Daily GK Updates - 21st April, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. April 21: Civil Services Day: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has inaugurated 11th Civil Services Day programme. The Civil Services Day function is organised by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.

2. Lawyers’ plan nationwide agitations against Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2017: Bar Council of India (BCI) has called for a nationwide stir against what they allege as the undemocratic provisions of the Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2017. BCI has planned to submit a memorandum to the Union Law Minister to reject the Law Commissions suggestions to amend the Act. The Law Commission of India has proposed various amendments to the Advocates Act, 1961 so as to usher in forward-looking reforms in the legal profession. It has placed before the government, the Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2017.

3. Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh inaugurated 'India Steel 2017' in Mumbai: The Union Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh has inaugurated the three-day International Conference and Exhibition on Steel Industry 'India Steel 2017' (3rd edition) at Mumbai Exhibition center in Mumbai. The exhibition-cum-conference was organized by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) along with Union Ministry of Steel.

4. TRAI invites comments on ease of doing business in broadcasting sector: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has invited comments from stakeholders on ease of doing business in the broadcasting sector. The comments can be sent till 8th May. It will help in identifying issues related to ease of doing business before going for an elaborate consultation later.

5. SC sets 25% of net salary of husband for maintenance to an estranged wife: The Supreme Court (SC) has set a benchmark for maintenance to be paid by a husband to his estranged wife. According to Supreme Court, (a bench of Justices ‘R Banumathi’ and ‘M M Santanagoudar’) directed a resident of West Bengal to set aside 25% as maintenance for his former wife and their son.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. CII signs MoUs with 3 Singapore Universities: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has signed agreements with three Singapore universities (Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore, and Singapore Management University) to provide training opportunities to students at the ASEAN-India Business Forum in Singapore. The Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) will allow the universities and International Enterprise (IE) Singapore to tap into CII's network of over 8,000 members to create overseas attachment opportunities for enrolled students.

2. China & Iran to sign contract on heavy water reactor: The China and Iran will sign the first commercial contract to redesign Iran's Arak heavy water reactor in Vienna. Redesigning the Arak heavy water reactor is a core aspect of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran's nuclear program. The signing will create a favorable condition for the progress of the redesign.

3. Pakistan Leases Gwadar port to a State-run Chinese firm for 40 years: Pakistan has leased the operations of its strategic Gwadar port to a State-run Chinese firm, the China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC) for a period of 40 years. COPHC is slated to carry out all the developmental work on the port situated in the Balochistan province of Pakistan.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING & FINANCE:

1. HDFC Bank cuts 6,100 jobs in March quarter over digitisation: India's second-largest private sector lender HDFC Bank cut as many as 6,096 jobs in the January-March quarter owing to increased digitisation. This is the second straight quarter of job cuts by HDFC, which had cut over 4,500 jobs in the last quarter. There is room for more job cuts in the future, HDFC's Deputy Managing Director Paresh Sukthankar said.

HONOURS & AWARDS:

2. Italian mayor ‘Giuseppina Nicolini’ wins UNESCO Peace Prize: The UNESCO has awarded the ‘Peace Prize’ to the mayor of the Italian island of Lampedusa ‘Giuseppina Nicolini’ (56-year) for her commitment to saving the lives of migrants and refugees. Nicolini was bestowed with the honor for her effort that saved thousands who fled across the Mediterranean often on unseaworthy boats to find a better and peaceful life.

3. ‘TIME’ releases list of 100 Most Influential People of 2017: Time Magazine has released the annual list of 100 most influential people of 2017. This year, only two Indians to feature on the list PM 'Narendra Modi' and Paytm founder 'Vijay Shekhar Sharma'. Donald Trump (US President), Vladimir Putin (Russian President) and Theresa May (British Prime Minister) featured on the new list of 100 most influential people by the magazine.

4. 'One Part Woman' wins Sahitya Akademi Award for translation of Mathorubhagan: Writer Perumal Murugan’s novel Mathorubhagan (One Part Woman) has won the Sahitya Akademi award -2016 for translation in English. The translation was done by ‘Aniruddhan Vasudevan’ and the book was published by ‘Penguin’.