ENGLISH NEWS - 25/24.11.2016

DAILY GA UPDATE - 25.11.2016

1. Yes Bank partners GSRTC to digitise bus ticket bookings

Private sector lender Yes Bank has partnered with Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) to digitise payments for booking of bus tickets. 

Under the partnership, Yes Bank will install over 125 PoS (Point-of-Sale) terminals to facilitate booking of tickets through credit and debit cards at all GSRTC bus depots.

The private sector lender said that it is already live with 50 terminals and will reach the 125 mark in the "next couple of weeks" as part of the first phase of implementation. 

Currently GSRTC handles over Rs 70 crore worth of transactions in cash at its counters, and over 50 per cent of the transactions are expected to shift to card payments, the bank said. 

2. N V Srinivasan new Indo-American Chamber of Commerce President

Trade body Indo-American Chamber of Commerce has appointed N V Srinivasan, NVS and Associates Managing Partner, as its National President for the period 2016-17. 

Srinivasan was elected by the committee of the Chamber during the meeting held in Mumbai recently, IACC said in a release. 

Bhasin and Company Managing Partner Lalit Bhasin and entrepreneur Vasant Subramanyan were elected as Executive Vice-Presidents respectively. 

3. Colombia signs contested new peace deal

Colombia's government and FARC rebels signed a controversial revised peace accord to end their half-century conflict, set to be ratified in Congress despite bitter opposition. 

President Juan Manuel Santos and guerrilla leader Rodrigo "Timochenko" Londono signed the new deal with a pen made from a spent bullet, in a low-key ceremony in the capital Bogota.

The original deal -- signed with great fanfare in September -- was rejected by voters in a referendum last month, a shock upset that sent negotiators back to the drawing board. 

The new plan bypasses a vote by the Colombian people, against bitter opposition from critics. 

They say the revisions are only cosmetic and will still grant impunity for war crimes committed by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). 

Santos, who won this year's Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the conflict, said the new deal was better than the original. 

The deal was immediately sent to Congress, where it is expected to pass after being debated next week. Santos and his allies hold a majority in the legislature. 

The government and FARC both say they are under pressure for fear that their fragile ceasefire could break down. 

A recent wave of alleged assassinations in conflict zones has added to calls to seal a deal fast. 

But an aftermath of discord and uncertainty appears likely as opponents promised to keep resisting the peace plan, including with street protests.

4. Manoj Bajpayee wins best actor at Asia Pacific Screen Awards

Indian actor Manoj Bajpayee has won the best performance award by an actor at the 10th Asia Pacific Screen Awards beating Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who was awarded a special mention in the same category. 

Winners in the 10thAsia Pacific Screen Awards, said to be the region's highest accolade in film, were announced at a glittering ceremony in Brisbane.

Hosted by Australian actor David Wenham and presenter Anjali Rao, the 2016 Awards marked the 10thyear of APSA recognising and promoting cinematic excellence and cultural diversity of the world's fastest growing film region. 

In addition to the main awards, a jury grand prize special mention was given to eight-year-old Sunny Pawar from India for his portrayal of young Saroo Brierley in Garth Davis' "Lion". 

Bajpayee won the award for his performance as Professor Siras in "Aligarh" directed by Hansal Mehta. This was his second APSA nomination, following a nomination for Anurag Kashyap's "Gangs of Wasseypur" in 2012. 

5. Senior journalist Dileep Padgaonkar, 72, passes away

Veteran journalist Dileep Padgaonkar, passed away. He was 72.

He began his career as a journalist in 1968 as The Times of India's Paris correspondent. He became the newspaper's editor in 1988, a post he held for six years.

Padgaonkar was part of a three-member team of interlocutors appointed by the UPA government in 2010 to hold talks with all sections of people in Jammu and Kashmir.

DAILY GA UPDATE - 24.11.2016

1. Yudhvir Singh Malik new NHAI chairman

Yudhvir Singh Malik, the Special Secretary with NITI Aayog, has been appointed as new Chairman of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). 

2. Trump nominates Indian-American Nikki Haley as US envoy to UN

Nikki Haley was named as US ambassador to the United Nations by President-elect Donald Trump, becoming the first Indian-American to be appointed to a cabinet-level post in any US administration.

3. IIT-Kharagpur ranked top varsity in India in international survey

For the second time in a row, IIT Kharagpur has been ranked as the top institution in the country by QS Employability Ranking, with IIT Bombay also figuring in the list of top 100 universities in the world.

The IIT Kharagpur has been ranked in the range of 71-80, the highest position among Indian institutions, out of 200 universities from across the world.

IIT Bombay, ranked next to IIT Kharagpur, is the only other institution from India to have been ranked among the top 100.

Other Indian institutions among the top 200 are IIT Madras, IIT Delhi and University of Delhi, QS Employability Ranking survey said.

IIT-Kharagpur, which awards degrees to nearly 2500 students annually, maintains a successful track record of placement for students from the graduating batches enrolling for campus placement.

It has been ranked exceptionally well in the survey on parameters of graduate employability rate and employers presence in the campus.

The other parameters are employer reputation which is based on a survey conducted with employers opting for campus recruitment, alumni outcomes or performance of alumni and partnerships with employers, it said.

The top three universities ranked globally in the survey are Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Shinhwa University of China.

IIT Kharagpur has been ranked among the peers such as Georgetown University, Lancaster University, Pennsylvania State University, Queensland University of Technology, University of Illinois, Chicago and University of Liverpool, it added.

4. Asia-Pacific champion Neeraj breaks into WBC rankings

Indian professional boxer Neeraj Goyat has broken into the World Boxing Council (WBC) rankings courtesy his successful defence of the welterweight Asia Pacific title last month. 

The Indian is currently placed 35th in the WBC list which was updated after his victory over Australian Ben Kite.

Neeraj had outpunched Kite to retain the belt. The 24-year-old prevailed 120-110 119-109 115-113 in a gruelling 12-round contest against his 26-year-old rival, who had the experience of fighting nine bouts. 

Neeraj has an overall record of eight wins in 12 fights. 

Once he breaks into the top-15, Neeraj would be in contention to challenge for the world title as well. 

The WBC welterweight rankings are currently topped by British star Amir Khan, who holds the silver belt right now.