Daily GK Updates 10th January 2015

1-International NewsToday

World leaders to join Paris march to honour attack victims

i- Dozens of world leaders, including Muslim representatives, will join hundreds of thousands of French citizens to march amid high security through Paris on Sunday.

ii-Seventeen people, including journalists and policemen, lost their lives in three days of violence that began with a shooting attack on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday .

 iii-It will be an unprecedented demonstration that will be written in the history books," Prime Minister Manuel Valls said. "It must show the power and dignity of the French people, who will cry out their love of liberty and tolerance."

iv-German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Italy Prime Minister Matteo Renzi will be among over 40 foreign leaders marching with President Francois Hollande. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu - who earlier encouraged French Jews to immigrate to Israel - are also expected to take part.

2-National NewsToday

After Modi's Make in India, UK launches Great Collaborations

i-Drawing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Make in India call, the United Kingdom on Saturday announced a campaign to forge collaborations with Indian companies.

ii-The programme called 'Great Collaborations' will seek greater cooperation between the companies based in India and the UK on a range of sectors.

iii-I am pleased that British industry, supported by its government, is responding enthusiastically to our call for 'Make in India'," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in the release.

iv-UK has been one of our strongest economic partners and a leading investor in India. UK is known for its strength in technology and innovation. India offers vast opportunities through its markets, skilled human resources, competitive economic environment and location. Our

Stalin killed Netaji, Subramanian Swamy says

Claiming that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose did not die in a plane crash in 1945 but was killed at the instance of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Saturday demanded declassification of secret files on the leader.

3-Person in News Today

4-New AppointmentsToday   

5-Science & TechnologyToday

6-Business &SensexToday

Reliance Will Invest Rs. 1 Lakh Crore in Gujarat, Says Mukesh Ambani at Vibrant Gujarat Summit

 Mukesh Ambani, India's richest man said today that his Reliance is proud to be a Gujarati company, as he pledged to invest Rs. 100,000 crore in the state.

Speaking at the Vibrant Gujarat Summit in Gandhinagar, Mr Ambani also said, "I request every investor to follow our steps, invest in Gujarat and benefit themselves," adding, "we have invested in Gujarat time and again to convert a business vision into reality."

Mr Ambani was among over 50 business titans and CEOs from India and abroad attending the mega meet being held at Gandhinagar's swank Mahatama Mandir. Also at the meet were Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who as the state's chief minister had started the Vibrant Gujarat Summit in 2003, US Secretary of State John Kerry, UN chief Ban.

Ki-moon and World Bank Chief Jim Yong Kim

Each Vibrant Gujarat Summit has been a bigger success than the previous one. I've been fortunate enough to attend each one of them," said Mr Ambani.
 
India's top industrialist also said in his speech that PM Modi's 'Make in India' and 'Digital India' programmes have energized India.

The US and seven other countries including Canada and Japan are for the first time official partner countries at the summit.

Conditional release for Sahara chief Roy

Sahara Group will have to pay Rs 10,000 crore to get interim bail for its Chief Subrata Roy and firm's two directors, who are behind the bars since March four, the Supreme Court on Wednesday (March 25) ordered. A bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and J S Khehar said that interim bail will be granted only after the company fulfils the condition while the court agreed to defreeze the firms' bank accounts to raise the money.

Kerry calls for greater Indo-US economic ties

Secretary of State John Kerry pushed for expansion of India-US commercial ties and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to the area of wind energy.

The world’s oldest democracy and the largest democracy can help to forge an era of shared prosperity and security. Trade between India and the U.S. has increased five-fold since 2001. We can do more together. I want our economic relationship to grow stronger in every aspect. We must do more together and we must do it faster. We share PM Modi’s goal of increasing our country’s annual trade fivefold. We want to expand our commercial ties with India and our bilateral trade to increase five-fold,” Mr. Kerry said in his address at the Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2015. “India and the US have a common responsibility with country partners to prove that democracy can deliver for its citizens,” the US Secretary of State said.

7-Agriculture NewsToday

Zuari shelves Rs 5,000-cr urea project in Karnataka

An official with the Karnataka Government as also one in the company confirmed the development, stating that the project was put on the backburner because of land acquisition issues. In 2010, Zuari and the Karnataka Government had signed an MoU (memorandum of understanding) to explore the possibility of setting up the project near Belgaum in north Karnataka.

ICFAI Business School to organize Management Development Program

ICFAI Business School, Hyderabad is organizing a five -day Management Development Program on “Business Efficiency for Agri-Business Managers (BEAM)” during October 23-27, 2013 at IBS Campus, Hyderabad. The Conference is an exciting platform for Managers of public and private agri-business firms,

Durga Shakti Nagpal appointed OSD to Union Agriculture ministry

A young IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal, who faced ire of the Uttar Pradesh Government after she took on sand mafia and illegal construction, was on Thursday appointed as Officer on Special Duty to Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh.The Appointments Committee of Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared the name of 29-year-old Nagpal.According to the order, Nagpal will be OSD in the rank of an under secretary "in relaxation of eligibility condition of minimum years of service" required for the post.

Nagpal, a 2010 batch IAS officer of the state, will have tenure of three years from the date of assumption of the post.

The order has requested the government of north-Indian state Uttar Pradesh to relieve her immediately to enable her to take up her new assignment.

Nagpal was in news in 2013 after she detained several vehicles and rounded up many people who allegedly were engaged in illegal mining of sand from Ghaziabad area.

In July 2013, she was suspended by the UP government, a move which was believed to have been done at the behest of some politicians hailing from Ghaziabad.

She was, however, reinstated in September 2013 after she along with her husband met state Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

In another order, the Appointments Committee of Cabinet gave an extension on Central deputation for three months to C Chandramouli, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. He has been on this post since January 2009 and his tenure at the Centre was ending on Thursday.

India Inc Presses For Rate Cut after GDP Growth Slips

 Expressing concern over subdued growth in the manufacturing sector, India Inc today stepped up its demand for a cut in interest rate by RBI to give a leg-up to recovery both through higher consumption spending and opening up channels for investment.

Poor showing by agriculture and manufacturing sector pulled down the country's economic growth rate to 5.3 per cent in the second quarter ended September 30. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate has declined from 5.7 per cent rate in the first quarter ended June.

Commenting on the GDP data, Ficci said that while the growth in agriculture and services sector is in line with expectations, the subdued growth in manufacturing at 0.1 per cent is a matter of concern.

"An important element of the cost structure for manufacturing is interest rates and given the current inflation situation RBI should ease the monetary policy stance as this would give a boost to investment sentiment," FICCI president Sidharth Birla said.

Recent Ficci surveys show that despite positive business sentiments, investors are still cautious about expansion due to subdued demand conditions and limited improvement in capacity utilization levels, the industry body said.

Centre plans potato, onion buffer stock to check price rise

Fearing price rise becoming an issue during Delhi assembly polls, the Centre has decided to create a buffer stock of potato and onion to check prices in Delhi-NCR region.

The move will also help check vegetable prices during the critical months of July-November, when prices typically go up due to tight supply and adverse weather conditions for storage.

The Union Agriculture Ministry has given the task of procurement of potato and onion -two key kitchen staples.

Cabotage rules restrict Gujarat cotton mills’ trade with foreign ships

 Despite all the hype around the Make-in-India campaign, the irony can't be lost on the cotton mills in Narendra Modi's Gujarat. For, exporting cotton to China still works out cheaper than shipping goods to Tamil Nadu, the state with the highest demand for cotton. For the southern state too, importing raw material from South Africa is more cost effective than sourcing domestically from Gujarat, the largest cotton producing state.

8-Banks NewsToday

9-AwardsToday

Baba Adhav, veteran activist and president of Mahatma Phule Samata Pratishthan, Pune, will be honoured with the "Rashtriya Basava Krishi Award-2015". The award, constituted by Lingayata Panchamasali Jagadguru Mahapeetha of Kudalasangama, will be presented to Adhav at the fifth Krishi Sankranti at Kudalasangama on January 15.

All India Ayurveda Teachers' Association (AATA) has declared best Ayurveda Teacher Award in memory of Ramnarayan Sharma, founder of Shri Baidyanath Ayurved Bhawan. It was conferred upon Dr Prasad Deshpande, assistant professor, Governent Ayurved College, Nagpur and Dr Rakesh Prakash Nigam of Government Ashtang Ayurveda College, Indore. They will be honoured in the national conference on Nadi Prakash to be held in Shubhdeep Ayurved College, Indore this weekend.

Sports ministry recommends Saina's name for Padma Bhushan

The ministry on Monday reiterated its stand and said not just this year, it didn't receive any letter from BAI nominating Saina for the Padma awards in 2013 as well.

"The ministry had not received nomination in respect of Ms. Saina Nehwal from Badminton Association of India or any other agency, for Padma Bhushan for 2014," the ministry said in a statement on Monday.

10-BooksToday

Novelist Robert Stone, known for ‘Dog Soldiers’, dies at 77

Robert Stone, the award-winning novelist who spun out tales of seekers, frauds and other misbegotten American dreamers in such works as “A Flag for Sunrise” and “Dog Soldiers,” died on Saturday at age 77.

Stone died at his home in Florida, his literary agent, Neil Olson, told The Associated Press. The cause was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

A lifelong adventurer who in his 20s befriended Ken Kesey, Neal Cassidy and what he called “all those crazies” of the counterculture, Stone had a fateful affinity for outsiders, especially those who brought hard times on themselves. Starting with the 1966 novel “A Hall of Mirrors,” Stone was a master of making art out of folly, whether the adulterous teacher in “Death of the Black-Haired Girl,” the fraudulent seafarer in “Outerbridge Reach” or the besieged journalist in “Dog Soldiers,” winner of the National Book Award in 1974.

Stone’s books also included the novel “Damascus Gate,” another story of a wayward journalist, this time in the Middle East; and a memoir about his years with Kesey and friends, “Prime Green- Remembering the Sixties.”

A native of New York City, he was abandoned at birth by his father and ended up in an orphanage after his mother was institutionalized. Desperate to break away, he dropped out of high school and joined the Navy at 17. By his mid-20s, he was living in New Orleans and selling encyclopedias.

After New Orleans, he moved to the Bay Area, met Kesey and friends and, like so many of his peers in the ‘60s, went out to “discover America.” Stone would begin sharing what he had seen and done with “A Hall of Mirrors,” a surreal tale of corruption, decadence and breakdown set in New Orleans.

A journey with words

“That’s what books are for,” goes a line in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake, “To travel without moving an inch.”

Travel across the world with the minds who pen down these books at The Hindu Lit for Life, The Hindu’s annual literary festival.

Chetan Bhagat, one of India’s most popular writers, will address the gathering — an appropriate finish to a packed day that includes stalwarts like Ammu Joseph, Ramesh Gopalakrishnan, Prabha Sridevan, U. Vasuki, Samanth Subramaniam, Nayantara Sahgal, T.V. Gopalakrishnan, Rajdeep Sardesai, David Davidar and Janice Pariat, among others.

.

The S factor

The author of Few Things Left Unsaid, Sudeep Nagarkar, recently made his first trip to Chennai for the launch of his latest novel — You Are The Password To My Life.

11-SportsToday

Maria Sharapova beats Ana Ivanovic to win Brisbane International

Maria Sharapova beat Ana Ivanovic in the final of the Brisbane International on Saturday in a display that bodes well for her chances at the Australian Open.It has been seven years since Sharapova won her only Australian Open title but if she can take her form from Brisbane to Melbourne, a second title does not seem out of the question.Sharapova had to work hard to beat Ivanovic, coming from behind to beat her 6-7(4) 6-3 6-3 but the Serbian is a good measuring stick.Sharapova not only beat Ivanovic in the 2008 Australian Open final but both women are in devastating form heading towards the first grand slam of the season, starting on Jan. 19.The Russian dropped just nine games in getting to the final while Ivanovic showed nerves of steel to see off her opponents to join Sharapova, ranked number two in the world.

Roger Federer registers win no. 999 to reach Brisbane final - See more at:

Roger Federer moved to within one win of his 1,000 career victory when he crushed Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov on Saturday to reach the final of the Brisbane International.

The Swiss maestro produced a masterclass display to brush aside his young challenger, dubbed “Baby Fed”, 6-2 6-2 in just 53 minutes. Federer will now play Milos Raonic in Sunday’s final after the big-serving Canadian blasted 34 aces past Kei Nishikori to win the first semi-final 6-7(4) 7-6(4) 7-6(4).

If Federer wins his 83rd career title on Sunday he will join Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl as just the third man to chalk up 1,000 ATP match wins.“It’s a goal for the season, so I still have time to get to a thousand,” he said. “I hope it’s tomorrow (Sunday), clearly.“It’s a really big number, no doubt about it. Love to get it tomorrow, especially in the finals in an ATP event where most of my wins have come.

The 33-year-old holds a 7-1 win record over Raonic, one of the new young guns starting to make their mark on the game.Dimitrov is also regarded as one of the most promising emerging talents after reaching the semi-finals at Wimbledon last year but was unable to mount a serious challenge against Federer.The world number two broke Dimitrov in the opening game then three more times to complete a straight-sets win at the Pat Rafter Arena.Despite not having won a grand slam title since 2012, Federer is steadily improving his form leading into the Australian Open, starting Jan. 19.

4th Test: Nervy India hang on to draw as Australia win series 2-0

Indian wickets tumbled in a dramatic final session of the fourth Test before the visitors hung to claim a draw against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday, limiting the series defeat to 2-0. Australia claimed five wickets in the final session and looked capable of pulling off a victory but Ajinkya Rahane (38 not out) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (20 not out) hung on in the final overs to avoid defeat, with the visitors finishing on 252 for 7.

Mitchell Starc took 2 for 36, including the prize wicket of India captain Virat Kohli for 46, and Josh Hazlewood (2 for 31) dismissed top scorer Murali Vijay for 80 to give the hosts a shot at victory before being frustrated by the final pair. Australia captain Steve Smith had declared the hosts' second innings at the overnight score of 251 for 6, setting India 349 runs from 90 overs - an ambitious target on a worn out pitch exhibiting uneven bounce and turn on the final day.

India lost only two wickets in the first two sessions: Nathan Lyon (2 for 110) deceived Lokesh Rahul (16) with extra bounce and the first innings centurion was hit on the gloves, looping the ball to David Warner at leg slip, then Rohit Sharma (39) was brilliantly caught by a diving Smith at slip off Shane Watson (1 for 22).

Vijay combined with Kohli for a 74-run partnership in nearly 23 overs before the innings quickly unraveled. Vijay edged Hazlewood to Brad Haddin just after tea to open the door for the hosts.

Starc then removed Kohli, swinging the ball away from the new India captain, taking the edge which was caught by Watson diving low to his right. Three balls into Starc's next over he trapped new batsman Suresh Raina lbw for his second duck of the match to leave India suddenly in trouble at 203 for 5.Wriddhiman Saha was also dismissed without scoring, with Lyon trapping the wicketkeeper lbw after the ball stayed low. Hazlewood then had R Ashwin lbw for one, with replays showing umpire Richard Kettleborough correctly adjudged the ball would have hit leg stump.Australia crowded the last remaining pair, with nine fielders in close catching positions, but could make no further inroads. Australia won the series 2-0, and regained the Border-Gavaskar trophy, after victories in the first two Tests in Adelaide and Brisbane respectively, and draws in Melbourne's third Test and final Test in Sydney.