Daily GK Updates - 28th October, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Infantry Day celebrated by Indian Army: On 27th October 2017, Infantry Day was celebrated by the Indian Army. Wellington Military Station celebrated the 70th Infantry Day on 27th October 2017. A wreath laying ceremony was organized at the war memorial of the Madras Regimental Centre. October 27 is celebrated as Infantry Day by the Indian Army as it was on this day that an Infantry Company of the First Battalion of the Sikh Regiment was airlifted from Delhi to Srinagar to liberate Kashmir from the invading tribals who were supported by Pakistan Army.

2. Chandrababu Naidu receives ‘Golden Peacock Award’: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu received the Golden Peacock Award, at the 17th London Global Convention, held in London. Chandrababu Naidu received the ‘Golden Peacock Award’ under the category, Global Leadership in Public Service and Economic Transformation. The Golden Peacock Award was instituted by the Institute of Directors (IOD) of India in 1991.

3. EDII bags AICTE award for supporting start-ups: Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) has received an award from All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for supporting start-ups. The premier Institute received the award for its contribution towards promoting and mentoring technology start-ups. The award was given during the International Science Festival’s Start-up Summit 2017 at Chennai.

4. Ram Gopal Bajaj selected for Kalidas Samman 2017: Actor-director Ram Gopal Bajaj is selected for Kalidas Samman 2017 for his work in the field of theatre. The award is instituted by the Madhya Pradesh government.

5. Vrindavan and Barsana declared sacred sites by UP government: Vrindavan and Barsana towns in Mathura district has now become the sacred pilgrimage sites. Recently, the Uttar Pradesh government issued an order notifying Vrindavan and Barsana district as “sacred pilgrimage sites”. No meat and liquor shops will be allowed in these towns anymore. The state government has recently merged Vrindavan, a former Nagar Palika Parishad, with the Mathura municipal board to create Mathura Nagar Nigam.

6. India to build houses in Sri Lanka: India and Sri Lanka signed two agreements for construction of 1,200 houses through 50 model villages in Sri Lanka. 1200 houses will be constructed with Indian grant assistance of 600 million rupees. Indian Government had committed 50000 houses for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the war-affected Northern and Eastern part of Sri Lanka.

7. Karnataka approves transgender policy: Karnataka cabinet approved a policy which seeks to provide legal protection to transgender community and thereby safeguard them from social and sexual exploitation. The objective of this policy is to remove the stigma attached to the community and integrate them into mainstream of the society.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Jacinda Ardern becomes the PM of New Zealand:  Jacinda Ardern was officially sworn in as the Prime Minister of New Zealand. At the age of 37, Ardern is the youngest New Zealand PM in 150 years. She is also the country’s third woman leader and says she will lead a government that is active, focused, empathetic and strong.

2. Burundi becomes the first country to leave International Criminal Court: African country Burundi has withdrawn from International Criminal Court (ICC) with effect from October 27, 2017 and has thus become the first nation to do so. International Criminal Court is an international tribunal located in Hague, Netherlands. It has authority to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. RIL crosses Rs. 6 Trillion market capitalization: Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) became the first Indian company to cross Rs 6 trillion market capitalization after its shares surged over 75% so far this year and hit a fresh lifetime high. Currently, its market cap is at Rs 6.02 trillion. The recent rally in the stock was due to tariff hike by its telecom arm Reliance Jio which, analysts expect, will improve the company’s profitability.

2. Jeff Bezos becomes the world’s richest person: According to Forbes magazine, Jeff Bezos surpassed Bill Gates as the richest person in the world. The fortune of Amazon’s founder reached some $90.6 billion, compared with the $90.1 billion that the online edition of the magazine attributes to Gates.

3. First SAP Leonardo Centre launched in Bengaluru: The Leonardo Centre in Bengaluru is the first in Asia Pacific Japan region and the fourth SAP Leonardo Center globally. The Leonardo Centre in Bengaluru will consist of digital transformation elements like IoT, Blockchain, Analytics, Machine Learning, Big Data, Data Intelligence and SAP Cloud Platform.

4. ADB signs $65.5 mn loan with Indian Government: Asian Development Bank has signed a USD 65.5 million loan agreement with Government of India for checking coastal erosion on the western coast of Karnataka. This is the second tranche of a USD 250 million financing facility under the Sustainable Coastal Protection and Management Investment Programme. Funds procured through this loan will be deployed for immediate coastal protection needs.

SPORTS:

1. Sangram & Amanpreet won medal at ISSF World Cup: Sangram Dahiya and Amanpreet Singh won a silver and a bronze each in the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Cup Final in New Delhi on October 27. Sangram shot 76 out of 80 targets, three behind gold medallist Hu Binyuan of China. Amanpreet finished behind gold medallist Damir Mikec of Serbia and silver winner Oleh Omelchuk of Ukraine.

2. Gokul becomes the second player to be signed by NBA G-League Side: Gokul Natesan is the 97th pick in the NBA draft. He became the second Indian-origin player to be signed by an NBA G-League side. Natesan, 23, was picked by Canton Charge, a minor league affiliate team of Cleveland Cavaliers, completing a remarkable journey of the computer science graduate, who shuffled between playing college basketball and designing apps.

3. Puducherry becomes an associate member of BCCI: Puducherry has now become the associate member of BCCI. The Committee of Administrators (COA) selected Cricket Association of Puducherry (CAP) as an associate member of the BCCI. Now, Puducherry can also now host both international matches and the Board’s domestic games.

OBITUARIES:

1. Malayali writer, Punathil Kunjabdulla, passes away: Eminent Malayalam writer Punathil Kunjabdulla passed away in Kozhikode. He was a doctor by profession. He was a well-known Malayalam writer. He had published more than 45 books, including 7 novels, 15 short story collections, memoirs, an autobiography and travelogues.

2. Manikchand Group’s Chairman passes away: Rasiklal Dhariwal, an industrialist popularly known as the ‘gutkha baron’, died due to parotid gland cancer, at Ruby Hall Clinic, in Pune. He was the Chairman of Manikchand Group.