9th Nov- 10th Nov 2014

GS Sandhu appointed as Chairman of National Chemical Weapon Convention

10-NOV-2014

The Union Government on 3 November 2014 appointed GS Sandhu as Chairman of National Chemical Weapon Convention.
His appointment was confirmed by the Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) for the post of Chairman, National Authority for the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Sandhu is a 1980 Rajasthan cadre IAS officer. Prior to this, he was serving as the financial services secretary in the Union Finance Ministry.

Darjeeling Zoo received The Earth Heroes Award 2014

10-NOV-2014

The Darjeeling Zoo or the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park was on 1 November 2014 selected for the prestigious International Award The Earth Heroes Award 2014.

It has become the 1st zoo in India. It has competed with 300 zoos across the world.Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park is largest high altitude zoo of India. It is located in West Bengal.
The Earth Heroes award is annually awarded by the Royal Bank of Scotland in collaboration with the Government of United Kingdom.
Darjeeling Zoo was established in 1958 and has played a key and proactive role in promoting the conservation and preservation of Himalayan fauna and flora.
Darjeeling Zoo is one of the very few places on earth that has successfully bred some of the rarest animals in the world including the majestic Snow Leopards, the Tibetan Wolf and the cute Red Pandas.
Darjeeling Zoo ranks as one of the foremost centers for conservation of endangered animals not only in India, but across the world. The zoological park falls under the category of small zoos according to Central Zoo Authority’s classification but is the largest high altitude zoo in the country.
It is also well-known for its efforts in educating, motivating and initiating awareness campaign among people as well as visitors about the importance of conservation of Himalayan eco-system.

About Earth Heroes Award

Earth Heroes Awards are instituted by Royal Bank of Scotland in association with World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) in 2011.
RBS Earth Heroes awards recognised and honours individuals and institutions who work exceptionally hard to preserve and protect critical eco-system.

Toshiba to invest 30 million US dollars in India

10-NOV-2014

Toshiba Corporation of Japan on 10 November 2014 announced that the company will invest about 30 million US dollar to expand their production capacity in the power transmission and distribution business in India.
The investment is part of the Toshiba Corporation’s plan to invest 100 million US dollar in Indian power sector by 2016.
Toshiba will boost its business in India with a 3 billion yen (approximately 30 million US dollar) investment in new production capacity at Toshiba Transmission & Distribution Systems India Private Ltd (TTDI) in Hyderabad.
It is also announced that a new facility for large power transformers will come on line in 2015 at Hyderabad and at the same time as the full scale launch of a new unit for switchgears.

About Toshiba Corporation

In 2013, Toshiba Corporation of Japan established TTDI by acquiring from Vijai Electricals. It has also started operation of a new power transformer facility in Russia in February 2014.

China and Russia signed energy cooperation agreements

10-NOV-2014

China and Russia signed energy cooperation agreements on 9 November 2014. The agreements were signed by the President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of China Xi Jinping at the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Beijing.
The deals include a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop a second major supply route to supply Russian natural gas to China along a western route.
Earlier in May 2014, both the countries signed China-Russia East Route natural gas pipeline deal of 400 billion US dollars, which will provide China with 38 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually from 2018.
Both the countries agreed to support cooperation in high-speed rail, high technology, aero-space and finance sectors. The discussion between the two countries also included new cooperation projects of nuclear and hydropower.

Hanumappa Sudarshan won 10th India Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 Award

10-NOV-2014

Hanumappa Sudarshan of Karuna Trust on 4 Novenber 2014 named the 10th India Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 award.
The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, a sister organization of the World Economic Forum, in partnership with the Jubilant Bhartia Foundation announced the award.
The award was conferred in the presence of Arun Jaitley, Minister of Finance, Corporate Affairs and Defence of India, and more than 700 participants from 45 countries at a high-level celebration in New Delhi.
More than 180 applicants entered the 10th annual India Social Entrepreneur of the Year award's selection process, and three finalists emerged after several stages of rigorous assessment.
The two other finalists were Yogendra Bhushan from Bodh Shiksha Samiti and Matthew Spacie from Magic Bus.
This year’s judges were Shobhana Bhartia, chairperson and editorial director, HT Media Ltd, and a co-chair of 2014 India Economic Summit.
The winner will be invited to join the Schwab Foundation’s global community of more than 250 social innovators. Social Entrepreneurs are driven by their mission to create substantial social change and promote inclusive growth, developing new products and service models that benefit underserved communities.

About Karuna trust

Karuna Trust is transforming dysfunctional government primary healthcare centres (PHCs) into professional hubs of last-mile healthcare service delivery. It works through a public-private partnership model: the government invests in upgrading infrastructure and improving the efficiency of the PHCs; Karuna Trust brings healthcare management systems and disruptive health innovations; and village health councils hold PHCs accountable for reporting higher health outcomes and functioning as zero-corruption zones.
Karuna Trust has served more than 1 million patients and reported health outcomes that are among the highest in the country

India tested nuclear capable Agni-II missile from Wheeler Island

10-NOV-2014

India test fired nuclear-capable Agni-II strategic ballistic missile on 9 November 2014. It was conducted from Wheeler Island, Odisha and test was successful. It has already been inducted into the army.
The test was a part of training exercise to the Army with logistic support provided by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Agni-II is a medium-range missile with a range of over 2000 km and can carry a payload of 1000kg. It is a two-stage surface-to-surface missile, equipped with an advanced high-accuracy navigation system and guided by a novel state-of-the-art command and control system, is powered by a solid rocket propellant system.
Agni-II weighs 17 tonnes and the range of the missile can be increased to 3000 km by reducing the payload. It can be fired from both rail and road mobile launchers and it takes only 15 minutes for the missile to be readied for firing.
The Agni-II missile was developed by Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL) and integrated by the Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Hyderabad.
Agni-II is part of the Agni series of missiles developed by DRDO.
Agni-I with 700 km range.
Agni-III with 3000 km range.
Agni-IV with 4000 km range .
Agni-V more than 5000 km range

Baldev Raj Mahajan appointed as new AG of Haryana

10-NOV-2014

Haryana Government was on 10 November 2014 appointed Baldev Raj Mahajan, senior advocate, Punjab and Haryana High Court, as Advocate General (AG) with immediate effect.
He is considered as an expert in civil law. He is currently the national president of Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta Parishad.

About Advocate General (AG)

In India, an advocate general is a legal adviser to a state government. The post is created by the Constitution of India and corresponds to that of Attorney General of India at the federal or central or union government level.
The Advocate General of a State is a Constitutional post and authority duly appointed as per Art. 165 of the constitution of India. The authority and function of the Advocate General is also specified in the Constitution of India under Article 165 & 177.

As per constitution of India

The Governor of each State shall appoint a person who is qualified to be appointed as a Judge of a High Court to be Advocate General for the State.
It shall be the duty of the Advocate General to give advice to the Government of the state upon such legal matters, and to perform such other duties of a legal character, as may from time to time be referred or assigned to him by the Governor, and to discharge the functions conferred on him by or under this constitution or any other law for the time being in force.
The Advocate General shall hold office during the pleasure of the Governor.

25th anniversary of Fall of Berlin Wall celebrated in Germany

10-NOV-2014

Germany on 9 November 2014 celebrated the 25th anniversary of fall of the Berlin Wall. The celebrations were attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
On the occasion, white balloons marking a stretch of the wall were released to symbolize the disappearance of the wall.
The fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989 was the most significant event in recent German history and the wall.

Background

The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 by the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) to stop people fleeing from East Germany to the West.
The wall was a symbol of division between the Eastern and Western Germany and its fall in 1989 marked a powerful symbol of the end of the Cold War. Within a year of its collapse, Germany divided after its defeat in World War Two was reunited.

About the Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall stretched for 155 kilometers through Berlin of which only 3 kilometer is in existence now also. The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, which circumscribed a wide area (later known as the death strip) that contained anti-vehicle trenches, fakir beds and other defenses.
The Berlin Wall was officially referred to as the Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart by GDR authorities. The West Berlin city government sometimes referred to it as the Wall of Shame—a term coined by mayor Willy Brandt—while condemning the Wall's restriction on freedom of movement.

Indian-originated radiographer Fawzia Peer elected as ISRRT President

10-NOV-2014

An Indian-originated radiographer Dr Fawzia Peer was on 9 November 2014 elected as the president of the International Society of Radiographers and Radiological Technologists (ISRRT). Dr Fawzia Peer is elected for the four year term.
Presently, Dr Fawzia Peer is the Manager of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital (IALCH) in Durban, South Africa.

Dr Fawzia Peer

Dr Fawzia Peer has been a radiographer for three decades. She is qualified in both Diagnostic Radiography and Nuclear Medicine.
She is also an honorary lecturer at the Albert Luthuli Central Hospital’s Nuclear Medicine Department in Durban.
Previously, Peer was elected to the Radiography and Clinical Technology Board of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HCPSA) where she served two terms of office on the executive committee as a representative of the Radiography sector.

Hockey India announced Hockey India Annual Awards

10-NOV-2014

Hockey India on 10 November 2014 announced the Hockey India Annual Awards wherein outstanding hockey players in the men’s and women’s categories will be awarded the prize money of 25 lakh rupees each.
Hockey India will identify and reward the most promising and potent players from the current as well as upcoming teams. Moreover, the organization decided to name the individual trophies after Hockey India president Dr Narinder Batra’s son Dhruv who passed away recently.
Each award will consist of a trophy, certificate and cash award.

List of Awards and Prize Money

Awards	Prize Money
Dhruv Batra Player of the Year (Men)	25 Lakh rupees
Dhruv Batra Player of the Year (Women)	25 Lakh rupees
Upcoming Player of the Year (Men U-21)	10 Lakh rupees
Upcoming Player of the Year (Women U-21)	10 Lakh rupees
Goalkeeper of the Year	5 Lakh rupees
Defender of the Year	5 Lakh rupees
Midfielder of the Year	5 Lakh rupees
Forward of the Year	5 Lakh rupees
Award for Invaluable Contribution (For coaches and support staff)	5 Lakh rupees
President Award for Outstanding Achievement	5 Lakh rupees

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expanded Council of Ministers with 21 new faces

10-NOV-2014

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9 November 2014 expanded his Council of Ministers and added 21 more ministers to his government. This is first expansion of cabinet for Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government, since it came into power on 26 May 2014.
The 21 new ministers include four Cabinet Ministers, three Minister of State (Independent Charge) and 14 Minister of State.
With this expansion, the total number of ministers under different ranks including the Prime Minister has gone up from previous 45 to 6. The expanded council of ministers was from two parties, 20 from BJP and one YS Chowdary was from TDP, Andhra Pradesh.
The President Pranab Mukherjee administered the oath of office and secrecy to the above twenty-one members of the Council of Ministers at a swearing-in ceremony held in the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Names and allocation are as follows:

Cabinet Ministers

Name	Party	Allocated Cabinet
Manohar Parrikar	(Goa, BJP)	Defence Ministry
Suresh Prabhu	(Maharashtra, Shiv Sena) now inducted in BJP	Railways Ministry
Jagat Prakash Nadda	(Himachal Pradesh, BJP)	Health & Family Welfare Ministry
Chaudhary Birender Singh	(Haryana, BJP)	Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water and Sanitation Ministry

Minister of State (Independent Charge)

Name	Party	Allocated Cabinet
Bandaru Dattatreya	(Telangana, BJP)	Labour and Employment (Independent Charge)
Rajiv Pratap Rudy	(Bihar, BJP)	Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (Independent Charge), Parliamentary Affairs
Dr. Mahesh Sharma	(Uttar Pradesh, BJP)	Culture (Independent Charge), Tourism (Independent Charge), Civil Aviation

Minister of State

Name	Party	Allocated Cabinet
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi	Uttar Pradesh, BJP	Minority Affairs, Parliamentary Affairs
Ram Kripal Yadav	Bihar, BJP	Drinking Water & Sanitation
Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary	Gujarat, BJP	Home Affairs
Sanwar Lal Jat	Rajasthan, BJP	Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation
Mohanbhai Kalyanjibhai Kundariya	Gujarat, BJP	Agriculture
Giriraj Singh	Bihar, BJP	Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises
Hansraj Gangaram Ahir	Maharashtra, BJP	Chemicals & Fertilizers
Prof. (Dr.) Ram Shankar Katheria	Uttar Pradesh, BJP	Human Resource Development
Y.S. Chowdary	Andhra Pradesh, TDP	Science and Technology, Earth Science
Jayant Sinha	Jharkhand, BJP	Finance
Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore	Rajasthan, BJP	Information & Broadcasting
Babul Supriyo	West Bengal, BJP	Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation
Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti	Uttar Pradesh, BJP	Food Processing Industries
Vijay Sampla	Punjab, BJP	Social Justice & Empowerment

The expansion and reshuffle also saw few shifting. The siftings included
• DV Sadananda Gowda – shifted from Railways to Law and Justice
• Harsh Vardhan – shifted from Health to Science and Technology, Earth Sciences
• Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Arun Jaitley – was given Information and Broadcasting and he handed the Defence Ministry to former Goa CM Manohar Parrikar
• Road Transport and Highways, Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari – handed the Rural Development Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water and Sanitation to Birender Singh
• Communications and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad – relieved of Law and Justice

Suresh Prabhu before inducted as the Union Railways Minister quit from Shiv Sena and joined the BJP.

Catalonia held non-binding vote on independence

10-NOV-2014

The people of Catalonia held non-binding vote on independence on 9 November 2014. According to the preliminary results released by the regional government of Catalonia on 10 November 2014, the result has shown an overwhelming secessionist victory, with 80.7 percent of votes cast in favor of independence.
The results were based on 88 percent of votes counted. Voters were asked two questions - whether they wanted Catalonia to be a state and whether they wanted that state to be independent.
Just over 10% voted yes for the first question and no for the second and about 4.5% voted no to both questions.
The refrendum is also known as the Catalan independence referendum, the vote has been rebranded as a participation process by the Government of Catalonia.
However, the Spanish judiciary has ruled the vote unconstitutional and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said the vote would have no effect.

Background

On 19 September 2014, the Catalan parliament approved a call for a referendum on independence.
Subsequently, according to the decree signed by the Catalan President Artur Mas on 27 September 2014, the vote was to be held on 9 November 2014.
However, on the same day the Spanish government announced that that it would block the effort by appealing to the Spanish Constitutional Court. The Spanish Constitutional Court decided to hear the Spanish government case on 29 September 2014, which provisionally suspended the vote.
The Catalan Government subsequently announced the temporary suspension of the referendum campaign.
On 14 October, the Catalan President proposes a process of citizen participation as an alternative for the original referendum. The Spanish government announced that it would block the effort by appealing to the Spanish Constitutional Court, which decided to hear the Spanish government case on 4 November 2014, which provisionally suspended the vote.
The Catalan Government announced they would push forward with the vote, in defiance of the Constitutional Court of Spain.

India won four match Men's Hockey Test series against Australia

10-NOV-2014

Indian Hockey team on 9 November 2014 won four match Men's Hockey Test series against Australia by 3-1.
In the fourth and the final match of the series played at the Perth Hockey Stadium, Australia, India defeated Australia by 3-1 margin.
After losing the opening match 0-4, India emerged winners in the remaining three games. All the matches were played at Perth.
This is the first time that India defeated Australia in a bilateral series. Prior to this series, the two countries have played five Test series in past of which three were won by Australia and one ended in a draw.
In this series, Indian men's hockey team skipper Sardar Singh registered a milestone as he completed his 200th international cap in the fourth and final Test against world champions Australia.

Ukrainian People's Front Party won the parliamentary elections 2014

10-NOV-2014

Ukrainian People's Front Party led by Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk won the country's eighth parliamentary elections on 8 November 2014.
The People's Front Party gained 22.14 percent of the vote while the political bloc that supports Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko came second by winning 21.81 percent.

Results of the Eighth Ukrainian parliamentary elections 2014

The Samopomich party headed by Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi ranked third with 10.97 percent of the vote.
The pro-Russian Opposition Bloc led by former Fuel and Energy Minister Yuriy Boyko stood fourth with about 9.43 percent of votes and surpassed the Radical Party of politician Oleh Lyashko that stood fifth with 7.44 percent votes.
The Fatherland Party of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko gained 5.58 percent of the votes.

Background

The eighth Ukrainian parliamentary elections were held on 26 October 2014 under a mixed system with 225 members of parliament elected on party lists and the remaining 225 in single-seat constituencies.
As the elections were not held in 27 constituencies including 12 in Crimea, only 198 lawmakers were elected in the single-seat constituencies. A total of 29 political parties and some 1401 candidates contested for the 423 seats.

Laxmikant Yashwant Parsekar sworn-in as 18th chief minister of Goa

10-NOV-2014

Goa Health Minister Laxmikant Yashwant Parsekar was on 8 November 2014 sworn-in as 18th Chief Minister of Goa. He succeeded Manohar Parrikar who resigned on 8 November 2014.
Along with Parsekar, seven other BJP ministers were also sworn-in including Francis D'Souza, Dayanand Mandrekar, Ramesh Tawadkar, Mahadev Naik, Dilip Parulekar, Milind Naik, and Alina Saldanha and two Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) ministers Ramkrishna Sudin Dhavalikar and Pandurang Deepak Dhavalikar.

Laxmikant Yashwant Parsekar

Laxmikant Yashwant Parsekar is the member of the Goa Legislative Assembly from Mandrem constituency. Parsekar started as a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) party worker.
Parsekar joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the instructions of the RSS in 1988.

The first 3-D printed electric car Strati unveiled by Local Motors

10-NOV-2014

The first 3-D printed electric car Strati was unveiled on 9 November 2014 by US based Local Motors. The prototype of the design was on display at the 2014 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
The car was manufactured by Local Motors in collaboration with Cincinnati Incorporated and Oak Ridge National Laboratory with open-source design.
It is the world's first three-dimensional-printed electric car. The manufacturing of the car was done through a 3D printing process set up by Cincinnati Incorporated over a 44-hour period at the 2014 International Manufacturing Technology Show in McCormick Place, Chicago.
The company is planning to put the car in market by 2015 with prices between 18000 US Dollar and 30000 US Dollar.

About the car Strati

The Strati is a two-seater electric car. Depending on the configuration of the battery packs, the range of the car can be 100 to 120 mi (160 to 190 km) with top speeds of 40 mph (64 km/h).
The car is not designed to be used on highways, as it does not meet the required safety test requirements.
Strati is printed from thermoplastic using a big area additive manufacturing (BAAM) machine which is a process with high energy consumption that impacts the environment.
The environmental impact is offset by the fully recyclable material, which can be chopped and reprocessed to be used in printing another car. After the car is printed, the mechanical and electrical parts such as battery, motors, and suspension are manually assembled.

About Local Motors

The company was founded in 2007 with headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona.
Local Motors is an American motor vehicle manufacturing company focused on low-volume manufacturing of open-source motor vehicle designs using multiple microfactories. Current products range from the Rally Fighter automobile and Racer motorcycle; through various electric bicycles, tricycles, and children's ride-on toy cars; to radio-controlled model cars and skateboards.

Gujarat Governor signed Gujarat Local Authorities Laws (Amendment) Bill 2009 for compulsory voting

10-NOV-2014

Governor of Gujarat OP Kohli in first week of November 2014 signed the Gujarat Local Authorities Laws (Amendment) Bill 2009 and gave his sanction for implementation.
According to the bill, voters will have to compulsorily vote in local body elections. The bill also provides 50 percent reservation for women in all local body’s elections.
With passage of this bill, Gujarat became the first state of the country to make compulsorily voting in local body elections. The bill was passed by the legislative assembly twice in 2009 and 2011 when Narendra Modi was Chief Minister of the state.
Provisions of the Bill says that any person who fails to vote during the local body elections is liable for punishment and will be penalised, however, the nature of penalty that would be taken against defaulters has not be disclosed.
Earlier, the bill was withheld by then Governor Dr. Kamla Beniwal who said that the provision of compulsory voting is violation of Article 21 of the Constitution and forcing voter to vote is against the principles of an individual liberty.
The Bill was cleared by the House in December 2009 and was returned for reconsideration in April 2010. It was again passed in March 2011, but didn’t succeed in getting approval from Kamla Beniwal.

Background

The Gujarat Local Authorities Laws (Amendment) Bill 2009 has amended the Bombay Provincial Municipal Corp Act 1949, the Gujarat Municipalities Act, 1963 and the Gujarat Panchayat's Act 1993. The rule under the amendment applies to the elections to all seven municipal corporations, 159 municipalities, 26 district panchayats, 223 taluka panchayats and in 13713 village panchayats of the state.

CMP founder & leader M V Raghavan died at 81

10-NOV-2014

CMP founder and leader Melathu Veettil Raghavan died on 9 November 2014. He died due to Parkinsons disease. He was 81. He was the founder of Communist Marxist Party (CMP) in Kerala.
He served as minister for Co-operation in 1991-1996 and 2001-06 United Democratic Front party (UDF).

About Melathu Veettil Raghavan
• Raghavan also known as MVR was born in kannur in 1933.
• He became part of the communist movement at the tender age of 15 and then became the trade union leader.
• He was the CPI (M) party state secretary at Kannur in 1967 and later became the state secretariat member of the party.
• He was expelled from the CPI (M) party in 1986 due to difference in opinion with the leadership.
• He then founded the Communist Marxist Party (CMP) in 1986 and later formed an alliance with UDF.
• He served only two terms as a minister though he was seven time legislator in Kerala Assembly.
• He was the force behind the Pariyaram Co-operative Medical College, the first medical college in the cooperative sector in India.
• He was credited with setting up the cooperative establishments like Pappinissery Visha Chikilsa Kendram, Snake Park and the Ayurvedic Medical College in Kerala.

Virat Kohli became fastest cricketer to reach 6000 ODI runs

10-NOV-2014

Indian cricketer Virat Kohli on 9 November 2014 became the fastest cricketer in the history to reach 6000 one-day international run mark. During his 53-run knock in India's third ODI against Sri Lanka, he overtook legendary West Indian Vivian Richards' record.
While playing his 144th match and 136th innings, 26-year-old Indian began the match 50 short of 6000 and reached the milestone with a single off left-arm spinner Chaturanga de Silva in the 39th over at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium at Uppal, Hyderabad.
Richards reached the milestone in 1989 by playing 141 innings in 156 matches.
Kohli who made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka at Dambulla in August 2008, has reached the milestone with help of 20 centuries and 32 half-centuries. He is the eighth Indian to have scored 6000 or more runs and 47th overall.

hips and submarines.