1 October 2014 Current Affairs

1) What is the name of the social network belonging to search engine Google
whose operations were closed from 30 September 2014? Orkut
Explanation: Orkut was Googles first foray into the social networking
space, which failed to take off due to tough competition from rival services
such as Facebook and Twitter. Orkut was started in 2004 and it initially
caught the fancy of youth all over the world. While Orkut wasnt a big
success across the world, it was very popular in India and Brazil. Google later
launched another social network called Google+, which turned out to be far
more popular than Orkut. Google stated that the growth of communities of
YouTube, Blogger and Google+ outpaced Orkuts growth and hence it was
decided to bid Orkut farewell.

2) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) presented its 4 th Bi-monthly Monetary

Policy review on 30 September 2014. As was widely expected, RBI kept the
major rates unchanged as the central bank kept its focus on tackling
inflation. What are the major rates and projections coming out of this review?
- GDP growth rate projected at 5.5% for current fiscal
- The high growth rate during Q1 (Apr-June 2014) may not be
sustained in Q2 and Q3
- Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation projected to remain at
8% by Jan 2015 and 6% by Jan 2016
- Repo rate (short term lending rate) unchanged at 8%
- Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) unchanged at 4%
- Statutory Liquidity Ratio (used for unlocking banking funds)
retained at 22%
- The liquidity rate under Export Credit Refinance (ECR) reduced
from 32% to 15% (w.e.f. 10 October 2014)

3) Which country is witnessing a civil disobedience movement named

Occupy Central demanding electoral reforms in the country? Hong Kong
Explanation: The Occupy Central movement started in Hong Kong from 28
September 2014. The movement was the brainchild of Benny Tai Yiu-ting, an
associate professor of law at the University of Hong Kong, who founded the
movement in 2013. The primary demand of the movement is the
implementation of universal suffrage for the chief executive election in 2017
and the Legislative Council elections in 2020 according to international
standards. Thousands of protestors participated in the movement which
paralysed Hong Kongs financial district through massive road blocks.

4) What was the name of the 14-day India-US military exercise held in
Uttarakhand that concluded on 30 September 2014? Yudh Abhyas
2014
Explanation: Yudh Abhyas 2014 that commenced from 17 September
2014 was held with the objective of strengthening and broaden interoperability and cooperation between Indian and the United States. The
exercise was the 10thedition of Yudh Abhyas series, which started in 2004
under the US Army Pacific Partnership Programme. The exercise operations
were held in Ranikhet and Chaubatia areas of Uttarakhand.

5) What are the names of two Indian referees scripted Indian football history
when they officiated in the Asian Games womens semifinal match featuring
Womens World Champions Japan in Incheon on 30 September 2014?
Maria Rebello Piedade and Uvena Fernandes
Explanation: This was the first time an Indian woman referee has officiated
in a match featuring a current World champion. Maria adjudicated the match
while Urvena was the assistant referee. Maria was the first-ever woman
referee in the world to supervise a premier league match of any country
when she officiated an I-League match held on 8 March 2014 between Pune
and Shillong Lajong.

6) Which Indian pharmaceutical company has emerged the worlds largest

manufacturer of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine as announced by the
company on 30 September 2014? Indian Immunologicals Ltd (IIL)
Explanation: IIL is worlds largest vaccine manufacturing company and was
established in 1983 by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). The
company is renowned for developing veterinary and human vaccines for
foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease, rabies, bacterial vaccines, canine vaccines,
hepatitis, measles, MMR and DPT. The company currently meets the bulk of
the vaccine requirement for the FMD control programme in India. It has
supplied over a billion doses and is gearing up to meet the surge in demand
due to the expansion of the programme in the coming years at a competitive
price.

2-3 October 2014 Current Affairs

1) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 2 October 2014 Indias biggest-ever
cleanliness drive the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan (Clean India Mission) on
the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti. What is the main objective of this
huge mission on which around Rs.62,000 crore would be spent? To
accomplish the vision of Clean India by 2 October 2019 (The
150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi)
Explanation: The main programme of Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan was held
with a public gathering at Rajpath (New Delhi) where Prime Minister
administered oath to the public and dignitaries to pledge their role in keeping
the country clean. On this occasion President Pranab Mukherjee asked every
Indian citizen to spend 100 hours annually in this drive. The urban
component of the Mission is proposed to be implemented over 5 years in all
4,041 statutory towns. The total expected cost of the programme
is Rs. 62,009 crore, out of which the proposed central assistance will be
of Rs. 14,623 crore. The Union Cabinet during September 2014 also decided
to merge the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan, a campaign for rural sanitation with
Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan.

2) Indian mens Hockey team moved one more step closer in regaining its
lost glory by claiming the gold medal at 17 th Asian Games at Incheon on 2
October 2014. India defeated arch-rivals Pakistan by 4-2 in a nerve-wracking

shoot-out in the finals to earn a direct berth to the 2016 Rio Olympics. With
this win India has now won how many gold medals in mens hockey at the
Asian Games? Three
Explanation: Prior to this India won only 2 gold medals in mens hockey
event at Asian Games 3rd Asian Games 1966 (Bangkok) and 11th Asian
Games 1998 (Bangkok). It is surprising that despite having 8 Olympic gold
medals in mens hockey event, Indias performance has not been up to the
mark in Asian Games. Pakistan has till now won 8 gold medals in this event
while South Korea has won 4 gold medals. Hence this win was a big morale
booster for the Indian side. South Korea defeated Malaysia by 3-2 to claim
the bronze medal.

3) Microsoft Corporation recently gave the first official look of the next
version of its hugely popular Windows operating system (OS). What is the
name of this latest upcoming OS that was also unveiled? Windows 10
Explanation: Microsoft gave the world its first official look of the next
version of Windows on 30 September 2014 at a press event held in San
Francisco (US). The name of this new OS was a surprise because the
company skipped over Windows 9 by naming this OS as Windows 10. Its last
Windows OS was Windows 8. However, Windows 10 would be made available
only in 2015. Some important features of this OS would be re-introduction of
the popular Start menu, ability to scale from smartphones to giant data
centres, improved capabilities for dealing with todays security threats and
capability to run modern apps on the desktop just like other apps.

4) Which two Union Territories of the Indian Union achieved a unique

milestone of 100% banking coverage as revealed in a meeting of Finance
Ministry on 1 October 2014? Puducherry and Chandigarh
Explanation: Puducherry and Chandigarh achieved this milestone by
providing all the households with at-least one account. This was revealed in
the meeting that the Finance Ministry held with representatives of public and
private sector banks to review the progress made in the implementation of
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), the flagship financial inclusion
programme launched on 28 August 2014.


5) Indian womens team defeated which team in the finals to win the gold
medal in womens Kabaddi at 17th Asian Games on 3 October 2014? Iran
Explanation: India defeated Iran by 31-21 to notch up its second successive
gold medal at the Asian Games. This was Indias 10 th gold medal in these
games.

6) Which countrys Parliament on 2 October 2014 voted to authorize the

government to take military action in Iraq and Syria against the Islamic State
(IS)? Turkey
Explanation: Turkey is a member of NATO but it was not clear whether
Turkey would support the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group. On
the other hand the fight for the Kurdish city of Kobane in Syria intensified as
Islamic State militia was located just outside the city on 2 October.

7) Legendary Indian boxer M.C. Mary Kom won a historic Asian Games gold
medal on 1 October 2014 to become the first Indian woman boxer to win an
Asian Games gold medal. She defeated Kazakhstans Zhaina Shekerbekova
2-0. Mary Kom won this gold in which weight category? Womens
flyweight category (48-51kg)
Explanation: M.C. Mary Kom is a 5-times world champion and her personal
best was the bronze medal in the 2012 London Olympics.

8) Indian womens relay team won gold medal in which event athletics event
at 17th Asian Games on 2 October 2014? 4X400 m relay event
Explanation: The Indian quartet of Priyanka Panwar, Tintu Luka, Mandeep
Kaur and M R Poovamma won an easy race in 3:28.68 to improve upon the
earlier Games record of 3:29.02 which was also in the name of the goldwinning Indian team in 2010. Japan won the silver in 3:30.80 while China
bagged the bronze in 3:32.02. India has traditionally been a strong performer

in womens 4X400 m relay event and it was countrys fourth gold medal in
this event. The country has been winning the event since the 2002 Busan
Games.

4 October 2014 Current Affairs

1) The rates of the tatkal tickets of Indian Railways went up from October
2014 with the railways deciding to sell 50% of the quota tickets using
dynamic fare system. The Premium Tatkal Ticket scheme became
operational in how many trains from 1 October 2014? Eighty
Explanation: Under this scheme Railways had asked all zones to identify
five popular trains in their respective zone. The passengers will have to pay
normal tatkal fare for 50% of the total tickets available. But for subsequent
10% tickets, 20% more will be charged which means after selling 50% of
tatkal tickets, the Indian Railways will keep increasing the fare with the sale
of tickets. The railways described the scheme as a preventive measure to
deal with the menace of touts. However, this move was opposed by a large
segment of passengers who see the scheme tailor-made to increase railways
earnings. The Railways is also running three Premium trains on dynamic fare
system.

2) The Indian contingent at 17th Asian Games concluded its campaign on 3

October 2014 as no Indian athletes would feature in any event on 4 October
the last day of the games. How many total medals were won by Indian the
Indian contingent? 57
Explanation: Indian aggregate tally of 57 medals included 11 gold medals,
10 silver and 36 bronze. India was currently at 8 th position in the medals tally
and its final position would be confirmed on 4 October. The aggregate tally
was however lesser than the 65 medals India won in the last edition of Asian
Games at Guangzhou in 2010. India won 14 gold medals, 17 silvers and 34
bronze to finish the games at 6th spot.

3) More than 40 persons were killed and hundreds injured in a stampede in

Bihars capital Patna on 3 October 2014. The accident took place after people

were returning after watching the Ravan Vadh ceremony on the occasion of
Dussehra. The accident took place in which historic ground of Patna?
Gandhi Maidan
Explanation: Lakhs of people were assembled at main Dussehra event held
annually at Patnas famous Gandhi Maidan. Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram
Manji was present at the place where people watched the effigy of Ravan
consigned to flames. The accident took place after people were leaving the
ground and allegedly some rumours were spread in the crowd.

4) What is the name of the British hostage who was shown being beheaded
in a video released on 3 October 2014 by Islamic State militants? Alan
Henning
Explanation: However the authenticity of this video could not be verified by
agencies though it was released in the same manner as other Islamic State
group videos. This is the fourth such video released by the Islamic State
militants. The three persons who were beheaded in the same manner include
American reporters James Foley and Steven Sotloff and British aid worker
David Haines.

5) Indian mens Kabaddi team won the gold medal at the 17 th Asian Games
on 3 October 2014 in a tough final against Iran. India defeated Iran by 27-25
despite the fact that it was trailing by 13-21 at half time. This was Indias
consecutive gold medal in these games Seventh
Explanation: India has won all the gold medals in Kabaddi since it was
introduced in the 11th Asian Games at Beijing in 1990. Since then India has
won the gold medals in the games held in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and
now in 2014. Earlier Indian womens team also won the gold in Kabaddi on
the same day by defeating Iran and thus giving India the golden double.

5-6 October 2014 Current Affairs

1) Who was nominated as the next U.S. Ambassador to India recently?
Richard Rahul Verma

Explanation: Verma was the Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative

Affairs, at the U.S. Department of State until March 2011. He was nominated
as Americas next Ambassador to India by President Barack Obama during
September 2014. He will take place of Nancy Powell whose tenure ended
during March 2014.

2) The 17th Asian Games concluded at Incheon (South Korea) on 4 October

2014 with a glittering closing ceremony. The next edition of Asian Games
would be held in which city? Jakarta (Indonesia)
Explanation: Indonesia was not the original host of 18 th Asian Games to be
held in 2018. The games were originally allotted to Hanoi (Vietnam). But
Vietnam government expressed its inability to host these games due to
financial constraints. The games were then allotted to Indonesia. Jakarta had
hosted the 4th Asian Games in 1962. In 17th Asian Games China topped the
medals tally with a total of 151 gold medals. It was followed by hosts South
Korea (79 gold), Japan (47 gold), Kazakhstan (28 gold), Iran (21 gold),
Thailand (12 gold), North Korea (11 gold), India (11 gold) and Chinese Taipei
(10 gold).

3) What is the name of the upgraded version of Chinas 10,000-km range

missile which was successfully tested recently? Dongfeng-31B
Explanation: The 10,000-km range Dongfeng-31B missile was tested by
China on 25 September 2014 from the Wuzhai Missile and Space Test Centre
(also called Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre) in Shanxi province. This missile
is capable of reaching most of the US and European cities. Dongfeng-31B is
an upgraded version of the DF-31A and the launch was at least the second
time the PLAs Second Artillery Corps had tested a DF-31 missile in the past
three months.

4) Chennai Super Kings (CSK) won the Oppo Champions League T20 for 2014
by defeating Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in a one-sided final on 4 October
2014. CSK has now won the Champions League T20 title how many times?
Two times

Explanation: CSK won the Champions League T20 title for the first time in
2010. Mumbai Indians have also won this title twice. In the finals CSK
thoroughly defeated KKR by 8-wickets, thanks to a 62-ball 109 unbeaten
century by Suresh Raina. Champions League T20 is an annual international
T20 cricket competition played between the top domestic teams from major
cricketing nations.

5) Who won the Japanese F1 Grand Prix on 5 October 2014? Lewis

Hamilton of Mercedes team
Explanation: British driver Lewis Hamilton won the race to take 10 point
lead over teammate Nico Rosberg (Germany). Rosberg finished the race at
second spot while third place was taken by Red Bulls Sebastian Vettel
(Germany). Only four races are left in 2014 F1 season and the fight between
Hamilton and Rosberg has made the season very interesting.

6) Who on 4 October 2013 became the first cricketer in the last 10 years to
make it to the Indian national team without playing a single first-class (like
Ranji Trophy) or list A match? Kuldeep Yadav
Explanation: Kuldeep Yadav, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, was the surprise
inclusion and the lone new face in the squad, getting the nod ahead of
experienced left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha. He is a Chinaman bowler and
was rewarded for his performance in the ongoing Champions League T20
where he bagged seven wickets so far playing for Kolkata Knight Riders.

7) Who on 4 October 2014 won the PGTI Eagleburg Masters held in

Bangalore? Rashid Khan
Explanation: Delhis Rashid Khan won the tournament with a total score of
269. C. Muniyappa emerged runner-up while Narendra Gupta was one stroke
further behind at third place. PGTI Eagleburg Masters was the fourth Super
Series event of the Indian golf season. Khan has now moved from second to
first place in the Rolex Rankings having overtaken Chikkarangappa.

7 October 2014 Current Affairs

1) Norwegian couple May-Britt Moser and Edvard Moser and Anglo-American
John OKeefe were announced as the winner of the 2014 Nobel Prize for
Medicine on 6 October 2014. The three are being rewarded for which of their
pioneering work associated with the human mind? They solved the
mystery How does the brain create a map of the space
surrounding us and how can we navigate our way through a complex
environment?
Explanation: The discovery of the trio pertains to the discovery that helped
in solving a problem that has occupied philosophers and scientists for
centuries of How does the brain create a map of the space surrounding us
and how can we navigate our way through a complex environment? Their
research helped in giving clues to how strokes and Alzheimers affect the
brain. OKeefe (University College London) discovered the first component of
the brains internal positioning system in 1971 when he found that a type of
nerve cell in a brain region called the hippocampus was always activated
when a rat was in a certain place in a room. Later May-Britt Moser and
Edvard Moser (Norwegian University of Science and Technology in
Trondheim) worked with OKeefe to learn how to record the activity of cells in
the hippocampus.
.
2) Hewlett-Packard Co (HP) on 6 October 2014 announced plans to split the
company into two listed companies by separating its computer and printer
businesses from its faster-growing corporate hardware and services
operations. What would be the names of the two new companies to be
established with this split? Hewlett-Packard Enterprise and HP Inc.
Explanation: Hewlett-Packard
Enterprise
would
include
companys
corporate hardware and services operations business whereas HP Inc. would
include computer and printer business. Meg Whitman, the present CEO of
HP, will lead the new Hewlett-Packard Enterprise while Dion Weisler will lead
HP Inc. It is worth mentioning that many investors and analysts had called
for a break-up of the company, or a sale of the PC business, so that HP could
focus on the more profitable operations that sell computer servers and
networking gear and data storage to businesses. Founded by Bill Hewlett and

Dave Packard in a Palo Alto, California garage in 1939, HP was one of the
companies that shaped Silicon Valley and the PC revolution.
.
3) India is among the 5 group of countries will start work on the worlds
biggest telescope in the United States. This will enable to identify an object
as small as coin from a distance of 500 km. The other four countries involved
in this project include the U.S., Japan, China and Canada. Where this
telescope will be established? Mauna Kea volcano in on Hawaii Island
in U.S.
Explanation: The diameter of this telescope will be a mammoth 30 meter. It
will cost around $1.4 billion and the construction is expected to be
completed by March 2022. Japan is expected to cover about a quarter of the
construction costs. The telescope will be larger than Japans Subaru
Telescope, one of the worlds biggest, which was also built on the summit of
Mauna Kea and started observation in 1999. To mark the start of
construction, 100 astronomers and officials from the five countries are
scheduled to attend a ceremony on 7 October 2014 at a location 4,012
meters high on Mount Mauna Kea.
.
4) What is the name of the phone application (app), the services of which
were asked to be blocked by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) in a recent request
made to the Department of Telecom (DoT)? We Phone
Explanation: We Phone is a phone and messaging application like Skype
and Whatsapp and is freely available on Android Play Store and Apples
application store. The IB claimed that the We Phone app facilitates spoofing
of caller id and is difficult to identify to locate or identify actual caller. The
application after verifying users phone number at the time of installation
gives an option to disable the number to hide it. IB has told DoT that in free
version of this application caller id on receiver screen starts with +1777
whereas in paid version any number can be set to display as caller id.
.

5) Which Indian online retail company organised the Big Billion Day sale on
6 October 2014 with a target of $100 million sale in gross merchandise value
(GMV)? Flipkart
Explanation: Indias largest online retail company conducted its highly
ambitious Big Billion Day sale on the day by offering a wide range of
products at unprecedented discounted rates. The sale was on the day the
company was founded in 2007. Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal, the
founders of Flipkart claimed that the sale achieved its target within 10 hours.
On the other hand Flipkart site crashed on numerous occasions and was not
able to process some transactions. Some buyers claimed that the discount
were less than those offered by Flipkarts rivals.
.
6) What is the name of the new mid-sized sedan car launched by Maruti
Suzuki on 6 October 2014? Ciaz
Explanation: Ciaz was introduced by the company on 3 September 2014
and is companys third foray in the mid-size segment after Baleno and SX4.
The petrol variants of the sedan are priced between Rs.6,99,000 and
Rs.9,34,000 while the diesel variants are priced between Rs.804,000 and
Rs.980,000 (ex-showroom Delhi).

8 October 2014 Current Affairs

1) The Indian Air Force (IAF) is celebrating 8 October 2014 as its foundation
day in the form of Air Force Day. The IAF completed how many years of its
establishment on this day? 82 years
Explanation: IAF was established on 8 October 1932 with formation of the
No.1 Squadron. It was established as an auxiliary air force of the British
Empire and the prefix Royal was added in 1945 in recognition of its services
during World War II. The prefix was dropped in 1950 when India became a
republic.

2) On 7 October 2014 Japanese scientists Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano

and American Shuji Nakamura were named as the winners of the 2014 Nobel
Prize for Physics for inventing what? LED light
Explanation: The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in its statement said
that As about one fourth of world electricity consumption is used for lighting
purposes, the LEDs contribute to saving the Earths resources. LED (which
stands for Light Emitting Diode) is seen responsible for a massive cut in
electricity consumption sue to it being energy efficient as well as
environment friendly. The three scientists during the early 1990s made the
breakthrough to produce the blue diodes that are a crucial component in
producing white light from LEDs. Isamu Akasaki is associated with Meijo
University (Nagoya, Japan) while Hiroshi Amano is from Nagoya University
(Nagoya, Japan). Japan-born U.S. scientist Shuji Nakamurais associated with
the University of California, Santa Barbara.

3) Birth Centenary celebrations of which noted Hindustani classical singer

commenced from 7 October 2014? Begum Akhtar
Explanation: Begum Akhtars real name was Akhtar Bai Faizabadi. She was
famous for the renditions of Ghazal, Dadra and Thumri and was given the
title of Mallika-e-Ghazal (Queen of Ghazals). She was born on 7 October 1914
and passed away on 30 October 1974. On the occasion of her birth
centenary year-long programmes have been planned by the Union Govt.
Commemorative coins of Rs.100 and Rs. 5 on Begum Akhtar were also
released in a programme held in New Delhi.

4) The new Monetary Policy Framework Agreement, which aims to change

the monetary policy formulation and will also focus on inflation targeting, is
proposed to be signed by which date as announced by the Finance Ministry
recently? 1 February 2015
Explanation: The proposed framework is based on a combination of
recommendations by FSLRC (Financial Sector Legislative Reforms
Commission) and the Urjit Patel Committee, along with inputs from the Rajan
Panel on Financial Sector Reforms. The Finance Ministry is presently seeking
the comments of the RBI on this framework. The proposal will then be placed

in the public domain before finalising the agreement. The endeavour is to

sign the agreement by 1 February 2015, to show that one of the key Budget
announcements has been implemented. The establishment of a modern
monetary policy framework was announced in the Union Budget 2014-15
presented by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 10 July 2014.

5) What is the new growth projection for India for 2014-15 as announced by
the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on 7 October 2014? 5.6%
Explanation: In its report IMF clearly stated that Indias economy has
recovered from a slump and better exports and investment prospects are
visible. The IMFs year-on-year forecast for Indias financial year to March
2015 represents a 0.2 percentage-point uptick from its April 2014 projection.
Indias economy posted two years of sub-five-per cent growth, the longest
slowdown in a quarter century.

6) Indias largest ferris wheel was inaugurated on 2 October 2014 at Kalindi

Kunj in Delhi. This 200-feet high offers panoramic view of the city of Delhi.
What is the name given to this giant wheel? Delhi Eye
Explanation: At 200 feet, the giant wheel is the tallest in the country. It has
36 air-conditioned cabins that can seat six people each. Soft music plays
throughout the ride, which lasts 20 minutes in all. The glass bottom in the
cabin offers magnificent views of the city. It is constructed on the lines of the
famous such flyers in London and Singapore. In fact, the same Dutch
company which created the Singapore Flyer, was hired to construct the Delhi
Eye.

9 October 2014 Current Affairs

1) What is the name given to the tropical cyclonic storm building over the
north Andaman Sea which is expected to hit the coast of Andhra Pradesh and
Odisha on sheer intensity on 12 October 2014? Hud Hud
Explanation: The name Hud Hud was given by the Indian Met Department
(IMD) according to international cyclonic naming conventions. This cyclone is

moving in from the Bay of Bengal and is forecast to bring gales of up to 140
kmph with heavy rains and storm when it hits the coast of Andhra Pradesh
and Odisha on 12 October. Hud Hud is expected to hit land between the
port city of Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and the resort town of
Gopalpur in Odisha.

2) What is the name of the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the United States
who died on 8 October 2014 thus raising enormous anxiety in the country?
Thomas Eric Duncan
Explanation: Thomas Eric Duncan arrived in a Dallas apartment on 20
September 2014 after having spent years a refugee from his native country
Liberia. He contact the deadly Ebola virus in Liberia, which is in the midst of
a huge Ebola scar along with its West African neighbours Guinea, Sierra
Leone and Nigeria.

3) American scientists Eric Betzig and William Moerner and Germanys

Stefan Hell were announced as the 3 winners of the Nobel Prize for
Chemistry on 8 October 2014. They have been honoured for their
contribution in which field of Chemistry? Optical Microscopy
Explanation: The trio of Betzig, Moerner and Hell were conferred for their
contribution in the area of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy which
helped in bringing optical microscopy into the nano-dimension. This helped
to study molecular processes in real time. Betzig is associated with the
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (U.S.) while Moerner is at Stanford
University. Hell is Director of the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical
Chemistry in Germany.

4) 33 years after founding Infosys, two of its founders bade farewell to the
company on 8 October 2014. Who are these two persons? NR Narayana
Murthy and S Gopalakrishnan
Explanation: NR Narayana Murthy and S Gopalakrishnan along with six
other persons (Nandan Nilekani, N. S. Raghavan, S. D. Shibulal, K. Dinesh,

Venugopal and Ashok Arora) laid the foundation of Infosys in 1981. Infosys is
now a $8 billion multi-national IT company and the third largest in India. On 1
June 2013, Narayana Murthy, companys long time CEO, returned from his
retirement to assume office in Infosys as its Executive Chairman. Murthy had
the longest run of about 21 years as CEO before passing the baton to
Nandan Nilekani and then Gopalakrishnan and S D Shibulal respectively. He
will be designated as Chairman Emeritus from 11 October 2014. In August
this year, Infosys appointed former SAP board member Vishal Sikka as its
CEO and Managing Director.

5) According to media reports, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has ordered
its supervision team to monitor trading in debt markets by companies. This is
the strongest expression of concern shown by the RBI on this issue. What is
the primary reason for this move of the RBI? Reports that many
companies are building large trading positions in debt and currency
markets
Explanation: Trading in debt markets by companies could pose risks to
financial market stability as it exposes the companies to greater price
volatility. However, some companies indulge in this trading as this can be a
lucrative extra source of profits for them. Companies are legally allowed to
invest in markets in India, but it has seldom raised RBIs concerns until
recently, when they have become much more active players.

6) During October 2014 the American Congress has initiated a probe against
how many generic drug makers for price escalation of generic drugs that
includes top Indian drug companies Sun Pharma, Dr. Reddys Lab and Cadila
Healthcare? 14
Explanation: On 2 October 2014 the U.S. Congress initiated a probe and
wrote to these firms, seeking details about recent hikes in prices of several
generic products available in the U.S. market. Apart from the three Indian
companies, the investigation includes Teva, Mylan, Actavis, Apotex, Endo,
Global Pharmaceuticals, Heritage Pharmaceuticals, Lannett Company,
Marathon Pharmaceuticals, PAR Pharmaceutical Companies Inc and West
Ward Pharmaceutical Corp. This development is significant, especially
against the backdrop of a continuing tussle between India and the US over

issues related to intellectual property rights (IPR) and the American regulator
increasing enforcements on Indian firms. However, industry officials maintain
there is no provision under law by which the Congress could conduct such
investigation.