Daily GK Updates - 24th October, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. IPS Rakesh Asthana appointed CBI Special Director: Senior IPS officer (1984-batch: Gujarat cadre) has been appointed as the special director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Earlier, Asthana had been serving in the Central Bureau of Investigation as Additional Director. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the domestic security agency of India, overseen by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions of the Federal government headed by a Cabinet Minister who reports directly to the Prime Minister.

2. Japan's ruling coalition wins overwhelming victory in general election: Japan's ruling coalition has won an overwhelming victory in yesterday's general election. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito party won more than two-thirds of the Lower House seats. The LDP, led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, secured 283 seats, one less than before the election but far more than a simple majority of 233. Komeito won 29, bringing the total of seats held by the ruling camp to 312.

3. TRAI recommends 40% carbon emission reduction in telecom network by 2022-23: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended 40% carbon emission reduction in telecom network by 2022-23. The target for reduction in carbon emission be set as 30% by year 2019-20 taking base year as 2011-12 and 40% by the year 2022-23. The report of carbon footprint of telecom operators should be submitted annually within 45 days after March of every year. The targets should be reviewed in the year 2022-23.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. United Nations Day is observed on 24^th October, 2017: The United Nations Day is being observed globally on 24th October to make people aware of the aims and achievements of the United Nations Organization. In 1948, the United Nations General Assembly declared 24 October, the anniversary of the Charter of the United Nations. United Nations Day is part of United Nations Week (runs from 20 to 26 October).In 1971, the United Nations General Assembly had declared 24th October as the United Nations Day by adopting Resolution 2782.

2. Bangladesh - India deal for Gas and Oil: The Bangladesh Petroleum Corp. (BPC) and Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) has signed long-term sales and purchase agreement to import gas oil to meet the country’s energy demand. BPC will take up to 250,000 tonnes of gas oil each year from NRL for the first three years of the deal to the BPC’s northern fuel depot via a 131-km (79 mile) pipeline, which will be built by India.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1.  Jitu Rai & Heena Sidhu strike gold in air pistol mixed team event: Commonwealth and Asian Games gold-medallist Jeetu Rai and Heena Sidhu have won the gold medal of the ISSF World Cup Final in New Delhi, in the 10m air pistol mixed team event. Rai and Sidhu picked up their third gold together in the mixed team event. The mixed team competitions were organised as test events in the World Cups this year and will be making their Olympic debut in the Tokyo 2020 Games. France secured the silver medal and China settled for the bronze medal.

2. Best FIFA Men's Player- Cristiano Ronaldo: The four-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo claimed the Best FIFA Men's Player award (second straight year) at the 2017 award ceremony in London. Real Madrid's Portugal striker helped Real to a Champions League-La Liga double in 2016-17. Lieke Martens of Barcelona and the Netherlands won best female player, Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid) was named best men's coach and Sarina Wiegman (Netherlands) the best female coach. Arsenal's Olivier Giroud received the Puskas award for the best goal of 2017 for his 'scorpion kick' against Crystal Palace in January. Celtic won the fan award after they honoured the club's 1967 'Lisbon Lions' with a stunning 360-degree card display on the 50th anniversary of their historic European Cup win.

3. Brazil and Spain have joined England and Mali in the semi-finals of the Under-17 FIFA World Cup Football being held in India: Brazil will face England in Guwahati, with Spain taking on Mali in Mumbai on 25th of this month. The Final is slated to take place on 29th Oct 2017 (Saturday) in Kolkata.

BANKING/ FINANCE:

1. India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) appoints Suresh Sethi as its MD & CEO: Suresh Sethi was former MD of Vodafone M-Pesa Ltd. IPPB has appointed him as its Managing Director (MD)and chief executive officer (CEO). He takes over from AP Singh who had held the post in the interim since January 2017. IPPB plans to leverage the unparalleled reach of the India Post network to achieve a pan-India roll out of 650 branches by early next year. The India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has been incorporated as a public-sector company under the Department of Posts with 100% GOI equity. India Post has about 1,54,000 post offices, of them 90% are in rural areas. After State Bank of India, India Post has the largest deposits valued at Rs. 6 lakh crores.

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.

Daily GK Updates - 22nd October, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Narendra Modi to visit the truly vibrant Gujrat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Gujarat for the third time this month, as the BJP pulls out all the stops ahead of the assembly elections in the state. Modi will inaugurate and lay foundation stones for a number of projects in Bhavnagar and Vadodara districts. The projects that will be launched by Modi include the first phase of the Rs 650-crore ‘roll-on, roll-off ferry service.

2. IFS Sibi George appointed as the Ambassador: Sibi George is an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of 1993 batch. He has also served as deputy chief of mission of Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia. Sibi George will replace Smita Purushottam as the ambassador of India to Switzerland. He is presently serving as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Aftairs. He would to take up this assignment shortly.

3. India, Mozambique to develop Rovuma gas: India and Mozambique agreed to expedite development of the giant Rovuma gas discovery, which is planned to be converted into LNG for exports. Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, while his visit to Tokyo for LNG Producer–Consumer Conference discussed the development of the gas field. Oil India Ltd has 4% stake while a unit of BPCL holds 10% stake in project.

4. Dasna Jail to rename its dental clinic to acknowledge the Talwar couple’s services: the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to rename the dental clinic at Dasna Jail in Ghaziabad after Aarushi Talwar. Aarushi was murdered at the age of 14 at her residence in 2008. Aarushi Talwar’s parents – Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, who are also dentists spent four years in the jail since 2013 as the accused in the murder case.

5. Committee to select RSTV’s editor: A five-member committee has been formed to select the candidate for the post of editor-in-chief of Rajya Sabha TV. This committee is headed by Prasar Bharati Chairman A Surya Prakash. The post of RSTV’s editor-in-chief felt vacant when Gurdeep Singh Sappal resigned after Hamid Ansari’s term as vice-president came to an end in August 2017.

6. Sushma Swaraj visits Dhaka: With External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is on a two-day visit to Bangladesh. Dhaka will be looking at increased cooperation on how to deal with the Rohingya refugee crisis. Sushma Swaraj had promised all possible help to deal with the massive influx of Rohingya refugees during her 15-hour flight to New York, seated next to Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina last month.

7. Toilets to be named as ‘izzat ghar’: The Central Government has asked each state to name the toilets in their rural households as “izzat ghar”, or to use a phrase in regional language equivalent to “house of dignity”. It is done with the aim of making India open defecation free by 2nd October 2019. The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation is looking over the implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission in villages.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Legalization of marijuana for medical purposes in Peru: Peru’s conservative Congress passed a bill to legalize medical uses of marijuana. This legislation was proposed by Preu’s President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. It came after police cracked down on a group of mothers making cannabis oil in a makeshift laboratory to treat their children suffering from epilepsy, a neurological disorder.

2. Aung San Suu Kyi’s and Oxford: Students at the St Hugh’s College voted to remove Aung San Suu Kyi’s name from the title of their Junior Common Room, in North Oxford, England. Her name was dropped owing to her inability to stop severe human rights abuses against Rohingyas in Myanmar. She had graduated from St. Hugh’s College in 1967 and was granted an honorary doctorate from the university in 2012.

3. Lebanon passes first budget since 2005: Lebanon’s parliament has approved a government budget for the first time since 2005. For 12 years, political crises and wars have forced Lebanon’s state institutions to operate without a budget. The 2005 assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri, plunged Lebanon into turmoil, dividing the country between supporters and enemies of Damascus.

 OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. Government encouraging small saving schemes: In order to encourage savings, Central Government has issued a notification allowing all public sector banks and top three private sector banks (ICICI, HDFC and Axis Bank) to accept deposits under various small savings schemes. Until now, most of these schemes were sold through post offices. Small savings schemes include National Savings Certificate, recurring deposits and monthly income plan.

SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY:

1. Two NASA astronauts have successfully completed a spacewalk to install a new camera system outside the International Space Station: This has replaced a blown fuse and installed a new high definition camera on the starboard truss of the station. This was the fifth spacewalk of Bresnik’s career – 32 hours total spacewalking – and the third for Acaba – 9 hours and 46 minutes total spacewalking.

HONOURS/AWARDS:

1. Playback singers Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan have been selected for the Madhya Pradesh state government’s prestigious National Lata Mangeshkar award:  The artistes will be honoured for their contribution in the field of singing and composition of music. The award is alternatively given to music directors and playback singers every year.