Monday, August 16, 2010

Current Affairs - 16.08.2010

  • India remains very supportive of South Africa joining the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) group soon, Indian High Commissioner Virendra Gupta said at a function to mark the country’s 64th Independence Day in Johannesburg.
  • The Union Cabinet on Monday deferred a decision on hiking the salary and allowances of MPs though the issue was discussed in detail.The proposed increase is unlikely to be effected in the current session of Parliament.
  • NEW DELHI: Coinciding with the beginning of a search for chairman Ratan Tata's successor, the Tata Group has become the country's wealthiest, with a market value of about Rs 3,71,000 crore — higher than that of the business houses led by the two Ambani siblings.
  • MUMBAI: The country’s centres of excellence, mentored by foreign governments, have graded their graduates based on a Western system — the cumulative grade point index — for several years. Now, a section of them is moving to a more conventional marking system — based on percentage — after public sector undertaking (PSU) companies recruiting from top institutes have asked IITs, IIMs and National Institutes of Technology to provide an equivalence of their grades by giving percentages. 
  • MUMBAI: Indiagold buying stayed weak for a fourth session on Monday as prices extended gains to hit its highest level in six weeks, with traders watching the rupee for direction, dealers said. 
  • A common type of bacteria has surprised researchers by demonstrating the ability to "smell" chemicals in the air.
  • New Delhi might have been a reluctant midwife these past few years but it always managed to come out on the right side of the changes Nepal was undergoing. Not anymore.