1. ISRO chosen for Indira Gandhi prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2014
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 19 November 2014
was chosen for the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2014. The award will be given to ISRO for its contribution in strengthening international cooperation in peaceful use of outer space.
ISRO was selected for the award by a jury chaired by Vice President Hamid Ansari.
2. Neel Mukherjee, the author of Lives of Others, shortlisted for Costa Book Awards
Neel Mukherjee was in news because his book Lives of Others was shortlisted for Costa Book Awards on 19 November 2014.
His book was shortlisted under the Novel Award category. The award will be announced on 5 January 2015 while the overall Costa Book of the Year will be announced on 27 January 2015.
The book is based upon the Naxalite movement of the 1960s and unfolds a family history.
Earlier in 2014, the same novel was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize but narrowly lost to Richard Flanagan's The Narrow Road to the Deep North.
3. 9th East Asia Summit held in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar
9th East Asia Summit was held in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar . The summit was held on the sidelines of the 25th ASEAN Summit. The Summit was chaired by the President of Myanmar, U Thein Sein.
The summit adopted 4 outcome documents namely: (1) East Asia Summit Declaration on Combating Wildlife Trafficking; (2) Statement on EAS Guidelines for Rapid Disaster Response; (3) Joint Statement on Regional Response to the Outbreak of Ebola/Spread of Ebola; and (4) EAS Statement on the Rise of Violence and Brutality Committed by Terrorist/Extremist Organizations in Iraq and Syria.
4. Assam Zoo set to become the first zoo in world to have the critically endangered Pygmy Hog
Assam State Zoo in Guwahati in the third week of November 2014 decided to have the critically endangered pig Pygmy Hog (Porcula salvania). Pygmy Hog is the rarest and smallest wild pig in the world.
With this decision, Assam State Zoo is set to become the first and only zoo of the world to have this critically endangered species of pigs.
The Zoo took the decision to have the Pigmy Hogs as they are on the brink of extinction, and they want to make the zoo a captive breeding centre for the critically endangered mammals.
5. Rajapaksa declares snap Presidential poll
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday declared snap Presidential election to seek a record third term.
His proclamation to seek re-election was issued this afternoon at an auspicious hour,Ppresidential officials said.
A message on Rajapaksa’s twitter account said he signed the proclamation declaring his intention to hold a Presidential election seeking another term.
Rajapaksa became eligible to call an election on Wednesday after completing the mandatory four years in his second term.
6. Vettel to replace Alonso at Ferrari in 2015
Quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel will replace Fernando Alonso at Ferrari next season after signing a three-year deal, the Italian team said on Thursday.
The German, currently with Red Bull, will partner 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen in 2015.
7. NTPC raises $500 mn from international debt markets
NTPC Ltd has raised $500 million via benchmark-dollar denominated bond sales in the international debt markets, the company said in a statement on Thursday. With this, the company becomes the first Indian entity to tap the foreign currency bond market after the new Companies Act, 2013 clarified prospectus and allotment of securities do not apply to issue of foreign currency bonds by Indian corporates.
The 10 year bonds were priced 230 basis points above the above 10 year US Treasury Bills. According to NTPC’s statement, the issue was oversubscribed within an hour and the price was subsequently revised to 205 to 215 basis points above 10 year US Treasury Bills.
The bond issue was primarily subscribed in Asia with 68 per cent transactions in the region, Europe and offshore US accounts had 18 per cent and 14 per cent of the transactions respectively.
Barclays, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, HSBC and SBI Capital Markets acted as joint book-runners and lead managers.
8. PESB recommended Sutirtha Bhattacharya as CMD of Coal India Limited
Sutirtha Bhattacharya will be the new Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Coal India Limited (CIL). His name was recommended by the Public Enterprises Services Board (PESB) on 19 November 2014.
Bhattacharya is a 1985-batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre. Currently, he is on superannuation and serving as the CMD of Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL), Hyderabad – the second largest coal mining company after CIL.
9. IBM launched its own free Web-based e-mail service, Verse
International Business Machine Corp on 18 November 2014 launched a new e-mail application known as IBM Verse. The company hopes IBM Verse will eventually replace Window's popular Outlook.
The free initial model will include limited mailbox sizes and file sharing. A paid version with additional features and data allowance will be available in January 2015.
The application is part of IBM's attempt to shift its focus to cloud computing and data analytics from the hardware services.
10. Union Civil Aviation Ministry approved the sale of Mahindra Gipps airplanes in India
Union Ministry of Civil Aviation on 19 November 2014 approved the proposal of Indian conglomerate Mahindra Group’s proposal to sell its Australia-made airplanes named Mahindra Gipps in India.
Mahindra Gipps airplanes are utility planes having seating capacities ranging from 5 to 10 seats.
The proposal of Mahindra Group was approved after Indian regulator Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) accepted the type certification issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the single piston engine aircraft Mahindra Gipps.
11. China wins fastest supercomputer crown for fourth time
For the fourth consecutive year, China has retained the top spot in the list of the world’s fastest supercomputers for its Tianhe-2, according to a biannual Top500 list released today.
The list, which was released yesterday in Washington, conferred the top slot to the Chinese supercomputer, official media here reported.
Tianhe-2, which means ‘Milky Way-2’ in Chinese, was developed by China’s National University of Defence Technology. It can operate at 33.86 petaflops per second (Pflop/s), the equivalent of 33,860 quadrillion calculations per second.
The National Supercomputer Centre in Guangzhou in south China, where Tianhe-2 is installed, is reportedly making an update to increase the system’s speed to more than 100 Pflop/s.
12. SBI may provide $1-bn loan for Adani’s Australia coal mine
Adani Enterprises won support on Monday from State Bank of India and an Australian state to help it build a $7-billion coal mine, defying a slump in coal prices to 5-1/2 year lows that has stalled rival projects.
The trading and infrastructure conglomerate signed a memorandum of understanding for a loan of up to $1 billion from the State Bank of India for the mine, rail and port project in Queensland, which it aims to build by end-2017.
"The MoU with SBI is a significant milestone in the development of our Carmichael mine," Adani Group Chairman and founder, Gautam Adani, who has close ties with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said in a statement.
13. Internet users in India to cross 300 mn by Dec: Report
The number of Internet users in India is expected to cross the 300 million mark by the end of this year, overtaking the US as world’s second-largest Internet market.
According to a report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB International, the number of Internet users in India is expected to grow 32 per cent to 302 million this year from 213 million at the end of December 2013.
Presently, India has the third-largest Internet user base in the world. While China leads with more than 600 million Internet users, the US has an estimated 279 million users. It is estimated, the report said, that by December 2014, India will overtake the US as the second largest Internet users’ base in the world.
The user base in India is further estimated to grow to 354 million by June 2015.
14. Modi among Time magazine’s ‘Person of the Year’ contenders
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among 50 global leaders, business chiefs and pop icons named as contenders by Time magazine for its annual ‘Person of the Year’ honour.
The Time ‘Person of the Year 2014’ will be announced next month and the publication said the title will be “bestowed to those who have, for good or for ill, most influenced the news and our lives in the past year."
Describing Modi as “once a controversial regional leader”, Time said he became India’s Prime Minister after leading his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a “landslide electoral victory on a platform of economic development.“
1. ISRO chosen for Indira Gandhi prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2014
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 19 November 2014
was chosen for the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2014. The award will be given to ISRO for its contribution in strengthening international cooperation in peaceful use of outer space.
ISRO was selected for the award by a jury chaired by Vice President Hamid Ansari.
2. Neel Mukherjee, the author of Lives of Others, shortlisted for Costa Book Awards
Neel Mukherjee was in news because his book Lives of Others was shortlisted for Costa Book Awards on 19 November 2014.
His book was shortlisted under the Novel Award category. The award will be announced on 5 January 2015 while the overall Costa Book of the Year will be announced on 27 January 2015.
The book is based upon the Naxalite movement of the 1960s and unfolds a family history.
Earlier in 2014, the same novel was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize but narrowly lost to Richard Flanagan's The Narrow Road to the Deep North.
3. 9th East Asia Summit held in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar
9th East Asia Summit was held in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar . The summit was held on the sidelines of the 25th ASEAN Summit. The Summit was chaired by the President of Myanmar, U Thein Sein.
The summit adopted 4 outcome documents namely: (1) East Asia Summit Declaration on Combating Wildlife Trafficking; (2) Statement on EAS Guidelines for Rapid Disaster Response; (3) Joint Statement on Regional Response to the Outbreak of Ebola/Spread of Ebola; and (4) EAS Statement on the Rise of Violence and Brutality Committed by Terrorist/Extremist Organizations in Iraq and Syria.
4. Assam Zoo set to become the first zoo in world to have the critically endangered Pygmy Hog
Assam State Zoo in Guwahati in the third week of November 2014 decided to have the critically endangered pig Pygmy Hog (Porcula salvania). Pygmy Hog is the rarest and smallest wild pig in the world.
With this decision, Assam State Zoo is set to become the first and only zoo of the world to have this critically endangered species of pigs.
The Zoo took the decision to have the Pigmy Hogs as they are on the brink of extinction, and they want to make the zoo a captive breeding centre for the critically endangered mammals.
5. Rajapaksa declares snap Presidential poll
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday declared snap Presidential election to seek a record third term.
His proclamation to seek re-election was issued this afternoon at an auspicious hour,Ppresidential officials said.
A message on Rajapaksa’s twitter account said he signed the proclamation declaring his intention to hold a Presidential election seeking another term.
Rajapaksa became eligible to call an election on Wednesday after completing the mandatory four years in his second term.
6. Vettel to replace Alonso at Ferrari in 2015
Quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel will replace Fernando Alonso at Ferrari next season after signing a three-year deal, the Italian team said on Thursday.
The German, currently with Red Bull, will partner 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen in 2015.
7. NTPC raises $500 mn from international debt markets
NTPC Ltd has raised $500 million via benchmark-dollar denominated bond sales in the international debt markets, the company said in a statement on Thursday. With this, the company becomes the first Indian entity to tap the foreign currency bond market after the new Companies Act, 2013 clarified prospectus and allotment of securities do not apply to issue of foreign currency bonds by Indian corporates.
The 10 year bonds were priced 230 basis points above the above 10 year US Treasury Bills. According to NTPC’s statement, the issue was oversubscribed within an hour and the price was subsequently revised to 205 to 215 basis points above 10 year US Treasury Bills.
The bond issue was primarily subscribed in Asia with 68 per cent transactions in the region, Europe and offshore US accounts had 18 per cent and 14 per cent of the transactions respectively.
Barclays, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, HSBC and SBI Capital Markets acted as joint book-runners and lead managers.
8. PESB recommended Sutirtha Bhattacharya as CMD of Coal India Limited
Sutirtha Bhattacharya will be the new Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Coal India Limited (CIL). His name was recommended by the Public Enterprises Services Board (PESB) on 19 November 2014.
Bhattacharya is a 1985-batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre. Currently, he is on superannuation and serving as the CMD of Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL), Hyderabad – the second largest coal mining company after CIL.
9. IBM launched its own free Web-based e-mail service, Verse
International Business Machine Corp on 18 November 2014 launched a new e-mail application known as IBM Verse. The company hopes IBM Verse will eventually replace Window's popular Outlook.
The free initial model will include limited mailbox sizes and file sharing. A paid version with additional features and data allowance will be available in January 2015.
The application is part of IBM's attempt to shift its focus to cloud computing and data analytics from the hardware services.
10. Union Civil Aviation Ministry approved the sale of Mahindra Gipps airplanes in India
Union Ministry of Civil Aviation on 19 November 2014 approved the proposal of Indian conglomerate Mahindra Group’s proposal to sell its Australia-made airplanes named Mahindra Gipps in India.
Mahindra Gipps airplanes are utility planes having seating capacities ranging from 5 to 10 seats.
The proposal of Mahindra Group was approved after Indian regulator Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) accepted the type certification issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the single piston engine aircraft Mahindra Gipps.
11. China wins fastest supercomputer crown for fourth time
For the fourth consecutive year, China has retained the top spot in the list of the world’s fastest supercomputers for its Tianhe-2, according to a biannual Top500 list released today.
The list, which was released yesterday in Washington, conferred the top slot to the Chinese supercomputer, official media here reported.
Tianhe-2, which means ‘Milky Way-2’ in Chinese, was developed by China’s National University of Defence Technology. It can operate at 33.86 petaflops per second (Pflop/s), the equivalent of 33,860 quadrillion calculations per second.
The National Supercomputer Centre in Guangzhou in south China, where Tianhe-2 is installed, is reportedly making an update to increase the system’s speed to more than 100 Pflop/s.
12. SBI may provide $1-bn loan for Adani’s Australia coal mine
Adani Enterprises won support on Monday from State Bank of India and an Australian state to help it build a $7-billion coal mine, defying a slump in coal prices to 5-1/2 year lows that has stalled rival projects.
The trading and infrastructure conglomerate signed a memorandum of understanding for a loan of up to $1 billion from the State Bank of India for the mine, rail and port project in Queensland, which it aims to build by end-2017.
"The MoU with SBI is a significant milestone in the development of our Carmichael mine," Adani Group Chairman and founder, Gautam Adani, who has close ties with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said in a statement.
13. Internet users in India to cross 300 mn by Dec: Report
The number of Internet users in India is expected to cross the 300 million mark by the end of this year, overtaking the US as world’s second-largest Internet market.
According to a report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB International, the number of Internet users in India is expected to grow 32 per cent to 302 million this year from 213 million at the end of December 2013.
Presently, India has the third-largest Internet user base in the world. While China leads with more than 600 million Internet users, the US has an estimated 279 million users. It is estimated, the report said, that by December 2014, India will overtake the US as the second largest Internet users’ base in the world.
The user base in India is further estimated to grow to 354 million by June 2015.
14. Modi among Time magazine’s ‘Person of the Year’ contenders
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among 50 global leaders, business chiefs and pop icons named as contenders by Time magazine for its annual ‘Person of the Year’ honour.
The Time ‘Person of the Year 2014’ will be announced next month and the publication said the title will be “bestowed to those who have, for good or for ill, most influenced the news and our lives in the past year."
Describing Modi as “once a controversial regional leader”, Time said he became India’s Prime Minister after leading his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a “landslide electoral victory on a platform of economic development.“
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