Current Affairs for 9th Mar 2013

1.  Nicolas Maduro sworn in as the Interim President of Venezuela

i. Venezuelan Vice- President Nicolas Maduro on 8 March 2013 was sworn in as Venezuela’s acting president, despite the Opposition resistance as it is being considered to the violation of the country’s constitution. You are reading current affairs on Jobentra.blogspot.com

NOTE: i. Late President Hugo Chavez who died on 5 March 2013 after two year long fight against cancer named Maduro as his successor before undergoing the latest surgery in December 2012.

ii. He picked Nicolas Maduro  as the presidential candidate of Chavez’s socialist party. 

2.    Uhuru Kenyatta To Be New Kenya President

i. In Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta has won presidential election with a slim margin of 50.03 percent of votes.

ii. He defeated his rival Raila Odinga.

iii. Kenyans hope this election would restore their reputation as one of Africa's most stable democracies after the tribal slaughter that followed the disputed 2007 vote.

iv. Kenyatta is the son of Jomo Kenyatta the first prime minister (1963-1964) and president (1964-1978), who is considered the founding father of the Kenyan nation. 

3.    RBI Sign first Currency Swap Agreement with Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan

i. The Reserve Bank of India - RBI today signed the first Currency Swap Agreement with the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan.

ii. A notification issued by RBI said the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan can draw US Dollar, Euro or Indian Rupee in multiple tranches up to a maximum of 100 million US dollars or its equivalent. 

iii. The agreement signed by RBI with Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan is expected to further economic co-operation between the two countries.

iv. The agreement will be valid for a period of three years.

NOTE: i. During the SAARC FINANCE meeting last year, RBI Governor Dr. D. Subbarao had announced that RBI would offer swap facilities aggregating 2 billion US dollars, both in foreign currency and Indian rupee to SAARC countries. 

ii. The swap arrangement is intended to provide a backstop line of funding for the SAARC member countries to meet any balance of payments and liquidity crises till longer term arrangements are made. 

iii. The agreement can also be used to tide over short-term liquidity crunch due to market turbulence. 

4.    Pakistan PM Raja Pervez Ashraf arrives Jaipur

i. Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf arrives in Jaipur for day-long private visit and will drive down to Ajmer to offer prayers at the Ajmer Sharif Dargah.  

ii. The premier was seen off at the airport by Indian High Commissioner Sharat Sabharwal and senior Pakistani officials.

iii. External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid will host lunch for the premier in Jaipur.

NOTE: i. No official meeting is scheduled during his visit.

ii. This is likely to be Ashraf's last foreign visit before the term of his government ends on 16th March.

5.    Tibetan blogger gets Women of Courage Award

i. Tsering Woeser, Tibetan author, poet and blogger was honoured with the prestigious International Women of Courage Award but the activist was unable to attend the ceremony as China denied her a passport necessary for her to travel to the US to receive the prize.

ii. "For courageously striving to improve human rights conditions for China's Tibetan citizens by illuminating their plight through her writings, and thus giving eloquent voice to those whose stories might otherwise never be heard, Tsering Woeser is a woman of courage," Secretary of State John Kerry said reading her citation at the awards ceremony held at the State Department.

6.    BlackBerry’s India Managing Director Sunil Dutt resigned

i. Blackberry India Managing Director Sunil Dutt, who joined the company in December 2011, quit from the company in the month of March 2013 within a month after leading the launch of BlackBerry 10 OS and the Z10 in India

ii. Rick Costanzo, Executive Vice President for Global Sales, will take over the leadership of the talented management team in India .

NOTE: i. India is an extremely important market for BlackBerry and aim of company is to continue to build on recent momentum with the launch of BlackBerry 10.

ii. BlackBerry’s marketshare in India has been seeing a steady fall, despite strong brand value.

7.    Sonia lays foundation stone of ANANDA

i. UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi laid the foundation stone of a residential, educational-cum- vocational training centre for persons with autism spectrum disorders at village Gairatpur Bass on Friday.

ii. She said it is first centre of its kind not only in India but perhaps in South Asia and that such people should be dealt with special care and sensitivity by the society.

iii. The centre will be developed by an NGO named Action for Autism on about 10 acres of land in village Gairatpur Bass in Gurgaon.

8.    The Test of My Life'- Yuvraj's memoir to be auctioned online

i. The first twenty copies of Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh's memoir, 'The Test of My Life', will go up for bid online on Saturday. You are reading current affairs / gk on Jobentra.blogspot.com

ii. The memoir chronicles Yuvraj's trials and tribulations as he successfully battled cancer following the euphoria of the 2011 World Cup win.

iii. In this exclusive offer, bids open at a base price of Rs. 5000 and the 20 highest bidders will each win a copy of the book, personally dedicated and autographed by Yuvraj.

9.    Azlan Shah Hockey: India to take on Aus in opening match

i. Team India will take on world champions Australia in its opening encounter of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament in Malaysia.

ii. It will be a test of character for a young and new-look Indian team when it takes on the world champions Australia in its opening encounter of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament in Malaysia on Saturday.

iii. The match between six-time champions Australia and five-time winners India is being billed as the clash of the day.

10.  Saina Nehwal enters semifinals in All England Championship

i. Olympic bronze medalist Saina Nehwal inched closer to her dream of winning the prestigious All England Championship as she advanced to the semifinals with a thrilling three-game victory over former world number one Shixian Wang of China in the women's singles competition in Birmingham.

ii. The world number three Saina retrieved everything thrown at her and engaged her rival into long rallies to eventually prevail 23-21 19-21 21-16 over Shixian in an hour and 14 minutes match to equal her exploits at the 2010 edition of the $400,000 Super series event.

iii. The Hyderabadi will next take on the winner between fourth seed German Juliane Schenk and eight seed Thai Ratchanok Intanon on Saturday.