Daily Current Affairs : 13th December 2013

1. India clinched the women's Kabaddi World Cup championship for the third time in a row, defeating debutant New Zealand 49-21 in the summit clash played at Guru Gobind Singh sports complex in Jalandhar on Thursday. The Indian eves led their New Zealand counterparts for most part of the match and held out a strong challenge by the visitors in the second half, on course to a resounding win. The Indian team took home a first-place prize of Rs one crore. Anu Rani was adjudged the best stopper while Ram Bateri was declared the best raider. Both received a Maruti Alto car each.

2. The C Rangarajan panel recommended the guidelines prescribing bailout packages for developers of highway projects and the task of implementation lie with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). The panel recommended that 75% of the premium amount payable to the government will be restricted in the first three years of the contract. The panel’s recommendations, if accepted, will lead to huge reduction in the premium payment in the first years. As a result, it will provide relief to the developers like GMR Infrastructure Ltd and GVK Power and Infrastructure Ltd and 23 other road developers.

3. BJP leader Vasundhara Raje was on 13 December 2013 sworn in as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan for the second time. Vasundhara Raje was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Margaret Alva during a grand swearing-in ceremony inside the Assembly building premises in Jaipur. In 2013 Rajasthan Assembly elections Baratiya Jananta Party has won 162 out of 199 seats. Vasundhara Raje is elected from Jhalrapatan (Jhalawar) constituency.

4. Wal-Mart India has appointed Krish Iyer as President and CEO of Walmart India, effective January 20, 2014, replacing interim CEO Ramnik Narsey. Iyer will report to Walmart Asia regional president and CEO Scott Price. Ramnik Narsey is taking a new role as senior vice president, Walmart International. Ramnik will report to David Cheesewright, the incoming President and Chief Executive Officer for Walmart International.

5. Eastern Army Command, Lieutenant General Dalbir Singh Suhag on 12 December 2013 was designated as the Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCoAS). He will take over from Lieutenant General SK Singh as the Vice Chief of Army Staff retires on 31 December 2013. He will be replaced by Lieutenant General MMS Rai at the Kolkata based Eastern Army Command. Lieutenant General Arun Kumar Sahni will head the Jaipur-based Southwestern Army Command.

6. Gujarat will soon have an exclusive sanctuary for cows near Porbandar, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, and animal “hostels” across the State to shelter cows owned by Maldharis (pastoralists) to keep their cattle away from urban roads. The sanctuary will be developed in a 1,200 hectare area to shelter about 10,000 cows of various breeds in Porbandar taluka. The sanctuary will also have a research and development centre and a plant to manufacture bio and organic fertilisers using cow dung and urine.

7. Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan has been named the 'most powerful celebrity of 2013' by Forbes India for the second time in a row. The 48-year-old actor has conquered the Top 100 celebrity list with the help of his popularity and earnings from his mega hit film 'Chennai Express' this year. Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni moved up from the third spot last year and has come in at the number two spot with his immense popularity and endorsement deals.

8. Fodder scam case: The Supreme Court today granted bail to RJD chief Lalu Prasad in a fodder scam case, in a relief to the politician who is behind the bars for the last two months after being awarded a five-year jail term. A bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam granted bail after noting that several other similarly placed convicts have already been granted bail in the case.

9. The Tata Relief Committee and the Government of Uttarakhand have signed a memorandum of understanding towards community rehabilitation and reconstruction in response to the impact of the floods and landslides in June 2013. The scope of the MoU includes an overall framework within which rehabilitation initiatives are to be implemented across themes of reconstruction, health, vocational skill training and enterprise based livelihoods. It also provides for formal allocation of nine villages across Rudraprayag, Uttarkashi and Pithoragarh to the Tata Relief Committee for overall reconstruction and rehabilitation.

10. Olympic medal-winning boxer M C Kom’s autobiography, titled Unbreakable was unveiled by the Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan on 9 December 2013. The government of India had awarded her with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2009, which is the country’s highest award given to a sportsman. She also received the Arjuna Award in 2003 and Padma Shree Award in 2006. She was also appointed the International Boxing Association’s Ambassador for Women’s Boxing in 2009. She won bronze at Summer Olympics held in London in 2012.

11. Islamist leader Abdul Kader Mullah of Bangladesh was executed on 12 December 2013. His execution was done at the Dhaka Central Jail at 22:01 local time. He was executed for genocides done during the Bangladesh’s 1971 liberation war with Pakistan. He was the first person convicted by Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) and the first politician to be hanged for such crimes. He was the senior leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party.

12. ICC Annual awards: Rising Test batsman Cheteshwar Pujara has bagged the 'Emerging Cricketer of the Year' trophy at the ICC Annual awards announced in Dubai today. This is his first ever ICC Award for Pujara who became the second fastest Indian to get 1000 Test runs during the course of his double hundred against Australia in March at Hyderabad. Another Indian to win ICC Annual award is Mahendra Singh Dhoni who gets LG People's Choice award. In total, there are eleven individual awards.

13. Devyani Khobragade, Deputy Consul General at the Indian Consulate here was today arrested for allegedly presenting fraudulent documents in support of a visa application for an Indian national employed by her, Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor Preet Bharara said. Khobragade is currently employed as the Deputy Consul General for Political, Economic, Commercial and Women’s Affairs at the Consulate General of India in New York.

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