Current Affairs for IAS Exams – 14 September 2015

:: Business ::

Drugmaker Abbott Healthcare is challenging a state's accusation that a sample of the company's cough syrupcontained excessive levels of codeine, the second multinational to question India's regulatory testing regime in recent months.
Whether the sample of Abbott's popular "Phensedyl" was a genuine product or a fake has not been established, but the suspect batch of 80,000 bottles has not been recalled.
The state laboratory in West Bengal first raised the alarm last November.
The previously unreported case underlines the weakness of India's unwieldy and poorly resourced drug and food regulatory system, the uncertainty it creates for foreign and domestic companies operating there and the potential risk to consumers.
Abbott Healthcare is a unit of U.S.-based Abbott Laboratories. Abbott Laboratories also has a listed subsidiary in India, Abbott India Ltd.
Three months ago, Nestle was forced to withdraw its Maggi instant noodles from Indian shelves because the food safety authority banned the snack after its tests showed excess lead.

Ashok Sridharan, a mayoral candidate of Chancellor Angela Merkel-led Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has comprehensively won the election in Bonn, becoming the first person of Indian-origin to occupy the mayor’s office in a major German city.
49-year-old Sridharan secured the absolute majority by polling 50.06 per cent of the votes in Sunday’s election in the former German capital, according to provisional results.
His victory marks the end of more than 21 years’ rule of the city by the Social Democratic Party (SPD).
Mr. Sridharan, who is the son of a migrant from India and a German mother, will take over the reigns of the city administration from the outgoing SPD mayor Juergen Nymptsch on October 21.
Until now, he served as the treasurer and assistant mayor in the municipal administration of neighbouring town Koenigswinter.

Thrilled to win a point in the US Open final, and bent on proving a point, Novak Djokovic leaped and roared and threw an uppercut, then glared at some of the thousands of spectators pulling for Roger Federer.
After winning another point in that game, Djokovic nodded as he smiled toward the stands. And moments later, Djokovic shook his right arm, bloodied by an early fall, and screamed, "Yes! Yes!" to celebrate a missed forehand by Federer.
Djokovic appeared to be all alone out there in Arthur Ashe Stadium, trying to solve Federer while also dealing with a crowd loudly supporting the 17-time major champion proclaimed "arguably the greatest player in the history of the sport" by the stadium announcer during prematch introductions.
In the end, Djokovic handled everything in a thrill-a-minute final on a frenetic night. Frustrating Federer with his relentless defense and unparalleled returning, Djokovic took control late and held on for a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory Sunday to earn his second US Open title, third major championship of the year and 10th Grand Slam trophy in all..

Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis came together in March this year and have been on a roll ever since - notching doubles titles for fun. At US Open, the top seeded pair did not lose a single set in a marauding performance from start to finish to earn their second consecutive Grand Slam title.
The Indo-Swiss duo have been in red-hot form and on Sunday, stream-rolled past the fourth seeded pair of Casey Dellacqua and Yaroslava Shvedova. It took the top seeds only 70 minutes to wrap up the final 6-3 6-3 against the fourth seed Kazakh-Australian combination at Flushing Meadows.
Mirza and Hingis were in understandably upbeat mood speaking after the match.

Sources: Various News Papers & PIB

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