Daily Current Affairs Updates: 27 November 2013

Daily Current Affairs Updates: 27 November 2013

1) India vs West Indies 3rd ODI: Dhawan powers India to series win- India on Wednesday clinched the ODI series against West Indies 2-1 with a comfortable five-wicket victory in the third and final match held in Kanpur, riding on Shikhar Dhawan’s sparkling century. Dhawan stole the limelight with an attacking 119 that came off 95 balls, his fifth ODI hundred, while Yuvraj Singh notched up a 74-ball 55 to seal the issue for the home side at the Green Park Stadium which was hosting an international game after a gap of nearly four years.

2) Tata Sons withdraws application for banking licence: Tata Sons Ltd has withdrawn its application for a new bank licence, according to the Reserve Bank of India. "The company has indicated that its current financial services operating model best supports the needs of the Tata Group’s domestic and overseas strategy, and provides adequate operating flexibility to its companies, while securing the interests of the group’s diverse stakeholder base," RBI said in a statement. Tata Sons in a statement said, "On a detailed evaluation of the 'Guidelines for Licensing of New Banks in the Private Sector' and analysis of clarifications thereto, Tata Sons has reached a conclusion…After prolonged deliberations and detailed analysis, Tata Sons has therefore decided to withdraw its application dated 1 July, 2013, from the current round of licensing."

3) TRAI prescribes tariff for service data-based mobile banking: Aiming to promote the use of mobile banking services across India, the telecom regulator TRAI has come out with guidelines and tariff on unstructured supplementary service data (USSD)-based mobile banking services. USSD technology is used by telecom operators to send alerts to their users. It can be used for pre-paid call-back services, location-based content services and menu-based information services. Some banks in the country, such as State Bank of India (SBI) and ICICI Bank have already launched USSD-based mobile banking services. However, the authority says the use of USSD-based mobile banking by these banks is at present limited to the provision of value-added banking services to their existing customers.

4) Hero group to open BML Munjal University: Hero Group today announced the opening of BML Munjal university, which will be a multi-disciplinary university located near Manesar, about 50 km from New Delhi. The first batch of students will be admitted in July next year. The university, spread across 5 lakh sq feet, will offer B. Tech, MBA and BBA in the first year. Hero Corporate Services Chairman, Sunil Kant Munjal, refused to share the details of the investment behind the initiative.

5) BlackBerry launched BBM channels: BlackBerry has launched BBM Channels, a forum for active, real conversations between people, brands and communities. The move is aimed at monetising the BlackBerry messaging platform by getting big brands to use it to network with users and potential consumers.

6) Govt invited applications for PFRDA chairperson post: Government has started the search for a successor to Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) Chairman, the post of which fell vacant following the resignation of Yogesh Agarwal. The tenure of the chairperson would be for five years or till the selected candidate attains the age of 65 years, the Finance Ministry said while inviting applications for the post. The pay and allowance of the new chairperson will be Rs 4.5 lakh per month without the facility of accommodation and car. The last date for applying for the post is December 27. At present, Joint Secretary in the Finance Ministry Anup Wadhawan is acting as the interim Chairman of the PFRDA. The post of Chairman fell vacant on November 13 following Agarwal’s resignation.

7) Raheel Sharif to be new Pak Army chief: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday appointed Lt Gen Raheel Sharif as Pakistan’s new Army Chief and Lt Gen Rashid Mehmood as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Lt Gen Sharif will replace 61-year-old Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani who would hang his boots on Friday after being at the helm of the Army for six years.

8) Punjab to host World Cup Kabaddi next week:  The 4th World Cup Kabaddi, circle style, will be held in Punjab from Saturday next week to 14th of next month.

9) Pakistan Launched Construction of Country's Largest Nuclear Power Project: Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on 26 November 2013 launched the construction of the country's biggest Nuclear power project. The 2,200-megawatt plant is to be built with Chinese technical assistance on the Arabian Sea coast at Paradise Beach, 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of Karachi. Pakistan already has three operational nuclear plants generating a total of around 740 MW of power and has begun work on a fourth, in addition to the one launched on Tuesday.