Current Affairs Updates - 7th November 2017

Current Affairs Updates - 7th November 2017

New Appointments: National

N Poonguzhali has become the first woman to be appointed as senior Deputy Director General, Tamil Nadu, Telecom Enforcement Resource Monitoring, Department of Telecommunications.

• An Indian telecom service officer of the 1979 batch, she is an alumnus of IIT Madras, from where she graduated in Electronics and also completed her Masters in Business Administration, an official release said. Her new role is in Telecom Enforcement Resource Monitoring under the Department of Telecommunications. The wing ensures that the telecom service providers function within the rules and regulations stipulated by the Centre. She has 36 years of experience in the Department of Telecommunication and at Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd in various responsibilities. 

Banking/Economic Affairs

India's largest private sector bank ICICI Bank teams with Apple to launch voice-based international remittance service for Non Resident Indians (NRIs)

• India's largest private sector bank by consolidated assets, ICICI Bank, on Thursday announced the launch of India's first voice-based international remittance service to enable non-resident Indians (NRIs) to send money to any bank in India.
• With this new feature in the ICICI Bank's Money2India app, an NRI customer can instantly initiate a remittance to his/her existing payees in India with just a simple voice command to Apple's virtual voice assistant, Siri, on their iPhone/iPad.

National Affairs

Tata Steel has established India's largest Coke Dry Quenching (CDQ) facility, capable of handling 200 metric tonnes per hour, at its state-of-the-art steel plant at Kalinganagar Industrial Complex in Jajpur district of Odisha

• CDQ is a heat recovery system to cool hot coke from coke ovens. It is one of the best energy-efficient and environment friendly facility in steel production where hot coke removed from coke ovens at a temperature of around 1,000 degree Celsius is cooled and kept dry with inert gas.
• The resulting steam produced in a waste heat recovery boiler is used to generate electricity, the statement said. The facility is part of the continuous journey towards improving productivity, energy efficiency and environmental performance, it said.

Telangana set to provide 24x7 power supply in order to boost farm sector

• Already 24-hour 'quality' power is being supplied on an experimental basis in three districts during the Kharif season and the Chief Minister ordered that all the districts should get 'free and quality' power 24-hours for agriculture from March-April 2018 across the state for 5-6 days initially, the Chairman and Managing Director CMD said. Based on feedback, follow-up action will be taken, he added.
• TS Transco, Genco and Discoms SPDCL and NPDCL have invested about Rs. 12,000 Crore to strengthen the distribution and supply systems. About 23 lakh pump sets are in use in the State farm sector.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal rolled out 647 schemes under MGNREGA and 14th Finance Commission entailing an investment of Rs 24.57 crore for development of the world's largest river island Majuli. 

• In a move to bolster development of the river island Majuli, Sonowal launched 647 schemes under MGNREGA and 14th Finance Commission to be implemented with a financial outlay of Rs 24.57 crore," an official release said.
• Out of these, 448 schemes under MGNREGA involved Rs 21.90 crore and 199 schemes under 14th Finance Commission have an outlay of Rs 2.67 crore, it added.

The 1st Heli Expo India and International Civil Helicopter Conclave-2017 is inaugurated in New Delhi by the Uttarakhand Tourism Minister Shri Satpal Maharaja ji 

• Speaking on the occasion, the Uttarakhand Tourism Minister said that the helicopter taxi services have a huge potential for enforcing law and order, air ambulance services, to check forest fire and can provide better connectivity to religious and tourist destinations located in rough terrain of hilly areas.
• On this occasion the Secretary, Civil Aviation Shri R.N. Choubey said that India has achieved a growth rate of about 20% in domestic air travel section in the last three years, which is the highest growth rate in the world Civil Aviation Sector. He said however, that this growth rate is confined to fixed wing traffic only and the helicopter traffic is much less in India.

India is in talks with Brazil to get social security cover for Indians from EPFO for those who are going to that country for work. 

• Indians working in Brazil will soon be able to get social security cover by retirement fund body EPFO. 
• He said the talks were in final stage and a proposal seeking nod from the Union Cabinet, on a bilateral agreement to be signed between the countries, was likely to be sent soon.
• Once the agreement is implemented, Brazil will be 19th country where Indian workers would be allowed to opt out of any social security scheme run there and choose the facility provided by the EPFO.

Government think tank NITI Aayog has visualised a New India by 2022 which will be free from poverty, dirt, corruption, terrorism, casteism and communalism.

• According to the document, New India @2022, presented by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar at the Conference of Governors last month, India will be among the top three economies of the world if it continues to grow at 8 per cent until 2047.
• According to this the documents released by the think-tank, the government will work towards connecting villages, with population over 500 residents and special areas with population around 250 residents, with all-weather roads by 2019 under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). 

Science & Technologies

China has launched two BeiDou-3 satellites into space though a single carrier rocket to build its own navigation system

• China, which is building its own navigation system to rival United States GPS, has launched two BeiDou-3 satellites into space though a single carrier rocket. The satellites were launched aboard a Long March-3B carrier rocket last night from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan, state-run new agency Xinhua said on Monday.
• The two newly-launched satellites represent the third phase of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. This system will provide services for countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, and form a complete global satellite navigation system by 2020—by which time China plans to have more than 30 satellites.

Summit /Conference / Events / Host

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday, attended the 75th anniversary celebrations of Tamil daily ‘Dina Thanthi’ at Madras University Centenary Hall in Chennai.

• Speaking at the event, PM Modi said today, newspapers do not just give news, they can also mould thinking and open a window to the world. “In a broader context, media is a means of transforming society,” he added.

China to hold fourth World Internet Conference from 3 to 5 December in Wuzhen town to discuss Internet-related topics 

• The conference, scheduled to run from 3 to 5 December, has invited leading figures from governments, international organisations, companies, technology communities and non-governmental organisations, to discuss Internet-related topics including digital economy, cutting-edge technology, cyberspace governance, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement released on the WIC website on Sunday as saying.
• Latest internet technologies will be presented to the world at this year's WIC jointly sponsored by the Cyberspace Administration of China and the Zhejiang provincial government.

Awards & Honours

Veteran actor Mohan Joshi was felicitated with the prestigious Vishnudas Bhave award in this western Maharashtra town on the eve of Marathi Rangbhumi Din for his contribution to theatre. 

• Veteran actor Jayant Sawarkar presented the award to Joshi, who has acted in a number of Marathi and Hindi films, besides in plays. 
• The award is conferred in memory of Vishnudas Bhave, the founder of Marathi theatre. 
• The award includes a trophy, a citation and a cash of Rs 25,000.

Sports: Awards & Honours

India's Anish Bhanwala won a silver medal in the men's 25 metre rapid fire pistol event, while Neeraj Kumar bagged a bronze at the ongoing Commonwealth Shooting Championships in Gold Coast, Australia.

• Notably, on Sunday i.e on the sixth day, India's Anish Bhanwala won a silver medal in the men's 25 metre rapid fire pistol event, while Neeraj Kumar bagged a bronze. These two medals took India's tally from rifle and pistol events to 16, including four gold.
• India has won one gold and a silver medal in shotgun events. India had three representatives in the six-man rapid fire pistol final, with Olympian Gurpreet Singh qualifying along with Anish and Neeraj. Anish topped the qualification with a score of 577, while Neeraj was second with 575. Gurpreet qualified in fifth place with a score of 566.

Satbir Singh and T Manorama Devi emerged victories in the Elite Men's and Elite Women's events at the Cyclothon, which saw over 4500 cyclists participate in an atmosphere of gaiety and revelry

• Based on the distance to be covered, the Cyclothon featured four categories Elite (Men 45 km/women - 27 km), Amateur (27 km), Open and the popular Green Ride. 
• While the Elite and Amateur categories were for serious cyclists, the 9 km Open and the 5 km Green Rides allowed participants the experience the joy of cycling. 
• Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan also participated in the 5 km Green Ride. 

India beat China to win women's Asia Cup hockey title, qualify for 2018 World Cup

• Goalkeeper Savita produced a stunning save in a tense shootout as India won the Asia Cup to secure qualification in next year's hockey World Cup following a nerve-wracking win over China in the final here on Sunday.
• The team broke a 13-year-old jinx when skipper Rani scored the final goal and Savita foiled an attempt from the rivals to ensure a 5-4 win.
• India had failed to qualify for the last World Cup and finished ninth in the 2010 edition.

Young Indian golfer Aditi Ashok wins in Abu Dhabi for her third Ladies European Tour title by clinching the Fatima Bin Mubarak Ladies Open

• Young Indian golfer Aditi Ashok made a triumphant return to the Ladies European Tour by clinching the Fatima Bin Mubarak Ladies Open after surviving a few anxious moments in the closing stages.
• The 19-year-old sounded a warning to her competitors ahead of the Hero Indian Open, where she will defend her title next week.

 Shiv Kapur clinched his first Asian Tour title in India, bagging the Panasonic Open by three strokes, after bringing home a card of four-under 68 in the fourth and final round at the Delhi Golf Club

• It is second Asian Tour title of the season for Kapur, who fired five birdies against one bogey to stay three strokes clear off a pack of fellow Indians, including Ajeetesh Sandhu (65), Sudhir Sharma (69) and Chirag Kumar (64).
• Kapur had won the Yeangder Heritage in April and finished second at the Thailand Open this season. He had won his first Asian tour title in 2005 at the Volvo Masters of Asia.

Obituary 

Saudi prince Mansour Bin Muqrin died in a helicopter crash near the Yemeni border Sunday afternoon, one day after the kingdom’s young crown prince ordered a shocking purge of princes and some of the country’s most influential leaders.

• The prince was traveling with a team of other government officials. Their fate remains unknown.
• Hours after the fatal crash, a Saudi-led coalition of Arab nations closed Yemen’s land, sea and air ports. Saudi officials said they had intercepted a missile near Riyadh’s airport on Saturday that was fired from war-torn Yemen.