Daily Current Affairs - 13th and 14th December 2015, Sunday and Monday

1. International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) to come up in Mumbai 

(i) The Maharashtra government recently constituted a task force under the chairmanship of Union Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha for the establishment of an International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in Mumbai. 

(ii)The IFSC is expected to come up in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), a prominent business location in the city. 

(iii) The task force comprises Lok Sabha MP from Mumbai North Central Poonam Mahajan (deputy chairman), Maharashtra Chief Secretary Swadheen Kshtriya, MMRDA Commissioner U P S Madan, Principal Secretary Urban Development Nitin Kareer and a representative from the government's Department of Economic Affairs.

2. E-commerce giant Alibaba signs $266 million deal to acquire South China Morning Post 

(i) China's largest e-commerce firm Alibaba Group Holding recently signed a $266 million deal to acquire the South China Morning Post and other media assets of SCMP Group Ltd in an all-cash transfer.

(ii) The Alibaba Group is headed by Chinese billionaire Jack Ma.SCMP, a 112-year-old English newspaper, cited the 'uncertain' future for traditional publishing as the main reason for the sale and added that Alibaba would likely be able to "unlock greater value" from the business. 

(iii) However, some have raised doubts over the editorial independence of the newspaper post the deal.

3. Founder of Shetkari Sanghatna Sharad Joshi passes away in Pune

(i) Recently, noted economist, agriculturalist, journalist and farmers' leader Sharad Joshi passed away at his residence in Pune, aged 81. 

(ii) Joshi is renowned for establishing the Shetkari Sanghatana, a pan-Maharashtra farmers' organisation, in 1979 with the slogan 'Freedom of access to markets and to technology'.Shetkari Sanghatana has evolved into an organisation of farmers with the power to challenge the ruling class and bargain higher remunerative prices for agricultural produce. 

(iii) Joshi was one of the first to protest for higher prices by linking production cost to the price of the produce.

4. Wipro awarded the 2015 Aegis Graham Bell Award

(i) Recently, global IT major Wipro won the 2015 Aegis Graham Bell Award for 'Innovation in IoT' (Internet of Things). 

(ii) Its IoT solution 'Universal Data Parser' (UDP) has been recognised and the company has been honoured for its commitment to innovation, delivery of specialised solutions and services for the IoT requirements of clients across industries. 

(iii) Aegis Graham Bell Award is India's only innovation award in the field of Telecom, Internet, Media and Entertainment (TIME) and Social, Mobility Analytics and Cloud (SMAC).

5. Varanasi and Jaipur make it to UNESCO's Creative City Network

(i) In a first, two Indian cities Varanasi and Jaipur have made it to UNESCO's Creative City  Network. 

(ii) The creative city initiative was launched in 2004 and aims to strengthen cooperation with and among cities that have creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable development in economic, social, cultural and environmental spheres. 

(iii) Varanasi was included in this network as the City of Craft whereas Jaipur was recognised as the City of Music.

6. Dilip Kumar conferred with Padma Vibhushan 

(i) Recently, Home Minister Rajnath Singh presented veteran Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar with the Padma Vibhushan, in recognition of his contribution to Hindi cinema over the last 60 years. 

(ii) Some of the outstanding performances of Dilip Kumar were in "Naya Daur", "Jugnu", "Andaz" and "Devdas", "Ganga Jamuna", among others. 

(iii) Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award in India.

7. Salman Rushdie presented with the Mailer Prize for Lifetime Achievement

(i) In December 2015, Indian-born author Salman Rushdie was awarded the Mailer Prize for Lifetime Achievement. 

(ii) The award is named after noted 20th century American writer Norman Mailer and recognises writers who fiercely use their freedom of creativity through dialogue and debate. 

(iii) The 68-year-old Rushdie has authored 12 books, of which the Midnight's Children won the Booker Prize.

8. Prakash Kumar Singh appointed as Chairman of SAIL

(i) Prakash Kumar Singh recently took charge as the Chairman of Steel Authority of India (SAIL). Earlier, Singh was the CEO of SAIL's Durgapur unit, a position he took up in 2012. 

(ii) He is considered to be an excellent technocrat and an expert in blast furnace technology and operations.

9. Rafael Nadal wins the Indian leg of the International PremierTennis League

(i) In the recently concluded Indian leg of the International Premier Tennis League, which was held at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer 6-5 through a shoot-out. 

(ii) Further, Nadal-led defending champions Indian Aces maintained their winning streak by scoring 30-19 over Federer's UAE Royals.

10. Vijay Kumar bags gold at the 59th National Shooting Championship in New Delhi

(i) At the 59th National Shooting Championship in New Delhi, Olympic medalist Vijay Kumar bagged a gold medal in the men's 25-metre centre fire pistol category. 

(ii) Vijay is yet to secure a quota in the Rio Olympics, however, this performance gives him a much-needed boost before the final Olympic qualifying event begins in January 2016. 

(iii) Gurpreet Singh of the Army won the silver and national rapid fire pistol champion Pemba Tamang bagged the bronze medal.