Current Affairs Updates: 24th December 2013

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International Affairs
An iPhone agreement was signed between US computer giant Apple and China Mobile. Apple signed the deal to bring its iPhone to China Mobile the world’s largest carrier. Chine Mobile has 760 million customers and it will make 5s and 5c, the two largest iPhone models, available from January. China Mobile was one of three networks to be awarded with China’s first 4G licences last month.

National Affairs
Inflation indexed saving bonds that offer security to retail investors from price rise has been launched by Indian government. The inflation indexed saving bond is open for subscription from December 23 to 31. The Rs 5000 is the minimum limit for investment and the maximum is Rs 5 lakh per applicant every year. Also, qualified investors can approach these 3 private sector banks -ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank and also Stock Holding Corporation of India. Consumer Price Index (CPI) has been linked with interest rate and also the principal on half-yearly basis and paid at the time of maturity.

Appointment
Chairman of Xpro India Limited, Sidharth Birla has been appointed as the new President of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). He replaced Naina Lal Kidwai, former Head of HSBC India Country. Jyotsna Suri, Chairperson and Managing Director (CMD) of Bharat Hotels has been elected as Senior Vice-President of FICCI, the largest and oldest apex business organization in India and Harshavardhan Neotia, Chairman of Ambuja Neotia group has been named as Vice-President of FICCI.

Retirement
England cricket player Graeme Swann has declared his retirement from international and first-class cricket after England lost the coveted Ashes series. In Perth, in the third Test match England was 3-0 behind Australia in the five-test series. Australia’s Ashes tormentor was Swann. He played an important role in England’s run of 3 successive series winning against their arch-rivals Australia.

Death
Famous Kannada writer, poet and researcher G.S. Shivarudrappa who was also called as Rashtrakavi has passed away at his residence in Bangalore after prolonged illness. He died at the age of 87. In 2006, Shivarudrappa was awarded with the title of Rashtrakavi by the Karnataka government in 2006. For his literary contribution, the writer has also bagged the Central Sahitya Akademi Award in 1984. He has also received several awards including the Soviet Land Nehru Award and Karnataka State Sahitya Academy.
Pran Chopra, veteran journalist has died recently. The famous and experienced journalist commenced his journalistic career in 1941 in civil and military gazette. He served All India Radio as a War Correspondent in China and Vietnam in 1940. He has written the foreword of the book “If I’m Assassinated”, a book by former Pakistan Prime Minister, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.
Michiaki Takahashi who discovered a vaccine for the chicken pox has passed away due to cardiac arrest in Osaka, Japan. He died at the age of 85. He developed chicken pox vaccine in 1972. After few years, Japan and some other countries had also begun vaccination programs. The vaccine’s work was not to treat the disease, but it driven immune systems to produce antibodies. In 1995, the Food and Drug Administration of United States (US) approved the first chickenpox vaccine.

Sports
Indian bowler, Zaheer khan has become the fourth Indian after claiming 300 wickets in Test cricket. He took his 300th wicket in international test cricket of Jacques Kallis on the 5th day of the first cricket test match against South Africa at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. After this, his name has been included among those bowlers Anil Kumble, Kapil Dev and Harbhajan Singh, who has taken 300 wickets. After Wasim Akram of Pakistan and Chaminda Vaas of Sri Lanka, he also became the most successful left arm fast bowler.
Amidst nail-biting draw, t he first cricket Test of the 2-match series between India and South Africa ended in Johannesburg. Superb centuries by AB de Villiers and Faf Du Plessis succeeded in chasing nearly world record run of 458 runs. The final and second test of the series will be played from today in Durban.
 
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