmod Kumar

9) Name the current prime minister of United Kingdom?

[A] David Cameron

[B] Matthew Warner

[C] Gordon Brown

[D] Tony Blair

10) Who among the following country joins India, refuses to send PM to Lanka for CHOGM?

[A] Mauritius

[B] South Africa

[C] China

[D] Bangladesh

Answers:

1. Idea Cellular: Idea Cellular slashes 2G data tariffs by up to 90%

2. Novak Djokovic: Novak Djokovic beats Rafael Nadal to win ATP World Tour Finals in London

3. India: India top medal tally in South Asian Junior Athletics

4. Five: Five eminent scientists awarded Infosys prize

5. Maya Kodnani: 2002 Gujarat riots case: Maya Kodnani gets bail on medical grounds

6. Tihar Jail: Tihar Jail bans home-made food for inmates

7. Bharatiya Janata Party:BJP releases second list of candidates for Delhi assembly elections

8. R. Banumathi: Justice R. Banumathi appointed as Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court

9. David Cameron: British Prime Minister to visit Kolkata on November 14

10. Mauritius: Mauritius joins India, refuses to send PM to Lanka for CHOGM

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schedule for 15-11-13

Schedule for 14-11-2013

Current Affairs November 12, 2013

Current Affairs

November 12, 2013

1) ISRO successfully completed supplementary orbit-raising operation: A day after suffering a glitch during the fourth orbit-raising operation on its Mars Orbiter Mission, ISRO today successfully completed the supplementary manoeuvre this morning, raising the spacecraft’s apogee (farthest distance from Earth) to over 1,18,000 km. After suffering a glitch during the fourth orbit-raising operation yesterday, ISRO planned for a supplementary manoeuvre at 5 a.m. to achieve the targeted apogee of one lakh km. ISRO’s PSLV C 25 successfully injected the 1,350-kgMangalyaan Orbiter (Mars craft) into orbit around Earth some 44 minutes after atextbook launch at 2:38 p.m. from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota on Tuesday last, marking the successful completion of the first stage of the Rs 450-crore mission.

2) Mann Deshi Bank founder gets Schwab Foundation award: Chetna Vijay Sinha, Director, Mann Deshi Mahila Bank and Mann Deshi Foundation, on Monday bagged the 2013 India Social Entrepreneur of the Year award by The Schwab Foundation forSocial Entrepreneurship, a sister organisation of the World Economic Forum, in partnership with Jubilant Bhartia Foundation.

3) Haryana joins hands with Cargill to launch food bank: Haryana launched its first food bank to support various feeding programmes in Gurgaon and nearby areas on Monday. The food bank is being supported by global food major Cargill and India Food Banking Network (IFBN), initiated by Sam Pitroda, Advisor to Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations.

4) Four quakes shake Delhi: Four earthquakes shook national capital Delhi within a period of 3 hours early tuesday.

5) Park Hyatt Hyderabad named best luxury hotel: Park Hyatt Hyderabad has been named the Best New Luxury Hotel in the Country at the World Luxury Hotel Awards 2013.

6) Japan pledged to provide $150 million towards reconstruction efforts in Uttarakhand in the wake of devastating floods that hit the Himalayan state in June this year. This was announced at a meeting between External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting.

7) Idea slashes 2G data tariffs by 90%: In an attempt to further increase mobile broadband in India, Idea Cellular has slashed 2G data tariffs by 90 per cent by all its circles. Similarly, the country’s third largest operator has also reduced 3G data charges by 33 per cent.

8) K.M. Sahni is new NMCE chief: Retired bureaucrat Krishna Mohan Sahni, a 1969 batch IAS officer, has been appointed Chairman of the National Multi-Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (NMCE). His appointment has been approved by the Forward Markets Commission, which regulates commodity markets in the country.

9) SBM appoints new general managers: State Bank of Mysore (SBM) has appointed new general managers. K Nageswara Rao has taken charge as General Manager of Retail Network 1, Bangalore. Prior to this, he was zonal manager, Kollam at State Bank of Travancore.

10) FinMin expects banks to mobilise $25 b through special window: The Finance Ministry has raised its expectation on fund mobilisation by banks through the special window to $25 billion against $20 billion earlier.

11) Govt to infuse fresh capital into IOB: Indian Overseas Bank has got approval from the Ministry of Finance for infusion of capital to the extent of Rs 1,200 crore in the bank, IOB said in a filing to the exchange.

12) World Pneumonia Day was observed on 12 November 2013 across the world to raise awareness of pneumonia. The United Nations (UN) first celebrated the day on 12 November 2009. This year, the theme for World Pneumonia Day will focus on innovation – highlighting innovative solutions to end childhood pneumonia, while at the same time emphasizing that there are existing simple interventions that need to reach the most vulnerable children.

13) T.P. Seetharam, currently India's High Commissioner to Mauritius, has been appointed as the next ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. An Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of 1980 batch, Seetharam is expected to take up his assignment shortly.

14) The Union Finance Minister P.Chidambaram released a Commemorative Coin of 20 Rupees a circulation coin of 5 Rupees to mark the culmination of the 125th Birth Anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad at New Delhi on 11 November 2013.

15) The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the month of October rose to 10.09% versus 9.84% in September. The consumer food price inflation was reported at 12.56% versus 11.44% in September.

16) Ratan P Watal, a senior IAS officer was appointed as the Secretary of Department of Expenditure in the Union Ministry of Finance on 11 November 2013. He will be a successor of RS Gujral, an officer of the 1979 of Haryana cadre, who will retire from the post on 30 November 2013.

17) Chetna Vijay Sinha, Director, Mann Deshi Mahila Bank and Mann Deshi Foundation, on Monday bagged the 2013 India Social Entrepreneur of the Year award by The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, a sister organisation of the World Economic Forum, in partnership with Jubilant Bhartia Foundation

18) Mohammed Siddikur of Bangladesh won the 50th edition of Indian Open golf tournament on 10 November 2013 at the Delhi Golf Club (DGC), New Delhi. It was his second Asian Tour title after Brunei Open victory in 2010. The tournament carries a cash prize of 1.25 million US dollars. This win catapulted him from ninth to third on the Order of Merit.

19) The first Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) squadron was commissioned Tuesday by Western Naval Command chief Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha in kochi. The ALH, named Dhruv, is the first indigenously designed and manufactured helicopter built by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. The newly commissioned squadron would be known as the Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 322.

20) Novak Djokovic on 11 November 2013 retained the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals title after defeating the number one, Rafael Nadal.

Quiz:

1. The “Rabaa sign” has recently become a symbol of protest against the military coup in __ ?

[A] Syria

[B] Egypt

[C] Cuba

[D] Turkey

2. Typhoon Haiyan, world’s strongest storm of the year 2013 recently hit which one of the following countries?

[A] China

[B] New Zealand

[C] Philippines

[D] Australia

3. The Kurubas are an ancient forest tribe indigenous to the __?

[A] Andaman and Nicobar islands

[B] Western Ghats

[C] Eastern Ghats

[D] Western Himalayas

4. Which of the following countries has recently lost its voting rights at UNESCO?

[A] India

[B] Syria

[C] USA

[D] England

5. The “Chhath” is the most important Hindu festival of Bihar. It is the only Vedic festival dedicated to Hindu god ___?

[A] Surya

[B] Moon

[C] Earth

[D] Agni

6. The “Sasan Ultra Mega Power Project" in Madhya Pradesh has been commissioning by which of the following companies?

[A] Tata Power

[B] Reliance Power

[C] Essar Power

[D] HBL Power system

7. Which of the following countries will host 2018 Men’s and Women’s Hockey World cup, respectively?

[A] England and India

[B] India and Australia

[C] India and England

[D] Australia and Russia

8. The “Courage and Conviction” is the autobiography of ____?

[A] V K Singh

[B] Yashwant Sinha

[C] Shashi Taroor

[D] Narendra Modi

9. With which of the following Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, India has signed BIPA treaty?

1.Oman

2.Bahrain

3.Kuwait

4.Saudi Arabia

5.UAE

Chose the correct answer from the codes given below:

[A] Only 1, 2 & 3

[B] Only 1, 2, 3 & 4

[C] Only 2, 3 & 5

[D] 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5

10. The “Wakhan Corridor” separates which of the following countries?

[A] Afghanistan and Pakistan

[B] Pakistan and China

[C] Tajikistan and Pakistan

[D] Tajikistan and Afghanistan

11. Almost 70% of 2.9 million voters defied Maoist violence and boycott call to cast ballots across 18 constituencies of Bastar and Rajnandgaon in the first phase of assembly elections in which state on Monday, 11th Nov 2013? 

[A] Chhattisgarh 

[B] Madhya Pradesh

[C] Jharkhand

[D] Bihar

12. A Russian spacecraft carried the Olympic torch back to Earth Monday after the torch's first ever spacewalk. The torch, which will light the main Olympic flame at the opening ceremony of the Sochi Games on Feb 7, 2014 was lifted into space on Nov 7, 2013 and was taken on a spacewalk two days later. It was unlit throughout the flight for safety reasons. The Olympic torch has been sent into space twice before, for the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics and Sydney Games in 2000, but has never been taken outside the spacecraft. In which spacecraft the torch was sent?

[A] Soyuz-TMA-06M

[B] Soyuz-TMA-07M

[C] Soyuz-TMA-08M

[D] Soyuz-TMA-09M

13. A senior leader of the Haqqani network, one of the most lethal elements of the insurgency in Afghanistan, has been killed on the outskirts of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad on Monday, 11th Nov 2013. What was his name?

[A] Jalaluddin Haqqani 

[B] Nasiruddin Haqqani

[C] Hakimullah Haqqani 

[D] Sirajuddin Haqqani

14. Astronomers have for the first time seen an asteroid with six comet-like tails of dust radiating from it like spokes on a wheel. The findings were made by astronomers viewing our solar system’s asteroid belt with NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Unlike all other known asteroids, which appear simply as tiny points of light, this asteroid resembles a rotating lawn sprinkler. What name has been given to it?

[A] P/2013 P1

[B] P/2013 P3

[C] P/2013 P5

[D] P/2013 P8

15. On Sunday, 10th Nov 2013, a bird ringing station, where a ring will be put on birds' legs to study their migration pattern in the western Himalayas, has been set up by the state wildlife wing in the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) in which state?

[A] Uttarakhand

[B] Sikkim

[C] Jammu & Kashmir

[D] Himachal Pradesh

Answers:

1. Egypt

The “Rabaa sign” has become the symbol of protests against the military coup in Egypt and the center of the anti-coup protests, Rabaa al-Adawiya Square. Made by raising four fingers with thumb resting on the palm, the sign has come to represent civilian demonstrations protesting the ouster of Egypt’s first democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi and the ensuing violence that killed hundreds of people.

2. Philippines

The Haiyan, a category 5 strongest typhoon in the world this year and possibly the most powerful ever to hit land smashed into the Philippines, forcing more than a million people to flee, flooding villages and raising fears of widespread causalities.

3. Western Ghats

Kurubas are an ancient forest tribe indigenous to the Western Ghats.

4. USA

The United States has lost its voting rights at UNESCO after it missed a crucial deadline, two year after halting its due payments and protests the decision to make Palestine a member. The loss of the vote means the US cannot participate in funding decision for the agency, which may be best known for its program to protect the cultures f the world via its Heritage sites.

5. Surya

Chhath is an ancient Hindu festival and only Vedic festival dedicated to the Hindu Sun god, Surya. The Chhath puja is performed in order to thank Surya for sustaining life on earth and to request the granting of certain wishes. The rituals of the festival are rigorous and are observed over a period of four days.

6. Reliance Power

Sasan Ultra Mega Power Project (UMPP) is an upcoming 3,960 MW pit-head-coal based power plant in Madhya Pradesh commissioning by Reliance Power. This project is the first domestic coal-based UMPP awarded in the country by the Government of India.

7. India and England

India has been awarded the 2018 men’s hockey world cup, the second time in a span of eight years the country will be hosting the event having successfully organised the previous edition three years ago. The 2018 women’s world cup will be held in England.

8. V K Singh

The “Courage and Conviction” is the autobiography of Ex-Army Chief V K Singh.

9. Only 1, 2, 3 & 4

India has so far signed Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPA) with 82 countries. India has BIPA treaty with Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Yemen, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in the Gulf region since 1997.

10. Tajikistan and Pakistan

The Wakhan Corridor is a long, narrow strip which separates the Gorno-Badakhshan region of Tajikistan from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Balistan of Pakistan.

11. [A] Chhattisgarh 

12. [D] Soyuz-TMA-09M

13. [B] Nasiruddin Haqqani

14. [C] P/2013 P5

15. [D] Himachal Pradesh

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