Opinion polls show 'No' vote ahead in Greek bailout referendum
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ATHENS: Opinion polls released after Greece's bailout referendum on Sunday showed the 'No' vote ahead, suggesting voters had defied warnings from across Europe that rejection of the creditors' terms would set their country on a path out of the euro.
No exit polls were conducted, but three opinion polls by GPO, Metron Analysis and MRB all showed the 'No' camp' ahead by three points. A poll by Marc estimated 49.5 to 54.5 per cent of Greeks voted 'No' compared to 45.5 to 50.5 per cent voting 'Yes', based on surveys conducted through the week.
The polls were released after voting ended on Sunday because of a ban on the publication of polls on the day before a vote is held.
Nikos Filis, parliamentary spokesman for the ruling Syriza party said the result of the opinion polls would allow the government to move ahead quickly to reach a deal with creditors.
"I think this is guidance for the government," he said after the polls came out.
Athens' partners have warned over the past week that a 'No' vote would mean cutting bridges with Europe and driving Greece's crippled financial system into outright bankruptcy, dramatically worsening the country's 5-year-long depression.
If confirmed, the result will also deliver a hammer blow to the European Union's grand single currency project. Intended to be permanent and unbreakable when it was created 15 years ago, the euro zone could now be on the point of losing its first member with the risk of further unravelling to come.
Greek banks, which have been closed all week and rationing withdrawals from cash machines, are expected to run out of money within days unless the European Central Bank provides an emergency lifeline.
However central bankers warned before the vote that a 'No' would make it almost impossible for the ECB to turn on the taps, leaving the Greek financial system without funds and facing imminent collapse.
A 'No' vote would leave Greece and the euro zone in uncharted waters. Unable to borrow money on capital markets, Greece has one of the world's highest levels of public debt. The International Monetary Fund warned last week that it would need massive debt relief and 50 billion euros in fresh funds.
Greece's left-wing government called the referendum only a week ago after it rejected the tough terms offered by international creditors as the price for releasing billions of euros in bailout funds.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras denounced the bailout terms as "blackmail" and declared that a 'No' vote would strengthen the government's hand to get a better deal that would allow the banks to re-open this week.
A succession of European leaders and policy makers warned, however, that the bailout terms were no longer on the table. They said the vote was now effectively about whether Greeks wanted to remain in the euro or return to the drachma.
Opinion polls show a large majority of Greeks want to remain in the euro. But, exhausted and resentful after years of austerity cuts imposed under successive bailout programmes, many appear to have shrugged off the warnings of disaster, trusting that a deal can still be reached.
ATHENS: Opinion polls released after Greece's bailout referendum on Sunday showed the 'No' vote ahead, suggesting voters had defied warnings from across Europe that rejection of the creditors' terms would set their country on a path out of the euro. No exit polls were conducted, but three opinion polls by GPO, Metron Analysis and MRB all showed the 'No' camp' ahead by three points. A poll by Marc estimated 49.5 to 54.5 per cent of Greeks voted 'No' compared to 45.5 to 50.5 per cent voting 'Yes', based on surveys conducted through the week.
The polls were released after voting ended on Sunday because of a ban on the publication of polls on the day before a vote is held.
Nikos Filis, parliamentary spokesman for the ruling Syriza party said the result of the opinion polls would allow the government to move ahead quickly to reach a deal with creditors.
"I think this is guidance for the government," he said after the polls came out.
Athens' partners have warned over the past week that a 'No' vote would mean cutting bridges with Europe and driving Greece's crippled financial system into outright bankruptcy, dramatically worsening the country's 5-year-long depression.
If confirmed, the result will also deliver a hammer blow to the European Union's grand single currency project. Intended to be permanent and unbreakable when it was created 15 years ago, the euro zone could now be on the point of losing its first member with the risk of further unravelling to come.
Greek banks, which have been closed all week and rationing withdrawals from cash machines, are expected to run out of money within days unless the European Central Bank provides an emergency lifeline.
However central bankers warned before the vote that a 'No' would make it almost impossible for the ECB to turn on the taps, leaving the Greek financial system without funds and facing imminent collapse.
A 'No' vote would leave Greece and the euro zone in uncharted waters. Unable to borrow money on capital markets, Greece has one of the world's highest levels of public debt. The International Monetary Fund warned last week that it would need massive debt relief and 50 billion euros in fresh funds.
Greece's left-wing government called the referendum only a week ago after it rejected the tough terms offered by international creditors as the price for releasing billions of euros in bailout funds.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras denounced the bailout terms as "blackmail" and declared that a 'No' vote would strengthen the government's hand to get a better deal that would allow the banks to re-open this week.
A succession of European leaders and policy makers warned, however, that the bailout terms were no longer on the table. They said the vote was now effectively about whether Greeks wanted to remain in the euro or return to the drachma.
Opinion polls show a large majority of Greeks want to remain in the euro. But, exhausted and resentful after years of austerity cuts imposed under successive bailout programmes, many appear to have shrugged off the warnings of disaster, trusting that a deal can still be reached.
Dayanidhi Maran was evasive during questioning; may be called again: CBI
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NEW DELHI: Former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran was "evasive" during his questioning by CBI in a case of alleged abuse of his office in getting installed high capacity BSNL lines at his residences to facilitate speedy transmission of programmes to a TV firm owned by his brother and could be called again.
Highly-placed CBI sources claimed the 48-year-old Maran, who held telecom and IT portfolio in UPA-I from 2004 to 2007, was "evasive on many points" during his 22-hour questioning over three days beginning last Wednesday.
The sources said his replies to other points were being verified and he may be called again for questioning after the assessment has been completed.
Efforts to reach Maran for comments failed as he neither answered telephone calls nor replied to text messages.
Maran had told reporters on Thursday outside the CBI headquarters that he had submitted documents collected through RTI from MTNL and BSNL which, he claimed, showed he had not violated any norms or guidelines of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
CBI had registered a case naming Maran, the then chief general manager (CGM), BSNL, K Bramhanathan and then CGM of Chennai Telephones M P Veluswami for allegedly entering into a criminal conspiracy and causing a huge financial loss to the government exchequer.
In its FIR, CBI had said over 323 high data capacity lines were installed at Maran's residences in Chennai and Delhi, but subsequent probe led to discovery of over 770 such lines.
The CBI began its probe in 2011, nearly four years after receiving complaints that a 'virtual' telephone exchange had been configured at Maran's house for illicit use by Sun TV network owned by his brother Kalanithi.
Sources said these lines could transmit huge amounts of data but were treated under service category and no bills were allegedly raised between 2004 and 2007.
CBI pegged the loss to the exchequer at Rs 1.8 crore.
The agency had arrested three people in connection with the case which included V Gowthaman, former Additional Private Secretary to Maran, chief technical officer of Sun TV S Kannan and electrician L S Ravi.
CBI has alleged that the lines were installed in the name of BSNL General Manager connecting the Boat House residence of Maran with the office of the family-run Sun TV through a dedicated underground cable during his tenure as telecom minister.
Sources said these were not ordinary telephone lines but costly ISDN, broadbased remote access server (BRAS), primary rate access (PRA), that are capable of carrying huge data, to facilitate faster transmission of TV news and programmes across the globe.
NEW DELHI: Former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran was "evasive" during his questioning by CBI in a case of alleged abuse of his office in getting installed high capacity BSNL lines at his residences to facilitate speedy transmission of programmes to a TV firm owned by his brother and could be called again. Highly-placed CBI sources claimed the 48-year-old Maran, who held telecom and IT portfolio in UPA-I from 2004 to 2007, was "evasive on many points" during his 22-hour questioning over three days beginning last Wednesday.
The sources said his replies to other points were being verified and he may be called again for questioning after the assessment has been completed.
Efforts to reach Maran for comments failed as he neither answered telephone calls nor replied to text messages.
Maran had told reporters on Thursday outside the CBI headquarters that he had submitted documents collected through RTI from MTNL and BSNL which, he claimed, showed he had not violated any norms or guidelines of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
CBI had registered a case naming Maran, the then chief general manager (CGM), BSNL, K Bramhanathan and then CGM of Chennai Telephones M P Veluswami for allegedly entering into a criminal conspiracy and causing a huge financial loss to the government exchequer.
In its FIR, CBI had said over 323 high data capacity lines were installed at Maran's residences in Chennai and Delhi, but subsequent probe led to discovery of over 770 such lines.
The CBI began its probe in 2011, nearly four years after receiving complaints that a 'virtual' telephone exchange had been configured at Maran's house for illicit use by Sun TV network owned by his brother Kalanithi.
Sources said these lines could transmit huge amounts of data but were treated under service category and no bills were allegedly raised between 2004 and 2007.
CBI pegged the loss to the exchequer at Rs 1.8 crore.
The agency had arrested three people in connection with the case which included V Gowthaman, former Additional Private Secretary to Maran, chief technical officer of Sun TV S Kannan and electrician L S Ravi.
CBI has alleged that the lines were installed in the name of BSNL General Manager connecting the Boat House residence of Maran with the office of the family-run Sun TV through a dedicated underground cable during his tenure as telecom minister.
Sources said these were not ordinary telephone lines but costly ISDN, broadbased remote access server (BRAS), primary rate access (PRA), that are capable of carrying huge data, to facilitate faster transmission of TV news and programmes across the globe.
Scribe's viscera test at AIIMS in Delhi as MP CM agrees to family's demand
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NEW DELHI: The viscera sample of television reporter Akshay Singh, who died in Madhya Pradesh under mysterious circumstances while on a trail of Vyapam scam, will be examined at Delhi's AIIMS.
Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday agreed to the demand of scribe's family that the test of his viscera be conducted outside the state.
Pakshi Singh, sister of Akshay Singh, had demanded that his viscera should be examined preferable at AIIMS in Delhi for a fair investigation.
She had written a letter to Madhya Pradesh chief minister, requesting him that her brother's viscera preferably be sent to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi for examination.
"As you know he (Akshay Singh) died under mysterious circumstances on July 4. I request you to get his viscera examined outside Madhya Pradesh, preferably at AIIMS in Delhi, for free and fair investigation. Please allow it."
The incident took place at Megh Nagar near Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday afternoon. Akshay Singh (38), who worked for Aaj Tak news channel, had called on the parents of Namrata Damor, whose body had been found under mysterious circumstances near railway tracks in Ujjain district, after her name figured in the massive admission and recruitment scandal.
Sources said, after the interview on Friday, as Akshay was waiting outside Damor's house, he suddenly started frothing at the mouth. He was first taken to the community health centre of Megh Nagar and then to a private hospital, where doctors failed to revive him. His body was then taken to neighbouring Dahod in Gujarat, where a three-member panel conducted an autopsy.
As per the media reports, this is the 46th death related to the scam. The most high-profile death was that of Shailesh Yadav, son of Madhya Pradesh governor Ram Naresh Yadav. Shailesh, 50, was found dead at his father's residence in Mall Avenue area of Lucknow on March 25 this year. Ram Naresh Yadav, also a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, was himself named as accused in the scam before getting relief from court.
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh had also demanded that the scribe's viscera be sent outside Madhya Pradesh for a fair probe.
The opposition is demanding a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the mysterious deaths in Vyapam scam.
NEW DELHI: The viscera sample of television reporter Akshay Singh, who died in Madhya Pradesh under mysterious circumstances while on a trail of Vyapam scam, will be examined at Delhi's AIIMS. Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday agreed to the demand of scribe's family that the test of his viscera be conducted outside the state.
Pakshi Singh, sister of Akshay Singh, had demanded that his viscera should be examined preferable at AIIMS in Delhi for a fair investigation.
She had written a letter to Madhya Pradesh chief minister, requesting him that her brother's viscera preferably be sent to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi for examination.
"As you know he (Akshay Singh) died under mysterious circumstances on July 4. I request you to get his viscera examined outside Madhya Pradesh, preferably at AIIMS in Delhi, for free and fair investigation. Please allow it."
The incident took place at Megh Nagar near Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday afternoon. Akshay Singh (38), who worked for Aaj Tak news channel, had called on the parents of Namrata Damor, whose body had been found under mysterious circumstances near railway tracks in Ujjain district, after her name figured in the massive admission and recruitment scandal.
Sources said, after the interview on Friday, as Akshay was waiting outside Damor's house, he suddenly started frothing at the mouth. He was first taken to the community health centre of Megh Nagar and then to a private hospital, where doctors failed to revive him. His body was then taken to neighbouring Dahod in Gujarat, where a three-member panel conducted an autopsy.
As per the media reports, this is the 46th death related to the scam. The most high-profile death was that of Shailesh Yadav, son of Madhya Pradesh governor Ram Naresh Yadav. Shailesh, 50, was found dead at his father's residence in Mall Avenue area of Lucknow on March 25 this year. Ram Naresh Yadav, also a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, was himself named as accused in the scam before getting relief from court.
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh had also demanded that the scribe's viscera be sent outside Madhya Pradesh for a fair probe.
The opposition is demanding a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the mysterious deaths in Vyapam scam.
Coast guard intercepts suspect Iranian fishing boat off Kerala coast; questions 12 crew members
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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A suspicious foreign fishing 'dhow', seen off the Alapuzha coast, was intercepted by the Coast Guard and brought to Vizhinjam here on Sunday.
A 12-member crew from Iran who were in the dhow have been taken into custody by Kerala police and are being interrogated.
A Coast Guard official told PTI that the interception was based on intelligence inputs from central and state agencies, including Kerala police.
Vizhinjam police said interrogation of the crew was going on and the examination of the dhow was in progress.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A suspicious foreign fishing 'dhow', seen off the Alapuzha coast, was intercepted by the Coast Guard and brought to Vizhinjam here on Sunday.A 12-member crew from Iran who were in the dhow have been taken into custody by Kerala police and are being interrogated.
A Coast Guard official told PTI that the interception was based on intelligence inputs from central and state agencies, including Kerala police.
Vizhinjam police said interrogation of the crew was going on and the examination of the dhow was in progress.
Disappointed with govt response, FTII students to continue strike
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PUNE/NEW DELHI: Expressing disappointment with government's response to their demand, students of the FTII decided to continue their strike which entered the 24th day on Sunday till TV actor and BJP member Gajendra Chauhan's appointment as its chairman is cancelled.
A row, meanwhile, broke out as to what had transpired at the talks the representatives of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) students' association (FSA) had with Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley in New Delhi on Friday.
While asserting that there could be no "compromise on the core concern", the FSA on Sunday claimed that Jaitley spoke of prospects of a "shutdown or privatization" if they persisted with their main demand for revocation of Chauhan's appointment.
I&B ministry officials in Delhi strongly refuted the contention that a reference was made regarding privatization at the talks. A reference, they said, was made about the ERC recommendations.
They said that it was mentioned that the Geeta Krishnan report (expenditure reforms commission report) had clearly recommended that both SRFTI and FTII be handed over to the film industry.
Officials said it was mentioned that the Ministry while not having implemented this recommendation, has been endeavouring to support these institutions to become centres of excellence and has even prepared a legislative framework towards this end.
FTII director DJ Narain contradicted the FSA version of the discussion with Jaitley in respect of privatization and shutdown of FTII.
"The minister did not talk about privatization or a shutdown of the institute at all. FSA totally misunderstood what the minister said in reference to the report of Geeta Krishnan committee in the late 90's recommending privatization of institutions including FTII which the I and B ministry did not accept. On the contrary the ministry pumped more funds to boost the FTII", he told PTI here.
The FSA reiterated that they will continue their 24-day old strike till their main demands of Chauhan's removal and reconstitution of the FTII society are met.
Briefing reporters about their hour-long meeting with Jaitley, FSA spokesman Vikas Urs claimed the minister evaded their core concern (reconstitution of FTII society and removal of Chauhan as chairman) during the discussions and gave an assurance of setting up a new committee to address the issues raised by the delegation for "future appointments".
Urs, a member of the students' delegation that met Jaitley, quoted the minister as having said, "If the students persisted with reconstitution of the FTII society( implying Chauhan's removal), they might face bleak prospects of a shutdown or privatization of the FTII".
"There was no solution offered to end the strike and all solutions were for future. No justification or reasoning was offered for appointment of Chauhan or other members of the FTII society. Since our main concern is still exists, the strike is on", Urs said.
PUNE/NEW DELHI: Expressing disappointment with government's response to their demand, students of the FTII decided to continue their strike which entered the 24th day on Sunday till TV actor and BJP member Gajendra Chauhan's appointment as its chairman is cancelled. A row, meanwhile, broke out as to what had transpired at the talks the representatives of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) students' association (FSA) had with Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley in New Delhi on Friday.
While asserting that there could be no "compromise on the core concern", the FSA on Sunday claimed that Jaitley spoke of prospects of a "shutdown or privatization" if they persisted with their main demand for revocation of Chauhan's appointment.
I&B ministry officials in Delhi strongly refuted the contention that a reference was made regarding privatization at the talks. A reference, they said, was made about the ERC recommendations.
They said that it was mentioned that the Geeta Krishnan report (expenditure reforms commission report) had clearly recommended that both SRFTI and FTII be handed over to the film industry.
Officials said it was mentioned that the Ministry while not having implemented this recommendation, has been endeavouring to support these institutions to become centres of excellence and has even prepared a legislative framework towards this end.
FTII director DJ Narain contradicted the FSA version of the discussion with Jaitley in respect of privatization and shutdown of FTII.
"The minister did not talk about privatization or a shutdown of the institute at all. FSA totally misunderstood what the minister said in reference to the report of Geeta Krishnan committee in the late 90's recommending privatization of institutions including FTII which the I and B ministry did not accept. On the contrary the ministry pumped more funds to boost the FTII", he told PTI here.
The FSA reiterated that they will continue their 24-day old strike till their main demands of Chauhan's removal and reconstitution of the FTII society are met.
Briefing reporters about their hour-long meeting with Jaitley, FSA spokesman Vikas Urs claimed the minister evaded their core concern (reconstitution of FTII society and removal of Chauhan as chairman) during the discussions and gave an assurance of setting up a new committee to address the issues raised by the delegation for "future appointments".
Urs, a member of the students' delegation that met Jaitley, quoted the minister as having said, "If the students persisted with reconstitution of the FTII society( implying Chauhan's removal), they might face bleak prospects of a shutdown or privatization of the FTII".
"There was no solution offered to end the strike and all solutions were for future. No justification or reasoning was offered for appointment of Chauhan or other members of the FTII society. Since our main concern is still exists, the strike is on", Urs said.
Indian aviation experts to inspect Nepal's 2nd international airport
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KATHMANDU: A team of Indian aviation experts will arrive on Monday to inspect any possible damage to Nepal's only international airport due to the powerful April 25 quake besides offering help in constructing a second international airport along the border with India.
The four-member engineering team led by executive director of Airport Authority of India H S Suresh will carry out inspection of the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) and also pay a field visit to the Simara Airport proposed at Nijgadh in Bara district, 200km south from here, officials said.
According to a senior government official, the team is arriving here to assess possible damage caused by the two major earthquakes and the subsequent aftershocks at the country's only international airport and provide necessary support to ensure its faultless operation.
They will inspect whether the physical structure as well as communication and navigation system of the airport were damaged by the earthquake or not, said Suresh Acharya, joint secretary at the ministry of tourism and civil aviation.
The Indian side is also willing to extend support, if necessary, to repair damage and renovate the airport in the aftermath of the quake, he added.
International help following the devastating quake was hampered due to congestion at the only airport at their disposal. Cracks had developed on the runway due to landing of heavy aircraft following which the airport was briefly closed down for repair.
The team will visit Nijgadh on Wednesday to assess the situation at the site of the proposed second international airport, he said.
He, however, made it clear that no agreement or MoU will be signed during the visit, as it is just a technical team to take stock of the situation of the international airport and the site of the proposed international airport.
Manila-based Asian Development Bank, is currently funding the improvement of the TIA as well as upgradation of the Nijgadh airport.
During her recent visit to Nepal, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had expressed India's interest in helping Nepal upgrade its airport besides asking the Nepalese government to expedite the construction of Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track road project.
As Nijgadh lies close to Bihar, it is natural that India has shown interest in developing the regional airport into an international one, the official said.
The four-member engineering team led by executive director of Airport Authority of India H S Suresh will carry out inspection of the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) and also pay a field visit to the Simara Airport proposed at Nijgadh in Bara district, 200km south from here, officials said.
According to a senior government official, the team is arriving here to assess possible damage caused by the two major earthquakes and the subsequent aftershocks at the country's only international airport and provide necessary support to ensure its faultless operation.
They will inspect whether the physical structure as well as communication and navigation system of the airport were damaged by the earthquake or not, said Suresh Acharya, joint secretary at the ministry of tourism and civil aviation.
The Indian side is also willing to extend support, if necessary, to repair damage and renovate the airport in the aftermath of the quake, he added.
International help following the devastating quake was hampered due to congestion at the only airport at their disposal. Cracks had developed on the runway due to landing of heavy aircraft following which the airport was briefly closed down for repair.
The team will visit Nijgadh on Wednesday to assess the situation at the site of the proposed second international airport, he said.
He, however, made it clear that no agreement or MoU will be signed during the visit, as it is just a technical team to take stock of the situation of the international airport and the site of the proposed international airport.
Manila-based Asian Development Bank, is currently funding the improvement of the TIA as well as upgradation of the Nijgadh airport.
During her recent visit to Nepal, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had expressed India's interest in helping Nepal upgrade its airport besides asking the Nepalese government to expedite the construction of Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track road project.
As Nijgadh lies close to Bihar, it is natural that India has shown interest in developing the regional airport into an international one, the official said.
Kerry says 'now the time' to finish Iran nuclear deal
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VIENNA: US secretary of state John Kerry said on Sunday that "it is now time" to finalize a historic nuclear deal with Iran, on a ninth day of talks in Vienna between Tehran and major powers.
"It is now time to see whether or not we are able to close an agreement," Kerry told reporters ahead of a Tuesday deadline, saying that at present, the negotiations "could go either way".
"Over the past few days we have in fact made genuine progress, but I want to be absolutely clear with everybody we are not yet where we need to be on several of the most difficult issues," Kerry said.
"While I completely agree ... that we have never been closer, at this point this negotiation could go either way," he said.
The comments came after meetings totalling several hours in Vienna between Kerry and Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and ahead of the expected arrival of their counterparts from Russia, Britain, France, Germany and possibly China.
Building on a framework deal struck in April, the six nations want Iran to dismantle large parts of its nuclear programme for at least 10 years in exchange for progressive relief from sanctions.
This, the powers hope, will put an Iranian nuclear bomb out of reach — an aim Tehran denies having — and end a 13-year standoff that has at times threatened to escalate into armed conflict.
"If hard choices get made in the next couple of days, and made quickly, we could get an agreement this week. But if they are not made, we will not. So our teams remain very hard at work in the coming hours and days, we're going to go as hard as we can," Kerry said.
"It is now time to see whether or not we are able to close an agreement," Kerry told reporters ahead of a Tuesday deadline, saying that at present, the negotiations "could go either way".
"Over the past few days we have in fact made genuine progress, but I want to be absolutely clear with everybody we are not yet where we need to be on several of the most difficult issues," Kerry said.
"While I completely agree ... that we have never been closer, at this point this negotiation could go either way," he said.
The comments came after meetings totalling several hours in Vienna between Kerry and Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and ahead of the expected arrival of their counterparts from Russia, Britain, France, Germany and possibly China.
Building on a framework deal struck in April, the six nations want Iran to dismantle large parts of its nuclear programme for at least 10 years in exchange for progressive relief from sanctions.
This, the powers hope, will put an Iranian nuclear bomb out of reach — an aim Tehran denies having — and end a 13-year standoff that has at times threatened to escalate into armed conflict.
"If hard choices get made in the next couple of days, and made quickly, we could get an agreement this week. But if they are not made, we will not. So our teams remain very hard at work in the coming hours and days, we're going to go as hard as we can," Kerry said.
GENERAL AWARENESS PRACTICE QUESTIONS FOR ALL BANK EXAMS
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1. Union government on 23 June 2015 promised to inject about ........ into stateowned banks in 2015-16?
1) $ 3 billion
2) $ 3.5 billion
3) $ 1.5 billion
4) $ 1 billion
5) $ 4 billion
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2. RBI has extended the date to exchange pre- 2005 bank notes till...
1) August 1st 2015
2) July 31st 2015
3) December 31st 2015
4) January 31st 2016
5) June 30th 2016
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3. The Lok Sabha on 13 May cleared the Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015. It provides that cases of bouncing of cheques can be filed only in a court in whose jurisdiction the .....
1) drawer bank head office lies.
2) bank branch of the Drawer (person who issues the cheque) lies.
3) all cases transferred to Mumbai, as RBI has headquarters there.
4) payee bank's headquarters lies.
5) bank branch of the payee (person who receives the cheque) lies.
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4. Since 2010, which financial regulator has been conducting Consumer Confidence Survey (CCS) on a quarterly basis to gauge economic conditions and employment prospects?
1) SEBI
2) NABARD
3) CRISIL
4) RBI
5) IBPS
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5. White label operator, Tata Communications Payment Solutions partnered with ......, a payment technology provider, to set up more ATM services in rural unbanked regions.
1) Oxygen
2) Vodafone
3) FINO PayTech
4) FARGO
5) None
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6. RBI on 9 June 2015 said Indian corporate eligible to raise ECB are permitted to issue Rupee linked bonds overseas. ECB stands for ........
1) End Commercial Borrowings
2) External Core Borrowings
3) External Commercial Borrowings
4) External Commercial Benefits
5) None
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7. Which bank issued first 'contactless' debit and credit cards, enabling its customers to make electronic payments by just waving the cards near the merchant terminal in lieu of dipping or swiping them in India?
1) SBI
2) Andhra Bank
3) ICICI
4) Allahabad Bank
5) Union Bank of India
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8. The RBI has relaxed 2-factors authentication norms for contactless cards upto Rs.2,000 using NFC enabled credit and debit cards. Which of the following statements correct?
1) Customers can now make payments up to Rs.2,000 using NFC enabled credit and debit cards without punching the password at any retail outlet.
2) Beyond this transaction limit, the card has to be processed as a contact payment and authentication and PIN will be mandatory.
3) These rules will not be applicable to ATM transactions irrespective of transaction value and Card Not Present transactions (CNP).
4) NFC stands for Near Field Communication
5) All of above
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9. Which of the following statement is wrong?
1) 'Tap and pay' refers to the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, enabling users to
make payments by waving or tapping the card near the contactless reader.
2) Customers may look for the 'contactless' logo on the card.
3) Contactless POS are different from Ordinary POS.
4) POS stands for Point of Sales Terminal.
5) None
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10. First contactless card in the world issued by ...........
1) Barclays Bank in 2008
2) Standard Chartered Bank in 2009
3) ICICI Bank in 2015
4) UBI in 2014
5) None
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11. Which is the first commercial bank in India initiated to have Television Banking (TVB), avail the banking information on TV screens. This enable TV viewers to access information of Bank's services and products,
from the convince of their homes?
1) SBI
2) Corporation Bank
3) ICICI
4) Canara Bank
5) Tamilnadu Mercantile Bank Limited
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12. New Development Bank (NDB) details given. Locate the wrong option.
1) The decision to set up this bank was taken at the 5th BRICS summit held in Durban, South Africa in 2013.
2) The bank headquarters is in Shanghai, China.
3) It is being seen as an alternative to the existing US-dominated World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
4) Its total out lay $ 1000 billion.
5) India is active partner in the NDB.
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13. First head of the New Development Bank is......
1) K.V. Kamath
2) Jim Yong Kim
3) Christine Lagarde
4) Kaushik Basu
5) Sunil Sabharwal
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14. India's first multi social payment app 'Ping Pay' launched by .....
1) HSBC
2) Corporation Bank
3) SBI
4) Axis Bank
5) ICICI
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15. From 1 April 2015, the Insurance Australia Group Ltd (IAG) increase its stake in SBI General Insurance (SBIGI) from 26 percent to .......
1) 49%
2) 35%
3) 85%
4) 74%
5) 100%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
16. The IAP (Indian Academy of Pediatrics) Health Phone programme details given. The correct option is .......
1) It is a public private partnership initiative that is supported by Vodafone India.
2) The programme use mobile phones in the country to educate over six million girls and women between 13 and 35 years of age.
3) Vodafone will send out approximately 300 million text messages to its subscribers every year to promote the scheme.
4) Three-year campaign is expected to benefit the health of 60 million children in India born by 2025.
5) All of above
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
17. Union Minister of Women and Child Development is .......
1) Maneka Sanjay Gandhi
2) Najma A. Heptulla
3) Jagat Prakash Nadda
4) Chaudhary Birender Singh
5) Thaawar Chand Gehlot
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
18. Who was selected for the 28th Moorti Devi Award for the year 2014 for his book Vyomkesh Darvesh?
1) Bhalchandra Vanaji Nemade
2) Veerappa Moiley
3) Vishwanath Tripathi
4) Kedarnath Biswas
5) None of above
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
19. Moorti Devi Award declares by ......
1) K.K. Birla Foundation
2) TATA Foundation
3) Jnanpith Foundation
4) Dhirubhai Ambani Foundation
5) Melinda Gates Foundation
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
20. Which district was conferred with UN Public Service Award for 'Open Defecation Free' district in country on 26 June 2015?
1) Ernakulam in Kerala
2) Nellore in Andhra Pradesh
3) Nadia in West Bengal
4) Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir
5) Hissar in Haryana
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
21. UNESCO - Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize 2015 conferred on ...... a Syrian journalist and advocate. The award set up in 1997.
1) Mazen Darwish
2) Edward Snowden
3) Taslima Nasreen
4) Salman Rushdie
5) None
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
22. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) was established in ............
1) 1945
2) 1946
3) 1947
4) 1948
5) 1957
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
23. UNESCO headquarters is in ......
1) Paris
2) New York
3) Montreal
4) Geneva
5) Vienna
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
24. UNESCO chief .......
1) Irina Bokova
2) Anthony Lake
3) Raymond Benjiman
4) Margert Chan
5) Yukiya Amano
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
25. The 2015 National Geographic Bee Championship won by ......
1) Tine Valencic
2) Rahul Nagvekar
3) Sathwik Karnik
4) Akhil Rekulapelli
5) Karan Menon
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
26. UK Author Ali Smith won the 2015 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction for her novel......
1) How to be Both
2) A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing
3) May We Be Forgiven
4) The Song of Achilles
5) None
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
27. 'Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star' conferred on ........
1) Ajith Doval
2) Arvind Subramaniam
3) G.Satish Reddy
4) S.Ramadorai
5) C.N.R.Rao
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
28. Who was conferred with the Columbia's highest civilian award Orden de la Democracia Simon Bolivar en el grado de cruz Caballero (Order of the Democracy Simon Bolivar) by Columbia?
1) Jaggi Vasudev
2) Baba Ramdev
3) Ravi Shankar
4) Jayendra Saraswathi
5) Swami Rambhadracharya
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
29. Ravi Shankar is the founder of .....
1) Isha Foundation
2) Patanjali Foundation
3) Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham
4) Art of Living Foundation
5) Chitrakoot Ashram
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
30. Man Booker International Prize get cash prize ........... awarded to a living author.
1) $ 90,000
2) £ 30,000
3) £ 60,000
4) £ 70,000
5) £ 20,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
31. For which book Aravind Adiga won the Man Booker International Prize 2008?
1) White Tiger
2) Half Girlfriend
3) The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
4) Malgudi Days
5) Wings of Fire
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
32. For which book Kiran Desai won the Man Booker International Prize 2006?
1) The Inheritance of Loss
2) India Wins Freedom
3) The Insider
4) Wings of Fire
5) Without Fear: The Life and Trial of Bhagat Singh
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
33. Arundhati Roy got Man Booker International Prize 1997 for her book of .....
1) The God of Small Things
2) Coolie
3) The Golden Threshold
4) The Discovery of India
5) My Experiments With Truth
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
34. Which Indian Author nominated for Man Booker International Prize 2015?
1) Rohinton Mistry
2) U R Ananthamurthy
3) Amitav Ghosh
4) Mahasweta Devi
5) Salman Rushdie
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
35. Which Hungarian writer on 19 May 2015 won the prestigious Man Booker International Prize for 2015?
1) Sandor Weores
2) Peter Esterhazy
3) Laszlo Krasznahorkai
4) Mih·ly Vorosmarty
5)None
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
36. The highest award in cinema Dadasaheb Phalke Award instituted in..
1) 1991
2) 1947
3) 1983
4) 1992
5) 1969
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
37. 'Sourav Ganguly: Cricket, Captaincy and Controversy' written by ......
1) Ranjan Sodhi
2) V.K. Naryan
3) Jeffrey Boycott
4) Saptarshi Sarkar
5) Dungarpur
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANSWERS:
1-1, 2-3, 3-5, 4-4, 5-3, 6-3, 7-3, 8-5, 9-3, 10-1
11-3, 12-4, 13-1, 14-4, 15-1, 16-5, 17-1, 18-3, 19-3, 20-3
21-1, 22-1, 23-1, 24-1, 25-5, 26-1, 27-5, 28-3, 29-4, 30-3
31-1, 32-1,33-1, 34-3, 35-3,36-5, 37-4
1) $ 3 billion
2) $ 3.5 billion
3) $ 1.5 billion
4) $ 1 billion
5) $ 4 billion
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. RBI has extended the date to exchange pre- 2005 bank notes till...
1) August 1st 2015
2) July 31st 2015
3) December 31st 2015
4) January 31st 2016
5) June 30th 2016
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. The Lok Sabha on 13 May cleared the Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015. It provides that cases of bouncing of cheques can be filed only in a court in whose jurisdiction the .....
1) drawer bank head office lies.
2) bank branch of the Drawer (person who issues the cheque) lies.
3) all cases transferred to Mumbai, as RBI has headquarters there.
4) payee bank's headquarters lies.
5) bank branch of the payee (person who receives the cheque) lies.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Since 2010, which financial regulator has been conducting Consumer Confidence Survey (CCS) on a quarterly basis to gauge economic conditions and employment prospects?
1) SEBI
2) NABARD
3) CRISIL
4) RBI
5) IBPS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. White label operator, Tata Communications Payment Solutions partnered with ......, a payment technology provider, to set up more ATM services in rural unbanked regions.
1) Oxygen
2) Vodafone
3) FINO PayTech
4) FARGO
5) None
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. RBI on 9 June 2015 said Indian corporate eligible to raise ECB are permitted to issue Rupee linked bonds overseas. ECB stands for ........
1) End Commercial Borrowings
2) External Core Borrowings
3) External Commercial Borrowings
4) External Commercial Benefits
5) None
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Which bank issued first 'contactless' debit and credit cards, enabling its customers to make electronic payments by just waving the cards near the merchant terminal in lieu of dipping or swiping them in India?
1) SBI
2) Andhra Bank
3) ICICI
4) Allahabad Bank
5) Union Bank of India
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. The RBI has relaxed 2-factors authentication norms for contactless cards upto Rs.2,000 using NFC enabled credit and debit cards. Which of the following statements correct?
1) Customers can now make payments up to Rs.2,000 using NFC enabled credit and debit cards without punching the password at any retail outlet.
2) Beyond this transaction limit, the card has to be processed as a contact payment and authentication and PIN will be mandatory.
3) These rules will not be applicable to ATM transactions irrespective of transaction value and Card Not Present transactions (CNP).
4) NFC stands for Near Field Communication
5) All of above
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Which of the following statement is wrong?
1) 'Tap and pay' refers to the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, enabling users to
make payments by waving or tapping the card near the contactless reader.
2) Customers may look for the 'contactless' logo on the card.
3) Contactless POS are different from Ordinary POS.
4) POS stands for Point of Sales Terminal.
5) None
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. First contactless card in the world issued by ...........
1) Barclays Bank in 2008
2) Standard Chartered Bank in 2009
3) ICICI Bank in 2015
4) UBI in 2014
5) None
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
11. Which is the first commercial bank in India initiated to have Television Banking (TVB), avail the banking information on TV screens. This enable TV viewers to access information of Bank's services and products,
from the convince of their homes?
1) SBI
2) Corporation Bank
3) ICICI
4) Canara Bank
5) Tamilnadu Mercantile Bank Limited
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. New Development Bank (NDB) details given. Locate the wrong option.
1) The decision to set up this bank was taken at the 5th BRICS summit held in Durban, South Africa in 2013.
2) The bank headquarters is in Shanghai, China.
3) It is being seen as an alternative to the existing US-dominated World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
4) Its total out lay $ 1000 billion.
5) India is active partner in the NDB.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
13. First head of the New Development Bank is......
1) K.V. Kamath
2) Jim Yong Kim
3) Christine Lagarde
4) Kaushik Basu
5) Sunil Sabharwal
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
14. India's first multi social payment app 'Ping Pay' launched by .....
1) HSBC
2) Corporation Bank
3) SBI
4) Axis Bank
5) ICICI
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
15. From 1 April 2015, the Insurance Australia Group Ltd (IAG) increase its stake in SBI General Insurance (SBIGI) from 26 percent to .......
1) 49%
2) 35%
3) 85%
4) 74%
5) 100%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
16. The IAP (Indian Academy of Pediatrics) Health Phone programme details given. The correct option is .......
1) It is a public private partnership initiative that is supported by Vodafone India.
2) The programme use mobile phones in the country to educate over six million girls and women between 13 and 35 years of age.
3) Vodafone will send out approximately 300 million text messages to its subscribers every year to promote the scheme.
4) Three-year campaign is expected to benefit the health of 60 million children in India born by 2025.
5) All of above
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
17. Union Minister of Women and Child Development is .......
1) Maneka Sanjay Gandhi
2) Najma A. Heptulla
3) Jagat Prakash Nadda
4) Chaudhary Birender Singh
5) Thaawar Chand Gehlot
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
18. Who was selected for the 28th Moorti Devi Award for the year 2014 for his book Vyomkesh Darvesh?
1) Bhalchandra Vanaji Nemade
2) Veerappa Moiley
3) Vishwanath Tripathi
4) Kedarnath Biswas
5) None of above
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
19. Moorti Devi Award declares by ......
1) K.K. Birla Foundation
2) TATA Foundation
3) Jnanpith Foundation
4) Dhirubhai Ambani Foundation
5) Melinda Gates Foundation
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
20. Which district was conferred with UN Public Service Award for 'Open Defecation Free' district in country on 26 June 2015?
1) Ernakulam in Kerala
2) Nellore in Andhra Pradesh
3) Nadia in West Bengal
4) Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir
5) Hissar in Haryana
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
21. UNESCO - Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize 2015 conferred on ...... a Syrian journalist and advocate. The award set up in 1997.
1) Mazen Darwish
2) Edward Snowden
3) Taslima Nasreen
4) Salman Rushdie
5) None
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
22. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) was established in ............
1) 1945
2) 1946
3) 1947
4) 1948
5) 1957
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
23. UNESCO headquarters is in ......
1) Paris
2) New York
3) Montreal
4) Geneva
5) Vienna
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
24. UNESCO chief .......
1) Irina Bokova
2) Anthony Lake
3) Raymond Benjiman
4) Margert Chan
5) Yukiya Amano
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
25. The 2015 National Geographic Bee Championship won by ......
1) Tine Valencic
2) Rahul Nagvekar
3) Sathwik Karnik
4) Akhil Rekulapelli
5) Karan Menon
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
26. UK Author Ali Smith won the 2015 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction for her novel......
1) How to be Both
2) A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing
3) May We Be Forgiven
4) The Song of Achilles
5) None
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
27. 'Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star' conferred on ........
1) Ajith Doval
2) Arvind Subramaniam
3) G.Satish Reddy
4) S.Ramadorai
5) C.N.R.Rao
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
28. Who was conferred with the Columbia's highest civilian award Orden de la Democracia Simon Bolivar en el grado de cruz Caballero (Order of the Democracy Simon Bolivar) by Columbia?
1) Jaggi Vasudev
2) Baba Ramdev
3) Ravi Shankar
4) Jayendra Saraswathi
5) Swami Rambhadracharya
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
29. Ravi Shankar is the founder of .....
1) Isha Foundation
2) Patanjali Foundation
3) Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham
4) Art of Living Foundation
5) Chitrakoot Ashram
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
30. Man Booker International Prize get cash prize ........... awarded to a living author.
1) $ 90,000
2) £ 30,000
3) £ 60,000
4) £ 70,000
5) £ 20,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
31. For which book Aravind Adiga won the Man Booker International Prize 2008?
1) White Tiger
2) Half Girlfriend
3) The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
4) Malgudi Days
5) Wings of Fire
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
32. For which book Kiran Desai won the Man Booker International Prize 2006?
1) The Inheritance of Loss
2) India Wins Freedom
3) The Insider
4) Wings of Fire
5) Without Fear: The Life and Trial of Bhagat Singh
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
33. Arundhati Roy got Man Booker International Prize 1997 for her book of .....
1) The God of Small Things
2) Coolie
3) The Golden Threshold
4) The Discovery of India
5) My Experiments With Truth
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
34. Which Indian Author nominated for Man Booker International Prize 2015?
1) Rohinton Mistry
2) U R Ananthamurthy
3) Amitav Ghosh
4) Mahasweta Devi
5) Salman Rushdie
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
35. Which Hungarian writer on 19 May 2015 won the prestigious Man Booker International Prize for 2015?
1) Sandor Weores
2) Peter Esterhazy
3) Laszlo Krasznahorkai
4) Mih·ly Vorosmarty
5)None
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
36. The highest award in cinema Dadasaheb Phalke Award instituted in..
1) 1991
2) 1947
3) 1983
4) 1992
5) 1969
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
37. 'Sourav Ganguly: Cricket, Captaincy and Controversy' written by ......
1) Ranjan Sodhi
2) V.K. Naryan
3) Jeffrey Boycott
4) Saptarshi Sarkar
5) Dungarpur
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANSWERS:
1-1, 2-3, 3-5, 4-4, 5-3, 6-3, 7-3, 8-5, 9-3, 10-1
11-3, 12-4, 13-1, 14-4, 15-1, 16-5, 17-1, 18-3, 19-3, 20-3
21-1, 22-1, 23-1, 24-1, 25-5, 26-1, 27-5, 28-3, 29-4, 30-3
31-1, 32-1,33-1, 34-3, 35-3,36-5, 37-4
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