9 January 2015 Current Affairs 1) Which bank launched India’s first contactless debit and credit card on 7 January 2015 that enables one to make payments by just waving the card near merchant terminals instead of swiping the same? – ICICI Bank Explanation: This type of card uses the near-field communication technology to provide customers improved convenience of speed and security over traditional cards as these cards can complete a transaction faster and be more secured as they remain with customer. ICICI Bank has introduced these two cards in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Gurgaon to begin with and it has installed over 1,200 PoS machines capable of accepting contactless payments in these cities. The bank launched two cards with the new technology – the Coral Contactless Credit Cards and the Expressions Wave Debit Cards – and both can also be used as regular cards at all merchant terminals (in other cities) 2) The shareholders of Kotak Mahindra Bank and ING Vysya Bank approved the proposal to merge ING Vysya Bank with Kotak Mahindra Bank. The management of the banks expects the new entity to be operational by 1 April 2015. In terms of total business, this new entity would be India’s …………….. largest private bank? – Fourth Explanation: The deal will make Kotak Mahindra the fourth-largest private bank in India, in terms of total business after ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank. The combined banking entity will have 1,214 branches in India. However, the merger needs regulatory approvals, including from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Competition Commission of India. ING Vysya Bank’s shareholders had approved the merger proposal on 7 January while shareholders of Kotak Mahindra gave their approval to the same on 8 January 2015. The top management of both banks had made the merger announcement on 20 November 2014. 3) The Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 8 January 2015 proposed e-IPO norms where investors can bid for shares through Internet and eventually on mobiles. This was done so as to boost fund raising from markets. What is the proposed timeline for listing of shares under e-IPO? – 2 to 3 days Explanation: Under the new norms, SEBI has proposed to drastically cut the timeline for listing of shares within 2-3 days of the IPO, as against 12 days currently. For already listed companies as well, SEBI has proposed a fast-track route for raising of funds through FPOs (Follow-on Public Offers) or Rights Offers (where funds can be raised from existing shareholders). The fast-track route of raising capital has been proposed for companies having public shareholding market valuation of as low as Rs. 250 crore, as against Rs. 3,000 crore currently. SEBI has invited public comments till January 30, after which it would put in place final norms for e-IPO as also for fast-track issuances. 4) Which airline was named as the world’s safest airline in a report published by AirlineRatings that was released on 7 January 2015? – Qantas (The national airline of Australia) Explanation: The remainder of the top 10 spots in this list in terms of the world’s safest airlines were Air New Zealand, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, Finnair, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines. Qantas, which is in its 95th year of operation, was hailed for “an extraordinary record of firsts” in terms of its safety history and ranked the best of 449 airlines, including low-cost carriers, assessed by the website. AirlineRatings praised Qantas for the way it monitors the engines of its aircraft using satellite communications, saying “doing so allows the airline to detect problems before they become a major safety issue”. Qantas was founded in 1920 and it began its international services in 1935. 5) Virat Kohli became the highest scorer in a Test series in Australia as he passed 619 runs in the series on 8 January 2015 while batting in the first innings in the fourth and final test of the Test series against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Whose record of 619 runs he broke? – Rahul Dravid Explanation: Till now Rahul Dravid was the highest scorer in a Test series in Australia for the 619 runs he scored against it in the 2003-04 Test series. On 8 January Virat Kohli overtook Rahul Dravid as he surpassed 619 runs in the series. It is worth mentioning that Dravid took 8 innings to score 619 runs in 2003-04 while Kohli took 7 to reach surpass this. Kohli scored his fourth century of the test series and was dismissed for 147 on 9 January 2015. 6) Which Indian diplomat was appointed as Under-Secretary-General in a department of the United Nations (UN) as announced by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 7 January 2015? – Atul Khare Explanation: Atul Khare is a former Indian Foreign Service officer and AIIMS graduate and he was appointed Under-Secretary-General, Department of Field Support (DFS). He succeeded Ameerah Haq of Bangladesh. Khare has a long senior career with the U.N., most recently as Assistant Secretary-General leading the Change Management Team (2011-2012) and Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations and Deputy Head of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations in New York (2010-2011). He was previously Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Timor-Leste and Head of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) at the level of Under-Secretary-General (2006-2009).
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 05:19:28 +0000
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