1.
RBI plans to reduce banks' requirement of investing in g-secs in calibrated manner
i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is planning to reduce banks' requirement of investing in government securities (G-Secs) in a calibrated way. This will help to ensure the flow of credit to productive sectors of the economy.
ii. One of the mandates for the Reserve Bank in the RBI Act is ensuring the flow of credit to productive sectors of the economy. In this context, it is necessary to reduce banks' requirements of investing in g-secs in a calibrated way, to what is strictly needed from a prudential perspective.
iii. It is recognised that the scope for such reduction will increase as government finances improve. Further, as the penetration of other financial institutions, such as pension funds and insurance companies increases, it will be possible to reduce the need for commercial banks to invest in g-secs,” said RBI in the Trend and Progress of Banking in India 2012-13.
iv. The Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR), the portion of total deposits banks are required to park in g-secs is currently at 24.5%. v. “Current regulations require banks to bring down their SLR securities in Held To Maturity (HTM) category from 25% to 23% of their Net Demand and Time Liabilities (NDTL) in a progressive manner in a prescribed time frame.
vi. The requirement stood at 24.5% as at end June 2013. It has now been decided to relax this requirement by allowing banks to retain SLR holdings in HTM category at 24.5% until further instructions,” RBI said in August.
vii. Experts see the reduction in banks' requirement of investing in g-secs gradually so that the government borrowing programme is not hampered. “The only way to do this is to do it in a calibrated manner over a period of time.
viii. According to few experts the further reduction of banks' requirement in g-secs seems more likely when the Foreign Institutional Investors (FII) limit for investing in g-secs is enhanced. “ To be Basel III compliant RBI would want to reduce the SLR portion.
2.
India Vietnam ink pact to expand oil exploration in South China Sea 
i. India and Vietnam signed eight agreements on 20 November 2013 in areas of defence and security, oil exploration, civil aviation and scientific research. India will also assist Vietnam in the modernization and training of the defence and security forces of Vietnam and agreed to give a 100 million dollar line of credit to Vietnam for defence purchases.
ii. The agreements were signed by Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Nguyen Phu Trong in New Delhi after delegation level talks.
iii. Under the MoU, the PetroVietnam, Vietnam state company, was also invited to participate in open blocks in India and in third countries. OVL is already in joint venture with PetroVietnam in three oil blocks close to the disputed Spratly Islands known as Nansha Islands in China.
iv. Despite China's objections to Indian oil exploration in South China Sea, Vietnam has been asserting that India has the right to pursue oil exploration there as they were within Vietnamese "exclusive economic zone".
v. "India will continue to assist Vietnam in modernization and training of its defence and security forces, including through a USD 100 million line of credit for defence purchases," he said.
3.
Japan Emperor, wife to visit India from Nov 30
i. Fifty-three years after their trip to India as Crown Prince and Crown Princess, Japanese Emperor Akihito and his wife Empress Michikowill arrive here on a six-day visit beginning November 30 with an aim to further strengthening bilateral ties.
ii. This will be the first time of an Emperor and Empress of Japan to India.
iii. The visit will immeasurably expand and strengthen the India-Japan strategic and global partnership,” the Ministry of External Affairs said.
iv. The Royal couple will be in India at the invitation of President Pranab Mukherjee.
v. They will meet the country’s top leadership including the President and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and are likely to discuss bilateral, regional and international issues. They will also visit Chennai.
vi. The two sides had also decided to accelerate talks on a civil nuclear deal to allow Japan to export nuclear reactors to India and to bolster maritime security cooperation.
vii. In the financial year 2011-12, India-Japan bilateral trade reached USD 18.43 billion.
4.
Uruguay become the last team to qualify for 2014 World Cup
i. Uruguay became Wednesday the last team to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, with a goal-less draw against Jordan in the return leg of their play-off in Montevideo.
ii. The Uruguayan side made the most of their 5-0 win last week in Amman and just went through the motions to seal their qualification before a full-capacity crowd of 55,000 at the Centenario stadium.
iii. Uruguay, who came fourth in South Africa 2010 and went on to win the Copa America a year later, struggled through the South American qualifiers and failed to get one of the region’s four direct World Cup berths.
iv. However, the team with Edinson Cavani, Suarez and Diego Lugano, among other world-class players, were quick to make amends in the first leg of the play-off.
v, This was Uruguay’s fourth consecutive World Cup play-off. They won three and lost one, against Australia ahead of Germany 2006.
vi. Uruguay will have the benefit of being seed in next month’s World Cup draw. Brazil 2014 is set to mark the first time Uruguay, the 1930 and 1950 world champions, play back-to-back World Cups since 1986-90.
5.
Malala receives EU's Sakharov human rights prize
i. Malala Yousafzai on Wednesday received the EU's prestigious Sakharov human rights prize for her brave crusade for the right of the children to education.
ii. The European Parliament President Martin Schulz presented the award to the 16-year-old at a ceremony in Strasbourg, France.
iii. Malala, who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this year, dedicated the award to "the unsung heroes of Pakistan" and to human rights campaigners worldwide.
iv. The 50,000-euro (USD 65,000) prize is considered Europe's top human rights award. Malala joins a distinguished list of winners of the prize that includes South Africa's Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar.
v. She became internationally known after the Pakistan Army pushed the Taliban out of the area in 2009.
6.
Kauwboy won the Golden Elephant Award in International Children's Film Festival
i. The 18th International Children's Film Festival concluded on 20 November 2013 in Hyderabad. A Dutch Film named Kauwboy, directed by Boudewijn Koole won the Golden Elephant Award for best film in the 'International Live Action' category. The film is about a 10 year old boy and a bird.
ii. The Golden Plaque for second-best film in the same section was won by a German film Das Pferd Auf Dem Balkon or A horse on the Balcony. The Jury Prize for the best artwork was won by a Hindi film Goopi Gawaiya Bagha Bajaiya directed by Shilpa Ranade.
iii. Ernest Et Celestine won the award for the Best Animation Feature and Zarafa won the Golden Plaque for the second best animation film in the International Animation Competition section that has been added in 2013.
iv. During the film festival, Batul Mukthiar received the best director award for his film Kaphal in the International Live Action. The best screenplay award went to Nono-The Zigzag Kid.
7.
V. Baskaran appointed as Coach of the Senior Men Hockey Team
i. Hockey India on 20 November 2013 appointed the former Olympic gold-medallist V Baskaran as Coach of the Senior Men Hockey Team. Baskaran will work under the recently appointed Chief Coach Terence Walsh.
ii. Hockey India on 15 October 2013 appointed the Terence Walsh as Chief Coach of the Senior Men National Hockey Team.
About V Baskaran Vasudevan Baskaran who was the captain of the team that won the gold medal at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow has 287 internationals caps and has represented India in the Olympic Games in 1976 Montreal, two World Cups in 1973 Amsterdam (Silver) and in 1978 Buenos Aires, two Asian Games in 1974 Tehran (Silver) and in 1978 Bangkok (Silver) and Champions Trophy in 1978 Pakistan (Bronze).
8.
Indian Senior Women Hockey Team Coach Inderjit Singh Gill Died
i. 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
i.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.
ii. 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.
9.
Frederick Sanger the two time Chemistry Nobel Prize winner died
i. Frederick Sanger, a British biochemist who is the only person to win Nobel Prize two times for Chemistry died on 19 November 2013 in Cambridge, eastern England. He was aged 95.
ii. For the first time, he won the Nobel Prize in 1958 for development of the methods, which helped to unravel the chemical structure of Protein, mainly insulin. Second Nobel Prize was given to him in 1980, jointly with Walter Gilbert and Paul Berg for the development of the techniques to read the sequences of DNA, which carries the basic code for life.
About Frederick Sanger
• Frederick Sanger was born on 13 August 1918 at Rendcombe in Gloucestershire
• He worked with Dr. A. Neuberger on the metabolism of the amino acid lysine and obtained a Ph.D. degree in 1943 - See more at: http://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/frederick-sanger-the-two-time-chemistry-nobel-prize-winner-died-1385023719-1#sthash.ZntZtsPr.dpuf
10.
Kushal Das becomes AIFF Gen Secy for a second term
i. The All India Football Federation on Wednesday re-appointed its General Secretary Kushal Das for a second term of another three years in its Executive Committee meeting in New Delhi.
ii. Das, who had served as Chief Financial Officer of the ICC and International Management Group (IMG) India, was appointed as AIFF General Secretary in November 2010.
iii. The Executive Committee also approved the recommendations of AIFF Technical Committee, headed by former captain Bhaichung Bhutia, to extend the contract of national team coach Wim Koevermans and Technical Director Rob Baan by one year.
iv. "The Executive Committee re-appointed Kushal Das as the General Secretary of AIFF for another three years.
11.
Sandhu named chief boxing coach till 2016 Olympics
i. The long-serving Gurbax Singh Sandhu was on Wednesday retained as the national coach of the men's Indian boxing team till the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
ii. This decision was taken in consultation with the Sports Authority of India at New Delhi recently," the IBF, which is currently suspended, said in a statement.
iii. Sandhu, under whose guidance India won its first Olympic and World Championships medal through Vijender Singh (75kg), has been with the team for two decades.
iv. Sandhu, who was first appointed as the chief coach in 1993, was picked for a fresh term by a committee under the IBF President Abhishek Matoria.
v. Sandhu has been with the team in four Olympics so far, including the 2008 Beijing Games where Vijender got India its first medal in boxing -- a bronze.
12.
14th Year-old Prithvi slams superb 546 in Harris Shield match
i. 14-year-old Mumbai teenager Prithvi Shaw created a national record on Wednesday, hitting an astonishing 546 playing for Rizvi Springfield against St Francis D'Assisi Borivali in an inter-school match for the prestigious Harris Shield in Mumbai.
ii. Touted as one of the bright young prospects emerging out of Mumbai school of batsmanship, the state U-16 captain Prithvi hit 85 boundaries and five sixes in the match played at the Azad Maidan.
iii. In the process, Shaw became the first schoolboy cricketer to hit a 500 plus score in an official inter-school match.
iv. Prithvi eclipsed his senior schoolmate and former India opener Wasim Jaffer's nephew Arman's score of 498, which he scored a few years back.
v. His personal coach is Raju Pathak and father Pankaj Shaw has been everything for the boy, who lost his mother when he was only four years old.
vi. From the age of eight, he used to travel around 70 kms from suburban Virar to be in time for his coaching camp and matches in Mumbai Maidans.
vii. With performances like these, there is a possibility that the junior selection committee under the chairmanship of Connor Williams will be seriously thinking about Shaw with the Under-19 World Cup in mind next year.
13.
Darvis Patton, the US sprinter and two time Olympic Medalist retired
i. 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.
ii.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
14.
Ashes series begins at the Gabba, Brisbane
i. The opening Test match of the Ashes Series began at Gabba, Brisbane this morning.Australia won the toss and chose to bat to begin their defence of an unbeaten Test record at the Gabba since 1988-89.
ii. The hosts are bidding to stop England completing their best Ashes run in 123 years.George Bailey is debuting for Australia and has become Australia's 436th Test cap and England's Matt Prior has been called fit for the wicket keeping role.