March 25 – Current Affairs Quick Gyan

In Current Affairs 2017
March 25, 2016

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Welcome to the Quick Gyan (QG) Section of D2G. QG is just a glimpse of what happened today all over the world.

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AWARDS AND HONORS

Arvind Kejriwal named among world’s 50 greatest leaders by Fortune

Arvind Kejriwal has been named among the world’s 50 greatest leaders by Fortune magazine with the Delhi Chief Minister being the sole Indian leader on the list topped by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

Fortune’s third annual ‘World’s 50 Greatest Leaders’ list features men and women from across the globe from the fields of business, government, philanthropy and the arts who are “transforming the world and inspiring others to do the same.”
47-year-old Aam Aadmi Party chief is ranked 42nd on the list and is the sole leader from India.
However, South Carolina’s Indian-American Governor Nikki Haley is also on the list at 17th while another Indian- American Resham Saujani is at the 20th spot.

Quick Link – Arvind Kejriwal named among world’s 50

APPOINTMENTS

Paytm hires Alibaba’s former executive as President

Paytm, India’s mobile payment and commerce platform has appointed ex-head of Alibaba Group Holding’s wholesale business, Bhushan Patil as the company’s new President.

Bhushan Patil joins Paytm as President after serving 5.5 years at the Chinese company, where he was handling operations of Alibaba.com. He will now focus on building Paytm’s cross border commerce.
At the largest B2B marketplace, Bhushan was instrumental at leading new initiatives for Global Markets business development across SME linked associations, Banks and Government trade organizations, local trade services and e-companies.
As a major accomplishment he incepted, led and launched B2B Trade-Trust products across 50 countries in Asia/Europe and Americas and was instrumental developing new India plans for Alibaba.com B2B business.

Quick Link – Bhushan Patil joins Paytm

BANKING AND FINANCE

RuPay to launch credit cards in September

After increasing its market share to 38 per cent in the debit card segment, RuPay, domestic card payment service provider, will be venturing into the credit card space this September.

It plans to issue 100,000 such cards in the first year of its launch.
It will initially focus on two variants of a credit card — Regular and Platinum — and gradually extend its portfolio to offer co-branded cards.
RuPay is a brand owned and developed by NPCI (from 2012) to compete against global payment schemes of the likes of Visa and MasterCard.
NPCI was promoted by 10 Indian banks.
From 2017, the target is to issue 500,000 to a million such credit cards every year.
The market size of credit cards is presently 22.75 million users and the average value of spending a year is about Rs 2.5 lakh crore.
The brand, according to a joint study by JM Financial Securities and RuPay, has gained more than a third of market share in total cards and 18 per cent in volume of debit card transactions.
NPCI is also optimistic about the 11 payments banks and eight small finance banks commencing operations over the next two years, helping it further its market share.

RuPay

RuPay is an Indian domestic card scheme conceived and launched by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
It was created to fulfil the Reserve Bank of India’s desire to have a domestic, open loop, and multilateral system of payments in India.
RuPay facilitates electronic payment at all Indian banks and financial institutions, and competes with MasterCard and Visa in India.
NPCI maintains ties with Discover Financial to enable the card scheme to gain international acceptance

Quick Link – RuPay

INDIAN AFFAIRS

Mizoram, JICA sign pact for promoting sustainable agriculture

The Mizoram government and Japanese International Cooperative Agency (JICA) signed an agreement on ‘Capacity Enhancement for Sustainable Agriculture and Irrigation Development.’

The memorandum of understanding was signed by top officials of Agriculture, Minor Irrigation, Horticulture and Soil and Water Conservation departments in the presence of state chief secretary Lalmalsawma.JICA was represented by its team leader Satoru Fujita and four other officials both from Tokyo and Delhi.
Experts of the Japanese company would, on the company’s own expense, undertake technical cooperation project in four rural development blocks in Aizawl, Kolasib, Serchhip and Champhai districts.
The JICA had conducted development study during 2013 and 2015 and had formulated a master plan covering 20 years and the technical cooperation project would commence from October this year and continue till September 2021.
Training programmes would be conducted in Japan both for officials and farmers from Mizoram for three times during the period and the expenses would be borne by the Japanese government.

JICA

The Japan International Cooperation Agency is a governmental agency that coordinates official development assistance (ODA) for the government of Japan.
It is chartered with assisting economic and social growth in developing countries, and the promotion of international cooperation.
In October, 2003, Sadako Ogata , the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, became the President, though she was over 70 years.
Since 1 April 2012 it has been led by Professor Akihiko Tanaka, the University of Tokyo Vice President.

Quick Link – Mizoram, JICA

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

March 25, the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Every year on March 25, the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade offers the opportunity to honor and remember those who suffered and died at the hands of the brutal slavery system.

The transatlantic slave trade resulted in a vast and still unknown loss of life for African captives both in and outside America.
Approximately 1.2 – 2.4 million Africans died during transport. More died soon upon their arrival.
The number of lives lost in the procurement of slaves in raids and forced marches to port remains a mystery but may equal or exceed the number who survived to be enslaved.
The Atlantic slave trade or transatlantic slave trade took place across the Atlantic Ocean from the 15th through to the 19th centuries.
The vast majority of those enslaved were West Africans from the central and western parts of the continent sold by other western Africans to western European slave traders, with a small minority being captured directly by the slave traders in coastal raids, and brought to the Americas.
The numbers were so great that Africans who came by way of the slave trade became the most numerous Old World immigrants in both North and South America before the late 18th century. Far more slaves were taken to South America than to the north.

Quick Link – International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

RTI bill presented in Sri Lankan Parliament

Sri Lanka’s much-awaited Right to Information (RTI) Bill was tabled in Parliament fulfilling an election promise of the Sirisena government.

The bill’s presentation had been delayed as the Northern Provincial Council had failed to pass the proposed draft in the Council on time.
The RTI was a key election pledge made by the Opposition coalition now in power when they challenged the former president Mahinda Rajapaksa in the presidential election held in January 2015.
Rajpaksa was defeated by Maithripala Sirisena in general elections last year.
The Cabinet had approved it in December and thereafter was referred to the nine provincial councils for approval.
Rejection by the provincial councils would have meant the requirement for it to be passed by two thirds majority in Parliament.
Three of nine councils have approved the draft subject to amendments, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said on Wednesday.
The Bill provides for the establishment of a Right to Information Commission and the appointment of information officers among other things to uphold the people’s right to know.
The civil society activists who were responsible for drafting the legislation said they would ensure an Act of the highest quality to guarantee the RTI.

Quick Link – RTI

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

ISRO established GIRI Radar System at Tirupati

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 21 March 2016 established the Gadanki Ionospheric Radar Interferometer (GIRI) near Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.

It was set up at the National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL) which is an autonomous research institute of the Department of Space.

Features of GIRI System

It is a 30 MHz radar system that will be engaged in meteor and space weather research in a comprehensive way.
It consists of a rectangular antenna array of 160 two-element Yagi-antenna, arranged in a 20×8 matrix, 20 transmitter units, 6 digital receivers including data processing systems, a radar controller, and a host computer.
It also seeks to study unattended observations from the underneath atmosphere (e.g., waves generated by weather phenomena) on the ionospheric irregularities.
It will provide important information on the angular location of plasma irregularities during the onset phase and its relationship to background ionospheric state parameters and sunset terminator.
Investigations made using this facility are expected to improve the skill in Equatorial Plasma Bubble (EPB) forecasting which is detrimental for satellite based navigation/communication applications.

Quick Link – GIRI

Microsoft shuts Artificial Intelligence Robot – Tay

Humans will be humans and the latest victim is Microsoft, which launched artificial intelligence (AI)-powered bot on Twitter for a playful chat with people, only to silence it within 24 hours as users started sharing racist and offensive comments with the bot.

Launched on Twitter as an experiment in “conversational understanding” and to engage people through “casual and playful conversation”, Tay was soon bombarded with racial comments and the innocent bot repeated those comments back with her commentary to users.
Some of the tweets had Tay referring to Adolf Hitler, denying the Holocaust, supporting Donald Trump’s immigration plans, among others.
The AI chatbot Tay is a machine learning project, designed for human engagement.
Tay — an AI project built by the Microsoft Technology and Research and Bing teams — was coded with information which can tell users jokes or offer up a comment on a picture you send her.
The bot is also designed to personalise her interactions with users.
Microsoft has since deleted some of the most damaging tweets from nearly the 96,000 that Tay tweeted.

Quick Link – Tay

South Korea tops Global Average Internet speed

Content delivery network services provider Akamai Technologies released its Fourth Quarter, 2015 State of the Internet report. Based on data gathered from the Akamai Intelligent Platform, the report provides insight into key global statistics such as connection speeds, broadband adoption metrics, notable Internet disruptions, IPv4 exhaustion and IPv6 implementation.

The report revealed that global average connection speed increased 8.6% to 5.6 Mbps from the third quarter, a 23% increase year-over-year.
South Korea had the top average connection speed at 26.7 Mbps, while India was the slowest in the Asia Pacific region with average speeds of 2 Mbps.
The peak speed in India was also lower than South Korea’s average — at 21.2 Mbps.
Also, in the fourth quarter of 2015, 32% of unique IP addresses across the world connected to Akamai at average speeds above 10 Mbps, an increase of 15% over the previous quarter. Year-over-year, this was a 34% increase.
When it comes to mobile connectivity, the report places United Kingdom on top with the fastest average mobile connection speed at 26.8Mbps, and Spain in second place at 14.0 Mbps.
Iran had the lowest average connection speed, at 1.3 Mbps, followed by Vietnam with an average connection speed of 1.8 Mbps.

Quick Link – Global Average Internet speed

ENVIRONMENT

Asia most exposed to disasters, Africa most vulnerable: Study

Countries and mega-cities across Asia are highly exposed to natural hazards ranging from cyclones to earthquakes, but people in sub-Saharan Africa are more vulnerable, according to a report.

Nearly 1.4 billion people in South Asia — India, Bangladesh, Pakistan — face at least one major threat from nature, especially flooding, severe storms boosted by rising seas, and quakes.
In the case of Bangladesh, 100% of its population is exposed, compared to 82% for India and 70% in Pakistan.
China, Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines are also among the nations with the largest numbers of people in harm’s way.
The United States, Mexico and Brazil round out the top ten.
When it comes to vulnerability, however, Africa is the continent where people are most likely to suffer injury, disease and death as a result of natural disasters, according to the Natural Hazards Vulnerability Index from risk analysts Verisk Maplecroft.
The capacity to cope with disaster can determine whether a high-magnitude earthquake, for example, will cause hundreds of deaths, as happened in Chile in 2010, or hundreds of thousands, as befell Haiti in the same year.
Nine out of ten countries ranked as most vulnerable to natural hazards in the index are in sub-Saharan Africa, and 23 of 25 are on the continent.

Quick Link – Asia & Africa most vulnerable

SPORTS

Shane Watson: Australia all-rounder announces international retirement

Australia all-rounder Shane Watson will retire from all international cricket after the World Twenty20 in India.

Watson won 190 one-day international caps, scoring 5,757 runs at an average of 40.54 and taking 168 wickets at 31.79 apiece.
The 34-year-old has played in 56 T20 internationals and is in Australia’s squad.
Watson, who retired from Tests in 2015, is the only Australian to have scored centuries in all forms of the game.
He will continue to play in domestic T20 tournaments, including the Big Bash.
A powerful batsman and seam bowler, Watson, who made his ODI debut in 2002, has the highest score in that format by an Australian – 185 against Bangladesh in 2011.
Twice a winner of the Allan Border Medal as Australian player of the year, he featured in three World Cups and was part of the Australian sides which triumphed in the 2007 and 2015 tournaments.

Quick Link – Shane Watson international retirement

OBITUARY

Garry Shandling, groundbreaking comedian and actor, dies aged 66

Groundbreaking comic Garry Shandling, best known for pioneering the faux docudrama and the shows It’s Garry Shandling’s Show and The Larry Sanders Show, has died at 66.

Shandling’s art-imitates-life creation, The Larry Sanders Show, inspired artists such as Ricky Gervais, who co-created The Office with fellow British comedian Stephen Merchant.
Shandling was born in Chicago and grew up in Tucson, Arizona. He moved to Los Angeles in the early 1970s, beginning as an advertising copywriter before getting a job writing for the sitcom Sanford and Son.
He performed standup comedy and became a regular guest host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
It’s Garry Shandling’s Show first graced American TV sets in 1986, with the eponymous protagonist portraying a high-strung comedian whose love life was on the rocks.
The Larry Sanders Show debuted in 1992, earning the comedian cult status and numerous awards.

Quick Link – Garry Shandling passes away

Malayalam actors VD Rajappan and Jishnu Raghavan passed away

VD Rajappan, Kerala’s popular Kadhaprasangam (story telling) artiste and Malayalam film actor, known for his comic roles, has passed away.

Rajappan, who acted in over 50 Malayalam movies, was known for his unique style of presenting Kadhaprasangam in a satirical manner.
He was the centre of attraction at festival grounds in Kerala at the peak of his career in 1970s and 80s.
His memorable comedy Kadhaprasangams include Kumari Eruma, Mak Mak, Priye Ninte Kura, Amittu, Pothu Puthri and Ennennum Kurangettandeh.
Starting his film career in 1980s, he acted in many movies including Kakka,Kusruthikkattu, Kattupothu, Kuyilinethedi and Engane Nee Marakkum. His last movie was Ok Chacko Cochin Mumbai.

Malayalam actor Jishnu Raghavan dies of cancer

Malayalam film actor Jishnu Raghavan, son of veteran actor Raghavan, passed away due to cancer at a private hospital. He was 35.

Jishnu was battling throat and lung cancer for quite some time and was undergoing treatment at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS).
Jishnu, who appeared as a child artist in the movie “Kilipatt” in the year 1987, made his film debut in a major role in the blockbuster “Nammal”, directed by Kamal in 2002.
His performance in it earned him Mathrubhumi Award andKerala Film Critics Award for the best male debut.
He essayed major roles in “Choonda”, “Freedom”, “Parayam” and supporting part in “Nerariyan CBI”, “Pauran” and “Chakkara Muthu.”

Quick Link – VD Rajappan and Jishnu Raghavan passed away

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