GK POWER CAPSULE FOR NIACL & UIIC EXAM 2015INTERNATIONALChina and Russia Signed Energy Cooperation AgreementsChina and Russia signed energy cooperation agreements on 9 November. The agreements were signed by the President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of China Xi Jinping at the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Beijing.The deals include a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop a second major supply route to supply Russian natural gas to China along a western route.US and China Signed Climate Change AgreementIn a historic climate change deal, U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping on 12 November announced both countries will curb their greenhouse gas emissions over the next two decades. Under the agreement, the United States would cut its 2005 level of carbon emissions by 26-28% before the year 2025. China would peak its carbon emissions by 2030 and will also aim to get 20% of its energy from zero-carbon emission sources by the same year.It is the first time China, the worlds biggest polluter, has set an approximate date for emissions to peak.Klaus Iohannis Elected As New President Of RomaniaKlaus Iohannis was elected as the fifth President of Romania on 16 November. The Mayor of Sibiu Klaus Werner Iohannis won the Presidential elections in Romania by defeating Prime Minister Victor Ponta of Social Democratic Party. Klaus Iohannis belongs to Christian Liberal Alliance of Romania. He got 54.81 percent of votes and Victor Ponta got 45.18 percent.UN General Assembly Adopted Resolution On Child MarriagesThe United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) rights committee on 21 November adopted the first-ever resolution calling on governments to stop child marriages. The resolution was presented by Canada and Zambia.INDIA & WORLDIndia and Bhutan Signed MoU on Establishment Of Nalanda UniversityIndia and Bhutan on 7 November signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop Nalanda University in Bihar as an international centre of excellence. The two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard in Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan, after President of India Pranab Mukherjee held talks with the Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.Global Slavery Index 2014Second Edition of Global Slavery Index was released on 17 November by the Australia-based Walk Free Foundation. The Index ranks 167 countries in terms of the percentage of a national population and the total number of people living in modern slavery country by country, region by region. In absolute terms, the index was topped by India followed by China, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Russia. Index highlighted that estimated 35.8 million people are in modern slavery globally. Out of this, 61% people are living in top five countries.India and Australia Siged Five AgreementsIndia and Australia on 18 November signed five agreements on social security, transfer of sentenced prisoners, combating narcotics trade, tourism, and Arts and Culture.The agreements were signed after the bilateral talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott in Canberra, Australia.India Votes Against UN General Assembly Resolution On Death PenaltyIndia has voted on 25 November against a UN General Assembly draft resolution calling for moratorium on the use of death penalty. The draft resolution on Moratorium on the use of the death penalty was approved in the General Assemblys Third Committee, which deals with social, humanitarian and cultural issues.India was among the 36 nations that voted against the resolution, which got 114 votes in favour and 34 abstentions.NATIONALCommemorative Stamp on Liver Transplantation In India ReleasedThe Department of Posts released a commemorative postage stamp on Liver Transplantation in India on 4 November on the occasion of 15 years of Liver Transplantation in India. The patient who had undergone first successful liver transplantation in India in 1998 Sanjay Kandaswamy was also present on the occasion.21 New Ministers Inducted Into The Union CabinetPrime Minister Narendra modi on 9 November 2014 expanded his cabinet and added 21 more ministers to his government. The 21 new ministers include four Cabinet Ministers, three Minister of State (Independent Charge) and 14 Minister of State. With this expansion, the total number of ministers under different ranks including the Prime Minister has gone up to 66 from previous 45. It is also the first expansion of the Union Council of Ministers since the Modi government took office on 26 May 2014. The Portfolios of Cabinet Ministers:- Manohar Parrikar (Goa) Defence Minister ; Suresh Prabhu (Maharashtra) Rail Minister ; J P Nadda (Himachal Pradesh) Health and Family Welfare Minister ; Birender Singh (Haryana) Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water and Sanitation Minister.PM Narendra Modi Launches Jeevan Pramaan Digital Life Certificate For PensionersThe Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 10 November launched Jeevan Pramaan an Aadhar-based Digital Life Certificate for pensioners.The digital certification will do away with the requirement of submitting a physical Life Certificate in November each year by pensioners for getting pension.Union Government Approved Launch Of DUGJYThe Union Government on 21 November approved the launch of the Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DUGJY) to provide access of electricity to rural households across the country. A decision in this regard was taken at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The Union Cabinet also decided to merge the ongoing Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) with DUGJY scheme.STATESUttar Pradesh Chief Minister Launched Samajwadi Pension SchemeUttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on 5 November launched the Samajwadi Pension Scheme for 40 lakh families, including those belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and minorities.PM Narendra Modi Adopts Jayapur Village In VaranasiJayapur was adopted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 5 November under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (MP Model Village Plan). Narendra Modi chose Jayapur village in Varanasi district (Uttar Pradesh) under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY).Assam Zoo Set To Become First Zoo To Have The Endangered Pygmy HogAssam State Zoo in Guwahati in the month of November 2014 decided to have the critically endangered pig Pygmy Hog (Porcula salvania). Pygmy Hog is the rarest and smallest wild pig in the world. With this decision, Assam State Zoo is set to become the first and only zoo of the world to have this critically endangered species of pigs.Namsai Becomes Arunachal Pradeshs 18th DistrictNamsai on 25 November 2014 officially became the 18th district of Arunachal Pradesh. The Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Nabam Tuki made the declaration.CONFERENCESNinth G20 Summit Held In BrisbaneThe 2014 G-20 Australia summit was the ninth meeting of the G-20 heads of government. It was held on 15-16 November 2014 in Brisbane, Australia. At the conclusion of the Summit, the G20 leaders released the final communiqu known as the Brisbane Action Plan. The Action Plan contains a package of more than 800 reforms to boost global growth, shore up financial institutions and improve economic resilience. If these are implemented, then global growth will see an increase of 2.1 percent. After recovery from the global financial crisis the G20 agreed on the need for bold and coordinated push to generate strong, sustainable economic growth across the bloc. It set an ambitious goal to lift G20 growth by more than 2 percent to 2018 and millions of additional jobs. China will play host to the Group of Twenty (G20) Summit of the emerging economies in 2016. Turkey took over the presidency from Australia and will host the event in Antalya in 2015.AWARDS & HONOURSManmohan Singh Received Japans Top National AwardFormer Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was conferred with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers Award on 5 November. The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers is perceived as the second highest civilian award of Japan after Order of the Chrysanthemum. The award was presented to Manmohan Singh by Japanese Emperor Akihito at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. He was given this award for his significant contribution to the enhancement of relations and promotion of friendship between Japan and India. He became the first Indian to receive this prestigious award.West Bengals Darjeeling Zoo Selected For Earth Heroes Award 2014The Darjeeling Zoo or the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park was on 1 November selected for the prestigious International Award The Earth Heroes Award 2014. It has become the first zoo in India. It has competed with 300 zoos across the world. Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park is largest high altitude zoo of India. It is located in West Bengal.The Earth Heroes award is annually awarded by the Royal Bank of Scotland in collaboration with the Government of United Kingdom.Neha Gupta Received International Childrens Peace Prize 2014Indian-American student Neha Gupta has won the 2014 International Childrens Peace Prize Award for her exceptional work to raise money for underprivileged children around the world. Nobel Peace Laureate Desmond Tutu the patron of the Dutch childrens rights organization presented her with the award on 18 November in The Hague, Netherlands. She is the first American to be awarded with this prize.ISRO selected For Indira Gandhi Prize For Peace 2014Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been selected for the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2014 in recognition of its path-breaking achievements including the Mars Orbiter Mission and contribution in strengthening international cooperation in peaceful use of outer space. ISRO was selected for the award by a jury chaired by Vice President Hamid Ansari on 19 November 2014.SPORTS & GAMESCentral Zone Won Duleep Trophy 2014-15Central Zone won the 2014-15 Duleep Trophy title on 2 November. They won by defeating South Zone in the finals played at Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi with 9 runs. This was the first Duleep title for Central zone in ten seasons and the narrowest win in the tournaments history, in terms of runs. K Rahul was adjudged as the Man-of-the-match for his knocks of 185 and 130 in the final.Salgaocar FC Won Durand Cup 2014The 2014 Durand Cup , the 127th edition of the Durand Cup which is the third oldest association football competition in the world, was won by the Salgaocar FC. Salgaocar FC defeated Pune FC in the final by 1-0 to claim their 3rd Durand title.They were Durand Cup champions in the year 1999 and 2003 as well. 127th Durand Cup played at the Raia Sports Complex, Goa.India Won 3rd SAFF Womens ChampionshipIndia won the 2014 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Womens Championship at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad on 21 November. Indian team won 6-0 over Nepal to register their first series win on Pakistan soil.With this win, the Indian team has won all the three SAFF women finals against Nepal.Magnus Carlsen Won FIDE World Chess Championship 2014Magnus Carlsen of Norway won the FIDE World Chess Championship 2014 on 23 November at Sochi (Russia). He defeated Viswanathan Anand of India with a score of 6.5 4.5. Out of a total of 12 games played, he won the Game 2, Game 6 and Game 11. With this he retained the FIDE World Championship which he had won in Chennai in 2013.Karnataka Won Vijay Hazare TrophyKarnataka won the Vijay Hazare Cricket Trophy on 25 November by defeating Punjab by 156 runs in the final at Ahmedabad.Karnataka had won the title earlier this year in March 2014 to complete a historic treble (Ranji Trophy, Irani Cup and Vijay Hazare Trophy) under R Vinay Kumar.ECONOMYWEF Recognizes 17 Indian Companies As Global Growth Companies17 companies from India were recognised as Global Growth Company by World Economic Forum (WEF) as notified by it on 5 November. Ratnakar Bank Limited (RBL), headquartered at Kolhapur (Maharashtra), is the only banking entity out of these 17 companies from India, which have been described as regions most dynamic and high-growth companies by the WEF. The Global Growth Companies community comprises over 370 companies around the world.Government of India and World Bank Signed $200 Million AgreementThe Government of India (GoI) and the World Bank on 10 November signed a $200 million loan agreement to enhance the productivity of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) by expanding and upgrading Technology Centers across India. The Technology Center Systems Program (TCSP) will develop the technological and skills base of MSMEs in selected manufacturing industries.Kerala Becomes First State with Bank Accounts For All FamiliesKerala has become the first state in the country with bank accounts for all families under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna (PMJDY). A formal declaration to this effect was made by Kerala Finance Minister K M Mani at the State-Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) meeting in Thiruvananthapuram on 11 November.Indias Growth Forecast Raised To 6.6 percent By OECD For 2015-16Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on 19 November raised Indias growth forecast to 6.6 percent for the financial year 2015-2016.SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYRussia Successfully Test Fired Topol-M Intercontinental Ballistic MissileRussian Strategic Missile Troops (RVSN) on 1 November successfully test fired a Topol-M Inter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) to test its technical features. The Topol-M, a silo-based ICBM, was launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in Russias northern Arkhangelsk region.Nuclear Capable Agni-II Missile Successfully Test FiredIndia on 9 November successfully test-fired its medium-range nuclear-capable Agni-II missile with a strike range of more than 2000 km from the Wheeler Island off Odisha coast as part of a user trial by the army.The 20-metre long Agni-II missile is a two-stage, solid-propelled ballistic missile. It has a launch weight of 17 tonnes and can carry a payload of 1000 kg over a distance of more than 2,000 km.Pakistan Successfully Test Fires Shaheen-II and Shaheen 1APakistan has successfully test fired Shaheen-II (Hatf-VI) Ballistic Missile on 13 November 2014. Shaheen-II Missile is capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warheads to a range of 1500 kilometers.China Launched Yaogan-23 Remote Sensing SatelliteChina launched remote sensing satellite Yaogan-23 from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre on 15 November. This satellite was carried by the Long March 2-c rocket. This is the 198th mission of the Long March rocket project. The Yaogan-23 will be deployed mainly for scientific experiments, crop yield estimates, national resource surveys and disaster relief.PERSONS IN NEWSA) APPOINTMENTSAnita Kapur is CBDT new ChairpersonSenior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Anita Kapur has been appointed as the new Chairperson of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on 5 November. CBDT is the topmost authority of the Income-Tax Department. Anita Kapur will be serving as the Chairperson of CBDT till November 2015. She succeeded K V Chowdhary who has retired on 31 October 2014.Laxmikant Parsekar Sworn In As Goas New Chief MinisterLaxmikant Parsekar sworn-in as the new Chief Minister of Goa. Parsekar was elected the leader of the Goa BJP Legislative Party on 8 November 2014 and was administered the oath of office on the same day. He replaced Manohar Parrikar, who took oath as Union Cabinet Minister on 9 November 2014. Laxmikant Yashwant Parsekar is the member of the Goa Legislative Assembly from Mandrem constituency.B)RESIGNSGoa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar ResignedGoa Chief Minister Manohar Gopalkrishna Prabhu Parrikar on 8 November 2014 resigned from his position. He took oath as Union Cabinet Minister on 9 November 2014. Manohar Parrikar is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India. He has been Chief Minister of Goa first from 2000 to 2005 and later from March 2012 to November 2014 and represented the Panaji constituency in the Legislative Assembly of Goa.C)DEATHSFormer Union Minister Murli Deora DiedMurli Deora, Senior Congress leader from Maharastra and Former Petroleum Minister, was died on 24 November in Mumbai. Deora was Indias longest serving Petroleum Minister, completing exactly five years in office in a tenure that began in January 2006 and was spread between UPA-1 and II. He first contested the Lok Sabha polls from Mumbai South constituency in 1980 . He was first time elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2002 from Maharashtra and since then had completed two terms. At present, he was serving his third term.D)VISITORSIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Visited MyanmarPrime Minister of India Narendra Modi visited Myanmar to attend the 25th ASEAN summit, 12th ASEAN-India Summit and 9th East Asia Summit in Naypyidaw,the capital of Myanmar from 12-13 November 2014. During the visit, many decisions were taken and on the sidelines of the summit, the Prime Minister also met with other leaders of ASEAN countries. Narendra Modi also met Myanmar President U Thein Sein in Nay Pyi Taw, the capital of Myanmar. This was the first meeting between the two leaders, and focus was on connectivity, cultural contacts and commercial ties.E)MISCELLANEOUSNarendra Modi Ranks 15th On Forbes Most Powerful People ListPrime Minister Narendra Modi has been ranked 15th in the Forbes list of Worlds Most Powerful People for the year 2014. Forbes worlds most powerful people -2014 list was released on 5 November. Russian President Vladimir Putin retains his numero uno seat just above his American rival Barack Obama (2nd) for the second consecutive year.PLACES IN NEWSWorlds 2nd Tallest Power Transmission Towers In West BengalThe worlds second tallest power transmission towers, built by Haldia Energy Limited (HEL), has come up in West Bengal.The 236-metre-long twin towers, located at HELs 600-MW capacity plant at Haldia and Raichak across the river Hooghly, are the tallest in the country. Covering a span of 1.5 km, the twin towers weigh 1,800 tonnes.The worlds highest transmission tower (370 metres) is located at Mount Damaoshan in China.ABBREVIATIONSAAFI Amateur Athletics Federation of IndiaAPEC Asia Pacific Economic CooperationCDRI - Central Drug Research InstituteSAARC - South Asian Association for Regional CooperationASEAN Association of South East Asian NationsBOOKS IN NEWS 2014:The Election That Changed India Authored By Rajdeep Sardesai ReleasedA book titled 2014:The Election that Changed India authored by senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai was released on 1 November. The book follows through the major stories of the 2014 Loksabha elections which affected the fate of Narendra Modi, Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi.COMMITTEESJustice Mudgal Committee Submitted Its Final Report on IPL Spot FixingThe Supreme Court (SC) appointed Mukul Mudgal committee on 2013 Indian Premier League (IPL)-6 spot-fixing submitted its final report to the court on 3 November 2014. The report of Justice Mukul Mudgal committee on match fixing in IPL-6 was made public on 17 November 2014.The report gave a major relief to the stepped down BCCI president N. Srinivasan observing that it could not be proved that he was involved with betting activities. The Mudgal Committee submitted two reports to the Supreme court on 9 February 2014.The Mukul Mudgal panel was constituted by the Supreme Court in October 2013 to probe the allegations of spot-fixing in IPL-6 matches. The committee is headed by Justice (Retd.) Mukul Mudgal, former Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATESNational Education Day was Observed on 11 NovemberNational Education Day (NED) was observed on 11 November 2014 to mark of the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. This NED was 125th birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.National Educational Day was observed on the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, first Education minister of Independent India.In 2008, Government of India declared that Azads birth anniversary will be celebrated as the National Education Day.World Fisheries Day Observed Across The World On 21 NovemberWorld Fisheries day on 21 November 2014 was observed across the world by the fisher folk communities. The day will remind the world to ensure sustainable stocks of fisheries and healthy oceans ecosystems.The day also helps to highlight the problems like over fishing and mechanization and moves towards finding solutions to the increasingly inter-connected problems that world facing and in the longer term, to sustainable means of maintaining fish stocks.Fishing communities across the world celebrated through rallies, workshops, public meetings, cultural dramas, exhibition, music show, and demonstrations to highlight the importance of maintaining the fisheries of world. As a part of World Fisheries Day celebrations, Union Government of India announced to launch Blue Revolution to increase in fish production and productivity in India.Some Important General Knowledge Updates for Insurance Exam1.Former Supreme Court judge CK Prasad is set to be appointed as the next Chairperson of the Press Councilof India.Prasad will succeed Justice Markenday Katju as the Chairman of the PCI.2. The fourth largest private bank (post merger with ING Vysya) received approval from RBI to form a 100% subsidiary to enter general insurance industry, which is currently growing at a Rs. 77,000 crore premium per annum. 3. The bank already has a tie up with Tata AIG General Insurance Company to sell and distribute its products. Kotak also has a Life insurance unit called Kotak Mahindra Old Mutual Life Insurance Ltd, a joint venture between Kotak Mahindra Bank and South Africa-based Old Mutual Public Ltd. 4. Kathak queen Sitara Devi died. She was 94. She was honored with the Legends of India Lifetime Achievement Award 2011 for her contribution to the classical dance genre for over six decades. 5. Adani Group-owned Dhamra Port Company Limited (DCPL) would invest around Rs 7000 crore for expansion of cargo handling facility. i. Gujarat-based Adani group bought out L&T and Tata Steel's shares in the company in March 2014 at an enterprise value of Rs 5500 crore. ii . Following the acquisition, the second phase of development was to be initiated within 90 days and completion targeted in 30 months. iii. This continued expansion will allow Dhamra port to exceed 100 million tonnes of cargo capacity by the year 2020. Note:The port, situated between Haldia in West Bengal and Paradip in Odisha, was mostly handling cargo like coal and limestone. 6. Nepal has given an Indian company permission to build a 900 megawatt hydropower plant. i. The two countries will sign an agreement for the $1.04 billion project, which provides Nepal with free electricity and India energy for its power-hungry economy. ii. The project, which will be built by Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) Limited, was originally cleared in 2008 but never implemented after Kathmandu lobbied for greater benefits. 7.GMR Infrastructure has received the Securities and Exchange Board of India approval to rise upto Rs. 1,500 crore through rights issue.i. In a rights issue, shares are issued to existing investors as per their holding at a pre- determined price and ratio. 8. An Indian Railways team is in China to chalk out plans for conducting feasibility study to build the 1,754 km-long Delhi-Chennai high-speed train corridor; world's second largest bullet train line. i.The proposed corridor could be the second largest in the world after China's 2,298 km-long BeijingGuangzhou line which was launched last year. Running at a speed of 300 km per hour, it covers the distance in about eight hours. Note: India is currently considering two corridors for high speed trains. While Japan is conducting feasibility studyfor the Bullet train project in Mumbai-Ahmadabad corridor, China will do the same for the Delhi-Chennai route which expected to begin by early next year. 9. Imaging and information technology solutions provider Ricoh India on Tuesday said that it has got a deal worth Rs. 1,370 crore from Department of Posts to modernize post offices through automation. i. Under the project, Ricoh India will supply, install and maintain services of hardware, peripheral devices and operating system. ii. The primary goal of the Rural ICT project is to improve the quality of service, provide more value added services and achieve financial inclusion of un-banked rural population. Note: India Post is an iconic organization in India, the largest such network in the world and playing a crucial role in the socio economic development of rural India, touching the lives of common man 10. Three global organizations, the World Toilet Organisation (WTO), WASTE and the Financial Inclusion Improves Sanitation and Health (FINISH), signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to end open defecation in India. The agreement is for three years. They share the common goal of making sanitation accessible and affordable to all citizens. 11. International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women observed across the world on 25 November 2014.i. The campaign calledOrange Your Neighborhood to raise awareness against Gender-Based Violence willbe held from 25 November to 10 December 2014.ii. The campaign is part of Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon's campaign UNiTE to End violence against Women. 12. Lahore-based author Bilal Tanweer on 24 November 2014 won the 2014 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize for his novel The Scatter Here Is Too Great (Random House India). 13. West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi was appointed as Governor of Bihar Housing finance company DHFL announced to name Shah Rukh Khan as its brand ambassador. 14. China beats India in November FII inflows: HSBC i. According to the global financial services major, after two consecutive months of sell-offs, FIIs have warmed up to Asian equities and all markets have received positive flows in November as the region recorded net inflows of $5.3 billion, out of which India attracted $1.4 billion. ii. Among Asian economies, China regained the top position as the most loved market, pushing India down to second position in the region, while Thailand was placed at the third spot. 15. Modi proposes SAARC business traveler card i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday proposed a SAARC business traveler card 3-5 years for making it easier for traders and merchants in the region to travel and access one anothers markets. 16. State Bank of India to launch Islamic equity fund i. State-owned bank will launch an Islamic equity fund next month aimed primarily at the country's 170 million Muslims. SEBI recently allowed the government-owned State Bank of India BSE 0.41 % and three mutual funds to launch Sharia funds. Note: India is only the second country outside the Islamic world where a state-owned bank is offering a Sharia-compliant fund. The U.K. issued sovereign Islamic bonds in June. 17. Kotak Mahindra Bank is the first bank to fully own an insurance business i. Kotak Mahindra Bank BSE 0.07 % on Tuesday became the first bank to get the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) permission to set up a wholly-owned non-life insurance company. ii. The bank is already the promoter of a life insurance company in partnership with Old Mutual of South Africa. Note: i. RBI guidelines allow a bank to hold max 50 per cent in insurance joint venture. However, RBI allowed some exceptions, like SBI and ICICI Bank. In both these partnerships, the banks hold 74 per cent. ii. Kotak General Insurance will be the 29th non-life company in the country. The last non-life insurer to get permission from the regulator was Cigna TTK a health insurance company. iii. The last company to set up a full-fledged general insurance business was Liberty Videocon General Insurance. 18. Canara Bank has signed a memorandum of understanding with Micro Energy Credits Corporation to finance bank customers buying energy efficient green products such as cook stoves, solar home systems, biogas digesters and water purifiers. The partnership has identified Chitradurga district in Karnataka to promote such green products on a pilot basis. 19. The Lok Sabha today passed the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2014 by voice vote. As per the new provisions, CBI director will be selected by a panel which will comprise of Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha or the leader of the Single largest party in the House and Chief Justice of India or any Supreme Court Judge. 20. Haryana government reversed the retirement age of government employees from 60 to 58 years. It also reversed the retirement age of Class IV, visually impaired and handicapped employees from 62 to 60 years. 21. United Nations (UN) Women announced the appointment of Indian tennis superstar and youth icon, Sania Mirza, as its Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia. The organization is dedicated to gender equality and womens empowerment. She became the first South Asian woman to be appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador. The other Goodwill Ambassadors include British actor Emma Watson, Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman, HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol of Thailand, and Indian actor-filmmaker-singer Farhan Akhtar. 22. Boxer Manoj Kumar today received the prestigious Arjuna Award from Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold-medalist, was bestowed with the honor in a function organized in the National capital. 23. Michael Phelps was crowned Male Athlete of the Year at the 2014 USA Swimming Golden Goggle Awards. He was crowned with the title for a fifth time. Earlier, he won the title in 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2012. He was awarded with the title despite being suspended from competition for six months after a drunken driving arrest in September 2014. 24. Ms Deborah, a tribal girl from Andaman and Nicobar Islands has created history in National Level by winning four Gold Medals in the Track Asia Cup Cycling Championship 2014 which concluded at Indira Gandhi Stadium, New Delhi. 25. The SAARC Framework Agreement on Energy (Electricity) Cooperation was signed among the SAARC member countries. Chairperson Sushil Koirala also announced that the 19th SAARC Summit will be held at Islamabad in 2016. 26. SAARC countries today signed a framework agreement on cooperation in power sector but failed to finalise the much-awaited motor vehicle and railway pacts for greater people-to-people contact and movement of goods due to opposition from Pakistan. A time period of three months have been set for approval to the Motor Vehicle and Railway pacts. 27. Australia Test cricketer Phillip Hughes passed away today in Sydney in a Sheffield Shield match. 28. Sanskrit to be 3rd language in Classes 6-8 in KV: Centre to SC 29. President of India Pranab Mukherjee penned a book titled The Dramatic Decade: The Indira Gandhi Years, published by Rupa. 30. Biography My Name is Abu Salem released written by S Hussain Zaidi and published by Penguin. 31. Punjab National Bank (PNB) on Wednesday said it will continue giving free transactions to all saving bank account cardholders using PNB ATMs, irrespective of the number of transactions. 32. To provide liquidity to retail investors investing in long-term bonds issued by banks for financing infrastructure and affordable housing, the Reserve Bank of India said banks can extend loans to individuals against these bonds. such loans should be subject to a ceiling, say, Rs. 10 lakh per borrower, and tenure of loan should be within the maturity period of the bonds.The RBI also stated that banks are not permitted to lend against such bonds issued by other banks. 33. Trilochan Sastry, Professor in Quantitative Methods and Information Systems, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), has been awarded the 11th Bharat Asmita, an honor instituted by the Pune-based MIT group of institutions. 34. Pakistani actress Veena Malik sentenced to 26 years in jail for blasphemy i. Pakistani actress Veena Malik, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, owner of Geo TV and Jang group, Maliks husband Asad Bashir Khan and TV host Shaista Wahidi were sentenced to 26 years and also imposed a 1.3 million in jail on 26 November 2014 by an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) of the Gilgit region of Pakistan. 35. The Reserve Bank of India has issued final norms for payment banks and small finance banks that would allow mobile firms and supermarket chains, among others, to enter the banking arena to cater to individuals and small businesses. The move aims at deepening financial inclusion and boost saving habits. Shriram Capital, Janalakshmi Financial Services, Magma Fincorp and Muthoot Finance, among others, are expected to throw their hats into the ring to set up small banks.The Department of Posts, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India, Tata Teleservices, Western Union and online digital payment players such as Paytm, Oxigen and MobiKwik have expressed interest in floating payment banks.Companies will have to apply by January 16, 2015, for licences in both categories. Key i. The small bank will primarily undertake basic banking activities of acceptance of deposits and lending to un-served and under-served sections, including small business units, small and marginal farmers, micro and small industries and unorganized sector entities. ii. Small banks will be required to maintain a minimum capital adequacy ratio of 15 per cent of the loans on a continuous basis. In the draft guidelines, the RBI had suggested that small banks would have a restricted area of operations (possibly contiguous districts in a homogenous States). However, in the final guidelines, these restrictions have been removed. The small bank will be required to extend 75 per cent of its credit to the priority sector Payment Banks: i. Payments banks can accept deposits current and savings bank from individuals, small businesses and other entities but cannot provide loans.. However, they cannot accept non-resident Indian deposits.The payment bank will initially be restricted to holding a maximum balance of Rs1 lakh per individual customer.While the bank can issue ATM/debit cards, it cannot issue credit cards.It can contract outside liabilities (deposits) but not exceeding 33.33 times (against 20 times in the draft guidelines) its net worth. 36. Country's economic growth has declined to 5.3 per cent during July to September, from the previous quarter's 5.7 per cent.the manufacturing sector, which accounts for about 15 per cent of India's gross domestic product rose by 0.1 per cent during the quarter from the previous period's 3.5 per cent. Agriculture sector growth declined to 3.2 percent against 3.8 percent. 37. India today signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with Mozambique for cooperation in the field of oil and gas. The MoU was signed in the presence of Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi. 38. Former Uttar Pradesh chief secretary Anoop Mishra was appointed as new Secretary General of the Lok Sabha. He was appointed by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. 39. Historian Tapan Raychaudhuri died 40. Namsai officially became the 18th district of Arunachal Pradesh. The Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Nabam Tuki made the declaration. 41. European Union lawmakers overwhelmingly backed a motion urging anti-trust regulators to break up Google. 42.The book titled Your Dreams Are Mine Now: She Showed him What Love was authored by Ravinder Singhwas released.he book titled Black Tornado: The Three Sieges of Mumbai 26/11 authored by Sandeep Unnithan. 43. Crime novelist PD James died at the age of 94 44. RBI eased gold imports and scrapped 20:80 scheme. The decision to withdraw the 20:80 scheme will cut smuggling of gold and raise legal shipments into India. 45. Beijing banned smoking in all indoor public spaces like workplaces and public transport vehicles and it will be effective from 1 June 2015. 46. Next China-India War- World's First Water War - authored by General S. Padmanabhan released 47. NASA celebrated the 50th anniversary of its first mission to Mars, Mariner 4 mission on 28 November 2014. Mariner 4 mission launched on 28 November 1964 was the NASAs first successful journey to Mars. 48. India and Nepal launched the first ever bus service between the two countries.To begin with daily buses will ply between Delhi and Kathmandu. Later, there will be similar buses which will ply on two other routes - Delhi-Pokhara and Varanasi- Kathmandu. 49. Former Union Minister GK Vasan, who split from the Congress, has revived the Tamil Maanila Congress. 50. Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first train from Mendipathar in Meghalaya to Guwahati. 51. Theatre personality Veenapani Chawla passes away 52. Russian film Leviathan by Andrey Zvyagintsev won the best film award comprising Golden Peacock and Rs.40 lakh at the 45th International film Festival of India. ii. Mr. Alexey Serebryakov from the Leviathan also shared the best male actor award in the Cimena of the World competition. 53. Book titled Letters for a Nation written by Jawaharlal Nehru & Madhav Khosla was published by Allen Lane an imprint of Penguin Books . 54. Mumbai, Kolkata most vulnerable to loss of life, properties due to coastal flood: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).55. Country's biggest oil company Indian Oil Corporation is looking at setting up a greenfield refinery on the West coast as part of its expansion plans.Indian Oil Corporation Chairman B Ashok said there is a need for green field refinery by 2021-22. After setting up of Paradip Refinery in East coast, focus is now on setting up of a refinery in West coast region. 56. Dubai to invest $32-billion to build worlds largest airport.The Dubai International Airport is the worlds second busiest airport after the London Heathrow. 57. The new natural gas price of USD 5.61, which is already among the lowest in Asia Pacific, is likely to drop to around USD 5 per unit in three years due to the variables included in the formula, Goldman Sachs has said. 58. PV Sindhu today bagged the Macau Open Grand Prix Gold Badminton title for the second consecutive time defeated Korean Kim Hyo Min 59. Israeli cricket umpire Hillel Oscar dies after being struck by ball 60. Officials from over 190 nations, including India converged in Lima at the UN climate summit to negotiate on a new ambitious and binding deal to cut global carbon emissions.During the 12-day summit in the Peruvian capital, countries will put forward what they plan to contribute to the 2015 pact in the form of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) by the first quarter of 2015, well in advance of the Paris conference in December. Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar leads India's 17- member delegation to negotiate terms for the final agreement to be signed in Paris, which will take effect in 2020. 61. Tabare Ramon Vazquez Rosas won Uruguay Presidential Election 2014.Vazquez belongs to the leftist Broad Front coalition party of Uruguay.replaed Jose Mujica who was barred by law from running for a second consecutive term. 62.Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday dedicated to the nation the second unit of the 726 MW gas-based power plant at Palatana in Tripura. A host of dignitaries from India and Bangladesh,whichfacilitated transportation of heavy machineries to the plant, were present on the occasion.63.Focusing on improving connectivity to the Northeast, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi said the Centre would provide Rs 28,000 crore for laying new railway lines in the region and develop the untapped tourism potential of the area.Prime Minister said that the Centre has sanctioned Rs 5000 crore to provide 2G mobile coverage in this area for comprehensive telecom development plan of the northeast region.The Prime Minister said his government has decided to set up a National Sports University in Manipur and the people of the region will be great beneficiaries. 64. The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence announced i. The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence was announced. The awards were announced in the following category: Business Leader of the Year - Dilip Shanghvi Company of the Year - Tata Consultancy Services Emerging Company of the Year - Adani Ports & SEZ Global Indian of the Year - Satya Nadella Startup of the Year - Zomato Business Reformer of the Year - UK Sinha Corporate Citizen of the Year - Tata Steel Lifetime Achievement - Yusuf Hamied Entrepreneur of the Year - Dhiraj Rajaram andChandra Shekhar GhoshThe award was sponsored by Standard Chartered Bank. Since 2012, Standard Chartered Bank has been the presenting sponsor of The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence. 65. Egypt court declared Islamic State of Iraq and Syria a terrorist group 66. Former Arunachal Pradesh CM Jarbom Gamlin passes away 67. ICC names SAP SE as analytics and cloud partner for 2015 World Cup 68. UAE captain Khurram Khan became the oldest player to score a century in ODI against Afghanistan in Dubai. 69. Mascot for the 2016 European football championship named Super Victor.The name for the cartoon character boy dressed as a footballer in blue and white with a red cape and number 16 jersey was preferred to Driblou and Goalix. Euro 2016 will take place in France from 10 June 2016 to 10 July 2016. 70. Former Indian football captain Baichung Bhutia has been conferred with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Hall of Fame Award.He received the award in Manila, Philippines on the occasion of afc's 60th anniversary. FIFA President Sepp Blatter presented the award to Baichung, the only Indian in the AFC's Hall of Fame. 71. RBI keeps interest rate unchanged i. RBI in its fifth bi-monthly monetary policy statement kept the policy rates unchanged.ii.The headline inflation has been receding steadily, and current readings are below the January 2015target of 8 per cent as well as the January 2016 target of 6 per cent,'' the RBI said.72.Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's birthday on25th December would be observedas national 'Good Governance Day'.73. Senior Congress leader, former Maharashtra Chief Minister, A R Antulay passed .. 74. India today successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable strategicballistic missile Agni-IV, with a strike range of about 4,000 km, from a test range off the Odisha coast.This was the fourth trial of Agni-IV missile. The last trial was carried out successfully on January 20 this year from the same test range off Odisha coastaid 75. Film artist of Ireland Duncan Campbell Turner Prize 2014 for a video called It For Others. The video reflects on African art and includes a dance sequence inspired by Karl Marx. He received the prize of 25000 pounds at Tate Britain in London. 76. Rajdeep Sardesai penned the book titled 2014: The Election That Changed. 77. Veteran music critic SV Krishnamurthy passed away 78. The Prime Minister of Taiwan Jiang Yi-huah on 29 November 2014 resigned after election loss. He lost his first election since protests erupted over a controversial TRADE deal with mainland China. 79. Bollywood actor Deven Varma passes away. He shot to fame with his performance in 1975 film Chori Mera Kaam, which bagged him his first Filmfare Award for Best Comedian. 80. Russia launched new generation GLONASS-K navigation satellite from the Plesetsk space centre in Russias northwestern Arkhangelsk region.This is the fifth launch of a Global Navigation Satellite System satellite (GLONASS) from the Plesetsk space centre. The first launch of a GLONASS satellite from Plesetsk took place on 26 February 2011. 81. Anil Sinha takes over as new CBI Chief. Mr. Sinha is the third consecutive chief of the agency from Bihar following Ranjit Sinha and A.P. Singh82. SBI Cards ties up with Future Group company Fashion at Big Bazaarbranded CREDIT CARD, Styleup.83. World Bank, ADB to assist AP in Hudhud cyclone relief works. The World Bank Country Director is Omno Rahland Country Director of Asian Development Bank (ADB) isTheresakho.84. Central Bank to raise Rs. 626.23 cr from preferential issue to LIC. The capital raising committee of the board approved raising of additional equity capital by issuance of up to 8.28 crore shares at Rs. 75.55 a equity, Central Bank of India said in a statement. 85. Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait Delhi branch offers full-fledged services 86. India has showed some improvement in addressing corruption this year, ranking 85th among 175 countries as against 94th last year, graft watchdog Transparency International India (TII).Denmark retained its position as the least corrupt country in 2014 with a score of 92 while North Korea and Somalia shared the last place, scoring just 8, it said. Cricket world bids tearful adieu to Phil Hughes at Macksville. 87. Canara Bankhas been conferred with the Niryat BandhuSilver Trophy in the in the banks category forits support services rendered for promotion of exports.88. India celebrates 43rd Navy Day; President, PM salute devotion of Navy personne. 89. Union Finance Ministry constituted High Level Committee to interact with trade and industry on tax-related issues on a regular basis. The high level committee will be headed by former Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) Ashok Lahiri.The HLC will give recommendations to the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) for issuance of appropriate clarifications by way of circulars, instructions on tax issues. 90. Justice Krishna Iyer passes away 91. Prince of Gujarat: The Extraordinary Story of Prince Gopaldas Desai releasedauthored by RajmohanGandhi.92. India, Japan to cooperate in the fields of Cyber security and Green Information and Communication Technology, ICT. 93. East Zone lifts Deodhar Trophy cricket tournament, beating West Zone by 24 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai 94. India's S Ravi in ICC panel of umpires for World Cup 95. Narndra Modi named 'Asian of the Year' by Singapore's Straits Time. 96. RBI relaxed norms for Pre-paid Payment Instruments (PPIs) and doubled the limit to one lakh rupees from 50000 rupees. Highlights of RBI norms on PPI i. The maximum validity of gift cards has been enhanced from one year to three years. Other provisions of PPI guidelines with respect to gift cards will continue. ii. RBI also allowed issue of multiple PPIs by banks from fully-KYC compliant bank accounts for dependent or family members.Only one card can be issued to one beneficiary.The central bank also permitted banks to issue rupee denominated PPIs for visiting foreign nationals and NRIs. 97. RBI issued guidelines for setting up a trading platform for trade receivables and bills of exchanges of Micro and Small and Medium Enterprises - MSME.The Trade Receivables Discounting System - TReDS should have a minimum paid up equity capital of 25 crore rupees and non-promoters would not hold over 10 per cent of the equity capital of TReDS. 98. HDFC Bank rules out a JV for payment bank 99. National Rifle Association of India,NRAI, chief Raninder becomes first elected Indian in ISSFInternational Shooting Sport Federation committee100. Private entity cannot hold more than 26% stake in public-private joint ventures for coal block allocations. However, if it is more than one private sector entity, the structure should be such that its stake does not exceed 49 per cent.A total of 92 blocks are being offered under the first round. 101. Air India, NBCC National Buildings Construction Corporation Limited sign MoU for development of of Air India at various locations on joint venture basis. 102. PSU bank ATMs will be able to print in Hindi soon 103. Ashton Carter new US defense secretary to replace Chuck Hagel as US Defence Secretary. 104. Arun Duggal appointed as non-executive Chairman of Credit rating agency ICRA. He will replace Pranab Kumar Choudhury who will resign from ICRA Limited and all other affiliated entities on 29 January 2015. 105. ICICI Bank ties up with price comparison app Zopper for offline and online. 106. ICICI Bank sells Russian subsidiary Russian subsidiary ICICI Bank Eurasia to Sovcombank 107. Govt appoints Dinesh Kumar as CEO of Polavaram Project 108. Orion spacecraft marks dawn of new chapter in space exploration: US NASAs unmanned spacecraft completed its first test flight.Orion is expected to take up its first crew in 2021. 109. Fifth World Cup Kabaddi begins at Jalandhar in Punjab. 19 teams from 15 nations are participating in the tournament. These include 11 Men's and 8 women's teams.Prize worth 5.27 crore rupees are up for grabs in team and individual events. 110. Kotak Mahindra Bank launches savings bank account for customers of 55 years and above. According to the release, customers will earn 6 per cent pa on savings balance of over Rs 1 lakh and 5 per cent on balances up to Rs 1 lakh.To earn higher return on their balances, they can sign up for the Kotak ActivMoney facility, which converts savings account balance above a certain amount into term deposits. 111. India sets new world record for largest human flag formed by over 50,000 volunteers, beating the previous record held by Pakistan. 112. Modi, Mukesh Ambani most searched personalities in 2014: Yahoo 113. Dev Shah becomes world champion in Under-7 category in World Schools Chess Championships at Juiz de Fora in Brazil. 114. Mandatory for PSUs from 1st April, 2015 to procure 20 percent of products manufactured by MSME: Govt 115. India forex reserves up $ 1.432 billion to $ 316.311 billion i. India's forex reserves surged by 1.432 billion US dollar to 316.311 billion dollar in the week ended 28th November.The country's gold reserves remained unchanged at 19.738 billion dollar. The Special Drawing Rights increased by 6.4 million dollar to 4.229 billion dollar, while the country's reserve position with the IMF also rose by 2.5 million dollar to 1.521 billion dollar during the week. 116. Indian Blind Cricket Team lifts World Cup after defeating Pakistan in Cape Town, South Africa . 117. Indias communication satellite GSAT-16 launched from Kourou in French Guiana functioning normally. GSAT 16 has highest number of 48 transponders that will be used for television, telephone and internet applications. 118. Kumar Sangakkara became fourth batsman to complete 13000 ODI runs 119. Amos Meindi of Kenya won 29th Pune International full Marathon 120. Carnatic vocalist Nedanuri Krishnamurthy died 121. Uber taxis banned in Delhi, company blacklisted 122. Modi wins TIME readers poll for Person of the Year. 123. Satyarthi, Malala to receive Nobel awards on Wednesday i. Child rights activists Indias Kailash Satyarthi and Pakistans Malala Yousafzai, along with 11 others will receive this years Nobel Prizes.The Nobel Laureates take centrestage in Swedens capital Stockholm and Norwegian Oslo, where they will receive the Nobel medals, Nobel diplomas and documents confirming the Nobel Prize amount. ii. Satyarthi, 60, and Yousafzai, 17, will share the $1.1-million Peace Prize at Oslo, while all the other awards will be presented in Stockholms. 124. Gwladys Nocera of France won Hero Women's Indian Golf Open 2014 at the Delhi Golf Club. She received the prize money of 300000 US dollars. 125. Subramanian Committee on Leveraging the Post Office Network submitted report to the Union Ministry of Communicationsand Information Technology.Theobjective of the Committee was to transform the Post Office Network in keeping with changing market trends and competition. 126. Hockey Olympian Grihanandan Singh died 127. Warren buffet became second richest person of World He replaced Carlos Slim, business magnate of Mexico. Bill Gates is the world richest person. 128. Andhra Pradesh Government signed MoU with Singapore for development of its new capital that is set to come up near Vijawayada region. 129.Richard Rahul Verma -US Ambassador to India replaced Kathleen Stephens.130. Human Rights Day observed globally on 10 December- theme for the 2014 Human Rights Day isHuman Rights 365.131. SBI launches first homegrown economic indicator the SBI Monthly Composite Index and the SBI Yearly Composite Index that will primarily track manufacturing activity and offer a forward-looking economic trends. 132. Indias second most up and coming destination for expats after China : HSBC 133. Indias GDP may grow 5-6% in 2015: Moodys 134. BHEL commissioned28 MWNyaborongo HydroElectric Project in Rwanda on turnkey basis.135. Ministry of Railways inaugurated Wi-Fi broadband services at New Delhi railway station136. Azim Premji awarded Swiss Ambassador's Award in Mumbai for inspirational and sociallyresponsible leadership.137. Veteran Journalist Piratla Venkateswarlu passed away 138. A US-based intelligence think tank has placed Pakistan eighth in the list of the most dangerous countries in the world which is led by Iraq.Afghanistan, the only other South Asian country in the list, is placed fourth in the Country Threat Index. 139. Ebola fighters named Time's 2014 'Person of the Year' 140. Russia agrees with India to construct 12 nuclear reactors India over 20 years, under an agreement aimed at boosting nuclear energy cooperation signed by the two countries. 141. The UN's annual economic report yesterday said that growth edged up in 2014 at an estimated 2.6 percent. The UN is forecasting 3.1 percent economic growth in 2015 and 3.3 percent growth in 2016. 142. India likely to improve economic growth to 6.3% in 2016: UN.India is estimated to record a 5.4 percent economic growth this year and its GDP will improve to 5.9 per cent next year and to 6.3 per cent in 2016. 143. Bhutan became 181st member of Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). A, agency of World Bank.MIGA is the political risk insurance and credit enhancement arm of the World Bank Group. Benefits of becoming a member i. The move will allow the private sector and corporations of a country to explore external commercial borrowing (ECB).Once a member of MIGA, the private sector and corporations in the country will have the option of directly applying to MIGA for issuance of guarantee to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). 144. Pioneer of home video game console Ralph Henry Baer died 145. Randhir Singh appointed as honorary member of International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Monaco. 146. Anurag Jain appointed as joint Secretary in Prime Minister's Office (PMO) of India. 147. Tata Power acquired 540 MW thermal power plant for 3000 crore rupees in Maharashtra.With this deal, Tata Power aimed to increase its total capacity to 8885 MW. 148. Delhi HC banned Xiaomi to sell phones in India over patent issue with Ericcson. LS passes bill on 204 coal block allocations. 149. 22 states, UTs support bill to prevent 'honour killings'. 150. Russian President Vladimir Putin, offered the Ruias-promoted Essar Group a $1-billion credit line and an $8-billion crude supply contract.The steel-to-oil Indian conglomerate signed two separate agreements with St Petersburg-based Vneshtorgbank (VTB) and Moscow-based Rosneft. 151. Dineshwar Sharma has been appointed as the next chief of Intelligence Bureau(IB). he will succeed Syed Asif Ibrahim whose tenure ends on December 31. 152. Ruhi Singh won Miss Universal Peace & Humanity 2014. at Beirut, Lebanon among the 145 other countries. 153. Asha Bhosle awarded DIFF Lifetime Achievement Award 2014 at the 11th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) held in Dubai.Along with her, another Egyptian actor Nour El-Sherif was also received the DIFF Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on over 100 films. 154. Oil India signs contract for two oil blocks in Myanmar 155. ONGC declares interim dividend, notifies 3 discoveries in Krishan Godavari Basin and Mumbai offshore and it will pay its shareholders an interim dividend of 100 per cent. 156. Indias Forex reserves down $1.64 billion plunged $867.4 million at $289.95 billion.The value of special drawing rights (SDRs) was lower by $21.6 million at $4.20 billion.Gold reserves for the week under review were down by $753.2 million at $18.98 billion. 157. Lima talks: New draft text introduced without consultation.190 countries gathered at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Lima, Peru to work on drafts for a global climate deal that is supposed to be adopted next year in Paris.Developing countries have been opposing the mitigation centric approach of the developed countries which are not ready to commit to financial targets or technology transfer. 158. Central Sydney under Siege:Terrified hostages cowered inside a cafe in central Sydney with an Islamic flag displayed against a window at the Lindt chocolate caf. 159. Rahman and Jal for Oscars:rehman his third Oscar nomination in the best original score category after making it to the list of 114 probables.while Hindi film Jal also features in the long list of best picture Oscar hopefuls.Jal features in the best picture list as an independent submission, while India will officially be represented at the Academy awards in the best foreign feature category by Liars Dice. 160. PM Narendra Modi launched Born Again on the Mountain by Arunima Sinha 161. Miss South Africa Rolene Strauss crowned Miss World 2014 at the final of the beauty pageant held in London, UK. Miss Hungary, Edina Kulcsar, was the runner-up and Miss United States, Elizabeth Safrit, came third in the 64th annual competition, contested by women from 121 countries. 162. Miss World 2014: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan felicitated by the Miss World Organisation at the 64th edition of the international beauty pageant for her commitment to beauty with a purpose since winning the crown two decades ago. 163. Wholesale inflation hits zero, lowest in over 5 years.The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based inflation was at 1.77 per cent in October and 7.52 per cent in November 2013. 164. Anil Ambani led Reliance Group has sold its multiplex business to South India-based Carnival Group in the largest ever deal in this space. 165. World Hockey Body Suspends Two Pakistani Players Following Obscene Gestures..Muhammad Tousiq and reserve goalkeeper Ali Amjad were handed a one-match ban that sidelined them from the final. 166. Germany beat Pakistan 2-0 to win Champions Trophy.it was Germany's 10th Champions Trophy title. 167. Anerood Jugnauth appointed as Mauritius Prime Minister by the President Purryag by replacing Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam.