CURRENT AFFAIRS NOV/04/2015

CURRENT AFFAIRS NOV/04/2015

1. TROPICAL CYCLONE CHAPALA HITS YEMEN

i. Tropical Cyclone Chapala has hitted Yemen triggering heavy flooding and causing damage in coastal region of the war racked country.

ii. Meteorological Department has categorized Cyclone Chapala as a Category 4 equivalent storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

iii. Cyclone Chapala is the most powerful storm that has hit Yemen in last five decades

PRESIDENT OF YEMEN: MOHAMMED ALI AL-HOUTHI

CURRENCY OF YEMEN: YEMENI RIAL

2. AIR PROGRAMME ON CHILD LABOUR BAGGED TOP PRIZE AT ABU PRIZES

i. All India Radio's Programme on child labour bagged the first prize under the Community Service Announcement category at the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union Prizes 2015 at Ankara, Turkey.

ii. The programme was aired in Malayalam language and was titled Nilkkam Ivarkkoppam, which means Stand beside Them.

iii. The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union is a non-profit, professional association of broadcasting organisations.

3. MAHARASHTRA GOVERNMENT APPROVES APJ ABDUL KALAM AMRUT YOJNA

i. Maharashtra Government has approved APJ Abdul Kalam Amrut Yojna scheme to provide one full hot cooked nutritious food to pregnant, lactating women in the tribal areas.

ii. APJ Abdul Kalam Amrut Yojna is launched to curb malnutrition among tribal children by providing nutrition to pregnant women for 6 months when the child’s growth is at its peak.

4.’INTERLINKING OF INDIAN RIVERS’ BOOK WRITTEN BY RADHA KANT BHARATI RELEASED

i. Interlinking of Indian Rivers book written by Radha Kant Bharati was released by AB Pandya Chairman of Central Water Commission

ii. The book explains the social, economic and commercial significance of linking of rivers in the country. It also discusses National Water Policy and disputes over the sub-continent of India.

5. PAKISTANI CRICKETER SHOAIB MALIK ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT FROM TEST CRICKET

i. Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik announced his retirement from Test cricket.

ii. Now he will play only in the One-Day International.

6. SURESH N PATEL APPOINTED AS MD & CEO OF ANDHRA BANK

i. Suresh N Patel was appointed as the managing director and chief executive officer of Andhra Bank.

ii. He had succeeded CVR Rajendran.

7. SHEKHAR KAPUR TO HEAD JURY AND ANIL KAPOOR TO BE CHIEF GUEST AT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OF INDIA 2015

i. Anil Kapoor was selected to be the chief guest of the 46th International Film Festival of India that will began in Goa this month.

ii. Film director Shekhar Kapur was selected to be the head of the jury. 

CURRENT AFFAIRS NOV/03/2015

CURRENT AFFAIRS NOV/03/2015

1. NICO ROSBERG WON 2015 MEXICAN GRAND PRIX OF FORMULA 1

i. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany has grabbed the 2015 Mexican Grand Prix title of Formula One held at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City.

ii.It is Rosberg’s overall twelfth championship title of F1 in his career and the fourth win in the 2015.

2. FAST PATROL VESSEL ‘ICGS ARINJAY’ INDUCTED IN KOCHI

i. The fast patrol vessel of Aadesh-Class of Indian Coast Guard Arinjay was inducted into navy in Kochi, Kerala.

ii. It will be used for  controlling smuggling and piracy activities,for rescue operation and Fisheries protection and monitoring activities.

AIR CHIEF MARSHAL: ARUP RAHA

3. SUPREME COURT ISSUED NOTICE TO UNION GOVERNMENT FOR IMPROPER IMPLEMENTATION OF MGNREGA

i.The Supreme Court of India issued a notice to the Ministry of Rural Development for improper implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005.

ii.The Bench was headed by comprising Chief Justice H L Dattu and Justice Amitava Roy.

iii.The court has directed the government to set up an independent Social Audit Units  for effective monitoring of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

4. PUNJABI LANGUAGE BECAME THIRD MOST COMMON LANGUAGE IN PARLIAMENT OF CANADA

i. Punjabi language has became the third most common language in Canada.

ii.The first place was grabbed by English then French and Punjabi is placed on third position in the House of Commons of Canada after 20 Punjabi-speaking candidates were elected to the parliament in October 2015.

5. DEEPAK SINGHAL APPOINTED AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF RESERVE BANK OF INDIA

i.Deepak Singhal has been appointed as the Executive Director of RBI.

ii.Deepak Singhal has replaced K K Vohra who will now look after the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation.

6. DELHI TO HOST 1^ST INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FOR THE PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

i.Delhi to host first international film festival for the persons with disabilities in December 2015.

ii.The film festival will show case cinemas that open our world to their mind space, and sensitize on issue relating to disabilities.

CURRENT AFFAIRS NOV/02/2015

CURRENT AFFAIRS NOV/02/2015

1. NICO ROSBERG WON 2015 MEXICAN GAND PRIX FORMULA 1 CHAMPIONSHIP

i. Mercedes racing driver Nico Rosberg of Germany grabbed the 2015 Mexican Gand Prix Formula 1 championship.

ii. Nico Rosberg defeated Lewis Hamilton of Britain.

iii. He had already won the titles in Spain, Monaco and Australia.

2. ROGER FEDERER WON 2015 SWISS INDOORS MEN’S SINGLES TITLE

i. Roger Federer of Switzerland grabbed the Swiss Indoors men’s singles tennis title.

ii. Roger federer defeated Rafael Nadal of Spain in the final match held at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland.

3. HERO MOTOCORP FOUNDER INDUSTRIALIST BRIJMOHAN LALL MUNJAL PASSED AWAY

i. Hero MotoCorp  founder industrialist Brijmohan Lall Munjal passed away in New Delhi. 

ii. He was the founder and chairman of Hero MotoCorp and Hero Honda which is the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer

iii. In 1956, he had started India’s first bicycle manufacturing unit under the brand name Hero Cycles later it became the world’s largest cycle maker.

4.  INDIA BECOMES WORLD’S 7TH MOST VALUED NATION BRAND

i. India was placed at 7th position in world’s most valuable nation brands report among the 100 nations by Brand Finance.

ii. United States had topped this list followed by China, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, France and India.

iii. India is the second most valued brand country among BRICS emerging economies after China and followed by Brazil, Russia and South Africa.

5. FACEBOOK AND BSNL INKED AGREEMENT TO SET UP 100 WIFI HOTSPOTS IN RURAL INDIA

i. Facebook inked agreement with Bharat Sanchar Nigam limited to create 100 WiFi hotspots in rural areas of western and southern India.

ii. Facebook will invest 5 crore rupees per annum for buying bandwidth from BSNL.

iii. BSNL expects to complete the WiFi project by 31 December 2015.

CURRENT AFFAIRS NOV/01/2015

CURRENT AFFAIRS NOV/01/2015

1. INDIAN RAILWAYS LAUNCHES VIKALP SCHEME FOR WAITLISTED PASSENGERS

i.Indian Railways has launched Vikalp scheme to avail waitlisted passengers to get an alternative train accommodation.

ii. The scheme has been launched in trains running on Delhi-Lucknow and Delhi-Jammu sectors.

iii.Indian Railways aims to achieve the objectives of Providing confirmed accommodation to waitlisted passengers and to Ensure optimal utilisation of available accommodation for these passengers.

UNION RAILWAY MINISTER: SURESH PRABHU

2. SANIA MIRZA AND MARTINA HINGIS WON SINGAPORE BNP PARIBAS WTA FINALS

i. Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis has won the 2015 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Women’s double category in Singapore.

ii.They have defeated Garbine Muguruza and Carla Suarez Navarro of spain.

iii.Earlier, they have also won the Indian Wells Open, Miami Open, Charleston Opem, Wimbledon, US Open, Guangzhou Open, Wuhan Open and China Open.

3. RUGBY WORLD CUP 2015 WON BY NEW ZEALAND

i. New Zealand has won the 2015 Rugby World Cup for third time by defeating Australia.

ii.Rugby World Cup is contested after every four years between the top international teams.

iii.First world cup of Rugby was first held in 1987.

4. BRAHMOS SUPERSONIC CRUISE MISSILE SUCCESSFULLY TEST-FIRED

i. India has successfully test-fired BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile from INS Kochi.

ii.The purpose of the test was to check the capabilities of BrahMos and INS Kochi, the country’s newest stealth-destroyer, which was inducted into the navy recently.

iii.BrahMos can be launched from land, Sea, Sub-seas and air.

5. NATIONAL UNITY DAY OBSERVED ON 31^ST OCT

i. The National Unity Day was observed on 31 October.
ii.The day is observed to commemorate the  140^th birthday of Sardar Vallabhai Patel.

iii.PM Narendra Modi flagged off Run for Unity at Rajpath in New Delhi.

CURRENT AFFAIRS OCT/31/2015

CURRENT AFFAIRS OCT/31/2015

1. BINDESHWAR PATHAK SELECTED FOR NEW YORK GLOBAL LEADERS DIALOGUE HUMANITARIAN AWARD

i. Sociologist Bindeshwar Pathak was selected for the prestigious New York Global Leaders Dialogue Humanitarian Award.

ii. He was selected for his contribution for sanitation and improving the quality of life for millions of scavengers.

2. CHINA ABANDONED ITS DECADES OLD 'ONE CHILD POLICY'

i. China has abandoned its decade’s old one child policy of children’s.

ii. Now china has allowed couples to have two children as it has abolished its decades old One Child Policy.

iii. One Child Policy was introduced in 1980 to control the population and to limit demands for water and other resources.

3. BRICS NATIONS INKED MOSCOW DECLARATION FOR SUPPORTING MULTILATERAL SCIENCE PROJECTS

i. BRICS nations signed Moscow Declaration for partnership in addressing common regional and global socio-economic challenges by utilising science, technology and innovation.

ii. It was signed at the meeting of the BRICS Ministers for Science, Technology and Innovation held in Moscow Russia.

iii. Indian delegation was led by Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences.

iv. The joint declaration will promote co-investment of resources to support multilateral Research and Development Projects in mutually agreed areas by BRICS nations.

4. ECONOMIC AFFAIRS SECRETARY SHAKTIKANTA DAS NOMINATED ON RBI CENTRAL BOARD

i. Union Government has nominated Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das to the Central Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India .

ii. Central Board of Directors is responsible for its general superintendence and direction of RBI.

iii. There are 21-members in Central Board of Directors of RBI which includes Governor, Four Deputy Governors, Two Finance Ministry represent tatives Ten Directors arenominated by Union Government and four directors are from local boards of RBI.

     GOVERNER OF RBI: RAGHURAM RAJAN                   

5. JOHN MAGUFULI ELECTED AS NEW PRESIDENT OF TANZANIA

i. John Pombe Magufuli of ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi  party has won the Tanzanian Presidential election.

ii. He became fifth President of Tanzania since its independence from United Kingdom .

CAPITAL OF TANZANIA: DODOMA

CURRENCY OF TANZANIA: TANZANIAN SHILLING

CURRENT AFFAIRS OCT/30/2015

CURRENT AFFAIRS OCT/30/2015

1. RBI ALLOWED NRIS TO SUBSCRIBE TO NATIONAL PENSION SYSTEM

i. The Reserve Bank of India has allowed non-resident Indians to subscribe to the National Pension System.

ii. National Pension System will act as an investment option for NRIs under Foreign Exchange Management Act 1999.

iii. National Pension System was launched in 2004

iv. Its main aim is to institute pension reforms in the country and to inculcate the habit of saving for retirement amongst the citizens.

2. INDIA-AFRICA FORUM SUMMIT HELD IN DELHI DECLARATION

i. India and Africa Forum Summit has adopted a Delhi Declaration 2015 and India-Africa Framework for Strategic Cooperation.

ii. These agreements were adopted at the conclusion of third Summit it was attended by 54 African countries and indiain New Delhi.

iii. They have discussed collaborations in the fields of peace and security between India and Africa

3. DEFENCE ACQUISITION COUNCIL APPROVED MAJORMILITARY PROJECTS

i. The Defence Acquisition Council headed by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar approved new military modernisation proposals worth over 12000 crore rupees.

ii. The approvals include the acquisition of two additional regiments of the indigenous Pinaka multiple-launch rocket systems to the upgrade of 26 Ilyushin transport aircraft by Russia.

4. RAIF BADAWI AWARDED 2015 SAKHAROV PRIZE FOR FREEDOM OF THOUGHT

i. Blogger Raif  Badawi awarded Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought for the year 2015.

ii. Raif Badawi, author of the website Free Saudi Liberals, was convicted of insulting Islam and he was sentenced to 10 years in jail.

iii. Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought has been awarded by the European Parliament to individuals or organisations for their contribution to the fight for human rights and democracy.

5. AMIT KUMAR GRABBED SILVER MEDAL IN IPC ATHLETICS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

i. Indian para-athlete Amit Kumar Saroha grabbed silver medal in men's club throw F51 event in the IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha.

ii. Now, Amitkumar has secured his place for 2016 Rio Paralympic Games.

6. NAJIB SHAH APPOINTED AS CHAIRMAN OF CBEC

i. Senior IRS officer Najib Shah appointed as Chairman of Central Board of Excise and Customs.

ii. Central board of excise and customs is an apex body on Indirect Taxes.

ii. The Central Board of Excise and Custom is an national agency responsible for administering Customs and Central Excise Taxes in India.

CURRENT AFFAIRS OCT/29/2015

CURRENT AFFAIRS OCT/29/2015

1. ‘INDIA AND FRANCE’ SIGNED MOU TO CONSERVE AND PUBLICIZE WRITTEN HERITAGE

i. India and France inked a memorandum of understanding to conserve, develop andpublicize written heritage at the National Library in Kolkata.

ii. This Memorandum of Understanding will promote development of digital co-operation, sharing of technical and other expertise, competency, skill-building and cultural co-operation between the two countries.

Pm of France: Manuel Valls

Currency of France: Euro

2. ‘SARBANANDA SONOWAL’ INAUGURATED GAMES SECRETARIAT OF 12TH SAF GAMES IN SHILLONG

i. Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports, Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated Games Secretariat of the 12th South Asian Federation  Games 2016 at Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Complex in Shillong, Meghalaya.

ii. The Secretariat would oversee the smooth functioning of the SAF Games.

iii. This is the first time that such a mega event of International level is taking place in North East India.

3. ‘BIDHYA DEVI BHANDARI’ ELECTED AS FIRST WOMEN PRESIDENT OF NEPAL

i. Bidhya Devi Bhandari elected as the new President of Nepal.

ii. She is the first women President of Nepal earlier President was Ram BaranYadav.

iii. Recently Nepal has adopted new constitution and cow is adopted as national animal of Nepal.

4. ‘NITI AAYOG PANEL ON INNOVATION’ SUBMITTED ITS REPORT RECOMMENDING PRIVATE FUNDING FOR R&D

i. NITIAayog panel on Innovation headed by Prof Tarun Khanna  submitted its report recommending that the private sector should help fund research and development, including in research labs at universities and startups.

ii. It has also recommended for improved tax benefits for investments equal to a percentage of corporate profits in research labs in universities and startups.

Chairman of Niti Ayog: PM Narendra modi

Vice chairman of Niti Ayog: Arvind panagriya

CEO of Niti Ayog: Sindhushree khullar

5. JOINT NAVAL EXERCISE ‘SLINEX 2015’ BETWEEN INDIA AND SRI LANKA

i. Indian Navy and Sri Lankan Navy started SLINEX at Trincomalee, Sri Lanka.

ii. The exercise will enhance the capability of two navies to work together and contribute towards maritime security.

iii. SLINEX series of bilateral maritime exercises was started in 2005 between India and Sri Lanka

CURRENT AFFAIRS OCT/28/2015

CURRENT AFFAIRS OCT/28/2015

1. INDIA IS WORLD’S LARGEST REMITTANCE RECIPIENT ANNOUNCED BY WORLD BANK

i. World Bank announced that India is the World’s largest remittance recipient.

ii.World bank revealed this information in the Migration and Development Brief that released recent trends in remittance flows and migration across the world.

PRESIDENT OF WORLD BANK: JIM YONG KIM

HEADQUARTERS OF WORLD BANK: WASHINTON, D.C USA

2. SAMIRAN CHAKRABORTY APPOINTED AS CHIEF ECONOMIST FOR INDIA BY CITIBANK

i. Citibank has appointed Samiran Chakraborty as Chief Economist for India.

ii. Earlier he was Managing Director and Head of Macro Research for South Asia at Standard Chartered Bank.

iii. He had also served ICICI Bank as Chief Economist.

3. REFUGEES ARE ALLOWED TO COMPETE IN OLYMPICS FOR THE FIRST TIME BY IOC

i. The International Olympic Committee has announced that all the highly qualified refugees’ athletes are allowed to compete in the Olympic Games.

 ii.It is for the first time that all the  refugee athletes will be allowed to compete in Olympic Games including 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

     President of international Olympic committee: Thomas bach

4. JAMMU AND KASHMIR TO HOST SOUTH ASIAN RUGBY 7’S CHAMPIONSHIP IN 2016

i. Jammu and Kashmir announced that Kashmir Valley will host South Asian Rugby 7’S Championship in 2016.

ii. The Championship will be participated by eight teams from countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and India.

     JAMMU AND KASHMIR MINISTER FOR YOUTH SERVICES AND SPORTS: MOLVIIMRAN RAZA ANSARI

5. ‘E-SAHYOG PILOT PROJECT’ LAUNCHED BY UNION FINANCE MINISTER

i. The Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched the e-Sahyog pilot project of the    Income-Tax Department to facilitate taxpayers.

ii. It will reduce the need of tax payers to physically appear before tax authorities.

iii.The e-Sahyog project is aimed at reducing compliance cost, especially for small   taxpayers.

CURRENT AFFAIRS OCT/27/2015

CURRENT AFFAIRS OCT/27/2015

1. DEEPIKA KUMARI GRABBED SILVER MEDAL IN ARCHERY WORLD CUP FINAL

i. Indian archer Deepika Kumari grabbed the silver medal in the Archery World Cup Final in Mexico City.

ii. She was also named as the FICCI Sportsperson of the Year Award 2014.

iii. Ki Bo-Bae  of South Korea is a world no.1 player of archery.

2. EMILY KRISTINE PEDERSEN OF DENMARK WON HERO WOMEN’S INDIAN OPEN 2015

i. Emily Kristine Pedersen of Denmark grabbed the Hero Women’s Indian Open 2015 in Gurgaon, Haryana.

ii. Indian player Aditi Ashok was the best Indian performer, who was ranked at the 13th position and Vani Kapoor was adjudged as the best Indian professional at the tournament.

iii. Hero Women’s Indian Open event was started in 2007 and it attracts best of talent from across the globe with the majority of players coming from Europe and Asia.

3. ICC RELEASED TEST, ODI, T20I AND WOMEN’S RANKING

i. The International Cricket Council released the official ICC men’s Team Rankings from Test, One Day International and T20I cricket.

ii. South Africa was placed at the top position in the men’s Test ranking list.

iii. Australia topped the men’s ODI list and Sri Lanka topped the list of T20 rankings.

iv. Australian women team topped in the ICC Women’s Rankings.

v. India is placed at 5^th position in Test, 2^nd position in ODI, 6^th position in T20 and Women's Cricket team of India was placed at 4^th position.

4. ANGRY INDIAN GODDESSES BAGGED PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD AT ROME FILM FESTIVAL

i. Angry Indian Goddesses an Indian movie  was awarded with BNL People’s Choice Award at the Rome Film Festival held in Rome, Italy.

ii. The winner was selected through an online voting system by the audience.

iii. The movie also received an eight-minute-long standing ovation at the festival.

iv. The movie narrates the story of a girl who invited her closest girlfriends to Goa to announce her wedding, and how it all turned into a wild bachelorette party.

5. FIIS AND RFPIS CAN NOW INVEST UP TO 74 PERCENT IN DEN NETWORKS LIMITED

i. The Reserve Bank of India announced that the Foreign Institutional Investors and Registered Foreign Portfolios Investors can now invest up to 74 percent of the paid up capital of DEN Networks Limited under the Portfolio Investment Scheme.

ii. The purchases could be made through primary market and stock exchanges.

iii. RBI has notified this under Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999.

iv. DEN Networks Limited is India's largest cable TV distribution company serving 13 million homes in over 200 cities.