gk questions and current affairs

8122019 Gk questions and current affairs

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullgk-questions-and-current-affairs 115

October 1-10

Rajya Sabha member and Congress leader Rasheed Masood was sentenced to four years in jail by a

Delhi court in a corruption case becoming the first MP to lose his seat after a recent Supreme Court

judgement had removed the immunity for convicted lawmakers 67-year-old Masood who attains the

dubious distinction of being the first lawmaker to be disqualified after the July 10 Supreme Court

judgement was immediately taken into custody by the court

In the continuing tug of war between Narendra Mod ii government and the Governor the state assembly

passed the Gujarat Lokayukta Ayog Bill 2013 for a second time without incorporating any major changes

sought by Raj Bhavan setting the stage for a fresh confrontation Governor Kamla Beniwal had on

September 3 returned the bill passed by the assembly on April 2 to the government for reconsideration

dubbing the legislation as complete mockery of the judicial process and detrimental to the interests of

public welfare

Pope Francis began landmark meetings to reform the Vatican promising to do all he could to change the

mentality of an institution he said was too focused on its own interests

For the first time in 17 years the federal government staggered into a partial shutdown after

congressional Republicans stubbornly demanded changes in the nations health care law as the price for

essential federal funding and President Barack Obama and Democrats adamantly refused As Congress

gridlocked Obama said a shutdown will have a very real economic impact on real people right away

with hundreds of thousands of federal workers furloughed and veterans centers national parks most of

the space agency and other government operations shuttered

Ordinance on convicted lawmakers withdrawn Bill to be repealed

Energy-starved Bangladesh inaugurated the opening phase of work for its first ever nuclear power plant

using Russian technology

Former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad was jailed for five years for his role in the `950-crore fodder scam

that surfaced 17-years-ago A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Ranchi sentenced the

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief to rigorous imprisonment for five years and also slapped a fine of Rs 25

lakh on him With this Lalu became the second politician after Rasheed Masood to lose his Parliamentary

seat after a recent Supreme Court judgement removed immunity for convicted lawmakers The 69-year-

old Lalu automatically lost his Lok Sabha seat and stands disqualified as an MP barred from contesting

elections for the next 11 years following his sentencing

Clearing the hurdle for the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh the Union Cabinet cleared the formation of a

separate state of Telangana The Cabinet also decided that Hyderabad would remain the joint capital for a

period of 10 years This is the formal first step taken by the government to create Indiarsquos 29th state after

the July 30 resolution of the Congress Working Committee asking the government to accept the 45-year-

old statehood demand

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the 2000-crore deal between Jet Airways

and UAEs national carrier Etihad Airways The deal now only needs an approval from the Competition

Commission of India (CCI) which aviation experts say is a mere formality

983123983118983113983120983120983109983124983123





The Supreme Court has commuted the death penalty given to jailed former Youth Congress leader Sushil

Sharma in the tandoor murder case to life imprisonment The trial court and the Delhi High Court had

upheld the death penalty for Sharma in the murder of his wife Naina Sahni Sushil Sharma had challenged

his conviction and death sentence in the 1995 murder case

Government of India approved National Identification Authority of India Bill with some amendments which

will provide statutory status to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)Besides giving

statutory status to the UIDAI the Bill seeks to provide legal backing to Aadhaar which is used by

ministries departments and states to disburse subsidies

US Federal Reserve vice chair Janet Yellen has been picked by President Barack Obama to take over as

head of Americarsquos central bank at what is widely considered to be a crucial period for the countryrsquos

economy and banking industry The 67-year-old New Yorker will become the first woman to lead the

national bank and also the first Democrat to head the Fed since 1979 when President Jimmy Carter

nominated Paul Volcker

Pakistan Supreme Court granted bail to embattled former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in the Nawab

Akbar Bugti murder case

Unveiling a roadmap to boost economic ties India pledged to sign an agreement with the 10-member

ASEAN bloc on services and investment by this year end and to reach an accord on FTA by next year The

11th ASEAN-India Summit attended by Heads of Government of the member states and Prime Minister

Manmohan Singh welcomed Indias Look East policy and the decision to set up a separate mission for

the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and a full time resident Ambassador for the region

The British government has introduced legislation to block immigrants living in the country illegally from

opening bank accounts require landlords to check tenants immigration status and make it harder for

migrants to appeal deportation The bill has been slammed by lawyers and rights campaigners

Myanmar took a long-coveted role as chairman of ASEAN the regional grouping of Southeast Asia But in

a country where three-quarters of the population lack access to electricity and basic telephone services

are patchy the job holds as many problems as promise for a semi-civilian government that emerged from

49 years of oppressive military rule two years ago to surprise the world with sweeping reforms

October 11- October 20

Cyclone Phailin strikes Odisha coast at 200 kmph

Election Commission of India has directed to make available NOTA Button (None of the Above) in

electronic voting machines and ballot papers NOTA Button will be for voters not wishing to vote for any of

the candidates By pressing this button they will be able to use option of not choosing any of the

candidates in fray with secrecy

Maldivian President Mohamed Waheed withdrew from the 2013 presidential election

Britain says it will make it easier for Chinarsquos citizens to obtain visas as it seeks a bigger share of the

multi-billion-dollar Chinese traveller market against stiff European competition

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) lodged fresh FIR in the Coalgate scam The premiere agency

has named Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla NALCO and HINDALCO in its new FIR

In a major boost for India and other countries seeking details on suspected black money stashed in Swiss

banks Switzerland agreed to automatic exchange of information and mutual administrative assistance in

tax matters with overseas authorities The development which pulls down the famed secrecy wall



surrounding Swiss banks would lead to Switzerland providing all forms of mutual assistance - exchange

on request spontaneous information sharing tax examinations abroad and assistance in tax collection

93 killed as quake hits Rangoon

An inspired India pulled off an incredible nine-wicket victory over Australia in the second cricket one-

dayer achieving the second highest ever run chase in ODI history

New Zealander Eleanor Catton won the Man Booker Prize this year for The Luminaries At the age of 28

shes the youngest writer to win what is widely regarded as the most significant literary prize in the

English language The Luminaries her second novel is an historical fable about the gold rush of 1866 in

the South Island of New Zealand particularly around a settlement called Hokitika

The United States was spared the ignominy of a disastrous debt default when Congress passed a bill

extending the nations borrowing authority ending a two-week government shutdown

The Union cabinet cleared a crucial project in Kashmir which will connect the strategically important areas

of Kargil and Leh to the rest of India through a 14 km long all weather tunnel passing through Zojila one

of the highest mountain passes in India Currently these two regions remain cut off from the capital

Srinagar and rest of the country for about six months during the winter season on account of heavy

snowfall and inclement weather

President Pranab Mukherjee has okayed Uttarakhand Lokayukta Bill passed by the state Assembly in

November 2011 when BJP leader B C Khanduri was CM The then Team Anna Hazare had said the Bill was

identical to Jan Lokpal Bill

Syriarsquos deputy prime minister floated Nov 23-24 as possible dates for talks on a political solution to the

Syrian conflict

Saudi Arabia officially turned down its seat at the UN Security Council The Saudis rejection of the seat

now makes way for Jordan to take the place Saudi Arabia won the seat last month but refused it in

protest of the councilrsquos efforts on the Syrian conflict

Germany temporarily closed itrsquos embassy in capital Kabul and suspended itrsquos operations due to serious

security threats

Ten regional parties in the Northeast joined hands to form the Northeast Regional Political Front that will

focus on bringing issues from the region into the national agenda

Maldivian opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed demanded fresh elections under a caretaker president a

day after police forced the postponement of a vote he was expected to win Nasheed a former president

who was toppled 20 months ago told reporters in the capital Male that outgoing President Mohamed

Waheed should step down immediately and allow the speaker of parliament to conduct a fresh presidential

vote

October 21 onwards

Convicted Congress leader Rashid Masood became the first MP to lose his seat after the Supreme Court

struck down a provision that protects a convicted lawmaker from disqualification on the ground of

pendency of appeal in higher courts 66-year-old Masood was held guilty in a case of corruption and other

offences in September His conviction was the first after the Supreme Court struck down a provision in the

electoral law that provided immunity to MPs and MLAs from immediate disqualification



New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will receive the first ldquoJewish Nobel Prizerdquo to be awarded by the

Genesis Philanthropy Group The group will award its one million dollar Genesis Prize to Bloomberg at a

ceremony in May 2014The prize is awarded annually in recognition of ldquoexceptional human beings who

through their outstanding achievement come to represent a fundamental value of the Jewish people ndash a

commitment to the betterment of mankindrdquo

In the second such case since the Supreme Court ruling in July jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad and

JD(U)leader Jagdish Sharma have been disqualified as Lok Sabha members following their conviction in

the fodder scam

Reliance Industries telecom arm Reliance Jio Infocomm has won a unified telecom licence that will enable

it to offer voice telephony and high speed data services across the country The Department of

Telecommunications approved grant of unified license to Reliance Jio the only telecom operator to

own fourth generation spectrum or radio waves The unified licence will enable the firm to offer both voice

and high-speed data services to subscribers across all the 22 telecom circles in the country

The European Union agreed to restart membership talks with Turkey in November this year ending a

three-year freeze

In a move to avoid border flare-ups India and China on decided to establish a hotline between their

military headquarters The Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) inked between the two

countries stated the troops at the Line of Actual Control would celebrate each others national and military

days The pact is the outcome of a series of talks that followed diplomatic tensions between the two

countries after the Chinese troops pitched their tents at Depsang valley in Ladakh

France India sign 18 pacts

Legendary playback singer Manna Dey died after prolonged illness The Dadasaheb Phalke Award winnersinger had given several hits songs during his several decades long career

The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) gave its approval to Singapore Airlines to partner the

Tata group for setting up a full-service airline in India Tatas and Singapore Airlines have assured the

government that control of their proposed airline would always remain in Indian hands Tata Sons would

have the majority stake of 51 per cent in the joint venture with Singapore Airlines owning the remaining

49 per cent Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines are likely to make an initial investment of $ 100 million to

launch the airline that is planned to take off next year after the requisite clearances

Vice President Hamid Ansari had a meeting with Cuban revolutionary hero Fidel Castro reflecting the

warmth in the relationship between India and Cuba two of the founding members of the Non Aligned

Movement (NAM) Despite the two countries working closely in the NAM it is the first ever bilateral visit

by any Indian VVIP to the Communist country

Indicating a poor state of affairs on gender parity front India was ranked at a low 101st position on a

global Gender Gap Index despite an improvement by four places since last year The index compiled by

Geneva-based World Economic orum (WEF) has ranked 136 countries on how well resources and

opportunities are divided between men and women in four broad areas of economy politics education

and health While India has been ranked very high at 9th place globally for political empowerment it has

got second-lowest position (135th) for health and survival Its rankings for economic participation and

opportunity are also low at 124th and for educational attainment at 120th

Pune Warriors owned by Sahara Adventure Sports was terminated from the Indian Premier League by

the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for ldquocontinued refusalrdquo to give a bank guarantee of Rs



1702 crore to play in the 2014 season With the decision taken at the Working Committee meeting the

number of teams in the IPL has come down to eight from nine

The lower house of Russian parliament approved a new legislation that toughens punishment for terrorism

and requires terroristsrsquo relatives to pay for the damages caused in attacks

In the first such attack in Patna five people were killed and over 70 injured when serial blasts targeted

Narendra Modis rally in the state capitals Gandhi Maidan

Sebastian Vettel won his fourth consecutive drivers world title after a comfortable win at the Indian Grand

Prix

PS Raghavan currently Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has been appointed as the

next Ambassador of India to Russian Federation He will succeed Ajai Malhotra who has retired

In a move to checkmate rising inflation the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) hiked interest rates by 025

percentage points for the second time in a little over a month Consequently the policy repo rate or the

rate at which banks borrow from the RBI will go up to 775 per cent from 750 per cent earlier

Simultaneously the central bank reduced the Marginal Standing Facility rate which is the rate at which

banks borrow funds overnight from the RBI from 9 to 875 per cent This along with the central bankrsquos

decision to increase the short-term 7 and 14-day borrowing limits for banks is likely to ease liquidity

pressure and also bring down the cost of funds for banks

With a networth of $21 billion Mukesh Ambani has retained his title as Indias wealthiest for sixth year in

a row while the countrys 100 richest persons saw their collective wealth soar by a modest 3 per cent in a

year NRI steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal ($16 billion) also continues to hold the second position while Sun

Pharmas Dilip Shanghvi has jumped to third place with about 50 per cent surge in his wealth to $139

billion pushing IT czar Azim Premji to fourth place ($138 billion)



Abraham Nemeth

Abraham Nemeth the blind designer of the internationally recognized Nemeth Braille Math Code that simplifiedsymbols for easier use in advanced math and science died at 94

Arundhati Bhattacharya

Arundhati Bhattacharya is the new chairperson of State Bank of India Bhattacharya becomes the first woman

chief of Indias largest bank Previously she was Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of the bank

Bhattacharya who joined SBI as a probationary officer in 1977 will be at the helm until March 2016 She is the

first managing director at SBI which is Indias largest bank Arundhati succeeded Diwakar Gupta

B Ashok

B Ashok Executive Director (Retail Sales) at Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has been approved by the Public

Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) to head the company from June 2014 when the present head RS Butola will

demit office

Erna Solberg

A new government has taken office in Norway The right-wing coalition of incoming Prime Minister Erna Solbergs

Conservatives and the Progress Party ousted a center-left government in last months election

GP Deshpande

Noted Marathi playwright and political thinker Govind P Deshpande died at 74 Deshpande won acclaim for his

plays including Udhvasta Dharmashala andSatyashodhak the latter centred on the mission of pioneering social

reformer Mahatma Phule Known for his insightful analysis of political processes Deshpande was also considered

an authority on China He also taught at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi for many years

General Vo Nguyen Giap

Legendary vietnamese Gen Vo Nguyen Giap who helped communist forces push French and later US troops to

withdraw after decades of war in the southeast Asian country died at 102

Hans Riegel

Hans Riegel who made German candy maker Haribo and its signature gummi bears a chewy hit for children mdash and

adults mdash across the globe died at 90 The corporate jingle Haribo makes children happy - and adults as well is

among the best known in German TV advertising The English-language version is Kids and grown-ups love it so -

the happy world of Haribo Today Haribo produces sweets in 15 European nations and exports them to over 110

countries The company employs over 6000 people and its annual sales are estimated at over two billion euros

($286 billion) although the family business does not make its financial results public

Germanys Manager magazine listed the Riegel family at number 36 on the countrys list of wealthiest people and

families with an estimated fortune of 275 billion euros

983120983109983119983120983116983109 983113983118 983118983109983127983123



Ilham Aliyev

Ilham Aliyev has been sworn in for his third term as Azerbaijans president Aliyevs third term extends what is

already a decades-long rule by his family He won some 85 percent of the vote far ahead of his main challenger

Jamil Hasanli with around 55 percent Observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe

(OSCE) said the poll fell well short of international standards and Aliyevs opponents demanded the result be

annulled The 51-year-old Aliyev -- who took power in 2003 in a disputed election after the death of his father

Heydar a former KGB officer and Communist-era boss -- has been buoyed by billions in petrodollars over the past

decade

Janet Yellen

In a history-making selection President Barack Obama nominated Janet Yellen to be chairman of the Federal

Reserve a critical post as the nation continues its fitful economic recovery She would be the first woman to lead

the powerful central bank Yellen who currently holds the No 2 spot at the Fed would replace Ben Bernanke

whose eight-year tenure at the helm of the Fed ends Jan 31 2014

K Raghavan

Veteran music director K Raghavan died at 99 A nationally recognized composer credited for the renaissance of

Malayalam film music Raghavan Master is credited with nearly 400 songs in 63 films He had won J C Daniel

award and also the state award for music director

Mohan Dharia

Former Union minister and deputy chairman of Planning Commission Mohan Dharia passed away at 89 A lawyer

by profession two-time member of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Dharia had been a prominent figure in the state

and national politicsHe served as a minister of state under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1971 but left the

Congress after the imposition of the Emergency in 1975 He joined the Bharatiya Lok Dal and later became

commerce minister under Prime Minister Morarji Desai in 1977 He founded the Vanrai an umbrella organization

comprising thousands of non-government organizations through which over 25 million saplings were distributed

free to the people as part of an afforestation drive Among many other awards Dharia was conferred with the

Padma Vibhushan Indias second highest civilian honour for his social work in 2005

MC Misra

Dr Mahesh Chandra Misra is the new director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi

Oscar Hijuelos

Oscar Hijuelos a Cuban-American novelist who wrote about the lives of immigrants adapting to a new culture and

became the first Latino to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his 1989 book ldquoThe Mambo Kings Play Songs of

Loverdquo died at 62

Prabodh Chandra Dey Alias Manna Dey

Playback singer Manna Dey whose legendary voice entertained many generations died at 94 In a career that

spanned 70 years he sang more than 3500 songs in 16 languages including Kannada He debuted in the

film Tamanna in 1942 The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri in 1971 the Padma



Bhushan in 2005 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2007 Dey sang in all the major regional Indian languages

though primarily in Hindi and Bengali

Ravindra Kumar

The Indian Newspaper Society (INS) elected The Statesmans Ravindra Kumar as president at its 74th annual

general meeting Kumar succeeds K N Tilak Kumar of Deccan Herald amp Prajavani

Satya Narayan Goenka

Renowned spiritual leader and Vipassana guru Satya Narayan Goenka died at 89 Goenka who was conferred the

Padma Bhushan for social work last year started teaching meditation to the public in India in 1969 In 1976 he

set up the Vipassana International Academy mdash also known as Dhamma Giri mdash in Igatpuri in Nashik district

Besides India Vipassana centres have come up in countries like the US Canada Australia New Zealand France

the United Kingdom Japan Sri Lanka Nepal Myanmar and Thailand under his guidance

Sarojini Varadappan

Social worker Sarojini Varadappan passed away at 92 Varadappan was the daughter of former Tamil Nadu Chief

Minister M Bhaktavatsalam of the Congress party She served effectively as the head of the Womens India

Association (WIA) and the Music Academy She received the Padma Shri in 1973 and the Padma Bhushan in 2009

Syed Ibne Abbas

Syed Ibne Abbas has been appointed as Pakistans new High Commissioner to India Mr Abbas would be replacing

current high commissioner to India Salman Bashir

SR Bansal

SR Bansal took charge as the Chairman and Managing Director of Corporation Bank in Mangalore on October 5

Tom Clancy

Tom Clancy a celebrated author of crime fiction and military thrillers died at 66 He was the author of the popular

Jack Ryan series among many others His novels have repeatedly hit 1 on The New York Times bestseller list

and four of his books were adapted for film including his first The Hunt for Red October

Zubaida Khanum

Renowned Pakistani singer Zubaida Khanum died of heart attack in Lahore



AWARDS FOR MALALA

bull Anna Politkovskaya Award In early October Malala won an award instituted in the name of Russian journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya

bull Pride of Britain Award The Pakistani teenage activist Malala Yousafzai who survived Taliban bullets was

presented with this award by David Beckham on October 6 in London

bull Sakharov Human Rights Award Malala Yousafzai was on October 10 honoured with European Parliaments

top award in recognition of her courageous fight for girls education

Asian Filmmaker Of the year Award

Acclaimed Cambodian director Rithy Panh whose family died in the Khmer Rouge genocide received the Asian

Filmmaker of the Year award at the Busan International Film Festival for his efforts to save his countryrsquos cinematic

heritage The 49-year-old Panh has dedicated his life to seeking out and finding ways to save his countryrsquos film

history left mostly destroyed under the brutal 1975-1979 reign of the Khmer Rouge that claimed around two

million lives

Bimal Roy Memorial Award

Filmmaker Shivendra Singh Dungarpur has been selected for this years Bimal Roy Memorial Emerging Talent

Award for his widely appreciated documentary Celluloid Man Celluloid Man a documentary made by Mr

Dungarpur in 2012 explores the life and work of P K Nair legendary film archivist and founder of the National

Film Archive of India The film won two awards - best historicalbiographical reconstruction and best editing for

Irene Dhar Malik - at the 60National Film Awards The 150-minute documentary screened at about 47 film

festivals worldwide has received universal critical acclaim The film features interviews of several prominent

actors filmmakers and artistes who have been inspired by Mr Nair The Bimal Roy Memorial Society has been

conferring this award since 1997 The organization honours emerging talents from the Indian film industry

including performing artists technicians directors musicians etc

Bangla Award

Former Indian President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed and ex-Prime Minister Gulzarilal Nanda were posthumously

conferred with the Bangladesh Liberation War Honour in recognition of their outstanding support to the countrys

struggle for independence from Pakistan They were among 44 Indians honoured by President Abdul Hamid and

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for their contributions in 1971 Actress Waheeda Rehman physician Shyama Prasad

Mandal professor Aniruddha Ray Panna Lal Dasgupta and Maulana Syed Ahmed Madani were also among the

recipients of the award

CIA Whistleblower Award

Former CIA analyst Edward Snowden was given an American whistleblowersrsquo award for exposing massive US

surveillance dragnet The Sam Adams Award ldquofor Integrity in Intelligencerdquo was presented to Mr Snowden by four

former US intelligence officials at a secret meeting in Moscow The award in the shape of a candlestick is namedafter Samuel A Adams a CIA whistleblower during the Vietnam War and is given annually In 2010 it was

conferred on the WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange

983105983127983105983122983108983123 983078 983112983119983118983119983125983122983123



Deutsche Bank prize for Financial Economics 2013

RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has received the fifth Deutsche Bank prize for Financial Economics 2013 in

recognition of his ground-breaking research work which has influenced financial and macro-economic policies

around the world

French Award for Anjali Gopalan

Francersquos highest civilian award the ldquoChevalier de la Legion drsquoHonneurrdquo was given to Anjali Gopalan for her work on

transgenders and HIV positive patients Anjali Gopalan is the executive director of the Naz Foundation and a well

known human rights activist at the forefront of the fight for equality for LGBT folks and in advancing the cause of

HIV in India

HP LIFE Entrepreneurship Award

Bano Fatima a young entrepreneur who helps the weavers known as Julahas in Uttar Pradesh has received the

HP LIFE Entrepreneurship Award at New Yorks Global Citizen Festival This prize was awarded as her incredible

entrepreneurship story received the maximum online votes from the HP LIFEGlobal Poverty Project community

than the stories of four other highly inspiring HP LIFE entrepreneurs Musician Jake Clemons presented the HP LIFE

Entrepreneurship Award (including $ 5000 and a trip to New York City) to Bano Fatima of Weavers Hut

Indira Award

Eminent agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan known as the lsquoFather of Green Revolutionrsquo was conferred the

Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration The Award for the year 2012 consisting of a citation and Rs 5 lakh

was presented to the 88-year-old scientist by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on October 31 the death anniversary

of Indira Gandhi

Indian Film Awarded In Germany

At a recent award ceremony in Hamburg Germany Indian film Fire in the Blood directed by Dylan Mohan

Gray won the first-ever Prize for Political Film at the Filmfest Hamburg Twelve films from around the world were in

the running for the prestigious award

JEWISH NOBEL

Israel on Monday recognized New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg as the first ever recipient of the $1 million

Genesis Prize an award popularly dubbed the Jewish Nobel Prizerdquo The Genesis Prize Foundation said Bloomberg

was honored as the first winner for his long record of public service and philanthropy

Man Booker Prize

New Zealand author Eleanor Catton won the 2013 Man Booker prize for English fiction for her novel The

Luminaries to become the youngest winner in the awards 45-year history

Miss World Pageant-2013

The 23-year-old Miss Philippines Megan Young was crowned Miss World 2013 beating 130 contestants from across

the globe in the 63rd Miss World pageant held in a glittering finale on the Indonesian resort island of Bali This is

the first time a Miss Philippines has been awarded the title Though Miss India World Navneet Kaur Dhillon did not

make it to the top 10 she bagged the title of Miss Multimedia



Nobel Prize-2013

Following are the awardees of this years Nobel Prizes the $12 million awards handed out since 1901 by

committees in Stockholm and Oslo

Nobel Prize in Chemistry

The chemistry prize was given to three US-based scientists for developing computer models that predict complex

chemical reactions that can be used for tasks like creating new drugs Their approach combined classical physics

and quantum physics The winners are Martin Karplus of the University of Strasbourg France and Harvard

University Michael Levitt of the Stanford University School of Medicine and Arieh Warshel of the University of

Southern California in Los Angeles

Nobel Prize in Literature

The literature prize was given to Canadas Alice Munro hailed by the award-giving Swedish Academy as a master

of the contemporary short story The 82-year-old author is often called Canadas Chekhov for her astute

unflinching and compassionate depiction of seemingly unremarkable lives She is the author of a series of story

collections chronicling the lives of girls and women before and after the 1960s social revolution including The

Moons of Jupiter The Progress of Love and Runaway

Nobel Prize in Medicine

The medicine prize the first of the 2013 awards honored breakthroughs in understanding how key substances are

moved around within a cell That process happens through vesicles tiny bubbles that deliver their cargo within a

cell to the right place at the right time Disturbances in the delivery system can lead to neurological diseases

diabetes or immunological disorders The prize was shared by Americans James E Rothman of Yale and Randy W

Schekman of the University of California Berkeley and German-American Dr Thomas C Sudhof of the Stanford

University School of Medicine

Nobel Prize in Physics

The physics prize was awarded for a theory about how subatomic particles get their mass The theory made

headlines last year when it was confirmed at the CERN laboratory in Geneva by the discovery of the elusive Higgs

particle The prize was shared by two men who proposed the theory independently of each other in 1964 Peter

Higgs of Britain and Francois Englert of Belgium

Nobel Peace Prize

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons wins the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize

Prize in Economic Sciences

The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2013 was awarded jointly to Eugene

F Fama Lars Peter Hansen and Robert J Shiller for their empirical analysis of asset prices



Apple Apple has unseated Coca-Cola as the worldrsquos No 1 brand according to a study of the Top 100

brands by Interbrand Corp Applersquos brand value jumped 28 percent to $983 billion as Googlersquos rose in

second place at $933 billion The Coca-Cola name slipped from the top spot after 13 years to third place

at $792 billion The annual study determines a brandrsquos value by examining its financial performance role

in influencing consumer buying and ability to secure earnings The Top 10 is rounded out in descending

order by IBM Microsoft GE McDonaldrsquos Samsung Intel and Toyota The 100 have a combined value of

$15 trillion an 84 percent increase from last year

Air Costa Air costa which on October 14 became the latest regional carrier in the Indian skies has spelt

out ambitious plans despite the prevailing downbeat mood in the aviation industry The airline promoted

by the Vijaywada-based realty group Lingamaneni Estates Private Limited (LEPL) operated its inaugural

flight

Amazon Online retail giant Amazon has acquired Ten-Marks a mathematical education company

founded by entrepreneur Rohit Agarwal in a deal that adds to the clutch of Indian-led technology firms

that have been bought out by their bigger American counterparts in recent times

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) S Varadarajan took over charge as Chairman and

Managing Director of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) from the outgoing CMD R K Singh on

his retirement

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has

started giving approvals to private jet operators to fly abroad The regulator had banned international

flights by non-scheduled operators after discrepancies were pointed out in an audit by the InternationalCivil Aviation Organisation

EEPC India Engineering export association EEPC India elevated Anupam Shah to the post of

ChairmanShah who was Senior Vice-Chairman of EEPC India will succeed Aman Chadha

Freight Tariff Inflation is expected to soar further with freight tariff on all commodities including

foodgrains cement chemical manure iron ore and coal set to rise by 15 per cent from October

1Railways have decided to levy 15 per cent busy season charge on all commodities from October 1

Foreign Exchange Reserves According to the RBI Indias foreign exchange reserves shot up for a third

week in a row in October 2013 adding a healthy $19 billion to touch $28112 billion on account of growth

in a key component

GAIL India State-owned gas utility GAIL India announced that it had sold nearly a fourth of its 46 per

cent stake in city gas distribution company China Gas Holdings for Rs 385 crore

HSBC London-based HSBC on October 17 said it would exit its retail broking business in India the

latest global bank to scale back operations in the country

International Finance Corporation (IFC) The International Finance Corporation (IFC) a member of

the World Bank Group has launched a $1-billion offshore bond programme touted as the largest of its

kind in the offshore rupee market to strengthen Indiarsquos capital markets and attract greater foreign

investment Under the programme IFC will issue rupee-linked bonds and use the proceeds to finance

private sector investment in the country

983106983157983155983145983150983141983155983155 983078 983109983139983151983150983151983149983161



Khadi Mark With an aim to provide a unique identity to brand lsquoKhadirsquo in domestic as well as international

markets President Pranab Mukherjee has launched lsquoKhadi Markrsquo which would indicate the quality and

genuineness of a product The initiative will help to fully realise the growth potential of the khadi sector

The sector is presently pegged at Rs 1000 crore in terms of revenues of which about Rs 125 crore

comes from exports Additionally it employs around 1045 lakh khadi artisans with nearly seventy percent being women

Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (MCX) The Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd

(MCX) said its managing director and chief executive officer Shreekant Javalgekar had submitted his

resignation from the company in which Jignesh Shah-promoted Financial Technologies (India)(FTIL) holds

a 26 per cent stake Multi Commodity Exchange did not specify a reason for the resignation in a

statement Financial Technologies also owns National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL) The NSEL has been

under investigation by police since last month after Indias commodities regulator ordered it to suspend

trading over suspected violations of rules on contract duration Earlier Jignesh Shah and Joseph Massey

had also resigned from the board of MCX Stock Exchange Shah was the vice chairman amp shareholder

director of MCX-SX Massey was the MD amp CEO of MCX-SX and also the shareholder director of MCX-SX

Clearing Corporation

Minimum Support Price The government has raised the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for wheat by Rs

50 to Rs 1400 per quintal to encourage farmers to cover more area under the crop in the ongoing rabi

season

MSP is the rate at which government buys the grain from farmers

ONGC Videsh ONGC Videsh through its affiliates signed definitive agreements to acquire 12

Participating Interest (PI) in Block BC-10 Campos Basin Deep Offshore Brazil as part of the sale of 35

share made by Petrobras ONGC Videsh had earlier acquired 15 PI in the block in 2006 The other

partners in the block were Shell Operator with 50 PI and Petrobras with 35 PI

Penguin Random House Penguin Random House announced the completion of its purchase of Ananda

Publishers Private Limitedrsquos minority stake in Penguin Books India Penguin India was formed in 1985

with UK-based publishing house Penguin Publishing Company holding a 40 per cent stake Penguin

Random House has now acquired the remaining stake and takes 100 per cent ownership of Penguin India

Reliance Jio Infocomm Reliance Industries telecom arm Reliance Jio Infocomm has won a unified

telecom licence that will enable it to offer voice telephony and high speed data services across the

country Reliance Jio is the only telecom operator to own nationwide fourth generation spectrum of radio

waves

Singapore Airlines (SIA) The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) has given its nod to

Singapore Airlines (SIA) to set up a full service airline in India in partnership with the Tata Group that

would entail an initial foreign investment of $49 million

Shriram General Insurance Shriram General Insurance has become the first private insurer to make a

foreign acquisition with the purchase of a large chunk of share in Philippine non-life company Monarch

Insurance This is the first overseas insurance transaction after the insurance regulator in May 2013

allowed domestic companies to do business in other countries The Shriram Group earlier held a stake in

the Philippine company through Bharath Investments a Singapore-based holding company which has

investments from Ceylinco group - a Sri Lankan conglomerate



State Bank of India The State Bank of India (SBI) on October 27 said that it made an investment in

Equifax Credit Information Services (ECIS) an India-based credit bureau and an arm of the US-based

Equifax Inc

Wal-Mart The worlds largest retailer Wal-Mart and Sunil Bharti Mittal-led Bharti Enterprises on October

9 announced they are ending their partnership in the retail sector in India Both will independently run

their retail businesses in the country




































































Syrian conflict





security threats







vote

October 21 onwards















the fodder scam







three-year freeze




































Prix

















Abraham Nemeth







B Ashok



demit office

Erna Solberg



GP Deshpande








Hans Riegel









983120983109983119983120983116983109 983113983118 983118983109983127983123



Ilham Aliyev







decade

Janet Yellen





K Raghavan




Mohan Dharia









MC Misra


Oscar Hijuelos












Ravindra Kumar









Sarojini Varadappan




Syed Ibne Abbas



SR Bansal


Tom Clancy




Zubaida Khanum




AWARDS FOR MALALA











million lives











Bangla Award












983105983127983105983122983108983123 983078 983112983119983118983119983125983122983123






around the world





HIV in India







Indira Award




of Indira Gandhi





JEWISH NOBEL




Man Booker Prize










Nobel Prize-2013



























Nobel Peace Prize

















flight






his retirement











in a key component










983106983157983155983145983150983141983155983155 983078 983109983139983151983150983151983149983161




















season













waves














Equifax Inc













the fodder scam







three-year freeze




































Prix

















Abraham Nemeth







B Ashok



demit office

Erna Solberg



GP Deshpande








Hans Riegel









983120983109983119983120983116983109 983113983118 983118983109983127983123



Ilham Aliyev







decade

Janet Yellen





K Raghavan




Mohan Dharia









MC Misra


Oscar Hijuelos












Ravindra Kumar









Sarojini Varadappan




Syed Ibne Abbas



SR Bansal


Tom Clancy




Zubaida Khanum




AWARDS FOR MALALA











million lives











Bangla Award












983105983127983105983122983108983123 983078 983112983119983118983119983125983122983123






around the world





HIV in India







Indira Award




of Indira Gandhi





JEWISH NOBEL




Man Booker Prize










Nobel Prize-2013



























Nobel Peace Prize

















flight






his retirement











in a key component










983106983157983155983145983150983141983155983155 983078 983109983139983151983150983151983149983161




















season













waves














Equifax Inc













Prix

















Abraham Nemeth







B Ashok



demit office

Erna Solberg



GP Deshpande








Hans Riegel









983120983109983119983120983116983109 983113983118 983118983109983127983123



Ilham Aliyev







decade

Janet Yellen





K Raghavan




Mohan Dharia









MC Misra


Oscar Hijuelos












Ravindra Kumar









Sarojini Varadappan




Syed Ibne Abbas



SR Bansal


Tom Clancy




Zubaida Khanum




AWARDS FOR MALALA











million lives











Bangla Award












983105983127983105983122983108983123 983078 983112983119983118983119983125983122983123






around the world





HIV in India







Indira Award




of Indira Gandhi





JEWISH NOBEL




Man Booker Prize










Nobel Prize-2013



























Nobel Peace Prize

















flight






his retirement











in a key component










983106983157983155983145983150983141983155983155 983078 983109983139983151983150983151983149983161




















season













waves














Equifax Inc






Abraham Nemeth







B Ashok



demit office

Erna Solberg



GP Deshpande








Hans Riegel









983120983109983119983120983116983109 983113983118 983118983109983127983123



Ilham Aliyev







decade

Janet Yellen





K Raghavan




Mohan Dharia









MC Misra


Oscar Hijuelos












Ravindra Kumar









Sarojini Varadappan




Syed Ibne Abbas



SR Bansal


Tom Clancy




Zubaida Khanum




AWARDS FOR MALALA











million lives











Bangla Award












983105983127983105983122983108983123 983078 983112983119983118983119983125983122983123






around the world





HIV in India







Indira Award




of Indira Gandhi





JEWISH NOBEL




Man Booker Prize










Nobel Prize-2013



























Nobel Peace Prize

















flight






his retirement











in a key component










983106983157983155983145983150983141983155983155 983078 983109983139983151983150983151983149983161




















season













waves














Equifax Inc






Ilham Aliyev







decade

Janet Yellen





K Raghavan




Mohan Dharia









MC Misra


Oscar Hijuelos












Ravindra Kumar









Sarojini Varadappan




Syed Ibne Abbas



SR Bansal


Tom Clancy




Zubaida Khanum




AWARDS FOR MALALA











million lives











Bangla Award












983105983127983105983122983108983123 983078 983112983119983118983119983125983122983123






around the world





HIV in India







Indira Award




of Indira Gandhi





JEWISH NOBEL




Man Booker Prize










Nobel Prize-2013



























Nobel Peace Prize

















flight






his retirement











in a key component










983106983157983155983145983150983141983155983155 983078 983109983139983151983150983151983149983161




















season













waves














Equifax Inc








Ravindra Kumar









Sarojini Varadappan




Syed Ibne Abbas



SR Bansal


Tom Clancy




Zubaida Khanum




AWARDS FOR MALALA











million lives











Bangla Award












983105983127983105983122983108983123 983078 983112983119983118983119983125983122983123






around the world





HIV in India







Indira Award




of Indira Gandhi





JEWISH NOBEL




Man Booker Prize










Nobel Prize-2013



























Nobel Peace Prize

















flight






his retirement











in a key component










983106983157983155983145983150983141983155983155 983078 983109983139983151983150983151983149983161




















season













waves














Equifax Inc






AWARDS FOR MALALA











million lives











Bangla Award












983105983127983105983122983108983123 983078 983112983119983118983119983125983122983123






around the world





HIV in India







Indira Award




of Indira Gandhi





JEWISH NOBEL




Man Booker Prize










Nobel Prize-2013



























Nobel Peace Prize

















flight






his retirement











in a key component










983106983157983155983145983150983141983155983155 983078 983109983139983151983150983151983149983161




















season













waves














Equifax Inc









around the world





HIV in India







Indira Award




of Indira Gandhi





JEWISH NOBEL




Man Booker Prize










Nobel Prize-2013



























Nobel Peace Prize

















flight






his retirement











in a key component










983106983157983155983145983150983141983155983155 983078 983109983139983151983150983151983149983161




















season













waves














Equifax Inc






Nobel Prize-2013



























Nobel Peace Prize

















flight






his retirement











in a key component










983106983157983155983145983150983141983155983155 983078 983109983139983151983150983151983149983161




















season













waves














Equifax Inc
















flight






his retirement











in a key component










983106983157983155983145983150983141983155983155 983078 983109983139983151983150983151983149983161




















season













waves














Equifax Inc























season













waves














Equifax Inc








Equifax Inc




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