Daily Current Affairs: 07 October 2014

1) Karnataka HC rejected Jayalalithaa bail plea: In yet another setback to AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa, the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday refused to release her on bail and rejected her plea for suspending the four-year prison sentence imposed by the trial court on September 27 in the disproportionate assets case. The court also rejected similar pleas of the other convicts in the case — V.K. Sasikala, V.N. Sudhakaran and J. Elavarasi. Ms. Jayalalithaa and others may now have to move the Supreme Court for bail. The court adjourned the hearing of the appeal to October 24. The court’s rejection of bail came despite Special Public Prosecutor G. Bhavani Singh telling the Court that “he has no objection for the release of the convicts on conditional bail.” Justice A.V. Chandrashekara said in his order that “no ground has been made out” by the convicts for suspending the sentence.

2) 2014 Nobel Prize for Physics announced: 2014 Nobel Prize for Physics goes to Japanese Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano alongwith Shuji Nakamura (US) for their invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes (LED) which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources. Read details>>http://goo.gl/CqtURg

3) President Presents Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for excellence in Public Administration, Academics and Management: The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presented the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence in Public Administration, Academics and Management for the year 2014 to Dr. Apathukatha Sivathanu Pillai at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 07.10.2014. Speaking on the occasion, the President said, the annual Award for excellence in Public Administration, Academics and management was an occasion to remember the values and ideals of Shastriji.

4) Michael Phelps banned for six months, no 2015 worlds:  Michael Phelps, the 18-time Olympic swim champion arrested last week for drunk driving, was banned for six months by USA Swimming and dropped from the 2015 World Championships. Monday's punishments came six days after Phelps was apprehended by police in his hometown of Baltimore and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, excessive speed and crossing the center line while driving inside a tunnel.

5) Nokia to shut down Chennai plant on November 1: Telecom gear maker Nokia said that it will shut down its Chennai plant from November 1 as Microsoft has terminated mobile purchase agreement from the the factory and it is left with no business. "Microsoft has informed Nokia that it will be terminating the manufacturing services defined in the agreement with effect from 1 November 2014. In absence of further orders from Microsoft, Nokia will suspend handset production at the Sriperumbudur facility from 1st November," Nokia said in a statement.

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Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2014

Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2014 announced 

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2014 to

Eric Betzig

Janelia Farm Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA,

Stefan W. Hell

Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, and German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany

and

William E. Moerner

Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

“for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy”

--> The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on Wednesday that for a long time, optical microscopy was held back by a presumed limitation: that it would never obtain a better resolution than half the wavelength of light.

--> Helped by fluorescent molecules, the Nobel laureates in Chemistry 2014 ingeniously circumvented this limitation. Their ground-breaking work has brought optical microscopy into the nano dimension.

--> In what has become known as nanoscopy, scientists visualize the pathways of individual molecules inside living cells. They can see how molecules create synapses between nerve cells in the brain; they can track proteins involved in Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and Huntington's diseases as they aggregate; they follow individual proteins in fertilized eggs as these divide into embryos.

--> It was all but obvious that scientists should ever be able to study living cells in the tiniest molecular detail. In 1873, the microscopist Ernst Abbe stipulated a physical limit for the maximum resolution of traditional optical microscopy: it could never become better than 0.2 micrometres.

--> Americans Betzig and Moerner and German scientist Hell have been awarded the Nobel prize in chemistry 2014 for having bypassed this limit. Due to their achievements the optical microscope can now peer into the nanoworld. Two separate principles are rewarded.

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Daily Current Affairs for exams: 06 October 2014

1) Nobel Prize for medicine 2014 announced: Nobel Prize for medicine 2014 awarded to British-American researcher John O'Keefe alongwith Norwegian couple, Edvard Moser and May-Britt Moser for their discovery of the brain's GPS system.  They revealed the mystery behind how the brain knows where we are and is able to navigate from one place to another. Read details: http://goo.gl/EJOwFZ

2) Eid-ul-Zuha celebrated across the nation: Lakhs of Muslims thronged mosques and Eidgahs on Monday to offer prayers as mass animal sacrifices, piety and spirit of brotherhood marked Eid-ul-Zuha which was celebrated across the country with traditional fervour. The celebrations were, however, a low-key affair in Jammu and Kashmir which is recovering from the losses of last month's devastating floods, with people observing austerity and many locals deciding to refrain from loud festivities.

3) Novak Djokovic thrashes Tomas Berdych to win fifth China Open title: Novak Djokovic thrashed Tomas Berdych in a one-sided contest to win his fifth China Open title on Sunday, while Maria Sharapova overcame Petra Kvitova 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 in the women’s final to move up to number two in the world rankings. Top seed Djokovic took 66 minutes to seal a 6-0, 6-2 win against Berdych, who raised his arms in celebration when he won a game to avoid the ignominy of a double bagel with the Serbian player leading 6-0, 5-0 and serving for the match.

4) World Habitat Day Observed across the World: World Habitat day was observed across the world on 6 October 2014. The purpose of this day is creation of the global awareness regarding the State of the towns and cities and the basic human right to adequate shelter. First Monday of October every year is designated as the World Habitat Day by the United Nation. The theme of the World Habitat Day 2013 is Shelter is my Right.

5) MS Dhoni becomes ISL team Chennaiyin FC co-owner: After the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has become the latest cricketer to own a football team in the high-profile Indian Super League, investing in the Chennaiyin FC ahead of the event starting October 12. Dhoni, the current Indian cricket captain, has pencilled a deal to be a co-owner of Chennaiyin FC along with Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan.

6) World Junior Chess Championship began in Pune: The World Junior Chess Championship began in Pune with a glittering ceremony attended by eminent dignitaries from the sporting world, entertainment and corporate world. The tournament will be played till 19th October and will be conducted in the Swiss League format, comprising of 13 rounds with one round scheduled each day.

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Nobel Prize for Physics 2014

Nobel Prize for Physics 2014 announced 

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Physics for 2014 to

Isamu Akasaki

Meijo University, Nagoya, Japan and Nagoya University, Japan

Hiroshi Amano

Nagoya University, Japan

and

Shuji Nakamura

University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

“for the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources”

--> The invention of an energy source that lights up our computer and/or mobile phone screens and holds promise to brighten up the quality of life of over 1.5 billion people around the world, has been awarded the Nobel prize for physics 2014.

--> The laureates were rewarded for having invented a new energy-efficient and environment-friendly light source — the blue light-emitting diode (LED).

--> According to the committee, the laureates' inventions revolutionized the field of illumination technology.

--> As about one fourth of world electricity consumption is used for lighting purposes, the LEDs contribute to saving earth's resources. Materials consumption is also diminished as LEDs last up to 100,000 hours, compared to 1,000 for incandescent bulbs and 10,000 hours for fluorescent lights.

--> When Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura produced bright blue light beams from their semi-conductors in the early 1990s, they triggered a fundamental transformation of lighting technology.

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September 2014 Current Affairs PDF: Fourth Week

Current Affairs PDF September 2014

Fourth Week

Download as PDF- Click Here

1) Name the campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 September 2014 to make India a manufacturing hub?

Ans. Make In India Campaign

Note: The campaign is aimed to attract foreign companies to set up their manufacturing units in India and to seek greater foreign investment.

2) Name the scheme launched by Union Government on 25 September 2014 aims at alleviating urban and rural poverty through enhancement of livelihood opportunities through skill development and other means?

Ans. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana

3) Which film was selected as India’s official entry in the 2015 Oscars Awards on 23 September 2014?

Ans. Liar's Dice

Note: The hindi film is directed by Geethu Mohandas. The 87th Oscar Awards event will take place in the US on 22 February 2015. The movie stars national award winning actors Geetanjali Thapa and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

4) India’s Mars Orbiter Mission, Manglayaan successfully entered the Martian orbit on?

Ans. 24 September 2014 

Note: By achieving this fete, India created the history of becoming the first country to insert the spacecraft of the mission around the Mars in first attempt.

5) Which tech giant on 22 September 2014 announced to launch a nationwide contest to develop a mobile app for Prime Minister’s office (PMO)?

Ans. Google

6) Name the rescue operation undertaken by Indian Army during Jammu and Kashmir floods recently?

Ans. Operation Megh Rahat

7) Name the Chief Minister of Maharashtra who has resigned on  26 September 2014 after his government was reduced to a minority?

Ans. Prithviraj Chavan

Note: Prepared by www. currentaffairs4examz.com His resignation came in the backdrop of withdrawal of the support of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) that supported Congress for the last 15 years.

8) Name the new name of Aajeevika Skills Development Programme (ASDP) which was launched by Union government on 25 September 2014?

Ans. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana

9) Which cricketers were recently selected as Bradman Honouree 2014?

Ans. Sachin Tendulkar and Steve Waugh

10) Which banks allowed kids to operate bank accounts independently on 24 September 2014?

Ans. SBI and ICICI

Note: The bank account is available for all kids above 10 who can sign uniformly. On 5 September 2014, SBI had launched new accounts Pehla Kadam and Pehli Udaan for kids. ICICI Bank has launched Smart Stars account and Federal Bank Limited has Young Champ Account for minors.

11) Who was appointed as the head coach of the national team of Srilanka on 24 September 2014?Visit:www.currentaffairs4examz.com

Ans. Marvan Atapattu, the former national cricket team captain

12) Board of Cricket for Control in India (BCCI) Working Committee on 26 September 2014 extended Ravi Shastri’s tenure as Director of Indian Cricket team till?

Ans. End of 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup

13) Union Government recently declared which day as Antyodya Diwas?

Ans. 25 September

Note: Antyodya diwas was observed to mark the 98th birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay. Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay was the noted philosopher, historian and political activist.

14) Name the renowned Hindi author was given the Saraswati Samman 2013 in New Delhi on 23 September 2014?

Ans. Govind Mishra

Note: He was given the Samman by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for his novel Dhool Paudhon Par that was published in 2008. Govind Mishra is the second Hindi author to be conferred with this honour after Harivansh Rai Bachchan in 1991.

15) Who was appointed as the new head of the Pakistan’s spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) on 22 September 2014?

Ans. Lieutenant General Rizwan Akhtar

16) CSIR on 26 September 2014 announced the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards 2014 for ten persons in recognition of their work. Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards is given in which field?

Ans. Science

17) Who are the winners of Right Livelihood Award 2014?

Ans. Edward Snowden and Alan Rusbridger

Note: The first one is former U.S. spy agency contractor and the other is the editor of The Guardian. The Right Livelihood Award is also known as Alternative Nobel prize of Sweden.

18) Who was selected for the JC Daniel Award for lifetime achievement for the year 2013 given by State Government of Kerala?

Ans. Noted writer and filmmaker MT Vasudevan Nair

19) UN Climate Change Summit 2014 was held at?

Ans. New York

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20) Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 22 September 2014 approved the appointment of whom as Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kerala-based South Indian Bank Ltd?

Ans. V.G. Mathew

21) The Forbes India magazine released The 100 Richest Indian List 2014 on 25 September 2014. Who has topped the list?

Ans. Mukesh Ambani

22) Who was appointed as the new president of the News Broadcasting Association (NBA) for the year 2014-2015 on 24 September 2014 ?

Ans. Rajat Sharma

Note: He is India TV chairman and editor-in-chief.

23) Union Ministry of Sports Sarbananda Sonowal on 22 September 2014  inaugurated National Academy for Athletics and National Golf Academy at?

Ans. Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

24) Internet major Yahoo! Inc. on 21 September 2014 acquired which Bangalore-based start-up firm for over 8 million US dollars?

Ans. BookPad Inc

25) Who was re-elected as the Prime Minister of New Zealand for a third term on 21 September 2014?Visit:www.currentaffairs4examz.com

Ans. John Key

26) AP Government on 23 September 2014 issued an order enhancing the upper age limit for direct recruitment in government service from 34 to?

Ans. 40 Years

27) Who was unanimously elected as Chairman of Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) for the year 2014-15 on 22 September 2014?

Ans. Amit Mathew

Note:  He is the resident editor and director of Malyala Manorama.

28) Ancient Nalanda University (NU) was formally inaugurated after 800 years on 19 September 2014 by Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj at?

Ans. Rajgir near Nalanda, Bihar. 

29) Who has sworn in as new Prime Minister of Fiji on 22 September 2014?

Ans. Voreqe Bainimarama

30) Which city will host ICC World Cricket League Division 3 from 23 to 30 October 2014?

Ans. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

31) Who won the Asian Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Leadership Award on 24 September 2014?

Ans. Sukinda Chromite Mine of the Tata Steel

32) Reserve Bank of India on 24 September 2014 released which report on Capacity Building in banks and non-banks?

Ans. Gopalakrishna Committee report

33) Who was appointed as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Sherpa for the Group of 20 annual Summit 2014 on 23 September 2014?

Ans. Suresh Prabhu

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Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2014

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2014 announced 

The 2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was divided with one half to

John O´Keefe

and the other half jointly to

May-Britt Moser and Edvard I. Moser

"for their discoveries of cells that constitute a positioning system in the brain"

--> Keefe is currently director of the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre in Neural Circuits and Behaviour at University College London.

--> This year's Nobel Laureates have discovered a positioning system, an "inner GPS" in the brain that makes it possible to orient ourselves in space, demonstrating a cellular basis for higher cognitive function. In 1971, John O'Keefe discovered the first component of this positioning system. He found that a type of nerve cell in an area of the brain called the hippocampus that was always activated when a rat was at a certain place in a room. Other nerve cells were activated when the rat was at other places. O'Keefe concluded that these "place cells" formed a map of the room.

--> More than three decades later, in 2005, May-Britt and Edvard Moser discovered another key component of the brain's positioning system. They identified another type of nerve cell, which they called "grid cells", that generate a coordinate system and allow for precise positioning and pathfinding. Their subsequent research showed how place and grid cells make it possible to determine position and to navigate.

--> The discoveries of John O'Keefe, May-Britt Moser and Edvard Moser have solved a problem that has occupied philosophers and scientists for centuries — how does the brain create a map of the space surrounding us and how can we navigate our way through a complex environment?

-->The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the first of the many Nobel prizes for 2014 on Monday.

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Daily Current Affairs Updates: 05 October 2014

1) Shah Rukh Khan received Global Diversity Award: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has been honoured with Global Diversity Award 2014 by British parliament for his contribution to cinema. House of Commons speaker John Bercow presented the award to Shah Rukh Saturday. "Now (in) parliament to receive the Global Diversity Award... Humbled and grateful. Thank you," he tweeted before the ceremony. The past recipients of the award include megastar Amitabh Bachchan, former beauty queen and actress Aishwarya Rai and Hollywood actor Jackie Chan.

2) Modi pays tribute to freedom fighter Shyamji Krishna Varma:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday paid tributes to freedom fighter Shyamji Krishna Varma on his 157th birth anniversary, urging people to visit his memorial. "On his birth anniversary, I bow to Shyamji Krishna Varma. A devout patriot, he inspired several nationalists, both in India and overseas," the prime minister said in a tweet. He added that Varma was closely associated with India House, which was a very active hub for the nationalist movement in London. Varma was a freedom fighter hailing from Gujarat. He was was born Oct 4, 1857 in Kutch.

3) President, PM greet nation on Eid-ul-Azha: President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday greeted the nation on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha and urged people to imbibe the spirit of love and service. "I convey greetings and best wishes to all fellow citizens, especially my Muslim brothers and sisters," the president said in a statement. "Let us imbibe the spirit of universal love, brotherhood, sacrifice and service which constitute eternal values always upheld by our composite culture and work unitedly for peace, progress and prosperity of our nation and the world," he added. "Eid-ul-Azha symbolizes sacrifice, faith and devotion."

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Current Affairs PDF September 2014 (Third Week)

Current Affairs PDF September 2014

Third Week

Download as PDF- Click Here

1) Who was India's flag bearer at 17th Asian Games opening ceremony held on 19 September 2014?

Ans. Sardar Singh

Note: Sardar Singh is the captain of Indian Hockey team.

2) Name the Mandolin maestro who died on 19 September 2014 in Chennai?

Ans. Uppalapu Srinivas

3) Name Asia's first women Grand Slam winner who on 19 September 2014 announced her retirement from Tennis at the age of 32?

Ans. Li Na

4) Who was appointed as chairperson of National Commission for Women (NCW) recently?

Ans. Lalitha Kumaramangalam

5) International Day for the preservation of the Ozone Layer was observed on 16 September 2014. What was the theme this year?

Ans. Ozone Layer Protection: The Mission Goes On.

6) National Hindi Divas (Hindi Day) was observed across India on 14 September 2014. Why was Hindi Diwas celebrated on this day?

Ans.  Hindi Day is observed because on 14 September 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India adopted Hindi written in Devanagari script as the Official Language of the Union.  

7) Which country on 19 September 2014 rejected the historic referendum for independence from United Kingdom through public voting?

Ans. Scotland

8) 17th Asian Games also known as XVII Asiad commenced at Asiad Main Stadium in Incheon, South Korea on 19 September 2104. What is the theme of Asian Games 2014?Visit: www.currentaffairs4examz.com

Ans.  Meet Asia’s Future

9) What was the slogan of Asian Games 2014?

Ans. "Diversity Shines Here"

10) Union Sports Ministry on 17 September 2014 agreed to honour which Boxer with Arjuna Award?

Ans. Manoj Kumar

Note: Ministry admitted in the court that Manoj was initially not considered for the award by the committee as they mistakenly believed that he was involved in a doping case.

11) US President Barack Obama on 18 September 2014 nominated which Indian-American as the next US Ambassador to India?

Ans. Richard Rahul Verma

12) Which state became the first Indian state to ratify the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Bill 2014?

Ans. Rajasthan

Note: The Bill seeks to end the two-decade-old collegium system of appointments and transfers of judges to higher judiciary.

13) Which place became a permanent venue for the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) as decided by Union Government recently?

Ans. Goa

14) Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah on 12 September 2014 released his autobiography named?

Ans. And then One Day: A Memoir.

15) Who won the Miss America pageant on 14 September 2014?

Ans. Miss Kira Kazantsev

16) Which country won FIBA Basketball World Cup 2014 by defeating Serbia on 14 September 2014?

Ans. USA

17) Name the young Indian shuttler won Indonesian Badminton Masters Grand Prix Gold on 14 September 2014?

Ans. HS Prannoy

18) US Senate on 19 September 2014 passed a bipartisan resolution declaring which day as US-India Partnership Day?

Ans. 30 September 2014

19) Name the Co-founder and leader of Oracle Corp who on 18 September 2014 stepped down as Chief Executive Officer (CEO)?

Ans. Larry Ellison

Note: Larry Ellison will now be the chairman of Oracle’s board and the Chief Technology Officer of the company.

20) Who became the first transgender television news anchor in India recently?

Ans. Padmini Prakash

Note: On the eve of Independence Day on 15 August 2014, she for the first time read out the day’s headlines from a teleprompter for the Lotus News Channel Studios.

21) President Pranab Mukherjee was on a visit to which foreign country from 14 to 17 September 2014?Visit: www.currentaffairs4examz.com

Ans. Socialist Republic of Vietnam

22) Chinese President Xi Jinping on 16 September 2014 appointed whom as China's new Ambassador to India?

Ans. Le Yucheng

23) Name the former Director General of Police of Assam who committed suicide on 17 September 2014?

Ans. Sanker Baruah  

Note: His suicide came after CBI raided his residence during the course of investigation of multi-crore Saradha chit fund case.

24) Who was appointed as United Nations Messenger of Peace with a special focus on climate change on 16 September 2014?

Ans. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio

25) International Economic Association (IEA) on 16 September 2014 appointed whom as president-elect of the association beginning September 2014?

Ans. Kaushik Basu

26) Which firm on 18 September 2014 launched equity index linked green bond?

Ans. BNP Paribas

Note:  It was launched in collaboration with the World Bank which will help raise funds for products seeking to mitigate climate change. It is the first equity index linked with green bond.

27) Which state police on 16 September 2014 decided to launch its first e-police station to deal exclusively with vehicle thefts?

Ans. Delhi Police

28) The 20th Asian Junior & Cadet Table Tennis Championship was held  from 12 to 16 September 2014 at?

Ans. Sardar Vallabhai Patel Indoor Stadium in Mumbai

29) Who was appointed as the Chairman of Quality Council of India (QCI) on 17 September 2014?

Ans. Adil Zainulbhai

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