28th November 2013 Current Affairs Updates

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International Affairs

• Iran's six-month temporary rollback of its nuclear activities agreed to in the recent deal has not begun and the start date has not yet been set, a spokesman for world powers' chief negotiator said Today.
• Dubai to host World Expo 2020 beating off a challenge from Brazil , Russia , Turkey ; 1st Middle Eastern city to organise the exhibition.
• Sri Lankan announced on Thursday that it will conduct a nation-wide survey from Saturday to compile a death toll and assess property damage during the country's nearly three-decades-long civil war.
• US Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Israel next week for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeking to calm tensions with the Jewish state over the Iran nuclear deal.
• Spain and France's leaders announced that they are launching a direct fast-train service between Barcelona and Paris on December 15th. Tickets go on sale on Thursday with prices for a one-way ticket ranging from €59 ($80) to €170.
• The United Nations is to send a 235-strong special force to Libya to protect UN staff because of increasing attacks in the country.
• EuropeanUnion will give Haiti USD 25.1-million in aid next year to help ease ongoing humanitarian concerns.
• Honduras's leftist presidential candidate Xiomara Castro will call massive street protests over what her campaign slammed as the theft of the country's presidential vote.
• President Barack Obama has briefed Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah (ab-DUHL'-uh) on the interim agreement regarding Iran's nuclear program.
• Thailand's embattled Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Thursday easily survived a parliamentary no-confidence vote against her,  amid protests on Bangkok streets.
• After being superseded by two of his juniors for top posts, Lt General Haroon Aslam tendered his resignation on Thursday.
• Afghanistan Precident Hamid Karzai to hold talks with PM Manmohan Singh during his India visit from 13th December

National Affairs

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today approved Power Ministry's proposal of amending the debt restructuring package for electricity distribution companies (discoms).
• 5-day Kathakali festival 'Utsavam'13' begins in Dubai
• Uttarakhand forest officials have come up with a proposal to prohibit construction of buildings higher than two storeys within a 2-km radius of the tiger reserve.
• Today is the 5th death anniversary of Major S Unnikrishnan who laid his life while fighting terrorists in Nov 2008 Mumbai attacks.
• SharadPawar inaugurated Conference of Agriculture and Horticulture Ministers of North Eastern States in Gangtok.
• Andhra Pradesh's YSR Congress President Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy started a state wide 'Samaikhya Sankaravam' march from Kuppam to Srikakulam to create public opinion for United Andhra Pradesh.
• Death anniversary of activist, social reformer, writer, theologist, scholar, editor, revolutionary Mahatma Jyotirao Phule observed today.
• Assam is set to get a legislative council nearly 66 years after it was abolished, post Independence.
• The Canada-India Business Council (C-IBC) will host the third annual Canada-India Business Forum in Mumbai on November 28 and 29
• CBI court in Hyderabad awards 7-year rigorous imprisonment to extradited gangster Abu Salem in fake passport case
• An expert team of World Bank and Asian Development Bank visited different areas of cyclone-hit Ganjam district in Odisha to assess the damage.
• Encouraged by the recognition it got after winning the National Award for rehabilitating physically challenged persons, Cuttack district administration in Odisha is planning to make all polling booths of the district disabled-friendly.
• Punjab govt releases Rs 280.81 cr for SC sudents studying in degree, medical and engineering courses & diploma and certificate courses
• Live-in relationship is neither a crime nor a sin, the Supreme Court has held while asking Parliament to frame law for protection of women in such relationship and children born out of it.

Business and Economy

• The SEBI-constituted N.K. Sodhi Committee on insider trading is likely to submit its draft norms in the next six to 10 days according to SEBI Chairman U.K. Sinha.
• Kashmir saffron output expected to increase by 10% due to National Saffron Mission scheme introduced by Centre
• A day ahead of the announcement of GDP figure for the July-September quarter of the current fiscal, industry body Assocham has pegged the country's growth at 5.4 per cent for the period on improved agricultural output.
• BharatiyaMahilaBank, the first all-woman bank, to open 16 more branches in the next four months
• The Cabinet extended limits on stocks of paddy and rice that traders can hold by one more year to check hoarding and price rises.  
• Capital market regulator Sebi today slapped penalties amounting to Rs 3.50 lakh on five entities for alleged irregularities in trading shares of Venus Power Ventures (India) Ltd.
• India will become the third-biggest economy in the world by 2030, says Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission MontekSinghAhluwalia

New Appointments

• Honduras' electoral court has officially declared ruling party candidate Juan Orlando Hernandez the winner of Sunday's presidential election, with 80 percent of the vote counted.
• Recently-retired batting legend SachinTendulkar becomes UNICEF's first brand ambassador for South Asia.

Science and Technology

• NASA planning to grow plants & veg- such as turnip & basil - on the Moon, by 2015, to understand whether humans can live & work there.

Deaths

• Noted ornithologist & environmentalist PrakashGole passes away following a prolonged illness.

Sports

• World IBSF Snooker Championship begins today in Latvia.
• Sanath Jayasuriya to be chief guest at finale of the 1st edition of the Journalist Premier League in Thiruvananthapuram.
• 6th J&K State Indian Style Wrestling championship for men 2013-14 are started at Dewan Mandir Akhara in Jammu today (November 28)
• Eastern Province Cricket Board honours Cricketer Graeme Pollock, by naming a pavilion at St George's Park stadium after him

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