October 1/2015 – Current Affairs Quick Gyan
Links
- Download the September Month Current Affairs PDF
- NEW UPDATE : Current Affairs Online Test
Russia launches first air strikes in Syria
Russia conducted its first airstrikes in Syria. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, warplanes targeted eight ISIS positions, including arms, transportation, communications and control positions. According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 28 people were killed in the strikes, including women and children. The Syrian National Coalition reported that 36 people were killed, all civilians.
- Check this Link – Russia vs ISIS
MVKV Prasad appointed as Director of Aeronautical Development Establishment
Scientist MVKV Prasad has been appointed the new Director of Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE). Prasad took charge from MZ Siddique, Director, Gas Turbine Research Establishment, who was holding the additional charge after the superannuation of P Srikumar. ADE is an establishment under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
- Check this Link – MVKV Prasad
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet – New Appointments
Name of the Person |
Position |
Sanjay Kumar Srivastava | Chairman of National Authority of Chemical Weapons Convention |
PK Malhotra | Secretary of Legislative Department |
Ameising Luikham | Secretary of Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region |
Anoop Kumar Srivastava | Secretary of Inter State Council Secretariat |
Dr Anup K Pujari | Secretary of Ministry of Steel |
US, India, Japan Hold First Trilateral Ministerial Dialogue
Amid China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea, India, Japan and the United States at their first-ever trilateral ministerial dialogue held in New York, called for a peaceful settlement of disputes, freedom of navigation and unimpeded lawful commerce including in that area. The meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, her Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida and US Secretary of State John Kerry.
- Check this Link – Trilateral Ministerial Dialogue
India to host 2017 World Cup, NRAI aims for World Championships
India will be hosting the combined shotgun/rifle/pistol World Cup in 2017 and based on the event’s success, the NRAI will contemplate bidding for the 2018 prestigious World Championship. The combined tournament is the year’s one of the four World Cups in the International Shooting Sport Federation’s (ISSF) calendar.
- Check this Link – 2017 World Cup
‘King Kong’ director John Guillermin dies at 89
British filmmaker John Guillermin, known for directing the 1976 hit ‘King Kong’ and the disaster classic ‘The Towering Inferno’, has died. He was 89. He is survived by his wife and a daughter. As a director, Guillermin was best known for action and adventure tales such as ‘Shaft in Africa’, ‘Death on the Nile’, ‘El Condor’, ‘Skyjacked’, ‘Sheena’, and the sequel to his 1976 hit, ‘King Kong Lives’.
- Check this Link – John Guillermin
Porsche names Oliver Blume new CEO
Volkswagen’s Porsche business said its supervisory board has named Oliver Blume as its new chief executive, replacing Matthias Mueller, who has taken the helm at its parent company. Blume is no stranger to the higher ranks at Porsche. He has been serving for over two years now as the executive in charge of the company’s production and logistics.
- Check this Link – Oilver Blume
MC Mary Kom to hang up gloves after 2016 Olympics
India’s five-time world boxing champion MC Mary Kom has announced that she has made up her mind to hang up her gloves after the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Mary Kom, who attended the 125th foundation day celebrations of Nepali Girls’ Higher Secondary school, said it was the right time to quit boxing even though winning a gold medal at Olympics remains her dream.
- Check this Link – Mary Kom
National Awards for Senior Citizens 2015
President Pranab Mukherjee conferred the National Awards for Senior Citizens 2015. A 91-year-old Leelaben Chhabildas Gurjar from Gujarat has conferred with iconic mother award for successfully bringing-up her children despite great odds.
- Check this Link – Complete List of Winners
Kartik Chandran named as 2015 MacArthur Fellow
Indian-American environmental engineer Kartik Chandran has been named a 2015 MacArthur Fellow and given a ‘genius’ grant of $625,000 for working on a novel solution to the world’s need for food, clean water and energy. Chandran, 41, deals with wastewater treatment with the goal of producing useful resources such as fertilizers, chemicals and energy sources, in addition to clean water.
- Check this Link – Kartik Chandran
India to Chair G20 in 2018; Delhi may host
India is set to be the G20 Chair in 2018, and New Delhi could host the prestigious annual G20 summit. The G20 member nations took a decision on the Chair for 2018. China is chairing the G20 in 2016, followed by Germany in 2017 and then the Chair will pass on to India for 2018. The G20 operates as a forum and not as an organisation. One of the G20 countries is selected to hold the Chair in rotation, also known as ‘G20 presidency’.
- Check this Link – G20 Chair 2018
Rangarajan Vellamore – First Indian to get top Shanghai Award
Rangarajan Vellamore, CEO Infosys China, has become the first Indian to receive the Magnolia Gold award in recognition of his contributions to the development of IT industry in Shanghai, China’s financial hub. Shanghai Mayor Yang Xiong presented the awards at a special function to Rangarajan along with foreign professionals from countries like US, UK, France, Canada, Australia, and South Africa.
- Check this Link – Rangarajan Vellamore
Rajiv Lall to take charge as MD & CEO of IDFC Bank
Rajiv Lall is all set to take over as the MD & CEO of IDFC Bank. The Board of IDFC Ltd has accepted the resignation of Lall as Executive Chairman of the company with effect from September 30, 2015. IDFC Bank will start functioning as a full fledged bank from tomorrow with over 20 branches.
- Check this Link – Rajiv Lal
Maruti Suzuki’s RC Bhargava gets Forbes lifetime achievement award
Maruti Suzuki Chairman RC Bhargava has been honoured with the lifetime achievement award at the Forbes India Leadership Awards (FILA), 2015. The award recognises his contribution to the Indian business community and exemplary leadership demonstrated over the years.
- Check this Link – RC Bhargava
2015 Right Livelihood Awards goes to Human Rights Activists
Human rights and global crisis activists from Canada, Italy, Uganda, and the Marshall Islands have been named winners of the 2015 Right Livelihood Awards, the so-called ” alternative Nobels.” This year’s 3 million kronor ($358,500) award will be shared by,
- Canada’s Sheila Watt-Cloutier, cited for promoting Inuit livelihoods and culture
- Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera from Uganda, for her struggle for gay rights and sexual minorities
- Italian surgeon Gino Strada, for providing medical assistance to victims of war.
UK city of Coventry honours Ratan Tata
Leading Indian industrialist Ratan Tata has been felicitated by the city of Coventry with its highest award in recognition of his contributions to the West Midlands region of central England. Tata, 77, was honoured alongside Indian-origin professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya, founder of the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), at the University of Warwick in Coventry, at a special ceremony at Coventry Cathedral.
- Check this Link – Coventry Award
IS Jha takes charge as interim CMD of Power Grid
State-run transmission utility Power Grid has appointed IS Jha as the Chairman & Managing Director of the company. He is the incumbent Director of PowerGrid. Jha, an electrical engineer from NIT, Jamshedpur, has been the Director (Projects) in the company since September 2009. He is also on board of state transmission utilities of Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, Governing Board Member of CPRI and Member of Board of Governors of Indian Institute of Forest Management.
- Check this Link – Power Grid CMD
World’s Largest Catalogue of Human Genomic Variation created
An international team of scientists has created the world’s largest catalogue of Human genomic variation among humans, providing researchers with powerful clues to help them establish why some people are susceptible to various diseases. For the 1,000 Genomes Project, the investigators examined the genomes of 2,504 people from 26 populations across Africa, East and South Asia, Europe and the Americas.
- Check this Link – Human Genome Variation
Wildlife Awareness Week launched
Wildlife Awareness Week, an annual affair to create awareness towards protection and conservation of wildlife, has began on October 1st, with people holding a procession in Pallia town under the aegis of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (DTR). The Week will be marked by programmes like seminars, symposiums on wildlife protection in Dudhwa, various cultural programmes and competetions for children.
Govt collects Rs 3,770 cr from over 600 stash holders
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has said that the government has received 638 declarations with an amount of 3,770 crore rupees under the black money compliance window. The 90-day compliance window provided to declare undisclosed overseas assets under the Black money (Undisclosed foreign income and assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015 ended on September 30, 2015.
India a bright spot in slowing world eco: IMF chief
IMF chief Christine Lagarde has said that India remains a bright spot in the world economy amid sluggish global growth this year with only a modest acceleration expected in 2016. She noted that despite progress in recent years, financial sector weaknesses remain in many countries, and financial risks are now elevated in emerging markets.
AMU students union gets first woman President
In a first since Independence, a woman has been elected President of the Allahabad University students’ union. Hailing from Aligarh, Richa Singh, a research scholar, founded a “Friends’ Club” a few years back as an alternative platform, independent of students’ wings of established political parties. After the declaration of election results late last night, Richa, who did MA Economics, became not only the second woman, but the first since Independence, to be elected as the AU students’ union president after Kumari S K Nehru who held the post in 1927.
Sarat Kumar Acharya takes over as CMD of Neyveli Lignite
Sarat Kumar Acharya today assumed office as Chairman-and-Managing Director of Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd. (NLC), a Navratna company which comes under Ministry of Coal. The company is in the business of Lignite and Coal mining and Power generation. Acharya served in NLC as Director (Human Resource) and has varied experience of over 35 years of working in BHEL, NTPC, NTPC-SAIL Power Company and NLC. He will replace Surender Mohan, who has retired recently.
AK Pujari assumes charge of SAIL CMD
Medium Small and Micro Enterprises (MSME) Secretary A K Pujari today assumed charge as the chairman of steel giant SAIL. Pujari is also holding the additional charge of Steel Secretary. He is a 1980 batch IAS officer of Karnataka cadre.
Hindustan Petroleum appoints J Ramaswamy as Director-Finance
J Ramaswamy on Thursday took over as the Director (Finance) of Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL). He takes over from K V Rao who superannuated recently. Prior to this, he was Executive Director Corporate Finance in HPCL.
Government infuses Rs 13,955 crore capital into 8 PSU banks
Eight public sector banks, including SBI, Punjab National Bank and Bank of Baroda have said that they have allotted equity shares on preferential basis to the government against capital infusion of Rs 13,955 crore. Bank of India, Canara Bank, Dena Bank, Corporation Bank and Andhra Bank are among the lenders that received capital infusion from the government.
Indian women’s cricket team stands fourth in ICC team rankings
The Indian women’s cricket team stands fourth in the latest ICC team rankings with the new innovative multi-format system brought into place. The new rankings system will incorporate the results of T20, ODI and Test matches and then come out with a single rating. Australia, England, and New Zealand are at top three ranks respectively.
UAE space agency seeks cooperation with ISRO
A delegation from the UAE Space Agency has undertaken a visit to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to discuss possibilities of cooperation between the two space organizations. The delegation was led by Khalifa Al Rumaithi, chairman of the UAE Space Agency, and Mohammed Nasser Al Ahbabi, its director-general. The UAE Space Agency provided a detailed presentation on the space sector strategy in the UAE, focusing on its objectives, initiatives and programmes.
October 1 – International Day of Older Persons
October 1 is observed as International Day of Older Persons (IDOP) every year since 1991. The day is celebrated by raising awareness about issues affecting the elderly, such as senescence and elder abuse. It is also a day to appreciate the contributions that older people make to society.
2015 Theme: Sustainability and Age Inclusiveness in the Urban Environment.
- Check this Link – IDOP
Micro Gyan
1. Indian Railways new time table to be operational from Oct 1
2. Andhra Pradesh to crowdsource fund for its new capital city Amaravathi
3. Afghan govt forces recapture Kunduz city after being seized by Taliban
4. Airtel 4G Speed Challenge Ads Found Misleading: The Advertising Standards Council of India
5. NASA missions to Venus, near-Earth objects by 2020
6. Plestinian flag hoisted at UN headquarters for the first time
7. Union Government released commemorative postal stamp on Dr BR Ambedkar
8. Heena Sidhu wins gold medal at Asian Air Gun Championships
9. October 1 – World Vegetarian Day and China’s National Day
THANK YOU 🙂 🙂 🙂