*CURRENT AFFAIRS (15.01.2014)

National Affairs
*.India registered an increase of five years inlife expectancy rate
*.Centerhas decided to provide additional wage employment of 50 days
beyond stipulated 100 days under MGNREGA to ST households in forest
areas.
*.The 66th Army Day is being celebrated across the country today.
*.South Korean President Park Geun-hyebegan her four-day state visit
to India on Wednesday with the aim of bolstering bilateral cooperation
on the economy, science and regional security.
*.The India-Korea Infrastructure Development & Partnering Plaza 2014
summit started at Mumbai Today.
*.Death anniversaryof former Prime Minister GulzariLalNanadaobserved today.
*.The National Museum of Indian Cinema will open its doors in Mumbai next month.
*.India Meteorological Departmentcelebrates 139th foundation day today.
International Affairs
*.India and Japan heldjoint exercisein Kochi Coast on 14 January 2014.
*.British PM orderedenquiryinto Thatcher's role in Operation Bluestar.
*.The European Parliament has signed off on new carbon dioxide
restrictions for commercial vans that will slash emissions by 28 per
cent from 2020.
*.The US State Department condemned as "offensive and inappropriate"
reported comments by Israel´sdefenceministercriticisinga security plan
put forward by US Secretary of State John Kerry.
*.Germany and the United States announced that their negotiations on
forging a "no-spying" agreement in the wake of the NSA espionage
scandal were still ongoing.
*.France will not tolerate any hate speech or acts against Jews,
Muslims or Christians, President Francois Hollande said, just days
after a comic whose sketches were viewed as anti-Semitic was banned
from performing.
*.The US handed over to India three stolen antique sculptures, valued
at over 1.5 million dollars, in a display of cooperation between the
two countries following a month-long row over the arrest and
indictment of an Indian diplomat here.
*.For the first time in the United States, a man named Mohamed Osman
Mohamud convicted on terror charges has asked authorities for
documents obtained by the National Security Agency to try to reverse
his conviction, a document obtained has showed.
*.Birth anniversary of American civil rights movement leader and Nobel
peace prize-winner Dr.MartinLutherKingJr.observedtoday.
Business and Economy
*.The World Bank has projected India's economy will grow over 6 per
cent in 2014-15 and 7.1 per cent by 2016-17 as global demand recovers
and domestic investment increases.
*.Slowing for the first time in 6 months, wholesale inflation for
December came at 6.16 percent against 7.52 percent in November. From
5.85 percent in July to November, inflation had increased
continuously. Retail inflation had also eased in December latest
official data shows.
Appointments
*.The Supreme Court appoints senior advocates Fali S Nariman and K K
Venugopal as amicus curiae to assist it in the complaints of sexual
harassments by the judges at alllevel.
*.Senior IAS officer Rajeev Kher has been appointed Secretary in
Department of Commerce. Kher, a 1980-batch IAS officer ofUttar Pradesh
cadre, is presently Special Secretary, Department of Commerce under
Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
*.S.S.Garbyal appointed as DG (Forests) & Special Secretary, Ministry
of Environment & Forests.
*.SudarsanamSrinivasan appointed asMember(Finance), Atomic Energy/
Space/Earth Commissions.
*.A.Vijayanandappointed as Additional Secretary and Financial Adviser,
Department of Space.
Science & Technology
*.Singapore is ready to invest $2.43 billion to modernize its F-16
fighter jets in an arms deal with the United States, the Pentagon
announced today.
*.IndianCoastGuardShip(ICGS) Abhinav, the 3rd fast patrol vessel(FPV)
built by Cochin Shipyard Limited commissioned in Kochi today.
Sports
*.A two-day FIFA-Interpol workshop on 'Tackling Match Fixing and
Corruption in Football' started at Delhi today. The workshop is a part
ofFIFA-Interpol Training, Education and Prevention initiative and is
being partnered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
*.England beats Belgium 1-0 to entersemifinalsofHockey World League
Finalin New Delhi today.
Death
*.Noted Marathi poet and one of the founders of the Dalit Panthers,
Padma Shri Namdeo Dhasal passes away at the age of 64.
*.WWE Hall of Famer Mae Young Passes Away at Age 90