Doctor who blocked thalidomide from release in the US dies at 101

Doctor who blocked thalidomide from release in the US dies at 101

Frances Oldham Kelsey had recently been appointed to the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest honours

She stalled a routine drug approval that could have resulted in thousands of disabled children being born in the US. Frances Oldham Kelsey had only just started working at the US Food and Drug Administration in 1960 when an approval request for thalidomide landed on her desk.

A PhD and medical doctor from the University of Chicago, Kelsey refused to approve its release in the US.

The drug was already widely used as a sleeping pill in Europe. But Kelsey had come across data which showed that patients who took the drug repeatedly suffered dangerous side effects.

As there was lack of clinical evidence about these side effects, Kelsey resisted pressure from the manufacturers and continued to withhold approval.

In 1961, the United Kingdom and Germany began reporting cases of women, who had taken thalidomide during pregnancy, giving birth to babies with defects.

Helen Taussig, an American paediatric cardiologist, went to Europe to investigate these cases. She confirmed that thalidomide had caused terrible deformities in children and testified to the US Senate. This evidence helped Kelsey stand by her decision to refuse approval to thalidomide and avert a tragedy in the US.

For her bold stand, Kelsey was given the President’s Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service in 1962 by the then president John F Kennedy. Kennedy acknowledged her contribution by stating that with “steadfast confidence” in her professional decision, “she has made an outstanding contribution to the protection of the health of the American people”.

Kelsey went on to become chief of the Division of New Drugs, director of the Division of Scientific Investigations, and deputy for Scientific and Medical Affairs, Office of Compliance of the US government.

She is credited with bringing about crucial amendments to FDA drug regulation laws to protect patients in drug investigations. With this, it became necessary to show drugs as both safe and effective. It also became necessary to obtain informed consent of patients in clinical trials.

Kelsey was born in District of Columbia in Canada in 1914. She died in Ontario on Friday, a day after a private ceremony was held to appoint her to the Order of Canada.

12 million people have no cooking arrangements in India, says study

12 million people have no cooking arrangements in India, says study

Author(s): Kundan Pandey

 According to the report, the situation has worsened over the years    

Around 12 million people in India have no proper cooking arrangements. The situation is worse in urban India where around seven per cent of households lack cooking arrangements while in rural India over one per cent of households is deprived of the facility.

The facts were revealed by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) report based on the 68th round of survey. Maharashtra (3.8 per cent) and Andhra Pradesh (2.7 per cent) are the top two states which reported “no cooking arrangement”, the survey says.

According to the report, the situation has worsened over the years. It says that 0.7 per cent of rural households lacked any cooking facility in 1993-94 which touched 1.3 per cent in 2012.

Similar is the situation in urban India where 6.3 per cent households did not have cooking arrangements around 20 years ago, but now the figure has reached 6.9 per cent.

The report says, “The proportion of rural households having no cooking arrangement shows a steady increase from 0.7 per cent in 1993-94 to 1.6 percent in 2009-10, but it marginally decreased after that. In this respect, there is no clear trend in urban areas, but the phenomenon of no cooking arrangement is seen to be considerably high.”

In urban areas, the highest proportion of households lacking cooking facility were seen in Karnataka (13.9 per cent), Tamil Nadu (9.2 per cent) and Andhra Pradesh (9.1 per cent), according to the report.

Urban-rural divide

The report highlights that the most common cooking fuel used in urban areas is liquified petroleum gas (68 per cent) while in rural India most households are dependent on firewood.

Chhattisgarh tops the list with 93.2 per cent of households using firewood for cooking. It is followed by Rajasthan (89.3 per cent) and Odisha (87.0 per cent).

At the all-India level, firewood is followed by LPG which is used by 15.0 per cent of households. Around 9.6 per cent and 1.1 per cent of rural households use dung cake and coke and coal respectively as primary sources of cooking. Around 4.9 per cent of households use other sources such as gobar gas, charcoal and electricity for cooking.

Major points in study

Use of coke and coal as the primary source of energy for cooking has been markedly reported in Jharkhand (31.1 per cent), West Bengal (13.5 per cent) and Chhattisgarh (11.3 per cent)

Nearly 40 per cent of urban households use LPG as the principal fuel for cooking in all major states. It is the highest in Haryana (86.5 per cent households), followed by Andhra Pradesh (77.3 per cent) and Punjab (75.4 per cent). It is the lowest in Chhattisgarh (39.8 per cent).

Compared to rural areas, use of kerosene as the primary source of energy for cooking is more prevalent in urban areas, especially in Gujarat (10.5 per cent), Maharashtra (10.1 per cent) and Punjab (10.0 per cent).

Sugar-stricken

Sugar-stricken

Author(s): Ananya Tewari

Reducing the intake of sugar as per the World Health Organization's recommendation is a must to lower the risk of non-communicable diseases

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently issued new guidelines that strongly recommend a reduction in the daily intake of “free sugar” to less than 10 per cent of the total energy requirement. It has also made a conditional recommendation of further lowering free sugar intake to less than 5 per cent per day, which is approximately 25 grams or 6 teaspoons for a moderately active child and adult. 

Free sugars are defined by WHO as monosaccharides such as glucose and fructose and disaccharides such as sucrose or table sugar. Free sugars also include natural sugars present in honey, fruit juices, syrups and fruit concentrate. Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and packaged foods contain high amounts of sugar. 

According to Francesco Branca, director, WHO’s Department of Nutrition for Health and Development, there are strong evidences to prove that a decrease in sugar intake can reduce the risks of overweight, obesity and tooth decay. WHO guidelines are aimed at reducing the risks of such non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

The problem of sugar intake is also reflected in a Delhi High Court ruling of March 18. Acting in response to a public interest petition of 2010, the court issued an order restricting junk food in schools. As per its verdict, the guidelines prepared by a committee set up by the Food Standards and Safety Authority of India (FSSAI) in 2014 should get implemented as regulation across the country within three months. One of the recommendations is to regulate the availability of junk food in schools. But this is not enough. Mere regulation of junk food could still leave room for its high consumption as FSSAI guidelines are not clear on the frequency of consumption and availability. What is needed is a ban on junk food in schools. 

Improve consumer awareness 

While WHO has strongly proposed less than 10 per cent of free sugar intake, health experts in the country say that we should aim for the conditional recommendation of less than 5 per cent and avoid SSBs such as soft drinks and packaged juices to meet the target. This is a practical suggestion as a typical Indian diet is rich in carbohydrate that gets converted into glucose, fulfilling the sugar requirement. There is no need for added sugars from processed and packaged foods such as chocolates, biscuits, soups and juices, says Seema Gulati, head, Nutrition Research Group National Diabetes, Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation (N-doc), New Delhi.

A 300 ml cola drink, for example, contains about 33 gm of sugar. Consumption of one such drink per day leaves no room for sugar from any other source as additional sugar is likely to add to obesity. 

Non-carbonated fruit drinks also contain similar or even higher amount of sugar. A 300 ml serving of the mango drink, Slice, contains about 45 gm of sugar. Sugary drinks such as colas and juices should be a big no, says Rekha Harish, head, pediatrics department, Government Medical College, Jammu.

Many processed foods contain hidden sugar to curb the unpalatable taste of preservatives. A teaspoon of tomato ketchup which is not considered sweet contains about 4 gm of sugar. It is, thus, important for the consumer to understand the exact amount of sugar present in such foods with reference to the recommended intake. Consumer awareness through detailed and clear labelling about the nutritional content can encourage people to opt for healthier alternatives, Gulati says. The Delhi High Court judgement recommends strengthening of labelling regulations by making nutritional information vis-à-vis the recommended daily allowance more prominent. A “front of pack” labelling prevalent in countries like the UK, Denmark, Sweden and Norway could be adopted in our country to support the labelling regulations. 

Advertising goes a long way in shaping consumers’ preferences. The court judgement also orders the regulation of advertisements and endorsement of junk foods by celebrities, especially those targeted at children. Canada, England, France, Sweden and Norway already have restrictions in place against the promotion of unhealthy foods.

Reduce sugar intake

Gulati emphasises the link between high sugar intake and increasing risk of NCDs. Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in India; 65 million people were affected by type-2 diabetes in 2013. “Major portion of high sugar consumed in the urban setting comes from sugar-sweetened beverages,” she adds.

NIN recommends 30 gm of sugar on an average per day for adults and children, says K Damayanthi, scientist at NIN. This is close to WHO’s recommendation. But sugar consumption in the country is increasing, resulting in health problems. “Sugar Intake, Obesity and Diabetes in India”, a study conducted by Gulati and Anoop Mishra, director and head, Department of Diabetology, Fortis Hospital, in 2014 found an increase of 10-65 per cent in obesity and overweight in the country as recorded in several Indian studies between 2005 and 2013. Gulati’s study cites an industry publication, according to which the volume of carbonated soft drinks in India nearly doubled between 2008 and 2013 and is projected to increase by over 47 per cent in 2018. Damayanthi agrees. “The intake of refined snacks and soft drinks is increasing in urban India, with adolescents being the most vulnerable to this kind of foods,” she adds.

Such grim statistics need to act as alarm bells and encourage people to give up on SSBs and packaged juices. “These drinks are empty calories and should be completely eliminated from the routine diet of children. And even if these are eliminated from school canteens, there should be some regulation on bakeries and vendors in the vicinity of schools,” Damayanthi says. She adds that traditional home-made food and snacks that have more fibres and proteins should be preferred instead of unhealthy food. 

Industry initiatives to reduce the high sugar present in SSBs have been limited. When asked about their nutritional value, Arvind Varma, secretary general, Indian Beverage Association, says that the focus of the industry is on balanced diet. One, however, fails to understand what nutrition can sugary beverages containing only high calories provide.

Beijing imposes traffic measures to curb air pollution

Beijing imposes traffic measures to curb air pollution

Author(s): Priyanka Chandola

Measures include prohibiting certain categories of vehicles from plying on roads depending on pollution levels and restricting traffic based on licence number plates

In its efforts to combat air pollution, the Beijing municipal government has decided to implement temporary traffic management measures whenever pollution levels in the city touch “unhealthy” highs.

The decision to implement such measures was taken on July 3 when the authorities observed that the air quality index (AQI) during June had reached unhealthy levels at most air quality monitoring stations. According to the Ministry of Environment Protection, the air quality in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in June was worse than in May though it had improved from last year.

Officials lay the blame on the increasing number of vehicles. The city has 5.6 million registered vehicles and the Beijing Clean Air Action Plan 2013-17 aims to control vehicle registration at less than 6 million by 2017. The plan also targets to reduce the PM2.5 annual average concentration to around 60 microgrammes per cubic metre (µg/m3) by 2017.

Orange alerts are issued when the AQI is between 100 and 150 µg/m3 and indicates unhealthy air quality for sensitive groups. During these alerts, construction debris and muck trucks, concrete tanks, gravel trucks and other heavy vehicles are prohibited on the roads of the administrative areas of the city throughout the day.

On red alert days, which indicate unhealthy, very unhealthy and hazardous air quality, these measures are extended to both government and private vehicles. All party and government organisations, city-owned community groups, public institutions and state-owned enterprises are expected to stop 80 per cent of their cars from plying on roads.

Another measure is based on odd and even licence plate numbers. Vehicles with odd licence plate numbers are allowed to ply in the administrative areas of the city on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday from 3 am to midnight. Vehicles with even licence plate numbers are allowed to ply on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Vehicles are also banned from 7 am to 9 am and 5 pm to 8 pm on all working days on the first five ring roads. Police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, public passenger vehicles, buses and electric vehicles are exempt from the odd-even number rules.

The city air pollution headquarters and the Municipal Emergency Committee offices will issue the orange and red alerts based on the air quality 24 hours in advance. This will be announced through television, radio and newspapers. Extensive publicity will be done through the Internet, cell phones and other channels to inform people about the measures.

Zimbabwe lifts ban on lion hunting

Zimbabwe lifts ban on lion hunting

Author(s): DTE Staff

Ban was imposed recently, in the wake of Cecil the lion’s death

Zimbabwe has lifted a hastily-imposed countrywide ban on lion, leopard and elephant hunting in the wake of Cecil the lion's death, though it remains in force in a limited area, according to a report on the website ‘AllAfrica.com’.

The ban was imposed on August 2 in the wake of global outrage over the illegal killing of Cecil by US dentist Walter Palmer outside Hwange National Park in western Zimbabwe.

“We are pleased to inform you that, following some useful discussions between operators and the relevant Zimbabwean authorities, the suspension has now been uplifted throughout the country, though there are some exceptions,” a statement from the Zimbabwe Professional Hunters and Guides Association, which was leaked last weekend, read.

Lion-hunting is still banned in the Antoinette farm that Cecil was killed in early July, another farm where a second lion was recently illegally hunted, and in two other areas.

The statement also notes that the Zimbabwe authorities appear to have banned all hunting of "collared iconic animals".

Cecil was wearing a collar when he was killed, and was the fourth or fifth collared lion in Hwange to be killed so far this year, according to conservationists. A second lion killed in July— whose death is also being investigated by the authorities—was not collared.

Accidental toxic spill in Colorado river continues to spread

Accidental toxic spill in Colorado river continues to spread

Author(s): DTE Staff

Authorities deny any threat to fish and other wildlife 

A toxic leak of water in the US' Colorado river has turned out to be many times larger than what it was first thought to be.

The spill in Cement Creek, a tributary of River Animas in Colorado, started on August 5, 2015 when the workers of US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were cleaning up the closed Gold King Mine.

"While excavating, loose material that had collapsed into the cave entry, the material gave way, opening the adit (mine tunnel) and spilling the water stored behind the collapsed material into Cement Creek, a tributary of the Animas River," says a statement on the website of EPA. While the agency first thought that approximately one million gallons had sneaked into the tributary, further investigations revealed a more dangerous number. " On August 8, the US Geological Survey measured increased flows for several hours using a stream gauge, an instrument that measures volume by measuring flow, which is much more precise. This measurement resulted in a provisional calculated flow volume of 3,043,067 gallons discharged from the Gold King Mine," said EPA.

In another statement, the agency had also stated that the no significant danger to wildlife, including fish in the Animas, has been found. 

The state, however, has not said anything clearly about threats to drinking water. "This is a tragic and unfortunate incident, and EPA is taking responsibility to ensure that it is cleaned up. The most important thing throughout this is ensuring the health and safety of the residents and visitors near the river," said EPA administrator Gina McCarthy.

CURRENT AFFAIRS AUG/17/2015

CURRENT AFFAIRS AUG/17/2015

1.  ABHISHEK VERMA GRABBED GOLD AT ARCHERY WORLD CUP:

i.  Indian Archer Abhishek Verma Grabbed Gold in the Archery World Cup state 3 competition at Wroclaw , Poland.

ii.  He defeated Esmaeil Ebade of Iran in the final.

2. DEEPIKA KUMARI AND MANGAL SINGH CLINCHED SILVER MEDAL

i.   Indian Recurve Pair Deepika Kumari and Mangal Singh won Silver medal at the World cup State 3 Competition at Wroclaw ,Poland.

ii.  They defeated pair of Mexican players Aida Roman and Juan Rene Serrano

3. ‘START UP INDIA STAND UP INDIA’ CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED BY PM:

i.  PM Narendra Modi flagged off a new campaign start up India, stand up India to promote Bank Financing.

ii.  The aim is to provide Banks financing for boosting new entrepreneurship

iii.  The scheme is launched on Independence Day

The Banks should encourage at least one Dalit, or tribal entrepreneur and at least one woman for entrepreneurship.

4. KERALA STATE AS ‘DIGITAL STATE’

i.  The Kerala Government has declared Kerala as ‘Digital State’

ii.  Kerala became the first state to achieve it.

iii.  Kerala has 100% mobile connectivity, 75% E-literacy and e-district plans in all district.

CM of Kerala –Oommen Chandy

Digital India mission was started by Narendra Modi.

CURRENT AFFAIRS AUG/16/2015

CURRENT AFFAIRS AUG/16/2015

1.  FISHERIES POLICY 2015 LAUNCHED BY ODISHA:

i.  Odisha Government approved ‘Fisheries Policy 2015’

ii.  The aim of new policy is to increase the productivity of fish from Island and marine

iii.  The Government aims to develop 15000 hectare of new ponds of fresh water.

i) China is the largest producer of fish in world and India is on 2^nd place.

ii) Andhra Pradesh tops in fish production among Indian States, Andra Pradesh is followed by West Bengal.

2. SANIA 1^ST INDIAN SHUTTLER TO WON SILVER MEDAL AT WORLD BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIP

i.   Indian Shuttler Sania Nehwal won Silver medal at World Badminton Championship in Jakarta Indonesia.

ii. She is the first Indian Shuttler to won silver medal at world Badminton Championship

iii.  Earlier in 1983 Shuttler Prakash Padukone was 1^st Indian to won Bronze.

3.  TAJ MAHAL BECOMES FIRST MONUMENT IN WORLD TO HAVE TWITTER ACCOUNT

i.  The Taj Mahal became the 1^st historical monument in the world to have a twitter account.

ii.  It is launched by Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav on 69^th Independence Day.

Tajmahal was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the remberance of his wife Mumtaj Mahal at Uttar Pradesh.

4. ‘INDRA-DHANUSH MISSION’ STARTED BY GOVERNMENT

i.  The union Government has launched Indradhanush mission to revamp functioning of Public Sector Banks.

ii.   It was launched by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley

iii.  It aims to achieve the objective of economic growth through improving credit and minimising the political interference in the functioning of Public Sector Banks.

iv.  The seven shades of Indradhanush includes appointments, deserting PSBs, Capitalization, Empowerment, Governance, accountability, Bank Board Bureau

CURRENT AFFAIRS AUG/15/2015

CURRENT AFFAIRS AUG/15/2015

1.  INDIAN MEN’S HOCKEY WON EUROPEAN SERIES

i.  India’s men Hockey team won European series after defeating Spain in the final at Spain.

Name of Indian Men’s Hockey Captain: Sardara Singh

Name of Indian Women’s Hockey Captain: Suraj Lata Devi

2. INDIA IMPOSED ANTI DUMPING DUTY ON POTASIUM CARBONATE

i.   India imposed Anti dumping duty on Potasium carbonate imports from Taiwan and South Korea

ii.  Potasium Carbonate is used in the manufacture of Lamps, TV picture tubes etc.

iii.  Anti Dumping Duty imposed by the government on imported products which have low prices as compared to domestic market.

iv.  World Trade Organization provides right to impose Anti Dumping Duty

3.  ‘GUJAR MAL MODI AWARD’ TO MUSTANSIR BARMA:

i.  Professor Mustansir Barma won Gujar Mal Modi Award for innovative science and Technology.

ii.  The Award is given for his contribution in the field of Science and Technology.

The award is given in the memory of Gujar Mal Modi who was an Scientist and made outstanding contribution in the field of Science and Technology.

4. ‘APJ ABDUL KALAM AWARD’ TO SCIENTIST N. VALARMATHI

i.  First APJ Abdul Kalam award, given to ISRO Scientist N.Valarmathi.

ii. The award was announced on the name of Former President APJ Abdul Kalam by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister after his death on 27^th July as a Tribute to people’s former President.

CM of Tamil Nadu: J. Jayalalitha

CURRENT AFFAIRS AUG/14/2015

CURRENT AFFAIRS AUG/14/2015

1.  ‘OM PRAKASH MUNJAL’ FOUNDER OF HERO CYCLE DIED

i. The founder of Hero Cycles Om Prakash Munjal Passed Away.

ii. Hero Cycles limited, manufacturer of bicycles was founded in 1956 at Ludhiana in Punjab.

iii. Hero cycles limited is the world’s largest bicycle manufacturer.

2. GOVERNMENT HAS REVISED NATIONAL SOLAR TARGET FOR 2022

i.   Government has revised the national solar mission for 2022 from 20000 MW to 1 lakh MW

ii.  The target is  revised by the ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

iii. National Solar Mission was approved by government in 2010. The aim of mission is to promote maximum use of solar energy.

Minister of New and Renewable Energy: Piyush Goyal

3.  O.P RAWAT NEW ELECTION COMMISIONER OF INDIA

i.  Om Prakash Rawat is appointed as New Election Commissioner of India. Earlier this vacancy of Election commissioner was vacant.

i) Election Commission is a 3 member body. It has one Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners. It was formed in 25 January 1950.

ii) Chief Election Commissioner- Nasim zaidi

iii) Election Commissioner- Achal Kumar

iv) Election commissioner – Om Prakash

4. IRDAI ALLOWED BANKS TO PACT WITH INSURERS

i.  Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India has allowed banks to pact with insurers.

ii. Earlier banks are not allowed to have tie up with more than one insurer

iii. IRDAI is formulating new Guidelines for Bancassurance and the above decision is taken under the new guidelines of Bancassurance.

5.  ‘LPG GAS SUBSIDY’ TRANSFER SCHEME ENTERED IN GUINNESS BOOK

i.   The Direct Benefit transfer scheme for Transferring LPG Gas subsidy directly into the bank account of consumers have been recognized as largest cash transfer programme in world and entered into Guinness Book of World Records.

ii.   The current rate of a LPG refill is at ₹752 for a 14.2 kilogram canister and the subsidised price is ₹417, with the remainder ₹335 as subsidy.

CURRENT AFFAIRS AUG/13/2015

CURRENT AFFAIRS AUG/13/2015

1.  MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN INDIA AND NEPAL FOR PETROLEUM PIPELINE

i.  Union Cabinet has give its approval for construction of Petroleum pipeline.

ii.  It will promote bilateral co-operation in the oil and gas sector between both countries.

Currency of Nepal: Nepalese rupee

PM of Nepal: Sushil Koirala

2. SUDHAKAR NEW PRESIDENT OF GYMNASTIC FEDERATION OF INDIA:

i.   Sudhakar Shetty is elected as the President of the Gymnastic federation of India.

ii.  Sudhakar Shetty replaced Jaspal Singh Kandhari.

3.  ACHARYA DEV APPOINTED AS GOVERNOR OF HIMACHAL PRADESH:

i.  Acharya Dev Vrat sworn as new Governor of Himachal Pradesh.

ii.  He is Appointed as 27^th Governor of Himachal Pradesh.

iii.The Governors  are appointed by the president for a term of 5 years.

A Governor must:

i) be a citizen of India

ii) be at least thirty-five (35)years old

iii) not hold any other office of profit.

4. TWO INDIANS IN ‘100 RICHEST PEOPLE IN TECHNOLOGY’ LIST

i.  Azim Premji of Wipro and Shiv Nadar of HCL grabbed place in top 20 positions in the list of ‘100 Richest people in Technology’.

ii.  First place is grabbed by world’s richest Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

iii.  The list of ‘100 Richest People in Technology’ is published by American magazine Forbes.

5.  UN’S GREEN CLIMATE FUND ACCREDITED ‘NABARD’:

i.  National bank for agriculture and rural development is accredited by the United Nation Green Climate fund as a National implementing entity for undertaking climate change related projects.

ii.  United nations Green Climate fund provides finance for clean energy projects.

      Green Climate Fund is located inSouth Korea

CURRENT AFFAIRS AUG/12/2015

CURRENT AFFAIRS AUG/12/2015

1.  SANIA’S NAME RECOMMENDED FOR KHEL RATNA

i.  Multiple Grand Slam Champion Sania Mirja’s name is recommended for this year’s Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.

ii.  The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award  is India’s highest honour given for achievement in sports

iii. It is given by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

2. ‘FAST TRACK’ ROUTE FOR SHARE SALES NOTIFIED BY SEBI:

i.   Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) notified ‘fast Track route’ for share sales through a follow on public offer.

ii.  According to the new norms firms with public share holders  stock worth Rs 1000 crore will now eligible to this route.

iii.  Currently the minimum requirement for this route is 3000 crore

-       SEBI is the regulator for the securities market in India.

-       Established in  1988.

-       Head of SEBI- U.K Sinha

-       Headquarter of SEBI – Mumbai

-       Follow on Public Offer (FPO): is a technique by which a company, which is already listed on an exchange, issues new shares to the investors or the existing shareholders, usually the promoters.

3.  PANKAJ ADVANI CLINCHED WORLD TITLE

i.  Indian Snooker player Pankaj Advani, grabbed his 13^th world title after winning 6-Red Snooker Championship in Karachi.

ii.  Pankaj Advani defeated China’s Yan Bingtao in the Final.

4. ‘PREM BHATIA AWARD’ TO SUHASINI HAIDER

i.  The Prem Bhatia Award is awarded to Suhasini Haider for the best political reporting

ii.  Suhasini Haider is working with ‘The Hindu’ as diplomatic and Strategic Affairs editor.

    The Prem Bhatia Memorial Trust avails two Scholarships every year for Indian Journalists between the age of 25 & 40 for research in Media related subjects, which are topical and relevant to the Indian Scene.

5.  GOVERNMENT TO INFUSE RS 70000 CRORE IN PUBLIC SECTOR BANKS

i. The Indian Government proposes to infuse Rs 70000 crore in Public Sector Banks in next 4 years.

ii.  The Government proposes to allocate Rs 25000 crore in 2015-16

 Finance Minister- Arun Jaitely

   India has 27 Public Sector Banks

6.  DR. M VEERAPPA MOILY HONOURED WITH ‘SARSWATI SAMMAN’:

i. President Pranab Mukherjee presented Saraswati Samman to Dr Marpadi Veerappa Moily.

 ii.  The award is given to him for his work on Epic Sri Ramayana Mahanveshanam written in Kannada language.

7.  KOCHI TO JOIN WORLD TOURISM CITIES FEDERATION COUNCIL:

i.   Kochi became first city of India to join world tourism cities federation as its member.

 ii. world tourism cities federation (WTCF) is a international group of tourism cities.

iii.  The aim of WTCF is to promote cooperation between its members in the development of       tourism.

Headquarters of WTCF: Beijing in China

8. Sundar Pichai is new CEO of Google

  i.  India-born Sundar Pichai was named CEO of Google  by the company's founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin in course of a re-organization that created a mother company called Alphabet.

ii.     Google is an American multinational technology company .