Current Affairs Updates - 20th October 2013

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International Affairs

• Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby said on Sunday peace talks aimed at ending the conflict in Syria would take place on November 23 in Geneva.
• Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said US intervention would resolve the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan.Sharif is on a three-day official visit to Washington where he will meet US President Barack Obama.
• India's plans to wrap up a quick nuclear deal with Russia on the setting up of two new units at Kudankulam have received a jolt with a commercial agreement on it unlikely to be signed here on Monday during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's talks with President Vladimir Putin as legal hitches appear to have cropped up over the liability law.

National Affairs

• Signaling a strong convergence to protect their strategic stakes in Afghanistan, India and Russia are set to emphasize that Pakistan's bid to rehabilitate Taliban is not an acceptable outcome post the US draw-down.
• With general elections only a few months away, the HRD ministry has devised a unique method to fast-track appointment of vice-chancellors for 12 central universities who will demit office in March. The ministry has decided to revert to the abandoned system of common advertisement seeking applications.
• Protests across party lines against proposed nuclear power plant at Haripur in West Bengal gathering steam on Sunday, a day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh talked about it.Trinamool Congress leaders opposed the project and the CPM sought clarifications on the issue of safety.

Science and Technology

• The Indian Space Research Organization completed integration of its Mars mission satellite on Sunday with the rocket while the heat shield is expected to be closed in couple of days.

Economy

• Internal migrants, estimated to constitute about 30 per cent of the population, contribute 10 per cent to the country's GDP with employment having become the biggest reason behind migration, a UNESCO report has said.
• Tatas' proposed aviation venture with Singapore Airlines has got Corporate Affairs Ministry's approval to use the name 'Tata SIA Airlines Limited', which plans to offer full-service passenger services on domestic and international routes.
• The BSE benchmark Sensex is likely to hit the much awaited psychological level of 21,000 this Diwali, driven by robust foreign fund inflow, good quarterly earnings from corporates so far and favorable global cues, say analysts.
• The size of Indian dairy industry in both organized and unorganized sectors is expected to double to $ 140 billion by 2020, on the back of growing demand and rising disposable income.
• Nine of the 10 most valued companies in the country together added Rs 59,720 crore in market capitalization over the past week, with Reliance Industries, ITC and Bharti Airtel emerging as the biggest gainers.

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