Daily Current Affairs Updates: 09 November 2014

1) Narendra Modi expands cabinet, inducted 21 new ministers: In a major cabinet reshuffle on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appointed 21 ministers, including four cabinet ministers, three minister of state (independent charge) and 14 ministers of state. While former Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar was made defence minister, Suresh Prabhu has been given the railway ministry, which is keenly watched by Modi because of his interest in building rail infrastructure in the country and also to promote his pet project of starting a bullet train in the country. Surprisingly, finance minister Arun Jaitley has been given the charge of information and broadcasting ministry, which was previously held by Prakash Javadekar. Former Karnataka chief minister D.V. Sadanand Gowda is the new law and justice minister. Gowda was earlier handling the railway ministry, and the law and justice ministry was with Ravi Shankar Prasad, who is now handling communications and information technology. 

2) Virat Kohli quickest to reach 6,000 runs in ODIs: Star batsman Virat Kohli on Sunday became the quickest cricketer to reach 6,000 runs in ODIs, bettering legendary West Indian Vivian Richards’ record during his 53-run knock in India’s third ODI against Sri Lanka. Playing in his 144th match and 136th innings, Kohli reached the milestone with a single off left-arm spinner Chaturanga de Silva in the 39th over at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Vivian Richards took 156 matches and 141 innings to reach the milestone in 1989.

3) Suzlon sets up world’s tallest hybrid wind turbine in Kutch: Suzlon Energy put into operation the world’s tallest hybrid wind generator turbine at Kutch, Gujarat.  The turbine, it is claimed, will generate 12-15 per cent more energy. The 120-metre hybrid turbine, inaugurated by Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, had been designed and developed by local engineers. This tower is taller by 40 metres than conventional wind turbine towers.

4) Germany celebrated 25th anniversary of fall of Berlin Wall: Germany on 9 November 2014 celebrated the 25th anniversary of fall of the Berlin Wall. The celebrations were attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. On the occasion, white balloons marking a stretch of the wall were released to symbolize the disappearance of the wall. The fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989 was the most significant event in recent German history and the wall.

5) India stun World Champions Australia for historic test series win in hockey: The Indian men's hockey team delivered a fantastic performance to defeat World Champions Australia 3-1 to win their third successive match and clinch the four-match Test series 3-1 at the Perth Hockey Stadium. India will next play in the FIH Champions Trophy when they take on reigning Olympic champions Germany in their first match at Bhubaneswar. The tournament will be played on December 6-14.

6) Agni-II test-fired for full 2,000-km strike range: India test-fired the nuclear weapon-capable Agni-II ballistic missile for its full strike range of 2,000 km from Wheeler Island off the Odisha Coast around 9.40 a.m. on Sunday. Personnel of the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) fired the surface-to-surface missile from a mobile launcher. The 20-metre-tall Agni-II zoomed to an altitude of 600 km and began its descent before splashing near its pre-designated impact point in the Bay of Bengal with “two-digit accuracy.”

7) Nico Rosberg beat Lewis Hamilton to win Brazilian Grand Prix: Nico Rosberg held off Mercedes team-mate and title rival Lewis Hamilton to win a race-long battle at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Hamilton fought back to close a seven-second margin after a spin at about one-third distance just as he appeared to be set to take the lead. But Rosberg did just enough to hold him off in a tense final part of the race. It reduces Hamilton's lead in the title race to 17 points, with 50 available in the final race in Abu Dhabi.

8) India seal ODI series against Sri Lanka: Clinical India notched up another resounding win to humble a hapless Sri Lankan side by six wickets and clinch the five-match series in the third One-Day International.

9) Communist leader MV Raghavan dead: Veteran Communist leader and former minister MV Raghavan died in Kerala's Kannur district, according to his family. Raghavan, 81, was a brilliant orator. He was expelled from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) in 1985 due to difference of opinion over the formation of an alliance. Raghavan formed the Communist Marxist Party the next year and since then his party has been an ally of the Congress led United Democratic Front. Though, he was a seven-time legislator, he became a minister on only two occasions (1991 to 1996 and 2001 to 2006).