Daily GK Updates:3rd Sept 2014

1.    Justice HL Dattu to be Next Chief Justice of India

i. Justice HL Dattu is all set to be the next Chief Justice of India. The government moved with great speed earlier this week to clear his appointment.

ii. CJI RM Lodha retires on the 27th of this month after which Justice Dattu will have a tenure of more than a year till December 2015.

iii. Justice Dattu joined the apex court as a judge in 2008. Born on December 13, 1950, he enrolled as an advocate in 1975 and began practising in Bangalore.

iv. He dealt in all types of matters, be it civil, criminal, tax or even Constitutional cases. From 1983 onwards he appeared in various capacities before the Karnataka High Court including as government pleader for sales tax department, standing counsel for Income Tax department and later as government advocate.

v. After two CJIs retiring in one year, Justice Dattu's will be a relatively extended tenure. While Justice Sathasivam - now tipped to be appointed as a Governor - retired in April this year, CJI Lodha will be the second top judge hanging his boots.

2.    Former Attorney General of India Goolam Essaji Vahanvati died

i. Former Attorney General of India Goolam Essaji Vahanvati died of a heart attack in Mumbai on 2 September 2014. He was 65.

ii. He was the first Muslim to become India's Attorney General.

Goolam Essaji Vahanvati
•    Born on 7 May 1949, Goolam Essaji Vahanvati obtained a law degree from Government Law College in Mumbai after graduating from St Xavier’s College.
•    He began his practice as an advocate in his father’s chambers in 1972.
•    He became the advocate general of Maharashtra in 1999.
•    He served as the solicitor general of India from 2004 to 2009.
•    In 2004, he was appointed by the International Cricket Council to probe the allegations of racism in Zimbabwe. 
•    He became India's 13th Attorney General in 2009 under UPA-2 regime

3.    India slips to 71st rank in global competitiveness list

i. India has slipped to 71st position, in an annual global competitiveness list, where Switzerland remains on top. 
ii. As per the list, released by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum, India comes the lowest among BRICS countries. 
iii. The Global Competitiveness Report 2014-15, says Switzerland is the most competitive economy, followed by Singapore and United States. 
iii. China, which has improved its position by one place to 28th spot, leads the BRICS grouping.

4.    TCS re-appoints N Chandrasekaran as CEO

i. India’s largest software services firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on Wednesday said the tenure of its Chief Executive Officer and MD N Chandrasekaran has been extended by five years to October 2019.

ii. Chandrasekaran, who was appointed CEO and MD for five years on October 6, 2009, has been re-appointed for another five years, TCS said in a statement.

5.    RBI curbs banking operations of Choundeshwari Sahakari Bank

i. The RBI has issued directions to The Choundeshwari Sahakari Bank Ltd of Kolhapur, Maharashtra that will require the bank to seek prior approval for its banking business.

ii. “In particular, depositors of the bank will be able to withdraw a sum not exceeding Rs. 1,000/- (Rupees one thousand only) of the total balance held in every savings bank or current account or any other deposit account by whatever name called, subject to the conditions stipulated in the RBI Directions,” RBI said in a statement.

iii. As per the directions a copy of which is displayed on the bank's premises for perusal by interested members of the public, the bank, from the close of business on August 30, 2014, cannot, without prior approval in writing from the RBI

 i) grant or renew any loans and advances,

ii) make any investment, incur any liability including borrowal of funds and acceptance of fresh deposits,

iii) disburse or agree to disburse any payment whether in discharge of its liabilities and obligations or otherwise, iv) enter into any compromise or arrangement and sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of any of its properties or assets except as notified in the RBI Directions dated August 28, 2014.

v. The bank will continue to undertake banking business with restrictions till its financial position improves.

6.    Vinod Mehta selected for G K Reddy Memorial Award 2014

i. Vinod Mehta, eminent journalist and Editorial Chairman of Outlook group, was selected for G K Reddy Memorial Award 2014. The award was announced by the TSR Foundation on 2 September 2014 and the award will be presented in New Delhi in December 2014.

ii. He was selected for this award for his outstanding contribution in the field of Journalism. He is one the popular editors in India, who launched successful publications including The Sunday Observer, The Independent and The Pioneer.  He also authored the biographies of actress Meena Kumari and politician Sanjay Gandhi.

7.    Former Foreign Secretary A.P. Venkateswaran died

i. Former foreign secretary and a member of the Indian Foreign Service AP Venkateshwaran died on 2 September 2014. He was 84. 
ii. He is survived by wife Usha Venkateshwaran and daughter Kalpana who is a well-known choreographer settled in the US.

8.    Israel to take over West Bank land

i. Israel on 31 August 2014 announced to take over West Bank land. The area will be named as Gevaot.  
ii. The land portion is located south of Bethlehem. The seizure of the land is said to be the largest seizure by Israel in last 30 years.
iii. Israel will expropriate 4 sq km (1.5 sq miles) of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank. Israel Government planned to build on the land, while Palestinian officials claimed that the land include many olive groves.
iv. The move was a response to the kidnapping and killing of three Jewish teenagers in the area in June 2014.

9.    BCCI signs five-year agreement with MRF Pace Foundation

i. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will send pace bowlers to the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai for training. Both signed a five-year agreement in this regard today.

ii. Glenn McGrath, director of the foundation and former Australian pace bowler, will train the players. McGrath who played for Australia for 14 years was himself trained in the foundation under Dennis Lillee in 1992. For a fast bowler, skill, fitness and attitude are important said McGrath.

Note: The BCCI will divide some of the India’s best and upcoming pace bowlers into two categories – Elite and Probables. Elite will include those selected by the BCCI to play official matches. There will be a maximum of ten trainees in each camp of two weeks.

10.  US Open: Sania Mirza-Cara Black in semi final

i. Sania Mirza and her Zimbabwean partner Cara Black reached the Semi Final of Women's Doubles of the US open Tennis Tournament. 
ii. Third seed Indo-Zimbabwean pair had an easy day out as Kazakh- Chinese pair of Zarina Diyas and Yi-Fan Xu retired from the match at score 1-6, 0-1.

iii. In the Mixed Doubles semi final event to be played later in the evening, Sania Mirza and her Mixed Double Brazilian partner Bruno Soares will take on Yung-Jan Chan from Chinese Taipei and Brit Ross Hutchins.

11.  India win 4th ODI against England, clinch series; Rahane hits maiden ton

i. India defeated England by 9 wickets in the penultimate ODI at Birmingham last night, to claim the 5-match series. 
ii. It was India's third successive victory after the first one dayer was abandoned due to rain without a ball being bowled. The victory has also made Mahendra Singh Dhoni India's most successful ODI captain. 
iii. With 91 wins from 162 matches, Dhoni surpassed Mohammed Azharuddin who had led India to triumph 90 times in 174 games.