Tit-Bits –November 2011

Tit-Bits

New albino spider species found

• Scientists claim to have found a new species of trap-door spider — the albino spider — near Northam in Australia.
  

US giant Omnicom will buy Mudra

• Omnicom Group will acquire a majority stake in Anil Ambani controlled Mudra Group, one of the largest domestic advertising firms, to step up growth in India.
  
• Anil Ambani sit on Omnicom’s International Advisory Committee to gain from “his vast experience in the international business community”.
  

Sharmila: Nationwide sit in protest held to support

• A nation-wide sit in protest were organised by Sharmila Kanba Lup, an organization working to save Sharmila as Irom Sharmila completed eleven years of fast demanding repeal of the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958 (AFSPA).
  
• Irom Chanu Sharmila(40) also known as the Iron Lady had launched a fast unto death agitation November 4 2000 after 8 Assam Rifles personnel shot dead ten civilians at Malom.
  
• Sharmila was nominated to the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize, awarded the 2007 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, shared the award with Lenin Raghuvanshi of People s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights, Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize 2010 Sarva Gunah Sampannah Award for Peace and Harmony , Mayillama Award (Kerala).
  

Satyam’s Raju released on Bail

• Former Satyam Computer Services Limited chairman B Ramalinga Raju, the main accused in India s biggest Corporate fraud case, his brother B Rama Raju and Chief Financial Officer of the Company Vadlamani Srinivas were released from the Chanculguda Central Jail on bail.
  

Prime Minister s Hajj Goodwill Delegation-2011

• Prime Minister s Hajj Goodwill Delegation-2011 was led by Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha K Rahman Khan.
  

D P Singh takes over as Punjab & Sind Bank CMD

• Mr Devinder Pal Singh, a 1980 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, has taken over as the chairman and managing director of public sector lender Punjab and Sind Bank.
  

141st birth anniversary of ‘Deshbandhu’

• Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das was remembered on his 141st birth anniversary.
  
• Chittaranjan Das (November 5, 1870- June 16, 1925) was a leading figure in Bengal during the Non-Cooperation Movement of 1919-1922, and initiated the ban on British clothes, setting an example by burning his own European clothes and wearing Khadi clothes.
  
• In Parliament of India, the portrait of Deshbandhu was unveiled by the then President of India Rajendra Prasad, in the Central Hall of Parliament House on September 12, 1958.
  

Salwan Marathon kicks off in New Delhi

• Salwan Marathon is the name of world s largest marathon for school children organized recently for 17th time in New Delhi. It witnessed participation of more than 47,000 school children and over 780 schools for its 17th edition. The marathon is organised annually and this year 1,700 visually challenged children also participated.
  

Girija Devi honoured with Tana Riri Award

• In Gujarat, Vadnagar is famous for two medieval time sisters “Tana” and “Riri” who sacrificed their lives for maintaining a tradition of singing only before village deity.
  
• They were during Akbar’s regime and were forced to sing in the court of Emperor Akbar.
  
• Recently, Noted vocalist and Thumri exponent Girija Devi has been awarded the Tana Riri award at 9th Tana Riri Samaroh by the Gujarat award at the 9th Tana Riri Samaroh . Last year, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle were given these awards in absentia.
  

India re-elected chair of international population body

• Indian Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has been re-elected the chairperson of intergovernmental body Partners in Population Development (PPD).
  

Dhoni becomes India’s most successful wicketkeeper

• Mahendra Singh Dhoni recently surpassed Syed Kirmani to become India’s most successful wicketkeeper in Tests.
  

India, China to be world’s largest trading partners by 2030

• As per Assocham, India and China can emerge as the world s largest trading partners by 2030 with bilateral trade set to rise from 63 billion dollars now to 100 billion dollars in the next four years.
  

Karvan-e-Aman bus service to PoK suspended because of Eid festival

• The Karvan-e-Aman bus service, operating between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) wasrecently suspended because of Eid-ul-Auha festival, on security grounds.
  

Kalam says that Kudankulam n-plant safe

• Former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam recently vouched for the safety of the proposed Kudankulam nuclear plant in
  
• Tamil Nadu, where a protest is underway by local residents against the facility. But he refused to be a negotiator between the protesters and the government
  

China to set up special fund for Soft Power

• China is planning to set up a special fund worth 200 million yuan (around $31 million) to finance arts and cultural performances in a bid to develop the country’s “Soft Power”.
  

Miss Venezuela is Miss World 2011, Kanishtha Dhankhar of India fails to make it to top 25

• At an extravagant ceremony at the Earls Court in London, Miss Venezuela Ivian Sarcos crowned Miss World 2011. Miss India World Kanishtha Dhankhar failed to make it to the top 25.
  
• Miss Philippines Gwendoline Ruais was the first runner-up and Miss Puerto Rico Amanda Perez became the second runner-up.
  
• Model-turned-actress Priyanka Chopra was the last Indian model to win the title in 2000.
  

The Indus Nanotech Association (TINA)

• The Indus Nanotech Association (TINA) is the name of a new group of Indian Americans professionals that has been recently launched to connect entrepreneurs and businesspersons, researchers, technologists and investors.
  

Uttar Pradesh: Highest MSP for Sugarcane announced

• With an eye to the 2012 assembly elections, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati announced a steep hike in the sugarcane purchase price, making it the highest in the country.
  

Hilton No.1 international hotel brand in India

• Hilton Hotels & Resorts, the flagship brand of Hilton Worldwide, has been ranked the No.1 international hotel brand in India in a survey of business travellers conducted by British market research agency BDRC Continental.
  

New measure raises American poor to 49 million

• By American standards, more than 49 million or 16 percent of the people in the world’s richest nation were living in poverty in 2010 under an alternative measure released by the Census Bureau.
  

Chanda Kochhar tops Fortune India’s powerful businesswomen’s list

• ICICI Bank MD and CEO Chanda Kochhar tops Fortune India’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business list. Filmmakers Ekta Kapoor and Farah Khan, apart from VLCC founder Vandana Luthra and veteran designer Ritu Kumar, also featured on Fortune India’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business list.
  

TRAI to float consultation paper on priority call routing

• With emergencies like natural calamities or terror attacks in mind, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) plans a consultation paper on priority call routing in mobile networks for people engaged in “response and recovery” work.
  

Planning commission says yes for investment in Leh Project

• The Planning Commission has given investment clearance to the scheme Flood Protection and Training works on Igoo Nallah in Leh District, Jammu and Kashmir.
  
• The scheme is estimated to cost Rs 35.83 crore at 2010-11 (Price Level). The project envisages channelisation of Igoo Nallah for a length of 13.6885 km with construction of PCC or Gabion wall on both the banks. It also involves construction of 45 Check Dams across the Nallah at suitable intervals.
  
• The Nallah is prone to flash floods during heavy rainfall or due to sudden downpour of the cloud burst. The scheme will benefit around 38.25 hectares of cultivated land and homestead land, including public and private properties involving nearly 3500 people.
  

US food major McCormick and Kohinoor Foods join hands for Indian market

• US food giant McCormick announced its 85:15 joint venture with Kohinoor Speciality Foods for evolving the Indian partner into a rice to food major and bring to India passion of flavour in cooking ingredients and convenience food categories.
  

Tendulkar becomes first cricketer to get 15000 Test runs

• Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar achieved another milestone, becoming first cricketer to cross 15,000-runs mark in Test cricket. He got to the mark in his 182nd Test and 300th inning. He is the leading run getter in both Test and ODI cricket.
  

Tibetans protest ‘remove Free Tibet flag’ scene in movie Rockstar

• Tibetan activists held a protest in McLeodganj – the seat of Tibetan government-in-exile, opposing Censor Board s directive to makers of upcoming Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Rockstar to remove or blur scene of Free Tibet flag. The Imtiaz Ali-directed movie has shown Tibetans with the Free Tibet flag in a song sequence Sada haq ithe rakh which was shot in Norbulingka Monastery.
  

SEBI approves IPO norms for Life Insurance sector

• SEBI approved the Initial Public Offering (IPO) norms for Life Insurance Companies. The guidelines framed by IRDA are also approved by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and waiting for gazette notification by the government. The insurance regulator has finalised the norms last year which were sent to the market regulator for its approval.
  

NALCO signs JV agreement with NPCIL for Nuclear Plant

• National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) signed an agreement to form a Joint venture company for establishment of Nuclear Power Plants in India.
  

Mumbai hosted first WikiConference in India

• Aiming to tap the Indian community, the first WikiConference by the Wikimedia Foundation in India was hosted in Mumbai Nov 18.
  

‘Coal to become top fuel by 2035’:

• As per International Energy Agency (IEA), Coal will overtake oil as the largest fuel in the global energy mix by 2035.
  

Konkan Railway bags two more international patents:

• The Konkan Railway granted two more international patents for its Sky Bus in United Kingdom (UK). It was granted Intellectual Property Patent Nos GB2457864 and GB2458605 for the Track Switching System for an Elevated Suspended Coach Transportation System.
  
• The total number of national / international patents of KR on its various innovative technologies like Sky Bus, Anti-Collision Device and Track Identification System in India and abroad has gone up to 22 patents.
  

Indian n-plants absolutely safe

• Atomic panel chief: Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) chairman Srikumar Banerjee said that All Indian nuclear plants are “absolutely safe”, and indicated that people living around the upcoming Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) in Tamil Nadu could have been “misled”.
  

Gambhir to donate his body parts

• Ace Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir recently pledged to donate his body organs to a Delhi hospital after his death.
  

Facebook, Twitter to woo youth to vote

• With many in the 18-35 age group keeping away from polling booths, the Election Commission is endeavouring to reach out to them through social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
  

National Education Day

• November 11, 2011: Birth anniversary of India s first Education Minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, which is observed as National Education Day.
  

Srinath Raghavan wins K. Subrahmanyam Award

• Srinath Raghavan, a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, won the K. Subrahmanyam Award instituted by think tank Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA).
  

UNESCO creates fund to overcome US-induced shortfall

• UNESCO launched an emergency multi-donor fund to overcome a shortfall caused by the US withholding its dues. The African nation of Gabon immediately donated $2 million to the fund.
  

SRK to be Bengal brand ambassador

• Shah Rukh Khan, to represent Bengal as its brand ambassador.
  

India on World Heritage Committee for 4 years

• India has been elected to the World Heritage Committee, getting the second highest number of votes after Japan in the election in Paris Nov. It will serve on the panel for four years.
  

Honour for Indian dentist Dr T V Padmanabhan:

• Dr T V Padmanabhan, Professor and Head, Department of Prosthodontics, Sri Ramachandra University (SRU) has become the first Indian dentist to President the Asian Prosthodontic Academy. Dr Padmanabhan is the immediate Past President of the Indian Prosthodontic Society and is a reputed clinician, teacher and researcher.
  

SC asks Centre to submit report on Pak prisoners in Indian jails:

• The Supreme Court a directed the Central government to submit a status report over the Pakistani nationals languishing in Indian jails without any trial. The direction was issued on a PIL, filed by Panthers Party president Prof Bhim Singh, seeking directions to the Centre to release all Pakistani nationals who have been languishing in Indian jails without any trial or have already served more than the maximum sentence awarded for their offence.
  

Gangetic river dolphins on road to recovery

• The population of the endangered Gangetic river dolphin has grown to 223 from about 175 last year at the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary, India’s only dolphin sanctuary, located in Bihar.
  

NASA to launch Mars rover in November

• NASA will launch its car-sized Mars rover named Curiosity in November 2011.
  

Cabinet approves mandatory procurement from MSEs:

The government has given its nod to a procurement policy under which 20 percent of goods purchased by central ministries and public sector undertakings would be from micro and small enterprises (MSEs).

Cambridge launches study on ancient India

Britain’s Cambridge University has embarked on a landmark exercise in ‘linguistic archaeology’, which is expected to unearth greater knowledge of India’s ancient intellectual and religious traditions. The effort will involve completion of a comprehensive examination of the South Asian manuscript collection at the university’s library, which includes the oldest dated and illustrated Sanskrit document in the world.

Month: Current Affairs - November, 2011

Category: Government Schemes Current Affairs