13 October 2014

National:
Cyclone Hudhud: 6 die in AP, Odisha; Vishakapatnam worst hit
Cyclone Hudhud pounded the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha with heavy rain and winds
of almost 200 kmph leaving six people dead and a trail of devastation with Vishakapatnam where the very
severe storm made landfall bearing the brunt. A little over four lakh people about 250,000 in four
districts of AP and 156,000 in nine districts of Odisha were evacuated to relief camps and more will be
shifted to safer places depending upon water levels. Cyclone Hudhud lost its intensity by evening and its
speed was limited to 100-110 kmph and converted from a very severe cyclonic storm to severe storm. A
total of 2,48,004 people were "affected" by Hudhud, which also damaged 70 houses.
Kishore Kumar award for lyricist Sameer
Noted lyricist Sameer will be honoured with the National Kishore Kumar Award for 201213, during a
function at the legendary singers birth place Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh. The award carries a cash
prize of Rs 2 lakh. The award is given in the fields of direction, screenplay and lyrics turn by turn every
year.
Delhi-Agra semi-high speed train to be named Gatimaan Express
India's first semi-high speed train between Delhi and Agra to run at a speed of 160 kmph will be flagged
off in November 2014. The train, which will reduce travelling time between the two cities to 105 minutes,
is likely to be named Gatimaan Express. It will have LCD TVs behind each seat and also have passenger
information system. The first semi-high speed service of the Railways is considered to be a boon for
tourists visiting the city of Taj Mahal. Equipped with a 5,400HP electric locomotive, the train will run at
maximum speed of 160 km per hour. Railways is also planning to launch similar trains in eight more
routes including Delhi-Kanpur and Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar.
India gets its own blade runner in CRPF officer
CRPF officer RK Singh, awarded Shaurya Chakra for a daring operation against Maoists in 2011,
displayed his mettle when he ran a short distance on prosthetic blades in a half-marathon. The marathon
was flagged off by cricket icon and Rajya Sabha member Sachin Tendulkar. Singh, a deputy
commandant, had to get his left leg amputated after sustaining injuries in the operation against Naxalites
in Jharkhand.
Pranab Mukherjee arrives in Norway for three-day visit
Indian President Pranab Mukherjee has arrived in the Norwegian capital on a three-day visit. He was
received by Mayor Harald Espelund of Ullensaker. Mukherjee will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at
the Royal Palace. He will visit the Akershus Fortress which houses the Norwegian national monument
and lay a wreath there. He would also visit the Storting, the Norwegian parliament, and meet its president.
He is first President of India who went to Norway.
Committee submits report on translation errors in UPSC exams
A three-member committee has submitted its report on issues relating to Hindi translation in various
examinations conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The committee under the
chairmanship of Prof Purushottam Agrawal, former member of the UPSC, was formed following
complaints of alleged errors in Hindi translation of questions asked in different examinations, including the
prestigious civil services examination to select IAS, IPS and IFS among others, conducted by the
Commission.

13 October 2014

International:
U.S. health worker tests positive for Ebola
A Texas health care worker who was in full protective gear while providing hospital care for an Ebola
patient who later died has tested positive for the virus and is in stable condition. If the preliminary
diagnosis is confirmed, it would be the first known case of the disease being contracted or transmitted in
the U.S. Meanwhile, a top federal health official said the health care workers Ebola diagnosis shows
there was a clear breach of safety protocol and all those who treated Thomas Eric Duncan are now
considered to be potentially exposed. Duncan, the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S., died on
October 7 in Dallas. More than 4,000 people have died in the ongoing Ebola epidemic, according to
World Health Organization figures published. Almost all of them have been in the three worst-affected
West African countries, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
Typhoon Vongfong slams into Japan
Powerful typhoon Vongfong barrelled into Japan`s main islands, with at least one person missing and
dozens injured while more than 500 flights were grounded. Winds of up to 180 kilometres (112 miles) per
hour whipped ashore as the typhoon made landfall at Makurazaki on Kyushu island. The season`s 19th
typhoon, which had already struck Japan`s southwestern island chain of Okinawa over the weekend, was
located in Kochi prefecture as of 3:00 pm (0600 GMT) and still packing strong winds and heavy rain.
Evo Morales claims landslide victory in Bolivia vote
Bolivian President Evo Morales declared victory and exit polls showed him romping to a third term with
more than 60 percent of the vote, giving him a strong mandate to expand his leftist reforms. Thousands of
people poured onto the streets of La Paz in celebration, flocking to the presidential palace to get a
glimpse of the man they affectionately call "El Evo," Bolivia`s first indigenous president. Large crowds
also flooded the streets of other major Bolivian cities.

Business & Economy:

Centre to set inflation targets for RBI
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has given the go-ahead for a major overhaul of the current monetary policy
framework wherein the Centre will specify inflation targets for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to
achieve. Under the proposed new regime, the RBI will set inflation as its top priority in its policy
statements. The decision departs from the recommendation of an expert committee of the RBI, appointed
to examine monetary policy. Headed by Reserve Bank Deputy Governor Urjit R. Patel, the committee had
recommended that the monetary policy decision-making should be vested with a monetary policy
committee, chaired by the RBI Governor.
Tatas Land Rover only Indian-owned brand in worlds top 100
Tata groups Land Rover has forayed into an elite club of worlds 100 most valuable brands as the only
Indian-owned entity, while iconic Apple has retained its top slot with nearly USD 119 billion valuations.
Land Rover, an iconic British car brand owned by Indian conglomerate Tatas, has been ranked 91st with
a brand value of USD 4.47 billion and is one of the five new entrants on this annual list compiled by
leading brand consultancy Interbrand. Apple maker of iPhone mobiles, Mac computers, iPad tablets
and iPod music players among others is followed by Google on the second position (USD 107 billion).
These are the only two with brand values in excess of USD 100 billion. While Land Rover is the only
Indian-owned entity on the list, there are at least six other brands ranked among top 100 that are part of
the entities run by Indian-origin CEOs.

13 October 2014

Sports:
Hamilton drives to fourth straight victory
Lewis Hamilton won the inaugural Russian Formula One Grand Prix and extended his championship lead
to 17 points in a Mercedes one-two that clinched the teams first constructors title. The Briton, who
started on pole position, chalked up his fourth win in a row and ninth of the season after German teammate Nico Rosberg locked up at the first corner and damaged his tyres in a costly error. With 100 points
still to be won from the final three races, thanks to double points in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton has 291 points to
Rosbergs 274 with everything still to play for. Hamilton, the 2008 champion, also became only the fourth
driver in F1 history to win nine races in a single season and equalled Nigel Mansells British record of 31
career victories.
Federer edges Simon for another Masters title
Roger Federer claimed one of the few titles to have previously eluded him after he overcame a sluggish
start to beat injured Frenchman Gilles Simon in the final of the Shanghai Rolex Masters. The Swiss 17times Grand Slam singles champion triumphed 7-6(6), 7-6(2) to register his 23rd Masters Series title and
first in China, where strong winds saw the roof on the Stadium Court closed for the hard court final. Roger
Federer bt Gilles Simon 7-6(6), 7-6(2).
Marquez retains MotoGP crown
Spanish sensation Marc Marquez (21), who became MotoGPs youngest world champion in 2013,
retained his crown by finishing runner-up at the Japanese GP.
Bryan brothers achieve another record with Masters slam
American twins Bob and Mike Bryan added another accolade to their lengthy resume after taking the
Shanghai Masters men's doubles title to become the first pair to win all nine ATP World Tour Masters
1000 tournaments. The 35-year-old siblings defeated French Open champions Julien Benneteau and
Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-2, 7-6(3) on the Chinese hard court to take an unprecedented 101st career
title in their 152nd final. The duo have also won 16 Grand Slam titles together, a record for a pair, and in
2012 became only the second team to complete a Golden Slam after they won the London Olympics
doubles title.