Daily GK Updates - 27th October, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India-North Korea ties could act as conduit for communications - Rex Tillerson: India's diplomatic ties with North Korea could act as a "conduit for communications", US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said amidst tensions between Washington and Pyongyang over the latter's nuclear missile tests. India had informed the US that it has "minimal" trade with North Korea, and that there was a small Indian embassy in Pyongyang which should stay there so that some channels of communication remain open.

2. India, France discuss ways to ramp up strategic ties: India and France on Friday held wide-ranging talks aimed at further boosting defence and security ties, with a focus on co-development of military platforms, and enhancing cooperation in the maritime sphere.  Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her French counterpart Florence Parley deliberated on a host of key issues, including the regional security situation, transfer of critical technology for various defence projects and ways to ramp up overall strategic ties.

3. Senior journalist Vinod Verma arrested in extortion case: The police arrested the journalist from his residence in Indirapuram in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad. The case was registered against Verma at the Pandri Police Station of Raipur district under sections 384 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).  Verma, who is currently working with Amar Ujala as the Editor, had also worked with BBC for several years.

4. US Senate Committee confirms Kenneth Juster's nomination as US envoy to India: Ken Juster who has served as Under Secretary of Commerce from 2001-2005 will replace Richard Verma. The position has been lying vacant since January 20, 2017. Juster also played a key role in enhancing the India-US ties under the Bush administration.

5. Awaiting law on Buyer Safety: Government will bring in a new law to crack down on misleading advertisements and set up a central authority to fast-track redressal of consumers' grievances, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday .  The proposed law, awaiting Cabinet approval, provides for fine up to Rs 50 lakh and up to three years' ban in case of misleading endorsement by celebrities while manufacturers would face fine and jail term for similar offence.

6. Non-Aadhaar cell verification only for NRIs, visitors: Government is looking to provide non-Aadhaar based verification for mobile phones only for certain categories. It is also seeking to ease the verification process for those with Aadhaar. The government is looking to provide non-Aadhaar based verification for mobile phones only for certain categories, such as NRIs and foreign tourists. It is also seeking to ease the verification process for those with Aadhaar. Telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan said the government had already simplified the process by providing for verification through a one-time password (OTP), app and a voice-recognition system. Using OTP, subscribers will be able to authenticate phone numbers which were not mentioned during Aadhaar registration. So, multiple phones can be verified using the mobile number registered with Aadhaar.

7. Rakesh Asthana's promotion was a unanimous decision – CVC: Chief vigilance commissioner K V Chowdary on Thursday asserted that the decision to elevate CBI additional director Rakesh Asthana as special director was taken unanimously by members of the selection committee.

8. NIA charges Zakir Naik for radicalization: NIA has chargesheeted the "televangelist" under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for heading an 'unlawful association'.The agency accused him of inciting youth to take up terror acts and join global terror outfits like Islamic State. The agency has chargesheeted the "televangelist" under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for heading an 'unlawful association' and accused him of inciting youth to take up terror acts and join global terror outfits like Islamic State.  Naik's NGO Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), banned in 2016 under the UAPA, as well as private firm Harmony Media Pvt Ltd were named as co-accused for having conspired with Naik to promote enmity and hatred between different religious groups and insulting certain sects of Islam and other religions . Under the guise of preaching Islam, Zakir Naik made a fortune, receiving huge sums from within India and abroad over the years that he camouflaged as "friendly loans and gifts" and donations by "well-wishers".  In order to establish systematic money laundering by Naik, the NIA collected and analysed thousands of financial documents of 13 entities and 40 individuals, including his companies, NGOs, associated firms, directors and real estate agents, apart from scrutinising 85 bank accounts.

9. Kashmir talks: Interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma meets Mehbooba Mufti: Centre's newly-appointed special representative for holding a sustained dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir Dineshwar Sharma on Thursday met state Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and discussed broad contours of the proposed talks with all stake holders. The meeting which took place at Kashmir House on Prithviraj Road here comes two days after the Centre announced appointment of Sharma as its special representative to initiate dialogue, in a fresh move aimed at bringing peace to the troubled state.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Pentagon chief Jim Mattis accuses North Korea of threatening 'catastrophe': US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis accused North Korea today of building a nuclear arsenal to "threaten others with catastrophe" and said the Trump administration remains committed to compelling the North to accept complete nuclear disarmament.  Calling the North a threat to global order, Mattis stood inside the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas and pledged solidarity with the South.

2. Japan to propose strategic dialogue with US, India and Australia: Japan will propose a strategic dialogue among the leaders of the three countries aimed at counteracting China's expansion under OBOR. PM Shinzo Abe is expected to propose the idea to US President Trump on November 6. Japan foreign minister said the aim was to promote high-quality infrastructure investment across Asia to Africa.

3. Tillerson's visit to India highlights emerging ties between two countries: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, during his maiden visit to India, discussed strengthening India-US partnership, India's leadership on peace and security in the India-Pacific region and its vital role in Trump administration's South Asia strategy, a top US official said. Divulging the details of Tillerson's maiden visit to India, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert here said the top Trump official met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

4. Australian court disqualifies deputy PM Barnaby Joyce for dual citizenship: Australia's High Court rules deputy PM Barnaby Joyce, four others other lawmakers ineligible. Joyce will be able to stand for re-election, having renounced the New Zealand citizenship he unknowingly inherited from his father.

5. India, US to implement HOSTAC to strengthen maritime security: To strengthen maritime security, India and the United States have agreed to implement the programme for Helicopter Operations from Ships other Than Aircraft Carriers (HOSTAC), the Pentagon has said.  A decision in this regard was taken by Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her US Counterpart Jim Mattis during their meeting in Philippines on Wednesday on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. U-17 World Cup a success but no commitment on U-20 bid-Infantino: Infantino declared India a football continent and said that FIFA will continue to work with them "Having seen the U-17 World Cup in India, I can say that it was worth allotting this to India," Infantino said Infantino refrained from giving any commitment on India's bid to host the U-20 World Cup in 2019.

2. ISSF World Cup Final - Sangram wins silver in double trap: Dahiya won India's second medal of the day, a silver in the men's double trap. Dahiya shot 76 out of 80 targets, three behind gold medallist Binyuan (79). This is Dahiya's first-ever medal in senior level, having won a gold at the Asian Shooting for juniors back in 2009.

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Reliance Nippon AMC IPO oversubscribed 81 times so far: The initial public offer of Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management (RNAM) was oversubscribed 81.22 times so far on the last day of bidding on Friday.  The IPO to raise an estimated Rs 1,542.42 crore received bids for 3,47,95,79,988 shares against the total issue size of 4,28,40,000 shares (excluding anchor portion), according to NSE data till 4:15 pm.

2. Maruti Suzuki Q2 net profit rises by over 3%: Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Friday posted over 3 per cent growth in its quarterly profit. Net profit for the second quarter ended September 30 stood at Rs 2,484 crore registering a growth of 3.4 per cent over the same period previous year. The company said it sold a total of 4,92,118 vehicles in Q2, a growth of 17.6 per cent over the same period of the previous year. Sales in the domestic market stood at 4,57,401 units, a growth of 19.4 per cent while exports were at 34,717 units.