Daily GK Updates - 23rd October, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Kolkata food items have high lead levels: According to Geological Survey of India, Raw food items sold in Kolkata city markets have Lead concentration far above the permissible limit. High concentration of Lead can permanently damage key human organs. Samples of raw food items collected from 12 markets in the city showed a mean Lead (Pb) concentration between 3.78 and 43.35 mg/kg (average 23.56 mg/kg).

2. IAF Exercise on Lucknow-Agra Expressway: The Lucknow-Agra Expressway will be closed for commuters from 10 am on October 23 till 2 pm on October 24 as the IAF plans to conduct a major touchdown exercise. 20 planes, including the AN-32, will take part in exercise on the highway. The AN-32 are meant for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. It can bring a large amount of relief material and can also help in evacuating people.

3. MIDC to get anti-encroachment cells: Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation will finally get a dedicated encroachment removal department. The MIDC is presently in control of nearly 1.5 lakh hectares of land, in various stages of acquisition. The mandate of the department that was set up in 1962 is to acquire land, undertake provisioning of infrastructure on these plots and facilitate setting up of industrial units.

4. Mega textile park in Warangal: Telangana CM K.Chandrasekhara Rao laid the foundation stone for the Kakatiya Mega Textile Park. It is a fibre-to-fabric integrated textile cluster proposed to be built on 1,200 acres of land in the Warangal district. This is going to be one of the largest textile parks in the country.

5. BSF organises Half Marathon 2017: The BSF Half Marathon 2017 was flagged off in the memory of martyrs. It was organised by the Minister of State for Youth Affairs (I/C) & Sports and Information and Broadcasting Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore. All trophies and prizes were dedicated to force martyrs. Medals and certificates were distributed to all the participants.

6. Sabbatical leave to begin startups: Kerala government has given green signal to a proposal of the state Startup Mission to accord sabbatical leave to the faculty members of all colleges who intend to establish startups. The new initiative would help members of the academic community to become part of entrepreneurship. It will contribute to the government’s determined efforts to strengthen and accelerate the startup ecosystem.

7. Bi-Annual Naval Commanders’ Conference: A four day Naval Commanders’ Conference is scheduled at New Delhi from 24-27 Oct 17. The Conference serves as a platform for institutionalised interaction between the Naval Commanders and senior government officials with the Chiefs of Indian Army and Air Force. They will review major Operational, Materiel, Human Resource, Training and Administrative activities undertaken in the last six months.

8. Rakesh Asthana as CBI Special Director: The cabinet committee for appointments has appointed 1984- batch Gujarat cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana as CBI special director. He is currently posted as additional director. AGMUT cadre IPS officer of 1984 batch Deepak Kumar Mishra has been named Special DG in CRPF. Odisha cadre IPS officer from the same batch Gurbacham Singh has been appointed special director in IB.

9. Defence Minister Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman left for the Philippines to attend the Southeast Asian Defence Ministers’ Meeting: The two-day ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting will discuss ways to enhance defense and security cooperation among the member nations. Sitharaman will also hold bilateral talks with her counterparts from a number of countries.

10. Now IDs mandatory with Photocopies - PMLA: The Government has made it mandatory for banks and financial institutions to check the original identification documents of individuals. The Department of Revenue in the Finance Ministry made amendment in the Prevention of Money-laundering Rules. The Prevention of Money Laundering Act(PMLA) forms the core of the legal framework put in place by India to combat money laundering.

11. Shri. Narendra Miodi Inaugurates RoRo ferry service: Shri. Narendra Miodi has inaugurated the first phase of ambitious Ghogha-Dahej Roll-on Roll-off ferry service at Ghogha in Bhavnagar district in Gujarat. With this, the distance between Saurashtra and South Gujarat regions could be covered in less than an hour via-sea route. This passenger movement service reduced the distance between the Ghogha and Dahej from 310 kilometres by road to just 30 kilometres.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Shinzo Abe reelected as PM of Japan: Japanese PM Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party secured over two-thirds majority in the lower house of Parliament. The win gives Abe’s ruling coalition, which already holds majority in the upper house, free reign to pass legislation in the country.Abe is likely to acquire the title of Japan’s longest serving Prime Minister. His four-year term was to otherwise end in December 2018.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. India wins hockey Asia Cup: India beats Malaysia by 2-1 in the finale to win the 2017 Asia Cup Hockey tournament held in Dhaka, Bangladesh. This was India’s third continental title. Ramandeep Singh scored the opening goal in the third minute while Lalit Upadhyay extended India’s lead in the 29th minute of the game. Lalit Upadhyay won the goal of the match award while Akashdeep Singh was adjudged the Man of the match.

2. Srikanth wins Denmark Open Superseries: Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth has lifted the Denmark Open Superseries trophy at Odense, Denmark. In the title clash, Srikanth, seeded 8th, defeated South Korea’s Lee Hyun-il in straight games, 21-10, 21-5 to bag his third Super Series title of the year and fifth overall. Kidambi Srikanth has recently (June 2017) won Australia Open Super Series title.

3. Lewis Hamilton wins USA Grand Prix:  The victory was the 62nd of Hamilton’s career and his ninth of the season. Lewis Hamilton needs to finish in top five in Mexico to become Britain’s first four times world champion.

4. Amjyot made it to the NBA’s minor league – the G-League: Chandigarh hoopster Amjyot Singh became the third Indian after Satnam Singh and Palpreet Singh Brar to walk into the National Basketball Association (NBA) league. Amjyot made it to the NBA’s minor league – the G-League. The Indian skipper was picked by Oklahoma City Blue. The OKC Blue is NBA development league affiliate of the Oklahoma City Thunder, an American professional basketball team.

5. Gaganjeet Bhullar lifted his eighth Asian Tour title at the Macau Open: He drained five birdies on the front nine and won by three shots despite a nerve-jangling double bogey. The 29-year-old fired rounds of 64, 65, 74 and 68 for an aggregate score of 13-under 271, lifting his first Asian Tour trophy of the year. Bhullar is also the 2012 champion in Macau.

SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY:

1. Dawn Mission Extended at Ceres: NASA has authorized a second extension of the Dawn mission at Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. During this extension, the spacecraft will descend to lower altitudes than ever before at the dwarf planet, which it has been orbiting since March 2015. Dawn is the only mission ever to orbit two extraterrestrial targets.