04 November 2014
National:
Mudgal panel submits final report
The Justice (retired) Mukul Mudgal
Committee, probing the betting and spot-fixing scandals in the Indian Premier
League, submitted its final investigation report on the alleged role of former
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president N. Srinivasan and 12
others in a sealed cover to the Supreme Court.
Centre sets up review panel to revamp AICTE
The Centre has set up a review
committee to look into restructuring of the All India Council of Technical Education
(AICTE) to enable it to address the challenges arising in wake of growing
complexities and the expansion in technical education sector. The four-member
committee will be headed by former Education Secretary MK Kaw. It will evaluate
the performance of AICTE, suggest amendments in its act to meet the present day
requirement and recommend ways to set up a robust accreditation system in the
technical education sector. The committee has been asked to submit its report
within six months.
International:
New tower of World Trade Center re-opens 13 years after
9/11 attacks
In the United States, New tower of
World Trade Center re-opened for business more than 13 years after the original
towers were destroyed in the 9/11 attacks. Employees of a publishing company
are started moving into the 104-storey building in New York. The $ 3.8 4
billion skyscraper took eight years to build New York's World Trade Center and
is now the tallest building in the US. The 104-storey building is the centrepiece
of the 16-acre site where the twin towers once stood, before they came crashing
down, killing about 3000 people. The New York City skyline is whole again, as
One World Trade Center takes its place in Lower Manhattan.
Cancer cell fingerprints in blood may speed up diagnosis
Scientists have identified cancer cell
fingerprints in the blood that could one day help doctors diagnose a range of
children’s cancers faster and more accurately. Researchers, from the University
of Cambridge and Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, have found unique
molecular fingerprints for 11 types of children’s tumours, which could be used
to develop blood tests to diagnose the cancers. This may eventually lead to a
quicker, more accurate way to diagnose tumours, and could also reduce the need
for children to undergo surgery to get a diagnosis one day. The researchers uncovered
the fingerprints left by the tumours by analysing blood samples from children
when they were diagnosed with cancer. They were looking for molecules that turn
genes on and off, called microRNAs, to find common changes linked to
different tumours. In particular they
found a very specific fingerprint which identifies different types of neuroblastoma,
a form of childhood cancer which develops from a type of nerve cell.
President drops his tribal name
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has decided to
drop his tribal name of Ahmadzai and has asked all government departments and
media to use his family name only. A letter was sent by the Presidential Palace’s
administrative affairs office to all government departments telling them to
drop “Ahmadzai” from official documentation. The Ahmadzai are one of the
biggest Pashtun tribes in Afghanistan, based largely in the south and southeast
of the country, though Ghani is from Logar province south of Kabul.
Business & Economy:
PSB deposit rates cut by up to 100 bps
Leading public sector banks have
lowered some of their term deposit rates by up to 100 basis points as credit
growth remains sluggish and liquidity in money markets has improved (100 basis
points = 1 percentage point). The lenders who reduced deposit rates recently
include the Bank of Baroda, Bank of India and Andhra Bank. The State Bank of
India, ICICI Bank and Central Bank of India had revised rates earlier in
October.
Vijay Kelkar to head FinMin think tank
Thirteenth Finance Commission Chairman
Vijay Laxman Kelkar has been appointed as Chairperson of the Finance Ministry’s
think tank National Institute of Public Finance & Policy (NIPFP). He
replaces the former Reserve Bank Governor C. Rangarajan. He was awarded the
Padma Vibhushan in January 2011. Prior to this, he was Adviser to the Union
Finance Minister from 2002 to 2004. He was also the Union Finance Secretary in
1998-1999. He was nominated as Executive Director of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and
Sri Lanka on the Board of the International Monetary Fund in 1999.
Hasmukh Adhia replaces GS Sandhu as Financial Services
Secretary
The government has replaced Financial
Services Secretary GS Sandhu with Gujarat-cadre IAS Officer Hasmukh Adhia and
made over 60 Special and Joint Secretary-level appointments. According to an
order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Mr Sandhu, a
1980-batch Rajasthan cadre IAS officer, has been made Chairman of the National
Authority for Chemical Weapons Convention. The DoPT has also issued orders for
appointment of 26 Special Secretary-level officers and 35 at the level of Joint
Secretary. Adhia will replace incumbent Gurdial Singh Sandhu, who has been now
been posted as secretary, National Authority for Chemical Weapons Convention.
Lupin gets USFDA nod for anti-arthritis medicine
Pharmaceutical major Lupin said that
it has received final approvals for its anti-arthritis medicine Celecoxib
Capsules by the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA). The approval will allow
the company to market the cheap generic version of the original G.D. Searle
medicine, a subsidiary of Pfizer in the U.S.
Sports:
Delhi govt felicitates Asian Games, Para Asian Games medal
winners
Delhi government felicitated 17 sports
persons who won medals at the Asian Games and Para Asian Games held recently at
Incheon in South Korea. Abhishek Verma (Archery) with prize money of Rs 34 lakh
while Yogeshwar Dutt (Wrestling), who won a gold medal, was honoured with prize
money of 20 lakh rupees. The Asian Games-2014 was held from 19th September to
4th of October. India won a total of 33 medals at the Para Asian Games while
its tally in the Asian Games was 57.
Siem chips in to win BMW Masters playoff
Marcel Siem of Germany missed an easy
putt to win the BMW Masters in regulation. He atoned for that by chipping in
for birdie to win a sudden-death playoff against Alexander Levy of France and
Ross Fisher of England. Siem rallied from a five-shot deficit on a wind-whipped
afternoon at Lake Malaren. He was the only player who failed to hit the 18th
green in the playoff, and then thrilled the Chinese gallery with a chip from
the collar that curled in the right side of the cup.
