National
Nuclear-capable Dhanush missile successfully test fired from warship Subhadra
The nuclear-capable Dhanush ballistic missile was successfully test fired from warship Subhadra, off the Puri coast of Odisha in the Bay of Bengal.
The test was conducted by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and it was a perfect mission as the missile hit the target point with high degree of accuracy.
About Dhanush missile
One of the five missiles indigenously developed by the DRDO under its strategic Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).
The surface-to-surface missile is a naval variant of Prithvi-II missile and can carry both conventional as well as a nuclear payload of 500 kg.
The missile has a length of 8.53 meters and is 0.9 meter wide. It is single-stage, liquid propelled which can hit both land and sea-based targets upto strike range of 350 kms.
The missile already has been inducted into the armed Services. Naval variant of the missile was first successfully tested in 2012.
'Ramayan' cannot be anyone's trademark: SC
The Supreme Court has held that a person cannot claim the names of a holy or religious book as a trademark for his goods or services.
The recent judgment delivered by a Bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi and R.K. Agrawal came on a dispute regarding Patna-based trader, Lal Babu Priyadarshi, who applied for a trade mark by name 'Ramayan' for his incense sticks and perfumeries.
The judgment referred to the Eighth Report on the Trade Marks Bill, 1993 submitted by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on April 21, 1994 in this regard.
IRCTC to launch semi-luxury trains on desert & heritage trips
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited is gearing up to launch two premier train services that will unveil the charm of the country’s sprawling deserts and eclectic heritage before its travellers.
Both semi-luxury trains will depart from New Delhi with an array of deluxe facilities across its five days of round trip dotted with sightseeing facilities.
Operated by IRCTC, the ‘mini ratna’ PSU of the Railways, the two trains will run eight trips individually till summer sets in upcountry by next April, it said.
Desert Circuit will begin service from mid-December 2015 and wind up on April 21, while Heritage Circuit will commence on December 20. Its last trip will start on April 24.
The package prices of Desert Circuit are: Rs 36,900, Rs 33,900, Rs 32,900 (first AC single, double and triple occupancy, respectively), Rs 28,025, Rs 25025, Rs 24,525 (second AC) and Rs 24,125, Rs 21,125, Rs 20,625 (third AC).
As for Heritage Circuit, the rates will be Rs 35,900, Rs 32,900, Rs 31,900 (first AC single, double and triple occupancy), Rs 26,200, Rs 23,200, Rs 22,700 (second AC) and Rs 21,790, Rs 18,790, Rs 18, 290 (third AC).
The package, which includes intercity transfers, also features stay in three-star hotels, all meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), sightseeing, local transfers by AC deluxe vehicles, entrances at the monuments, service of English/Hindi speaking guide, travel insurance, 24x7 security and CCTV surveillance on board the train, besides hygienic kitchen-car facility, medical facility, transport by AC vehicles and wi-fi internet service.
The Jaisalmer stop of the Desert Circuit will cover the city Fort, sand dunes, Gadisagar lake and Palwaon Ki Haveli.
At Jaipur, the sights shown will be City Palace, Jantar Mantar observatory, Chokhi Dhani, Amer Fort and Hawa Mahal.
The Heritage Circuit will, at Varanasi, take passengers to Sarnath, besides a boat ride on the Ganges and experiencing the dusk-time ‘aarti’ ceremony. The Khajuraho stay features visits to Eastern and Western group of Temples.
Business:
Foodpanda to tie-up with IRCTC
Foodpanda, online food ordering platform, plans to associate with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). The association is expected to enable consumers to order meals of their choice through Foodpanda’s aggregator model, and allow them to order from a wide variety of cuisine options. The pilot of this proposed association is being planned to be launched at the New Delhi Railway station.
SEBI, Bangladesh SEC ink MoU on bilateral cooperation
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) have signed a MoU on bilateral cooperation and technical assistance.
The MoU was signed by SEBI chairman U K Sinha and BSEC Chairman M Khairul Hossain in the presence of Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina Wazed.
Key facts
The MoU seeks to promote further development of economic links and cooperation between the two neighbouring countries.
It also aims at enhancing investor protection and creating conditions for effective development of securities markets in both countries.
It will further ease the training and technical assistance programme between the two different market jurisdictions.
The MoU was signed by SEBI as part of its active engagement with the equities and commodities markets regulators in the SAARC region.
So far, the equities and commodities market regulator SEBI has signed 20 such bilateral MoUs with other countries.
International:
25th November: International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
Every year on 25th November is observed as International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW) across the world.
Significance of Day: Raise awareness about violence against women and girls, end the violence against the women. Show that prevention is possible against violence of women.
Key facts
On occasion of this day, hundreds of monuments across the world were lit in orange to galvanise support for global action to end violence against women and girls.
The orange colour symbolise a bright and optimistic future to free from violence against women and girls and will help unify the large-scale social mobilisation.
Prevention is the theme of this year’s UNiTE campaign of IDEVAW which would be a 16 days-long activism against gender-based violence till 10th December 2015 i.e. till International Human Rights Day.
Background: IDEVAW was commemorated in the memory of the Mirabal sisters who were three political activists from the Dominican Republic. They were brutally assassinated during the Rafael Trujillo dictatorship (1930-1961
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