Today's GK

Australian legend bowler Shane Warne on 19 July 2013 joined the list of cricket legends to be inducted into the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Hall of Fame at Lord's. Shane Warne is the 69th male member of the Hall of Fame and the 18th from Australia.

Incheon: named as the World Book Capital for the year 2015. Incheon is in South Korea. UNESCO announced on 19 July 2013 that the committee in charge of international book industry named South Korean city of Incheon as the World Book Capital for the year 2015.

Maharashtra state government on 19 July 2013 announced a ban extension on nicotine-laced gutkha and paan masala for another year considering health hazards of these products. In July 2012, the government had banned the sale, storage and consumption of nicotine-laced gutkha and paan masala in any form for a year, which was to end on 19 July 2013. The government move was prompted by the incidence of oral diseases, including cancer due to consumption of such gutkha and paan masala.

The Government of India signed an agreement with Asian Development Bank (ADB) on 19 July 2013 for a 60 million dollars loan as to improve urban services and to strengthen municipal and project management capacity in several towns in north Karnataka.  Basically the agreement is for the third project under the overall facility of 270 million dollars for the North Karnataka Urban Sector Investment Program (NKUSIP).

The Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE) on 19 July 2013 has conferred its highest honour The Honorary Fellowship on HRD Minister M.M. Pallam Raju for his scientific vision and valuable contribution to the progress in the field of electronics and telecommunication

CJ of India

Justice P. Sathasivam, seniormost judge of the Supreme Court, was sworn in as the 40th Chief Justice of India on Friday. President Pranab Mukherjee administered the oath of office to him at a brief ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Justice Sathasivam, 64, who succeeds Justice Altamas Kabir, will have a brief tenure till April 26, 2014. Talking to The Hindu soon after the swearing-in, he said his immediate priorities were filling up the large number of vacancies in subordinate courts and High Courts, and speedy disposal of cases. Hailing from Kadappanallur in Erode district of Tamil Nadu, he was the first graduate in his agricultural family and first law graduate in his village.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday assured the industry that government is taking action to improve the economy. He said India is committed to bringing its current account deficit under control and reducing demand for gold and petroleum products

PM speech: Poverty declined by 2% during 2004-05 and 2011-12. New bank licenses will be awarded soon. Economy to grow at lower than previously expected 6.5% in FY14. Impact of initiatives taken by the government will be felt in the second half of the current fiscal. Major railway projects and industrial corridors are being considered. Basic fundamentals of economy are sound and stable Infrastructure growth is critical for medium term prospects. We need to bring current account deficit down to 2.5% of our GDP, but cannot be done in a year. We need to reduce import of gold and demand for petroleum products. Good news is that we have controlled the current account deficit.
RBI has done its bit to stabilise markets.  Most immediate cause of worry is volatility in foreign exchange market. Our country is going through a difficult period, says PM Manmohan Singh at ASSOCHAM

Justice P Sathasivam was on Friday sworn in as the 40th Chief Justice of India (CJI) by President Pranab Mukherjee.He took over the post from Justice Altamas Kabir, who served as the CJI for over nine months. Justice Sathasivam, 64, took oath in the name of God at a brief ceremony at Darbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

It is renowned for making some of the best diesel engines in Asia, and at last Isuzu is in India with its own sports utility vehicle (SUV) quirkly named MU-7. The late entry belies the company’s long association with the country having supplied engines for the Amabassador and erstwhile Contessa. It has also supplied diesel engines in the past to many other bigger automotive companies including Honda, Ford, Mazda and General Motors. A thoroughbred Isuzu SUV is therefore worth a look.

MS Reddy, independent director of debt-ridden Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited (DCHL), on Thursday got bail in a cheque-bounce case by furnishing a security bond of Rs. 20 lakh. Judicial magistrate Ashok Kumar issued the bail order here. Reddy, director and one of the promoters of Deccan Chronicle, was arrested by the UT police and produced before the court on Thursday in the case registered on the complaint of Religare Finvest. On May 18, the court had issued non-bailable warrants against all directors of DCHL

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced on Friday that former Australian coach John Buchanan was leaving his post as director of cricket effective immediately, after just over two years in the job. "(He) is disappointed to be leaving NZC at this time, as he has enjoyed his work there," the organisation said in a brief statement. "However, due to family circumstances, he has decided to return to Australia." Buchanan had reportedly been sidelined at NZC since late last year, when he supported Ross Taylor after coach Mike Hesson sacked the batsman as skipper in favour of Brendon McCullum.

As the 70th edition of the world’s oldest film festival at Venice races towards its opening on August 28, the first of the selections are being unveiled. The much sought-after Venezia Classics will include the Indian master, Satyajit Ray’s Mahapurush (The Holy Man) and Kapurush (The Coward). Both movies will be screened in their digitally restored versions.

neha desai biswal

US state department’s heavy hitter for India will be an Indian origin bureaucrat, Nisha Desai Biswal, a first for both the community and the administration. President Barack Obama on Thursday sent a proposal to the senate to appoint Biswal assistant secretary of state for South Asia, top US diplomat for India. If confirmed Biswal will replace Robert Blake, an impossibly gangly career diplomat who liked to joke at India-US events his speeches were almost always the same as Indian ambassador’s

The BCCI does “have its own reasons” for opposing the controversial Decision Review System (DRS), according to International Cricket Council’s chief executive Dave Richardson who admitted that the DRS technology was not foolproof. The DRS has come under scanner in the wake of the controversial first Ashes Test which witnessed a number of umpiring howlers. “India have got good reasons (for opposing) and some issues are debatable. Obviously we can improve and discuss on things like three reviews,” Richardson said.

A US court on Wednesday slapped a penalty of $13.9 million on former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta for insider trading, and permanently barred him from holding a board position. One-time global head of McKinsey, Gupta was convicted in 2012 of illegally tipping hedge fund owner Raj Rajaratnam and sentenced to two years in jail, with a penalty of $15 million.