29 June 2014 Current Affairs Updates

1) Saina Nehwal wins Australian Open Super Series title: Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal produced a dominating performance to lift her second title of the season, winning the $750,000 Star Australian Super Series after beating Spain's Carolina Marin in the summit clash on 29 June 2014. The sixth seeded Indian, who had won the India Open Grand Prix Gold earlier this year, prevailed 21-18, 21-11 in a 43-minute contest which left her richer by $56,000. The 24-year-old Saina, who enjoyed a 1-0 head-to-head record against Marin going into Sunday's match, logged the first point and displayed some deft net play against her rival, stroking in some delectably timed volleys to take a 5-2 lead in the opening game.

2) French foreign minister arriving on two-day visit, to meet Modi: French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius will be on a two-day official visit to India from Monday to establish the first high-level contact with the Narendra Modi government. Fabius will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. The French minister and Sushma Swaraj will discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest. A number of other engagements are envisaged during the visit, said an official statement.

3) Netherlands, Costa Rica Advance to World Cup Quarterfinals: Costa Rica and the Netherlands, both in dramatic fashion, have reached the quarterfinals of football's World Cup in Brazil. Already beating the odds by advancing out of one of the most difficult first round groups, Costa Rica shocked Greece in a penalty kick shootout Sunday in Recife. The teams ended regulation and in extra time tied a 1-1, and Costa Rica made all five of its kicks from the penalty spot to prevail 5-3. Earlier Sunday in Fortaleza, the Netherlands stunned Mexico with two late goals in a 2-1 victory. This is the first time Costa Rica has reached the World Cup quarterfinals.

4) Rahul Dravid Named Batting Consultant for England Tour: Rahul Dravid will assist chief coach Duncan Fletcher as Team India's batting consultant on the current tour of England. Dravid was the only successful Indian batsman when MS Dhoni's team were drubbed four-nil in the last Test series in England in 2011. Dravid, who is the coach of Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, is regarded as a master tactician and his presence in a dressing room full of young players will come in handy. India play a five-Test series starting July 9. He will be with the team till the beginning of the first Test.

5) Pankaj Advani creates history in Egypt: Indian cueist Pankaj Advani Sunday created history by becoming the first player in the world to win world titles in the long and shorter formats of both billiards and snooker by pocketing the IBSF World 6-Red snooker Championship, in Sharm El-Shiekh, Eygpt.

Advani, India’s poster boy of cue sports, defeated Kacper Flilpiak of Poland in the final that lasted barely an hour to win his maiden 6-Red world title and ninth overall. He has now won both World snooker titles on debut — the IBSF World Snooker Championship, China and this one, the IBSF 6-Red World Snooker Championship in Egypt.

Read More

Daily Current Affairs Updates: 28 June 2014

1) Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Jammu and Kashmir on July 4: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay a one-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir July 4, his first to the state after assuming office, official sources said. The prime minister will arrive in Jammu and then proceed to nearby Katra town to inaugurate the Katra-Udhampur train that would cover a 25-km distance between the two places, the sources told.

2) Sachin Tendulkar enjoyed Nadal match at Wimbledon: Sachin Tendulkar on 28 June 2014 took some time off to enjoy an afternoon at the Wimbledon watching Rafael Nadal in action. Tendulkar was seated in the Royal Box of the Centre Court where he watched the match between Rafael Nadal and Mikhail Kukushkin. Looking dapper in an ink blue suit with sky blue tie, Tendulkar sat alongside former England cricket captain Andrew Strauss while former football captain David Beckham sat just a row in-front.

3) Brazil and Colombia entered quarter finals of FIFA World Cup 2014: Hosts Brazil qualified for the quarter-finals of the World Cup on Saturday after beating Chile 3-2 in a nail-biting penalty shootout. Paris Saint Germain bound David Luiz sent the home fans crazy on 18 minutes when he bundled in from close range for the opener – although Chile’s Gonzalo Jara appeared to get the final touch. In the last eight Brazil will meet Colombia after James Rodriguez scored twice to hand his nation a 2-0 win over Uruguay. Rodriguez sensationally fired Colombia into the lead on 28 minutes with arguably the finest goal of the tournament so far. The Monaco man controlled the ball on his chest, swivelled and then hammered in a left-footed dipping volley from 20 yards out.

4) Vice-President Hamid Ansari embarks on China visit: Vice President Hamid Ansari on Thursday left on a five-day visit to China where he will hold bilateral discussions with his counterpart Li Yuanchao and attend events to mark the 60th anniversary of Panchsheel agreement. This is the first visit of an Indian leader to China after the Narendra Modi government took over last month. It is also Ansari's first visit to China, and the first by an Indian Vice President since 1994. Then Vice President K R Narayanan had visited China in 1994.

Read More

Quiz on Current Affairs: 26 and 27 June 2014

1) Luis Suarez who has been banned from nine international matches and all football activities for four months for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini in a world cup group match, is the player from which country?

(A) France

(B) Argentina

(C) Iran

(D) Uruguay

2) Mustafa Kamal who has been elected as the new ICC President on 26 June 2014 is from which country?

(A) Sri Lanka

(B) Bangladesh

(C) South Africa

(D) UAE

3) International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was observed every year on?

(A) June 26

(B) June 27

(C) June 24

(D) June 29

4) Wroclaw city which has been named 2016 World Book Capital by UNESCO is in which country?

(A) Japan

(B) Chile

(C) Poland

(D) Malaysia

5) Which country has recently (June 2014) decided to honour Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan with the 'Legion of France', one of its highest civilian awards?

(A) UK

(B) Australia

(C) South Korea

(D) France

6) Indian-origin judge V.K. Rajah has been appointed as the new attorney general of which among the following countries on 26 June 2014?

(A) USA

(B) Indonesia

(C) Singapore

(D) Bhutan

7) 35th edition of the National Games (biggest national sporting event) will be held in which state from January 31 to February 14 in 2015 as announced recently?

(A) Kerala

(B) Punjab

(C) Assam

(D) Madhya Pradesh

8) In a move that is both open minded and adhering to Supreme court’s ruling on April 15 which among the following colleges has included the option of choosing “transgender” in its application forms for academic programmes beginning this year?

(A) Maharaja's College, Kochi

(B) Fergusson College, Pune

(C) Loyola College, Chennai

(D) University Maharani's College, Jaipur

9) Which city/state has been formally declared by the Central Government as permanent venue for the prestigious annual International Film Festival of India (IFFI) recently?

(A) Goa

(B) Thiruvananthapuram

(C) Delhi

(D) Pune

10) Who was formally appointed the first Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in its Annual Conference held at Melbourne, Australia on 26 June 2014?

(A) Haroon Logard

(B) Alan Isaac

(C) N Srinivasan

(B) Mustafa Kamal

Answers

1) Ans. (D) Uruguay

2) Ans. (B) Bangladesh

3) Ans. (A) June 26

4) Ans. (C) Poland

5) Ans. (D) France

6) Ans. (C) Singapore

7) Ans. (A) Kerala

8) Ans. (B) Fergusson College, Pune

9) Ans. (A) Goa

10) Ans. (C) N Srinivasan

Read More

Daily Current Affairs Updates: 27 June 2014

1) 15 killed as GAIL pipeline bursts in Andhra Pradesh: At least 15 people were charred to death and 18 suffered burns in a massive explosion in a GAIL-operated gas pipeline passing through Nagaram village in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. The victims include three women and three children. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu cut short his visit to Delhi and reached the accident site accompanied by Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

2) Pune's Fergusson College recognized the Third Gender in its admission forms: In a first, Pune’s Fergusson College has included the option of choosing “transgender” in its application forms for academic programmes beginning this year. The move that is both open minded and adhering to Supreme court’s ruling on April 15 earlier this year to recognize the third gender Pune’s Fergusson College has opened its gates for the transgender community by making a transgender option available in its admission application forms for the academic year 14-15. Activists and professors in the various colleges in the city welcomed the decision and have expressed the need for other colleges to take the cue.

3) Saina Nehwal marched Into Australian Open Semi-Finals: India's Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal marched into the women's singles semi-finals of the $750,000 Australian Badminton Open Super Series at the States Sports Centre, Sydney on 27 June 2014. The sixth seeded Hyderabadi needed only 47 minutes in the quarter-final to oust Japan's Eriko Hirose 21-18, 21-9 to level her career head-to-head to four-all.

4) Union Government granted Navratna Status to EIL and NBCC: The Union Government on 24 June 2014 granted Navratna status to Engineers India Ltd (EIL) and National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC). Department of Public Enterprises under the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises granted the navratna status to enhance the greater financial and operational autonomy.

5) Poland's Wroclaw city named 2016 World Book Capital: Poland’s Wroclaw city will be the World Book Capital (WBC) for 2016 in recognition of its promoting the publishing and bookselling industries, Unesco said. “Civic leaders in Wroclaw have developed an excellent programme that will promote reading among the wider public all through the year,” Unesco director general Irina Bokova said in a statement. Wroclaw — the largest city in western Poland — was selected “in light of the strong assets of its programme in terms of quality and variety” and in particular, “for its special focus on grass-root community involvement, as well as promotion of publishing, bookselling industries and libraries at regional and international levels”.

6) France to honour Shah Rukh Khan with 'Legion of France': France has decided to honour Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan with the 'Legion of France', one of its highest civilian awards. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius will present the award to Khan next week. Fabius is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi on June 29 to meet External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj.

Read More

Daily Current Affairs Updates from 26 June 2014

1) Luis Suarez suspended for nine matches and banned for four months from any football-related activity:  Fifa on 26 June 2014 banned Uruguay striker Luis Suarez for nine international matches and barred him from all football activities for four months for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini during Uruguay's match against Italy in the group stage of FIFA World Cup 2014. The heaviest punishment ever inflicted on a player at a World Cup finals effectively booted Suarez out of the tournament. It is the third time that the 27-year-old Liverpool forward, one of the most brilliant footballers in the world, but also one of the most temperamental, has been banned for biting an opponent.

2) Bangladesh's Mustafa Kamal becomes ICC President: Bangladesh's Mustafa Kamal became the 11th President of the International Cricket Council (ICC) on 26 June 2014. Kamal took charge from Alan Isaac at the ICC's Annual Conference.

3) Srinivasan appointed as new ICC chairman: N Srinivasan was formally appointed chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in Melbourne on 26 June 2014, giving the 69-year-old industrialist the most powerful role in the governing body's restructured organisation. Srinivasan, who emerged as the leading candidate to become ICC chairman in February, will assume office immediately after the governing body rubber-stamped constitutional changes at its annual conference.

4) 35th National Games in Kerala from Jan 31-Feb 14 next year: The 35th edition of the National Games will be held in Kerala from January 31 to February 14 next year in various venues across seven districts. Starting the countdown, dates of the biggest national sporting event were announced by Indian Olympic Association president N Ramachandran in the presence of Union Minister of state for Sports and Youth Affairs Sarbananda Sonowal at a colourful function in the Assembly complex on 26 June 2014. After the declaration, Sonowal proclaimed acceptance of the dates on behalf of the Government of India.

5) Ministry approved B Ashok as Indian Oil Chairman: Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has approved appointment of B Ashok as the head of India's largest oil firm, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), in what will be the first top level appointment by the new government. B Ashok, Executive Director (Retail Sales) at Indian Oil Corp (IOC), was on October 9, 2013, chosen to head the company by government headhunters Public Enterprise Selection Board (PESB), but the previous UPA government could not appoint him before its tenure ended.

6) Indian-origin judge takes over as Singapore attorney general: Indian-origin judge Justice V.K. Rajah has been appointed as the new attorney general of Singapore, a statement issued by Istana or Presidential Palace said. President Tony Tan Keng Yam appointed Justice Rajah as the eighth attorney general and also as Member of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights, Channel NewsAsia Singapore reported. Rajah was appointed as a judicial commissioner of the Supreme Court and as a judge in 2004. He has been the chairman of the Singapore Institute of Legal Education as well as the Board of Judicial Learning since 2010. Rajah became the second Indian-origin person to become the attorney general of Singapore after Sundaresh Menon, the current Chief Justice of Singapore.

7) International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking observed: The United Nations’ (UN) International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking falls on June 26 each year to raise awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society. This day is supported by individuals, communities and various organizations all over the world. The theme for this year is "A message of hope: Drug use disorders are preventable and treatable".

Read More

24 & 25 June: Current Affairs Questions & Answers for Exams

1) Which among the following has joined the Star Alliance group of airlines on 24 June 2014?

(A) Air India

(B) Spice Jet

(C) Indigo

(D) Kingfisher

2) Dinesh Singh who resigned on 24 June 2014 in the midst of a raging controversy over the four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP) was the Vice Chancellor of?

(A) IGNOU

(B) Sikkim-Manipal University

(C) Nalanda University

(D) Delhi University

3) Uruguay has knocked out which among the following former champions from FIFA World Cup on 24 June 2014?

(A) Italy

(B) France

(C) England

(D) Spain

4) Which among the following state has announced 33% quota for women in police force on 24 June 2014?

(A) Kerala

(B) Uttar Pradesh

(C) Gujarat

(D) Tamil Nadu

5) Veteran Director-Producer Ramanarayanan who passed away recently was from which language?

(A) Hindi

(B) Tamil

(C) Telugu

(D) Bengali

6) Myanmar made its entry onto the World Heritage List with the inscription of its first site recently (June 2014). The World Heritage Committee meeting was held in?

(A) London, UK

(B) Brussels, Belgium

(C) New Delhi, India

(D) Doha, Qatar

7) President Pranab Mukherjee on 25 June 2014 appointed three new judges to Supreme Court. Who among the following was not included in it?

(A) Rohinton Nariman

(B) Gopal Subramaniam

(C) Adarsh Kumar Goel

(D) Arun Mishra

8) Ashwani Kumar who resigned on 25 June 2014 was the Governor of?

(A) Kerala

(B) Maharshtra

(C) Nagaland

(D) Karnataka

9) External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj started her first foreign visit to which country on 25 June 2014?

(A) Bhutan

(B) Nepal

(C) Myanmar

(D) Bangladesh

10) Four passengers were killed and several others injured when a dozen bogies of Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express derailed close to Golden Ganj railway station near Chapra in which state on 25 June 2014?

(A) Bihar

(B) Jharkhand

(C) Chattisgarh

(D) Uttar Pradesh

Answers

1) Ans. (A) Air India

2) Ans. (D) Delhi University

3) Ans. (A) Italy

4) Ans. (C) Gujarat

5) Ans. (B) Tamil

6) Ans. (D) Doha, Qatar

7) Ans. (B) Gopal Subramaniam

8) Ans. (C) Nagaland

9) Ans. (D) Bangladesh

10) Ans. (A) Bihar

Read More

Daily Current Affairs Updates: 25 June 2014

1) Gopal Subramaniam seeks withdrawal of candidature as a judge of SC: Senior advocate Gopal Subramaniam on 25 June 2014 asked the Chief Justice of India to withdraw the recommendation about his candidature as the judge of the Supreme Court. Subramaniam's office said that he has written a letter to the Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice R M Lodha requesting him to "withdraw" the recommendation for his elevation as the judge of the apex court. 56-year-old Subramaniam, who served as the solicitor general during the previous UPA regime, has been "let down" by the decision of the NDA government asking the collegium to reconsider his name as the judge of the apex court while clearing the proposal for the candidature of three others, his office said.

2) At least 4 killed as Rajdhani Express derailed in Bihar: Four passengers were killed and several others injured when a dozen bogies of Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express derailed close to Golden Ganj railway station near Chapra in Bihar in the early hours of 25 June 2014. Altogether 12 coaches of the train derailed, with five going off the tracks first leading to casualties and seven bogies overturning a little later. Some of the coaches were hurled as far as 700 feet away from the tracks, said Chief Public Relations Officer of East Central Railway Arvind Kumar Rajak. Three passengers were killed on the spot while another succumbed to injuries in hospital, Mr. Rajak added.

3) BlackBerry Z3 smartphone launched in India at Rs 15,990: BlackBerry has launched Z3, its new budget device in India at Rs 15,990. The phone will be available for pre-order starting today via select e-commerce websites and BlackBerry stores. Among the first devices made by Foxconn for the company, BlackBerry Z3 sports a 5-inch qHD (540x960p) display. It is powered by a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (MSM8230) dual-core processor and 1.5GB RAM. The phone runs BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.2.1, the latest iteration of the OS. Read more details about this phone from here.

4) Excise duty cut on automobiles, consumer durables & capital goods extended: The government brought some prebudget cheer to automobile, capital goods and consumer durables manufacturers on 25 June 2014. It extended excise duty cuts, otherwise set to expire June-end, by six months to December 31, which means the companies won't need to put prices back up on July 1 and hurt chances of a consumption revival. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said any loss of revenue on this count would be made up by the beneficial impact on the economy. The duty reduction had been announced in February's interim budget for the current fiscal.

5) Asma Jahangir, two others, to assist U.N. rights probe in Sri Lanka: Former President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari, former Governor-General and High Court judge of New Zealand Silvia Cartwright, and former president of Pakistan’s Supreme Court Bar Association Asma Jahangir will advise and support the team set up to conduct a comprehensive investigation of alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka that was mandated by the Human Rights Council (HRC) in March.

6) Ashwani Kumar resigned as Nagaland Governor: Nagaland Governor Ashwani Kumar became the third person to resign from the post after the NDA government sounded out some governors appointed during the UPA regime to do so. His resignation was on the cards as he had informed the government a few days ago that he will put in his papers soon.

7) Sushma Swaraj Begins Bangladesh Visit: On her first visit as the External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj is set to hold talks with top leadership of Bangladesh. On agenda is the Land Boundary Agreement and proposed Teesta river pact but tougher visa norms will be top priority.

8) Three judges appointed to Supreme Court: President Pranab Mukherjee on 25 June 2014 appointed the Chief Justices of Calcutta and Orissa High Courts, Arun Mishra and Adarsh Kumar Goel respectively, and senior lawyer Rohinton Nariman as Supreme Court judges. The warrant of appointment has been issued and the three judges are to be sworn in soon after the court re-opens on June 30. With their appointment, the strength of judges in the court will go up to 28, as against the sanctioned strength of 31.

Read More

Current Affairs from 24 June 2014 for exams

1) Delhi University Vice Chancellor resigned: Delhi University Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh resigned on 24 June 2014 in the midst of a raging controversy over the four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP) rocking the varsity. "VC has resigned," DU's media coordinator Malay Neerav said without giving details. The resignation of Singh, who was instrumental in introducing the FYUP, has come two days after the varsity was asked by the UGC to roll back the controversial four year course.

2) Uruguay knocked Italy out of FIFA World Cup: Uruguay captain Diego Godin's late strike against 10-man Italy sent his team into the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup here today and knocked their opponents out of the tournament in the opening stages for the second edition in a row. Godin's goal off a corner in the 81st minute was enough for the 2010 semifinalist to progress in the competition after a fiercely fought battle against the Italians in a match witnessing flared tempers, rough tackles and a moment when Giorgio Chiellini accused Luis Suarez of biting him. The result meant Uruguay finished second in Group D behind Costa Rica, who drew 0-0 with England in Belo Horizonte.

3) Air India joins Star Alliance:  Air India has joined the Star Alliance group of airlines, a spokesman of the national carrier said on 24 June 2014. After talks in London on Monday, Air India and Star Alliance officials arrived at the decision on the airline's affiliation. The alliance membership will allow Air India to share routes with the other airlines to more than 1,200 destinations and in the process will help improve its revenue. The formal induction will take place next month, most probably on July 11, with the unveiling of the Star Alliance logo and its livery on Air India’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner and an Airbus A-320. India is among the first clutch of countries to have acquired the Dreamliner.

4) Partial roll back of rail fare hike in suburban, 2nd class travel:Bowing to pressure from within and allies, the Railways today partially rolled back some of its stiff proposals by exempting second class suburban travel upto 80 km from the 14.2 per cent hike in fares and reduced the severity of hike for monthly season ticket-holders. In reliefs that will mainly benefit lakhs of daily commuters mainly in metros and other big cities, the Railway Ministry announced that last week's across-the-board hike of 14.2 per cent in passenger fares will not apply to second class suburban journey upto 80 kms.

5) Gujarat CM announced 33% quota for women in police force: In a pioneering move, Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel on Tuesday announced 33 per cent reservation for women in the police force. "It is necessary to empower women for their uplift in the society. My government has decided to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in new recruitment in the police force. It will be implemented in all cadres," Patel, the state's first woman chief minister, told reporters.

6) Veteran Director-Producer Ramanarayanan passed Away: Tamil film director and producer Ramanarayanan, who is popular for making films featuring animal characters, passed away on Sunday at a private hospital in Singapore. Ramanarayanan (65), hailing from Tamil Nadu, was admitted to the hospital for a kidney-related ailment and passed away this evening, his media manager said, adding that the final rites are expected to be held in the city on June 24.

7) Myanmar's first site inscribed to World Heritage List: Myanmar made its entry onto the World Heritage List today, with the inscription of its first site, Pyu Ancient Cities. The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Doha (Qatar) under the Chair of Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, also  inscribed Iran’s ‘Burnt City” on the List.

Read More

Current Affairs for SBI Clerk Exam 2014

Current Affairs Questions useful for all competitive Exams...

1) Modi-led NDA Government will present its first general Budget on ..........?

(A) July 10

(B) July 9

(C) July 8

(D) July 6

2) Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) which was accorded the Unesco World Heritage Site status on 23 June 2014 is in which state?

(A) Gujarat

(B) Bihar

(C) Sikkim

(D) Himachal Pradesh

3) Moving to a time-defined process, the Reserve Bank of India, on 23 June 2014, fixed schedules for various regulatory approvals. Accordingly, an applicant for private bank licence should be given in-principle approval within ...... days after receipt of report from the independent external advisory committee?

(A) 30

(B) 45

(C) 90

(D) 21

4) Name the initiative conceptualized by the Indian government's Department of Electronics and Information Technology which has been awarded a United Nations public service award on 23 June 2014?

(A) Mobile Seva

(D) iMobile

(C) M-Pesa

(D) e-Seva

5) President of India Pranab Mukherjee released first Encyclopedia on which religion on 23 June 2014?

(A) Hinduism

(B) Jainism

(D) Buddhism

(D) None of the above

6) Name the bollywood actor who has been championining the cause of social issues and on 23 June 2014 met Prime Minister Narendra Modi?

(A) Salman Khan

(B) Aamir Khan

(C) Amitabh Bachhan

(D) Sharukh Khan

7) East India Company has issued an exclusive legal tender gold coin worth 12,000 pound sterling in honour of which cricket legend on 23 June 2014?

(A) Don Bardman

(B) Brain Lara

(C) Vivian Richards

(D) Sachin Tendulkar

8) Name the India-born plant scientist who has been named the winner of the $250,000 World Food Prize on 18 June 2014?

(A) Dr Sanjaya Rajaram

(B) Dr Dharmendra Kumar

(C) Dr Kasturi Rangan

(D) Dr Akshay Khanna

9) Name the defending champions of FIFA World Cup who were knocked out of FIFA World Cup 2014 on 18 June 2014?

(A) Argentina

(B) Spain

(C) Italy

(D) Brazil

10) Former Norwegian premier Gro Harlem Brundtland was named recently as the first recipient of which prize, which is touted as Asia's version of the Nobels?

(A) Abel Prize

(B) Pen Pinter Prize

(C) Ramon Magsasay Prize

(D) Tang Prize

Answers

1) Ans. (A) July 10

2) Ans. (D) Himachal Pradesh

3) Ans. (C) 90 days

4) Ans. (A) Mobile Seva

5) Ans. (A) Hinduism

6) Ans. (B) Aamir Khan

7) Ans. (D) Sachin Tendulkar

8) Ans. (A) Dr Sanjaya Rajaram

9) Ans. (B) Spain

10) Ans. (D) Tang Prize

Read More

Daily Current Affairs Updates: 23 June 2014

1) Modi Govt’s first general Budget on July 10: The Modi-led Government will present its first general Budget on July 10. This full-fledged Budget — to be presented by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley — will come at a time when expectations are high that the new dispensation will give a booster dose to the sagging Indian economy. While the Rail Budget will be presented on July 8, the Economic Survey will be tabled in the Lower House on July 9. The Budget session of Parliament will begin on July 7 and end on August 14. In all, the Budget session will have a total of 28 sittings over a month-long period.

2) Himachal park is now a World Heritage Site: The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh was accorded the Unesco World Heritage Site status on Monday. The Unesco World Heritage Site Committee at Doha in Qatar granted the status to the park under the criteria of “exceptional natural beauty and conservation of biological diversity.”The GHNP has now come in the league of Indian World Heritage Sites (WHS) such as the Taj Mahal, Ellora, Kaziranga National Park, Keoladeo National Park, Manas National Park, Nandadevi Biosphere Reserve and the Sunderbans.

3) RBI fixed timelines for regulatory approvals: Moving to a time-defined process, the Reserve Bank of India, on Monday, fixed schedules for various regulatory approvals, including grant of private bank licence, and also released a citizens’ charter for its various services such as clearing of transactions. The release of ‘Timelines for Regulatory Approvals’ and ’Citizens’ Charter’ for delivery of services on the RBI’s website is a part of implementation of non-legislative recommendations of the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (FSLRC), the central bank said in a notification. With regards to timeline for regulatory approvals, the RBI said, an applicant for private bank licence should be given in-principle approval within 90 days after receipt of report from the independent external advisory committee.

4) India's Mobile Seva Initiative Wins UN Public Service Award: An initiative conceptualised by the Indian government's Department of Electronics and Information Technology (Deity) to enable delivery of public services electronically through the mobile platform has been awarded a United Nations public service award. 'Mobile Seva', a nationwide initiative conceptualized, funded and implemented by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, is among the second place winners of the 2014 UN Public Service Awards, along with Bahrain, Brazil, Cameroon, Republic of Korea and Spain. The vision of Mobile Seva is to mainstream mobile governance in India as a new paradigm for e-delivery of public services through mobile devices.

5) President released first Encyclopedia on Hinduism: The basic tenet of Hinduism is happiness, health and enlightenment for everyone, and suffering, pain and agony for none, President Pranab Mukherjee said as he received the first copy of the Encyclopedia of Hinduism on 23 June 2014. Speaking at a function at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President complimented Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji of the Parmarth Niketan Rishikesh, the founder-chairman of India Heritage Research Foundation (IHRF) for undertaking the effort to bring out the encyclopedia.

6) Aamir Khan meets Narendra Modi, discusses social issues: Bollywood star Aamir Khan, who has been championining the cause of social issues, on 23 June 2014 met Prime Minister Narendra Modi herein New Delhi to discuss the problems which he highlights in his TV programme ‘Satyamev Jayate’. The 49-year-old actor and director later said the Prime Minister assured him that he would look into the issues raised by him.

7) Sachin Tendulkar honoured with exclusive gold coin issued by East India Company: Britain’s premium luxury goods brand East India Company has issued an exclusive legal tender gold coin worth 12,000 pound sterling in honour of Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar. The rare coin has been issued in honour of Tendulkar’s remarkable career spanning 24 years. “Only 210 gold coins, each weighing precisely 200g, are being issued to pay tribute to Tendulkar at a global level. Only very few will ever see this coin in the flesh, making them exceptionally rare and precious amongst thousands of fans who yearn to own a piece of the superstar’s legacy,” the London-based firm said in a statement.

Read More