Latest Current Affairs – October 22 2018
1. World’s longest sea-crossing bridge spanning 55km opens in China
Chinese President Xi Jinping has officially opened the world’s longest sea-crossing bridge, nine years after its construction first began. The $20-billion bridge, which spans 55 kilometres, connects Hong Kong and Macau to the mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai. The bridge, designed to withstand earthquakes and typhoons, has been built using 400,000 tonnes of steel, enough to build 60 Eiffel Towers.
2. Telugu fastest growing language in US: Study
Telugu is the fastest growing language in the US, a study by US-based Centre for Immigration Studies claimed. The rise in the number of US residents speaking Telugu can be attributed to the growth of the IT industry in the country which hires software engineers from India’s Telugu-speaking states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, non-profit organisation TeluguPeople Foundation said.
3. 85-year-old Paul Biya wins 7th term as Cameroon’s President
Cameroon’s 85-year-old Paul Biya has won the presidential elections for the seventh time after securing 71.3% of the vote, the Constitutional Council said. The council rejected all 18 petitions that challenged the presidential elections citing fraud. First elected as the President in 1982, Biya is sub-Saharan Africa’s oldest leader and one of the world’s longest-serving rulers.
4. Paytm forays into Japan with wallet service ‘PayPay’
Paytm has forayed into the Japanese market for the first time with its wallet service ‘PayPay’. The service, which is a joint venture with SoftBank and Yahoo Japan, enables users to transfer money from a bank account to their PayPay wallet and make payments with it. PayPay is based on Paytm’s QR technology which has also been deployed in India.
5. 99-year-old who foiled Nazi nuclear plan passes away
The leader of a World War II raid to foil Nazi Germany’s nuclear plan has passed away aged 99. Joachim Rønneberg in 1943 blew up a plant producing a hydrogen-rich substance key to the development of atomic bombs. Rønneberg had fled to Britain after the German invasion of Norway in 1940, receiving military training before returning home for several missions.
6. OnePlus partners with Reliance Digital to target Tier II markets
Chinese premium smartphone maker OnePlus is partnering Reliance Digital to expand its offline reach in India and reach out to customers in smaller cities.
The company, in a bid to accelerate its growth momentum, has been growing its line of exclusive OnePlus Experience and Authorised stores. It also sells its devices through Tata Group-owned electronics retail chain Chroma, which it partnered in September.
7. Nobel laureate Shimomura, who contributed to cancer studies, dies at 90
Japanese-born Marine biologist Osamu Shimomura, who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry, has died. He was 90. Shimomura and two American scientists shared the 2008 Nobel prize for the discovery and development of a jellyfish protein that later contributed to cancer studies.
8. Larsen & Toubro ranks 22 in Forbes global 2000 best employers list
Construction major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is the only Indian company to find a spot among the top 25 companies in Forbes’ global 2,000 best employers list. The Mumbai-headquartered firm bagged the 22nd spot on the list that is led for the second consecutive year by Google parent company, Alphabet.
As per the Forbes list, there are only four Indian companies in the top 100 list of best employers, with Mahindra & Mahindra at 55, Grasim Industries at 59 and HDFC at 91. American technology giants, including Microsoft (number 2), Apple (3), Amazon (5), etc, account for six of the top 10 spots.
9. Parliament panel to examine functioning of EPFO
A parliamentary panel will examine the functioning of retirement fund body Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), its coverage and recovery of arrears. The parliamentary standing committee on labour has also decided to review the implementation of labour laws, social security and welfare scheme for workers.
The panel will be headed by BJP MP Kirit Somaiya and has selected a wide range of subjects related to labourers, including the International Labour Organisation conventions binding on India and the measures taken by the government to implement them, said a bulletin issued by the Lok Sabha secretariat.
10. State Bank of India launches Wealth Hub in Mangalore
The nation’s largest bank, State Bank of India launched its wealth business services by opening “SBI Wealth Hub” at the Lalbagh branch here. The wealth hub was inaugurated by SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar.
SBI is the first PSU bank in the country tointroduce comprehensive wealth business services for itsclients. The bank has re-branded its wealth business as “SBI Wealth” offering best-in-class personalised banking and investment services to its elite High Net worth Individual (HNI) clients through a dedicated team of relationship managers.
11. JNU signs MoU with Skymet for climate research
The Special Centre for Disaster Research (SCDR) at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is to sign a pact with Skymet Weather Services Pvt. Limited. The aim is to help the centre obtain weather data for undertaking cutting-edge research in the field of hydro-meteorological disasters risk mitigation.
The SCDR said that the Skymet will establish an Automatic Weather Station and environmental monitoring station on campus and provide advisory support for weather and climate-related research. SCDR would validate the data generated by Skymet with valuable advisories so that the highest level of precision is achieved by Skymet in weather forecasting, early warning and environmental monitoring.
12. India’s longest river bridge to be built on Brahmaputra river in Assam
India’s longest river bridge will be built across the Brahmaputra, connecting Dhubri in Assam To Phulbari in Meghalaya, by 2026-27. It will be a 19.3 km, a four-lane bridge that will cut road travel by 203 km. The new bridge will complete the missing link of NH127B from Assam to Meghalaya. The bridge will also improve connectivity from West Bengal to Assam. For the project, the National Highways and Industrial Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), recently reached out to global players in France.
13. Statistician Vijayan Bala comes up with new book
Veteran commentator and cricket statistican Vijayan Bala has come up with his new book “Indian Sports: Conversations and Reflections”, a compilation of interviews of eminent sportspersons he has conducted since 1971. Bala has earlier published a book on Statistics called ‘Indian Test Cricket back in 1974’. In 2016, he authored a second book “The Complete Indian Sports Quiz” inaugurated by sports minister Rathore.
