7th Nov- 8th Nov 2014

Johnson & Johnson Pte Ltd acquired electrolyte drink brand ORSL

08-NOV-2014

  • Consumer healthcare firm Johnson & Johnson Pte Ltd on 7 November 2014 acquired ready-to-drink electrolyte brand ORSL from Bangalore-based Jagdale Industries Ltd for an undisclosed sum.
  • As per the acquisition agreement, Jagdale Industries Ltd will provide transition services in the area of manufacturing, detailing and distribution of ORSL.

ORSL

  • ORSL is the star product of Jagdale Health Care that offers purified water, electrolytes, and energy in Tetra Pak packaging and is manufactured with state-of-the-art aseptic technology. ORSL is the world’s first natural fruit juice based electrolyte energy drink in Tetra Pak.
  • ORSL is a fruit-based electrolyte drink popular in India, which is helpful for quick energy and electrolytes restoration during mild dehydration and general debility often following cough & cold, pain, fever and other digestive conditions.

India and Bhutan signed MoU to develop Nalanda University

08-NOV-2014

  • India and Bhutan on 7 November 2014 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop Nalanda University in Bihar as an international centre of excellence.

Highlights of the agreement

  • The MoU states that the objectives and functions of Nalanda University includes the establishment of an international institution of learning that will bring together the brightest and the most dedicated students from all countries irrespective of gender, caste, creed, disability, ethnicity or socioeconomic background.
  • According to the MoU, the Nalanda University will be located at Rajgir in Bihar and will have the power to confer degrees, diplomas and certificates.
  • It focuses on building an Asian community of learning where the intellectual potential of every student can be developed to the fullest extent possible.
  • As per the MoU, India will provide appropriate visa to students, faculty and staff for travelling to India to study or work in the University. The funding for the establishment and operations of the University will be on a voluntary basis.

Suzlon Energy installed world’s tallest hybrid wind generator turbine in Kutch

08-NOV-2014

  • The largest wind turbine manufacturer Suzlon Energy on 6 November 2014 installed the world’s tallest hybrid wind generator turbine in Kutch, Gujarat. The turbine will generate 12-15 percent more energy.
  • The 120-metre hybrid turbine is taller than conventional wind turbine towers by 40 metres. With this new turbine, the installed wind energy capacity at the Kutch region of Gujarat has gone up to 1100 MW. It makes it the Asia’s biggest wind energy park at one location.
  • This tower is ideal for low wind areas and the potential is huge. In the next three years, this region will have 2000 MW of wind energy capacity.
  • In 2008, the Suzlon Energy signed a memorandum of understanding with the Gujarat Government to set up 2000 MW of wind energy capacity in the state.

Suzlon Energy

  • Established in 1995, Suzlon is a leading wind power products and services company with a global footprint. Suzlon is credited with developing one of the world’s largest wind farms in the western Indian state of Gujarat and Rajasthan.
  • The company has presence across six continents : North and South America, Asia, Australia, Europe, and Africa. The Suzlon Group has built its presence in over 31 countries and has achieved a milestone by crossing over 25000 MW of wind power installations globally

Havells India Limited chairman Qimat Rai Gupta passed away

08-NOV-2014

  • The electrical equipment maker Havells India Limited group chairman Qimat Rai Gupta passed away on 7 November 2014. He was 77.

Qimat Rai Gupta

  • Qimat Rai Gupta started Havells India Limited in 1971 and transformed it to a multinational company with operations across 51 countries.
  • Gupta's big moment came in 2007 when Havells acquired Europe headquartered Sylvania Lighting thus registering Havells amongst top 4 lighting companies in the world.
  • Gupta received the Self-made Entrepreneur Award Udyog Patra in 1989, Distinguished Entrepreneurship Award 2004, Udyog Vibhushan from the Institute of Trade & Industrial Development in 2005 and Udyog Ratna in 2005.
  • In 2014, Gupta made it to the Forbes' billionaire list for the first time and was ranked as India's 48th richest man with a net worth of 2 billion US dollars as of September 2014.

Manohar Gopalkrishna Prabhu Parrikar resigned as Goa Chief Minister

08-NOV-2014

  • Goa Chief Minister Manohar Gopalkrishna Prabhu Parrikar on 8 November 2014 resigned from his position. With the resignation of Parrikar, entire state cabinet comprising of 12 ministers was dissolved.
  • Manohar Parrikar had resigned to take up the post of Defence minister in the Union Cabinet on 9 November 2014.

Manohar Gopalkrishna Prabhu Parrikar

  • Born on 13 December 1955, Parrikar did his graduation in metallurgical engineering from IIT Bombay in 1978.
  • Manohar Parrikar is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India.
  • He has been Chief Minister of Goa first from 2000 to 2005 and later from March 2012 to November 2014 and represented the Panaji constituency in the Legislative Assembly of Goa.

Central Statistical Office released the Women & Men In India 2014 Report

07-NOV-2014

  • The Central Statistical Office on 2 November 2014 released the Women & Men In India 2014 Report.

Population and related statistics

  • As per Census 2011, the population of India is more than 121 Crore with 48.5 percent females, which states the fact that there are 949 female to 1000 males in rural India against 929 in urban India.
  • The State of Kerala, Puduchery, Manipur, Goa and Chhattisgarh have more females than males whereas Daman & Diu and Chandigarh are home to less than 80 females to 100 males.
  • The Sex Ratio is least for the Girl Child (0-19 Years) but 103 females per 100 males in the age group of 60+ indicates a threat of less economic activity by a sizable population.
  • The economically active age group (15-59) has 94 females to 100 males. Sex ratio at birth is 908 in 2012, which has marginally decreased as compared to the last year.
  • The mean age at marriage for females stood at 21.2 years in 2012 with urban mean age at 22.4 and rural mean age at 20.8.
  • As per National Sample Survey 68th Round (2011-12), 1.5 percent of total households in rural and 12.4 percent in urban were female headed households as compared to 9.7 percent in rural and 10.6 percent in urban during 1993-94.

Health

  • Crude Birth Rate have reduced from 21.8 in 2011 to 21.6 in 2012 and General Fertility Rate (GFR) have also reduced from  81.2 in 2011 to 80.3 in 2012.
  • Total fertility Rate (TFR) has also gone down from 2.8 in 2011 to 2.2 in 2012.
  • The age-specific fertility rate was the highest for women in the age-group 20-24 years(191.9) followed by age-group 25-29 years (154.6) and then by the age group 30-34 years (64.5).
  • The female Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) was 42 compared with the male IMR of 39 and the overall IMR of 40 in 2013.
  • IMR has reduced substantially from 60 in 2003 to 40 in 2013 indicating improvement in health facilities for infants. Among the major States, the highest overall IMR of 54 was observed in Madhya Pradesh and the lowest at 9 in Goa in 2013.
  • The mortality rate is the lowest in the age group of 10-14 years for males as well as for females but female mortality rate is still lower, it is 0.6 against 0.8 for males. The mortality rate among females across all ages was 6.4 and that among males was 7.7 in the year 2012.
  • The Maternal Mortality Ratio has gone down to 178 in 2010-12 from 327 in 1999-2001, which may be attributed due to wide range of Government's Mother & Child schemes and increase in institutionalized births . Among the States, highest MMR is of Assam at 328 and minimum is in Tamil Nadu at 90.

Literacy and Education

  • As per 2011 census, literacy rate in India stands at 74.04 percent with a 14 percent increase to that of 2001, whereas the hike is maximum for rural women at 26 percent in the last decade. The female literacy levels according to the 2011 census are 65.46 percent whereas the male literacy rate is over 80 percent.
  • Kerala is the state with highest literacy rate of 94 and Bihar with the lowest literacy rate at just 63.82.
  • The adult literacy rate at the age of 15+ for male has increased from 73.4 to 78.8 whereas increase in adult literacy is more in case of females from 47.8 to 59.3 from 2001 to 2011. Overall adult literacy is increasing over decades.
  • The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) for females at the primary level stood at 102.65 compared with 100.20 for males in 2013-14.
  • There were 93 girls per 100 boys in primary classes, 95 in middles classes and 90 in secondary classes during 2013-14.
  • The drop-out rates were observed to be 4.66 and 4.68 in the classes I-V, 4.01 and 2.3 in classes I- VI for females and males respectively.

Participation in Economy

  • As per Census 2011, the workforce participation rate for females is 25.51 percent against 53.26 percent for males. Rural sector has a better female workforce participation rate of 30.02 percent compared with 53.03 percent for males in urban sector.
  • 41.1 percent of female main and marginal workers are agricultural labourers, 24.0 percent are cultivators, 5.7 percent are household industry workers and 29.2 percent are engaged in other works.
  • National Sample Survey (68th Round) results indicate that the worker population ratio for females in rural sector was 24.8 in 2011-12 and 54.3 for males.
  • Only 20.5 percent women were employed in the organized sector in 2011 with 18.1 percent working in the public sector and 24.3 percent in the private sector.
  • During 2011-12, the average wage/salary received by regular wage/salaried employees of economically active age group was 428.6 rupees per day for females compared with 550.23 rupees per day for males in rural areas. For urban areas, it was 609.7 rupees per day for females and 805.52 rupees per day for males.

Participation in Decision Making

  • In 2014, women occupied only 7 out of 45 Ministerial positions in the Central Council of Ministers, which is a little more than 15 percent against around 10 percent women participation in 2004. 62 females have been elected in 2014 Elections constituting more than 1 percent share in the Lower House.
  • Female participation in elections has gone up from 56 percent in fifteenth General Elections to 6 percent in the sixteenth in 2014. The male participation has also improved from 60 percent to 67 percent during the same period.
  • In the states, women share is only 8 percent in assemblies and only 4 percent in State Councils.
  • In the Panchayat setup, overall 46.7 percent women are present with maximum 58.6 percent in Jharkhand and minimum 32.3 percent in Goa as on 1 March 2013.
  • There were 2 women judges out of 30 judges in the Supreme Court and there were only 58 women judges out of 609 judges in different High Courts with maximum 25 percent in Delhi High Court.
  • Among the All-India and Central Group A Services, 30 percent females are in Indian Economic Service and only 12 percent in Indian Trade Service.
  • Social Obstacles in Women's Empowerment
  • Cruelty by husband and relatives continues to have the highest share followed by assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty. There has been a phenomenal increase in reporting of Indecent Representation of Women Cases in 2013 over 2012.
  • The number of rape case victims had increased to 90 percent in the age group of 50+ whereas 5 percent of all rape victims were under 10 years of age. 13 percent of the rape victims were in the state of Madhya Pradesh in 2013 and 46 percent of the total rape victims in India were in the age-group 18-30 years in 2013.
  • The suicide rate among females is approximately half than that of males and there has not been much variation in the suicide rates over the last 10 years.

Telangana Finance Minister Rajinder speared the first budget in the Assembly

07-NOV-2014

  • Telangana Finance Minister Rajinder on 5 November 2014 speared the first budget of the state in the Assembly. The state government proposed an expenditure of 100637 crore rupees for the financial year 2014-15.
  • Out of the proposed expenditure, the total plan expenditure is of 48648 crore rupees and non-plan expenditure is of 51989 crore rupees.
  • The amount of 100 crore rupees was allocated towards financial assistance for the families of 459 martyrs who laid down their lives for the separate state.

The main elements of the budget speech:

  • 50 years rule of Andhra leaders made Telangana vulnerable
  • Financial assistance of 10 lakh rupees to the family of each of the 459 martyrs
  • To implement the anti-corruption effort, the government conducted a comprehensive survey 
    Fluoride became scourge for the people of Nalgonda district
  • The budget is designed to target the golden Telangana
  • Movement of the future shown in the budget
  • The budget is subject to a ten-month period only
  • TRS Government's objective is to develop all sectors equally

Budget statistics:

  • In the 10 districts of Telangana, the per capita income is different in different places. ]
  • Plan expenditure of 48648 crore rupees
  • Unplanned expenditure of 51989 crore rupees
  • Estimated  Revenue Surplus of 301 crore rupees
  • Estimated Fiscal Deficit of 17398 crore rupees

Government aims to:

  • Achieve the goal of 20000 megawatts of power generation in the next five years
  • Restoration of 45 thousand damaged lakes in Telangana
  • The objective of the Government is to spend 50 crore rupees for the development of the Scheduled Castes in 2014-19 period
  • Arrangements to produce additional 4000 MW power by NTPC
  • Investment of 1000 crore rupees in GenCo for 6000 MW of power generation
  • Phased repayment of Agricultural loans as a part of Loan Waiver Scheme
  • Already paid input subsidy of 480 crore rupees
  • Projects under construction will be completed in time

The allocation of funds for People's welfare:

  • Increase in the Disability pension from 500 rupees to 1500 rupees
  • Hike in the elderly and widows pension from 200 rupees to 1000 rupees
  • 221 crore rupees for Women and Child Welfare and 1103 crore rupees for ICDS scheme
  • 2022 crore rupees for BC welfare and 1030 crore rupees for the welfare of minorities
  • 7579 crore rupees for Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan and 4559 crore rupees for ST Sub Plan
  • 150 crore rupees for the Kalyana  Lakshmi (SC) scheme and  80 crore rupees for the Kalyana  Lakshmi (ST)  scheme . (Kalyana  Lakshmi Scheme- Financial help to females to arrange their Marriages)
  • Allocation of 100 crore rupees for the minorities Shadi Mubarak scheme
  • Allocation of 1000 crore rupees for Land distribution to Dalits.
  • 100 crore rupees for Deepam Scheme.
  • Already paid 4250 crore rupees for  Agriculture Loan Waiver Scheme
  • Transport Taxation abandoned for Autorickshaws


Allocation for Infrastucture Development:

  • 10000 crore rupees for the development of highways and   400 crore rupees to double the roads from the mandal centers to district headquaters.
  • 2000 crore rupees are allocated to develop 9000 ponds in this budget period
  • 3241 crore rupees allocated in the power sector
  • one and half crore rupees for the development of each Assembly segment with the total allocation of 234 crore rupees.
  • For the Department of Horticulture, 250 crore rupees were allocated
  • 100 crore rupees allocated for the Mechanisation of agriculture sector
  • 10 crore rupees allocated for Telangana Journalist's Bhavan
  • Three and a half lakhs per house was allocated for the weaker section's house  construction
  • 10000 crore rupees for development of roads
  • 200 crore rupees worth solar pumpsets to the farmers
  • 1000 crore rupees for Housing
  • 2000 crore rupees allocated for  water grid
  • 1000 crore rupees allocated for culture and sports
  • 10956 crore rupees allocated for all sectors of education

Drug Technical Advisory Committee recommended waiver of clinical trial for 2 cancer drugs

07-NOV-2014

  • Drug Technical Advisory Committee headed by director general of health services Jagdish Prasad was on 6 November 2014 recommended waiver of clinical trial for 2 cancer drugs, Aflibercept and Trastuzumab emtansine, in public interest.
  • The committee recommended to sale the medicine without testing on Indian patients. This is permitted to cater to unmet medical needs.
  • The two medicines-Aflibercept and Trastuzumab emtansine - are used in treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer and metastatic breast cancer respectively.
  • The move is significant as it comes despite a recent directive from the Supreme Court asking the government to be careful while approving clinical trials as well as new medicines.
  • While, the law allows waiver of clinical trial in Indian population, only for drugs approved outside India, if there is national emergency, extreme urgency, epidemic, orphan drug or a disease for which there is no therapy.
  • Although, the committee considered that since both the drugs have been tested in various other countries and found to be effective, these can be allowed for sale in India in public interest.
  • However, many health experts feel the proposed clinical trial waiver to the two cancer drugs is in violation of rules and can have serious implications for patients.
  • An expert said that, this is a false and fabricated claim because there are other therapies available for metastatic breast cancer, notably Lapatinib plus Capecitabine. As a matter of fact Trastuzumab emtansine was compared with Lapatinib Plus Capecitabine for efficacy and safety.

Colorectal cancer

  • Colorectal cancer is one of the lifestyle-related cancers. It is still not much prevalent in India. The incidence of colorectral cancer in India is around 40000 to 50000 every year.
  • Doctors say it is on rise as people are pursuing a western lifestyle and diet, high in protein and fat, low in fibre and vegetables.
  • On the other hand, breast cancer is developing into epidemic proportions in India with almost 1.5 lakh new cases being diagnosed every year and close to 70000 women dying of breast cancer, according to Globocan (WHO) Data 2012.

Indian-origin politician Keith Vaz named as Labour MP of the Year

07-11-2014

  • Indian-origin British politician Nigel Keith Anthony Standish Vaz known as Keith Vaz was on 6 November 2014 named as the Labour MP of the year 2014.
  • He was choosen for this award for his valuable work for underrepresented, deprived and minority sections of the country.
  • Speaker of the house John Bercow announced the Patchwork Foundation MPs of the Year 2014 at Speakers House.  The awards were announced for those who have represented and worked with underrepresented, deprived and minority communities across the country.

About Keith Vaz

  • Keith Vaz is a British Labour Party politician and has been Member of Parliament for Leicester East since 1987. He is the longest-serving Asian MP and has been the Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee since July 2007.
  • He was appointed as a member of the Privy Council in June 2006. He has been named among the most influential Asians in Britain.

Scientists developed a new drug Staphefekt to replace antibiotics

07-NOV-2014

  • Scientists for the first time developed antibiotic-free drug named Staphefekt as an alternative to antibiotics. This new drug will aid in the fight against the antibiotics-resistant superbugs such as MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). 
    In the study, the drug was proven to eliminate MRSA in five out of six patients with skin infections.

About Staphefekt

  • Staphefekt is based on a naturally occurring enzyme called endolysins produced by viruses and attacks infections differently to antibiotics. Unlike antibiotics, it does not destroy the harmless bacteria that live in the body.
  • Endolysins (enzymes) exist in nature but the scientist made a modified version that combines the bit that is best at binding to the bacteria with another bit so that it is best at killing it.
  • Conventional antibiotics need to reach the inside of the cell to work, and certain strains of bacteria such as MRSA, have evolved impenetrable membranes so that it becomes less effective.
  • Besides, Endolysins is less prone to resistance induction than antibiotics and it will destroy only their target bacterial species.
  • Staphefekt is already used as a cream to treat skin infections and researchers hope to create pill and injectable forms in future.
  • Healthcare experts looking for the alternative for antibiotics because 5000 deaths in a year are linked to drug resistance diseases.

Burger King partnered with eBay to launch its burgers online

07-NOV-2014

  • Burger King partnered with eBay to launch its burgers online in India on 3 November 2014.
  • Consumers will be able to pre-order Burger King's signature burger Whopper, one of the world's most popular five-inch diameter burgers, for a limited time period.
  • The company offered the pre-ordering of Whopper online for 128 rupees and only select consumers will be able to redeem their coupons at Burger King Outlets.
  • The Burger King is launching its first store in New Delhi which is followed by subsequent launches in other 10 other locations.
  • In September 2014, Coca-Cola launched its new diet drink Coke Zero online in partnership with Amazon India.

About Burger King

  • The US based Burger King was founded in 1954 which is the second largest fast food hamburger chain in the world

OECD released Economic Outlook 2014

07-NOV-2014

  • Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on 6 November 2014 released Economic Outlook 2014. According to the Economic Outlook 2014, Global GDP growth is projected to reach a 3.3 percent rate in 2014 before accelerating to 3.7 percent in 2015 and 3.9 percent in 2016.
  • The global growth pace is modest when compared with the pre-crisis period which was below the long-term average. This forecast is slightly lower than the September 2014 forecast.

Highlights of Economic Outlook 2014

  • The global economy remains stuck in low gear but is expected to accelerate gradually if countries implement growth-supportive policies. Besides, widening differences across countries and regions are the major risks on the horizon.
  • Financial risks remain high and may increase market volatility in further and there is an increasing risk of stagnation in the euro area. Countries must employ all monetary, fiscal and structural reform policies at their disposal to address these risks and support growth.

Growth in developed economies

  • The United States recovery remains robust among the major advanced economies, which is projected to grow by 2.2 percent in 2014 and around 3 percent in 2015 and 2016.
  • Euro zone growth is expected to pick up slowly, from 0.8 percent in 2014 to 1.1 percent in 2015 and 1.7 percent in 2016.
  • Japan growth is expected to be 0.9 percent in 2014, 1.1 percent in 2015 and 0.8 percent in 2016 and the growth will continue to be impacted by consumption tax hikes.

Growth in BRIC nations

  • Brazil growth has slumped, with the economy set to expand by only 0.3 percent in 2014, 1.5 percent in 2015 and 2 percent in 2016.
  • The Russian economy will expand by only 0.7 percent in 2014 and growth is expected to fall to zero in 2015 before recovering to 2 percent  in 2016  due to  hit by lower oil prices and weakening trade.
  • India growth is projected 5.4 percent in 2014, 6.4 percent in 2015 and 6.6 percent in 2016 due to investment picks up.
  • China is projected to grow at around 7 percent over the 2015-16, down slightly from 7.4 percent in 2014. It is rebalancing its economy while trying to achieve a controlled slowdown to more sustainable growth rates.

Downside risks to the Global economy

  • There are significant downside risks and major concern is the weakness of demand in the euro area, which points to a rising risk of a prolonged period of stagnation and low inflation.
  • Tightening of US monetary policy can lead to financial market volatility for emerging market economies.
  • High levels of debt in some advanced and emerging economies also raise financial stability concerns.
  • A key risk is that the slowdown in potential output growth since the crisis leads to even weaker trend growth than currently anticipated.
  • Recommendations made by Economic Outlook 2014:
  • Monetary policy still needs to support demand in all the major advanced economies especially the United States, continued growth and tightening labour markets should allow policy rates to begin rising from mid-2015.
  • The Bank of Japan should continue quantitative easing until its inflation target has been sustainably achieved and fiscal consolidation should proceed steadily in Japan.
  • The euro zone area inflation far below target and drifting downward so the European Central Bank should expand its monetary policy stimulus that is even beyond measures already announced - building on the positive steps taken to date.
  • Ambitious structural reforms that complement macroeconomic policies can boost growth in advanced and emerging countries are different. To look into the issue, G20 countries are set to deliver national growth strategies at the Brisbane summit that could collectively lift G20 GDP by about 2 percent by 2018 relative to the 2013 level.
  • Reforms to tax, trade, labour, and product markets will benefit domestic investment and global trade, and support greater employment and consumption around the world.
  • The potential pay-off from the structural reform agenda under consideration is tremendous, but countries must implement the measures that have been identified to get the global economy into higher gear

Riverbed Technology launched Riverbed SteelHead 9.0 and Riverbed SteelCentral AppResponse 9.5

07-NOV-2014

  • Riverbed Technology on 4 November 2014 announced the launch of its two flagship products named

Riverbed SteelHead 9.0 and Riverbed SteelCentral AppResponse 9.5.

  • These two next-generation products seeks to deliver the most complete visibility, control, and optimization solution to accelerate performance of on-premises, cloud, and SaaS applications.
  • The product SteelHead 9.0 optimizes, automates, and secures delivery of any application over hybrid networks. The other product SteelCentral AppResponse 9.5 provides the only solution to monitor and troubleshoot end-user experience for optimized SaaS apps
  • These new innovations and tighter integrations between SteelHead and SteelCentral enhance the Riverbed Application Performance Platform – the most complete platform that enables CIOs to deliver, control, and optimize all IT resources across the hybrid enterprise.

About Riverbed Technology

  • Riverbed was founded in 2002 and is headquartered at San Francisco, California in the US. It was founded by Jerry M. Kennelly, the Chairman and CEO of the company.
  • Riverbed with more than 1 billion US dollars revenue is the leader in Application Performance Infrastructure, delivering the most complete platform for Location-Independent Computing.

To protect declining shark population shipment of shark fins banned by Jet Airways

07-NOV-2014

  • To protect declining shark populations and to save marine ecosystems, Jet Airways Cargo has instituted a policy against the shipment of shark fins. This decision of the leading Indian airline was revealed by a press release from Human Society International (HSI), India on 6 November 2014.
  • Jet Airways took the decision after HSI appealed to do so amidst the rising concern related to shark fin globally.
  • This environmentally-responsible decision of Jet Airways enabled it to join the group of major international carriers who are committed to protect the declining shark population and marine ecosystems.

Why ban shipment of Shark fins?

  • Shark as top predators are important for survival and maintenance of healthy marine ecosystem. Reports say that shark fin trade is one of the leading contributors to the decimation of shark population globally.
  • Shark finning is the process of removal and retention of shark fins. This removal of fins doesn’t allow shark to move effectively resulting in sinking to bottom of the ocean and die. Shark finning has increased since 1997 largely due to the increasing demand for shark fins for shark fin soup and traditional cures, particularly in China and its territories, and as a result of improved fishing technology and market economics.

  • Alibaba Group-backed Quixey announced to buy desi startup Dexetra

    07-NOV-2014

    • The Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group-backed Quixey announced on 6 November 2014 that it will be buying Bengaluru-based mobile application start-up Dexetra.  The acquisition by Quixey is worth 10-15 million US dollars (60-90 crore rupees).
    • As part of the deal, the US-based mobile app search engine Quixey will be setting up its office in Bengaluru and all the 15 employees of Dexetra will be part of its operation in India.
    • The deal was facilitated by the Indian Software Products Industry Roundtable (iSpirt).
    • The acquisition of another desi start-up comes one month after the Yahoo acquisition of Bengaluru based start-up Bookpad.

    About Quixey

    • Quixey was founded in 2009 by Tomer Kagan and Liron Shapira. It helps people to search through the clutter of mobile, desktop, web, and browser apps.
    • Quixey partners with major app stores, search engines, manufacturers, carriers and web platforms to power app search globally.

    About Dexetra

    • Dexetra was was founded in 2010 by six technology professionals — Narayan Babu, Yaser Hameed, Nithin John, Eby Chembola, Aibin Verghese and Binil Antony.
    • The company shot to fame when it launched a Siri-like Android application Iris that uses artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing

    Cristiano Ronaldo received 2013-14 European Golden Boot award

    07-NOV-2014

    • Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo received his 2013-14 European Golden Boot award on 5 November 2014 at the Meliá Castilla hotel in Madrid. The Portuguese star was awarded for being joint top-goal scorer last season in Europe along with Luis Suarez, having hit 31 goals.Suarez was presented with his award by ex-Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish in October 2014 and now Ronaldo has followed suit.
    • This was the third Golden Shoe for Ronaldo who also won the prize at Manchester United in 2007-08 with 31 goals and earlier in his Madrid career in 2010-11 with 40.

    US Navy SEAL commando Robert O’Neill claimed to have shot Osama bin Laden

    07-NOV-2014

    • US Navy SEAL commando who shot Osama bin Laden at his Pakistan hideout in Abbottobad on 2 May 2011 revealed his identity. He is Robert O’Neill who shot three bullets into the head of al Qaeda's kingpin.
    • O’Neill, 38, revealed his identity in an interview to the Washington Post and informed that he fired the fatal shot.
    • He revealed his identity ahead of a two-part Fox News series dubbed as The Man Who Killed Osama bin Laden. The series was supposed to be launched by the end of November 2014.
    • His decision to come out and speak as the shooter of Laden has angered SEAL headquarters and Pentagon.
    • O’Neill has completed more than 400 combat missions and has killed more than 30 targets in 16 years of service. He is one of the most-decorated SEALs ever. His heroic actions have been featured in three movies namely Zero Dark Thirty, Captain Phillips and Lone Survivor.
    • Before O’Neill, another Navy SEAL Matt Bissonnette made some details of Osama raid and in 2012 he published a book titled No Easy Day authored under the name Mark Owen.

    About Osama raid at Abbottabad 

    • Al-Qaeda leader was killed in a Navy Seal raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Neill was a commando of the team that played an integral role in Operation Neptune Spear – a nighttime raid on Laden’s Abbottabad home made by SEAL Team Six.
    • Navy Seals usually abide by a code of silence that forbids them from publicly taking credit for their actions.

    About Seal Team Six

    • Seal Team Six is an elite group of US Navy who are trained to carry out top secret operations. It is a part of the US Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DevGru) based in Virginia Beach and is a type two sea duty cno priority one major command. The command is an elite counter terrorism unit that conducts research, and develops, tests, and evaluates current and emerging technology.

    Hyderabad to have H-TRIMS to tackle traffic problems

    07-NOV-2014

    H-TRIMS project: Hyderabad Traffic Integrated Management System project

    • H-TRIMS project was in news in November 2014. Hyderabad has found an intelligent way to manage the traffic problems in the city in a smart way by using H-TRIMS (Hyderabad Traffic Integrated Management System).
    • H-TRIMS, the first of its kind intelligent signaling system in the country comprises intelligent timers and vehicle detectors, the integrated traffic management system and will primarily work on solar power.
    • The H-TRIMS is aimed at providing commuter-friendly traffic atmosphere and a state of the art multi-purpose technology for the police, as a shot in their arm.
    • The intelligent signals will adjust themselves automatically by the traffic density and will provide easy passage and warnings to other commuters in other places in case of excess traffic.
    • The H-TRIMS project was taken up in August 2012 after Dilsuknagar Blasts and has been conceptualised and indigenously developed by Bangalore based Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).
    • At present the intelligent signals have been placed at 221 out of 227 junctions in Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

    President of India Pranab Mukherjee presented SCOPE Meritorious Awards

    07-NOV-2014

    • The President of India Pranab Mukherjee on 5 November 2014 presented the Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE) Meritorious Awards at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

    The Winners of the SCOPE Meritorious Awards were:

    • Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL)
    • Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL)
    • Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL)
    • Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)
    • Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)
    • Power Finance Corporation Ltd (PFC)
    • National Safai Karamcharis Finance & Development Corporation(NSKFDC)
    • The Commendation Certificates were awarded to Oil India Limited (OIL), Water and Power Consultancy Services (WAPCOS), Ircon International Limited (IRCON), REIL Electricals India limited and THDC India Limited.
    • The President also granted Navratna status to 3 more CPSEs i.e. Container Corporation of India Limited (CONCOR), Engineers India Limited (EIL) and National Buildings Construction Corporation Limited (NBCC) enabling the Boards of these CPSEs to exercise wider delegated powers.
    • The Award function was organized jointly by SCOPE and Department of Public Enterprises.

    Background

    • The awards were orgainzed to recognise the efforts being made by central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) in a variety of areas such as Environmental Excellence & Sustainable Development; Corporate Governance; Corporate Social Responsibility & Responsiveness.
    • CPSEs have contributed greatly towards fulfilling their Corporate Social Responsibility obligations. They have actively partnered Union Government in implementing its social and economic policies.

    Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE)

    • Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE) is an apex professional organization representing the Central Government Public Enterprises. It includes some State Enterprises, Banks, and other Institutions as its Members.
    • SCOPE’s objective is to promote excellence in organizations where public investment is involved in order to enable them to be globally competitive.
    • SCOPE instituted the SCOPE Meritorious Awards in 1996-97 with the objective of identifying and recognizing outstanding performers in various segments of business activity.

    Tata Literature Live! Survey 2014 found 78% population prefers Printed books over E-books

    07-NOV-2014

    • Tata Literature Live! Survey 2014 released found that 78 percent of the population across India still prefers Printed books over E-books. That is, four out of five people in India still prefers printed words.
    • The Survey was released after the conclusion of the 5th edition of Tata Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest on 2 November 2014.

    Findings of the Survey

    • Across-generations, the highest preference for printed books is shown by post-millennials readers in the age group of less than 20. An 81 percent population of this age group prefers printed books over E-books.
    • This is followed by those in the age group of 21-30 with 79 percent, 31-40 age group and 41-50 age group with 75 percent each, the lowest being the age-group of 50 and above with 74 per cent.
    • 83 percent of women prefer printed books over e-books compared to 75 percent of men.
    • Regionally, Mumbai leads the story with 80 percent of its population opting for the printed books which is highest among the metros.
    • Mumbai is followed by population of Delhi with 79 percent, Kolkata with 78 percent, Bengaluru with 77 percent and Chennai with 76 percent.
    • Kolkata is the literary capital of India as - 67 percent people opted for leisure literary reading once a week, 17 percent respondents have more than 300 literary books and 49 percent people choose reading as an escape from a bad day, all highest among other metros.
    • The findings of the survey are insightful. As Mukund Rajan, Member – Group Executive Council and Brand Custodian, Tata Sons, said, “The findings comes at a time when the world of primetime TV, breaking news, and intensive social networking is the norm, reading books still remain a popular activity.”

    China developed a homemade Laser Defence Weapon System

    07-NOV-2014

    • China developed a highly accurate homemade laser defence weapon system capable of shooting down small-scale drones flying at low attitude. This was revealed by Xinhua news agency in the first week of November 2014.
    • The new weapon system is characterized by speed 50 metre per second, precision and low noise. With the above characteristics, it destroys unmanned, small-scale drones flying within an altitude of 500 metre (1.2 mile range) and at a speed below 50 metre per second.
    • The new laser system will either be installed or transported in vehicles. It also will keep a tight vigil on security for domestic political meetings, international conferences and sports events. It will also look to prevent public protests as well as any threats to the participants.
    • The new weapon systems successfully shoot down more than 30 drones which is a 100 per cent success rate.  It is expected to play a key role in ensuring security during major events in urban areas and address unlicensed mapping activities

    National Cancer Awareness Day observed on 7 November across the nation

    07-NOV-2014

    • National Cancer Awareness Day was observed on 7 November 2014 across the nation. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan in September 2014 had announced that 7 November will be observed as National Cancer Awareness Day every year.
    • There were 2.9 million cases of cancer in the country with 1.1 million new cases being reported annually. The Health Minister expressed confidence that if there is mass health insurance, the premium burden on the common man would be substantially reduced. Cancer, if detected early, could be treated at a fraction of the cost that is incurred when diagnosed at an advanced stage.

    Jet Airways Cargo banned shipment of shark fins

    07-NOV-2014

    • Jet Airways Cargo banned shipment of shark fins and committed to protect marine ecosystem. This was revealed by a press release from Human Society International (HSI), India on 6 November 2014. 
      • The decision to implement the ban was taken after HSI appealed to do so amidst the rising concern related to shark fin globally.
    • This environmentally-responsible decision of Jet Airways enabled it to join the group of major international carriers who are committed to protect the declining shark population and marine ecosystems.  These are:
    • Emirates
    • Philippines Airlines
    • Korean Airlines
    • Asiana Airlines
    • Qantas
    • Air New Zealand

    Anita Kapur appointed as the new chairperson of CBDT

    07-NOV-2014

    • Senior IRS officer Anita Kapur was on 5 November 2014 appointed as the new chairperson of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the apex authority of the Income-Tax Department. She succeeded K V Chowdary who retired on 31 October 2014.
    • Anita Kapur will be serving as the Chairperson of CBDT till November 2015. Till now she was serving as Member  of Legislation and Computerisation and Income-Tax in CBDT.

    Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)

    • The Central Board of Direct Taxes is a statutory authority functioning under the Central Board of Revenue Act, 1963. The Board consists of a Chairperson and six Members.
    • This apex body is responsible for framing policy and administrative issues related to direct taxes and the Income-Tax Department

    Wreckage of Chinese warship Zhiyuan sunk during first Sino-Japanese War discovered

    07-NOV-2014

    • Wreckage of a Chinese warship that sank 120 years ago during the first Sino-Japanese War (1 August 1894 – 17 April 1895) was discovered in the first week of November 2014.
    • The wreckage, currently coded as Dandong No 1, was discovered during an underwater exploration for port construction in the Yellow Sea and is located 10 nautical miles southwest of the Dandong Port.
    • The 50-meter high hull of the warship is still intact but the inside tacks were badly damaged.
    • The discovered ship weighs 1600-tonne and was one of the four warships with the Qing Dynasty imperial forces Beiyang Fleet that was defeated by the Japanese navy in the Battle of Yellow Sea on 17 September 1894.
    • However, the captain of ship Deng Shichang refused to leave the ship, Zhiyuan, even when the ship was severely crippled on fire and sank. For this reason over the past 100 years, Deng Shichang is considered as a model of Patriotism in China.

    First Sino-Japanese War

    • The First Sino-Japanese War was fought from 1 August 1894 – 17 April 1895 between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea. The war marked emergence of Japan as a major world power. The war ended after the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed on 17 April 1895.
    • Under Treaty of Shimonoseki, China recognised the total independence of Korea and ceded the Liaodong Peninsula (in the south of the present day Liaoning Province), Taiwan and the Penghu Islands to Japan in perpetuity. The disputed islands known as Senkaku / Diaoyu islands were not named by this treaty, but Japan annexed these uninhabited islands to Okinawa prefecture in 1895.

    Union Ministry of DONER approved 90 crore rupees for road projects in Arunachal Pradesh

    07-NOV-2014

    • The Union Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DONER) on 3 November 2014 approved 90 crore rupees for various road projects in Arunachal Pradesh for fiscal 2014-15.
    • The investment will be a part of total 120.41 crore rupees for 17 road projects for which state shares were cleared and utilization certificates submitted to the Ministry of DONER.
    • Construction of airport at Tawang is a part of the above project, which will not only help from the defence point of view but will also improve the socio-economic condition of the people. It will improve the road connectivity in the remote border districts that has remained isolated from mainland India.

    About Union Ministry of DONER

    • The Union Government set up the Department of Development of North Eastern Region in September 20011 and upgraded Department to a Ministry in May 2004.
    • The Union Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region was established to ensure development with equity for the NER to unleash the potential of its human and natural resources.
    • The Ministry's activities are regional and more importantly advocating the special needs of the North East region to the other Ministries/Departments and policy makers.

    India-Russia agreed to constitute JSG for FTZ with Eurasian Custom Union

    07-NOV-2014

    • India and Russia on 5 November 2014 agreed to constitute a Joint Study Group (JSG) for Free Trade Zone with Eurasian Custom Union. The Eurasian Custom Union comprises of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
    • Both the sides agreed to constitute the JSG during the 20th India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission meeting in New Delhi on 5 November 2014. The meet was co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin.
    • During the meet, the two sides also decided to increase bilateral trade through the International North South Corridor Project (INSTC) that runs through Iran particularly in agriculture and food processing industry.
    • The two sides also signed a protocol to deepen bilateral cooperation in trade and economic spheres.
    • India and Russia also discussed the prospects of launching the joint production of Sukhoi Superjet-100 medium-haul airliners on Indian soil.
    • The interactions during the meet also served to review the preparations for the forthcoming visit of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin to India for the 15th India-Russia Annual Summit. Putin will visit India in second week of December 2014.

    About Eurasian Custom Union

    • The Eurasian Customs Union or the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia came into existence on 1 January 2010. The Customs Union was launched as a first step towards forming a broader European Union-type economic alliance of former Soviet states.

    Auxiliary Vessel TRV-72 of Indian Navy sank off Visakhapatnam coast

    07-NOV-2014

    • A Torpedo Recovery Vessel, TRV-72 of Indian Navy sank off the Visakhapatnam coast during a naval exercise on 6 November 2014. One sailor was killed in the incident while three others went missing.
    • The auxiliary ship sank to a depth of about 370 meters, about 35 nautical miles south of Visakhapatnam and 28 nautical miles from the closest point of the coast. At the time of incident there were 28 personnel on board of which 24 were rescued by naval ships and rescue operation was launched for the missing. Helicopter with night vision capability, Sea King-42 C was also deployed along with additional ships to assist in the search and rescue operation.
    • TRV 72 was deployed for a routine torpedo recovery mission. At the time of incident, the vessel was returning back to Visakhapatnam harbor after completing the mission. The incident occurred after flooding in its steering gear compartment. Preliminary reports suggest that a recess in the hull for intake of water developed a crack leading to flooding, while the exact cause is not known. A Board of Inquiry has been instituted to investigate the accident.

    About the vessel 

    • The sunken vessel was an Astravahini Class, 112-tonne, 28.5-meter-long auxiliary ship with a displacement of 110-tonne at full load. TRV 72 built at Goa Shipyard was commissioned into the Navy on 23 February 1983.
    • The Torpedo Recovery Vessel (TRV) is an auxiliary vessel which is used to recover practice torpedoes fired by fleet s
  • Some research reports suggests that India is the world’s second-largest shark catching nation and one of the world’s largest exporters of shark fins. As per trade reports and undercover investigations, the shark fins are commonly transported from India to places like Hong kong, Dubai and China as cargo on airlines
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