Indian Senior Women Hockey Team Coach Inderjit Singh Gill Died

India's senior women's hockey team coach Inderjit Singh Gill passed away in a fatal road accident near Sangrur in Punjab on 20 November 2013. Gill died at the age of 59. He was a Sports Authority of India (SAI) coach. 

 About Inderjit Singh Gill 

 Inderjit Singh Gill, Coach of Sports Authority of India who did his NIS Diploma of Coaching in 1979 started his coaching career in 1986 and was working with the Junior & Senior Women hockey teams since 1999. 

 He was also part of the Coaching staff of the Senior Women Team that won Silver medal at the 3rd Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2013 in Japan. 

 He was also part of the Indian Women Team in the major tournaments including Commonwealth Games in 2002 Manchester, Asian Games in 2002 Busan, Asia Cup in 2007 Hong Kong, FIH Olympic Qualifying Tournament in 2012 New Delhi and 2013 FIH World League Round 2 in New Delhi.

Darvis Patton, the US sprinter and two time Olympic Medalist retired

Darvis Patton, the US sprinter on 18 November 2013 announced his retirement after 13 years career. He won the Olympic silver medal as part of the 4x100 relay teams in the 2004 Athens Olympics and in London Olympics in 2012. He was a part of the team of US that won the sprint relay gold at the Paris world championship and Osaka in 2003 and 2007, respectively. About Darvis Patton • He became the sixth fastest man to run 100 meters at the 2013 Texas Relays • He was elected to the USATF Board of Directors as the Athletes Advisory Committee representative in 2012 • He was born in 4 December 1977

Darvis Patton, the US sprinter and two time Olympic Medalist retired

Darvis Patton, the US sprinter on 18 November 2013 announced his retirement after 13 years career. He won the Olympic silver medal as part of the 4x100 relay teams in the 2004 Athens Olympics and in London Olympics in 2012. He was a part of the team of US that won the sprint relay gold at the Paris world championship and Osaka in 2003 and 2007, respectively. About Darvis Patton • He became the sixth fastest man to run 100 meters at the 2013 Texas Relays • He was elected to the USATF Board of Directors as the Athletes Advisory Committee representative in 2012 • He was born in 4 December 1977

MCX signed MoU with China’s DCE

Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (MCX) signed an agreement with China based Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) on 20 November 2013. Both Commodity future exchanges alliance will boost the strategic co-operation. The agreement is designed to facilitate potential collaboration in areas such as knowledge sharing, research and price risk management. The move will also foster the development of communication channels for the sharing of information between the exchanges. About MCX The Multi Commodity Exchange of India Limited (MCX), India’s first listed exchange, is a state-of-the-art, commodity futures exchange that facilitates online trading, and clearing and settlement of commodity futures transactions, thereby providing a platform for risk management. The Multi Commodity Exchange, which started operations in November 2003, operates within the regulatory framework of the Forward Contracts Regulation Act, 1952 (FCRA, 1952). About DCE Founded on 18 November 1993, Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) is one of the four futures exchanges under the supervision and administration of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) upon the approval of the State Council, and also the only futures exchange in Northeast China.

Rapid Metro-India's First Private Metro service started operation from Gurgaon, Haryana

Rapid Metro-India's First Private Metro service started operation from Gurgaon, Haryana on 14 November 2013. Rapid Metro is India's first fully privately financed Metro system connecting NH-8 to Delhi Metro via Cyber City, Gurgaon. Rapid Metro, with an elevated route and six stations with a frequency of every four minutes, can carry 800 passengers in each trip. The 5.1 km long route covers six stations-Sikanderpur, Phase-2, Belvedere Towers, Cyber City, Moulsari Avenue and Phase 3. The Rapid Metro is using a common ticketing system with Delhi Metro. The launch of Rapid Metro Gurgaon will boost connectivity within Cyber City, which is the corporate and the retail hub of Gurgaon -nearly one lakh people work or visit the hub each day. About Rapid Metro Rail System Rapid Metro is a metro rail system in the Indian city of Gurgaon, Haryana, linked with the Delhi Metro system's Yellow Line. Built and operated by Rapid MetroRail Gurgaon Limited (RMGL), the system is India's first fully privately financed metro. It was built at a cost of 1100 crore rupees and construction was completed in 30 months. Originally planned to open in 2012, the first phase of the system opened on 14 November 2013. The metro is the country’s first have been to built on the public-private partnership model. The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) provided the land and the infrastructure was built by Rapid Metro, a partnership between IL&FS and construction major DLF. The project has been leased to Rapid Metro for 99 years.

Abdulla Yameen sworn in as the President of Maldives

Abdulla Yameen has been sworn in as the 6th President of the Maldives on 17 November 2013. The Chief Justice of Maldives, Ahmad Faiz at a special session of the Parliament in Male administered the oath of office to Abdulla Yameen. Mohammad Jameel was sworn in as vice-President. Yameen (54) a candidate of Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) secured 51.39 percent of votes, whereas the opposition leader and the former President Mohamed Nasheed received 48.61. Election Commission of Maldives, declared the results of the election on 16 November 2013 in which it declared Yameen, the half-brother of former autocratic ruler Maumoon Abdul Gayoom as the President elect. Abdulla Yameen’s sworn in has ended the two years of political turmoil that was threatened to isolate the country internationally. The Maldives was witnessing the political turmoil, since Nasheed resigned under pressure in February 2012 because of a controversial transfer of power.

Redek Stepanek clinched Davis Cup for Czech Republic

The Czech Republic on 17 November 2013 defended the Davis Cup title 2013 after Redek Stepanek defeated the Serbian Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-1, 6-1 in the fifth rubber of the final by BNP Paribas Final in Belgrade. With the win Stepanek handed the win too Czech Republic 3-2. With this win, Stepanek became the third player in the history to win Two Davis Cup Finals live fifth singles rubbers. He is also the first man to do so on consecutive occasions after bypassing Serbian youngster Dusan Lajovic for the loss of just five games. In 2012, he defeated Nicolas Almagro in the fifth rubber of the 100th Final in Prague. Only France’s Henri Cochet (1927, 1929 and 1931) and Britain’s Fred Perry (1933, 1936) have won two Davis Cup Final live fifth singles rubbers before - Radek Stepanek

Children's Day Observed Across India on 14 November

14 November: Children’s Day in India

Children's Day was celebrated in India on 14 November 2013 in order to commemorate the birth anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964), the first Prime Minister of India after Independence. The day is celebrated to commemorate the affection of Jawaharlal Nehru towards children.

Children’s Day across the World

• The United Nations recognised 20 November as the Universal Children's Day in the year 1954. This was done in order to create attentiveness on the development of children. 

• The World Conference held in Geneva, Switzerland in the year 1925, had recognised 1 June as the International Children's Day. However, the United Nationals General Assembly approved 20 November as the Universal Children's Day. 

Children’s Day Celebrations in India

Children’s Day is celebrated in India with various innovative activities at schools. 

Competitions, poems, feast and dance are organised by community groups and schools in order to mark the event. 

Also, the Children’s Day festivals are organised, in which the focus remains on education, recreation, cultural, economic and health needs of the children.

Paras Ajmera resigned from MCX Board

Paras Ajmera, Director of Multi-Commodity Exchange (MCX) resigned from the board on 12 November 2013.

Paras Ajmera is a nominee of promoter Financial Technologies India Ltd (FTIL) to the board of directors of Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (MCX).

MCX on 13 November 2013 informed the BSE that FTIL had withdrawn the nomination of Paras Ajmera, a shareholder director, from the board with effect from 12 November 2013, consequent to his resignation from the MCX Board.

The resignation came amid the continuing 5600 crore Rupees payment crisis at the FTIL-promoted National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL). Paras Ajmera was the only FTIL representative on the MCX Board after FTIL’s founder Jignesh Shah resigned from the board in October 2013.

About MCX

The Multi Commodity Exchange of India Limited (MCX), India’s first listed exchange, is a state-of-the-art, commodity futures exchange that facilitates online trading, and clearing and settlement of commodity futures transactions, thereby providing a platform for risk management.

 

The Multi Commodity Exchange, which started operations in November 2003, operates within the regulatory framework of the Forward Contracts Regulation Act, 1952 (FCRA, 1952).

NASA Cassini Spacecraft provided New View of Saturn and Earth

NASA in November 2013 released a natural-color image of Saturn from space, the first in which Saturn, its moons and rings, and Earth, Venus and Mars, all are visible. The panoramic mosaic of the majestic Saturn system was taken by Cassini Spacecraft of the NASA. It shows the view that can be seen by the human eyes. It was unveiled at the Newseum in Washington on 12 November 2013. 

To create the panorama, the image team of Cassini processed 141 wide-angle images. The image sweeps 404880 miles across Saturn and its inner ring system, which includes Saturn rings out to the E ring, the second outermost ring of Saturn. 

On July 19, people for the first time had advance notice a spacecraft taking the picture from planetary distance during the Cassini’s Wave at Saturn campaign. During the campaign, NASA invited public to celebrate by finding Saturn in their part of the sky, waving at the ringed planet and sharing pictures over the internet. 

 

An annotated version of the Saturn system mosaic labels points of interest. Earth is a bright blue dot to the lower right of Saturn. Venus is a bright dot to Saturn’s upper left. Mars also appears, as a faint red dot, above and to the left of Venus. Seven Saturnian moons are visible, including Enceladus on the left side of the image. Zooming into the image reveals the moon and the icy plume emanating from its south pole, supplying fine, powder-sized icy particles that make up the E ring.

The E ring shines like a halo around Saturn and the inner rings, because it is tenuous and can be seen with the light shine from behind it. 

About the Cassini Spacecraft

Cassini Spacecraft was launched in 1997 and explored the Saturn system for more than nine years. NASA has planned to continue the mission through 2017 with the anticipation of many more images of Saturn, its rings and moons, along with scientific data.  

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and Italian Space Agency. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manage the mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL designed, developed and assembled the Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. 

Haryana Launched its First Food Bank at Gurgaon with Support from Cargill

Haryana, on 11 November 2013, launched its first food bank in order to give assistance to the different feeding programmes in Gurgaon as well as nearby areas. The food bank received support by global food major Cargill and India Food Banking Network (IFBN), which is initiated by Sam Pitroda, Advisor to Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations.

The Haryana Industries Minister, Randeep Singh Surjewala explained that Haryana recently adopted the National Food Security Ordinance in order to ensure that people have adequate quantity as well as quality of food at reasonable prices. 

The new Gurgaon Food Bank targets sustained daily feeding of approximately 10000 beneficiaries by 2014 in the Gurgaon region. It is estimated that if replicated on a national level, this model will play a crucial role in eliminating the hunger completely from the country by the year 2020.

Yogesh Agarwal, the Chairman of PFRDA Resigned; Anup Wadhawan Took Over

The Chairman of Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), Yogesh Agarwal resigned from the post of Chairman on 13 November 2013. He resigned because of the Government’s decision to not allow him to be a part of the selection panel for members of the regulator.

In the meanwhile, Joint Secretary Anup Wadhawan was appointed as the new Chairman of PFRDA by the Finance Ministry. It is important to note that Yogesh Agarwal had one and half years more as his tenure of the Chairman. 

Inclusion of Chairman in the Selection Panel as Per the PFRDA Act 2013

The selection panel members include Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram, Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Takru, Department of Personnel and Training Secretary Syamal Kumar Sarkar, Chairman of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), TS Vijayan, former LIC Chairman S B Mathur. According to the PFRDA Act 2013, the body should include the Chairperson and not more than six members (out of which three should be the full-time members), to be appointed by the Union Government of India. 

Term of the Chairman of PFRDA

The Chairman as well as every full-time member of PFRDA holds the office for the term of five years. Also, the Chairman and members are eligible for reappointment. The age limit for a Chairman of PFRDA is 65 years and that of the full-time members is 62 years. Part-time members, in the meanwhile, can hold the office for the term not exceeding five years from the date of joining the office.

Oceans acidifying at Unprecedented Rate: International Scientific Study

A report released in second week of November 2013 claimed that the world's oceans are becoming more acidic at an unprecedented rate. The oceans of the world are becoming hot, sour and breathless due to the impact of the greenhouse gases. As per the new report from scientists, the way those changes work together is creating a very serious outlook for global water. 

The scientists from the International Biosphere Geosphere Programme said that the human emissions of Carbon Dioxide are the matter to be blamed. The human activities add 24 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide to the World’s ocean every day. These emissions will have a profound effect on the chemistry of sea water. 

The increasing acidity of the oceans is making the life of the marine organisms hard. The acidity is happening in the polar oceans at a higher speed, where the cold water holds the larger amount of CO2. The researchers and scientists claim that by the end of this century the acid effect would be global and scientists warn, at least 30 per cent of ocean species will be unable to survive.

The acidification of the ocean has increased at an unprecedented rate in the past 300 million years. The scientists have calculated that the world oceans have became 26 percent more acidic since 1880 due to the increase of carbon in the water.