1) Multiple
attacks rocked Kashmir Valley: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s
election rally in Srinagar and Anantnag on Monday, four separate militant
attacks rocked the Kashmir Valley on 5 December 2014. In the most serious attack
of the day, six militants stormed an Army camp at Uri, 20 km from the Line of
Control, around 3 a.m. In the ensuing gun battle, eight Army soldiers,
including a Lieutenant- Colonel, three Jammu and Kashmir policemen and all the
six militants were killed.
2) Cabinet
secretary Ajit Seth gets six-month extension: Cabinet secretary Ajit Seth
was on Friday given a six-month extension in service, third time after he was
appointed to the top bureaucratic post. The extension of Seth was approved by
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi. The ACC has approved extension of Seth as Cabinet secretary for a further
period of six months beyond December 13, an order issued by the department of
personnel and training (DoPT) said.
3) ICICI
Bank sells Russian subsidiary to Sovcombank: The board of country’s largest
private sector lender ICICI Bank on 5 December 2014 approved sale of the bank’s
shareholding in its Russian subsidiary ICICI Bank Eurasia, to a third party
Sovcombank. “ICICI Bank Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the
Bank at its meeting held on December 05, 2014, approved a proposal for the sale
of ICICI Bank’s shareholding in ICICI Bank Eurasia Limited Liability Company
(IBEL), a non-material wholly-owned banking subsidiary in Russia, to
Sovcombank, an unrelated third party Russian bank,” ICICI Bank said in a
release to the Bombay Stock Exchange.
4) SBICap
Trustee launched online Will creation service: To help individuals create
their own Wills seamlessly, SBICap Trustee Company -- a subsidiary of the
investment banking arm of the country's largest lender SBI -- on 5 December
2014 launched an online Will creation service. The service, christened
"MyWill Services Online", allows users to create their Will in a six
step process involving registration, verification, payment, data entry, review
and generation, SBICap Trustee Company said. It said the service is the only
online Will creation portal in the country and assured that data shared will be
kept confidential. Users will be charged Rs 2,500, excluding payment gateway
charges and taxes, for creation of the Wills, which can also be edited within a
stipulated time, it said.
5)
RBI eases rules for white label ATMs: The Reserve Bank of India has allowed
operators of white label Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) to accept
international credit, debit and prepaid cards. It also also eased rules for
cash supply tie-ups at these. A while label ATM (WLA) is operated by a non-bank
entity; customers from any bank may withdraw money from these, for a fee.
6) Maldives
hit by water crisis, India sends help: With the Maldivian capital facing an
acute water crisis after a fire in the city's water treatment plant, India on 5
December 2014 sent an IAF transport aircraft and naval vessels carrying a large
consignment of water to meet the immediate requirement of over 100,000 people.
A major fire broke out at the Male Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC) generator
control panel on December 4, causing extensive damage to the cabling of the
generator to the Distillation plants and disconnection of water supply. The
only water available at Male is stored in tanks and sumps and is being supplied
for one hour every twelve hours. The city, located on a low-lying island in the
Indian Ocean, has no natural water source and entirely depends on treated sea
water.
7) PM
Narendra Modi named 'Asian of the Year' by Singapore daily: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi was on 5 December 2014 named 'Asian of the Year' for being
development-focused leader of India by editors of Singapore's leading daily,
The Straits Times. "Despite being relatively new to the job, he has
already made a mark on Asia, reaching out to neighbours and receiving national
leaders including Xi Jinping of China and Tony Abbott of Australia," said
the Singapore Press Holdings Limited, publisher of the daily.
8) International
Volunteer Day observed: The International Volunteer Day for Economic and
Social Development was observed across the world on 5 December 2014. The day,
which is also known as International Volunteer Day (IVD), gives volunteers a
chance to work together on projects and campaigns promoting their contributions
to economic and social development at local, national and international levels.
9)
Don't replace Mahatma Gandhi with other leaders on banknotes: RBI panel : A
Reserve Bank panel has decided against the inclusion of any other national
leader's image on banknotes saying that no other personality could better
represent the ethos of India than Mahatma Gandhi. On the advice of government,
RBI had constituted a committee for designing future currency note in October
2010, finance minister Arun Jaitley said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
He said the Committee, inter alia, deliberated on the issue of changing the
existing image of Mahatma Gandhi and inclusion of certain other personalities
in the new design of banknotes. "After due consideration, the committee
decided that no other personality could better represent the ethos of India
than Mahatma Gandhi," Jaitley said.
10) Nasa
launches new Orion spacecraft and new era: Nasa's new Orion spacecraft
streaked into orbit 5 Dec 2014 on a high-stakes test flight meant to usher in a
new era of human exploration leading ultimately to Mars. The unmanned orbital
journey began with a sunrise liftoff witnessed by thousands of Nasa guests.
Parts of the spacecraft peeled away exactly as planned, falling back toward
Earth as onboard cameras provided stunning views of our blue, cloud-covered
planet.
