5th January 2014 Current Affairs Updates

SUNDAY, JANUARY 5, 2014

5th January 2014 Current Affairs Updates

International Affairs

US Secretary of State John Kerry today held fresh talks with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas as he struggled to keep the faltering Israel-Palestinian peace process on track after the two sides indulged in a fresh verbal spat, casting a shadow on a possible deal.
10th parliament elections held in Bangladesh today.
Thousands of anti-government protesters marched through the Thai capital on Sunday, a prelude to a broader action next week when they say they will shut down Bangkok in their bid to scuttle a February election and topple Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

National Affairs

Delhi minister Rakhi Birla on Sunday escaped unhurt in an attack on her car by unknown persons in Mangolpuri but the youngest member of the Aam Aadmi Party Cabinet insisted that she will not take police protection.
121st birth anniversary of Indian spirtual guru Paramahansa Yogananda observed today.
Today is the 73rd birth anniversary of Tiger, Pataudi. An Indian cricketer and former captain of the Indian cricket team.
West Bengal Governor MK Narayanan flaged off 2014 marathon to benefit race for underprivileged cancer patients at Tata Medical Center in Kolkata today.
The Aam Aadmi Party government is initiating steps to implement welfare schemes for unorganised sector workers in city, plans to use Rs 1,200 crore under new scheme.
Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir initiated a pruning training programme for fruit growers on Saturday to improve output and the quality of the produce.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has decided to hold its first national council meeting at heritage Town Hall at Kolkata after being suggested by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
PM ManmohanSingh inaugurates 90th anniversary celebrations of 'Mathrubhumi' daily newspaper at Kochi.

Science and Technology

Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) today (5 jan 2014) successfully launched GSLV-D5 rocket, which is powered by an indigenous cryogenic engine, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
Paving the way for satellite-based flight navigation over the vast airspace of India, its neighbours and surrounding high seas, the first phase of the ambitious navigation system GAGAN has been certified by aviation regulator DGCA.
American vessel the Polar Star, the US Coast Guard's only active heavy polar icebreaker, is heading to the Antarctic to rescue over 120 crewmembers aboard Russian and Chinese ships trapped in heavy sea ice.
The Information and Broadcasting ministry has issued showcause notices to three private Direct To Home (DTH) operators for not showing all the 24 mandatory channels to their subscribers.
(The channels which cable operators must show are DD National, DD News, DD Bharati, DD Urdu, DD Sports, DD India, DD Kashir, DD Punjabi, DD Girnar, DD Sahyadri, DD Saptagiri, DD Malayalam, DD Podhigai, DD Chandana, DD Bangla, DD North East, DD Bihar, DD Uttar Pradesh, DD Rajasthan, DD Madhya Pradesh, DD Oriya, Gyan Darshan, Lok Sabha TV and Rajya Sabha TV.)
Business and Economy
The Reserve Bank of India is likely to soon issue guidelines to allow banks to act as insurance brokers with a view to boost business and arrest the decline in insurance penetration.
State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) will invest over USD 9 billion in bringing to production an array of oil and gas discoveries in its prolific Krishna Godavari basin block off the east coast by 2017-18.

Sports

Ashes: Australia thrash England by 281 runs to win series 5-0
India held on to their second spot even as a resurgent Australia leapfrogged to third in the latest ICC Test rankings after whitewashing England 5-0 in the Ashes series today.