Current Affairs Daily Updates - 14th September 2013

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International Affairs

• Secretary of State John F. Kerry announced Saturday that the U.S. and Russia had agreed on a framework for impounding and destroying Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons by the middle of next year.
• Japan has decided to seek World Heritage designation of old industrial facilities in eight prefectures in 2015, sources close to the matter said Saturday.
• The Miss World beauty contest, which has attracted fierce opposition by hardline Islamic groups in host country Indonesia, is now facing another challenge a rival pageant exclusively for Muslims.

National Affairs

• India's envoy to China Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has been appointed as the next Ambassador to the US and his position in Beijing will be taken by Ashok K Kantha.
• Days after Muzaffarnagar riots, the government has convened a meeting of the National Integration Council (NIC) on September 23 to discuss how to combat communalism.
• India's defense scientists are gearing up for the second test launch of Agni-5, the country's most potent nuclear capable ballistic missile.
• Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will Monday visit Uttar Pradesh's violence-hit Muzaffarnagar district where curfew was relaxed Saturday as peace returned.
• Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has asked the state police to use the National Security Act against any one trying to create communal tension in the state,

Awards and Honors

• Lebanese Documentary, Baraksat, wins Grand Prize at Cuba's 2013 International Radio and Television Festival.
• Hollywood writer-director-actor Woody Allen will be honoured with the Cecil B DeMille Award at the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards to be held in January next year.
• 131 personnel from Police,Fire and Rescue Services to get Anna and TamilNadu CM's Gallantry Medals for their outstanding devotion to duty.

Science and Technology

• Japan has launched a new rocket it hopes will be a cheaper and more efficient way of sending satellites into space.
• China has successfully tested world's first deep ultraviolet (DUV) solid-state laser device which can be used to enhance the production of grapheme, superconductors, insulators and catalysis.
• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd will invest $500 million to build a packaging and testing facility in northwestern China, the official China Daily reported on Saturday, as South Korea's biggest company expands operations in China.

Economy

• Exuding confidence that the Indian economy will bounce back soon, President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday said there was no reason for gloom to prevail as steps were being taken to boost investments and contain fiscal deficit.
• Metal stocks have made a smart bounce-back since August. The BSE Metal index has rallied over 20 per cent as compared to the 2 per cent rally in the BSE Sensex.

Sports

• Batting sensation Shikhar Dhawan will captain Sunrisers Hyderabad in this year's Champions League Twenty20 cricket tournament to begin on Tuesday.
• Indian weightlifters bagged a rich haul of 25 medals so far in the ongoing Asian Inter-Club Championships and Asian Cup being held at Pyongyang, North Korea.

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