Daily GK Updates - 17th October, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. First-ever Indo-Russia Tri-Services Exercise INDRA – 2017 to commence: The first ever Tri-Services Joint Exercise between Indian and Russian Armed Forces will be conducted in the Eastern Military District of Russia from 19th to 29th Oct 2017. Exercise INDRA-2017 will strengthen mutual confidence, inter-operability and enable sharing of best practices between both the armed forces.

2. Indian peacekeepers in South Sudan awarded UN medal: Fifty Indian peacekeepers stationed in South Sudan have been awarded the UN Medal for their professionalism and service in protecting civilians and building durable peace in the conflict-ridden country. The Indian peacekeepers are part of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

3. Karnataka needs its own flag-CM: Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah has invoked Kannada pride, saying the government is firm on Karnataka having a state flag.  Karnataka State government had constituted a nine-member committee to study and submit a report.

4. Bus service between Nepal's Rolpa and New Delhi begins: A direct bus service commenced between New Delhi and Rolpa district in Nepal. It will run once a week.

5. Gopal Gowda gets Mandd Sobhann award: Renowned Konkani folk artist Gopal Gowda has been chosen for this years Kalakar Puraskar. The prize is instituted by Mandd Sobhann, an organisation with the aim of protecting Konkani identity.

6. “Beyond The Dreamgirl” – Autobiography of Dreamgirl Hemamalini released: Autobiography of Hema Malini, “Beyond The Dreamgirl” was released on her 69th birthday. Beyond The Dreamgirl, published by HarperCollins India, will give readers an in-depth look into her life. It is divided into 23 chapters, covering her childhood, teens, Bollywood, rise as an actor, romance, colleagues, marriage.

7. Prabha Varma to get Padma Prabha Puraskaram: Prabha Varma, an eminent poet, lyricist and journalist has been selected for this year’s Padma Prabha Puraskaram for her contribution to Malyalam literature. Padma Prabha Puraskaram is conferred for contributions to the field of Malayalam literature.

8. Vasundhara Raje opens up expansion of Annapurna Rasoi Yojna in 191 urban areas in Rajasthan: The scheme to provide quality food to the needy of all categories at affordable rates was being implemented in the selected cities and government has now expanded it in all the urban areas. People will get breakfast for five rupees and lunch and dinner for 8 rupees under the scheme.

9. Punjab cabinet approves entertainment tax on DTH and local cable connections: The move follows a proposal mooted by the local government department, allowing all the urban local bodies and gram panchayats to levy such a tax. These local bodies will be eligible to impose and collect a nominal entertainment tax of Rs 5 per DTH connection and Rs 2 per local cable connection per month with the enactment of The Punjab Entertainments & Amusements Taxes (Levy & Collection by Local Bodies) Bill 2017.

10. FDDI Act 2017 comes into force: Footwear Design & Development Institute (FDDI) has been declared an ‘Institute of National Importance’ under Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India. The FDDI bill was passed by the Parliament in July 2017. FDDI is a premier Institute, serving as a ‘One stop solutions provider’ in footwear, leather and allied industry.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Day for the Eradication of Poverty observed: The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is observed every year on 17th October. The theme of 2017 is ‘Answering the Call of October 17 to end poverty: A path toward peaceful and inclusive societies’.

2. The Democratic Republic of Congo wins seat on UN Human Rights Council: The Democratic Republic of Congo has been elected to the UN Human Rights Council today despite opposition from the United States. Congo was among the 15 countries who won seats on the council during a vote at the UN General Assembly.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Amazon, Microsoft launch learning interface ‘Gluon’: Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft have teamed up to launch an open-source and deep learning interface ‘Gluon’. It will help developers to deploy machine learning models across several platforms. The interface would give developers a place where they can prototype, build, train and deploy machine learning models.

2. Mahindra launches ‘Prerna’ project: Mahindra & Mahindra has launched a programme, Prerna, to empower women working in the agriculture sector. It aims to address these issues with the promotion of women friendly, efficient and ergonomic farm tools and equipment.

3. Selena Selvakumar wins triple gold at Egypt Junior Table Tennis Championship: India’s young paddler top-seeded Selena Selvakumar has won the triple gold medal at the Egypt Junior and Cadet Open Table Tennis Championship. She won singles and doubles gold medal apart from the team championship gold.