Current Affairs Updates - 28th October 2017

Current Affairs Updates - 28th October 2017

Important Days 

27 October observed as World Day for Audiovisual Heritage-theme:"Discover, remember and share"

• World Day for Audiovisual Heritage is observed globally on 27 October every year across the world.
• The theme of this year is "Discover, remember and share"

Banking/Economic Affairs

State Bank of India cuts charges on IMPS money transfers

• State Bank of India (SBI) has slashed its charges for IMPS transactions. The new charges took effect from 15 October, 2017, the bank’s website showed. The new changes assume significance as SBI got a lot of flak from customers for increasing the IMPS charges in June.
• Amount Charges
• Rs 1000 and below Free
• Rs 1001 to Rs 10,000 Rs 1
• Rs 10,001 to Rs 1 lakh Rs 2
• Rs 100,001 to Rs 2 lakh Rs 3

Rankings

Biocon ranked 9th in Science Careers' top employers' survey

• Biocon has been ranked No. 9 in the Science Careers top 20 employers survey of this year.
• It is the only Asian company to be featured in the list of global biotech and pharma companies, the company said in a statement. Further, Biocon has been recognised for ‘being an innovative leader in the industry’, ‘having a clear vision’ and ‘being socially responsible’, the statement added.

Indian-Origin Campaigner Gina Miller Named UK's Most Influential Black Person in Powerlist' of 100 people of African and African Caribbean heritage, published in London by Powerful Media

• An Indian-origin campaigner has been named the UK's most influential black person of the year for winning a legal challenge that prevented British Prime Minister Theresa May from triggering Brexit without Parliament's approval.
• Gina Miller, 52, topped the 2018 'Powerlist' of 100 people of African and African Caribbean heritage, published in London by Powerful Media yesterday.

India has 3rd highest number of family-owned businesses- Credit Suisse report

• India has 108 publicly-listed family-owned businesses, third highest in the world, while China tops the tally with 167 such companies followed by the US which has 121, says a Credit Suisse report. 
• Besides China, the US and India, the top 10 countries in terms of number of family-owned companies include France (4th place), Hong Kong (5th), Korea (6th), Malaysia (7th), Thailand (8th), Indonesia (9th), Mexico (10th). 

National Affairs

Gokul Natesan becomes second Indian-origin player to be signed by 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.

The Cricket Association of Puducherry becomes new associate member of BCCI

• The Cricket Association of Puducherry (CAP) will represent the Union Territory ahead of the Pondicherry Cricket Association - Kalaimani and Pondicherry Cricket Association - Velmurugan, who were the other two parties who had staked their claims for an associate membership

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah govt plans 1 lakh houses for poor in Bengaluru

• Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will soon launch a project to provide 1 lakh houses for the poor people in Bengaluru. Below poverty line and homeless families living in the city for more than five years would be eligible to apply for the houses. Over 431 acres of land has been handed to Rajiv Gandhi Rural Housing Corporation for the project.

Bandra becomes 1st suburban station to get baby feeding room

• In a first for the suburban railways, Western Railway on Thursday launched a breastfeeding room at Bandra station. The rooms were constructed after the Railway Ministry issued a directive asking zonal heads to provide baby feeding cubicles within waiting halls at all A1 and A category stations. The facility is also available at other Mumbai stations handling long-distance trains.

Delhi Metro to adopt 'open gate' system across stations

• The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has decided to adopt an 'open gate' system across its network in order to ease the entry and exit at station gates. In the new system, the flaps will remain open throughout and only close if a passenger tries to enter or exit the system without touching a smart card or token on the reader.

French Defence Minister Florence Parly in India on two-day visit

• French Defence Minister Florence Parly on Friday arrived in India for a two-day visit and was accorded with the Guard of Honour. Parly held wide-ranging talks with her Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman to boost defence and security ties between the two countries. Both the leaders discussed the regional security situation and ways to ramp up overall strategic ties.

Karnataka Cabinet clears policy to safeguard transgender rights

• The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday cleared the state policy to safeguard transgenders' rights. The policy aims to provide transgenders a secure life by creating awareness about their community through anganwadi workers who would sensitise people about trans-children and their rights. These workers will also address issues pertaining to discrimination, sexual abuse and violence against transgenders.

Bihar government to sack employees demanding dowry

• Bihar Government has warned its officials that they would be sacked if they indulge in activities like demanding dowry or promoting child marriages. The directives will be sent to various departments and district administrations by Bihar Women Development Corporation. Strict action would also reportedly be taken against religious leaders who facilitate such practices in the society.

Ashraf Ghani in India: Afghan president asks Pakistan to end support for terror groups

• Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday advised neighbour Pakistan to end its support for terrorist groups like the Taliban, pointing out that Islamabad was at a juncture where it had to make a choice between abandoning state sponsorship of terrorism and facing the consequences of its choice.

7 firms get LoI for 14 monuments under ‘Adopt a Heritage’ Scheme

• Seven companies, including, SBI Foundation, Yatra Online Pvt. Ltd, were short-listed for ‘Letters of Intent’ (LoI) by the Ministry of Tourism on October 25 for 14 monuments under ‘Adopt a Heritage’ Scheme.
• The short-listed companies were given ‘Letters of Intent’ on the last day of ‘Paryatan Parv’ (Tourism Festival), an official release said here on Wednesday.
• The 14 monuments up for adoption include Jantar Mantar and Qutub Minar (Delhi), Sun Temple (Odisha), Hampi (Karnataka), Ajanta Caves (Maharashtra), among others.
• SBI Foundation, TK International Limited, Yatra Online Pvt. Ltd, Travel Corporation of India Ltd, Adventure Tour Operator Association of India, Special Holidays Travel Private Ltd. (With) Rotary Club of Delhi, NBCC are the seven companies which were shortlisted after going through detailed scrutiny. ‘Adopt a Heritage’ Scheme of the Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), was launched by President Ram Nath Kovind on the occasion of World Tourism Day.

International Affairs

Qatar introduces minimum wage for first time

• Qatar has committed to a range of labour law reforms, including the introduction of a minimum wage.
• Doha's record on migrant worker rights has been under international scrutiny in the run-up to the 2022 football World Cup.
• The announcement came the day before a meeting of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), which had warned Qatar to end abuse of migrant workers.

Chile has just been voted the best country to visit in 2018

• If the grey, dreary weather is getting you down, you should start looking up your next holiday as soon as possible.
• To help you decided on your next big adventure Lonely Planet has released its “Best in Travel” selections for 2018.
• If you want to visit the best of the best – Chile is the next top holiday hotspot according to travel experts.

Burundi 1st country to leave International Criminal Court

• Burundi on Friday became the first country to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC). The East African nation had notified the UN of its plan to withdraw from the ICC last year. Burundi's withdrawal doesn't affect the preliminary examination of the country's situation already underway by the court's prosecutor, ICC officials said.

New York schools to serve veg meals to 'save the planet'

• New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that students at 15 public schools in Brooklyn will only be served vegetarian breakfast and lunch on Mondays to save the planet. Adding that he and his wife will also go meatless for all Monday meals, Blasio said, "It will help make our city healthier and our planet stronger."

Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos overtakes Bill Gates as world's richest person

• Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos has overtaken Bill Gates to become the world's richest person with a net worth of 91.6 billion dollar. Bezos has added 8.7 billion dollar to his wealth since Thursday, after Amazon released its third-quarter earnings report. Notably, Bezos became the richest person for the first time in July this year but lost the title in just a day.

Google parent Alphabet's revenues up 24% in Q3 2017

• Google parent Alphabet on Thursday reported 24% year-on-year increase in its revenues at 27,772 million dollar for the quarter ended September. Alphabet's net income also rose from 5,061 million dollar to 6,732 million dollar, up 33% from last year. Alphabet's shares surged 3% in after-hours trading, since the company reported its third-quarter results.

US' Salesforce named world's best company to work for

• American cloud computing company Salesforce has topped the Fortune's list of 25 best global companies to work for. The list has been compiled after surveying employees in offices across the world. Other notable companies on the list include chocolate maker Mars, ranked at 4, hospitality firm Hilton, ranked at 9, while EY and Cisco ranked at 17 and 19 respectively.

Amazon introduces Key for in-home delivery service in US

• E-commerce giant Amazon has introduced delivery service called Amazon Key for in-home package delivery for users in the United States. Amazon Key, which is only for Prime members, offers 249 dollar in-Home Kit which includes a security camera and a smart lock. Users can track delivery in real-time, watch the delivery live or review the recorded video using Amazon Key app.

Science & Technologies

Blue Origin tests world's strongest methane rocket engine

• Amazon chief Jeff Bezos-founded aerospace startup Blue Origin has successfully test fired the world's most powerful methane-burning rocket engine. Running on liquified methane and oxygen, it is said to produce nearly 50% more thrust than a Space Shuttle engine. Seven such engines would make up the first stage of Blue Origin's orbital rocket, whose debut flight is scheduled for 2020.

World’s first track-less train hits China roads

• The world’s first track-less train is doing the rounds on the internet as it has begun its first test run in China. The Pictures and videos of the train running on the virtual rails shows, it may become the future of urban transport.

Defence & Railway

Piyush Goyal launches Railways' first set of solar plants in Delhi 

• Railway Minister Piyush Goyal today launched the railways' first set of solar plants with a total capacity of 5 megawatt peak (MWp), an ambitious project aimed at reducing the national transporter's carbon footprint. 
• The project is part of the government's National Solar Mission in which Indian Railways plans to commission 1,000 MWp solar plants across its network. 

Navy to implement new plan for warships in Indian Ocean region 

• Top naval commanders today cleared a new plan for deployment of warships in the Indian Ocean region to effectively counter China's growing presence in the strategically key waters. 
• The "new mission-based deployment" plan involves deploying mission-ready ships and aircraft along critical sea lanes of communications, Navy sources said. 

Aircraft carrier INS Vishal to not be nuclear-powered

• India's indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vishal, will not be nuclear powered as Bhabha Atomic Research Centre will take 15-20 years to develop a nuclear reactor capable of propelling the 65,000-70,000 tonne vessel, reports said. INS Vishal will be able to house 55 aircraft and also have an electromagnetic aircraft launch system to launch aircraft off the carrier.

Agreements (MoU)

GMR Hyderabad Airport, Malaysia Tourism, MAHB sign pact to promote tourism

• GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad and Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board have come together to promote the growth of tourism traffic.
• A memorandum of agreement was inked here on Thursday to promote tourism from the catchment area of Hyderabad to Malaysia and also explore new locations for connectivity.

India Grants 585,000 dollar Aid To Sri Lanka University

• India today provided equipment and vehicles worth USD 585,000 to a university in Sri Lanka's Tamil-dominated Jaffna city as part of its development partnership with the country in the field of higher education.
• The assistance package was given to develop agriculture as well as engineering faculty on the Killinochchi campus of University of Jaffna, Indian High Commission said in a statement

Awards & Honours

Andhra Pradesh CM receives Golden Peacock Award in London

• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has received the ‘Golden Peacock Award’ under the Global Leadership in Public Service and Economic Transformation category at a convention in London. Adding that the award was a reminder of his responsibilities, he said, "Much like corporate companies are accountable to its shareholders, I am also accountable to the common man."

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.
• Given during the International Science Festival’s Start-up Summit – 2017 at Chennai, the AICTE awards recognise outstanding achievement by academic and research institutes of India in actively promoting and supporting innovation and start-ups in their campuses.

Javed Akhtar receives the Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award

• Veteran writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar has been honoured with the Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award.
• Mr. Akhtar received the honour in Mumbai on Thursday night at an event marking the 28th anniversary of Hridayesh Arts and the 80th birthday of veteran music composer Hridaynath Mangeshkar.

Obituary 

Myanmar's Consul General Pyi Soe dies in car accident in Jharkhand

• Myanmar's Consul General, Pyi Soe, died in a road accident that took place in Jharkhand's Galagi area on Friday. The driver of the car Soe was travelling in with his wife and personal assistant, lost balance when the road took a turn, and the car rammed into a truck. The other passengers in the car also suffered serious injuries.

Freedom fighter Gaur Kishore Ganguli dead

• Freedom fighter and lawyer Gaur Kishore Ganguli died here at his residence, his family said today. 
• His last rites was performed with state honours this afternoon.