News : 18 June 2013

1. Protest in Brazil over government’s economic policies which led to increase in public transport prices in June 2013.
2. The Punjab government has allocated millions of rupees to Jamaat-ud-Dawah, a front of the banned LeT, for various development initiatives.
3. Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced at a ceremony on Tuesday that his country’s armed forces are taking over the lead for security nationwide from the U.S.-led NATO coalition.The handover of responsibility is a significant milestone in the nearly 12-year war and marks a turning point for American and NATO military forces, which will now move entirely into a supporting role. It also opens the way for their full withdrawal in 18 months.
4. M.V. OSM Arena, a stranded ship in the outer-anchorage of the Chennai Port Trust (ChPT), is to be towed out to the Chittagong ship-breaking yard in Bangladesh soon.The 28-year-old vessel has been in the high seas since February 2010 following an arrest order issued by the Calcutta High Court. The vessel drifted towards Napier Bridge on December 30, 2011, when cyclone Thane crossed the coast, resulting in loss of one of its anchors.
5. M. Mallikarjun Kharge being allotted the Railways portfolio in the Union Cabinet reshuffle, the Ministry has returned to Karnataka
6. Starting July, users will need to shell out less for calls made while on roaming as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), on Monday, reduced the ceiling level for national roaming tariffs.
7. Google India has taken its first step in committing to the Indian e-commerce market with the introduction of product listing ads, a new format that will appear when users key in shopping-related queries.
8. The government appointed S.K. Roy as the Chairman of Life Insurance Corporation of India.

Iran

Iranian president-elect Hassan Rouhani

Gk-June

1. Egypt PM : Mohammad Morsy
2. Ethiopia PM : Hailemariam Desalegn
3. Iranian president-elect Hassan Rouhani
4. LIC Chairman : S K Roy

Egypt

PM : Mohammad Morsy

1.  The Foreign Ministers of Egypt and Ethiopia met in Addis Ababa on Monday in the hope of defusing tensions over a huge dam Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile River.Egypt and Ethiopia began a sharp exchange of words after Ethiopia last month started to divert Nile waters as part of the construction of its massive $4.2 billion hydro-electric project dubbed the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
2. An Egyptian court says besieged President Mohammed Morsy must reinstate an attorney general fired last year in another blow to his authority.
3. The Army on July 1 2013 gave Egyptian President Mohammed Morsy and the opposition a 48-hour ultimatum to reach consensus and meet the people’s demands or it would announce measures to end the stalemate.
4. The Egyptian army has invited opposition leader Mohammed ElBaradei, the top Sunni sheikh and the Coptic pope for “consultations” on a future roadmap to end the crisis
5. Interim President Adly Mansour  dismissed reports that Mohamed ElBaradei(the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)) has been named the country’s Prime Minister, but said the leading liberal opposition leader is “the logical choice” for the post.

Pakistan

1. The Punjab government has allocated millions of rupees to Jamaat-ud-Dawah, a front of the banned LeT, for various development initiatives.
2. Secured a massive $11 billion economic bailout package from international donor agencies including the IMF, to revive the ailing national economy.In addition to the IMF assistance, Pakistan will also get a $5.6 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank as well as countries like Japan, U.S. and U.K..
3. Nawaz Sharif visit to China on July 2013 : Both sides were planning a series of special economic zones, a rail link and a pipeline running from the Arabian Sea port of Gwadar to the old Silk Road town of Kashgar in Xinjiang’s western border.
4. Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari was given a ceremonial guard of honour on his last day as he became the first democratically elected head of state to complete a full five-year term.
5. India-born Mamnoon Hussain, a close aide of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif,  sworn in as the President of Pakistan in sep 2013.Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry administered the oath at a ceremony

Brazil

1. Protest in Brazil over government’s economic policies which led to increase in public transport prices in June 2013.

Blood

Who can Donate Blood ? 

1. Anybody between 18-60 years of age.
2. Ensure a 3 month gap between donations.
3. Those who weigh over 45kg can donate 350 ml of blood and over 56kg can donate 450 ml of blood
4. Those who are HIV positive or have any STDs cannot donate blood.
5. Those suffering from high BP,heart diseases, or have a history of jaundice,tuberculosis,leprosy,hepatitis B/C are permanent deferrals and cannot donate blood.
6. Those who have unexplained weigh loss,swollen glands and continuous low grade fever are advised not to donate blood.
7. Time restrictions for those who have consumed antibiotics , steroids, alcohol or have undergone immunization before blood donation.
8. Pregnant,lactating and menstruating women cannot donate blood.

Fauna

1. The Great Indian Bustard, one of the endangered flying bird species in the world, will soon be tracked by satellite by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to understand the movement of this rare bird and its preferred habitat,Gujarat and Rajasthan.Great Indian bustard is amongst one of the largest flying bird species found in the world today. It can easily be distinguished by its black crown on the forehead contrasting with the pale neck and head.The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recognised it as critically endangered in 2011.Distinguishable by its brownish body and wings marked with black, brown and grey, the Great Indian Bustard is listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972, and its international trade is prohibited.The Rajasthan government recently launched its own project Great Indian Bustard, at a cost of over Rs. 12 crore, to identify and provide secure breeding enclosures, in a bid to arrest its decreasing population.

News : 17 June 2013

1. Britain spied on foreign politicians and officials participating in two G20 meetings in London in 2009 by using “ground-breaking” intelligence capabilities to get an edge during the high-stakes financial talks , according to documents uncovered by U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden and obtained by the Guardian.
2. India’s trade deficit widened to a seven month high of $20.1 billion in May as gold imports continue to surge while exports declined by over a per cent
3. Search engine giant Google on Monday launched a new ad format ‘Product Listing Ads’ in India to provide users information like images, price and brands of products, which will help people shop better both online and offline.
4. The Union government should withdraw the Insurance Bill that envisaged enhancement of foreign direct investment in the insurance sector from 26 per cent to 49 per cent, the All India Insurance Corporation Employees Association (AIIEA) has demanded.
5. The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) on Friday deferred a decision on the Rs. 2,000-crore Jet-Etihad deal and sought clarity on control and ownership.
6. The Great Indian Bustard, one of the critically endangered flying bird species in the world, will soon be tracked by satellite by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to understand the movement of this rare bird and its preferred habitat,primarily in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
7. China’s Tianhe 2 – worlds fastest computer.Speed : 33.86 petaflops (1000 trillion calculations) per second on a benchmarking test.Second being in US : TITAN having speed of 17.59 petaflops per second.
8.  The Foreign Ministers of Egypt and Ethiopia met in Addis Ababa on Monday in the hope of defusing tensions over a huge dam Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile River.Egypt and Ethiopia began a sharp exchange of words after Ethiopia last month started to divert Nile waters as part of the construction of its massive $4.2 billion hydro-electric project dubbed the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
9. Iranian president-elect Hassan Rouhani will take office in Aug 2013.
10. The single-seater Solar Impulse plane, attempting a record-breaking trip across the U.S., made a smooth landing in Washington.The Swiss-made 63-meter-wide aircraft set down at Dulles International Airport.

Economics June 2013

1. India’s trade deficit widened to a seven month high of $20.1 billion in May as gold imports continue to surge while exports declined by over a percent.

   

2. Reserve Bank on Monday kept the key interest rates unchanged citing elevated food inflation, rupee depreciation and uncertainty over foreign fund inflows. Key short term lending rate (repo rate) kept unchanged at 7.25 per cent;Cash reserve ratio unchanged at 4 pc;
   

   rbi policy

   

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3. A slew of stimulating reforms are in the offing. Over the next three weeks, the Centre is likely to set up a railway tariff authority, a coal and road regulator, unveil a new policy of auctioning coal blocks and remove the FDI cap in various sectors. The moves come as an attempt to kick-start a sluggish economy, remove the investment gloom and improve investor confidence.
4. Search engine giant Google on Monday launched a new ad format ‘Product Listing Ads’ in India to provide users information like images, price and brands of products, which will help people shop better both online and offline.