General Knowledge Buzz - 28th September 2014

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1. Paneerselvam is new TN Chief Minister

I. This is the second time Mr Panneerslevam has become the Chief Minister of the state.

II. Described as “Mr Faithful”, Panneerselvam belongs to the dominant Mudukulathor community and is a trusted lieutenant of Jayalalithaa.
III. After the meeting with Mr. Paneerselvam, Tamil Nadu Governor K Rosaiah invited newly elected AIADMK Legislature Party Leader to form the government.


2. Govt trims borrowing target by Rs.8,000 cr

I. The Central Government on Friday said it would borrow Rs.2.40 lakh crore from markets in the second half of the current fiscal, Rs.8,000 crore less than the annual estimate.
II. With this, the borrowing by way of dated securities (G-secs) for the entire fiscal will total Rs.5.92 lakh crore as against the Budget Estimate (BE) of Rs.6 lakh crore.
III. The top Finance Ministry official also said the government was sticking with the fiscal target of 4.1 per cent of the GDP for 2014-15 irrespective of the cut down in the market borrowings.

3. Libyan parliament swears in new government

I. Libya’s new parliament on Sunday swore in Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni and his cabinet during a meeting in the eastern port town of Tobruk.
II. The ceremony followed weeks of political manoeuvring in the fractious assembly, as clashes continued between rival militias near the capital Tripoli and in the eastern city of Benghazi.
III. The Tobruk-based parliament, the House of Representatives, has swung behind the anti-Islamist forces, declaring the main Islamist militias to be terrorist organizations.

4. PM Modi's US visit: US eyes defence, aerospace deals worth $3-5 billion with India

I. American corporations are pitching for deals worth USD 3-5 billion in defence and aerospace sectors, while many have expressed interest to partner in projects related to smart cities and digital India.

II. Besides many technology giants such as Google, IBM, Adobe and Cognizant are also believed to have expressed intention in partnering the government's smart cities and digital India projects, among others.

5. ADB sells entire 5.2 % stake in Petronet LNG for Rs.714.50 cr

I. The Asian Development Bank (ADB), on Friday, sold its entire 5.2 per cent stake in Petronet LNG Ltd. (PLL) for Rs.714.5 crore via block deals.
II. The ADB sold 3.9 crore shares of India’s largest liquefied natural gas importer to CitiGroup and HDFC Mutual Fund at Rs.183.20 per share.
III. Petronet’s promoters — IOC, ONGC, GAIL and BPCL — were originally interested in buying ADB’s 5.2 per cent stake but the company management was opposed to it as it would have led to PSU holding crossing 50 per cent that would turn the LNG importer into a government entity.

6. Yogeshwar provides golden touch, India in top-10

I. Star wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt notched up India’s fourth gold medal,
II. while Khushbir Kaur became the first woman from the country to win a medal in 20km Race Walking by clinching a silver as India shot up to eighth in overall standings on the ninth day of competitions in the 17th Asian Games in Incheon on Sunday.

III. Besides, tennis players accounted for three bronze medals through Yuki Bhambri (men’s singles and men’s doubles with Divij Sharan) and Sania Mirza and Prarthana Thombare (women’s doubles).
IV. Middle-distance runner M.R. Poovamma won a bronze in the women’s 400m race.