November 11 & 12 – Current Affairs Quick Gyan

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Current Affairs – November 11 & 12 2015

GSAT-15 successfully launched from French Guiana

GSAT-15, India’s latest communications satellite, was launched successfully by the European Ariane 5 VA-227 launch Vehicle on November 11, 2015. The 3164 kg GSAT-15 carries communication transponders in Ku-band and a GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) payload operating in L1 and L5 bands. After a flight of 43 minutes and 24 seconds, GSAT-15 separated from the Ariane 5 upper stage in an elliptical Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) with a perigee (nearest point to Earth) of 250 km and an apogee (farthest point to Earth) of 35,819 km, inclined at an angle of 3.9 degree to the equator. The achieved orbit was very close to the intended one.

India to launch communication satellites GSAT-17 and GSAT-18 in 2016, 2017

India will send two telecommunication satellites – GSAT-17 and GSAT-18 – on Ariane 5 rocket of European space agency Aerospace. Arianespace said Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has selected it to launch GSAT-17 and GSAT-18 telecommunication satellites on Ariane 5 rockets from French Guiana in 2016 and 2017.

Weighing approximately 3,400 kg, at launch each, the two spacecraft are planned as replacements for currently-operational relay platforms that provide key national services in multiple frequency bands. While GSAT-15 with its 14 Ku-band transponders (automatic receivers and transmitters of radio signals) is expected to replace the transponder capacities of older satellites, ISRO is silent on the total number of satellite transponders it has under its fold-owned and leased.

Raghuram Rajan first Indian to be VC of Bank for International Settlements

Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajanhas become the first Indian central banker to be appointed as vice-chairman of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) -the bank for central banks. The appointment is expected to give stronger voice to Rajan, who has been repeatedly calling for more coordination among central banks in monetary policy.

Rajan was elected to the number two position for a period of three years from November 10, 2015 at a meeting of the BIS board. Rajan had joined the BIS board in December 2013. As vice-chairman, Rajan will work with BIS chairman Jens Weid mann, who is also president of Germany’s Bundesbank. Prior to Rajan, former RBI governor Y V Reddy had a key role as chairman of the BIS Asian Consultative Council which comprised all governors of BIS member central banks in the Asia-Pacific region.

India Has The Highest Population Of Generous People In The World. Still Ranks 106th Among 145 Nations

India ranks 106th, just behind Brazil, and last among eight countries included from South Asia in the survey. The proportion of ‘givers’ in India fell substantially in 2014 compared to 2013. However, India has more people who help strangers (334 million in 2014), donate money (183 million) and volunteer their time for a good cause (156 million) than any other country. This is primarily because of India’s large population. The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) World Giving Index, a study based on surveys in 145 countries carried out by Gallup, considers these three criteria while drawing up the list.

First global conference on gender equality in Kerala

The Kerala government is set to host the country’s first global conference on gender equality here from November 12-14. This is in order to reduce gender inequality in India and increase female work participation rates. With a core theme of “Gender, Governance and Inclusion” the conference is set to discuss issues ranging from citizenship, globalisation, work, governance, health, education, disability and the role of media.

The theme of the conference focuses on the urgent need for a transformative agenda to move towards greater inclusion and gender equality.

Now, book tickets 30 minutes prior to departure of train

From November 12, one can book a railway ticket online 30 minutes prior to the departure of a train. In a passenger-friendly move, Railways has also made changes in its system of preparation of chart, which would now be prepared twice. First reservation chart would be prepared four hours prior to departure of a train while second and final one, 30 minutes before the train departs.

According to the revised rules, booking will be allowed on internet as well as at reservation counters for a particular train, subject to availability of berths, even after the preparation of first reservation chart. Railways has also made it mandatory for the concerned department to finalize the reservation chart four hours before the departure of train from November 12 in order to facilitate passengers to know the status of their ticket and plan their journey well in time.

Emirates bank, SBI join hands for easier remittances

A leading UAE-based bank has announced a partnership deal with State Bank of India. This partnership has been handed to help NRI customers in the gulf carry out their remittances instantly and more conveniently. Emirates NBD has expanded its partner bank network in India to include State Bank of India (SBI) for the Direct Remit 60 seconds remittance platform.

Japan’s first passenger jet makes maiden test flight

Japan’s first passenger jet has made its maiden test flight, a landmark in a decade-long programme to launch the plane aimed at competing with Brazilian and Canadian rivals in the global market for smaller aircraft. About half a century after the last Japanese-made commercial plane took to the skies, the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), painted with dark blue, red and beige stripes, took off from Nagoya airport under clear skies for a 90-minute trip.

Bangladesh signs USD 250m satellite deal with French firm

Bangladesh has signed a USD 250 million deal with French-Italian firm Thales Alenia Space in Dhaka to build the country’s first communications satellite. Thales Alenia Space will build the satellite called Bangabandhu-1 for the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to be launched into space in 2017. BTRC chairman Shahjahan Mahmud said the contract wasworth 19.51 billion taka (USD 250 million).

Junior telecoms minister Tarana Halim hailed the deal which would save Bangladesh coffers USD 14 million a year from renting transponders of foreign satellites. With the launch of Bangabandhu-1, Bangladesh will become the 57th member of the exclusive club of satellite-owning countries.

Pakistan veteran Younis Khan retires from ODI cricket

Pakistan veteran Younis Khan will retire from one-day internationals after Wednesday’s (November 11th 2015) match with England. The match against England will be the 37-year-old’s 265th and final match in the format and will bring to an end a 15-year ODI career. Younus, who made his debut against Sri Lanka in February 2000, scored 7,240 runs from his 264 ODI matches, with seven centuries and 48 half-centuries.  Since March 2013, Younis has been picked for only 11 ODIs, putting a big question mark on his future in the 50-over format.

Justice AP Shah appointed as the Ethics Officer (Ombudsman) at BCCI

Former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, Justice AP Shah, has been appointed as the ethics officer (ombudsman) at Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He will preside as the sole decision maker on all conflict of interest issues plaguing Indian cricket. The decision to appoint an ombudsman was taken at the Board’s 86th Annual General Meeting to end the problem on conflict of interest in the Board. This is being considered as a BCCI’s clean-up operation.

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