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11 Pages 26TH NOVEMBER – 2ND DECEMBER 2010 www.xedintellect.com

IN BRIEF
COVER STORY ECONOMIC
INDICATORS

THE CHINESE SPORTS FACTORY BSE SENSEX 19990

NSE NIFTY 6014
RS/$ 45.37

PERSONALITIES OF THE WEEK

TELEVISION
INDUSTRY : INDIA

“Challenges are what makes

life interesting; Overcoming
them is what makes life
meaningful.. ”

NEWS DIGEST…

BUSINESS NEWS MISCELLANEOUS NEWS INTERNATIONAL NEWS COMPILED BY

RIL among world’s Bid to rope in Facebook to

top 20 chemical Chulbul, Rancho patent the word
firms. for inclusion drive. face.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS 2 COVER STORY 3 PERSONALITIES OF THE WEEK 4 BUSINESS NEWS 5-8
INTERNATIONAL NEWS 9 MISCELLANEOUS NEWS 10 GENERAL AWARENESS 11
 TOP TEN HEADLINES OF THE WEEK

1. RIL among world’s top 20 chemical firms.

2. With poor growth, Maharashtra may end up as a BIMARU state.
3. IPL IV: Tendulkar, Dhoni valued at 1.84 cr.
4. Chennai May become India’s Detroit Soon.
5. IRDA fines Tata AIG.
6. Vijay Mallya buys ‘best house in Cape Town’ for $8.4 million.
7. 2018 World Cup boosts Russian steel cos, helps image.
8. Kraft-Starbucks coffee conflict heats up.
9. Himachal picks Preity over Dalai Lama as icon.
10. Sangakkara replaces Tendulkar as number one Test batsman.

Current Market Rates as on 02nd Dec’ 10 Values Stock Market Indices as on 02nd Dec’10 Values
Rupee/US Dollar 45.37 BSE SENSEX 19990
Rupee/Euro 59.52 NSE (NIFTY) 6014
Rupee/Pound 70.87 India’s Nominal GDP 2009 $1285 bn
Gold (10 Gram) in Rs. 20266.1 Inflation India Oct’10 CPI 9.7%

AIR POLLUTION

Prior to 1900, the global population hadn’t exceeded

1.5 billion, but because of enhancements in
medicine, sanitation and technology, a population
boom was seen. As seen in the graph the global CO2
emissions are in direct proportion to human
population.

It is also because of technological advancements that

global CO2 emissions have increased. Therefore, it
can be said that the increase in carbon dioxide
emissions is caused by mankind's activity.

Urbanization in China and India will have a massive impact on energy markets.
China’s demand for power will be 20 percent of global energy consumption. To Meet
that need huge amounts of coal will be needed, of which China is already the largest
international buyer. India's power targets are also ambitious and if the trends
continue, India's carbon dioxide emissions will grow nearly sevenfold by 2030, while
China's will nearly double.

According to the World Bank 16 of the worlds’ 20 cities

with the worst air pollution are in China. China has the
world’s highest number of deaths attributed to air
pollution. According to Chinese government statistics
300,000 people die each year from air pollution. A study
done by WHO estimated that the amount of airborne
suspended particulates in northern China are almost 20
times what it considers a safe level.

On the other hand Europe being a developed region has

managed to control air pollution by enforcing strict
environment and pollution laws.

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 COVER STORY: THE CHINESE SPORTS FACTORY

Dragon Power: China spent $18.3 billion, on stadiums, roads and subway
lines in preparation for 2010 Asian Games. That’s much more than the $14.7
billion budget set in March 2007 for the London Olympic Games. China is now
the most dominant sporting power in the world having convincingly displaced
USA from the top position. In the recently concluded Asian Games, China set
a new Games record with 199 gold medals, where India was happy with 14.

How does China do it when we fail to put up decent stadiums on time. May be
it’s the endemic corruption in our system. Wrong! China and India are neck
and neck on corruption measures—Transparency International ranks China at
No. 79 and India at No. 84, with a Corruption Perception Index score of 3.6
and 3.4 respectively. Chinese politicians and bureaucrats are as corrupt as ours. But their Communist system allows
them central control over training.

Their system: When China set up its sports and athletics program it followed the Soviet
model for athletic development, and established a system in which promising youngsters
were selected at a young age and sent to special state-sponsored training centers, where
they endured rigorous training programs and were prepared for international competition.
China has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on sports academies, talent scouts,
psychologists, foreign coaches and latest technology and science.

Selection: In a typical city, every government district is asked to test and assess children
from ages 8 to 13, and select candidates for sports schools. Doctors measure height, arm
span, bone density, flexibility and other things to predict what a child will be like in the
future. X-rays and bone tests are used to determine bone density and structure and
predict future growth. Children demonstrating exceptional flexibility and balance are sent
to gymnastics and diving camps. Tall children are sent to volleyball and basketball camps.
Those with quick reflex are guided into ping pong. Kids with long arms are pushed into
swimming or javelin throwing.

Chinese Olympic Training Facilities & Stadiums: Today,

around 300,000 athletes, including 96 percent of China's
national champions, are trained at China's 150 elite
sports camps. The world can only marvel at China’s
ability to put up spectacular stadiums and enormous infrastructure networks with the
ease of a child playing with Lego. To impress us it build iconic structures such as the
Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube.

Olympic Training Schools in China: In China there are more than 3,000
government-run sports schools, 20 major programs and 200 smaller programs.
These schools and programs have produced nearly all of China’s Olympics athletes.
About 400,000 students were enrolled in sports schools in 2005. Only about one in
eight of sports school students make it to a provincial team. Of these a third
eventually make it to the national team and about a fifth of national team members
become Olympians-in-training but only about one in eight of these actually make the
cut to the Olympics. This means that for every 900 pre-teens who join the sports
school system 899 never make it to the Olympics.

Problems with the system: Wu Yigang, a professor at Shanghai University says,

“These schools emphasize only training and neglect everything else...It greatly affects children’s knowledge and their
moral outlook.” Some schools stress only sports and can be viewed as little more than athlete-producing assembly
lines. Many Chinese athletes have devoted so much of their time to training they can’t read beyond the fifth grade
level. Children were rarely asked what sports they liked. China Sports Daily
estimates that 80 percent of China’s retired athletes suffer from unemployment,
poverty or chronic health problems resulting from overtraining.

Recent Changes: With the one-child population control policy the government
has less control over the lives of promising athletes than they used to. Athletes
often spend as much time laughing and practicing dance routines as they do doing
hard training. They are free to develop their own style and methods and are
allowed to keep half their prize money and are given various bonuses for doing
well. Some attribute China’s recent success to a retreat from traditional authoritarian methods.

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 PERSONALITIES OF THE WEEK

NARENDRA DAMODARDAS MODI: The Master Strategist

Modi was born on 17th September 1950 in a middle class family in Vadnagar, Mehsana
district, Gujarat. He earned his masters in Political Science from Gujarat University. He is
also a good poet and has a few poetry books to his credit. Modi is a workaholic and a
bachelor.

Political groundwork: As a young man, he joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad
and was involved in the anti-corruption Nav Nirmā Movement. He was later nominated as
ABV’s representative in the Bharatiya Janata Party. He also joined Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Modi was soon recognized as a master strategist. In 1998, he
was chosen by L K Advani to direct the election campaign in Gujarat as well as Himachal
Pradesh. Modi was entrusted with the responsibility of organizing L.K. Advani’s Somnath
to Ayodhya Rath Yatra. The ascent of the BJP to power at New Delhi in 1998 has been
attributed to this yatra handled by Modi.

Era of Reforms: When the Modi government was sworn in on 7th October 2001, the economy of Gujarat was
stagnant. Modi re-organized the government's administrative structure and embarked upon a massive cost-cutting
exercise. Gujarat registered a GDP growth rate of over 10% during his first tenure. This was the highest growth rate
among all the Indian states. After 2001 Bhuj Earthquake thousands of people were forced to live in temporary
shelters. Today Bhuj is proof of how Modi has turned adversity into an opportunity for holistic development. Modi
made an international record by restoring 8,76,618 houses in just 500 days.

Controversies: In February 2002 violence broke out across the state claiming around 1000 lives. The root cause of
these riots was the Godhra Train Burning incident in which 58 Hindu Kar Sevaks were burnt alive by an a Muslim mob.
He has been criticized for mismanagement of and complicity in the 2002 Gujarat violence. The United States revoked
a visa for Modi the following year. He was held responsibile for violations of religious freedom under the International
Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

Awards and recognitions: In July 2007 he became the longest serving Chief Minister in Gujarat's history when he
had been in power for 2063 days continuously. He was elected again for a third term on 23rd December 2007 with an
emphatic win in the state elections, which he had cast as a "referendum on his rule". On 30th January 2006 – In a
nationwide survey conducted by India Today, Narendra Modi was declared the Best Chief Minister of the country.

SANIA MIRZA- INDIA’S STEFFI GRAFF

Birth of a Champ: When her mother took little Sania to the coach he refused to train her as
he felt she was too small to learn tennis, after a week he called the parents to tell them that
he had never seen so much talent at such a tender age. Her initial training was handled by CK
Bhupati, father of Mahesh Bhupati, the legendary Indian tennis player. Sania Mirza was born
to Imran Mirza, a sports journalist and his wife Nasima in Mumbai on November 15, 1986. She
was brought up in Hyderabad in a religious Shia Muslim family. She started playing tennis at
the tender age of six at Nizam Club Hyderabad.

She began her tennis career in 2003. Sania’s father was unable to take care of her training
expenses, so he approached some business houses for help. GVK industries and Adidas
started to sponsor her from the age of 12 years. German player Steffi Graff was her idol.

Shooting for the Stars: Mirza is the highest ranked female tennis player ever from India,
with a career high ranking of 27 in singles and 18 in doubles. She is the first Indian woman to
be seeded in a Grand Slam tennis tournament. Sania won the Wimbledon Championship Girls' Doubles title in 2003.
She got a wild card entry to the 2005 Australian Open and created history by becoming the first Indian woman to
enter the third round of a Grand Slam tournament. She lost in the 3rd round to eventual champion Serena Williams.
On February 12, 2005, she became the first Indian woman to win a WTA singles title. Sania Mirza has won 21
International Tennis Federation titles till date. She has a very powerful forehand, double handed backhand and serves
an array of strokes. In 2004 she was conferred the Arjuna award.

Marriage hiccups: In 2009, Sania got engaged to her childhood friend Sohrab Mirza. However this engagement did
not last long. Eventually Sania married Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik on April 12, 2010. Sania’s brand value was in
the league of top cricket stars before her marriage.

Controversies: The short tennis clothes regularly drew criticism from some Muslim religious groups like Jamiat-
ulema-e-Hind. Sania was also pictured resting her feet in front of the Indian flag and faced possible prosecution under
the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act after a private citizen complained.

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 BUSINESS NEWS

1. RIL among world’s top 20 chemical firms- ET Nov28

The company has been ranked at the 20th position in the ICIS Top 100 chemicals companies
list, which was topped by German major BASF.

The companies were ranked on the basis of their annual sales figures, in the annual list
released by ICIS Chemical Business magazine, which is published by ICIS, a global information
provider for chemical & energy industries.

2. With poor growth, Maharashtra may end up as a BIMARU state - TNN Dec 01
Maybe, it’s time to stop taking digs at north Indians. A new study by a University of Mumbai
economics professor shows that Maharashtra, once seen as an epitome of growth, development and
progress, fares quite poorly when compared to the country’s four BIMARU states—Bihar, Madhya
Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. In 1995-96, Maharashtra had the highest growth rate in the
country. Even in the late 1990s, the state continued to be in the top5. Since then, it has slipped
badly.

In the all-important factor of economic growth rate—a category in which the state reigned in the late
1990s in the country’s top 5—Maharashtra fell to 11th from 2005-06 to 2007-08. Both Bihar (rank 4)
and Rajasthan (10) ranked higher. “Ten states outperformed us. We have some catching up to do,’’
said Mala Lalvani, the professor who did the research.

3. IPL IV: Tendulkar, Dhoni valued at 1.84 cr- TOI Nov28

AROUND 62 Indian cricketers will be up for auction for the fourth edition of the
Indian Premier League (IPL) with Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the
legendary Sachin Tendulkar in the top-bracket of cricketers valued at 1.84 crore.
However, Tendulkar and Dhoni are likely to be retained by their respective
franchises — Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.

The cricketers who will command the highest base price of 1.84 crore are Sachin
Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj
Singh. Former India captains Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid along with
VVS Laxman are in the third bracket which has a base price of 92 lakh.

4. CHENNAI MAY BECOME INDIA’S DETROIT SOON- BS Nov 25

Chennai is emerging as the country’s largest automotive and auto components
manufacturing hub in terms of investment. According to a state government
official, over $3 billion (around `13,800 crore) will be invested in Chennai by global
car manufacturers by end of 2010-11. The proposed investment is significantly
higher than other auto hubs like Gurgaon in Haryana.

Tamil Nadu Industry Secretary Rajeev Ranjan said the total installed capacity in
and around Chennai would be 1.28 million cars a year by the end of the financial
year. But, that figure is expected to go up significantly thanks to projects by Ford,
Hyundai, BMW, Renault-Nissan and Mitsubishi-HM coming up in the area. Hyundai India has made Chennai its
manufacturing and export hub for small cars. The i10 and i20 models are manufactured only in Chennai and exported
to the world. Chennai is Hyundai’s largest base outside Korea.

5. Irda fines Tata AIG- Nov 28

TATAAIG Life Insurance has been penalized (Rs. 5 lakh) by the insurance regulator for
failing to adhere to guidelines relating to management expenses. In a statement issued
on Thursday, Irda said management expenses of the life insurer for 2008-09 was
114.90% of the premium, which is beyond permissible limits under Section 40B of the
Insurance Act, 1938, read with Rule 17D of Insurance Rules, 1939.

However, the company expenses ratio actually increased to 117.28% for the year ended
March 2010. Irda subsequently issued a notice to the company asking why action should
not be taken for violating norms. Tata AIG Life’s explanation was that the company was
compliant with the limits in the initial years and had started relatively late expansion and heightened focus on
expenses rationalization. While the expenses of management are applicable to all companies, the regulations are
applied only after a few years of operations.

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6. Vijay Mallya buys ‘best house in Cape Town’ for $8.4 million- PTI Nov 28
Business tycoon Vijay Mallya, well known for his flamboyance, has bought the
“best house in Cape Town”, South Africa, located at the posh Nettleton Road, for
$8.4 million (`38.4 crore), says a Sunday Times report.

“Indian liquor baron and Formula One team owner Vijay Mallya has splashed out
60 million rands ($8.4 million) for a Cape Town mansion in which Hollywood star
Nicolas Cage once slept on embroidered pillows,” the newspaper said. Shielded
from the wind, the four-storied mansion overlooks the Clifton beach and boasts
of a sauna, walk-in safe, gym and garage space for four cars. The local estate
agents described the mansion, which has hosted movie stars, singers and
royalty, as “the best house in Cape Town”.

7. Wipro gets ready for rejig under Rishad- ET Nov26

WIPRO officials, proud of their company’s heritage and success, have perhaps never experienced
something like this. A feeling of restlessness and a sense of dissatisfaction. Revenue growth,
compared with peers, has been anemic; at times Wipro comes out second best in head-to-head
matchups when it comes to winning and keeping some clients. In danger of conceding the
position of third biggest software exporter to Cognizant, Wipro is now trying hard to reinvigorate
itself.

For Rishad Premji, 33, and Wipro’s new chief strategy officer, the latest assignment poses
challenges far beyond that of ensuring that the company regains growth by breaking into large
customers. The task now is to fend off rivals such as Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys and
Cognizant from taking a lion’s share of common clients. Since 2004, Wipro has trailed peers on revenue growth,
except last year when the company’s lesser exposure to the banking sector helped it perform better than rivals.

8. Philips leads race to buy Halonix stake from Actis- ET Nov29

PHILIPS India has emerged as the frontrunner to acquire a controlling stake in lightings
maker Halonix (formerly Phoenix Lamps) from private equity fund Actis for around 300
crore as part of a two-step transaction which will also see the PE fund directly buying the
general lighting subsidiary of Halonix and retaining it under its control, two persons familiar
with the development said.

Under the deal under consideration, Halonix will sell its subsidiary to its current owner Actis
at a price determined by two independent valuers and Actis will sell the parent company
with the residual auto lighting business. Ownership of Halonix will give Philips an
opportunity to sell directly to automobile companies.

9. New entrants shake up celebrity management- BS Nov 28

Celebrity or talent management is seeing a host of new entrants – a few well-known
names and others rank newcomers. The reason: celebrity endorsements in India amount
to roughly `4,000 crore per annum. Predictably, Bollywood and cricket stars have the
lion’s share. For example, last month, Sunil Gavaskar’s newly launched sports celebrity
management venture, a subsidiary of his Professional Management Group, signed up
Virender Sehwag in a five-year deal that is worth over `100 crore in the first three years.

If PMG was already a well known name, not many heard about Rhiti Sports Management
and Mindscapes, which tied up with M S Dhoni in July this year. Dhoni has been promised
a minimum guarantee of `210 crore over the next three years. Rhiti Sports was founded
six years ago by Arun Pandey, a former Ranji Trophy cricketer who played for Uttar
Pradesh and is a friend of Dhoni.

10. Trent all set to launch Operation Westside- ET Dec 01

Flagship Retail Chain Of Tatas In Makeover Mode, To Add Gourmet Food Section &
Launch Premium Labels. Westside, the flagship retail chain of Tata Group’s Trent, will
add a gourmet food section and launch premium labels through designer collaborations
and international licensing deals to take on peers such as Shoppers Stop and Lifestyle
that are pulling away increasingly affluent consumers.

The chain is already test marketing an up-market food section, Gourmet West, in
Mumbai. Industry analysts and officials say Westside has been lagging in terms of
product innovation and fashion element in recent years when a slew of players — Reliance’s Trends and Landmark
Group’s Max at the value end; Pantaloon in the mid-market segment and Shoppers Stop and Lifestyle in the premium
market — piped up competition in the lifestyle retail chain space.
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11. Tatas ‘loan’ to Unitech in 2007 under scanner- ET Nov 29
Investigating agencies probing the allotment of mobile permits by former telecom
minister A Raja are examining a transaction between Tata Realty and Infrastructure Ltd
(TRIL), a Tata Group company, and real estate firm Unitech in 2007. People familiar
with the investigation say a loan of around Rs 1,600 crore was advanced by TRIL to
Unitech in a deal those investigators believe was facilitated by Niira Radia, a lobbyist
and owner of a firm that handles the public relations work of all Tata companies.

The end-use of the money is of interest to the government, officials with the agencies
said, because it is pursuing leads that it may have been used by Unitech to pay for a 2G
GSM licence awarded in early 2008. People familiar with the thinking of the investigators
say they are also trying to unearth if there was any understanding that Tata Group
would pick a stake in the telecom arm of Unitech.

12. Indian med tech industry may grow to USD 14 bn: Study- ET Nov 28
The size of the Indian medical technology industry may touch USD 14 billion (Rs
64,036 crore) by 2020 on account of higher private investments in the sector and
strong economic growth, a study has said. According to a report jointly done by
FICCI and PwC, the market size of the sector in 2008 stood at USD 2.7 billion (Rs
12,350 crore).

The report reveals that there is a huge scope for innovation in the industry, as there
is a big demand for it in the local market. Further, for the growth of the sector it is
important that the government increase public spending in healthcare to three per
cent of the country's GDP from one per cent currently and evolve medical
technology clusters with common facilities for calibration and testing facilities to
benefit small entrepreneurs, it added.

13. Avis becomes first car rental company to introduce lady chauffeurs in India-Afaqs Nov 30
Avis India, the No.1 premium car rental services provider has
become the first premium car rental company in India to introduce
lady chauffeurs for its customers in India. Dedicated to single
women travelers, the first fleet of lady chauffeurs will be driving the
new BMW 5 series fleet at The Oberoi Hotel, Mumbai.

Aged 25 to 53, the well trained team of handpicked lady chauffeurs

has gone through a two-month extensive training for acquiring
important customer relations skills as well as the handling of luxury
cars, routes in the city and defense. All Avis India chauffeurs are well-trained, English speaking and well versed with
local city routes they ply on. Avis cars are also equipped with GPS devices and baby seats which come at an extra
cost.

14. Alva Brothers launches Real Lifestyle Network- Afaqs! Nov 26

Real Lifestyle Network will launch India's first food channel, Food First, in early 2011. Alva
Brothers Entertainment has announced the launch of the first Indian premium lifestyle media
network in the country. The channel is slated to unveil a bouquet of sharply focused lifestyle
television channels. Real Lifestyle Network's first offering will be Food First, India's first and
only television channel dedicated to food and food related experiences.

The HD (high definition) ready channel, Food First, is slated to be launched in early 2011,
followed by other channels in the lifestyle space over the next year. Food First will be a pay
channel and will soon be available across the country on both digital and analogue distribution
platforms. The channel targets upwardly mobile English speaking, 18+ male and female viewers.

15. Take an e-tuk-tuk ride- ET Nov 30

FOUR years ago, when a British Airways pilot was in Chennai, little did he know that an auto
driver would ask him to design a website for him instead of demanding the fare. While auto
driver Samson’s physical address is given as near Taj Coromandel, Chennai, his web address is
www.tuktastic.com. Incredible, but true. For a city where three-wheeled taxis are ‘reputed’ for
fleecing customers, an auto-driver’s website with his contact information updated, is definitely a
welcome sign. And Samson doesn’t stop at that: his website also lists things to do, places to shop
and where to eat in this Southern metropolis. To market himself better, he has picked up a bit of
Japanese and Italian and he boasts to have ferried star clients like celebrity food show host
Padma Lakshmi and South African cricketer Hashim Amla in his ‘tuk tuk’ — the name by which
autos go in Chennai.
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16. Unsolicited calls, messages may cost telemarketers up to 2 lakh in fines - ET Nov 30
TELEMARKETERS who call up customers without their approval and firms that send unsolicited
commercial text messages (SMSes) to mobile users will be subject to fines ranging from 25,000 to 2
lakh, including cancellation of telephone connections from January 2011. The penalties will be part
of the new rules that telecom regulator Trai will announce this week as it attempts to put in place a
foolproof mechanism to shield customers from irritating calls and text messages.

The regulator will also mandate all telemarketing firms be issued mobile and landline numbers
beginning with the 70 series to help customers identify such calls. For the first six violations,
telemarketing companies face a fine, following which their licenses will be cancelled. Besides, in a
bid to ensure that telemarketing firms do not take fresh connections on cancellations, the
registration process of these firms will include all details of the firms, including that of PAN cards.

17. Hi-tech plan to streamline NREGA payment- ET Nov 30

INDIA Post will provide gadgets such as biometric fingerprint scanners, magnetic strip
readers and thermal printers to its 1,30,000 rural offices to smoothen the process of
verification and payment under the national rural employment guarantee scheme.
Although NREGA is administered by the ministry of rural development, payments under
the UPA government’s flagship job safety programme are routed through the postal
network and bank branches.

The devices offered to the post offices will have an in-built global positioning system
(GPS) to determine the frequency of the postal staff’s visits to the villages, which will ensure accountability on the
part of the branch post masters. This will also help the department map its delivery territory. To ensure that the
process is made hassle-free, the devices will have portable web cameras with enabling features such as Bluetooth and
WiFi access for seamless transfer of data that may be required under the verification process for accounts.
Transactions under the scheme will happen only when the wage earners biometric information is matched with data
stored in the department’s electronic database. As network availability in most rural areas is inconsistent, the devices
will have facility to function both online and offline. To address the problem of inadequate power supply, the devises
will have an in-built battery with solar chargers.

18. SAIL, Japan’s Kobe ink pact for 5k-cr plant- ET Dec 01
JAPAN’S Kobe Steel has entered into an agreement with Steel Authority of India( SAIL) for a
joint venture to utilize the Japanese steel company’s innovative iron making process by building
a green-field 0.5-million tonne plant in the country. The two companies, which are already
preparing a feasibility report on the planned JV, signed an agreement on this in Tokyo on
Tuesday. The agreement will cover comprehensive strategic collaboration for projects in India
and abroad as well as in steelmaking technologies.

The proposed venture is estimated to be worth 5,000 crore and is slated to come up on land belonging to SAIL’s alloy
steel plant at Durgapur. The coming together of SAIL and Kobe Steel marks the increasing importance of sophisticated
steel products for the country’s growing economy. The scope of the agreement also includes joint studies on taking up
projects in special alloy steel and bars and stainless steel tubes.

19. Honda Brio to make India debut next yr- ET Dec 01

Honda Motor Company showcased Brio compact car at the Bangkok Motor Expo on Tuesday, the
smallest and the cheapest in its portfolio, that is expected to cost less than 5 lakh. The Brio could
turnaround Japanese carmaker’s Indian operations, which has reported flat sales in the current
fiscal, even as the domestic market grew 33%. Brio (originating from the Italian meaning
energetic) is likely to come with a 1.2 litre small engine that is expected to deliver fuel efficiency
of around 20km/litre, close to Eco-Car another variant of the same car that would be sold in
Thailand from March 2011 onwards.

The Indian variant would hit the market around the festive season of September-October and would have high local
content of around 80%. Honda, which is the largest two wheeler maker in the world both by volume and turnover
controls over 65% of the Indian two wheeler market with two subsidiaries. The company is looking at expanding its
operations at the Rajasthan plant where a large number of critical engine spares for the Brio would be manufactured.
20. Centum partners Bharti Airtel- ET Dec 01
Centum Learning on Tuesday said it has partnered with telecom services firm Bharti Airtel for
training people and building a large pool of highly skilled and competent professionals. Centum
has already trained a large number of Airtel’s employees and partners across all businesses,
including channel partners, distributors, outsourced partners and employees of its subsidiary through multiple learning
programmes, said Centum.

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 INTERNATIONAL NEWS

21. 2018 World Cup boosts Russian steel cos, helps image- Reuters Dec 2
Russian steel companies rallied on Thursday on expectation that hosting the
2018 World Cup would fuel a lucrative construction boom, and economists said
Moscow's image among foreign investors should also get a boost. FIFA awarded the
2018 soccer World Cup to Russia on Thursday, giving it a second major sporting
event to look forward to after the 2014 Winter Olympics to be hosted by the Black
Sea resort town of Sochi.

Shares in Russian steel companies led the way as investors looked forward to extra
sales to supply the materials needed to build stadiums, roads, hotels and transport
links around the country to support the tournament. Russia has put forward
proposals for 16 stadiums in 13 host cities, budgeting $3.82 billion for construction.

22. Kraft-Starbucks coffee conflict heats up- Reuters Nov 30

Starbucks Corp and Kraft Foods Inc began airing a messy divorce on Monday,
fighting over who gets what in the dissolution of a partnership through which Kraft
sells bags of Starbucks coffee to supermarkets and other retailers. Starbucks wants
to end its 12-year deal with Kraft, saying it breached their contract. Kraft denies any
breach and contends that if Starbucks wants to back out, it must pay Kraft the fair
market value of the business plus a premium of as much as 35 percent, based on
how Starbucks carries the business forward.

Starbucks could have to pay more than $1 billion to buy back the business and run
it. Starbucks has accused Kraft of contract breaches including not always meeting minimum advertising budgets or
keeping Starbucks involved in major initiatives, thereby eroding its "brand equity."

23. Northern Europe counts cost of big freeze- Reuters Dec 2

Heavy snow caused travel chaos across much of northern Europe on Thursday,
keeping London's Gatwick airport closed for a second day and disrupting road and rail
travel in France, Germany and Switzerland. Days of sub-zero temperatures and snow
in Britain have halted flights and trains and could be costing the economy 1.2 billion
pounds ($1.87 billion) a day.

Commuters struggled to get to work as Britain's worst early winter weather in almost
two decades showed no sign of easing. Gatwick, Britain's second busiest airport, said
it would remain closed on Friday. An association of independent petrol retailers
warned eastern parts of Britain were suffering fuel shortages because of supply problems, particularly in rural areas.
British wholesale gas prices rose to their highest level since early 2009 on Thursday on high demand for heating which
is draining limited stocks.

24. Facebook to patent the word face- TOI Nov 26

It may sound ridiculous at first, but Facebook is planning to trademark the word
'face' because it wants to stop other companies using the term in a way which
damages its own brand. The first stage of the bid has been approved and, provided
they complete all the paperwork, the full trademark will be rubber stamped by the
US Patent Office in six months.. However, the general public will still be able to use
'face' without fear of breaking the law, reports the Daily Mail. In Facebook's case,
it only applies to “telecommunication services, namely, providing online chat
rooms and electronic bulletin boards for transmission of messages among
computer users in the field of general interest and concerning social and entertainment subject matter.” So long as
Facebook pays the necessary fees, the application is likely to go through without objection, officials said.

25. Google book store is coming soon- Reuters Dec1

Wall Street Journal reports Google Editions set to launch before end of 2010. Google
Editions has significantly different sales model from most competitors. Project was
supposed to launch even earlier in 2010. We didn't want to come out with something that
wasn't thorough Google Editions, the Internet giant's book store business promised for
last summer, is set to launch before the end of 2010, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Google Editions will have a significantly different sales model from most competitors, such
as Amazon's Kindle store or Apple's iBookStore. Instead of purchasing books through a
single online store, Google will let users buy them either from Google or from independent bookstores and then tie
them to a Google account, which will enable them to read the books anywhere and on any device they please.

9
 MISCELLANEOUS NEWS

26. Himachal picks Preity over Dalai Lama as icon- TNN Dec 01
The Himachalis clearly know a lot more than growing very good apples. When it came to deciding
between Nobel laureate Dalai Lama and Bollywood actor Preity Zinta as their brand ambassador to
promote tourism, they pitched for the starlet. Zinta was born and educated in Himachal Pradesh
before she went on to establish herself as an actor.

What got the Himachal government really keen on Zinta was her concern for environment, for which
she has become known internationally as a member of Save Tiger campaign, promoted by
International Monetary Organization. It has, as its other members, 13 heads of states. Zinta is on
the campaign for AIDS awareness organized by UNICEF.

27. Sangakkara replaces Tendulkar as number one Test batsman-TOI Nov 2

Sangakkara, who reached the top spot after scoring an impressive 150 runs against the West
Indies in the ongoing home series, has 882 rating points in comparison to Tendulkar's 859.
Dashing Indian opener Virender Sehwag is at third place with 850 points. South Africans
Jacques Kallis (806 pts) is at fourth place while AB de Villiers (793) has leapfrogged to 5th from
13th position after his innings of 287 not out against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi.

India's Zaheer Khan (743) has touched a career high ranking of three in the bowlers rankings.
Zaheer's rise can be attributed to his figures of 4-90 against New Zealand in the second Test
match at Hyderabad. There is no change in the rankings for Test all-rounders with Jacques Kallis still leading the
field.

28. Bid to rope in Chulbul, Rancho for inclusion drive- ET Dec 02

Matinee idols Salman Khan and Aamir Khan may soon be spreading the message of
financial inclusion, if Indian Banks’ Association manages to convince finance
ministry mandarins on an ad blitzkrieg that could cost Rs 70-80 crore. The
representative body of 160 lenders in the country feels Aamir and Salman, fresh
from the top grossers of the year – 3 Idiots and Dabangg, would be the ideal
persons to educate rural masses about the benefits of bank accounts and other
financial services.

IBA plans to provide a fillip to the financial inclusion agenda through an 18-month national campaign that will include
street plays, puppet shows and advertisement in mass media aimed at wooing the rural folk. The campaign will end
on March 2012. IBA chief executive K Ramakrishnan has already said that the campaign will be a huge, country-wide
effort.

29. AIMA's New Management Aptitude and Skills Test Beneficial for Both Recruiters &
Students- Google News Dec02
The All India Management Association's Management Aptitude and Skills Test (MAST) will be
beneficial for both students and recruiters. MAST is a screening test launched by AIMA in order to
assess the skills of B-school graduates. The exam is scheduled to be held on February 20, 2011.
The entrance exam will be a computer based test of 150 minutes duration and will evaluate the
students in various fields that include Management Aptitude, Domain Knowledge involving
functional areas of specializations such as Marketing, Finance, Human Resource, International
Business, Operations and Information Technology. It will prove to be an efficient solution to the
problems, which recruiters and students face during the recruitment procedure.

In addition, sources informed that many major recruiters have shown their interest in the test
and are willing to avail its services. The major recruiters include Dabur, MetLife India, Camlin
Ltd., Deloitte, Nokia, Lenovo, Reliance Industries, TATA Communications, Suzlon, Parle, Hindustan Level Ltd., Pfizer,
PricewaterhouseCoopers India, McAfee, JM Financial, Alembic Ltd., Idea Cellular, etc, sources added.

30. Secret Cable: Diplomats Asked To Double Up As Intelligence Gatherers- ET Nov30

THE latest wave of WikiLeaks threatens to affect Indo-US ties, with the startling disclosure that
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called India a ‘self appointed’ UNSC front-runner and ordered
spying of the country’s bid to become a permanent member of the body. The US had forewarned
India about the latest rash of leaks, observing that they may harm American interests and create
tension in its ties with its ‘friends.’ And now that the leaks are out, there are fears in the foreign
policy establishment here that the disclosures, which cover 2006-2010, may have damaging
information on the Indo-US nuclear deal too. Wikileaks has in its possession more than 3,000
cables coming out of the US Embassy in New Delhi.

10
 TELEVISION INDUSTRY: INDIA

Flashback: TV in India started with the experimental telecast in Delhi on 15

September 1959 with a small transmitter and a makeshift studio. Daily transmission
started in 1965 as a part of All India Radio. Up until 1975, only seven Indian cities
had a television service. National telecasts were introduced much later in 1982. As of
2010, a total number of 515 channels are available in the country out of which 150
are pay channels.

Television in India today is a huge industry and has thousands of programmes in all
the states of India. As per the TAM Annual Universe Update - 2010, India now has
over 134 million households (out of 223 million) with television sets, of which over
103 million have access to Cable TV or Satellite TV. Currently, India is the third
largest television market in the world and despite the size; it is one of the fastest
growing markets. TV penetration in India is currently only 58 percent.

Doordarshan initiated its broadcasting with Indira Gandhi’s speech on 15

August 1982, followed by the 1982 Asian Games which were held in Delhi. Now
more than 90 percent of the Indian population can receive Doordarshan (DD
National) programmes through a network of nearly 1,400 terrestrial
transmitters. It has nearly 46 studios producing TV programs and operates 21
channels. It is the public television broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar
Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in the world in terms
of the infrastructure of studios and transmitters. Recently, it has also started
Digital Terrestrial Transmitters. On September 15 2009, Doordarshan celebrated
its 50th anniversary.

Mythological dramas such as Ramayan (1987-88) and Mahabharat (1989-90)

notched up world records in viewership numbers for a single program. Hum Log,
Buniyaad and Nukkad gave Indians the first taste of mega teleserials. Shaktimaan, India's First Superhero, glued
millions to Doordarshan as did shows such as Rajani, Karamchand, Bharat Ek Khoj, Malgudi days and Dekh bhai dekh.
Once the private television channels were allowed in 1991, Doordarshan has seen a steep decline in viewership in
homes with Cable and Satellite Television which in 2002 fell to 2.38% for DD National.

Zee TV with its slogan ‘Har Pal Banaye Ek Naya Rishta’ was founded by Subhash
Chandra and was launched in India in October 1992, becoming the first Hindi
satellite channel. It is owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Essel Group and is
based in Mumbai. The channel today broadcasts various programmes in Hindi and
other regional languages of India. It is one of the largest Indian programming
content distributors with an estimated reach of more than 500 million viewers in
over 167 countries including USA, Canada, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South
East Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The channel has successfully completed 18
years of its existence and expansion.

Zee has many firsts to its credit. It is the First: 1)To corporatize the Hindi film
industry with the costliest production and the highest grossing Hindi movie in its time - 'Gadar - Ek Prem Katha',
2)Hindi General entertainment Channel – Zee TV 3)Hindi Cinema Channel - Zee Cinema 4)Hindi News Channel - Zee
News and 5)Listed media company.

Zee is the largest producer and aggregator of Hindi programming in the world, with more than 80,000 hours of
original programming in its archives. One of the most popular entertainment brands in India; was ranked 9th most
popular brand within a decade of its launch.

Colors, the most recent and popular Hindi channel is based in Mumbai, and is a
part of the Viacom 18 family. It was launched on July 21, 2008 and made its entry
with exciting serials like Khataron ke Khiladi. The channel gives mixed flavor and
ranges from Fiction shows to Format shows to Reality shows to Blockbuster Movies
- the basket contains all 'Jasbaat Ke Rang'. The channels' most popular show,
Balika Vadhu has been ranked in the Top 5 shows of Indian television's TRPs
charts, within 3 months of its launch and continues to enthrall the audiences.

‘Over the last 18 months, Colors has risen to become the No.1 rated GEC in India.
The launch of Aapka Colors in US is part of Viacom18′s aggressive growth plans to
extend this successful franchise of our flagship brand outside India,’ said Haresh
Chawla, group CEO Viacom18 and Network18.
11
 CURRENT AFFAIRS QUIZ

1. The first channel of India, Doordarshan initiated its broadcasting with______________ on 15 August 1982,
followed by the 1982 Asian Games which were held in Delhi.
a. A movie on Mahatma Gandhi
b. Scenes from Freedom Struggle
c. A parliamentary snap shot
d. Indira Gandhi’s speech

2. _______________ in US is part of Viacom18′s aggressive growth plans to extend this successful franchise of
our flagship brand outside India.
a. Aapka Colors
b. Humara Colors
c. Sabka Colors
d. Colors

3. Who amongst the following business tycoons, well known for his flamboyance, has bought the “best house in
Cape Town”, South Africa for $8.4 million (`38.4 crore)?
a. Anil Ambani
b. Yash Birla
c. Vijay Mallya
d. Laxmi Mittal

4. In 2004, Sania was conferred the _______________ for her outstanding contribution to Tennis in India.
a. Arjuna award
b. Padma Bhushan Award
c. Nobel Prize
d. Bharat Ratna Award

5. Which one of the following countries is now the most dominant sporting power in the world having
convincingly displaced USA from the top position?
a. China
b. Russia
c. Japan
d. Germany

6. Colors, the most recent and popular Hindi channel is based in Mumbai, and is a part of the
____________________.
a. Collaborative Group 18
b. Endemol
c. ApkaNetwork
d. Viacom 18 family
7. Rhiti Sports was founded six years ago by Arun Pandey, a former Ranji Trophy cricketer who played for Uttar
Pradesh. Rhiti tied up with whom amongst the following cricketers?
a. Gautam Gambhir
b. Suresh Raina
c. M S Dhoni
d. Harbhajan Singh

8. i10 and i20 cars from Hyundai Motors Co are manufactured only in which one of the following cities of India
and exported to the world?
a. Gurgaon
b. Chennai
c. Pune
d. Bangalore
9. In the recently concluded Asian Games which one of the following countries set a new Games record with 199
Gold medals?
a. India
b. China
c. Russia
d. Japan

12
 10. Who amongst the following has been replaced Sachin Tendulkar as number one Test batsman, after scoring an
impressive 150 runs against the West Indies in the ongoing home series?
a. Kumar Sangakkara
b. Jacques Kallis
c. Sourav Ganguly
d. Virender Sehwag

11. Who amongst the following personalities trained Sania during her starting phase of career?
a. Mahesh Bhupati
b. CK Bhupati
c. her father
d. Leander Peas

12. Who amongst the following celebrities has been selected by Himanchali people as their brand ambassador to
promote tourism?
a. Manisha Koirala
b. Gul Panag
c. Priyanka Chopra
d. Preity Zinta

13. Who amongst the following German players was is an idol for Sania?
a. Martina Muller
b. Julia Schruff
c. Sarah Gronert
d. Steffi Graff

14. Which one of the following pairs of cricketers will command the highest base price of 1.84 crore?
a. MS Dhoni & Rahul Dravid
b. Sourav Ganguly & Anil Kumble
c. Rahul Dravid & Anil Kumble
d. MS Dhoni & Sachin Tendulkar

15. Starbucks Corp has began dissolution of a partnership with which of the following firm that is involved in
selling bags of Starbucks coffee to supermarkets and other retailers.
a. Nestle
b. Kraft Foods Inc
c. Hindustan Unilever
d. Procter & Gamble

16. Which one of the following companies has emerged as the frontrunner to acquire a controlling stake in
lightings maker Halonix (formerly Phoenix Lamps) from private equity fund Actis for around 300 crore?
a. Philips India
b. LG Electronics
c. Samsung Electronics Ltd.
d. Sony Corp.
17. In terms of economic growth rate from 2005-06 to 2007-08, all the four BIMARU states has performed well
and improved on their respective earlier rankings. Which one of the following states is ahead amongst the
BIMARU States?
a. Rajasthan
b. Madhya Pradesh
c. Bihar
d. Uttar Pradesh

18. Who amongst the following former cricketer's newly launched sports celebrity management venture, a
subsidiary of his Professional Management Group, signed up Virender Sehwag in a five-year deal that is worth
over `100 crore in the first three years?
a. Ravi Shastri
b. Sunil Gavaskar
c. Navjot Singh Siddhu
d. Kapil Dev

13
 19. According to the World Bank 16 of the worlds’ 20 cities with the worst air pollution are in which one of the
following countries?
a. Russia
b. US
c. Japan
d. China

20. Which one of the following parts of the world has least number of deaths from urban air pollution?
a. Russia
b. South America
c. Australia
d. Europe

21. Which one of the following is the flagship retail chain of Tata Group’s Trent?
a. Shoppers Stop
b. LifeStyle
c. Central
d. Westside

22. Investigating agencies probing the allotment of mobile permits by former telecom minister A Raja are
examining a transaction between Tata Realty and Infrastructure Ltd (TRIL), a Tata Group company, and which
one of the following real estate firm?
a. Unitech
b. Hindustan Construction Company
c. DLF Builders
d. K Raheja Constructions
e.
23. Which one of the following cities of Gujarat faced an earthquake in 2001?
a. Vadnagar
b. Rajkot
c. Bhuj
d. Baroda

24. Doordarshan is the public television broadcaster of India and a division of _____________.
a. Vividh Bharati
b. Prasar Bharati
c. Bharatiya Sanchar Nigam
d. Aakashwani

25. On September 15 2009, __________________ celebrated its 50th anniversary.

a. Zee TV
b. Star Plus
c. Doordarshan
d. Colors

ANSWER KEY:

Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A.
1 D 6 B 11 A 16 B 21 A
2 C 7 B 12 D 17 A 22 D
3 D 8 A 13 A 18 A 23 A
4 D 9 B 14 A 19 D 24 C
5 B 10 B 15 C 20 A 25 C

14