22nd November 2014 - Important Current Affairs updates

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International Affairs

• A day-long joint secretary-level meeting began at Khatmandu today to set the agenda for the 18th SAARC Summit and give final touches to the Kathmandu Declaration.
• The 18th South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) Summit will be held in Kathmandu, Nepal on 26th November 2014.
• This is the first time Kathmandu is hosting the summit in 12 years.
• The theme this year is, 'Deeper Integration for peace and prosperity'.
• The United Nations has adopted the first-ever resolution calling on governments to stop child marriages, despite misgivings from countries who had hoped to include sex education as key to preventing the practice.
• About 15 million girls worldwide become child brides each year and globally, more than 700 million women were married before the age of 18.
• Unless action is taken, some 1.2 billion girls will be married by 2050, says the Girls Not Brides coalition of non-governmental organisations.
• The European Parliament is preparing a non-binding resolution that proposes splitting Google Inc’s search engine operations in Europe from the rest of its business as one possible option to rein in the Internet company’s dominance in the search market.

National Affairs

• Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar clears proposal to acquire 814 artillery guns for around 16 thousand crore rupees.
• Government's decision to drop German as an alternative to Sanskrit as third language in Kendriya Vidyalayas has come under judicial scrutiny with the Supreme Court today issuing notice to it and seeking its explanation.

Sports

• India clinched 3rd South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women's Championship beating Nepal 6-0.
• Ngangom Bala Devi (four goals) was the star of the show.
• China's Chen Long beat India's K Srikanth in Semifinals in Hongkong Super series

People in News

• Shaban Bukhari, the son of Jama Masjid Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari, was formally anointed the Naib Imam (deputy Imam) of the 17th century mosque at ceremony in Delhi
• Less than two months before Sri Lanka’s presidential elections, former president Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga announced her re-entry to active politics, but not as a candidate.
• Instead, she has chosen to back the common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena, who on Friday quit the ruling party to challenge President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the presidential polls.
• Note : Sri Lanka’s Election Commission on Friday said elections will be held on 8th January2015.

Business & Economy

• Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said that an unsustainable tax demand would only earn the country a bad name as an investment destination.
• The Minister’s comments come in the wake of the Income Tax department losing its battle against Shell in Mumbai High Court.
• The petroleum ministry plans to issue an order to all its public sector undertakings not to file court cases against the government following a writ petition last May by Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) charging the ministry of “acts of omission and commission” in an alleged theft of ONGC’s natural gas by Reliance Industries Ltd.
• Although Kotak Mahindra Bbank is set to emerge as the fourth largest private sector bank after its merger with ING Vysya Bank, in terms of market value, it has maintained a similar ranking, each year since 2011.
• Since the last four years, KMB has stayed as the fifth most valued banking stock and fourth most valued private baking lender after HDFC bank, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank.

Awards & Honors

• French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie and New Zealand's shotputter Valerie Adams named IAAF World Athletes of the Year 2014.

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