Current Affairs Update – 28-30th November, 2015

Hello and welcome to ExamPundit. Here are the Important Current Affairs of 28th, 29th and 30th November, 2015. These are Important for the upcoming Banking and Insurance Exams.

• India’s economic growth accelerated to 7.4 per cent in the
  July-September quarter, overtaking China as the world’s fastest growing major
  economy, on pick up in manufacturing, mining and services sectors.
• The signs of recovery in the GDP, from a growth rate of 7
  per cent in the previous quarter ended June 30, follow a series of rate cuts
  announced by the RBI in recent months and bolstered the case for the Central
  bank to hold onto its rate at its scheduled monetary policy review meeting on
  Tuesday.
• However, the growth rate for the latest quarter was far
  below 8.9 per cent recorded in the July-September quarter of the previous
  fiscal.
• Still, the GDP expansion by 7.4 per cent in the second
  quarter of the current fiscal bettered 6.9 per cent growth in China for the
  same period. Russia contracted by 4.1 per cent while it is forecast that Brazil
  may have shrank 4.2 per cent in the same period.
• The Gross Value Added (GVA), a new concept introduced by
  Central Statistics Office (CSO) to measure the economic activity, also
  accelerated during the second quarter to 7.4 per cent, from 7.1 per cent in the
  April-June period.

• The country’s largest telecom services provider Bharti
  Airtel on Monday announced that it will invest Rs 60,000 crore over the next
  three-years to upgrade its networks with an aim to provide better quality
  services to its subscribers amid increasing competition.
• “The programme, called Project Leap, will see a network
  transformation. Large parts of this investment will improve voice and data
  services,” Bharti Airtel Managing Director and CEO (India and South Asia) Gopal
  Vittal said, adding that the money for investment will be raised largely
  through cash accruals and includes the capital expenditure target of about USD
  2.2 billion for the current fiscal year.
• This investment will be in addition to the Rs 1,60,000 crore
  the company has already invested in its active and passive network, spectrum,
  fiber, submarine cables and systems till date.
• The announcement comes amid rising complaints of frequent
  call drops faced by the customers. The government had in fact pointed out that
  lack of investments in networks by operators is primary reason for poor quality
  of services. Besides, Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio is also expected to launch
  4G operations this fiscal, which will intensify the competition in the already
  crowded Indian telecom sector.

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday put its stamp of
  approval on a more liberalised external commercial borrowing (ECB) norms and
  allowed Indian companies to raise rupee resources from overseas lenders without
  incurring currency risks.
• The new norms will be effective 1 April, 2016.
• Such rupee-denominated bonds are getting issued in large
  numbers and are a hit with Japanese retail investors. Once Indian companies
  start raising rupee resources from abroad, more such bonds will be issued and
  would help to make the domestic currency more internationalised.
• For ECBs in foreign currency, the central bank raised the
  limit for small value ECBs with minimum average maturity of three years to $50
  million from the existing $20 million. For ECBs of more than $50 million, the
  minimum maturity period should be five years, it said.
• The all in cost for such ECBs has been reduced 50 basis
  points from what was allowed earlier. For long term ECBs though, the all in
  cost is 50 basis points higher. For rupee-denominated ECBs, the rate will be
  commensurate with the prevailing market conditions.

• Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM) was on 27 November
  2015 successfully flight-tested for the first time from an Israeli Naval
  Platform. The missile is co-developed by India and Israel. LRSAM is also called
  Barak 8 missile in Israel which in Hebrew language means Lightning.
• The trial test was undertaken by Israel Aerospace Industries
  (IAI) in the presence of Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO)
  scientists. During the test the missile achieved the desired goal by hitting
  the incoming target.

• The Mayyazhi Mahotsavam (Fete de Mahe), a three-day cultural
  extravaganza, started on 29 November 2015 at Mahe, Puducherry.
• The festival is being organised jointly by the Department of
  Tourism and the Legislative Assembly Secretariat at Mahe, which is Puducherry’s
  exclave in Kerala.
• The festival will conclude on 1 December 2015.

• The Aayi Mandapam, the main venue, will witness the
  performance of artists of national and international acclaim.
• A parade of classical and folk-ritual art forms, including
  Kathakali, Mohiniyattam and Theyyam, are part of the fete.
• E. Valsaraj, long-serving Mahe MLA, will be felicitated on
  his completion of 25 years of distinguished service in the constituency.

• Indian banker Som Subroto was on 26 November 2015 appointed
  as the Executive Vice President and Head of Retail Banking in the Mashreq’s
  Banking Group.
• He succeeded Farhad Irani who served in the position for
  four and half years.
• Subroto is an alumnus of the IIT Delhi and has an MBA from
  IIM Ahmedabad. Also, he has 3 decades of retail banking experience with
  organizations like Citi Bank and Standard Chartered.

• Dominica-born British lawyer Patricia Scotland was on 27
  November 2015 appointed as the Secretary General of the Commonwealth of
  Nations. With this, Patricia become the first British citizen and first woman
  as well to hold the role in the 66-year history of 53-member Commonwealth.
• Scotland succeeds India’s Kamalesh Sharma and will join the
  office on 1 April 2016. She will receive a salary of nearly 160000 British
  Pound as well as a four storey mansion in Mayfair.
• She was selected during the 24th biennial Commonwealth Heads
  of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta on 27 November 2015.

• Congress legislator Sadanand Singh on 29 November 2015 was
  administered oath by Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind as pro-tem speaker of the
  16th Legislative Assembly of Bihar.
• Kovind administered oath to Singh as pro-tem speaker at a
  function held at the Raj Bhawan, Patna.
• Singh, who is a ninth-term MLA, will administer oath to all
  newly-elected members of the House.

• Anil Khanna was on 28 November 2015 re-elected as the
  president of Asian Tennis Federation (ATF). He was elected for four years in
  the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
• At present, he is the president of the All India Tennis
  Association (AITA).
• And, in September 2015, he was elected as the Vice President
  of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in the elections held in Santiago,
  Chile.

• A scientist at the Combat Vehicle Research and Development
  Establishment here has bagged the DRDO’s Scientist of the Year Award 2013.
• V Balaguru, Scientist ‘G’, has been instrumental in
  designing and integrated Improved chassis and Turret mechanical system of Arjun
  MBT Mark II Prototype in record time and later was elevated as trial Team Leader,
  an official release said.
• He pioneered the incorporation of improved medium fording
  capability with improved sealing efficacy and also undertook stringent user
  trials, Accelerated Usage and Reliability Trials and country evaluation trials
  of Arjun Main Battle Tank Mark I trials.
• At an award function held at Hyderabad recently, Balaguru
  was presented the award by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, it said.

• For the first time, Saudi Arabia allowed women to vote and
  contest in municipal elections. As per a royal decree issued in 2011, the
  authorities on 29 November 2015 allowed 979 women to register and campaign for
  284 municipal councils.
• They were out of the total 6917 registered candidates who
  obtained campaign permits from the authorities in the capital Riyadh.
• Earlier, Saudi Arabia held municipal elections in 2005 and
  2011, but only men were allowed to take part.

• Wealth-X on 25 November 2015 released the World’s 20 Most
  Generous People list. It was prepared by considering all the donations given by
  individuals till date.
• While Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates was adjudged as the
  top philanthropist in the world, Wipro’s Chairman Azim Premji was the only
  Indian in the list and stood at the fourth position.
• And, these 20 individuals made a combined donation to the
  tune of 106.8 billion US dollars in their life time.

• Riding on his stupendous performance in the ongoing home
  series against South Africa, Indian off-spinner Ashwin Ravichandran today rose
  to a career-high second in the ICC Test rankings for bowlers even as A B de
  Villiers lost his top spot in the batsmen standings.
• Ashwin claimed 12 for 98 in the third Test in Nagpur to spin
  his side to a 124-run victory and India could move as high as second place in
  the ICC Test Championship if they win the fourth Test which starts on Friday.
• Ashwin’s ascent from the fifth position means that James
  Anderson and Yasir Shah drop to joint third on 846 points, while Stuart Broad
  fell to fifth, the ICC said in a statement.
• Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood, who produced man of the
  match figures of nine for 136 in the inaugural day/night Test, soared 10 places
  to 10th.

• Indian Shuttler PV Sindhu on 29 November 2015 won the Macau
  Open Grand Prix Gold women’s singles title for the third consecutive time.
• In the title clash, Sindhu defeated Minatsu Mitani of Japan,
  21-9, 21-23, 21-14.
• This was Sindhu’s first title of the season and the fifth
  overall.
• Earlier in September 2015, Minatsu defeated Sindhu in the
  Japan Open in their only encounter so far.
• The two-time World Championship bronze medalist, Sindhu
  reached the final of the 120000 dollar event, after defeating another Japanese,
  Akane Yamaguchi 21-8, 15-21, 21-16 in the semi-final.

• International Cricket Council (ICC) on 29 November 2015
  suspended West Indies off-spinner Sunil Narine from bowling in international cricket
  with immediate effect.
• The ICC took a decision after an independent assessment
  found his bowling action to be illegal.
• Thereafter, a test was performed on 17 November 2015 at the
  ICC’s accredited testing centre in Loughborough University. The assessment
  revealed that all variations of his deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees level of
  tolerance permitted under the regulations.
• Narine’s bowling action was reported after the third ODI
  match against Sri Lanka in Pallekele on 7 November 2015.

• Britain’s Tyson Fury on 28 November 2015 defeated Ukraine’s
  Wladimir Klitschko to become World Boxing Association (WBA) (Super),
  International Boxing Federation (IBF), World Boxing Organization (WBO),
  International Boxing Organization (IBO) and The Ring unified heavyweight
  champion.
• The fight took place in Düsseldorf, Germany.

• The Australian association football player Joe Marston died
  on 29 November 2015 due to health issues.
• Marston was the first Australian to appear in FA Cup Final
  in 1954, when his side Preston North End lost to West Bromwich Albion.
• The Football Federation Australia had created the Joe
  Marston Medal, which is awarded to the best player in the A-League grand final,
  to honour the iconic footballer.
• Born on 7 January 1926 as James Edward Marston, he played at
  Wembley Stadium alongside Tom Finney and Tommy Docherty at the age of 28.
• The footballer appeared for the Socceroos during Blackpool’s
  1958 tour of Australia. Marston also appeared and coached the national side
  during Hearts tour of the country in 1959.

• Award-winning Japanese cartoonist Shigeru Mizuki, known for
  his comics of ghosts and monsters inspired by folklore and for his accounts of
  World War II horrors, died today at 93, his office said.
• Mizuki, whose real name was Shigeru Mura, was hospitalised
  in early November after he collapsed in Tokyo, the office said on its website.
• He underwent surgery but died this morning of multiple organ
  failure in hospital, it said.
• The native of Tottori prefecture in western Japan began his
  career as a cartoonist after surviving World War II during which the
  conscripted Japanese soldier lost his left arm in a US air strike.
• Mizuki had enjoyed widespread popularity for decades since
  the release of his “GeGeGe no Kitaro” comics — called manga in Japan
  — depicting battles between the hero monster Kitaro and rival spirits and
  ghosts.

Regards

Team ExamPundit

Sponsored

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Books For 2015 Banking/Insurance Exams