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Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve

www.endeavorcareers.com December 2015-Issue-I THE GENESIS

2

The GenesisNovember2015-Issue-II

Current Affairs

FDInormseasedacross15sectors 3

India 5

States 10

World 11

Sports 15

Economy 16

Corporate

29

CyberBuzz 24

Science&Technology 25

People

Faces:LewisHamilton 14

BusinessBiography:MarkZuckerberg 19

Knowledge Corners

RecentReleases:IndianFamilyBusinessMantras,DialDforDon 27

GD:Seventh

Central

Pay

Commission

recommendations

28

Crossword,Sudoku 29,36

Doyouremember? 30

CorporateKnowledgeQuiz 32

PointCounterpoint 35

FDI relaxations: 3

The relaxations announced

are important from the

standpoint of the ease ofdoing business.The fact that

the opening-up to FDI hashappened notwithstanding

electoral reverses sends out awelcome signal of a

government committed to

reforms

Group Discussion: 28

The seventh Central PayCommission (CPC) headed by

Justice A.K. Mathur has

proposed a hike of 23.55% insalaries for 4.7 million

government employees and

5.2 million pensioners

payable from January 2016

Ahm edabad CO & Centre: 101, Suyojan Towers, Near. Hotel President, Off. C.G. Road Ahmedabad 09:079 26464053/26420509

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Gandhi Nagar: 302, Swagat Rain Forest - I, Block A, Near. City Pulse, Gandhinagar 382007:079 - 23600050/32449313Surat: UL/45-48, Pooja Abhishek, Opp S.P.B. College, Athwa Lines:0261 - 313 4418/3992675

Bhopal: RMJ Educational Services, 174, Modi Complex, M P Nagar Zone II, Bhopal 462011; :0755 - 4009501

Jaipur: 302, Ganga Heights, Opp. Apex Mall, Lal Kothi, Tonk Road, Jaipur:01414044315

Kanpur: 117/H-1/368, Ist Floor, Above SBI Bank, Pandu Nagar, Near Neer Ksheer Chouraha, Kakadeo, Kanpur 208025;:8808017100, 8808011100

Thane: 501, 5thFloor, Thakor Niwas,Opp. Thane Station (West), Near Thane Post Office, Thane (W) 400 601:022-25444600/41009898

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Bangalore: 702-2nd

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thCross,OppRaghwendra Temple, 5

thBlock Jayanagar-Bangalore560041.:080-41310888/41550888

Predicting rain doesn't count.Building arks does. Warren Buffett


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3

FDI norms eased across 15 sectorsThe easing of norms increase the opportunity and flexibility for foreigners to invest into Indiaand should have a significant impact on resource inflows.

The government hasaimed at giving a big

boost to Foreign Direct

Investment (FDI),

easing norms across 15

sectors including

defence, banking,

construction, single

brand retail,

broadcasting and civil

aviation. The move is aimed at boosting the investment

environment and attracting more foreign capital to the

country.

For facilitating faster approvals on most of the proposals,

the government also raised the threshold limit of approval

by Foreign Investment Promotion Board from the earlier

Rs.3,000 crore to Rs.5,000 crore. As per the extant policy,

FIPB considers foreign investment proposals of inflow up

to Rs.3,000 crore and those above that limit are placed for

consideration of the Cabinet Committee on Economic

Affairs.

The crux of these reforms is to further ease, rationalise

and simplify the process of foreign investments in the

country and to put more and more FDI proposals onautomatic route instead of Government route where time

and energy of the investors is wasted.

For the sake of ease of doing business, the Industry

Ministry will soon consolidate all FDI related instructions

contained in various notifications & press notes and

prepare a booklet so that the investors do not have to refer

to several documents of different time-frames.

Sectorscovered

Construction sector

The struggling construction sector will be a major

beneficiary as radical changes in FDI norms have been

brought in to boost demand for steel, cement and spur

economic activity, ultimately with an aim to help build 50

million affordable houses for the poor. Several conditions

have been removed including the area restriction of floor

area of 20,000 square metres in construction development

projects and minimum capitalisation of $5 million which

needed to be brought in within six months of the

commencement of business. Also, foreign investors have

been allowed to exit and repatriate their investment under

automatic route before the completion of the projectprovided they complete a lock-in period of three years.

The condition of lock-in-period would not apply to hotels

and tourist resorts, hospitals, special economic zones

(SEZs), educational institutions, old age homes and

investment by NRIs.

Defence production

Foreign investment up to 49 per cent has been allowed

under automatic route from the earlier government

approved route. Proposals for foreign investment in

excess of 49 per cent will be considered by FIPB.

Portfolio investment and foreign venture capitalinvestment, which were restricted to 24 per cent, have

now been hiked to 49 per cent and that too through the

automatic route. To ensure that ownership and control

remain in Indian hands, Government approval will be

required in case of infusion of fresh foreign investment

within the permitted automatic route level, resulting in

change in the ownership pattern or transfer of stake by

existing investor to new foreign investor.

Broadcasting

In terrestrial Broadcasting FM (FM Radio), and in up-

linking of News & Government route Current AffairsTV Channels FDI upto 49 per cent is allowed through the

FIPB route (from the earlier 26 per cent), while 100 per

cent FDI is allowed through the automatic route in up-

linking of Non-News & Current Affairs TV Channels.

100 per cent FDI is also allowed (up to 49 per cent

automatic route and beyond that through government

route) in teleports, direct to home, cable networks, mobile

TV, headend in the sky broadcasting service and cable

networks.

Banking

In private sector banking, a composite cap has been

brought in by removing the sub-limits for FDI and FII,

thereby allowing FIIs/FPIs/QFIs to invest up to the

sectoral limit of 74 per cent provided there is no change

of control and management of the investee company. The

existing foreign portfolio limit of 49 per cent was coming

in the way of fund raising plans of private sector banks

such as Yes Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Axis Bank.

The new rule will give the banks and investors

considerable flexibility in raising funds and investing

respectively.


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Plantations

Plantation activities namely; coffee, rubber, cardamom,

palm oil tree and olive oil tree plantations will now be

eligible for 100 per cent foreign investment underautomatic route. As of now, only tea plantation was open

to foreign investment.

NRI investments

Investment by companies/trusts/partnerships owned &

controlled by NRIs on non-repatriation basis will now be

treated as domestic investment.

E-commerce

Manufacturers have been allowed to sell their product

through wholesale and/or retail, including through e-

commerce without Government approval.

Retail

Though multi-brand retail has been left untouched, the

government has announced easing of several

conditionalities for single brand retail trade (SBRT) and

e-commerce. In case of state of art and cutting edge

technology, sourcing norms (that 30 per cent of value of

goods will have to be purchased from India) can be

relaxed subject to Government approval. The government

also permitted entities who have been granted permission

to undertake SBRT, to do e-commerce. The government

has eased FDI policy conditionalities for Single Brand

Retail Trading, besides permitting 100 per cent FDI in

duty free shops. Also, a single entity will be permitted to

undertake both the activities of single brand retail trading

and wholesale with the condition that conditions of FDI

policy on wholesale/cash & carry and SBRT have to be

complied by both the business arms separately. Currently,

wholesale/cash & carry trader cannot open retail shops to

sell to the consumer directly.

LLPs

100 per cent FDI in LLPs (Limited Liability Partnerships)

has been permitted under automatic route.

Aviation

Regional Air Transport Service will be eligible for

foreign investment up to 49 per cent under automatic

route. Under the present FDI policy, foreign investment

up to 49 per cent is allowed only in Scheduled Air

Transport Service/ Domestic Scheduled Passenger

Airline.

Foreign equity caps

Foreign equity caps in non-Scheduled Air Transport

Service, Ground Handling Services, Satellites-

establishment and operation and Credit InformationCompanies have now been increased from 74 per cent to

100 per cent. Further, sectors other than Satellites-

establishment and operation have been placed under the

automatic route.

Commitmenttoreforms

The relaxations announced are important from the

standpoint of the ease of doing business.But more

important is the timing. It came soon after the humbling

of the ruling alliance at the Centre in the Bihar assembly

elections. The fact that the opening-up to FDI has

happened notwithstanding electoral reverses sends out awelcome signal of a government committed to reforms.

While it would be an exaggeration to call it the biggest

liberalisation initiative since 1991, the larger message and

symbolism cannot be missed. Whether these measures

will result in actual investment immediately is, of course,

another matter. Real estate and construction, for instance,

are in the doldrums because of an over-supply of units

and lack of buyer appetite. It is doubtful whether just

making it easier for foreign investors to enter and exit will

address the underlying problem of demand.

By getting back to business with a big bang reforms push,Modi has signalled his resolve to regain the initiative on

the economic front, political setbacks notwithstanding.

The economy badly needs that kind of focus. It is high

time our political parties evolved some kind of consensus

on not allowing local political issues to come in the way

of national governance. The relaxations demonstrate this

administrations stated principle of less government,

more governance at work. This, as much as the reform

measures themselves, should address one of the major

areas of concern for foreign investors about doing

business in India not the rules themselves so much asthe complications of compliance.

That said, all the measures announced fall within the

ambit of executive discretion and do not require

parliamentary approval. Pushing through other key

reforms, including the much delayed Goods and Services

Tax regimewill not be as easy; they will require

considerable political management on the ruling partys

part to bring about broader consensus.


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www.endeavorcareers.com August 2015-Issue-II THE GENESIS

5

Current Affairs: India

HAPPENINGS

OROP notified: The One-Rank- One-Pension Scheme for ex-servicemen was brought into force on November 7with government issuing a notification which will benefit over 25 lakh veterans and war widows. The benefits will be

effective with effect from July 1, 2014. Pension will be re-fixed for all pensioners on the basis of the average of

minimum and maximum pension of personnel retiring in 2013 in the same rank and with the same length of service.

Pension for those drawing above the average shall be protected. In future, the pension would be re-fixed every 5 years.

The armed forces personnel who opt to get discharged on their request would henceforth not get OROP benefits. The

government has also decided to appoint a Judicial Committee to look into anomalies, if any, arising out of

implementation of OROP.

Coastal exercise Theera Veta held: A three-day comprehensive coastal security exercise Theera Vetainvolving multiple security agencies conducted along the entire coast of Kerala, Lakshadweep, Minicoy islands and

Mahe, was organised in November. The entire exercise was coordinated by the Coast Guard and monitored at the Joint

Operation Centre at the naval base in Kochi.

BrahMos missile test-fired: Supersonic cruise missile BrahMos, with a strike-range of over 290 kms, was test-fired from the navys newest stealth destroyer INS Kochi successfully hitting a decommissioned target ship in the

Arabian Sea in November. The missilehit decommissioned target ship Alleppey located at a distance covering nearly

the full range of the missile with high precision. BrahMos as the prime strike weapon will ensure the warships

invincibility by engaging naval surface targets at long ranges, thus making the destroyer another lethal platform of Indian

Navy, Sudhir Mishra, CEO and MD of BrahMos Aerospace said.

Agni-IV test-fired: The Strategic Force Command of the Indian Army successfully test-fired the nuclear-capableballistic missile Agni-IV from the Integrated Test Range at Abdul Kalam Island in the Odisha coast in November. The

indigenously developed surface-to-surface Agni-IV missile is capable of hitting a target at a distance of 4,000 kilometres.

CCTNS to be completed by March 2017: The government has decided to fast track the implementation of theCrime and Criminals Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) Project by March 2017. It also decided to implement

Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS) by integrating CCTNS with E-Courts, E-prisons, Forensics and Prosecution-

the key components of the criminal Justice System. This will ensure quick data transfer among different pillars of

criminal justice system. Police-Citizen interface will improve as many services will be enabled through citizen portal.

SC clears appointments by Collegium: The Supreme Court has said that the now revived collegium system cango ahead and appoint judges to fill vacancies in the higher judiciary which had been kept pending for the last eight

months. A five judge constitution bench said that appointments through the present system of Collegium will not be put

on hold until the Constitution Bench decides on reforms. In October 2015, apex court struck down National Judicial

Appointments Commission (NJAC) as unconstitutional for appointing judges to the SC and High Courts.

IISc makes Indian debut in top 100 world university ranking: The Indian Institute of Science (IISc)Bangalore has become the first Indian institution to enter the worlds top 100 universities in the Times Higher Education

(THE) Ranking for Engineering & Technology in November. IISc was 99thin a list that had Stanford, California Institute

of Technology (CalTech) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the top three positions. Whether you look

at high tech sectors such as IT or aerospace engineering or more traditional fields such as steelmaking, Indias

engineering and technology prowess is highly visible the world over in the shape of companies based in India or run by

people born in India, such as Google and Microsoft, Infosys and Wipro or Tata and Mittal, said THE.

NGT asks states to curb crop burning: Worried over high pollution level and thick smog engulfing the nationalcapital, the National Green Tribunal Delhi and four northern states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan in

November to notify steps to check the menace of crop burning and imposed a fine on farmers indulging in such activities.


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Particulate matter (PM) in Delhi stood at 460 mg per cubic metres, as against a maximum of 60 mg, and the percentage

of carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide was also on higher side in November.

Mizoram, Meghalaya best states in gender parity: Mizoram and Meghalaya are the two states in the countrywith the least gender gap, according to McKinsey Global Institutes (MGI) The Power of Parity: Advancing WomenEquality in India report released in November. In contrast, Assam, Bihar, MP, Jharkhand, and UP have been grouped as

Indias bottom five states on gender parity by MGI. MGI studied gender equality indicators across 95 countries in an

attempt to quantify the economic potential of closing the gender gap around the world.

IMPRINT India launched: IMPRINT India a pan-IIT and IISc joint initiative to develop a roadmap forresearch aimed at solving engineering and technology challenges was launched by President Pranab Mukherjee in

November. It aims to identify areas of immediate relevance to society requiring innovation, direct scientific research into

identified areas, ensure higher funding support for research into these areas and measure outcomes of the research effort

with reference to impact on the standard of living in the rural/urban areas.

Only 4.5% Indians graduate or PG: Only 4.5% of the population in the country is educated upto the level of

graduate or above while a majority of 32.6% population is not even educated upto the primary school level. This wasrevealed in an analysis of 2011 census data on literacy, workers and educational levels, released by the Registrar General

and Census Commissioner of India in November. Those with primary education are 25.2%, middle -15.7%, matric -

11.1% and higher secondary 8.6%.

India re-elected to UNCITRAL: India has been re-elected to the UN Commission on International Trade Law(UNCITRAL) for another six year term (2016-2022) in November. The UNCITRAL is recognised as the core legal body

of the United Nations system in the field of international trade law.

EVENTS I: The first International Conference on Gender Equality(ICGE) was organised in Thiruvananthapuramfrom November 12 to 14 by the Kerala Governments Department of Social Justice in association with UN Women. The

second World Congress on Disaster Management was organised in Visakhapatnam, AP from November 19 to 22

jointly by the state government and Disaster Management, Infrastructure and Control Society (DMICS).Prime Minister

Narendra Modi called for targeted economic sanctions to disrupt fund flows for terrorists in his address to the sixth

Global Focal Point Conferenceon Asset Recovery in International Perspective held in New Delhi on November 18.

EVENTS II:The 24th session of the Indian Art History Congresswas organised in Coimbatore from November 21to 23. Health Minister J. P. Nadda said that addressing the issue of maternal and child malnutrition is high on government

agenda in his address to the three-day First Foods Summit in Mumbai organised by the state in association with

UNICEF in November. Vice-President Hamid Ansari said that social innovation is inseparable from the cultural,

ecological, political and spiritual environment in which it takes place during his address at the third National

Conference on Social Innovationorganized by the Pune International Centre on November 17. The second India Idea

Conclavewas organised in Panaji in November with the theme Learnings from Civilization.

35th IITF held in New Delhi: The 35th edition of India International Trade Fair (IITF) was organised at Pragati

Maidan in New Delhi from November 14 to 27. This year Afghanistan was the partner country and Bangladesh wasroped in as the focus country. Within states, Goa and Jharkhand were partner states, while MP was the focus state.

IMPORTANTDAYSINNOVEMBER

WORLDNov 2: International Day to End Impunity for Crimes

against Journalists

Nov 10: World Science Day for Peace and

Development

Nov 14: Guinness World Records Day

Nov 15: World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic

Victims

Nov 16: International Day of Tolerance


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Nov 19: World Philosophy Day

Nov 19: World Toilet Day

Nov 20: Universal Childrens Day

Nov 20: Africa Industrialization Day

Nov 21: World Fisheries Day

Nov 21: World Television Day

Nov 24: World Quality Day

Nov 25:International Day for the Elimination of

Violence against Women

Nov 26: Anti-Obesity Day

INDIANov 11: National Education Day

Nov 12: Public Service Broadcasting Day

Nov 14: Childrens Day

Nov 21: Law Day

Nov 21: National Milk Day

Nov 26: Constitution Day

AWARDS

Infosys Prize: The six winners of the Infosys Prize 2015 for their outstanding contribution in their respective subjectswere announced by the software majors Science Foundation announced in Bengaluru in November. Winners: Mahan

Maharaj: Mathematical Sciences, Umesh Waghmare: Engineering & Computer Science, G. Ravindra Kumar: Physical

Sciences, Amir Sharma: Life Sciences, Srinath Raghavan: Social Sciences, Jonardon Ganeri: Humanities. The prestigious

prize for each of six categories consists of a purse of Rs.65 lakh, a 22-karat gold medallion and a citation certificate.

Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Developmentfor 2015 will be awarded to the Officeof the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, it was announced in New Delhi on November 19. This was

decided by an international jury headed by Vice President Hamid Ansari. UN General Assembly established UNHCR on

December 14, 1950 initially to help people displaced by World War II. The prize carries a cash award of Rs 25 lakh and a

citation. It was first awarded in 1986.

International Childrens Film Festival of India: The 19thInternational childrens film festival of Indiaconcluded in Hyderabad on November 20 in the presence of the Childrens Film Society of India Chairman, Mukesh

Khanna. Golden Elephant awards were presented to best films in various categories. Korean film How to Steal a Dog

was adjudged as the best film in Asian Panorama section. Belgiums film Song of the Sea bagged the best animated

film award. The week-long festival witnessed screening of nearly 300 national and international films in 12 theatres intwin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

Mother Teresa awards: Bilquis Bano, the Pakistani caretaker of Indian girl Geeta, and the global humanitarian aidprovider Medecins Sans Frontieres have been selected for Mother Teresa Memorial International Award-2015 for

social justice in November. The prestigious award has been instituted by the Harmony Foundation, Mumbai.

Global Diversity List: Noted Indian social reformer and founder of NGO Sulabh, Bindeshwar Pathak, has beenincluded in The Global Diversity List of 50 top world personalities by The Economist in November. Others in the list,

which recognises the achievements of individuals who have used their position in public life to make an impact in

diversity include US President Barak Obama, Microsofts Bill Gates, Spiritual guru The Dalai Lama and Pakistani

Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai.

Mumbai Film Festival: Gurvinder Singhs Chauthi Koot was the Best Film at the 17th Mumbai Film Festivalthat concluded on November 6 winning the Golden Gateway Award in the India Gold section. In the international

competition section, Guatemalan- French drama film Ixcanul (Volcano) by Jayro Bustamante, won the top award-

The Golden Gateway Award.

Press Council Awards: The Press Council of India (PCI) national awards for excellence in journalism for 2015were presented on National Press Day November 16. Press Trust of India (PTI)s Shahbaz Khan was selected for the

award for photo-journalism in single news picture category, while Tashi of Indian Express bagged the honour in the

photo feature category. Sharad Vyas of Mid-Day won in the investigative journalism category. Vinoy Mathew of

Matrubhumi and Sujit Chakraborty of Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) were named joint winners in the


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developmental reporting and rural journalism category. CR Sasikumar of Indian Express won in the category of best

newspapers art covering cartoons, caricatures and illustrations.

Birla Kalashikhar awards: Santoor maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma was conferred this years Aditya VikramBirla Kalashikhar Puraskar for lifetime achievement in Hindustani music, in Mumbai on in November. The Jammu-born77-year-old Pandit Sharma was conferred Padma Vibhushan in 2001. The Aditya Vikram Birla Kalakiran Awards were

conferred on Sarangi player Murad Ali Khan, Tabla exponent Satyajit Talwalkar and a special jury award for Shehnai

was given to the two brothers -- Sanjeev Shankar and Ashwani Shankar.

ITU Excellence Award: A product, aimed to bridge the connectivity gaps in rural areas, developed by state-ownedC-DOT has received the Excellence Award at the ITU World Telecom 2015 event held at Budapest, Hungary in October.

The product Gyansetu, is a web based application which facilitates the rural masses to connect with internet through

local languages. It has self-explanatory large image icons and minimal texts. It provides results in text format along with

audio announcements in the language selected by the user.

PERSONSINNEWS

APPOINTMENTS: Justice Tirath Singh Thakur, the Supreme Court judge who had ordered a CBI probe into theSaradha scam and had asked N. Srinivasan to choose between heading the BCCI and owning an IPL team, took charge as

the new Chief Justice of India on December 3. Hrushikesh Senapatytook charge as the Director of National Council of

Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in November. Actor Satish Shah, film critic Bhawana Somaaya and

director-producer B P Singhof CID fame were nominated by government as members of Film and Television Institute

of India (FTII) Society in November. Syed Akbaruddinhas been appointed as the next Permanent Representative of

India to the United Nations at New York in November replacing Asoke Kumar Mukerji. Vijay Keshav Gokhalewas

appointed as the Ambassador to China in November. Harsh Vardhan Shringla was appointed Indias next High

Commissioner to Bangladesh. Manpreet Vohrawas appointed as Indias Ambassador to Afghanistan, succeeding Amar

Sinha in November. Vice Admiral Karambir Singhon October 31 assumed charge as the Deputy Chief of Naval Staff.

OBITUARIESI: K. Shankaran Nair, the former chief of the countrys external intelligence agency, Research and

Analysis Wing (RAW) who is credited with the success of covert operations that aided in liberation of Bangladesh,passed away in Bengaluru on November 17 at the age of 94. Former general secretary of Bhartiya Kisan Union,

Choudhry Harpal Singh, passed away in Muzaffarnagar district on November 9 at the age of 80. Om Prakash Mehra,

who was the Chief of Indian Air force from 1973 to 1976 and was honoured with a Padma Vibhushan in 1977, died in

Delhi on November 8 at the age of 96. Former Speaker of West Bengal Legislative Assembly Hashim Abdul Halim,

who presided over the State Assembly for a record 29 years, passed away in Kolkata on November 2 at the age of 80.

OBITUARIESII: Former bureaucrat RK Trivedi, who served as Central Vigilance Commissioner in 1980-82,Gujarat Governor in 1986-1990 and was honoured with Padma Vibhushan as a recognition to his services towards the

nation, died in Lucknow on November 19 at the age of 94. Senior VHP leader Ashok Singhal, the prominent leader of

temple movement in Ayodhya, passed away at the age of 90 in Gurgaon on November 17. Actor Saeed Jaffrey, who was

the first Indian to receive the Order of the British Empire, died at the age of 86 on November 16. Secretary General of

Indian Red Cross Society and Padma Bhushan recipient, Dr Satya Paul Agarwal, passed away on November 17 in NewDelhi at the age of 70. Kamala Laxman, a well-known author of childrens books and widow of legendary cartoonist

R.K. Laxman, died in Pune on November 14 at the age of 90.

OBITUARIESIII: Ghulam Qadir Langoo, the noted Kashmiri Sufi singer and court singer for Maharaja HariSingh, died at the age of 100 in Srinagar on November 6. Veteran journalist and Chairman of Kashmir Times group, Ved

Bhasin passed away in Jammu on November 6 at the age of 86. Virendra Nath Misra, one of the eminent

archaeologists of post-Independent India, passed away in Pune on October 31 at the age of 81. Kolipaka Gattaiah(38),

famous as Indias tallest man at 7 ft and 5 inches, died in Karimnagar (Telangana) on October 30 at the age of 38.


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EXTERNALRELATIONS

BRITAIN: Prime Minster Narendra Modi went on a three-day visit to United Kingdom from November 12 to 14.During his visit he unveiled statue of 12th century scholar Basaveshwara in London. He also inaugurated the memorial of

Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar at 10 King Henrys Road in London. He addressed a specially called joint session of Parliamentin London and met Leader of Opposition in the British Parliament Jeremy Bernard Corbyn. India and Britain signed a

civil nuclear cooperation agreement following talks between Modi and his British counterpart David Cameron. Modi

called on Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace and addressed a huge gathering of Indian

diaspora at Wembley Stadium. The two nations also agreed on a comprehensive package of collaboration on energy and

climate change which includes commercial deals worth 3.2 billion pounds.

AUSTRALIA: India announced in November that the procedures for a civil nuclear agreement with Australia forsupply of uranium from it had been completed following a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and

his counterpart, Malcolm Turnbull, on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit at Antalya in Turkey. Australia has about a third

of worlds recoverable uranium resources and exports nearly 7,000 tonnes of it a year. Following the conclusion of the

agreement, India will be the first country to buy Australian uranium without being a signatory to the Nuclear Non-

proliferation Treaty.

BANGLADESH: Jailed ULFA leader Anup Chetia was handed over to the CBI by the Bangladesh authorities inNovember. Chetia, the founder general secretary of the banned United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), is wanted for

killings, abductions, bank robberies and extortion activities. He was arrested in Dhaka in 1997. The insurgent leader was

in Bangladesh ever since he fled India in early 1990s. Chetia is the cousin of ULFA pro-independence Chief Paresh

Baruah who is also absconding. Meanwhile Bangladesh national and former Awami League leader Nur Hossain, prime

accused in the sensational 7-murder case, was deported to Dhaka by India in the same month.

USA: Los Angeles, a famed global hub for entertainment and films, hosted the latest edition of the Regional PravasiBharatiya Divas on November 14-15. Inaugurated by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, the theme of the two-day

event was The Indian Diaspora: Defining a New Paradigm in India-US Relationship.

RUSSIA: Infantry troops from India and Russia conducted their joint combat exercise `Indra at the Mahajan fieldfiring ranges near Bikaner in Rajasthan in November. The aim of the exercise was to build interoperability between the

two armies to undertake joint counterterrorism operations.

JAPAN: Former Indian Ambassador to Japan Aftab Seth was conferred the Grand Cordon of the Order of the RisingSun Services by that country in November for his role in strengthening ties between the two countries. Seth, an IFS

officer who had served in the External Affairs Ministry in various key positions including the Spokesman of the Ministry,

was Ambassador to Japan between 2000 and 2003.

CHINA: India and China signed two agreements including one in the field of water resources on sharing hydrologicaldata on Satluj River. The agreements were signed after talks between Vice President Hamid Ansari and his visiting

Chinese counterpart Li Yuanchao in New Delhi in November.

BASIC: The environment ministers of BASIC countries have emphasised the importance of holding the increase intemperatures to below the stated goal of 2 degrees Celsius. Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar and negotiators

from Brazil, South Africa and China -- the other BASIC countries -- on October 31 issued a joint statement at the

conclusion of the 21st BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change in Beijing.

INDONESIA: India and Indonesia signed two agreements on new and renewable sources of energy and culturalexchange after talks between Vice President Hamid Ansari and his Indonesian counterpart Jusuf Kala after their talks in

Jakarta in November. Indonesia, the largest member of ASEAN, assumed chairmanship of Indian Ocean Rim

Association (IORA) in October 2015.


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Current Affairs: States

DELHI: Delhi government has abolished mandatory requirement of affidavits in 200 categories currently sought byvarious departments, local bodies and other organizations in the city. Now from December 1, there will be no

requirement of affidavits for different types of certificates and people can submit self-attested documents. Attestation ofdocuments by gazetted officers will be required only in very limited number of cases. The government will impose

stringent punishment for giving false self-declarations. The decision to abolish affidavits will cover major public dealing

departments including Education, Revenue, Transport, Food, Supply and Consumer Affairs, Chief Registrar of Birth and

Death and Local Bodies.

HARYANA: The Haryana Cow Protection Act came into force in November with the President giving his assent tothe bill. The Act imposes complete ban on cow slaughter and sale of beef and beef products in Haryana. Now, the cow

slaughter in Haryana will invite rigorous imprisonment ranging from three to 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh. Any

person who attempts to export cows for slaughter would be imprisoned for three to seven years and fine between Rs

30,000 and Rs 70,000 would be imposed on him.

JHARKHAND: The state government has introduced Mobile Governance on its 16th Foundation Day on November15 with Chief Minister Raghubar Das launching 15 mobile applications in capital Raipur. He said it could be a strongmedium to disseminate information about government services, welfare schemes and rein in corruption. To facilitate

quick clearance for industries, the state government has introduced Advantage Jharkhand Portal, the countrys first

single window portal.

RAJASTHAN: Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje has launched Annapurna Bhandar Yojna for providingmulti-brand products of daily consumption at fair price shops in the state. Under the project, 25,000 fair price shops in

the state will be converted into Annapurna Bhandar so that people can get multi-brand consumer goods at competitive

prices, Raje said while launching the first such shop at Bhambori village in Jaipur district.

JAMMU & KASHMIR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Rs. 80,000 crore package for all-rounddevelopment of Jammu and Kashmir during his addressing a rally at the Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium in Srinagar.

Modi also inaugurated the 450 Mega Watt Baglihar Hydro Electric Power Project Stage-II constructed on river Chenab.The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for four-laning of Udhampur-Ramban and Ramban-Banihal sections of

Jammu-Srinagar National Highway at Chanderkote, Ramban in Jammu and Kashmir.

MEGHALAYA: The Centre will soon file a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court challenging aMeghalaya High Court order directing it to enforce the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 in Garo hills, Minister

of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said in November. He said the central government in principle believes that AFSPA will

not solve the problem in insurgency-hit Garo hills, rather it considers it as a temporary measure to maintain law and order

there. The court had issued the order following a hearing in a pending case of militants calling bandhs in the state.

NAGALAND: The Centre declared militant outfit National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang, NSCN (K), aterrorist organization in November. The insurgent group is active along the Indo-Myanmar border and was involved in

the attack on an Army convoy in Chandel district of Manipur in June 2015. The Centre announced road and bridgedevelopment projects worth 10,000-crore rupees for Nagaland during the visit of Road Transport, Shipping and

Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to Kohima in November.

TAMIL NADU: The Madras High Court stayed a recent order of the state Registrar of Societies here cancelling theregistration of environmental NGO Greenpeace India Society in November. Greenpeace contended that the Registrar had

failed to comply with the principles of natural justice in denying the petitioner an opportunity to defend his case before

passing the order and thereby contravened the TN Societies Registration Act. As a NGO, the petitioner pleaded it

depended on donations received from the public.


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Current Affairs: World

HAPPENINGS

Myanmar is worlds most generous nation: India ranks a dismal106th in a global report of people who help strangers, donate money or

volunteer their time for a good cause. The November research report by

London-based Charitable Aid Foundation (CAF) reveals that Myanmar

ranked highest in the world for generosity followed by USA, NZ, Canada

and Australia. The CAF found that more than 334 million Indians helped a

stranger, over 183 million gave money in charity and more than 156 million

volunteered their time, all figures highest in the world. However, while the

countrys large population means it has a huge number of people

performing acts of generosity, the proportion of people who give is lower

than in many other countries, the CAF said explaining Indias poor

ranking. The annual CAF World Giving Index study of 145 countries looks

at three measures of giving -- the percentage of people who have given to charity, volunteered their time and helped astranger in the last month.

Presidents of China, Taiwan meet after 70 years: The presidents of China and Taiwan reached acrossdecades of Cold War-era estrangement and rivalry to exchange a historic handshake and warm words in the first summit

since the two sides traumatic 1949 split. Chinas Xi Jinping and Taiwans Ma Ying-jeou held talks in neutral Singapore

on November 7. No agreements were announced between two sides that still refuse to formally recognise each others

legitimacy. The previous occasion was in 1945, when Communist revolutionary leader Mao Zedong met with Chinas

nationalist President Chiang Kai-shek in a failed reconciliation attempt. Ma said he proposed the establishment of a

hotline between to the two sides and that Xi responded positively. He also raised issues sensitive to his people, including

the arsenal of Chinese missiles aimed at Taiwan, and Chinas policy of marginalising the island diplomatically.

Pakistan hands over land to China for Gwadar port: Pakistan and China kicked off their ambitious $ 46billion economic corridor project with Beijing in November acquiring over 2,000 acres of land in restive Balochistan to

develop the strategic Gwadar port, providing the Communist-giant an opening to the Arabian Sea. The Gwadar port city

is a major project under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, (CPEC). India has objected to the CPEC as it passes

through the Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

International summit on migration organised: An international summit on migration with the participationof African and European countries was organised in the Maltese capital of Valletta on November 11-12. The two-day

summit brought together delegations from over 40 African countries, 28 EU member states. Leaders attending the event

said they had decided to work out humanitarian and safe migration policy amid the worst refugee crisis in history,

addressing the root causes of the problem. Hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants are fleeing poverty and

violence in their home countries in the Middle East and North Africa and attempting to find asylum in EU member states.

Modigliani painting commands 2ndhighest price: A painting by early 20th-century Italian artist AmedeoModiglianiNu couch (reclining nude)was sold for $170.4 million at Christies in New York in November. It was

the second highest price for an artwork sold at an auction. Pablo Picassos Women of Algiers (Version O), which was

sold for $179 million, holds the record for the highest price paid for a painting. Picassos artwork was sold at Christies

earlier this year in May. Modiglianis work of art was painted between 1917 and 1918.

UN launches International Year of Pulses: The UN launched the International Year of Pulses 2016 inNovember. The objective is to raise awareness of the many benefits of pulses, boost their production and trade, and

encourage new and smarter use throughout the food chain. Pulses are plants which produce legumes such as peas, beans,

or lentils and are important food crops for the food security of large proportions of populations, particularly in Latin


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America, Africa and Asia, where pulses are part of traditional diets and often grown by small farmers, said UN FAO

Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva at the launch ceremony in Rome. Nitrogen-fixing properties of pulses improve

soil fertility, which extends the productivity of farmland and eliminates dependency on synthetic fertilizers.

UN calls for protection of writers, Bangladesh in Bangladesh: UN High Commission for Human Rightscalled on Bangladesh to take urgent steps to ensure the protection of writers and publishers in the country. A UN press

statement released from Geneva in November strongly condemned the recent violent attacks on bloggers and publishers.

At least 5 writers, bloggers and publishers as well as 2 foreign aid workers have been violently murdered since February

2015, and several others have been threatened on social media.

Australia removes British era-titles: Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull scrapped knights and dames fromAustralias national honours system in November, saying the titles were not appropriate in the modern age and the

Queen has approved his request to scrap them. The honours were reintroduced in 2014 by former Prime Minister Tony

Abbott. Australia had scratched the honorary titles in 1986 as anachronisms. The titles are granted for public service.

Existing knights and dameswill retain their titles.

Norway tops global prosperity index: Norway has topped the annual 2015 Prosperity Index of 142 territories byLondon-based international think tank Legatum Institute in November. Singapore is the best in Asia and 17thworldwide.

Serbia to close Tanjug: The government of Serbia government decided to closing down the state Tanjug newsagency founded 72 years ago by the Communist authorities of the former Yugoslavia, and laying off its 200 employees in

November after its efforts to find private buyers failed.

Vice President impeached in Maldives: Maldivian Parliament Majlis impeached Vice President Ahmed AdeebAbdul Ghafoor in an extraordinary sitting in capital Male in November. Adeeb has been charged with plotting to

assassinate President Abdulla Yameen and is under arrest since October 24.

China unveils first big passenger jet: China unveiled its first homegrown large passenger plane aimed atchallenging the dominance of western aviation giants like Boeing and Airbus in the global commercial aviation market in

November. The first C919 aircraft was launched by Commercial Aircraft Corp. Of China (COMAC) in Shanghai. The

C919 -- a twin-engine, narrow-body aircraft seating up to 174 people -- is similar in size to the Airbus 320 and Boeing

737 series of jets.

Nepal, US conduct joint military training: Special forces of the US and Nepalese armies conducted theBalance Nail joint military training in Nepals mountainous regions in November to help strengthen bilateral defence ties.

Russia plane crashes after taking off from Egypt: A Russian charter flight ferrying 224 passengers and crewto St. Petersburg from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh crashed soon after taking off on October 31, killing

everyone onboard. The Airbus A321 plane had apparently been trying to land at the airport at Al-Arish, in northern Sinai,

when it crashed. Apart from coastal resorts in the south, much of the Sinai Peninsula is a closed military zone and the

location of a long-running insurgency by rebel groups against the government of Egypts President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

World Diabetes Day observed: The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that diabetes will be theseventh leading cause of death by 2030. The World Diabetes Day was observed on November 14. Started by WHO and

the International Diabetes Federation, the Day is celebrated to mark the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with

Charles Best, was instrumental in the discovery of insulin in 1922, a life-saving treatment for diabetes patients.

Armistice Day Memorial Service observed: People who had laid down their lives during World War I and IIwere remembered at the Armistice Day memorial service organised by the armed forces on November 8. Armistice Day

Memorial Service was observed on the second Sunday of November as a memory to all those who lost their lives in

World War I and II.


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AWARDS

Reporters without Borders Prizes: A Syrian journalist Zaina Erhaim, who lives and works in the war-scarredSyrian city of Aleppo, was awarded the Reporters without Borders Prize for her defence of press freedom, accepted by

her uncle on her behalf in Strasbourg, France in November. The Paris-based media rights group selected Erhaim for herdetermination and courage in covering the conflict in Syria, which is deemed the most dangerous country in the world

for journalists. Reporters without Borders (RSF) also honoured centre-left Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet, which won

the watchdogs Media of the Year prize for its independent and courageous journalism. RSFs Citizen Journalist of the

Year award went to Zone 9, an Ethiopian bloggers collective that regularly denounces rights abuses in the east African

country.

International Childrens Peace Prize: Seventeen-year-old Liberian Abraham Keita was awarded the prestigiousInternational Childrens Peace Prize at The Hague, Netherlands in November for his tireless campaigning to end

violence against minors. Keitas tireless work as a campaigner, bringing attention to crimes against children and

campaigning until the perpetrators are locked away, stood out and convinced the jury, the award giver NGO KidsRights

said. Liberia is still struggling to get back on its feet after 14 years of civil war, which ended in 2003 leaving some

250,000 people dead. The teenager has lobbied the Liberian parliament to adopt laws to protect children, and led marches

and demonstrations to highlight the issue.

Bastiat Prize: Amit Verma, columnist with BusinessLines weekly supplement BLink, won the 2015 Bastiat Prize forJournalism in November. He had previously won the prize in 2007. The prize, given by Los Angeles-based Reason

Foundation, recognises the efforts of journalists who are advancing the principles of free minds and free markets by

educating their readers about individual liberty, free markets, and the rule of law. In Lighthouse, his column in BLink,

he regularly dissects the dynamics of a free market and the evolving role of the consumer in it.

PERSONSINNEWS

Donald Trump revved up his race for the White House in November releasing a new book outlining the ills ofmodern-day America and telling voters why he should be president. Crippled America: How to Make America Great

Again, comes out as the billionaire real estate tycoon continues to top the polls. The manifesto runs to a modest 169pages, then finishes with three extra pages about his personal finances and another 17-page section entitled about the

author. It is on sale as a hardback for $25.

APPOINTMENTS: Dacian Cioloswas appointed Romanias new Prime Minister in November, following theresignation of incumbent Victor Ponta after mass anti-government protests sparked by a deadly nightclub fire in capital

Bucharest, which claimed 48 lives. Iran appointed its first woman ambassador since the 1979 Islamic revolution, naming

foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham to head its embassy in Malaysia, in November. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the appointment of Italian diplomat Filippo Grandi as the new UN HighCommissioner for Refugees in November replacing Antonio Guterres of Portugal who was in that position since 2005.

OBITAURIESI: Yitzhak Navon, who served as Israels fifth president (1978-83), died at the age of 94 inJerusalem on November 7. French philosopher Andre Glucksmann, a former Maoist who veered to the right aftercondemning the crimes of communism, died at 78 in Paris on November 9. Helmut Schmidt, who served asChancellor of West Germany from 1974 to 1982, died at the age of 96 in Hamburg on November 9. Colin Welland,who won an Oscar for best original screenplay for Chariots of Fire in 1982, died on November 2 at the age of 81.

OBITAURIESII: Prominent Pashtun leader Afzal Khan Lalawho defied the Taliban in Swat Valley in thenorthwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and survived several assassination attempts by the insurgents died at the

age of 89 on November 1. Actor-turned-US politician Fred Thompsonof the Republican Party died at the age of 73in Nashville, Tennessee on November 1. Actor Al Molinaro, best known for playing diner owner Al Delvecchio onthe TV series Happy Days and the shows spinoff, Joanie Loves Chachie, died at age 96 in Los Angeles on Oct31.


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FacesLewis Hamilton: Race to gloryThe Briton, who races for Mercedes AMG Petronas team, has emerged as the Formula OneWorld Champion for the third time after his wins in 2014 and 2008

Lewis Hamilton, born in 1985 at Stevenage, England, is

one of the most successful Formula One (F1) Grand Prix

racing drivers of the early 21st centuryhas been named as

the richest sportsman in Britain with a fortune of 88m,

an increase of 20m on the previous year.In 2008 he won

his first F1 world drivers championship, becoming the

first black driver to capture that title.

Hamilton began his driving career when he was eight

years old. He won the British Kart Championship when

he was 10. Three years later Hamilton was signed to the

McLaren and Mercedes-Benz Young Driver Support

Programme, where he was given the support and backinghe needed to train and develop his skills. From 1998 to

2000 he won European and world karting championships,

and at age 15 he became the youngest-ever driver to be

ranked number one in the sport.

Hamilton progressed to car racing, and in 2003 he

captured the British Formula Renault race series

championship by winning 10 of the 15 races he entered.

The following year he competed in the Formula Three

Euroseries championship. He won the championship in

2005, and in 2006 he joined a team competing in GP2

(Grand Prix 2)a race series designed to help driversprepare for F1and won the GP2 title in his one season

in the series.

In 2007 Hamilton joined the McLaren F1 team. In his

rookie season he came in second in the world drivers

championship, only one point behind the winner,

Finlands Kimi Rikknen. His four race victories that

year tied Jacques Villeneuves F1 record for most wins in

a rookie season. The following year, at the age of 23, he

won five races to secure the drivers championship.

(Hamilton was the youngest person to have claimed the

title, until Sebastian Vettel won the championship in

2010.)

In subsequent seasons with McLaren, Hamilton continued

to be one of the top drivers on the F1 circuit, winning two

races in 2009, three in 2010, three in 2011, and four in

2012. In September 2012 Hamilton decided to leave

McLaren to join the Mercedes-Benz F1 team. He had

some difficulty adjusting in his first season with

Mercedes-Benz, winning just one race in 2013, but

Hamilton nevertheless managed to rack up enough points

to finish in the top five of the drivers championship

standings for the seventh consecutive season.

Hamilton dominated the

F1 season in 2014,

winning a career-high 11

races out of a total 16 to

capture his second

drivers championship.

He was just as dominant in 2015, when he won his third

drivers championship one month before the season

ended. In both seasons Hamiltons performance,

combined with that of teammate Nico Rosberg, enabledMercedes-Benz to win the F1 constructors

championship.Hamilton inked a three-year contract

extension in May to drive for Mercedes F1 team.He is

one of the most marketable drivers in the sport (the UKs

SportsPro magazine named him the most marketable

athlete in the world in 2014).

Hamiltons teammate is his biggest rival as well. The

Englishman says Rosberg, who finished runner-up this

year, complains a lot, following a tense season.There

have been a series of flashpoints between Hamilton and

Rosberg this year, particularly at the Japanese and USGrands Prix, at both of which the German felt Hamilton

had been too aggressive while passing him at the start of

the race.The incidents at Suzuka and in Austin happened

with Rosberg on the outside being forced off the track by

Hamilton.

The world champion said: Youve seen he complains

about a lot of things. But you kind of let it go over your

head because thats just the way he is.Its kind of the

different background we come from, I guess.This is not

the first time Hamilton has referred to the fact his parents

split when he was young and he grew up on a council

estate, while Rosberg spent his childhood in Monaco as

the son of 1982 Formula 1 champion Keke Rosberg.

The world champion continues Im not here to make

friends, to finish the race and say: Hey, that was a lovely

race, chap, you were so friendly with me, and you let me

win.This is the one opportunity and you take it. That

doesnt mean wiping someone out or cheating but you

have to be fierce, strong and hard to as much of the limit

as you can be.


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Current Affairs: Sports

CRICKET

BCCI announces 2015-16 players contract list: The BCCI announced the playercontracts for 2015-16 in November. Compared to last season when 32 players were given contracts,

this season only 26 players were engaged. ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was retained in

Group A of the contract worth Rs 1 crore per annum. The other players who were included in the

top-level contract were Test captain Virat Kohli, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and batsman

Ajinkya Rahane, who has been upgraded from Group B. Slipping down to B category, worth Rs 50

lakh annually, was all-rounder Suresh Raina. For the first time, the BCCI offered contracts to 11

women players, splitting them into two groups A and B. A group is worth Rs 15 lakh while B group

Rs 10 lakh annually.

Mitchell Johnson retires: Australian pace spearhead Mitchell Johnson has retired from all forms of internationalcricket. Johnson announced his retirement November 17 after the 2nd Test match against New Zealand during 201516

Trans-Tasman Trophy Test series at his home ground, the WACA Ground in Perth, taking 3 wickets in the match andscoring 29 runs in his final innings as a batsman. Making his test debut in 2006, the 34-year old Johnson took 313

wickets in 73 Tests. Only Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Dennis Lillee have taken more test scalps for Australia than

Johnson. In ODIs he took 239 wickets in 153 matches. In T20Is, he took 38 wickets in 30 matches. His honours include

International Cricket Councils Cricketer of the Year award in 2009 and 2014 as well as Test Player of the year in

2014.

Starc breaks 160 km/her barrier: Australian paceman Mitchell Starc joined an exclusive club with a sizzlingdelivery during the second Test against New Zealand at the WACA Ground in Perth on November 15 when one of his

deliveries clocked at 160.4 km/hr (99.7 mph). Only four other fast bowlers have officially been recorded to have bowled

at more than 160 km/hr. Pakistans Shoaib Akhtar holds the record with a 161.3 km/hr thunderbolt against England at

Newlands in 2003. Australian pair Shaun Tait and Brett Lee were both recorded at 161.1 km/hr. The only other bowler to

reach the mark was Australian firebrand Jeff Thomson at 160.6 km/hr. He is widely considered the fastest bowler in

cricket history.

Warnes Warriors win All-Stars series: Warnes Warriors claimed a four-wicket win over Sachins Blasters inthe third T20 match at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in November to clinch the All- Stars three-match series 3-0.

Opting to bat first, Sachins Blasters had set a target of 219 runs. Former Sri Lankan opener-wicketkeeper Sangakkara

was declared as Man of the series. Sachins Blasters had lost first match by six wickets and second match by 57 runs.

The aim of the series led by cricketing greats Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar was to globalize the sport.

Other Newsmakers: 37-year old off-spinner Ramesh Powar retired from competitive cricket in November, bringingdown curtains on his 15-year old career where he took 442 first class wickets for Mumbai, 6 for India in the 2 tests and

34 in 31 ODIs. Riding on his good showing in Indias win in the first Test against South Africa, opener Murali Vijay was

the best-ranked Indian batsmen at number eleven in the ICC batting rankings in November while South Africas AB de

Villiers topped the list and his countryman was numero uno in the bowlers rankings.

TENNIS

Czech Republic defends Fed Cup tennis crown: The Czech Republic successfully defended its Fed Cupcrown against Russia in Prague on November 17. The match went down to the final doubles rubber where Czechs

Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Strycova overcame Russians Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Elena Vesnina 4-6, 6-3, 6-2

to secure a 32 victory for their country. In Singles, Russias Maria Sharapova had beaten Petra Kvitova 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in

the third match while Pliskova defeated Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 6-4 in the fourth match. On the first day of the final on

November 15, the two nations were tied with Russia 1-1 after Kvitova defeated Pavlyuchenkova 2-6, 6-1, and 6-1, while

her teammate Pliskova lost to Sharapova 3-6, 4-6.


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Newsmakers: Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna were selected under Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme forfinancial assistance from National Sports Development Fund for training as part of preparation for Olympic 2016 in

November and have been allocated a budget of Rs. 60 lakh each for customized training. Serbian Novak Djokovic won

ATP World Tour No. 1 award, Swiss Roger Federer got the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award and American doubles

stalwarts Mike and Bob Bryan were selected for the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award by ATP (Association of tennisProfessionals) in November.

ATHLETICS

Russia banned from international athletics: Russias athletics federation has been provisionally suspendedfrom international competition - including the Olympic Games - for its alleged involvement in widespread doping. The

International Association of Athletics Federations, IAAF, took action in November after the publication of an

independent World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report that alleged state-sponsored doping. Russian athletes cannot

participate in international competitions, including the World Athletic Series and 2016 Rio Olympics. Also Russia will

also not be entitled to host the 2016 World Race Walking Cup in Cheboksary and the 2016 World Junior Championships

in Kazan.

Chinese discus thrower Li upgraded to 2012 Olympic silver: Chinese discus thrower Li Yanfeng was inNovember named winner of the 2012 Olympic silver medal that was stripped from Russian Darya Pishchalnikova for

doping. Li, 36, finished third at the London Games with Sandra Perkovic of Croatia taking the gold and Russias Darya

taking the silver medal. Darya was banned for 10 years in 2013 for testing positive for the anabolic steroid oxandrolone

in May 2012.

Indira and Las Vegas marathons: Armys L. Nawachand won the Mens race in 2 hours 23 minute and 51seconds at the 31st Indira Marathon held at Allahabad November 19 while the Womens race was won by Jyoti Shankar

Rao Gawate of Maharashtra in 2 hour 52 minutes and 43 seconds. Scotlands Andrew Lemonchello (2:21:47) and

Panamas Williana Rojas (3:08:18) won the Las Vegas Marathon in the mens and womens categories respectively in

Las Vegas on November 15.

MISC

Brazilian Grand Prix: Nico Rosberg cemented his place as runner-up in this years Formula One worldchampionship on November 16 when he finished the Brazilian Grand Prix at Sao Paulo ahead of his Mercedes team-mate

and newly-crowned champion Lewis Hamilton. Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari finished third. It was

Rosbergs fifth win of 2015 and the 13th of his career.

China Open Badminton: Li Xuerui of China defeated Saina Nehwal 12-21, 15-21 in the final to clinch theWomens Singles crown at the China Open Super Series Premier Badminton tournament at Fuzhou in November. Mens

Singles title was won by Malaysian Lee Chong Wei who overcame Chinas Chen Long in the final 2115, 2111. South

Korean pair of Kim Gi-jung & Kim Sa-rang won the Mens Doubles, Chinas Tang Yuanting & Yu Yang won Womens

Doubles and Zhang Nan & Zhao Yunlei of China won Mixed Doubles titles.

Golf: Chiragh Kumar secured his maiden Asian Tour title by clinching the Panasonic Open by three strokes at theprestigious Delhi Golf Course in New Delhi in November and took home USD 72,000 for his win. Scottish golfer Russell

Knox won the WGC-HSBC Champions trophy at the Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai in November

followed by American Kevin Kisner in second place.

Obituaries: Jonah Lomu, one of New Zealands greatest rugby union players of all-time, passed away at the age of 40on November 18. Guo Jie, the worlds oldest surviving Olympian who had represented China in the discus throw event at

the 1936 Berlin Olympics, died at the age of 103 on November 15. Tata Football Academy (TFA) coach and former

international footballer P Vijay Kumar died in Jamshedpur on November 19 at the age of 57.


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Current Affairs: Economy

Gold Monetisation Scheme: The Gold Monetisation Scheme

(GMS) was launched by the government in November to mobilise goldheld by households and institutions and facilitate its use for productive

purposes, and in the long run, to reduce countrys reliance on the import

of gold. The minimum deposit at any one time shall be raw gold (bars,

coins & jewellery) equivalent to 30 grams of gold. There is no maximum

limit. The designated banks will accept gold deposits under the Short

Term (1-3 years) Bank Deposit (STBD) as well as Medium (5-7 years)

and Long (12-15 years) Term Government Deposit Schemes (MLTGD).

The interest rate in the STBD will be determined by the banks. The

interest rate in the medium term deposits has been fixed at 2.25% and

for the long term deposits is 2.5%.

Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme: The Gold Sovereign Bond Scheme was launched by the government in

November. The objective is to develop a financial asset, Gold Bond, as an alternative to purchasing metal gold. The tenorof the Bond will be for a period of 8 years. Minimum permissible investment will be 2 units (i.e. 2 grams of gold) while

the maximum will not be more than 500 grams per person per fiscal year (April-March). Price of Bond will be fixed in

Indian Rupees on the basis of the previous weeks (MondayFriday) simple average of closing price of gold of 999 purity

published by the India Bullion and Jewellers Association Ltd. (IBJA). The RBI has fixed the issue price for the first

tranche of Bond at Rs.2684 per gram of gold. The investors will get interest at a fixed rate of 2.75 per cent per annum

payable semi-annually on the initial value of investment for the bonds issued in 2015-16.

Gold Coin/Bullion Schemewas launched by the government in November. The coin will be the first ever nationalgold coin minted in India and will have the National Emblem of Ashok Chakra engraved on one side and Mahatma

Gandhi on the other side. Initially the coins will be available in denominations of 5 and 10 grams. A 20 gram bullion will

also be available. All coins & bullion will be hallmarked as per the BIS standards. These coins will be distributed initially

through designated & recognised MMTC outlets and later through specified bank branches and post offices.

Industrial production growth slows to 3.6%: Industrial production growth fell to four-month low of 3.6% inSeptember due to subdued performance by manufacturing and non-durable consumer goods segments, the data released

by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) revealed in November. Industrial output growth, measured in terms of the Index of

Industrial Production (IIP), was also revised slightly downwards to 6.2% for August from provisional estimate of 6.4%

released earlier. Industrial output went up by 4% in first six months of current financial year (April-September) against

2.9% in the year-ago period.

Retail inflation rises to 5%: The retail (CPI) inflation rose to four-month high of 5% in October compared with4.41% in September 2015 and 4.62% in October 2014. Retail inflation measured in terms of the consumer price index

surged due to costlier pulses and other food items. Prices in the pulses and products category rose to a staggering 42.20%

in October. While the price rise in the food and beverage category came in at 5.34% in October, inflation in cereals and

products was also higher at 1.46%, CPI data released by CSO showed in November.

WPI inflation moves up to minus 3.81%: Wholesale inflation moved up to minus 3.81% in October, comparedto minus 4.54 percent in September, as pulses and onions turned costlier. This is the 12th month in a row that wholesale

price inflation has remained in the negative zone. Inflation for August has been revised downwards to minus 5.06%, from

the provisional estimate of minus 4.95%.

WEF India summit organised: The World Economic Forums India summit was organised in New Delhi onNovember 4. The theme of the event was Delivering Growth in the New Context. WEF, along with the Confederation

of Indian Industry (CII), hosted the National Strategy Day on India on November 3-4. At the event, Social Entrepreneur

of the Year (SEOY) India 2015 award was presented to Poonam Bir Kasturi of Daily Dump, Bangalore for her


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outstanding contribution towards society. Certificates were given to all finalists namely Ashraf Patel of Pravah and

Community- the Youth Collective (CYC), Prema Gopalan of Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP) Group of Ventures and

Suparna Gupta of Aangan Trust for their positive contribution towards the society.

Uday package for discoms launched: The government launched a reform package for loss-making electricityutilities in November. The scheme, named Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY), allows for the transfer of 75% of

the outstanding debt incurred by stressed discoms to States debt. Power Minster Piyush Goyal said that the Centre aims

to help states in wiping out the discoms losses by 2019.

CCI imposes fine on airlines: The Competition Commission ofIndia (CCI) slapped penalties on Jet Airways (Rs. 152 crore), IndiGo (Rs.

64 crore) and SpiceJet (Rs. 42 crore) in November for cartelisation in

fixing cargo fuel surcharge. The airlines acted in collusion to fix fuel

surcharge rates which resulted in indirectly determining the rates of air

cargo transport. The Commission noted that such conduct in the air cargo

industry undermines economic development of the country and ultimately

affects the end consumers. Express Industry Council of India had filed acomplaint with CCI against the airlines.

Fund to help small units adopt clean technology launched: The government launched a fund to supportindustry, especially the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), in the acquisition and development of clean,

green and energy efficient technologies. The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) launched the fund

called the Technology Acquisition and Development Fund (TADF) in November under the National Manufacturing

Policy being implemented by it. The scheme will provide direct support for technology acquisition upto 50% of

technology transfer fee or Rs. 20 lakh, whichever is lower.

MSPs for wheat, gram and pulses hiked: Government hiked Minimum Support Price (MSP) of pulses by 250rupees per quintal and wheat and barley by 75 rupees a quintal for 2015-16 rabi season in November. MSP for wheat has

been raised from 1,450 to 1,525 rupees per quintal, for barley from 1,150 to 1,225 and gram from 3,175 to 3,425 rupees

per quintal.

Passenger amenities discussed in Kayakalp meeting: Kayakalp, the Innovative Council of Railways headedby Ratan Tata in November discussed safety related issues and sought to know the causes of the train accidents. It was

fourth meeting of the Council held in New Delhi to analyse the different aspects of the functioning of the public

transporter to find out ways to come out with innovative ideas for significant improvement in safety and passenger

amenities.

0.5% Swachh Bharat cess on services: The Centre has imposed Swachh Bharat Cess of 0.5 per cent on allservices which come under the purview of Service Tax from November 15. The Cess will create funds for financing and

promoting Swachh Bharat initiatives. A provision was made in current financial years Budget for levying a Swachh

Bharat Cess on all or any of the services for the purposes of financing and promoting Swachh Bharat initiatives.

NEWSMAKERS: Former RBI deputy governor (2009-13) Subir Gokarnwas appointed asan Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in November. Former Finance

Minister of Kerala K M Mani resigned as Chairman of empowered group of State Finance

Ministers on Goods and Services Tax in November. Actor Shah Rukh Khanwas questioned by

the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in November in connection with the alleged irregularities in the

sale of shares of his IPL franchise Knight Riders Sports Pvt. Ltd. to a Mauritius-based company.

ED is probing allegations that shares sold by the actor and his associates were undervalued by

eight to nine times to evade taxes. The government has relieved Tobacco Board Chairman K.

Gopalof his duties with effect from November 10.


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Business BiographyMark Zuckerberg: The social networkerOne of the most iconic figures of the internet age who unleashed the social networking power of the web,

the Founder-Chairman and CEO of Facebook has decided to donate 99% of his fortune to charity

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is always

in news and November was no different. First he topped

the Forbes magazines list richest entrepreneurs in

America under the age of 40. Next he was second only to

Nikes Mike Parker in Fortune magazines list of top 50

global business leaders. And in the last week of the same

month he was blessed with a daughter. He also made an

announcement Indian business families would baulk at

emulating. 31-year old Mark and his wife Priscilla Chan

said they will give away 99% of their shares in the

company to good causes as they announce the birth of

their daughter Max. He said they were donating their

fortune to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to make the

world a better place for Max to grow up in. Billionaire

investor and ace philanthropist Warren Buffet

congratulated Zuckerberg and Chan, proclaiming that

when it comes to giving away your fortune, 30 is the

new 70.

The donation amounts to $45bn at Facebooks current

value. However the shares will not be donated to charity

immediately, but over the course of the couples lives.

The aim of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is to advance

human potential and promote equality for all children inthe next generation. Its initial areas of focus will be

personalised learning, curing disease, connecting people

and building strong communities.

Everything Mark Zuckerberg does is eyed with intense

scrutiny, not least due to the nature of Facebooks

business of making money from personal data. But while

the 31-year-olds previous charitable efforts have been

criticised for being too focused on building Facebooks

user base, this latest pledge appears to leave the Facebook

business to one side.

Its a continuation of what weve seen developing over

the past six months, where Zuckerberg appears at ease

hosting heads of state and talented youth as he does in the

company of his own development team. His October 28

Townhall Meeting in Delhi was thronged with

enthusiastic IIT, Delhi students among others.

The days of Mark Zuckerberg being seen as a nerdy,

awkward tech dork are well behind us. His ambition now

is clearly to be a significant figure on the global political

and well-being stage.

Mark was born into a comfortable, well-educated family.

His father, Edward Zuckerberg, ran a dental practice

attached to the familys home. His mother, Karen, worked

as a psychiatrist before the birth of their 4 children.

Zuckerberg developed an interest in computers at an early

age.After graduating from Phillips Exeter Academy in

2002, Zuckerberg enrolled at Harvard University where

he soon developed a reputation as the go-to software

developer on campus. He invented Facemash, which

compared the pictures of two students on campus and

allowed users to vote on which one was more attractive.

The program became wildly popular, but was later shut

down by the school administration after it was deemed

inappropriate.

Based on the buzz of his previous projects, three of his

fellow studentsDivya Narendra, and twins Cameron

and Tyler Winklevosssought him out to work on an

idea for a social networking site they called Harvard

Connection. He agreed to help with the project, but soon

dropped out to work on his own social networking site.

Zuckerberg launched thefacebook.com (renamed

Facebook in 2005) as a directory in which fellow Harvard

students entered their own information and photos into a

template that he had devised in February 2004.

Zuckerbergs roommates, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris

Hughes, helped him add features and make the site

available to other campuses across the country. Facebook

quickly became popular as registered users could create

profiles, upload photos and other media, and keep in

touch with friends.

Zuckerberg moved to a more formal business structure in

May 2012 when Facebook launched its initial public

offering, which raised $16 billion, making it the biggest

internet IPO in history. Facebook has handled this huge

influx of cash well. His noteworthy acquisitions include

mobile instant messaging service WhatsApp in Feb 2014

for $19 billion, Oculus VR, a virtual reality technology

company, for $2 billion in March 2014 and photo sharing

site Instagram for $1 billion in April 2012.


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Current Affairs: Corporate

RANKINGS&INDEXES

Fortune Top 50 Global Business LeadersIndia-origin CEOs MasterCards Ajay Banga and Microsofts Satya Nadella were named among the top 50 global

business leaders by Fortune magazine in November, a list that is topped by Nikes Mike Parker. While global payment

solutions provider MasterCards Banga is ranked at the fifth position, software giant Microsofts Nadella is placed at the

47thspot.

While Parker has been named as Business Person of 2015 Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg is at the second place, followed

by Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson (3), Apples Tim Cook (4), Ulta Beautys Mary Dillon (6), Xiaomis Lei Jun

(7), Ubers Travis Kalanick (8), Chipotles Steve Ells and Montgomery Moran (9) and Biogens George Scangos (10).

All of them are Chief Executive Officers.

Cognizants India-origin chief Francisco DSouza is at the 16th spot. Others in the list include Alphabets Larry Page

(11), Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz (12), Alibabas Chairman Jack Ma (25) and Priceline CEO Darren Huston (44).

The rankings are based on ten metrics including financial results -- which formed the backbone of the analysis -- along

with stock performance and total shareholder returns over the same periods and factored in eachs ratio of debt to capital,

Fortune said. Non-financial elements, like business influence, leadership style, and strategic initiatives also played a part

in the evaluation.

About Banga, the magazine said that under him, MasterCard has doubled profits and revenue in five years. Besides, he

has been aggressively acquiring companies to build its technological edge. This year Banga signed a 10-year deal that

locks in almost all Citi cards as MasterCards and a similar 20-year deal with Itau Unibanco in Brazil. Shares are up 40

per cent in the past two years as MasterCard swipes its way toward USD 10 billion in revenue, it noted.

According to the magazine, Nadella faces the unpleasant task of grappling with the slow decline of the companys once

impregnable bulwarks as he tackles the challenge of shifting from a world-centered around the PC and purchased

software to a universe of mobile devices and streamed (or even free) software. But Nadella is rising to the task.

Microsofts Surface tablet/PC passed USD 1 billion in annual sales, can be seen on the sidelines in NFL games, and feels

like a bona fide offering (as opposed to an embarrassing me-too like the Zune), it added.

Fortunes most powerful woman in Indian business

Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairperson of countrys largest bank SBI, remains the most powerful woman in the Indian

business sector, according to Fortune India. ICICI Banks Chanda Kochhar and Shikha Sharma of Axis Bank follow

Bhattacharya at the second and third place, respectively. The Fortune India list of 50 most-powerful businesswomen for

2015 was released in November. These powerful women represent various sectors such as banking, finance, energy,

healthcare, media, fashion and entertainment. These women are in the age group of 40 to 71. Besides, HPCL Chairperson

and Managing Director (MD) Nishi Vasudeva has bagged the fourth position, while AZB & Partners Co-Founder Zia

Mody and Aruna Jayanthi Chief Executive of India unit of Capgemini, a management consulting firm founded in 1967

by Serge Kampf, India shared the fifth rank. The other women who figure in the top 10 are Preetha Reddy MD Apollo

Hospital Enterprise (seventh), Mallika Srinivasan CEO of TAFE (eighth), Yasmin Hilton Chairperson Shell India (ninth),

and Chitra Rama Krishna MD and CEO at NSE (tenth).

Richest entrepreneurs in America under 40

Two Indian-origin businessmen have been ranked by Forbes magazine among the richest entrepreneurs in America under

the age of 40, a list that has been topped by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Vivek Ramaswamy, 30, a former hedge

fund manager, has been ranked 33rd on the list with a net worth of $500 million. Forbes said his source of wealth is

investments. On the 40th spot is 29-year old Apoorva Mehta, the founder and CEO of Instacart, the web-based grocery


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delivery service. Mehtas net worth is $400 million. Zuckerberg leads the pack with a net worth of $47.1 billion

followed by his cofounder and college friend Dustin Moskovitz. At number three is Jan Koum, who came to America at

age 16. He started WhatsApp, now the worlds biggest mobile messaging service with 800 million users in 2009 and sold

it to Facebook for about $22 billion in cash and stock in 2014.

HAPPENINGS

VW diesel owners to get USD 1,000: Owners of 482,000 diesel Volkswagens and Audis in the US are eligiblefor USD 1,000 in gift cards and vouchers as the automaker strives to placate customers dismayed by an emissions-rigging

scandal. VW announced the offer in November. The car owners have been in limbo since mid-September, when VW

admitted the cars are equipped with software that turns on pollution controls during government tests and turns them off

while on the road. VW has yet to unveil a fix for the cars. The US Environmental Protection Agency says the cars, with

2-liter four-cylinder diesel engines, emit 10 to 40 times the allowable amount of harmful nitrogen oxide while being

driven.

Microsoft picks Varanasi for Internet pilot: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadellas plans for the ambitious DigitalIndia programme include an experimental technology pilot in Prime Minister Narendra Modis constituency of Varanasi

in November. The software giant has chosen the pilgrim town in Uttar Pradesh as the venue for a project to fund local

entrepreneurs aiming to build devices that can overcome Indias bandwidth crunch. Microsoft would use idle television

broadcasting spectrum to operate devices developed by the local entrepreneurs.

Maruti Alto becomes best-selling model: Maruti Suzuki Indias entry level car Alto, launched in 2000, becamethe best ever selling model in India in November with a cumulative total of more than 29 lakh units sold over a period of

15 years, overtaking its now phased-out M800. Marutis small car M800, which had redefined personal transportation in

India when it was launched in December 1983, had clocked over 28 lakh units cumulatively before the company stopped

its production in January 2014.

Maggi back on shelves: Popular instant noodles Maggi was back on the shelves in select markets from the secondweek of November, five months after it was banned for allegedly containing lead beyond the permissible limit. Nestle

India Chairman and Managing Director Suresh Narayanan said Maggi had passed tests by three government-accredited

laboratories, as ordered by the Bombay High Court which in August had lifted ban on the instant noodles that wasimpose

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