General Knowledge

Current Affairs
September 2013
Current Affairs from September 1, 2013 to September 30, 2013
A publication of Nirdeshak.com
Current Affairs
Issue - September 2013
1 September 2013 Daily Current Affairs

1) Which franchisee team became the winner of the 1st edition of Indian Badminton League (IBL), final of which was played on 31 August, 2013? Hyderabad Hotshots (Hotshots defeated Awadhe warriors 3-1 to lift the crown. In the first match K Srikanth gave the Warriors an unexpected 1-0 lead by stunning top-20 rival S Tanongsak of Thailand in straight games, 21-12, 21-20. But in the highlight match of the finals, Saina Nehwal defeated her young challenger P V Sindhu in straight games 21-15, 21-7 to bring back parity at 1-1. Then Hyderabad Hotshots Malaysian mens doubles team of Goh V Shem and Wah Lim Khim defeated Awadhe Warriors Danish-Indonesian pair of Mathias Boe and Markis Kido in three games 21-14, 13-21, 11-4 to take 2-1 lead. Later Ajay Jayaram defeated R M V Gurusaidutt by 10-21, 21-17, 11-7 to give the title to Hyderabad Hotshots. Hotshots won the top prize of Rs. 3.5 crore while Warriors took home Rs 1.75 crore) 2) In the first conviction in the infamous Delhi gang-rape case of 16 December, 2012, what sentence was pronounced on the juvenile accused by the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) on 31 August, 2013? Detention of 3 years at a correction home (The 8 months already spent by the juvenile in custody so far will be considered as term already served. This judgment was vehemently opposed by the 23-year old paramedic victim girls family members who said that they were let down by the system and are now planning appeal against this JJB order) 3) Which media group on 1 September, 2013 launched the first Indian television channel, which has been made available on mobile and internet platforms simultaneously? Zee Entertainment Enterprises ZEE (ZEE launched a new free-to-air channel called Zee Anmol which will showcase hand-picked content including popular shows from Zee TVs repository, as well as current popular fiction and non-fiction properties of Zee TV and movies and kids content. Apart from satellite TV viewers, Viewers even with 2G connections and non-smartphones, will be able to keep up with this new channel through its WAP site) 4) From 1 September, 2013 a new radiation norm put in place by Telecom Ministry came into effect for companies manufacturing or importing mobile phones for sale in India. According to this norm what is the maximum prescribed SAR (specific absorption rate) for mobile phones in India? 1.6 watt over a gram of human tissue, if a consumer uses it for six minutes (With the new SAR norm, India would become one of few countries that are following the most stringent norm of 1.6 watt a kg average over six minutes period on 1 gram of human tissue. Old stock of handsets available in Indian market can be sold but no fresh stock of non-compliant mobile phones will be allowed to be sold from 1 September) 5) How much loan amount was written-off by the public sector banks of India during the JanuaryMarch quarter of 2012-13 as announced by the Union Govt. in Parliament on 30 August, 2013? Rs. 14,549 crore (The public sector banks made recovery of bad assets to the tune of Rs 16,464 crore during this period. Banks resort to write off bad loans only after exhausting all other possible avenues for recovery or when the asset coverage is not enough) 6) What was the growth rate of GDP (gross domestic product) for Indian economy for the first quarter of the final year (April-June 2013)? 4.4% (This growth rate of GDP was slowest since the 2008 global financial crisis. It is lower than the 5.4% growth logged in April-June last year and 4.8% in January-March this year. Main reason for slow growth rate has been attributed to poor performance registered by countrys manufacturing and mining sector. While manufacturing output fell 1.2 per cent, mining declined 2.8 per cent during this period) 7) Who was appointed as the new Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court on 30 August, 2013? Justice N. Venkata Ramana (Ramana, a judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court took over
from Justice Badar Durrez Ahmad, who was functioning as the acting Chief Justice of the Delhi High court since June 2013) 8) What name is given to the electronic version of conventional passbook that was launched by Federal Bank on 30 August, 2013? FedBook (FedBook is an android-enabled app that can be downloaded and carried easily on the tablet computers or the smartphones. It enables the customers to easily view the transactions in various bank accounts online or offline for 24 hours a day. The bank plans to launch FedBook on other operating systems also)
Current Affairs

1) Indian Air Force (IAF) on 2 September, 2013 inducts the C-17 transport aircraft into its fold, which is the biggest transport aircraft in the IAF till date. American C-17 aircraft replaces which Russian made aircraft as the biggest aircraft in the IAF inventory till now? IL-76 (IL-76 has the capability to carry loads up-to around 40 tonnes whereas C-17 has a capability to carry around 80 tonnes of load and around 150 fully geared troops) 2) According to the recently released data of Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), which public sector bank had the highest gross NPAs (non-performing assets) as a percentage of advances among BSE-Bankex constituents during the first quarter (Apr-June 2013) of the current financial year? State Bank of India SBI (SBIs gross NPAs stood at 5.56% during the end of the first quarter. SBIs gross NPAs rose highest since the quarter ending March, 2011. Central Bank of Indias gross NPAs stood at a whopping 6.03% during the same quarter) 3) Who won the 9th Asia Cup Hockey Tournament, final of which was played on 1 September, 2013? South Korea (Defending champions South Korea defeated India by 4-3 in the finals to win this tournament. With this South Korea made it to the Hockey World Cup to be played in 2014. On the other hand, India has to wait till the qualifiers to qualify for this tournament. 4-time World Champions Pakistan, who will miss the World Cup for the first time, got third place in the tournament when they defeated hosts Malaysia by 3-1 in the bronze medal match) 4) Who was re-elected as the Chairman of separatist party Tereek-e-Hurriyat (TeH) for the fourth consecutive term on 1 September, 2013? Syed Ali Shah Geelani (TeH was formed by Geelani on 7 August, 2004 after differences with his parent organisation Jamat-e-Islami) 5) Union Govt. on 1 September, 2013 raised the dearness allowance (DA) by 10%, which will benefit about 50 lakh central govt. employees and 30 lakh pensioners. With this raise, the aggregate DA emoluments of employees reaches 90% of Basic Salary (DA was at 80% level till now and with this 10% raise it reaches 90%. This hike will be effective from 1 July, 2013)
Current Affairs

1) With the current account deficit in India widening, India plans to increase crude oil imports from a country which accepts Indian Rupee as mode of payment. Which country is this? Iran (Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry sent its proposal to Prime Minister to increase imports from Iran. Yielding to sanctions imposed on Tehran by the U.S. and the European Union so as to force it to roll back its nuclear programme, India slashed crude imports from Iran by 26.5 per cent during 2012-13, buying just 13.1 million tonnes, against 18.1 million tonnes the previous year. Iran was Indias second biggest supplier after Saudi Arabia in 2010-11. However, during 2012-13, it supplied only 13.1 million tonnes, lagging behind Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Venezuela, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates) 2) Following the success of the direct benefit transfer (DBT) cash subsidy payment scheme in 20 districts of the country, the Government has decided to go for a massive roll out of the scheme in how many more districts of the country from 1 January, 2014 to cover LPG consumers? 269 (Under the scheme, Rs. 435 is credited to the accounts of LPG consumers the moment they book a cooking gas refill or cylinder. The consumer is then supposed to use this to buy a 14.2 kg LPG cylinder at market price, which is almost two times the subsidy. The moment the refill is bought, another Rs. 435 is credited to Aadhaar-linked bank account of LPG consumer. The scheme is aimed at checking subsidised LPG cylinders meant for household use finding way to the black market or being used in commercial establishments) 3) The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) recently announced its plans to create more border posts in a phased manner to bolster security on Sino-India frontier. This frontier has seen a spate of incursions from the Chinese recently. How many new border posts of ITBP will be added to its present strength of over 150 posts? Thirty Five 35 (At present, India has over 150 border posts along this icy frontier and the paramilitary personnel guard 3,488 kms of the Line of Actual Control (LAC)) 4) Which bank became the first bank to translate financial literacy curriculum into Gujarati language as part of its initiative to impart financial literacy to rural populace in Gujarat? HDFC Bank (The bank on 2 September, 2013 launched its rural financial literacy initiative in Koteshwar village under the aegis of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), becoming the first bank to translate curriculum into Gujarati language. Under the initiative, it will conduct literacy camps at 68 branches across 136 villages, reaching out to both adults and school children in the state. It complements HDFC Banks efforts to support inclusive growth and take formal banking services to the remote corners of India) 5) The price of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) broke all records as it was increased steeply by 6.9% on 2 September, 2013. With this price of ATF reached Rs. 75,031 per kilolitre, which is an all time record. When ATF price in India had earlier reached highest levels before the present high? August, 2008 6) David Frost, who passed away on 31 August, 2013, was associated with which field? Journalism and Broadcasting (A British journalist and broadcaster, Frost, was known for taking some of the best-known interviews of broadcasting history, which included interviews of US President Richard M Nixon, diplomat Henry Kissinger and John Lennon. His series of interviews of Nixon in shadow of the Watergate scandal are considered among his best works) 7) India born Western classical musician Zubin Mehta is set to perform in Srinagar on 7 September, 2013. His concert will become a milestone in public sector broadcaster Prasar Bharatis history as this concert to be broadcast live by Prasar Bharati (PB), will be the first outdoor event in India to be transmitted live in high definition (HD) to 104 countries. What is the
name given to this upcoming concert of Zubin Mehta? Ehsaas-e-Kashmir (On 2 September, 2013 PB, German Embassy and Eurovision Consortium signed an agreement to broadcast this event. This event also came to news following the protest call by Jammu & Kashmir states separatist organisation Hurriyat Conference, who has called for a general strike on the day of the concert)
Current Affairs

1) Leading mobile phone manufacturer Nokia Corporation of Finland on 3 September, 2013 announced signing an agreement to sell substantially all of its Devices & Services business and license its patents in an all-cash deal of 5.44 billion. The company expects to gain 3.2 billion from this deal. To which company is Nokia selling its business? Microsoft Corporation (The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2014, subject to approval by Nokia shareholders, regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. After the deal closure Nokia Chief Executive Stephen Elop, will move to Microsoft Corp.) 2) What instruction pertaining to home loans was issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 3 September, 2013 to banks? The RBI asked banks to link the disbursal of home loans to stages of construction (This instruction was issued with an objective to protect the interests of buyers and contain the fallout of some innovative housing financing schemes. RBI in its instruction mentioned that upfront disbursal should not be made in cases of incomplete/underconstruction/green field housing projects. The notification follows the introduction by some banks of innovative housing loan schemes in association with developers/builders, where upfront disbursal of housing loans is made to builders without being linked to the various stages of construction) 3) Who was recently appointed by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as his new Special Envoy for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation? Rakesh Sood (Sood has been Indias former Ambassador to Nepal, Afghanistan and France and the countrys first Ambassador in charge of Disarmament in Geneva. Ambassador Sood who retired from the Indian Foreign Service in March this year is a recognised expert in his field and is expected to make valuable contribution to the countrys foreign policy on security, non-proliferation and disarmament issues) 4) Who was conferred with the Moortidevi Award for 2012 on 3 September, 2013? Oriya writer Haraprasad Das (He was awarded this prestigious award instituted by the Bhartiya Jnanpith for Vamsa, a poetic recreation of Mahabharata in idioms) 5) Five-time US Open Champion and winner of 17 Grand Slam singles titles Roger Federer on 2 September, 2013 was ousted from the fourth round of the US Open. This is the first season since 2002 that Federer did not reach at least one final at any of the four Grand Slam tournaments. Who defeated Federer in this fourth round match? Tommy Robredo of Spain (19th-seeded Robredo defeated Federer by 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-4, which was the first fourth round loss for Federer in a decade at the US Open) 6) What is the name of the premium version of Hyundais popular hatchback i10 that was launched by the company on 3 September, 2013? Grand i10 (i10, which launched in the Indian market in 2007, is one of the most popular hatchbacks of the country. The company has now added a completely new and feature-loaded model to its i10 stable. Grand i10 priced between Rs 4.29 lakh and Rs 6.41 lakh (ex showroom Delhi) and has been made available in both petrol and diesel versions) 7) Which player made football history recently by becoming the most expensive football player ever at a price of 85.3 million or 100 million Euros (Rs. 881 crore)? Gareth Bale (He was acquired by Spanish club Real Madrid for this huge amount. Gareth Bale is a Welsh player who was associated with English club Tottenham for last 6 years. The deal for Bale done by Real Madrid eclipses the 80 million, which British club Manchester United had paid for acquiring Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal in 2009)
Current Affairs

1) The Lok Sabha on 4 September, 2013 gave its approval to the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill (PFRDA), 2011. The bill seeks to establish, develop and regulate pension funds to protect the interests of subscribers to schemes of pension funds and assures minimum returns to subscribers. This bill seeks to grant statutory status to which entity to empower it to regulate National Pension Scheme (NPS)? Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority PFRDA (The bill would also provide subscribers a wide choice to invest their funds for assured returns, like opting for government bonds as well as in other funds depending on their capacity to take risk) 2) Raghuram Govind Rajan took over as the 23th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 4 September, 2013. On this day itself he came out with a slew of measures, including more trade settlement in rupees to rescue the battered financial markets and hinted at a shift in focus from inflation control, pursued by his predecessor D. Subbarao, to boosting growth. He announced setting up of an outside panel of experts to screen applications for new bank licenses. Who was appointed as the head of this expert panel? Bimal Jalan, Former Governor of the RBI 3) What is the name given to Googles next version of Android-based operating system (Android 4.4) for smartphones and tabs? KitKat (Android 4.4 KitKat was announced as the name for companys upcoming new Android-based operating system for mobile devices. This name is in keeping with Googles penchant for giving tasty names to its software for powering mobile devices. The list of Android software names over the years includes Cupcake, Donut, Froyo, Gingerbread, Ice Cream Sandwich, and Jelly Bean. KitKat is a chocolate-covered wafer created by British-based Rowntrees, now produced worldwide by Nestle. Google claims that Android software powers more than a billion smartphones or tablets worldwide) 4) Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 4 September, 2013 came up with clarifications pertaining to some restrictions imposed by it during last month. What are the important announcements made under this clarification? A company will be allowed to invest up to 400% of its net worth provided it has raised the funds through external commercial borrowings (ECBs) Resident individuals are permitted to make remittances for acquiring immovable property within the annual limit of USD 75,000 for already contracted cases before 14 August, 2013 The curbs on capital outflows imposed on August 14 will not apply with retrospective effect (Last month, RBI had reduced the overseas direct investment limit to 100% of a companys net worth from 400% for all companies and had imposed a restriction of USD 75,000 for purchasing immovable property abroad) 5) U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee on 3 September, 2013 came out with a resolution on proposed war against Syria. What are the two important points in this resolution drafted by the members of the committee, which has not been released officially? It permits up to 60 days of military action against the Bashar al-Assad regime The resolution does not permit any boots on the ground, i.e., no American soldier would step in on Syrian land 6) Researchers of Dartmouth College have recently came up with a comprehensive study that claims that a cataclysmic meteor impact about 12,900 years ago may have been the trigger for
the dawn of civilisation on Earth. According to this study this meteor impact took place in which country? In Canada (Researchers claimed that the event took place about 12,900 years ago and marked an abrupt global change to a colder, dryer climate, with far-reaching effects on both animals and humans. Signs of this meteor impact were found in Canadas Quebec)
Current Affairs

1) The two-day 8th Summit Meeting of the G-20 Heads of Government started on 5 September, 2013 at Saint Petersburg, Russia (G-20 is the group of 19 largest economies of the world plus the European Union. These largest economies include largest developed countries of the world as well as the largest developing countries of the world. The 19 countries in G-20 are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh represented India at this summit) 2) Who became Indias first woman Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) on 5 September, 2013? Deepak Sandhu (She was Information Commissioner for the last 4 years. A former Indian Information Service officer of 1971 batch she took oath administered by President Pranab Mukherjee. She succeeded Satyananda Mishra, who retired on 4 September, 2013) 3) BRICS nations on 5 September, 2013 gave further impetus to the proposed formation of a $100-billion Currency Reserve Fund (CRF) by announcing individual contributions to the fund. What is the agreed individual contribution of the 5 BRICS countries to this fund? China $41 billion, Brazil, India and Russia $18 billion each and South Africa $5 billion (The fund would eventually allow the five nations to access the fund to deal with short-term volatility in their capital flows, which might negatively impact their currencies. The idea of such a fund found traction in the last BRICS summit in Durban, South Africa, earlier this year) 4) In a major setback to the sports fraternity of India, International Olympic Committee (IOC) maintained its tough stand barring charge-sheeted Indian Olympic Association (IOA) officials from participating in administration and contesting elections. The IOC on 5 September, 2013 held its stance and asked IOA to accept all demands, including the charge-sheet clause, in full before the Indian body can hold elections. This decision was taken at IOCs 125th Session, which is being held in which city? Buenos Aires, Argentina 5) Veteran Indian tennis player Leander Paes on 5 September, 2013 reached the mens doubles finals of the US Open. Who is partnering him in this Grand Slam event? Radek Stepanek of Czech Republic (The duo stunned the legendary Bryan brothers of the US by 3-6, 6-3, 6-4) 6) Which Internet major on 4 September, 2013 released its refreshed new logo? Yahoo Inc. (This new logo is part of a makeover that the company has been undergoing since it hired Google executive Marissa Mayer to become Yahoos CEO 14 months ago. Yahoo Inc. has refreshed its logo after 18 years)
Current Affairs

1) World acclaimed orchestra conductor Zubin Mehta was conferred the prestigious Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony on 6 September, 2013 by President Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi. He is the second recipient after Sitar maestro late Pandit Ravi Shankar. Zubin Mehta is presently conducting music for which German orchestra? The Bavarian State Orchestra (Under this award Mehta was presented a golden plaque, a citation, shawl and Rs. one crore) 2) Retirement fund manager Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on 6 September, 2013 launched facility to view Provident Fund (PF) accounts online. What main benefit will the over 5 crore EPFO subscribers get with this facility? They will not have to wait for their annual PF slips to get information about their PF account (As per the practice, EPFO is supposed to provide annual PF account slips for its subscribers by September 30. For instance for 2012-13, it is required to provide account slips by September 30, 2013. However, the deadline is often being missed. The facility for viewing PF accounts online was launched in New Delhi by Labour Minister Sis Ram Ola) 3) North Korea and South Korea on 6 September, 2013 re-opened a cross-border military hotline paving the way for the re-opening of their shared Kaesong industrial complex. A call was made between the two Koreas after the two sides agreed on 5 September to restore the telephone and fax lines used for cross-border communications. When the hotline between the two neighbours was shut down? On 27 March, 2013 (The two Koreas agreed in August to work towards re-opening the Kaesong industrial complex, which hosted 123 South Korean factories and employed more than 53,000 North Korean labourers before North Korea closed it in April, 2013) 4) Complying with the Supreme Court directive, the Union Home Ministry on 6 September, 2013 asked all states to ban across-the-counter sale of acid in the wake of rising incidents of attacks on women using the chemical. The Ministry also asked the states to impose a fine of Rs. 50,000 on acid sellers who do not maintain a register on personal information about buyers. The Supreme Court had on 18 July, 2013 directed that the crime be made a non-bailable offence and enhanced to Rs. 3 lakh the compensation amount for the victims. On whose public interest litigation (PIL), the Supreme Court had given this order? Laxmi, a Delhi-based victim of acid attack 5) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 6 September, 2013 increased the amount of Indian currency that individuals travelling abroad can carry with them to Rs. 10,000 per person. What was this amount till now? Rs. 7,500 6) Newly appointed RBI Governor on 4 September, 2013 announced constitution of a panel to strengthen monetary policy framework. This panel is to submit its report in three months. Who is heading this panel? Urijit Patel, Deputy Governor of the RBI 7) Newly appointed RBI Governor on 4 September, 2013 announced constitution of a committee to assess the approach to financial inclusion. Who was appointed as the Chairman of this committee? Nachiket Mor 8) Newly appointed RBI Governor on 4 September, 2013 announced constitution of a committee to take a close look at rising NPAs and suggest steps to improve the recovery of bad debts. Who has been appointed as the head of this committee? K C Chakrabarty, Deputy Governor of the RBI
9) Indian woman author Sushmita Banerjee was killed by unidentified gunmen in Afghanistans eastern Paktika province on 4 September, 2013. Her memoir titled Kabuliwaler Bangali Bou was a bestseller and was based on her experiences in Afghanistan and her escape from the Taliban captivity in the 1980s. Which Hindi film was based on the theme of this memoir? Escape from Taliban, which was released in 2003 (Sushmita Banerjee is also known by the name of Sayed Kamala, a name she kept after she converted to Islam after marrying Afghan businessman Jaanbaz Khan. She was working as a health worker in Afghanistan) 10) What is the name of the special purpose vehicle created by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, on a public private partnership model, which has recently been allowed by insurance regulator IRDA to market some categories of life and non-life insurance products of companies? CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd. (CSC is expected to facilitate the insurers to reach out to rural India utilising its network)
Current Affairs

1) Which city would host the Summer Olympics for year 2020 as announced after a secret voting on 7 September, 2013 at International Olympic Committees (IOCs)125th Session in Buenos Aires in Argentina? Tokyo (Apart from Tokyo, Spanish city Madrid and Turkish city Istanbul were the other two finalist cities. In the final round of voting Tokyo got 60 votes while Istanbul got 36 votes. Istanbul had earlier eliminated Madrid in a first round tie-breaker. Tokyo previously hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics. It was also selected to host the Olympics in 1940, but those games were suspended due to World War II) 2) Who will be the new Australian Prime Minister after the coalition led by Liberal National Party (LNP) scored a landslide victory in the countrys Parliamentary elections held on 7 September, 2013? Tony Abbott (Abbott is the leader of the Liberal National Party. The coalition led by LNP scored a huge victory over the ruling Labor Party led by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Rudd conceded defeat of his party and resigned from the post of Prime Minister on the same day) 3) The two-day G-20 Summit concluded on 6 September, 2013 at St. Petersburg in Russia. In a declaration adopted at the end of the summit, the G-20 decided to further extend its standstill commitment to make further progress in removing barriers and impediments to global trade and investment. This commitment against protectionism has been extended up to which year? Until the end of 2016 (G-20 leaders took this decision after recognising the risk of economic slowdown and weakening trade posed by protectionism) 4) The Save Andhra Pradesh meeting was held on 7 September, 2013 at Hyderabads Lal Bahadur Stadium organised by an association which is highlighting the woes of Seemandhra resulting from the decision to carve out Telangana from Andhra Pradesh. What is the name of this association? Andhra Pradesh NGOs Association (Over 50,000 Government employees from Seemandhra region attended the meeting under the watchful eye of police who made elaborate security arrangements) 5) World Famous Western music conductor Zubin Mehta on 7 September, 2013 performed soulful strains of some of the most popular and best known western classical music compositions at a concert held in Sringar. This concert named Ehsaas-e-Kashmir (Feel of Kashmir) was organized at which famous landmark of the city? Shalimar Gardens (Mehta and his Bavarian State Orchestra played its full cast of works of Ludwig Van Beethoven, Franz Joseph Haydn and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in front of an invited audience of 1,500 guests) 6) What is the name a new robotic explorer that was launched by NASA on 6 September, 2013 through the Minotaur-5 rocket from the Virginia coast? LADEE Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE has been designed to look for dust rising from the lunar surface, a phenomenon reported by the Apollo astronauts decades ago. Its 30-day mission started as the Minotaur-5 rocket blasted off from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASAs Wallops Island Flight Facility) 7) What is the name of a subsidiary of diversified conglomerate Videocon Industries which recently withdrew its application for a banking licence submitted with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)? Value Industries Limited, Aurangabad 8) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 6 September, 2013 announced that it has included the name of a Chandigarh based firm in the list of applicants for new bank licences in the private sector. This firm had submitted its application to the RBI on 1 July, 2013, which was inadvertently not included in the list of applicants at that time. What is the name of this firm? KC Land & Finance Limited
9) Egyptian political organisation Muslim Brotherhood was on 6 September, 2013 dissolved by countrys acting government after a lawsuit that argued that the organisation has no legal status. What is the name of the political wing of Muslim Brotherhood, which under leadership of ousted President Mohamed Morsi had won the Egyptian General election in 2011? Freedom and Justice Party (Muslim Brotherhood was established as a religious, political, transnational Islamic political organization in 1928 in Egypt by Islamic scholar Hassan al-Banna)
Current Affairs

1) Indian tennis star Leander Paes on 8 September, 2013 won the mens doubles title of the US Open. Partnering with his Czech partner Radek Stepanek, he defeated Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares in the title clash by 6-1, 6-3. Paes has now won how many tennis Grand Slam titles? 14 (Of these 14, 8 titles account for mens doubles titles while other 6 are mixed doubles titles. It was third US Open title for 40year-old Paes and the previous two had also come with Czech partners. In 2006, he won with Martin Damm and in 2009 with Lukas Dlouhy) 2) On 8 September, 2013 wrestling was reinstated into the Olympic programme for the 2020 and 2024 Games. Wrestling obtained a majority of 49 votes in a secret ballot among 95 members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Wrestling was pitted against which two sports in this bid? Baseball/softball and Squash (Baseball/softball are not on the Olympic Games programme list since 2008 and received 24 votes. Squash, bidding to become a new Olympic sport, had to settle for 22. Wrestling was dropped by the IOC executive board in February 2013, but got into a shortlist with the other two in order to get back into the Games through widespread reform and lobbying from many countries including an unlikely Russia-IranU.S. alliance. India also got respite by this IOC decision as it has won 4 Olympic medals in wrestling) 3) Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on 8 September, 2013 relinquished his post paving the way for Mamnoon Hussain to take over. What was the significance attached to this move of his? Zardari became the first elected President to complete his constitutional tenure and to be replaced by an elected individual in Pakistans history 4) Who got highest percentage of votes in the Presidential Elections held in the island-nation of Maldives on 7 September, 2013? Mohamed Nasheed (Nasheed secured 45.45% of the total polled votes according to the provisional results announced on 8 September. Nasheeds main rival Abdulla Yameen secured 25.35% while Gasim Ibrahim secured 24.07%. But this result does not turned into a decisive victory for Nasheed as he missed a required majority of 50%. He will now face Yameen in a run-off election to be held on 28 September, 2013. Nasheed was countrys first democratically elected president but he was forced from office in February 2012, in what his supporters call a coup) 5) Which city of Uttar Pradesh was hit by communal violence on 7 and 8 September, 2013 in which over 25 people died? Muzaffarnagar (As the condition worsened the army was called to stage flag marches and thousands of anti-riot police personnel were deployed to restore law and order in the district) 6) Which private sector bank recently launched Branch on Wheels, an initiative to offer basic banking services in remote areas which have so far been devoid of banking facilities? ICICI Bank (Branch on Wheels is a mobile branch of the bank, which will offer basic banking products and services such as savings accounts, loans, cash deposit/withdrawal, account balance enquiries, statement printing and funds transfer/DD/PO collection, among others. It will also have an ATM. Banks first Branch on Wheels was launched in Kolhapur, Maharashtra and it will cover four unbanked villages) 7) Who won the womens singles title of US Open 2013? Serena Williams of the US (Top seeded Williams defeated the No. 2 Victoria Azarenka of Russia by 7-5, 6-7 (6), 6-1 in the final played on 8 September, 2013. This was her 5th US Open womens singles title) 8) Who won the Italian Formula One Grand Prix 2013? Sebastian Vettel (Germany) of Red Bull team (Fernando Alonso (Spain) of Ferrari finished second while Vettels Red Bull team mate
Mark Webber (Australia) finished third. This was his sixth win this year and now it looks increasingly likely that Vettel will clinch a fourth straight Formula One title unless he has an alarming drop in form)
Current Affairs

1) The Forward Markets Commission (FMC), chief regulator of forwards and futures commodity markets in India, will, henceforth, be overseen by the Ministry of Finance. FMC was under which ministry/department till now? Department of Consumer Affairs under the Ministry of Food (This decision was taken at the highest level, and notified in the wake of alleged scam in National Spot Exchange Limited (NSEL). The decision has been approved by President Pranab Mukherjee) 2) Telecom regulator (TRAI Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) on 9 September, 2013 recommended lowering of the floor price for mobile spectrum auction. What pan-India reserve price of spectrum was recommended by TRAI? Rs.1,496 crore per MHz (The reserve prices for 1,800 MHz spectrum for Delhi was recommended to be Rs.175 crore per megahertz (MHz), for Mumbai Rs.165 crore per MHz, and for Kolkata Rs.59 crore per MHz. In the last two auctions held November 2012 and March 2013, service providers stayed away, citing high floor price) 3) India-born Mamnoon Hussain, who was sworn in as the President of Pakistan on 9 September, 2013, is the President of the country? 12th (Chief Justice of Pakistan Supreme Court Iftikhar Chaudhry administered the oath. His investiture marked the culmination of the first democratic transition in countrys 66-year history) 4) A massive two-day international agriculture summit took-off at Gandhinagar from 9 September, 2013. What is the name of this summit? Vibrant Gujarat Global Agriculture Summit (The summit attracted agricultural experts and diplomats from several countries including Denmark, the Netherlands, South Africa, the Maldives, Ireland, Australia, Seychelles, Gambia, Malawi, Madagascar and Bolivia) 5) How many entities from the capital market were barred from accessing the securities market by SEBI on 8 September, 2013? 34 (13 entities were barred for a period of five years as they were the active players of manipulation activities and were directly connected to Mehta. The remaining 21 entities were restricted from accessing the securities market for a period of three years. Sunil Mehta, who played key role in fraudulent deals by these companies, was barred from accessing the securities market for a period of seven years) 6) Russia recently announced lifting the eight-month old ban imposed on the import of Indian rice and peanuts. The ban was lifted with effect from 1 September, 2013 and Indian exporters can resume export of these products effective from this date. Why this ban was imposed by Russia? Due to the presence of khapra beetles pest in rice and aflatoxin contamination of peanuts (Russia decided to remove restrictions after its officials visited processing units in India in June. The delegation was convinced about the safety measures that were put in place here while processing these food items. India, the worlds second-biggest producer of rice, had shipped 61,000 tonnes of rice and 3,700 tonnes of peanuts in the last financial year, earning $31 million from the export of the two food items) 7) Who won the mens singles title of US Open 2013? Rafael Nadal of Spain (World No.2 Nadal defeated the No. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia by 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the final played on 9 September, 2013 (This was Nadals 13th Grand Slam title and he now ranks third in the history of mens tennis, behind only Roger Federers 17 and Pete Sampras 14)
Current Affairs

1) BSEs Sensex on 10 September, 2013 recorded the biggest single-day gain in four years and shot up by 727 points to close at 19,997.10 points. It also breached the 20,000 point mark once during the trade. The NSE also displayed similar buoyancy by gaining 216.35 points. What were the major reasons for this dramatic recovery for the markets, which were severely battered a few days back? Receding fears of an imminent US military strike, which would have put severe pressure on crude prices Good impact of recent RBI measures to control current account deficit (CAD) on Indian Rupee (which rose by 140 paise on the day) Positive trade data, which show that exports rose by 13% during August, 2013 Passenger car market grew by 15.37% during August, 2013, ending nine-months of continuous fall Data from China suggesting that Chinas economic slowdown may have bottomed out 2) Which state overtook Kerala to become the most-literate state of India, as claimed by the state govt. on 9 September, 2013? Tripura (Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar disclosed that the state has a literacy rate of 94.65% as compared to Keralas 93.91%. He said that this fact was based on a survey that had been conducted by experts of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) during August, 2013. It is worth noting that Tripuras literacy rate stood at 87.75% during Census 2011 and it stood at third place while Kerala was at the first position with literacy rate of 91.58%) 3) All four men tried for gang-rape and murder of a 23-year old paramedical student in Delhi on 16 December, 2012 were found guilty on 10 September, 2013 by a special fast track court. The court ruled that they had intentionally caused the death of the woman. What are the names of these four accused, who will be delivered their sentence on 11 September, 2013? Mukesh Singh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur (Another accused Ram Singh allegedly committed suicide in the jail during the trial while the only juvenile accused has already been sentenced to three years in a correction centre) 4) A country, which was ranked as the sixth-largest investor in 2011, was recently ranked as the third-largest investor in the world based on figures of 2012. Which country is this? China (Chinas outbound foreign direct investment (FDI) reached a record high of $87.8 billion, according to the 2012 Statistical Bulletin of Chinas Outward Foreign Direct Investment (ODI) by the Ministry of Commerce. It thus recorded 17.6% growth year-on-year in 2012 as compared to 2011. China was the worlds sixth-largest investor in 2011, with an ODI flow of $74.65 billion. Now United States and Japan are the only countries which are bigger investing nations than China) 5) Which party came to power in Norway after defeating Prime Minister Jens Stoltenbergs Labour Party in the recently held national elections? - Conservative Party (Conservative Party led by Erna Solberg ended Prime Minister Jens Stoltenbergs eight years in office at the helm of a red-green coalition. The conservatives last led a government in 1990) 6) Which ace shooter and Olympic medalist on 10 September, 2013 joined the BJP after taking voluntary retirement from Army? Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Rathore had won a silver medal in double trap shooting in 2004 Athens Olympics)
Current Affairs

1) State Bank of India (SBI) recently tightened its eligibility conditions for its four-wheeler loan scheme with a view to minimising possible defaults. From now on persons with an annual income of Rs. 6 lakh or more will get SBIs car loans. What was SBIs eligibility condition for availing car loan till now? An annual income of Rs. 2.5 lakh or more (For SBI account holders, the limit has been raised to Rs 4.5 lakh per annum. The rationale for increase in the eligibility criteria is to revise the gross income limit upwards in view of moderation in the economy) 2) Who was elected as the 9th President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in place of Jacques Rogge on 10 September, 2013? Thomas Bach of Germany (Bach was elected after two rounds of votes at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His term is for eight years and he is the first Olympic champion to head this 119-year old institution. Bach is former Olympic and World Champion in fencing (foil). He replaced Belgiums Jacques Rogge who had been heading IOC since 2001. Five other contestants for this post were Sergey Bubka (Ukraine), Richard Carrion (Puerto Rico), Ser Miang Ng (Singapore), Denis Oswald (Switzerland) and Ching-kuo Wu (Chinese Taipei)) 3) The GDP growth estimate by ratings and research firm Crisil was reduced to a decade-low of 4.8% in 2013-14, as announced in its report released on 11 September, 2013. What was Crisils growth estimate of April, 2013, which has now been downgraded in this report? 6% (Crisil used data on 2,481 companies across more than 70 sectors to come out with this growth estimate of India) 4) Which team defeated India in the final of the SAFF Football Championship on 11 September, 2013 to win their maiden SAFF title? Afghanistan (Afghanistan defeated defending champions India by 2-0 in the final to win their first international football title. SAFF Football Championship 2013 was held in Kathmandu, Nepal) 5) Which company will buy 51% stake in Jaypee Cement Corporations 4.8 mtpa (metric tonne per annum) Gujarat unit as announced on 11 September, 2013? UltraTech, which is a cement firm of the Aditya Birla Group (The value of deal is estimated around Rs. 4,000 crore. Aditya Birla Group, the countrys largest cement maker with around 54 mtpa capacity, runs cement business through UltraTech Cement and plans to increase its capacity by another 10 mtpa by 2015. The two companies were engaged in negotiations for a little over a year now) 6) What is the name of a giant volcano that has been discovered in the Pacific Ocean recently and which is almost equal to the size of the UK? Tamu Massif (This huge volcano is situated 1,000 miles east of Japan, along the Shatsky Rise plate. It was discovered by a team led by William Sager, a professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Houston. Sager began studying the volcano 20 years ago. The volcano has been buried deep beneath the Pacific Ocean and is extinct) 7) A research team has recently found that the third largest object near Earth, which was believed to be an asteroid for about last 30 years, is actually a comet. What is the name of this object? 3552 Don Quizote (An international team from the University of Tennessee, found that Don Quizote is an active comet, thus likely containing water ice and not just rocks. Using the NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope, the team led by Michael Mommert of Northern Arizona University re-examined images of Don Quizote from 2009 when it was in the part of its orbit closest to the Sun, and found it had a coma and a faint tail)
Current Affairs

1) Who was conferred with the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2012 on 12 September, 2013 by the President Pranab Mukherjee? Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia (She was given this award for serving as an example and an inspiration for ensuring the return of peace, democracy, development, security and order in Liberia. Sirleaf is the first th woman elected to lead an African nation. This was the 27 edition of this prestigious prize which has been awarded annually since 1986. It carries Rs. 25 lakh in cash and a citation) 2) Ashok Vemuri, who resigned from Indian software major Infosys as board member and head of its Americas business and Global Head of Manufacturing and Engineering services, took over as President and CEO of which software services company on 12 September, 2013? iGate Corporation (iGate is a company based in Fremont, California. Gerhard Watzinger was companys Interim president and CEO from May, 2013 after the dramatic exit of Phaneesh Murthy on charges of sexual molestation) 3) Which company came to news for raising a bond issue of $49 billion on 11 September, 2013, which is the largest corporate bond deal in the world till date? Verizon (Verizon is an American telecommunications and broadband company. The sale dwarfs the previous record, Apples sale of $17 billion in bonds in April. Proceeds from the sale will help Verizon buy the rest of its U.S. wireless business from partner Vodafone. On September 2, 2013, it was announced that Verizon would buy the remaining stake that Vodafone owns in their join venture Verizon Wireless for $130 billion. This deal is the third largest in corporate history) 4) Indian capital market regulator SEBI on 11 September, 2013 disclosed a condition for MCXSX and its clearing corporation MCX-SX CCL for renewal of recognition for one year starting September 16, 2013. What is this condition? MCX-SX and MCX-SX CCL will have to appoint a five-member committee to strengthen their corporate governance for receiving SEBIs 1-year renewal of recognition (The directions are significant due to the fact that Financial Technologies, one of the promoters of MCX-SX, is embroiled in a payment crisis related to its subsidiary National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL). In this scenario SEBIs conditional grant of recognition is seen as a measure to prevent recurrence of the crisis in MCX-SX) 5) According to the World Ultra Wealth Report 2013 by Wealth-X, among the five BRICS countries, which country recorded the largest increase in its Ultra-High Networth Individual (HNIW) club during the last one year? India (The report stated that India is home to as many as 7,850 high networth individuals whose collective net worth is $935 billion. The study focuses solely on persons with a net worth of $30 million and above) 6) A BCCI probe on the IPL spot-fixing scandal has found cricketers Ajit Chandila, Ankit Chavan,
S. Sreesanth and Amit Singh guilt on multiple counts. All these players belong to Rajasthan Royals and face bans ranging from 10 years to life. Who conducted this probe for BCCI? Ravi Sawani, Head of BCCIs anti-corruption unit (Sawani investigated allegations that Chandila, Chavan and Sreesanth had conceded a pre-determined number of runs per over in exchange for bribes during the IPL this year)
Current Affairs

1) On 13 September, 2013 Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was announced as Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJPs) Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections. This ended months of suspense over his elevation amid stiff opposition by party patriarch L.K. Advani. The announcement of Modi as partys Prime Ministerial candidate was done at which forum of the party? Partys Parliamentary Board (The meeting of the 12-member Board was attended by other leaders like Sushma Swaraj, Murli Manohar Joshi, Arun Jaitley and Nitin Gadkari but LK Advani didnt attended the meeting) 2) All four convicts in the infamous Delhi gang-rape case of 16 December, 2012 were awarded death penalty on 13, September, 2013 by a Delhi court. While delivering its sentence, the court observed that the gravity of the offence cannot be tolerated. This sentence was delivered by Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna (The four were convicted by the court on 10 September for the gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedic student) 3) What were the main highlights of the Economic Outlook 2013-14 released by Prime Ministers Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) Chairman C. Rangarajan on 13 September, 2013? GDP growth for 2013-14 lowered to 5.3%, from 6.4% in April, 2013 Current Account Deficit (CAD) highlighted as main concern, estimated to come down to $70 billion or 3.8% of GDP Agriculture growth pegged at 4.8% Industrial growth pegged at 2.7% Services growth to decelerate to 6.6%, from 7.1 % in 2012-13 Trade deficit projected at $185 billion Gold imports seen at $38 billion Net capital inflows to come down to $61.4 billion from $89.4 billion 4) Which two cricketers were slapped life ban by the BCCI on 13 September, 2013 for being involved in the IPL spot-fixing scam? S Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan (Amit Singh, a former Rajasthan Royals player, was handed a five-year ban while another RR cricketer Siddharth Trivedi got away with a lighter one-year suspension. This ban was slapped after the BCCI disciplinary committee met to discuss anti-corruption chief Ravi Sawanis report on the scam) 5) What is the name of Pakistans domestic T-20 champion team, which has been issued visas by the Indian Govt. to tour India to participate in the qualifying round of the Champions League Twenty-20 (CLT-20) to begin later this month? Faisalabad Wolves (The Faisalabad team, led by Misbah-ul-Haq, will play in the qualifying round of the CLT-20 to be held across different cities of India from 17 September to 6 October, 2013) 6) Who is set to be the first woman Regional Director of WHOs South-East Asia region? Poonam Khetrapal Singh (She has been nominated to the post of Regional Director for five years, by the 11 member states of the region. The 32-member Executive Board of WHO will officially appoint Khetrapal Singh as Regional Director in January 2014 at Geneva. Khetrapal Singh is a senior civil servant, having held the post of Secretary and Joint Secretary, Health and Family Welfare) 7) Which 500-year old government department of the United Kingdom (UK) is on its way to be privatised after UKs coalition govt. confirmed plans to privatise it? Royal Mail (UKs Business Secretary Vince Cable confirmed on 12 September, 2013 that an initial public offering (IPO) of a majority stake in the postal service was scheduled for the coming weeks. The privatisation spells
a major change for the long-established mail service) 8) The founder of the iconic Dolby Laboratories passed away on 12 September, 2013 at the age of 80. What was the name of this American acoustic engineer who was a pioneer of noise reduction in audio recordings? Ray Dolby (Ray Dolby gave cinema viewing a completely new experience with invention of some of the most pioneering works in high-end sound reproduction and noise reduction. He held more than 50 US patents, and has written papers on videotape recording, long-wavelength X-ray analysis, and noise reduction)
Current Affairs

1) An official statement released on 14 September, 2013 stated that some designated branches of authorised banks have been asked to function on September 14 and 15, 2013 (Saturday and Sunday). What facility will be provided by these branches on these two days? They will accept advance corporate-tax paid by corporate entities for first quarter of present financial year (Corporates have been allowed to pay their first quarter advance tax on 14, 15 and 16 September, 2013 at the designated bank branches. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has designated branches of State Bank of India, public sector bank branches, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, IDBI Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank to collect advance tax payments) 2) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 14 September, 2013 announced to offer two-day funds to banks through the marginal standing facility (MSF). The MSF window will be open on 14 September (Saturday) between 5 p.m. and 5.30 p.m and the funds will be repayable on 16 September (Monday). Why this emergency funding window for banks has been provided? To make the banks comfortable with their liquidity requirements in view of the current market conditions (Banks had been forced to borrow funds at a higher rate in the inter-bank market earlier in the day due to outflows to corporate advance taxes, payable by Sunday) 3) Which spacecraft has became the first human-made object to venture into interstellar space as disclosed by NASA on 13 September, 2013? Voyager 1 (Voyager 1 was launched in 1977 and it has covered a distance of about 19 billion kilometres from the Sun. Voyager 1 is presently travelling in a transitional region immediately outside the solar bubble, where some effects from our sun are still evident) 4) Which party took control of Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) by winning 3 out of four seats, results of which were declared on 14 September, 2013? Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad ABVP (BJP students wing ABVPs candidate Aman Awana and Utkarsh Chaudhary were elected as president and vice-president respectively. Raju Rawat, also of ABVP, was elected as the joint secretary. Karishma Thakur of National Students Union of India (NSUI) was elected as the Secretary. The drubbing for Congress students wing NSUI came just a year after it had swept the students union polls, by winning all three top posts)Anil Kaushal Committee 5) Fourteen Maoists were killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in Odisha on 14 September, 2013. This incident took place in which district of the state? Malkangiri district (This encounter between police personnel and Maoists took place inside Salaikota forest under Padia police station limits)Anil Kaushal Committee 6) Indian capital market regulator SEBI on 12 September, 2013 issued new guidelines which make the KYC (know your customer) norm easier for foreign investors. SEBI has classified foreign investors into how many categories in this new guideline? Three Categories Category I, Category II and Category III (The issued guidelines relate to registration and disclosure norms for low risk foreign investors. Category I includes Government and Government related foreign investors such as Foreign Central Banks, Governmental Agencies, Sovereign Wealth Funds, International, Multilateral Organizations and Agencies. Category II broad-based regulated funds such as mutual funds, investment\reinvestment companies and investment trusts. Category III includes foreign investors such as charitable trusts/societies, Endowments, trusts, corporate bodies, families, etc which do not invest in India through the PIS route) 7) The Sri Lankan Govt. on 14 September, 2013 resumed railway services between the capital Colombo and Kilinochchi, a town devastated by the civil war. This link was broken how many
years ago? Six years ago (During the Sri Lankan civil war, the railway line between Colombo and the town of Jaffna, including Kilinochchi, was completely damaged. Following the truce with Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009, the railway track between Colombo and Omanthai, also in the north, was reconstructed with Indian assistance and now it has been extended to Kilinochchi) 8) Union govt. recently approved setting up of two semiconductor wafer fabrication (FAB) manufacturing facilities in the country. These FAB facilities are expected to provide big boost to the electronics system design and manufacturing of semiconductors and processors for computers domestically. The two FAB facilities are to be established in which cities? Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh) and Prantij, near Gandhinagar, Gujarat (The Semiconductor Wafer FABs when set up will stimulate the flow of capital and technology, create employment opportunities, help higher value addition in the electronic products manufactured in the country, reduce dependence on imports and lead to innovation) 9) The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on 12 September, 2013 constituted a ninemember committee to examine the recommendations made by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on pricing of spectrum in 800, 900 and 1,800 MHz bands. Who has been appointed as the Chairman of this committee? Anil Kaushal (Member, Technology, DoT)
Current Affairs

1) What is the name of Indias most formidable and advanced nuclear capable strategic missile that was tested for its full range of 5,000 km on 15 September, 2013? Agni-V (The test was conducted from DRDOs missile testing facility on Wheeler Island, Odisha. The launch of Agni-V once again demonstrated Indias capability in firing an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). India staked the claim to join an elite club of nations to possess the technology for developing ICBMs after the remarkable success of Agni-Vs maiden flight-test in April last year. This missile is now expected to be part of Indian defence forces by 2015) 2) An agreement on Syrian chemical weapons was reached between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on14 September, 2013. What are the important points agreed upon in this agreement? Syria will destroy or remove all its chemical weapons, material and equipment by mid2014 A UN Security Council resolution would be sought that could authorize sanctions short of military action if President Bashar Assads government fails to comply International inspectors will be on the ground in Syria by November, 2013 to complete their initial work by the end of that that month (The United Nations later formally accepted Syrias application to join the chemical weapons convention) 3) How much advance tax for second quarter of present financial year was paid by countrys largest commercial bank State Bank of India (SBI), as announced by it on 15 September, 2013? Rs. 1,120 crore (This was about 40% less than that paid during the corresponding period last year when it paid Rs. 1,820 crore. The advance tax pay-out decline from SBI comes amid a period of gloom on the economic front, with the quarterly GDP growth falling to a four-year low of 4.4 per cent for the April-June period) 4) Japan on 15 September, 2013 started switching off its last operating nuclear reactor for an inspection, with no date scheduled for a restart amid strong public hostility towards atomic power. Which nuclear power plant is this? Kansai Electric Powers Ohi nuclear power plants No. 4 reactor in Ohi, Fukui Prefecture 5) What is the name of the woman from West Bengal who was declared worlds tallest woman by the Guinness Book of World Records? Siddiqa Parveen (Siddiqa Parveen, a resident of South Dinajpur in West Bengal received her title from the authorities of Guinness Book. Her height is at least 7 ft 8 inch. Because of ill health and Parveens inability to stand upright, it is impossible to ascertain her exact stature. The record for the shortest living woman already belongs to an Indian Jyoti Amge, who is just 62.8 cm tall)
Current Affairs

1) Insurance Regulatory and Development Authoritys (IRDAs) insurance repository system was launched by Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on 16 September, 2013. This repository system, which is claimed by IRDA as the first-of-its-kind in the world is situated in Hyderabad (The objective of creating an insurance repository is to provide policyholders the facility to keep insurance policies in electronic form (like shares are kept in Demat account). Five companies have been given the status of insurance repositories and have been provided with a licence that will be valid till 31 July, 2014. Insurers can enter into agreements with one or more repositories) 2) SEBI on 16 September, 2013 notified new norms for angel investors, who provide funding to companies at their initial stages. This has been done with an objective of giving encouragement to entrepreneurship in the country by financing small start-ups. What are the important points under this notification? Angel investors have been allowed to be registered as Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), which is a newly created class of pooled-in investment vehicles for real estate, private equity and hedge funds Investments under angel investing restricted between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 5 crore Angel funds can make investments only in those companies which are incorporated in India Angel funds needs to be invested in a firm for at least three years Angel funds can be availed for companies not older than 3 years Angel funds are required to have a corpus of at least Rs 10 crore and minimum investment by an investor should be Rs 25 lakh 3) Which students union association won all the four top posts in the Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Union (JNUSU) elections held on 13 September, result for which were declared on 16 September, 2013? All India Students Association AISA (AISA is an ultra-leftist students association. AISAs candidate Akbar Chaudhary won the prestigious post of JNUSU President. AISA candidates Anubhuti Agnes Bara, Sandeep Saurav and Sarfaraz Hamid were elected vice president, general secretary and joint secretary respectively) 4) According to the recently released 2013 World Population Data Sheet released by the USs Population Reference Bureau, which Indian city has been ranked as the second most populous city in the world after Tokyo? Delhi (This data sheet estimated Delhis population to be 22.7 million as of 2011. This includes population of Delhi and its extended suburbs. Mumbai and its suburbs houses around 19.7 million persons and ranks seventh in the world. Kolkata is the other Indian mega-city in the league of the worlds top 30 populated cities, ranked 10th in this data sheet) 5) An industrial park which was jointly operated by North and South Korea was reopened on 16 September, 2013. This industrial park was closed when tension between the two Koreas reached its pinnacle earlier this year. Which industrial park is this? Kaesong Industrial Park (The countries agreed to open this industrial park on 10 September. A distinguishing feature of this park established in 2002 is that companies and workers from both Koreas work here together. In April, 2013 first North Korea pulled its workers out of the park followed by a similar action by South Korea. Each side had blamed each other for raising tension) 6) A tropical storm devastated Mexicos Pacific coast on 15 September, 2013 killing over 24 people and rendering thousands homeless. What was the name given to this storm? Manuel
Current Affairs

1) Air India tied up with which public-sector bank to launch a co-branded credit card that provides numerous privileges to the holder? SBI (This newly launched credit card has been named Air India SBI Credit Card and it allows a customer spending Rs 5 lakh in a year to earn up to three DelhiMumbai return tickets on Air India. The launch of this credit card marks the beginning of a new collaboration between the two major public sector entities (Air India and SBI). State Bank of India is also the leader of a consortium of banks that have helped Air India in its financial restructuring exercise. SBI Cards is a joint venture between SBI and GE Capital) 2) Union Govt. on 17 September, 2013 hiked the import duty on gold jewellery to 15% to provide a level playing field to domestic jewellery manufacturers. What was the import duty on gold jewellery till now? 10% (Import duty on gold jewellery has been successively increased since January, 2012 when it was just 2%. After numerous increases it was brought to the level of 10% on 13 August, 2013. This hike is also a part of measures to contain the current account deficit (CAD)) 3) What is the name of the top leader of Bangladeshs Jamaat-e-Islami party who was sentenced to death by the Bangladesh Supreme Court on 17 September, 2013? Abdul Quader Mollah (Mollah was delivered this sentence for his active role in 1971 war crimes. Earlier a special tribunal had sentenced him to life imprisonment. The Supreme Court revised this sentence to death penalty. Mollah is the fourth-highest leader of Jamaat-e-Islami) 4) 13 people died in a mass shooting by a gunman at the US Navy Yard in Washington on 16 September, 2013. What was the name of the gunman involved in this shooting spree, in which he too died? Aaron Alexis (US military records show Alexis was an active Navy Reserve member from 2007-11 and was discharged after reaching the rank of aviation electricians mate) 5) The report of U.N. chemical investigators investigating the Syrian chemical attack episode has in its report confirmed that a chemical was used in the deadly attack of 21 August, 2013 outside Syrian capital Damascus. This report, which was released on 16 September, 2013, named which chemical to have been used in that attack? Sarin Nerve Agent (The US had claimed that around 1400 people including 400 children died in that attack) 6) Who recently became the first Indian-origin contestant to win the Miss America pageant? Nina Davuluri (Nina won the Miss America pageant which was held on 15 September, 2013 at Atlantic City. She took part in the pageant by virtue of being Miss New York 2013 and won the Miss America 2014 title. Nina was born to the Telugu parents and hails from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India) 7) Which corporate company on 16 September, 2013 launched Skinn, a new range of perfume for both men and women? Titan Company Limited (Titan is famous watch company of India which also entered into the eye-care category sometime back. The company also makes available range of accessories under its Fastrack brand)
Current Affairs

1) The new annual session of the United Nations General Assembly opened on 17 September, 2013 at the UN headquarters at New York. On this occasion the incoming President of UN General Assembly John Ashe of Antigua and Barbuda laid out his plan to set the stage for the post-2015 development agenda. This year marks which session of the UN General Assembly? 68th (As the new President of General Assembly Ashe addressed the representatives of all 193 member nations for the first time) 2) The 16th century Humayuns Tombs six-year long conservation and restoration was officially declared complete on 18 September, 2013. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited this majestic monument at Delhi on his occasion. Which two organisations co-funded the restoration of this monument? Dorabji Tata Trust and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture 3) The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recently opened its tour programme in India at Delhi under the aegis of the Department of Electronics & Information Technology on 17 September, 2013 to promote the features of a new standard for application developers. Which new standard is this which is expected to meet the goal of Open Web Platform? HTML 5 (HTML 5 is the next evolution of web development standards by which application developers create end-user experience. One of the most important benefits of HTML 5 is that it is capable of making the Web useful on mobile and wireless devices, which will be next paradigm shift for internet growth in India. HTML 5 is intended to subsume not only HTML 4, but also XHTML 1 and DOM Level 2 HTML. W3W will also hold its tours programmes to promote HTML 5 at Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkota and Pune) 4) Tony Abbott, who was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Australia on 17 September, 2013, became Australias th Prime Minister? 28th (Abbott was administered oath of office at Government House in Canberra in presence of Quentin Bryce, the Governor General. He succeeded Kevin Rudd whose party lost to a coalition led by Abbotts Liberal Party) 5) India during the second weekend of September, 2013 received 20 containers of Afghan dry fruit which were sent directly to India by Afghanistan without taking the old traditional route of sending them through Pakistan. These dry fruit were sent through which port of Iran? Chabahar Port, which is very near to the Afghan border (This dry fruit consignment was sent to Mumbai port through the Chabahar port in Iran. With this, Afghanistan has for the first time directly sent products to India. The Indian embassies in Kabul and Tehran had been working closely with the Afghanistan and Iran governments for the past few months to ensure the shipment goes through the Iranian port, which is an alternative to the Karachi port in Pakistan where export activities are constantly interrupted by political restrictions and high storage cost) 6) Which two Indian wrestlers won medals at the World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary? Amit Kumar and Bajrang Kumar (Amit Kumar won a silver medal in the 55 Kg freestyle category, after losing to Iranian Hassan Farman Rahimi in the finals. Bajrang Kumar won a bronze medal in 60 kilogram freestyle category after defeating Mongolias Nyam-Ochir Enkhsaikhan in the bronze medal match. This was the first time India has won two medals in the Mens events at the World Championship level) 7) It was recently reported that Germany has committed financial and technical assistance to India for the Green Energy Corridors for which it has planned to provide financial aid worth 250 million. Green Energy Corridors is associated with which project? To integrate renewable energy into the National grid (It comprises of both inter-state and intra-state schemes for evacuation of power from wind and solar projects and integrating it with the national grid)
Current Affairs

1) On 19 September, 2013 it was announced that Tata Sons has tied up with Singapore Airlines to set up a full-service carrier in India. Subject to the approval of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) and other regulatory approvals, the airline will be based in New Delhi and will operate under the full-service model. Tata Sons will own 51% and Singapore Airlines 49%. Who will be the Chairman of this proposed joint venture? Prasad Menon (Menon has been nominated by Tata Sons. This would be the second venture of the Tata Group after its tieup with Malaysia-based low cost carrier Air Asia in which Tata Group is a minority partner) 2) What is the name of a proposed company to be established by the union govt. on the lines of a sovereign wealth fund to lend financial muscle for securing access to overseas natural resources? India Overseas Investment Corporation INOIC (INOIC would be patterned like the governments holding arm and registered with RBI as a non-banking financial institution with a paid-up capital of Rs 10 crore. The company will raise funds through rupee bonds of 1520 years with sovereign guarantee. State-run entities, banks and financial institutions will subscribe to these papers using their surplus funds) 3) On 19 September, 2013 who became the first judge of the Uttarakhand High Court to be appointed as the Chief Justice of a High Court of the country after he took over as the new Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court? Prafulla Chandra Pant (Pant succeeded Justice T.Nandakumar Singh, who was the Acting Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High court since March 2013) 4) Which famous psephologist was removed from the post of member of the University Grants Commission (UGC) on 18 September, 2013 for joining a political party? Yogendra Yadav (Yadav has been associated with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). He was served a show-cause notice on September 4 by the Human Resource Development Ministry and he had sent in his explanation) 5) Which bank on 19 September, 2013 became the first major state-run bank to hike lending rates after short-term rates rose as a result of the Reserve Bank of Indias liquidity tightening moves announced during July, 2013? State Bank of India (SBI on 19 September increased its base rate, or the minimum rate of lending, to 9.80%. It revised the base rate by 0.10 per cent from 9.70 per cent per annum to 9.80. SBI also increased the spreads on auto and home loans by as much as 0.20 per cent, which will affect new borrowers. This move was announced just a day ahead of the RBIs policy review) 6) An advanced universal banking solution named Finacle 11E was launched on 18 September, 2013 by a leading IT company of India. This banking solution has been developed to enable banks of all sizes to rapidly modernize their operations. Which company launched this solution? Infosys (Finacle is a range of CBS banking solutions developed by Infosys for Indian banks) 7) Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who took the oath as the President of his country on 4 September, 2013, was inaugurated publicly on 19 September in a huge function. French President Francois Hollande was the chief Guest of this function. Keita is the president of which African country? Mali (The French President Hollande is held in high regard by Mali after France sent 4,100 troops in January to help its poverty-stricken former colony fight an Islamist insurgency) 8) Who was appointed as the new Managing Director and CEO of the beleaguered National Spot Exchange Limited (NSEL) recently? Saji Cherian (Cherian was earlier with MCX-SX. NSEL is a commodity exchange of India which recently went into a payment mess and had to suspend commodity trading and forward trading) 9) United States central bank the Federal Reserve on 19 September further reduced the growth
estimates for the US economy for year 2013 and estimated it to remain between 2 to 2.3%. What was Feds previous forecast for the year announced during June, 2013? Between 2.3 to 2.6% (However, the Federal Reserve raised the growth estimate for 2014 to 3%. Feds policymakers expect the unemployment rate to fall to 7.1 percent from 7.3 percent, by the end of 2013, slightly below its June forecast of 7.2 percent to 7.3 percent. It predicts that unemployment will fall as low as 6.4 percent next year, down from 6.5 percent in its June forecast) 10) Which team won the Durand Cup Football tournament 2013 after defeating ONGC in the finals played on 19 September, 2013? Mohammedan Sporting (Mohammedan Sporting of Kolkota won this prestigious tournament after a huge gap of 73 years. It last won this tournament in 1940. Mohammedan Sporting had last entered the final of Durand Cup in 1992)
Current Affairs

1) In what seemed like an unexpected move Reserve Bank of Indias (RBIs) newly appointed Governor Raghuram Rajan in his maiden Monetary Policy Review on 20 September, 2013 raised the repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF). He thus kept RBIs focus on controlling inflation, which it felt would be above the expected levels in the current fiscal. What is the new Repo Rate? 7.5% (Repo Rate was increased by 25 basis points from its earlier level of 7.25%) 2) What were the main highlights of RBI Governor Raghuram Rajans first monetary policy review presented on 20 September, 2013 since taking office on 4 September? Following are the main highlights of Raghuram Rajans first monetary policy review Repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) increased by 25 basis points from 7.25% to 7.5% with immediate effect (This move clearly reiterated the fact that RBI is still keeping its focus on bringing down the inflation. Consequently, the Reverse Repo Rate under the LAF stands adjusted to 6.5%, and the bank rate stands reduced to 9.5% with immediate effect) Marginal standing facility (MSF) rate reduced by 75 basis points from 10.25% to 9.5% with immediate effect The minimum daily maintenance of the cash reserve ratio (CRR) reduced from 99% of the requirement to 95% effective from the fortnight beginning 21 September, 2013 (This move was aimed at inducing liquidity into the system) Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) kept unchanged at 4.0% (CRR is the portion of deposits that banks are required to maintain with the RBI in cash) (With these changes, the MSF rate and the bank rate are re-calibrated to 200 basis points above the repo rate) 3) Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on 19 September, 2013 dedicated the 2,980 MW staterun NTPCs Rajiv Gandhi Sipat Super Thermal Power Station in Chhattisgarh to the nation. This power station cost around Rs. 13,000 crore to build and will not only cater to the demands of Chhattisgarh but also adjoining states like Madhya Pradesh and as far as Jammu and Kashmir. What is the special fact associated with this power plant? For the first time the NTPC has used the super critical technology in any power plant in India (The Advanced Ultra Super Critical Technology (AUSCT) has been developed in the country. This milestone has been achieved by joint-research done by NTPC, BHEL and Indira Gandhi Centre for Nuclear Research) 4) India on 19 September, 2013 became the 17th country globally to be recognised as the Authorizing Nation under the International Common Criteria Recognition Arrangement (CCRA) to test and certify Electronics and IT products with respect to cyber security. What benefit India gets with this recognition? India would be able to test IT and electronics products and issue globally-acceptable certificates (The recognition would also remove the bottleneck which as of now had prevented international companies from submitting their products for testing and certification in India) 5) Which two new models of Apple Inc.s iconic iPhone went on sale worldwide from 20 September, 2013? iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C (Australia and Japan became the first countries to offer these two latest mobile phones from Apples stable) 6) The Union Government on 20 September, 2013 approved a proposal to hike dearness allowance (DA) to 90% from the existing 80%. This hike, which will be effective from 1 July, 201,
will benefit 50 lakh present employee and 30 lakh pensioners. When was the last time when a 10% hike in DA was announced by the Union Govt.? September, 2010 (The increase in DA to 90% would result in additional annual expenditure of Rs 10,879 crore) 7) What name was sought by the Tata Group for its new proposed aviation venture with Singapore Airlines, as disclosed in form 1A filed with the Registrar of Companies by the group? Tata SIA Airlines Limited (The brand name of the proposed airline, however, is yet to be announced)
Current Affairs

1) The first local elections in 25 years in which province of Sri Lanka were held on 21 September, 2013 to elect a local council to govern this former war zone? Northern Province (Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mannar, Mullaithivu and Vavuniya districts form the Northern Provincial councils jurisdiction. These districts for decades held sway as the LTTE heartland. When last council elections were held in this province in 1988, only one political party participated due to the LTTEs armed campaign to set up a separate Tamil homeland. This election was held to elect a 36-member Northern Provincial Council for a fiveyear term. Over 70% polling was recorded in this historic poll) 2) An eight-member Pakistani judicial commission to cross-examine key witnesses in the Mumbai attacks case crossed into India on 21 September, 2013. This is commissions second visit to India. Who is heading this commission? Chaudhury Mohammed Azhar , the Special Public Prosecutor (The visit to India to cross-examine witnesses is being undertaken to take forward the prosecution of seven suspects, including LeT commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, who have been charged with planning, financing and executing the attacks that killed 166 people in November 2008. A report submitted by the panel after its first visit in March 2012 was rejected by a Pakistani anti-terrorism court as the commissions members were not allowed to crossexamine witnesses) 3) The Union Govt. on 20 September, 2013 released the second set of draft rules for the implementation of landmark Companies Act, 2013, that will replace the nearly six-decade old legislation governing corporates in the country. With the second set, draft rules have been released for as many as 24 chapters of the new legislation. The Companies Act, 2013 will have how many chapters overall? 29 (The Companies Act, 2013, has 470 sections spread across 29 chapters. The second set of draft rules contains 8 more chapters. The second tranche of draft rules would be open for public comments till 19 October, 2013. On 9 September, the Ministry had come out with the first set of draft norms that covered 16 chapters of the new legislation) 4) Which film was on 21 September, 2013 announced as Indias official entry at 2014 Oscar Awards in the Best Foreign Film category? The Good Road by Gyan Correa (The Good Road is Correas debut Gujarati film which won the National Award for Best Gujarati Film) 5) Indian Govt. on 20 September, 2013 gave its approval to set up a 4,000 MW solar power project in the country, which would become the largest solar power project in the world when commissioned fully. Where this project would be established? Near Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan (The project would be spread across 23,000 acres area of Sambhar Salts Ltd, a subsidiary of central enterprise Hindustan Salts Ltd. The first phase of the project, having 1,000 MW capacity, is likely to be commissioned by the end of 2016. India, which is a power deficit country, is working on ways to increase contribution from renewable energy sources, especially solar, to its total energy mix. The ambitious Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission aims to have about 20,000 MW of grid-connected solar power by 2022) 6) It was recently reported that the Bank of China launched Chinas first direct bank on 18 September, 2013. What is the meaning of a direct bank? Direct bank stands for a bank which provides direct banking services without having conventional bank branches (Direct banks mainly provide banking through online and telephone modes. These banks generally provide ATM services through alliances of interbank networks)
Current Affairs

1) Two suicide bombers on 22 September, 2013 struck the historic All Saints Church at Kohati Gate area of Peshawar killing over 78 people and injuring over 120 other. This attack was the deadliest attack on the minority community in Pakistans history. Which group claimed responsibility for this attack? The Jandullah group, which is a faction of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (This group said that the attack was carried out to avenge US drone attacks) 2) What is the name of the shopping mall that was targeted by the Shabaab group on 21 September, 2013 in Kenyan capital Nairobi, in which over 59 people died? Westgate Mall (This mall was targeted by the Islamist militia belonging to the Somali Islamist Shabaab group when they occupied the mall by carrying out a volley of gunfire. They then held hostage the occupants of the mall late till 22 September. Shabaab group has been opposing Kenya participation in a peace-keeping mission in neighbouring Somalia. The Israeli-owned Westgate mall is frequented by expatriates and Kenyans. This assault was the biggest single-attack in Kenya since al-Qaedas East Africa cell bombed the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi in 1998, killing more than 200 people) 3) What sentence was pronounced upon Chinas former Politburo member Bo Xilai on 22 September, 2013 by a court at northeastern China? Life Sentence (The court said Bo Xilai had been found guilty of accepting bribes in excess of 20 million Yuan (around Rs. 20 crore). It rejected all arguments put forward by Bos defence and charged this once powerful politician to have been involved in bribery, graft and abuse of power. The last Politburo member to be sent to prison was the former Shanghai Party Chief Chen Liangyu, who was jailed for 18 years in 2008. Chen was subsequently thought to have been released on medical parole) 4) Which party scored a landslide victory in the historic provincial council polls held after a gap of 25 years in Sri Lankas Northern Province? Tamil National Alliance TNA (TNA grabbed 30 of the total 38 seats and trounced the ruling UPFA coalition of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, which got just 7 seats. The Sri Lankan Muslim Congress got the remaining 1 seat. The election is expected to give minority Tamils a chance at self-rule after decades of ethnic conflict that left over 100,000 dead) 5) According to the latest data compiled by the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE), which currency emerged the worst performer among its global peers during the month of August, 2013? Indian Rupee (It recorded a fall of 8.7% during the month, which was the steepest among all global currencies. In terms of decline during August, rupee was followed by Indonesian Rupiah (6.3 per cent), Turkish Lira (4.9), Brazilian Real (4.1) and Mexican Peso (4). The other top 10 countries in terms of maximum depreciation in currency values were Norways Krone (6th rank), South Africas Rand (7th), Argentina Peso (8th), Thailands Baht (9th) and the Philippines Peso (10th)) 6) Who won the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix held on 22 September, 2013 at Singapores Marina Bay street circuit? Sebastian Vettel (Germany) of Red Bull team (Second position was claimed by Fernando Alonso (Spain) of Ferrari team while Kimi Raikonnen (Finland) of Lotus team claimed third spot. With this win Vettel now has 60 point lead over his nearest rival and is looking almost sure to claim his fourth straight Formula One title) 7) Which financial institution on 20 September, 2013 became the third non-banking entity to be listed to the too-big-to-fail institutions list by US regulator Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC)? Prudential Financial (The list of too-big-to-fail institutions was conceived to create a tighter regulatory regime to reduce risks to the financial system. The two other entities on this list are American International Group and General Electric Capital Corp. Prudential Financial has more than $1 trillion in global assets and operations in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America)
Current Affairs

1) Chancellor Angela Merkels Christian Democratic Union (CDU) won in a tough fight in Germanys National Elections held on 22 September, 2013. CDU won 49.3% of the seats but its liberal partners like Free Democrats (FDP) suffered in these elections. Angela Merkel has won which term of Chancellorship? Third (Merkel became German Chancellor for the first time in 2005. She was re-elected in 2009 and with this win she will become Chancellor for the third time) 2) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 23 September, 2013 announced a 13-member committee to frame a clear and detailed vision for financial inclusion/deepening across the country. This committee named The Committee on Comprehensive Financial Services for Small Businesses and Low-Income Households is being headed by Nachiket Mor, member on the RBIs Central Board of Directors (The committee members are: Bindu Ananth (President, IFMR Trust); Prakash Bakshi (Chairman, NABARD); Bharat Doshi (Chairman, Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services); A. P. Hota (Managing Director and CEO, National Payments Corporation of India); Sunil Kaushal (CEO, Standard Chartered Bank India); Roopa Kudva (MD and CEO, Crisil); Zia Mody (Managing Partner, AZB & Partners); S. S. Mundra (CMD, Bank of Baroda); Vikram Pandit (former CEO, Citigroup); Ramesh Ramanathan (Chairman, Janalakshmi Financial Services) and Shikha Sharma (MD & CEO, Axis Bank)) 3) Foundation stone for a new MEMU coach factory in Rajasthan was laid by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on 22 September, 2013. This new factory is being established at which place? Bhilwara (At present MEMU (Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit) coaches are being manufactured only at Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala (Punjab), which is manufacturing around 112 MEMU coaches annually. The Bhilwara plant will be a joint effort of Indian Railways, Government of Rajasthan and BHEL. Entire cost of this factory will be incurred by BHEL) 4) The Third Lusofonia Games slated to be held at Panaji, Goa in November 2013, have been postponed to January due to the slow progress of infrastructure construction. The Games would be held from January 18 to 29 next year. Which countries participate in the Lusofonia Games? The Portuguese-speaking countries or Lusophone countries (The decision was taken following a general body meeting of the Association of Portuguese Speaking Olympic Committees at Macau on 22 September, 2013. India (Goa), Portugal, Macau, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, East Timor, Sao Tome, Sri Lanka, Guinea Bisssau, Principe and Equatorial Gini are the 12 countries that will participate in the Games) 5) What is the name given to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) sponsored religious march that began on 23 September, 2013 from the temple town of Ayodhya? Panch Kosi Parikrama (Unlike the 84-kosi Parikrama in August, 2013 when the Uttar Pradesh state government banned the ritual and arrested hundreds of saints and VHP activists, this time no preventive arrests were made during the Parikrama) 6) What name was given to the powerful typhoon that slammed into Taiwan, the Philippines and Southern China between 21 September to 23 September, 2013 and which claimed at least 33 lives? Typhoon Usagi (Usagi was this seasons strongest storm at its peak and it forced hundreds of flight cancellations and shut down shipping and train lines before weakening to a tropical depression over the southern Chinese province of Guangdong on 23 September) 7) Which para-military force on 22 September, 2013 appointed cricketer Virat Kohli as its brand ambassador? Border Security Force BSF (Kohli was appointed Brand Ambassador for his appeal as a young and successful cricketer is expected to play a key role in enhancing the public image of BSF, which is the second largest para-military force of the country)
Current Affairs

1) On 24 September, 2013 Hun Sen took the oath as Prime Minister of Cambodia for yet another term in front of King Norodom Sihamoni at the Royal Palace in capital Phnom Penh. Hun Sens Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) had scored a very weak win in the General Elections held in July, 2013. Hun Sen is one of the longest serving head of a country and ranks with dictators like Rubert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan and President Bashar Al-Assad of Syria. In which year Hun Sen took the reins of Cambodia? 1985 (Earlier in the day ruling party lawmakers in Cambodia officially extended Hun Sens rule for another five years on 24 September) 2) Which consortium founded by an India-born businessman has signed a letter of intent agreement to purchase smartphone manufacturer BlackBerry Limited for $4.7 billion? Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (Fairfax Financial Holdings is a Toronto, Canada based consortium founded by Hyderabad-born Prem Watsa, who is the Chairman and CEO of this consortium. The agreement done by Fairfax with Blackberry is on a non-exclusive basis. The letter of intent contemplates a transaction in which BlackBerry shareholders would receive $9 in cash for each share of BlackBerry they hold, in a transaction valued at approximately $4.7 billion) 3) A high-level panel on 23 September, 2013 submitted to Finance Minister P. Chidambaram its report on the alleged irregularities at the National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL). The panel in its report recommended two sets of measures to deal with the NSEL issue and also the problem of regulatory gaps in oversight of spot exchanges. Enforcement action has been recommended against NSEL and the persons behind the company. Who headed this panel on NSEL? Arvind Mayaram, Economic Affairs Secretary 4) What are the main estimates according to the first advance estimate for kharif (summer) season of 2013-14 released by the Agriculture Ministry on 24 September, 2013? Countrys rice production is projected to drop to 92.32 million tonnes in the kharif season this year due to deficient rains in some states (The rice production stood at 92.76 million tonnes in the kharif season of 2012-13) However, the overall foodgrain output is estimated to rise marginally to 129.32 million tonnes in the same period (The overall foodgrain output stood at 128.20 million tonnes in the kharif season of 2012-13) Maize production is projected to increase to 17.78 million tonnes in the kharif season of this year, against 16.04 million tonnes in the year-ago period Pulses production is also estimated to rise to 6.01 million tonnes from 5.91 million tonnes in the review period 5) Who became the first ever Indian wrestler to win a medal in Greco Roman category at the World Wrestling Championships? Sandeep Tulsi Yadav (Yadav won Indias first ever medal in Greco Roman category at the World Wrestling Championships on 22 September, 2013 when he won the bronze medal by beating Serbian Makismovic Aleksandar at the concluding day of World Wrestling Championships at Budapest, Hungary. Sandeep Tulsi Yadav. Indian wrestlers have been traditionally strong in freestyle category but they have not been very successful in Greco-Roman category of wrestling)
Current Affairs

1) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 25 September 2013 announced imposition of ban on a very popular scheme for consumers to purchase consumer goods. Which scheme is this? Scheme of 0% interest on EMIs (RBI imposed ban as banks were reluctant to disclose the hidden charges charged by them on purchases done through these schemes. RBI maintained that the very concept of zero per cent interest is non-existent and fair practice demands that the processing charge and interest charged should be kept uniform product or segment wise, irrespective of the sourcing channel, as such schemes only serve the purpose of exploiting vulnerable customers. RBI also issued guidelines that no additional charges can be levied on payment through debit cards. In the zero per cent EMI schemes offered on credit cards, the interest element is often camouflaged and passed on to customers in the form of processing fee) 2) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently gave his approval for setting up of a new Central Pay Commission which is expected to give its recommendations in about two years. This will be Central Pay Commission 7th (The recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission are likely to be implemented with effect from 1 January, 2016. The recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission were implemented from 1 January, 2006. The recommendations of this Pay Commission will benefit about 50 lakh central government employees, including those in defence and railways, and about 30 lakh pensioners) 3) Which former Indian Premier league (IPL) Commissioner was slapped with a life ban by the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) on 25 September, 2013? Lalit Modi (Life ban was announced at a Special General Meeting (SGM) of the BCCI after its disciplinary committee found him guilty on eight charges of indiscipline and misconduct. Modi was the brain behind the highly successful IPL. Modis decline started after the 2010 IPL bidding which saw the creation of two new teams. Modi was suspended under Rule 32(iv) of BCCIs constitution on 25 April, 2010, seconds after the IPL final held in Mumbai) 4) Indias first Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) index is proposed to be established by Indian Institution of Corporate Affairs (IICA) in association with Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) Ltd. An MOU in this regard was signed between IICA and BSE on 23 September, 2013. According to the New Companies Act, 2013 it has been mandatory for the eligible companies to spend ..of their profits on activities pertaining to corporate social responsibility 2% (The proposed IICA-BSE CSR Index shall assess impact and performance of companies listed at BSE in CSR activities. The CSR index would seek to promote investor participation, consumer interest and socio economic benefits to the disadvantaged communities by generating awareness and accountability in CSR spending) 5) The Indian Navy on 23 September, 2013 received the first of 17 Hawk Advanced Jet Trainers (AJTs), becoming the third naval operator of the Hawk aircraft. Which are the other countries which use Hawk AJT for their Navy? The United States and the UK (The 17 Hawk aircraft ordered by the Indian Navy form part of a contract for 57 aircraft signed in 2010 of which 40 are for the Indian Air Force) 6) A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck southwestern region of Pakistan on 24 September, 2013 that killed over 350 people. What was the epicenter of this earthquake which was also felt in India including capital Delhi? Awaran district of Balochistan province 7) Who, on 19 September, 2013 assumed charge as the new Chairperson of National Commission for Backward Classes? Justice Vangala Eswaraiah, former Acting Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court (The Commissions last Chairperson was Justice M. N. Rao, a
retired Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court) 8) Who was recently appointed as the interim Chairman of Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (MCX)? R.M. Premkumar, a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer (Premkumar is Forward Markets Commission (FMC)-appointed independent director on the board of MCX. He will hold this post till the reconstitution of the board in accordance with FMC guidelines on board composition) 9) A new James Bond novel titled Solo was released on 25 September 2013 in London. This novel has been written by which award-winning author? William Boyd (In this latest adventure, James Bond is taken to war-torn Africa back in the 1960s)
Current Affairs

1) 10 persons including four army personnel and six policemen were killed in two daredevil fidayeen attacks in Jammu region of Jammu & Kashmir state on 26 September, 2013. These two attacks were carried out in which two districts of J&K adjoining Pakistan? Kathua and Samba (The fidayeen attackers first attacked a police station at Hiranagar in Kathua district of Jammu and later struck a Army formation of 16 Cavalry on the highway at Samba. Both Hiranagar and Samba towns are situated just 5 to 10 kilometers from the International Border between India and Pakistan. Three militants were involved in this attack and all three were killed. The attack, first of its kind in Jammu province in the last 11 years, occurred ahead of the scheduled meeting between the Indian and the Pakistani Prime Ministers, Manmohan Singh and Nawaz Sharif, as also a UN General Assembly session in New York) 2) Which little-known militant outfit claimed responsibility for twin-Fidayeen attacks Samba and Kathua? Shohada Brigade (However, security forces believe the Lashkar-e-Toiba was behind it) 3) The report of Dr. Raghuram Rajan Committee for Evolving a Composite Development Index for Indian states was submitted to the Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on 26 September, 2013. What are the important recommendations/suggestions/ findings of this committee? The committee proposed a general method for allocating funds from the Centre to the States based on both a states development needs as well as its development performance The Committee recommended that each State may get a fixed basic allocation of 0.3 percent of overall funds, to which will be added its share stemming from need and performance to get its overall share The Committee come-up with a Multi Dimensional Index (MDI) of backwardness based on per capita consumption as measured by the NSSO, the poverty ratio, and a number of other measures which correspond to the multi dimensional approach to defining poverty outlined in the Twelfth Plan The Committee recommended that States that score 0.6 and above on the Index may be classified as Least Developed; States that score below 0.6 and above 0.4 may be classified as Less Developed; and States that score below 0.4 may be classified as Relatively Developed The Committee observed that the demand for funds and special attention of different States will be more than adequately met by the twin recommendations of the basic allocation of 0.3 percent of overall funds to each State and the categorisation of States that score 0.6 and above as Least Developed States The Committee recommended doing away with Special Category status for states. According to the Committee, the twin recommendations of basic allocation and categorization under Least Developed, along with the allocation methodology, will effectively subsume what is now Special Category Based on the MDI scores, the 10 Least Developed states are Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan Based on the MDI scores, the 11 Lesser Developed states are Manipur, West Bengal, Nagaland, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Mizoram, Gujarat, Tripura, Karnataka, Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh
Based on the 7 Relatively Developed states are Goa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Haryana (The Committee had been asked to suggest methods for identifying backwardness of States using a variety of criteria and also to recommend how the criteria may be reflected in future planning and devolution of funds from the Central Government to the States) 4) Armies of India and Nepal started a joint-military exercise named Surya Kiran 24 from September, 2013. This joint-military exercise focuses on counter-insurgency operations and infantry battalions from both countries are participating in this exercise which will continue till 6 October, 2013. Where is this joint exercise held? At Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand, India 5) The Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications & Information Technology allotted a Customized Pin Code to the Supreme Court of India on 27 September, 2013. What is this dedicated customized pin code for the Supreme Court? 110 201 6) Who is the author of a book titled Gandhi Before India which deals with early years of Mahatma Gandhi? Ramchandra Guha (This book will be released on 1 Oct, 2013 and deals with the life of Mahatma Gandhi from his birth on 2 October 1869 at Porbandar, Gujarat to till his return to India from South Africa in 1915)
Current Affairs

1) The Supreme Court of India on 27 September, 2013 in its landmark verdict held that citizens have right to cast negative vote rejecting all candidates contesting polls, a decision which would encourage people not satisfied with contestants to turn up for voting. A bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam directed the Election Commission to provide none of the above (NOTA) option at the end of the list of candidates in electronic voting machines (EVMs) and ballot papers to allow voters to reject those contesting polls. The concept of negative voting is prevalent in how many countries, as noted by the Supreme Court in its decision? 13 2) The United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) during September, 2013 released a report on the statistics pertaining to global Infant Mortality rate (IMR). What was Indias IMR for year 2012 as revealed in this report? 42 deaths for every 1,000 live births (IMR has therefore declined by two points as compared to 2011. In 2011 Indias IMR stood at 44 deaths for every 1000 live births) 3) Which state had the least Infant Mortality rate (IMR) in India during 2012 as revealed in the report on IMR released by UNICEF? Kerala (Keralas IMR stood at 12 deaths for every 1000 live births) 4) Which state had the worst Infant Mortality rate (IMR) in India during 2012 as revealed in the report on IMR released by UNICEF? Assam (Assams IMR stood at 55 deaths for every 1000 live births) 5) According to claims made by authorities of Indian Railways, platform of which station situated in India will become worlds longest platform? Gorakhpur Junction (The station-yard of Gorakhpur Junction station will be 1,300 meter long when the new re-modelled platform will be opened for traffic on 6 October, 2013. It would overtake the length of platform at Kharagpur (West Bengal) which is 1074 meters long and is at present the longest platform in the world) 6) Who was awarded the 5th Deutsche Bank Prize for Financial Economics 2013 on 26 September, 2013? Dr. Raghuram Rajan, the Governor of the RBI (The academic prize is sponsored by the Deutsche Bank Donation Fund and carries an endowment of euro 50,000. The Centre for Financial Studies (CFS) awards the prize bi-annually in partnership with Goethe University Frankfurt. Dr. Rajan had in 2005 warned about the dangers of building up unsustainable imbalances in the financial system, three years ahead of global financial crisis. Dr. Rajan was picked up for the prize from more than 260 nominations from top universities, central banks and research centres in 37 countries. More than half of the nominations came from the U.S.) 7) Which Indian-American judge on 26 September, 2013 was sworn-in as judge of the second most powerful court of the United States the bench of the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the District of Columbia Circuit? Sri Srinivasan (Srinivasan is the first South Asian American to serve as a circuit court judge in American history. Chandigarh-born Srinivasan, whose parents migrated to the United States in 1970s, was sworn in the oath of office in the court room of US Courts of Appeal for the District of Columbia Circuit by Justice Sandra Day OConnor. It was in May this year that Mr. Srinivasan was confirmed by the U.S. Senate by a huge 97-0 vote) 8) Who was recently appointed as the new Chairman of Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI)? Sundeep Sikka (Sikka is the President and CEO of Reliance Mutual Fund)
Current Affairs

1) Which public-sector bank has installed 2,000 Cash Deposit Machines (CDMs) at marketplaces across the country in the last one year to give facility of depositing money round the clock to its customers? State Bank of India (In order to tap currency in the hands of the public, Indias largest bank SBI has been installing CDMs at marketplaces across the country. Traders, shopkeepers and vegetable vendors can deposit cash into these CDMs anytime of the day (247) and 365 days of the year just by swiping their SBI ATM-cum-debit card. The money gets instantly credited to their account and they get a receipt for their transaction. The average cash collection per machine a day is Rs 4 lakh. SBI plans to install 1,000 more machines this year) 2) Which public-sector bank during August, 2013 launched a unique Own Your NPA (non-performing asset) campaign to focus its managers energies on making recoveries from the top 20 bad loan accounts at the zonal, regional and branch levels? IDBI Bank (As part of the Own Your NPA campaign, each zonal, regional and branch manager will personally go and meet the customers. IDBI Bank has identified a total number of 1,522 cases under the campaign involving an aggregate principal outstanding of Rs 5,805 crore. The campaign ends on 31 December, 2013) 3) The first AC Double Decker train service in the state of Madhya Pradesh was flagged-off on 27 September, 2013. This service is between which two stations of the state? Between Habibganj (Bhopal) and Indore (This is the 5th AC Double Decker train service to be launched in India. Four other trains are already running between Jaipur-Delhi, Mumbai- Ahmedabad, Chennai-Banglore and Howrah-Dhanbad. Coaches of these LHB AC Double Decker trains are having better passenger amenities such as reclining chairs, snack tables bottle holders, automatic AC compartment entrance doors etc.) 4) Recently the Union Govt. gave its green signal for enlisting Narikuravas in the Scheduled Tribes list. Narikuravas is a nomadic community of which state? Tamil Nadu 5) US President Barack Obama made a historic telephone call to his Iranian counterpart Hasan Rouhani on 27 September, 2013. Thus Obama and Rouhani became the first leaders of their countries to speak since the Tehran hostage crisis more than three decades ago. Which were the Presidents of the US and Iran who spoke last time? Jimmy Carter and Shah Mohammed Reza in 1979 (With this call by Obama, the long-fractured relationship between the United States and Iran took a significant turn. In 1979 President Carter spoke by telephone with Iranian President Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi shortly before the Shah left the country. The Islamic Revolution that toppled Shahs government led to the seizure of the American Embassy and a 444-day hostage crisis that left the two countries at odds with each other) 6) Which team won the 8th Womens Asia Cup 2013, which concluded in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 27 September 2013? Japan (Japan defeated defending champions South Korea by 3-2 to secure a place in next years World Cup to be held at The Hague, Holland. India finished third in the tournament after it defeated China 3-2 via penalty shootout in the 3rd/4th place play-off match. Indian team was led by Ritu Rani)
Current Affairs

1) The traditional Olympic torch was lit on 29 September, 2013 at the site of ancient Olympia in Greece for the 2014 Winter Olympics. These Winter Olympics are to be held at Sochi in Japan (Greek Actress Ino Menegaki lit the Olympic torch with the help of the Suns rays reflected in a parabolic mirror, which has been the traditional custom of lighting the torch) 2) N. Srinivasan was elected President of the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) unopposed on 29 September, 2013 at BCCIs Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at Chennai. He was selected for one more year. This would be N. Srinivasans ..tenure as BCCI President? 3rd (However, he would not be able to take official charge of BCCI till further orders of the Supreme Court. He can resume his duties only after the apex court gives its final verdict on the case filed against his candidature by the Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) secretary Aditya Verma) 3) Who was appointed as the new Commissioner of Indian Premier league (IPL) on 29 September, 2013? Ranjib Biswal (Biswal is the President of the Orissa Cricket Association (OCA) and has served as the manager of Indian cricket team in numerous tournaments including the 2011 ICC World Cup, which India won. He replaced Rajeev Shukla who had resigned at the end of his tenure) 4) On 27 September, 2013 search engine behemoth Google celebrated its .birthday 15th (Google was founded in 1998 at a garage in Menlo Park, California by Larry Page and Sergey Bin. Google came out with a swinging piata doodle on this occasion) 5) Who won the 2013 Miss World pageant held at the Indonesian island of Bali on 28 September, 2013? Megan Young of the Philippines (Miss France, Marine Lorphelin, came second in the contest and Miss Ghana, Carranzar Naa Okailey Shooter, took third place) 6) India won the 3rd Sultan of Johor Under-21 Hockey Cup on 29 September, 2013 by winning the finals. India defeated which team in the finals? Malaysia, the hosts (India defeated hosts Malaysia by 3-0 to win their maiden Sultan of Johor Cup. This tournament was played in Johor Bahru in Malaysia) 7) Which team won the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy, final of which was held on 29 September, 2013 at Holkar Stadium in Indore? India Blue (India Blue defeated Vijay Hazare champions Delhi by 50 runs in the finals. India Blue was led by Yuvraj Singh. Fast bowler Bhavaneshwar Kumar was adjudged Man of the Match of the final for his 4-wicket haul) 8) Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani schoolgirl and education rights campaigner presented with the 2013 Peter J. Gomes Humanitarian Award on 27 September. She was presented this award for her contribution in promoting the education among girls. Which American University sponsors this award? Harvard University (Malala Yousafzai came to limelight after she was shot in the head by a Taliban militant in October 2012 after she campaigned for girls right to education in Pakistan)

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