Current Affairs of 14 September 2015

1. Hormusji N Cama elected as Chairman of Press Trust of India
Hormusji N Cama was  unanimously elected as the new chairman of the Press Trust of India (PTI). He is the Managing Director of Bombay Smachar, which is the oldest continuously-published newspaper in India from 1855.
A member of the Press Council, Cama succeeded Mohan Gupta, Chairman and Managing Director of the Jagran Prakashan Limited (JPL).
Cama, currently the Chairman of the Readership Studies Council of India, has also served as President of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS). He is also on the Board of Council for Fair Business Practices and Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC).

2. Gujarat tops 'ease of doing business' ranking of states
Gujarat is ranked at the top amongst states in the report on 'assessment of state implementation of business reforms' released by the government.
Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are the other states that feature in the top five in the report compiled by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion with the assistance of the World Bank, consultancy firm KPMG and industry associations CII and FICCI.
States at the bottom include Bihar, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and those in the North East.
The areas based on which states have been ranked include setting up a business, allotment of land and obtaining construction permit, complying with environmental procedures, complying with labour regulations, obtaining infrastructure-related utilities, registering and complying with tax procedures, carrying out inspections and enforcing contracts.
World Bank would want to be involved in such an exercise on an annual basis, Onno Ruhl, World Bank Country Director in India said.
The ranking of states is part of the Centre's efforts to ensure a better ranking in the World Bank's 'ease of doing business' report. India was ranked 142 among 189 nations in the 2015 report, two notches lower than the previous year.

3. Hindi Divas observed on 14 September across India
Hindi Divas (Hindi Day) was observed across India on 14 September 2015. The day was observed to promote the Matra Bhasha – the mother tongue of India and show its importance as a language in the country and the world at large.
On the occasion of Hindi Divas, the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee presented Rajbhasa awards in various categories at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. These awards were instituted by the Rajbhasha Vibhag, Ministry of Home Affairs to recognize the excellent contribution of Ministries, Departments and Nationalized Banks and others in the field of Hindi.

4. Mahindra Group enters e-commerce segment
Diversified conglomerate Mahindra Group has finally entered the rapidly growing ecommerce segment in India.
Mahindra has floated a new company called Mahindra e-Market Pvt Limited that will own the online portal M2ALL, a virtual marketplace where consumers can buy over 400 Mahindra products.
The auto and real estate major had started experimenting with the online model in April 2014 and did a beta launch in June this year.

5. Mount Aso, the largest volcano of Japan erupted
The largest volcano of Japan Mount Aso Volcano erupted on 14 September 2015. The eruption blasted a plume of black smoke 2-kilometer high and the ashes from the volcano fell up to 4-kilometer away.
The volcano situated on main southern island of Kyushu erupted unexpectedly; however, there have been reports of no causalities or damage from the volcano’s eruption.
The 1592-metre Mount Aso is one of the most active peaks in Japan but is also a popular hiking spot. It is also the second largest mountain in Japan and is one of the biggest calderas in the world, encompassing an area 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) north to south and 18 kilometers (11.2 miles) east to west.
Since 2014, the volcanic activity in Japan has intensified, especially after the eruption of the Mount Ontake in central Japan. It was the Japan’s biggest volcanic disaster in nearly 90 years and had killed 63 people.

6. Classical dancer Kalamandalam Sathyabhama passes away
Kalamandalam Sathyabhama, doyen of classical dance form Mohiniyattam passed away in Palakkad district of Kerala. She was 77. She was regarded as a matriarch of Mohiniyattam and was well-known for her experimental reforms in this classical dance form which helped to preserve and popularise the traditional art form.

7. Indian bankers top Fortune’s most powerful women list
Bankers Chanda Kochhar and Arundhati Bhattacharya have been ranked as top two in a list of most powerful women in Asia-Pacific prepared by the global magazine Fortune.
Kochhar, 53, who heads the country’s largest private sector lender ICICI Bank, has been ranked at the top, up from the second position last year, the magazine said on its website.

It has credited Kochhar with reshaping banking in the country, and for building ICICI Bank into the “nation’s largest and most profitable private sector lender’’.
She is followed by Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairman of the country’s largest lender State Bank of India, whose ranking has also moved up from the fourth spot where she was last year, the magazine added.
State-run oil marketing company Hindustan Petroleum Corporation’s Chairman and Managing Director, Nishi Vasudeva, has also made it to the list at fifth rank, same as the previous, it said.
The country’s third largest private sector lender Axis Bank’s Managing Director and chief executive, Shikha Sharma, came in at the ninth spot in the list.
Singapore-based chief executive of International Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Sheila Patel, has also made it to the list at the 23rd position.
The list includes key executives from over six countries in the region. With 11 names, Chinese women lead the list.

8. Djokovic beats Federer to win US Open; his 10th major title
Novak Djokovic clinched his third Grand Slam title of 2015 and 10th career major with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 triumph over sentimental favourite Roger Federer in the US Open final today.
Shrugging off a three-hour rain delay and the overwhelming hostility of the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd, the 28-year-old world number one captured his second title in New York to add to his 2011 triumph.
The defeat shattered 34-year-old Federer’s bid to become the oldest US Open champion in 45 years and left him marooned on 17 Grand Slam titles, the last of which came at Wimbledon in 2012.
Djokovic added the US Open title to his Australian Open and Wimbledon victories this year.
Had it not been for a heartbreaking loss to Stan Wawrinka in the French Open final in June, the rock-solid Serb would have been celebrating a rare calendar Grand Slam.
Djokovic’s 10 majors takes him level with American Bill Tilden and just one shy of Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver on the all-time list.

9. GDP growth to exceed 7.5% this fiscal: FinMin
India’s growth in the current fiscal will exceed 7.5 per cent as there are “silver linings” in the global financial turmoil, with government committed to ensuring that the country remains a “bright spot” in the world economy, the Finance Ministry said today.
“This year we are targeting about 7.5 per cent to 8 per cent growth. We are quite confident that upwards of 7.5 per cent is what we can reasonably expect,” the Economic Affairs Secretary, Shaktikanta Das, said at an ICRIER event here.
The ministry believes that India remains as one of the very few bright spots in the global economy, a view echoed by the IMF as well, he said.
1. Hormusji N Cama elected as Chairman of Press Trust of India
Hormusji N Cama was  unanimously elected as the new chairman of the Press Trust of India (PTI). He is the Managing Director of Bombay Smachar, which is the oldest continuously-published newspaper in India from 1855.
A member of the Press Council, Cama succeeded Mohan Gupta, Chairman and Managing Director of the Jagran Prakashan Limited (JPL).
Cama, currently the Chairman of the Readership Studies Council of India, has also served as President of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS). He is also on the Board of Council for Fair Business Practices and Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC).

2. Gujarat tops 'ease of doing business' ranking of states
Gujarat is ranked at the top amongst states in the report on 'assessment of state implementation of business reforms' released by the government.
Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are the other states that feature in the top five in the report compiled by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion with the assistance of the World Bank, consultancy firm KPMG and industry associations CII and FICCI.
States at the bottom include Bihar, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and those in the North East.
The areas based on which states have been ranked include setting up a business, allotment of land and obtaining construction permit, complying with environmental procedures, complying with labour regulations, obtaining infrastructure-related utilities, registering and complying with tax procedures, carrying out inspections and enforcing contracts.
World Bank would want to be involved in such an exercise on an annual basis, Onno Ruhl, World Bank Country Director in India said.
The ranking of states is part of the Centre's efforts to ensure a better ranking in the World Bank's 'ease of doing business' report. India was ranked 142 among 189 nations in the 2015 report, two notches lower than the previous year.

3. Hindi Divas observed on 14 September across India
Hindi Divas (Hindi Day) was observed across India on 14 September 2015. The day was observed to promote the Matra Bhasha – the mother tongue of India and show its importance as a language in the country and the world at large.
On the occasion of Hindi Divas, the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee presented Rajbhasa awards in various categories at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. These awards were instituted by the Rajbhasha Vibhag, Ministry of Home Affairs to recognize the excellent contribution of Ministries, Departments and Nationalized Banks and others in the field of Hindi.

4. Mahindra Group enters e-commerce segment
Diversified conglomerate Mahindra Group has finally entered the rapidly growing ecommerce segment in India.
Mahindra has floated a new company called Mahindra e-Market Pvt Limited that will own the online portal M2ALL, a virtual marketplace where consumers can buy over 400 Mahindra products.
The auto and real estate major had started experimenting with the online model in April 2014 and did a beta launch in June this year.

5. Mount Aso, the largest volcano of Japan erupted
The largest volcano of Japan Mount Aso Volcano erupted on 14 September 2015. The eruption blasted a plume of black smoke 2-kilometer high and the ashes from the volcano fell up to 4-kilometer away.
The volcano situated on main southern island of Kyushu erupted unexpectedly; however, there have been reports of no causalities or damage from the volcano’s eruption.
The 1592-metre Mount Aso is one of the most active peaks in Japan but is also a popular hiking spot. It is also the second largest mountain in Japan and is one of the biggest calderas in the world, encompassing an area 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) north to south and 18 kilometers (11.2 miles) east to west.
Since 2014, the volcanic activity in Japan has intensified, especially after the eruption of the Mount Ontake in central Japan. It was the Japan’s biggest volcanic disaster in nearly 90 years and had killed 63 people.

6. Classical dancer Kalamandalam Sathyabhama passes away
Kalamandalam Sathyabhama, doyen of classical dance form Mohiniyattam passed away in Palakkad district of Kerala. She was 77. She was regarded as a matriarch of Mohiniyattam and was well-known for her experimental reforms in this classical dance form which helped to preserve and popularise the traditional art form.

7. Indian bankers top Fortune’s most powerful women list
Bankers Chanda Kochhar and Arundhati Bhattacharya have been ranked as top two in a list of most powerful women in Asia-Pacific prepared by the global magazine Fortune.
Kochhar, 53, who heads the country’s largest private sector lender ICICI Bank, has been ranked at the top, up from the second position last year, the magazine said on its website.

It has credited Kochhar with reshaping banking in the country, and for building ICICI Bank into the “nation’s largest and most profitable private sector lender’’.
She is followed by Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairman of the country’s largest lender State Bank of India, whose ranking has also moved up from the fourth spot where she was last year, the magazine added.
State-run oil marketing company Hindustan Petroleum Corporation’s Chairman and Managing Director, Nishi Vasudeva, has also made it to the list at fifth rank, same as the previous, it said.
The country’s third largest private sector lender Axis Bank’s Managing Director and chief executive, Shikha Sharma, came in at the ninth spot in the list.
Singapore-based chief executive of International Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Sheila Patel, has also made it to the list at the 23rd position.
The list includes key executives from over six countries in the region. With 11 names, Chinese women lead the list.

8. Djokovic beats Federer to win US Open; his 10th major title
Novak Djokovic clinched his third Grand Slam title of 2015 and 10th career major with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 triumph over sentimental favourite Roger Federer in the US Open final today.
Shrugging off a three-hour rain delay and the overwhelming hostility of the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd, the 28-year-old world number one captured his second title in New York to add to his 2011 triumph.
The defeat shattered 34-year-old Federer’s bid to become the oldest US Open champion in 45 years and left him marooned on 17 Grand Slam titles, the last of which came at Wimbledon in 2012.
Djokovic added the US Open title to his Australian Open and Wimbledon victories this year.
Had it not been for a heartbreaking loss to Stan Wawrinka in the French Open final in June, the rock-solid Serb would have been celebrating a rare calendar Grand Slam.
Djokovic’s 10 majors takes him level with American Bill Tilden and just one shy of Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver on the all-time list.

9. GDP growth to exceed 7.5% this fiscal: FinMin
India’s growth in the current fiscal will exceed 7.5 per cent as there are “silver linings” in the global financial turmoil, with government committed to ensuring that the country remains a “bright spot” in the world economy, the Finance Ministry said today.
“This year we are targeting about 7.5 per cent to 8 per cent growth. We are quite confident that upwards of 7.5 per cent is what we can reasonably expect,” the Economic Affairs Secretary, Shaktikanta Das, said at an ICRIER event here.
The ministry believes that India remains as one of the very few bright spots in the global economy, a view echoed by the IMF as well, he said.

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