Focus Merit

Category: All Current Affairs

BSE signs licensing agreement with ICE Futures Europe

January 28, 2020

The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has signed a licensing agreement with Intercontinental Exchange for the use of the ICE Brent Index as the final settlement price for BSE’s Rupee-denominated Brent futures contract.

This licensing agreement will help Indian market participants access Rupee-denominated Brent benchmark prices and deepen the Indian commodity markets by providing convenient and cost-effective onshore hedging products.

The agreement will also enable the price discovery of Brent crude prices in the Indian time zone based on domestic fundamentals. India is one of the largest consumers and importers of crude oil in the world, and Brent crude is highly co-related with the Indian crude oil basket.

Former Karnataka minister and senior JDS leader K Amarnath Shetty passes away

January 28, 2020

Former minister and senior JDS leader K Amarnath Shetty passed away on Monday in Mangaluru at a private hospital. He was 80. He was admitted to AJ hospital following a brief illness. A few years ago he had undergone plastic surgery under his feet. Shetty who entered electoral politics in 1965, became the MLA in 1983 from Moodbidri-Mulky constituency. In 1984, he was made minister for tourism and religious endowment under Ramakrishna Hegde’s government. 

DRDO contingent led by scientist at Republic Day parade

January 28, 2020

For the first time, a defence scientist, Y Sreenivasa Rao, led the DRDO contingent ‘Mission Shakti’ at the 71st Republic Day parade. The contingent displayed the indigenous Anti-Satellite Weapons (ASAT). India became only the fourth nation after the US, Russia and China to have the capability. Rao has been associated with the Air Defence project of the DRDO for long. He is also the Secretary, Aeronautical Society of India, Hyderabad.

New Delhi World Book Fair 2022: France to be the guest of honour

January 28, 2020

As announced by Emmanuel Lenain, France Ambassador to India, France will be the guest of honour at the New Delhi World Book Fair in January 2022. It is as part of a reciprocal invitation as New Delhi is the guest of honour this year at Livre Paris (Paris Book Fair).

Leading and emerging Indian authors will be invited to Paris to meet readers, while publishing industry professionals will enhance cooperation between France and India in this area during networking events.

In a special ceremony at Jaipur Book Mark, the Ambassador also conferred the 2020 Romain Rolland Book Prize along with Leila Slimani, novelist and President Emmanuel Macron’s Envoy for Francophone Affairs.

Sachin Bansal resigns as director of Ujjivan Small Finance Bank

January 28, 2020

Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal has resigned as Ujjivan Small Finance Bank director. The Bank in its regulatory filing informed that it received Bansal’s resignation letter dated January 27 and that the Board of Directors has taken note of it. He has been holding the role since May 2019. Bansal stepped down in the interest of propriety and to prevent conflict of interest arising out of the fact that his wholly-owned firm Navi Technologies has applied for a banking license.

B Anand appointed as secretary of National Commission for Minorities

January 28, 2020

Senior bureaucrat B. Anand was on Monday appointed as the secretary of National Commission for Minorities. Mr. Anand, a 1987-batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, is at present additional secretary and financial advisor, the department of science and technology. He is also holding additional charge of financial advisor, department of biotechnology and ministry of earth sciences.

Asian Tennis Federation nominates Anil Khanna as Life President

January 28, 2020

The former President of the Asian Tennis Federation (ATF), Anil Khanna, was nominated as the life president of the ATF and also as the Chairman of its Finance Committee during the meeting of the Board of Directors, held in Melbourne on Monday.

CS Sunder Raju was elected as the senior vice president of the ATF, while Anil Dhupar was elected as a member of the Seniors Committee and VK Batra, as member of the Constitution Committee. Khanna had served as ATF president from 2005 to 2019 and also ITF Vice President from 2015-19.

Andy Serkis to be honoured at BAFTA for outstanding contribution to cinema

January 28, 2020

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) announced that actor, producer, director and founder of The Imaginarium, Andy Serkis, will receive the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award at the 73rd EE British Academy Film Awards ceremony on Sunday, 2nd February in London.

Serkis is best known for his pioneering performance capture work, portraying Gollum in The Lord Of The Rings and Hobbit films as well as the lead role of Caesar in the Planet of the Apes. Recently he moved into directing with Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle and Breathe. He is currently directing Venom 2.

Sneha Pamneja awarded ‘Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize’ 2020

January 28, 2020

Graphic designer Sneha Pamneja was awarded ‘Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize‘ for designing the cover of “Tiffin: Authentic Recipes Celebrating India’s Regional Cuisine“. The event was held at the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival. The book is written by Sonal Ved and published by Roli books.

Pamneja was felicitated with a trophy and a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh on Friday by the jury comprising writer-politician Shashi Tharoor, JLF director and author Namita Gokhale, and columnist and novelist Shobhaa De, for designing a ‘visually arresting and impactful’ cover.

Election Commission of India award for The Hindu Tamil

January 28, 2020

Election Commission of India (ECI) awarded National Media Award for print to “The Hindu Tamil” as part of the poll panel’s national awards for voter awareness and education campaign in 2019 on the occasion of the 10th National Voters Day held at New Delhi.

President Ram Nath Kovind presented National Media Award for print to K.Ashokan, Editor, The Hindu Tamil for encouraging people for ‘Right to vote based on the merit of candidates’ during Lok Sabha election 2019.

The Hindu Tamil received the award in the print media category for ‘extensive coverage and targeted campaign towards informed and ethical voting during Lok Sabha 2019‘ and encouraging ‘masses to exercise their franchise and vote on merit of candidates‘.