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Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Current News: Third gold medal for India in wrestling -Commonwealth games 2014

 Third gold medal for India  in wrestling-Commonwealth games 2014




Third gold medal for India in wrestling. Sushil Kumar pins Qamar Abbas of Pakistan in 107 secs to take gold in men's 74kg.

Gk :Some Important Acronyms ,abbrevations

Some Important Acronyms

¤ ADIDAS- All Day I Dream About Sports.
¤ AUDI-Auto Union Deutschland Ingolstadt.
¤ BMW- Baverian Motor Works.
¤ AMW- Asian Motor Works.
¤ CNN-IBN- Cable News Network-Indian Broadcasting Network.
¤ VVS Laxman- Vengipurapu Venkata Sai Laxman.
¤ APJ Abdul Kalam- Abul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam.
¤ MDH(Massala)- Mahashian Di Hatti.
¤ ISCON- International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
¤ LASER- Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
¤ i.e- id est (that is)
¤ INTEL- Integrated Electronics.
¤ CMYK- Cyan Magenta Yellow Kinda(Black).
Important acronyms ¤ JPEG- Joint Photography Expert Group.
¤ EMI- Equated Monthly Instalments.
¤ WIPRO- Western Indian Products.
¤ DNA- Deoxy-ribo Nucleic Acid.
¤ CBI- Criminal Bureau of Investigation.
¤ CAT- Common Admissiom Test.
¤ ATM- Automated Teller Machine.
¤ ISI- Indian Standard Institute.
¤ IPI- International Press Institute.
¤ AT&T- American telegraphic and Telephone Co. Ltd.
¤ ICICI- Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India.
¤ IDBI- Industrial Development Bank of India.
¤ FBI- Federal Bureau of Investigation.
¤ HDFC- Housing Development FinanceCorporation.
¤ VIRUS- Vital Information Resources Under Siege.
¤ OBC- Other Backward Classes.
¤ MPEG- Motion Picture Experts Groups.
¤ NAAC- National Assesment and Accreditation.
¤ PSLV- Polar Satelite Launch Vehicle.
¤ RADAR- Radio Detecting and Ranging.
¤ RDX- Research Department Explosive.
¤ MRF- Madras Rubber Factory.
¤ LML- Lohia Machines Limited.
¤ STD- Subscriber Trunk Dialling.
¤ TOEFL- Test of English as a Foreign Language.
¤ SENSEX- Sensitivity Index(of share price).
¤ URL- Uniform Resource Locator.
¤ TVS- T.V Sundaram(Co-Founder).
¤ BBC-British Broadcasting Corporation.

Current Affairs:latest news in July 2014

 Current Affairs:July 2014

[1] FCI raises short-term loan of Rs 20,000 cr.

[2] After polio, Amitabh Bachchan may associate with anti-tobacco campaign.

[3] World Hepatitis Day: India has the second highest number of those infected.

[4] CWG: Debutant lifter Sivalingam strikes gold, Ravi fetches silver.

[5] Ricciardo wins F1 Hungarian Grand Prix.

[6] Shuttler Ashwini supports PETA's ‘adopt-a-stray-dog’ campaign.

[7] CWG 2014: Jitu Rai breaks Games record to enter 50m men's pistol finals.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Current Affairs: AWARDS and/or PRIZES in 2014

2014 - AWARDS and/or PRIZES 

• Guljar has won 45th Dadasaheb phalke award.

• Donna Vekic (Croatia) won the BMW Malaysian Tennis Open 2014

• Mathangi Sathyamurthy honored with M S Subbulakshmi Award 2014

• Stanislas Wawrinka won Monte Carlo Masters 2014 Tennis title

• Cherrapunji set World record for highest rainfall in 48 hours with 2493 millimeters

• List of Winner of 61st National Film Awards 2014 India and most important comes up that the best film awards gone to “Ship of Theseus” which is directed by Anand Gandhi.

• Indian Judokas won 12 medals at the 7th South Asia Judo Championship

• Vijay Seshadri (India-born US poet) won Pulitzer Prize 2014

• Gaurav Gill (Delhi based MRF driver) won Vinz Whangarei Car Rally

• Legendary Poet and lyricist Gulzar selected for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2013

• British-American physicist Stuart Parkin won Millennium Technology Prize 2014

• Ratan Tata become a member of China-backed Board of Boao Forum for Asia

• Queen Elizabeth II Awarded Ratan Tata With Knight Commander (KBE) 2014

• Ernesto Gainza made a new Guinness world record of skydiving by using smallest parachute

• Andrea Petkovic won WTA title at the Family Circle Cup 2014 in USA

• Heena Sindhu Spot World no.1 Position in 10 Meter Air Pistol Event

• Lee Chong Wei & Shixian Wang won India Super Series Badminton Men’s & Women’s titles

• Iwao Hakamada honored with Boxing Belt by WBC (World Boxing Council )

• Punjab Hockey Team won Junior National Hockey Title 2014

• Koyal Rana won the Femina Miss India 2014 of 51st Edition

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Science and Tech: World’s Largest Wind-Solar Hybrid Installation Unveiled In Jamaica

The world's largest hybrid renewable energy project to date was recently commissioned on the rooftop of the Myers, Fletcher, & Gordon (MFG) law firm in Kingston, Jamaica. Developed by WindStream Technologies, the landmark urban installation consists of 50 WindStream SolarMill units to harness available wind and solar resources.

The SolarMill is a new distributed energy technology consisting of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT), solar panels and proprietary "smart" electronics. The energy generated by each SolarMill can either be used off grid with a storage system or inverted for use in grid-tied applications. Occupying the roof space, about the size of a solar panel, each SolarMill provides the highest energy density currently available in the renewable market.

The installation is said to generate over 106,000 kWh of renewable energy annually, (25 kW of wind and 55 kW of solar) with a return on investment (ROI) of less than four years. Over the course of the projected 25-year life span, the energy cost savings are expected to exceed $2 million. WindStream competed for and was awarded the project for its ability to maximize energy production and ROI within the confines of limited roof space.

"This was a bold undertaking and we expect to reap rich rewards through our partnership with WindStream," says Donovan Cunningham, COO of Myers Fletcher & Gordon.

The MFG SolarMill installation is a part of a larger effort by Jamaica Public Service (JPS) to provide greater access to renewable energy solutions in a country where the cost of energy is over three times the U.S. average. JPS and WindStream also collaborated with Eaton Houghton of Caribbean ESCO as the Caribbean's lead energy efficiency auditor for the project.

"The SolarMill installation is an excellent model for other businesses to follow," says Travis Campbell, COO of WindStream Technologies. "If you are interested in energy efficiency and saving money, SolarMills are a simple, cost-effective solution."

source: http://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2014/07/worlds-largest-wind-solar-hybrid-installation-unveiled-jamaica/

Science and Tech: New material puts a twist in light

New material puts a twist in light

David Powell twisting light. Credit: ANU

Scientists at The Australian National University (ANU) have uncovered the secret to twisting light at will. It is the latest step in the development of photonics, the faster, more compact and less carbon-hungry successor to electronics.

A random find in the washing basket led the team to create the latest in a new breed of materials known as metamaterials. These artificial materials show extraordinary properties quite unlike natural materials.

The work is published in Nature Communications.

"Our material can put a twist into light – that is, rotate its polarisation – orders of magnitude more strongly than natural materials," said lead author Mingkai Liu, a PhD student at the ANU Research School of Physics and Engineering (RSPE).

"And we can switch the effect on and off directly with light," said Mr Liu .

Electronics is estimated to account for two per cent of the global carbon footprint, a figure which photonics has the potential to reduce significantly. Already light carried by fibre optics, has replaced electricity for carrying signals over long distances. The next step is to develop photonic analogues of electronic computer chips, by actively controlling the properties of light, such as ; its polarisation.

read more at :  http://phys.org/news/2014-07-material.html

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Shakira sets world record as first to get 100M FB likes

Colombian singer Shakira set a new world record in the social media
realm after she became the first person to reach 100 million likes on
her Facebook account.

No less than Guinness World Records confirmed the pop star set the
social media record.

"The Colombian singer-songwriter reached the benchmark figure after
posting a photo of herself in the Maracanã Stadium in Rio, Brazil last
Sunday, prior to her performance during the closing ceremony of the 2014
FIFA World Cup," Guinness World Records said.

Shakira holds the distinction as most liked person on Facebook ahead of
pop stars Rihanna and Eminem.

For her part, Shakira said she was "honored and humbled" about the
milestone.

The singer also took to Facebook and Instagram to thank her fans.

"I am honored and humbled about reaching this milestone, because it's
one that's purely about connecting with my fans from all parts of the
globe. Social media and specifically Facebook has helped myself and
other artists bridge the gap between the stage and the audience. We've
been able to create a conversation, where both artists and fans can
share with one another their thoughts, achievements, the most important
moments of their lives in photographs and videos, and have a real,
ongoing dialogue," she said.

Guinness World Records quoted Justin Osofsky, Facebook's VP of Global
Operations and Media Partnerships, as saying: "The combination of
Shakira's global appeal, her authentic engagement with fans and her use
of Facebook as a multi-media platform has positioned her to achieve the
incredible milestone of 100M fans."

source
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/371053/showbiz/showbizabroad/shakira-sets-world-record-as-first-to-get-100m-fb-likes

Friday, July 18, 2014

ISRO RECRUITMENT OF ASSISTANTS 2014: on-line application status,apply online,important dates,previous papers

INDIAN SPACE RESEARCH ORGANISATION

INDIAN SPACE RESEARCH ORGANISATION

RECRUITMENT OF ASSISTANTS

ADVT. No. ISRO HQ:ICRB:04:2014 dated 17.07.2014

Indian Space Research Organisation [ISRO] of the Department of Space [DOS] is looking for young, dynamic and dedicated candidates for filling-up the posts of ASSISTANTS (administrative support staff) in the Pay Band of Rs.5,200-20,200/- with Grade Pay Rs.2,400/- for filling-up in various ISRO Centres/Units, across India.

How to Apply : The application for on-line registration will be hosted in the ISRO web-site between 17-07-2014 and 07-08-2014. Candidates may visit our web-site at www.isro.gov.in to register their applications on-line between 17-07-2014 and 07-08-2014. Applications will be received on-line only. Upon registration, applicants will be provided with an on-line Registration Number, which should be carefully preserved for future reference. E-mail ID of the applicant will have to be provided in the application CORRECTLY and compulsorily. For those already in employment under Central/State Government, Public Sector Undertakings or Autonomous Bodies, the on-line application has to be invariably followed-up with a 'No Objection Certificate' from the employer concerned, duly indicating the name and Reg. No. on the reverse.

Important dates to remember:-

Opening date for on-line registration -    17.07.2014
Closing date for on-line registration -    07.08.2014
Last date for payment of fee -    08.08.2014
Closing date for receiving documents as stated in para 6 above at ISRO HQ -    14.08.2014
Written test



previous Question Papers:

2006 - Part I 2006 - Part II
2008 - Part I 2008 - Part II
2010 - Part I 2010 - Part II
2012



Current Affairs: Complete List of Chief Ministers of India - updated July 2014

Complete List of Chief Ministers of India
State Chief Minister
Andhra Pradesh N.Chandrababu Naidu
Arunachal Pradesh Nabam Tuki
Assam Tarun Gogoi
Bihar Jitan Ram Manjhi
Chhattisgarh Raman Singh
New Delhi President's Rule
Goa Manohar Parrikar
Gujarat Anandiben Patel
Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda
Himachal Pradesh Virbhadra Singh
Jammu & Kashmir Omar Abdullah
Jharkhand Hemant Soren
Karnataka K Siddaramaiah
Kerala Oommen Chandy
Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chauhan
Maharashtra Prithviraj Chavan
Manipur Okram Ibobi Singh
Meghalaya Mukul Sangma
Mizoram Pu Lalthanhawla
Nagaland T.R.Zeliang
Odiisha Naveen Patnaik
Puducherry N.Rangaswammy
Punjab Prakash Singh Badal
Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje
Sikkim Prakash Kumar Chamling
Tamil Nadu J.Jayalalithaa
Telangana K.Chandrashekar Rao
Tripura Manik Sarkar
Uttarakhand Harish Rawat
Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav
West Bengal Mamata Banerjee

Science and Tech :Li-fi protocol allows use of the internet at the speed of light

Sisoft Company in Mexico has developed a technology that can illuminate a large work space, an auditorium or an office, while providing full mobile internet to every device that comes into the range of the light spectrum.

The Mexican group managed to transmit audio, video and Internet across the spectrum of light emitted by LED lamps. This new technology, called Li-Fi or light fidelity, is presented as an alternative to Wi-Fi because it will maximize the original provided speed of the internet to offer safer data transfer and a transfer rate of up to 10 gigabytes per second.

The Li-Fi device circulates data via LEDs that emit an intermittent flicker at a speed imperceptible to the human eye. "As Wi-Fi uses cables to spread our connections, wireless transmission Li-Fi uses LED lamps that emit high brightness light", said Arturo Campos Fentanes, CEO of Sisoft in Mexico.

read more at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-li-fi-protocol-internet.html#ajTabs

Science and Tech: Future electronics may depend on lasers, not quartz

Future electronics may depend on lasers, not quartz


Vahala's new laser frequency reference (left) is a small 6 mm disk; the quartz "tuning fork" (middle) is the frequency reference commonly used today in wristwatches to set the second. The dime (right) is for scale. Credit: Jiang Li/Caltech


Nearly all electronics require devices called oscillators that create precise frequencies—frequencies used to keep time in wristwatches or to transmit reliable signals to radios. For nearly 100 years, these oscillators have relied upon quartz crystals to provide a frequency reference, much like a tuning fork is used as a reference to tune a piano. However, future high-end navigation systems, radar systems, and even possibly tomorrow's consumer electronics will require references beyond the performance of quartz.

Now, researchers in the laboratory of Kerry Vahala, the Ted and Ginger Jenkins Professor of Information Science and Technology and Applied Physics at Caltech, have developed a method to stabilize microwave signals in the range of gigahertz, or billions of cycles per second—using a pair of laser beams as the reference, in lieu of a crystal.

Quartz crystals "tune" oscillators by vibrating at relatively low frequencies—those that fall at or below the range of megahertz, or millions of cycles per second, like radio waves. However, quartz crystals are so good at tuning these low frequencies that years ago, researchers were able to apply a technique called electrical frequency division that could convert higher-frequency microwave signals into lower-frequency signals, and then stabilize these with quartz.

The new technique, which Vahala and his colleagues have dubbed electro-optical frequency division, builds off of the method of optical frequency division, developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology more than a decade ago. "Our new method reverses the architecture used in standard crystal-stabilized microwave oscillators—the 'quartz' reference is replaced by optical signals much higher in frequency than the microwave signal to be stabilized," Vahala says.

read more at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-future-electronics-lasers-quartz.html

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

BRICS Update: India to head 100 billion dollar BRICS Development Bank

India to head 100 billion dollar BRICS Development Bank to be set up at Shanghai in China.

The capital for the bank will be split equally among the five participating countries. The bank will have its headquarters at Shanghai in China. Brazil's President, Dilma Rousseff announced the creation of the bank at a Brics summit meeting in Fortaleza, Brazil yesterday. At first, the bank will start off with 50 billion dollars in initial capital.

The emergency reserve fund which was announced as a Contingency Reserve Arrangement, will also have 100 billion dollars and will help developing nations avoid short term liquidity pressures, promote further Brics cooperation, strengthen the global financial safety net and complement existing international arrangements.

General Awareness: All about BRICS


BRICS
is the acronym for an association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

BRICS

(Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa)


 

The grouping was originally known as "BRIC" before the inclusion of South Africa in 2010. The BRICS members are all developing or newly industrialised countries, but they are distinguished by their large, fast-growing economies and significant influence on regional and global affairs; all five are G-20 members.


ref:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRICS

Current Affairs: Participants at BRICS Summit 2014,Presidents of BRICS,6th BRICS Summit July 2014

6th BRICS Summit, BRICS July 2014

BRICS: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa

Dates: 15th to 17th July 2014

Host Country: Brazil

Host City: Fortaleza


Participants at BRICS Summit 2014


Member and its Representatives

Brazil: Dilma Rousseff, President

Russia: Vladimir Putin, President

India: Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

China: Xi Jinping: President

South Africa: Jacob Zuma, President

Quiz On List of Governors of states in India updated July 2014

Who is the Governor of Andhra Pradesh?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Assam?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Bihar?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Chhattisgarh?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Goa?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Gujarat?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Haryana?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Himachal Pradesh?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Jammu & Kashmir?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Jharkhand?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Karnataka?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Kerala?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Madhya Pradesh?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Maharashtra?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Manipur?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Meghalaya?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Mizoram?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Nagaland?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Orissa?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Punjab?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Rajasthan?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Sikkim?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Tamil Nadu?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Telangana?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Tripura?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Uttar Pradesh?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of Uttarakhand?
See Answer:
Who is the Governor of West Bengal?
See Answer:

Science and Physics: Moore's law, a definition, a review ,

Moore's law is the observation that, over the history of computing hardware, the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years. The law is named after Gordon E. Moore, co-founder of Intel Corporation, who described the trend in his 1965 paper.
His prediction has proven to be accurate, in part because the law is now used in the semiconductor industry to guide long-term planning and to set targets for research and development.

Gordon Moore in 2004

The term "Moore's law" was coined around 1970 by the Caltech professor, VLSI pioneer, and entrepreneur Carver Mead in reference to a statement by Gordon E. Moore.




Transistor Count and Moore's Law - 2011

ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore%27s_law#mediaviewer/File:Transistor_Count_and_Moore%27s_Law_-_2011.svg

Science And Tech: Rainwater discovered at new depths

In the southern Alps, rain and snow falling on the mountains percolate to great depths. Credit: Simon Cox

University of Southampton researchers have found that rainwater can penetrate below the Earth's fractured upper crust, which could have major implications for our understanding of earthquakes and the generation of valuable mineral deposits.

It had been thought that surface water could not penetrate the ductile crust - where temperatures of more than 300°C and high pressures cause rocks to flex and flow rather than fracture - but researchers, led by Southampton's Dr Catriona Menzies, have now found fluids derived from rainwater at these levels.

Fluids in the Earth's crust can weaken rocks and may help to initiate earthquakes along locked fault lines. They also concentrate valuable metals such as gold. The new findings suggest that rainwater may be responsible for controlling these important processes, even deep in the Earth.

Researchers from the University of Southampton, GNS Science (New Zealand), the University of Otago, and the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre studied geothermal fluids and mineral veins from the Southern Alps of New Zealand, where the collision of two tectonic plates forces deeper layers of the earth closer to the surface.

read more at http://phys.org/news/2014-07-rainwater-depths.html

The team looked into the origin of the fluids, how hot they were and to what extent they had reacted with rocks deep within the mountain belt.

Monday, July 14, 2014

FIFA World Cup 2014 Stats and awards: Lionel Messi, named World Cup's 'best player

Golden Ball: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Golden Glove: Manuel Neuer (Germany)
Golden Boot: James Rodriguez (Colombia)
Young Player Award: Paul Pogba (France)
FIFA Fair Play Award: Colombia

Lionel Messi, named World Cup's 'best player,' still falls short of Diego Maradona


Messi had a very good World Cup, though arguably not a great one. He scored four goals, a couple of them beauties, all of them in the group stage. He managed a lovely assist to Angel di Maria against Switzerland for the match winner. He will be 31 when the next World Cup rolls around, however, when it may be too late to become Maradona anymore.


Victor R. Caivano/AP Lionel Messi can't bring the World Cup back home to Argentina after losing Sunday's final.

read more at http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/soccer/bondy-messi-named-world-cup-best-player-falls-short-maradona-article-1.1865508

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Discover: Boron 'buckyball' discovered

Boron 'buckyball' discovered


Researchers have shown that clusters of 40 boron atoms form a molecular cage similar to the carbon buckyball. This is the first experimental evidence that such a boron cage structure exists. Credit: Wang lab / Brown University

The discovery 30 years ago of soccer-ball-shaped carbon molecules called buckyballs helped to spur an explosion of nanotechnology research. Now, there appears to be a new ball on the pitch.

Researchers from Brown University, Shanxi University and Tsinghua University in China have shown that a cluster of 40 boron atoms forms a hollow molecular cage similar to a carbon buckyball. It's the first experimental evidence that a boron cage structure—previously only a matter of speculation—does indeed exist.

"This is the first time that a boron cage has been observed experimentally," said Lai-Sheng Wang, a professor of chemistry at Brown who led the team that made the discovery. "As a chemist, finding new molecules and structures is always exciting. The fact that boron has the capacity to form this kind of structure is very interesting."

Wang and his colleagues describe the molecule, which they've dubbed borospherene, in the journal Nature Chemistry.

Carbon buckyballs are made of 60 carbon atoms arranged in pentagons and hexagons to form a sphere—like a soccer ball. Their discovery in 1985 was soon followed by discoveries of other hollow carbon structures including carbon nanotubes. Another famous carbon nanomaterial—a one-atom-thick sheet called graphene—followed shortly after.

After buckyballs, scientists wondered if other elements might form these odd hollow structures. One candidate was boron, carbon's neighbor on the periodic table. But because boron has one less electron than carbon, it can't form the same 60-atom structure found in the buckyball. The missing electrons would cause the cluster to collapse on itself. If a boron cage existed, it would have to have a different number of atoms.

Wang and his research group have been studying boron chemistry for years. In a paper published earlier this year, Wang and his colleagues showed that clusters of 36 boron atoms form one-atom-thick disks, which might be stitched together to form an analog to graphene, dubbed borophene. Wang's preliminary work suggested that there was also something special about boron clusters with 40 atoms. They seemed to be abnormally stable compared to other boron clusters. Figuring out what that 40-atom cluster actually looks like required a combination of experimental work and modeling using high-powered supercomputers.

source and read more at

http://phys.org/news/2014-07-boron-buckyball.html

Current Affairs at Glance: 06-07-2014 to 12-07-2014

Current Affairs at Glance From (06-07-2014 to 12-07-2014):
--------------------------------------------------------------
World’s Second most populous city after Tokyo is Delhi in 2014.

Arun Mishra, Rohington and Adarsh assumed charges as Supreme Court Judges.

Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women is Emma Watson.

Union Railway Minister Sadanand Gowda Presented Rail Budget for the year 2014-15.

Economic Survey of India 2013-14 presented in Lok Sabha by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely.

Union Budget 2014-15 presented in Lok Sabha by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely.

New Chief Justice of Pakistan is Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk.

Nagaland Governor Vakkom B. Purushothaman Resigned.

Air India Joins Star Alliance.

Pinky Anand appointed Additional Solicitor-General in the Supreme Court.

2014-15 GDP Growth Rate at 5.4-5.9%: Economic Survey.

FDI’s Mooted, Bullets Trains… Railway Budget.

India, UK to set up financial partnership.

China, US sign agreements to cope with climate change.

President appointed Governors for Mizoram and Nagaland.

SC ruled Shariat Courts are illegal.

Poverty line redrawn, 3 in 10 Indians are poor: report.

Immunisation Scheme to Cost Rs. 3, 500 crore.

Men’s Wimbledon Tennis Open won by Novak Djokovic.

Petra Kvitova beats Eugenie Bouchard to win second Wimbledon title.

Contactless Payment Cards required to travel in London Buses.

New Chief of Madras Management Association is Raju Venkatraman.

New CEO of Reliance Infrastructure is MS Mehta.

Pakistanis who comes to India can use their telephones to connect with Pakistan. This proposal of Commerce Ministry was accepted by Home Ministry.

Sunburn plans to create Guinness Word Record of the Largest Human Logo Formation.

New Asset Manager of ONGC is Yash Malik.

New VP Marketing of Dish TV is Sandeep Bajpai.

Indian Brand Ambassador of Philips is Arjun Kapoor.

F-Cube Technology launched to promote football.

Advanced version of 290KM range BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile test fired.

One Rupee Reconstructive Surgery Campaign launched by Aakar Asha.

Industrial Production created a record by increasing 4.7%.

Yale University astronomers discovered 7 new dwarf galaxies.

Football App launched by Nike Football.

Web portal for unemployed skilled people by MSME Ministry.Website address for this portal is www.niesbudnaukri.com.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to participate in VIth BRICS Summit in Fortaleza and Brasilia, Brazil from 14 to 16th of July.

World Population Day was observed across the world on 11 July 2014. The theme of World Population Day 2014 was Investing in Young People.

President Pranab Mukherjee has removed Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, Virendra Kataria from his post.

The Indian Navy will formally receive the first fully ingeniously built anti-submarine warfare (ASW), INS Kamorta, at Visakhapatnam.

Union Ministry of Railways launched Social Media Platform for the Indian Railways on 7 July 2014.
With this, customers can connect with the Railways through Facebook and Twitter. Besides, all the important announcements of Railways starting with Rail Budget 2014-15 will be available to the customers on 24×7 basis.

World Cup champions to get $35 mn from FIFA.



Tags: Current Affairs, Current Affairs 2014, July 2014

Business Buzz: How rupee-dollar rates are determined

Ever wondered why the rupee quotes at 53.2 or 50 and not at Rs 20 or Rs 80 to a dollar?

It’s not much different from how the prices of your mangoes are determined, for example. Whether currency movements or prices of mangoes, the most important factor determining their price is the same – market forces of demand and supply.

If the demand for dollars increases, the value of dollar will appreciate. As the quotation for Rs/$ is a two way quote (that is, the price of one dollar is quoted in terms of how much rupees it takes to buy one dollar), an appreciation in the value of dollar would automatically mean a depreciation in Indian rupee and vice-versa.

For example, if rupee depreciates, a dollar which once cost Rs 47 would cost, say, Rs 50. In essence, the value of dollar has risen and the buying power of rupee has gone down.

Besides the primary powers of demand and supply, the rupee-dollar rates are determined by other market forces as well.

Market sentiments

During turbulent markets, investors usually prefer to park their money in safe havens such as US treasuries, Swiss franc, gold and so on to avoid losses to their portfolios. This flight to safety would lead to foreign investors redeeming their investments from India. This could increase the demand for dollar vis-à-vis Indian rupees.

Speculation

There are derivative instruments and over-the-counter currency instruments through which one can speculate/ hedge the underlying currency rates. When speculators sense improvements/ deterioration of the sentiments of the markets, they too want to benefit from such rising/ falling dollar. They then start buying/selling dollar which would further change the demand/ supply of the dollar.

RBI Intervention

When there is too much volatility in the rupee-dollar rates, the RBI prevents the rates from going out of control to protect the domestic economy. The RBI does this by buying dollars when rupee appreciates too much and by selling dollars when the rupee depreciates significantly.

Imports and Exports

Ever give thought as to why our government is trying to incentivise exports and reduce imports? There are a lot of schemes and incentives for exporters while importers are burdened with many conditions and taxes. This is to protect our economy from high rupee depreciation. Importing foreign goods requires us to make payment in dollars thus strengthening the dollar’s demand. Exports do the exact reverse.

Public Debt / Fiscal policy

Whenever our Government fails to match expenses with equivalent revenue, there is a shortage of funds. To finance this, the Government at times opts to borrow money from institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF. This debt, accrued interests, and the payments made, also lead to currency fluctuations.

Interest Rates

The prevailing interest rates on the government bonds attract foreign capital to India. If the rates are high enough to cover the foreign market risk and if the foreign investor is comfortable with the fundamentals or credit ratings, money would start pouring into India and thus provide us with a supply of dollars.

read more at http://m.thehindubusinessline.com/money-wise/how-rupeedollar-rates-are-determined/article4629962.ece/

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Current Affairs: 11 wealthiest women in technology industry a page from TOI site

1. Meg Whitman

She made her fortune at eBay before becoming CEO of HP in 2011, tops our list. She's reportedly worth $1.9 billion. Meg is also the only female tech executive to crack Forbes list of 400 richest Americans.

2. Sheryl Sandberg

Her net worth hovers around $1 billion, made her mark as Facebook's Chief Operating Officer. She's also become famous for her bestselling book Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, published last year.

3. Marissa Mayer

She was the 20th employee at Google and sits on Walmart's board of directors. She became CEO of Yahoo in July 2012. VentureBeat estimates Mayers net worth at $300 million.

4. Ginni Rommety

She became IBM's CEO two years ago. Estimating Rommety's net worth is tricky. Since she didn't crack Forbes list of wealthy Americans, we can assume she's worth less than $1 billion. In 2012, her total compensation was $16.1 million.

5. Safra Catz

She became an Oracle exec in 1999 and has since then worked her way up and is now the President and CFO. In 2013, she earned over $44 million in stock and options, according to SEC. She reports to founder and CEO, Larry Ellison.

6. Ursula Burns

She became the first African-American woman in July 2009 to lead a Fortune 500 company as Xerox CEO and Chairwoman. She started out as an intern in 1980. Her compensation last year was over $7.5 million, according to SEC.

7. Susan Wojcicki

She became YouTube's CEO after becoming SVP of advertising at Google. Founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page rented her garage as Google's first office. Her position at YouTube guarantees her a fortune upwards of $10 million.

8. Renee James

She became President of Intel in May 2013, instantly becoming one of the most powerful women in business and technology. Her total compensation in 2012 was over $15 million, and that was before she became president.

9. Amy Hood

She became Microsofts CFO last May and reports to CEO Satya Nadella. Her total compensation neared $7.5 million. Before transitioning to CFO, Hood led Microsoft's business team in acquiring big names like Skype and Yammer.

10. Angela Ahrendts

She cut her teeth at Burberry, where she rose to CEO, before joining Apple this year as Head of Retail and Online Stores, a role created just for her. She's the first woman to join CEO Tim Cook's executive team. She has been awarded $76 million in stock (based on current value) that vests over the next four years.

11. Lucy Peng

She is an Alibaba founder, became the company's Chief People Officer in June after successfully growing its small lending and microfinance operations. The ecommerce company recently announced an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange, claiming a value of around $120 billion. For reference, Amazon is worth approximately $137 billion. Peng's fortunes will undoubtedly skyrocket when the company completes its IPO.

read  more at http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/business/11-wealthiest-women-in-technology-industry/articleshow/38102679.cms

The highlights of Union Budget India 2014 :

Here are the highlights of Union Budget 2014 tabled by finance minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday:


* Tax proposals on indirect tax front would yield Rs 7,525 crore.

* ​Indian Custom Single Window Project to be taken up for facilitating trade.

* Clean energy cess increased from Rs 50/ tonne to Rs 100/tonne.

* Additional 5% excise tax to be levied on aerated drinks with added sugar (cold drinks). Tobacco products also to get costly as excise duty hiked to 72%

* Government announces reduction in excise duty for specified food package industry from 10% to 6%.

*​ Excise duty on footwear reduced from 12% to 6%

* Government announces measures to encourage manufacture of LCD/LED panels of TVs.

* Housing loan rebate to raised from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh.

* Net effect of direct tax proposals is revenue loss of Rs 22,200 crore.

* Government proposes to increase investment limit under Section 80C from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh.

* Tax exemption limit for small and marginal, and senior tax payers changed from Rs 2.0 to Rs 2.5 lakh. For senior citizens, no tax for income up to Rs 3 lakh per annum.

read more http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/budget-2014/union-budget-2014/Highlights-of-Union-Budget-2014/articleshow/38115864.cms

Friday, July 4, 2014

Roger Federer's "surreal" journey leads to ninth Wimbledon final

Roger Federer set a Wimbledon final clash with Novak Djokovic after
dismissing Milos Raonic 6-4, 6-4 6-4 in Friday's semi-finals at the All
England Club.

The 32-year-old Swiss is through to his ninth final at The Championships
and is bidding to win an unprecedented eighth title. Victory would mark
his 18th Grand Slam championship win and first since beating Andy Murray
on Centre Court two years ago.

"I'm extremely happy to be in another final," Federer told BBC
television as he walked off court after beating first-time semi-finalist
Raonic in one hour and 41 minutes. "It would mean a lot [to win
Wimbledon again]. I feel unbelievably proud every time I walk the
grounds here. I know I don't have 10 [years] left. I'll try to enjoy it.
The first one in 2003 was a dream come true; it's surreal that I've been
so successful here."

read more at
http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2014/06/27/Wimbledon-Friday-Federer-Raonic.aspx

Roger Federer's "surreal" journey leads to ninth Wimbledon final

Roger Federer set a Wimbledon final clash with Novak Djokovic after
dismissing Milos Raonic 6-4, 6-4 6-4 in Friday's semi-finals at the All
England Club.

The 32-year-old Swiss is through to his ninth final at The Championships
and is bidding to win an unprecedented eighth title. Victory would mark
his 18th Grand Slam championship win and first since beating Andy Murray
on Centre Court two years ago.

"I'm extremely happy to be in another final," Federer told BBC
television as he walked off court after beating first-time semi-finalist
Raonic in one hour and 41 minutes. "It would mean a lot [to win
Wimbledon again]. I feel unbelievably proud every time I walk the
grounds here. I know I don't have 10 [years] left. I'll try to enjoy it.
The first one in 2003 was a dream come true; it's surreal that I've been
so successful here."

read more at
http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2014/06/27/Wimbledon-Friday-Federer-Raonic.aspx

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Curret Affairs: Indian Railways conducts trial run of India's fastest train between Delhi and Agra

Indian Railways
conducts trial run of
India's fastest train
between Delhi and
Agra
Your browser does not
support the video tag.
New Delhi: In an effort
to make travel
between Delhi and Agra
faster, the Indian
Railways conducted a
trial run of a semi high-
speed train between
the two destinations on
Thursday.
The train will run at a
speed of 160 kmph on
the Delhi-Agra route. It
is expected to reduce
the travel time by 30
minutes from 120
minutes to 90 minutes.
The train is equipped
with an electric
locomotive of 5400 HP.
It is estimated that a
cost of Rs 15 crore
would be incurred to
make the track ready
for this train.
The DRM Agra went on
the train for the trial
run.
"There should be more
such trains at least for
short distances," said a
passenger. "If this
experiment is
successful then they
should run trains on
longer routes as well,"
another passenger
added.

click on these links for more information

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