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31st January 2017 – Current Affairs Today

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NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

First Edition of the North East Investors Summit Held in Shillong

  • The first edition of the North East Investors Summit was inaugurated on January 29, 2017 by the Union Textiles Minister in Shillong.
  • Theme is Exploring Opportunities in North East Region.
  • Aim is to launch North East Region as a Global destination for investment by exploring possibilities of attracting the investment especially in textile manufacturing.

Karnataka Govt Approves Amending Laws to Lift Ban on Kambala & Bullock Cart Race

  • The Karnataka state cabinet on January 28, 2017 approved amending Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Bill, 1960 Act to legalize the Kambala and Bullock Cart Race which is a traditional festival held annually in Karnataka.
  • The amendment Bill will be introduced by the state cabinet in the legislature session.

Bombay Natural History Society launches climate change programme in Central Himalayas

  • The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has launched climate change programme to assess the status, distribution and conservation of pheasants and finches in the Central Himalayas.
  • Aim is to evaluate the socio-economic activities of local communities and involve them in conservation efforts and sensitize the local forest department staff.
  • This program is funded by Oracle and facilitated by CAF-India.
  • It will contribute in
  • Making an inventory of pheasants and finches
  • Documentation of local specific conservation issues
  • Designing local as well as species specific conservation action plan with the community participation.

INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

Trump Bans 7 nations from Entering US on Security Issues

  • Donald Trump has signed an executive order to temporarily ban visas for refugees belonging to seven Muslim-majority countries namely Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
  • The decision aims at protecting United States from the entry of foreign terrorists to keep the nation safe. The ban is not aimed at restricting Muslim countries from entering US.
  • As per the order, the travelers including legal permanent US residents residing in any of the seven mentioned countries would be prohibited from entering US for 90 days.
  • However, the ban would not apply to diplomats and members of international organizations.

Mauritius & six other countries joins global efforts to curb profit shifting by MNEs

  • Mauritius along with Gabon, Hungary, Indonesia, Lithuania, Malta and the Russian Federation signed the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement for Country-by- Country Reporting (CbC MCAA).
  • This agreement will allows signatories to bilaterally and automatically exchange country-by-country reports with each other, as contemplated by Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Action Plan.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

FGII Enters Into Bancassurance Tie-Up With Bank Of Maharashtra

  • Future Generali India Insurance Company(FGII) announced an agency tie-up with Pune based Bank of Maharashtra.
  • Aim is to immensely benefit our customers by providing them an ease of access while choosing from a diverse range of non-life insurance products, all under one roof.
  • It has tie-up with over 100 banksin India for bancassurance.Now it accounts for 5 per cent of Future Generali’s total business.

Reliance Defence Signs Contract with Ministry of Defence to Construct 14 Fast patrol Vessels for Indian Coast Guard

  • Reliance Defence and Engineering Ltd (RDEL), a wholly owned arm of Reliance Infrastructure Ltd (RInfra), has signed a contract with the Ministry of Defence to design and construct 14 Fast Patrol Vessels for the Indian Coast Guard. 
  • The medium range, high speed vessels would be deployed for patrolling within the exclusive economic zone, costal surveillance, anti-smuggling, anti-piracy, search and rescue operations.
  • It will also provide support as front-line warships during emergencies.
  • RDEL is the first private sector shipyard which has been awarded a contract of designing and building such ships for Indian Armed Forces.

KSEZ, Subsidiary of GMR group Signs MoUs With Firms to Set Up Manufacturing Units at Kakinada SEZ

  • Kakinada SEZ Ltd (KSEZ), a subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure Limited (GIL), signed several MoUs with various companies during the CII Partnership Summit 2017 at Visakhapatnam.
  • The MoU aimed at setting up World Class manufacturing units at the Kakinada SEZ in Andhra Pradesh.
  • The MoU also aims to develop an all-weather, multi-cargo, deep water port.
  • Besides, Oil and Gas PSUs, Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) & Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited(HPCL) signed an MoU with the Government of Andhra Pradesh to set up petrochemicals complex over an area spanning 2000 acres in the state.

PEOPLE IN NEWS

Dushyant Chautala appointed as New TTFI President

  • Dushyant Chautala is elected as youngest president of Table Tennis Federation of India.
  • Chautala with  two observers are selected for four years,extends until 2021.
    Kuldip Vats – representing Indian Olympic Association
    Ashwani Kumar – representing the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports from the Sports Authority of India.

Ashok Amritraj Appointed UN in India Goodwill Ambassador for the Sustainable Development Goals

  • Film producer and Wimbledon tennis player, Ashok Amritraj has been appointed the United Nations in India Goodwill Ambassador for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  • He is responsible to generate momentum and commitment to achieve the SDGs by 2030 and to foster engagement of new stakeholders in the implementation of these Goals.

AP Singh Appointed as the Interim Head of India Post Payment Bank

  • AP Singh has been appointed as the interim Managing Director and CEO of India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) by the government.
  • Earlier, he worked as a Joint Secretary in the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management. He was one of the founding members of the Unique Identification Authority of India.
  • IPPB received the final license from RBI to start its operation as payment Bank.

Amulya Patnaik appointed as Delhi Police Chief

  • IPS officer from Union Territories cadre, Amulya Patnaikis appointed as Chief of Delhi police.

AWARDS

Madras Engineer Group Adjudged Best Marching Contingent in Services Category

  • In Service Category, Madras Engineer Group has been selected as the best marching contingent.
  • While in the Para-Military Forces category, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) were adjudged as the best performers.
  • In the Category of tableaux, Arunachal Pradesh stood first for depicting the Yak dance.
  • Among the Tableaux from the 6 Union Ministries/Departments that participated,UnionMinistry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship won the first prize for depicting the theme ‘Transforming India through Skill Development’ besides highlighting the achievements of the Ministry.
  • The tableau represented by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD)on the theme ‘Green India-Clean India’ won a special prize.
  • In Dance category of school children, performance byKendriya Vidyalaya, Pitampura, Delhi, children won the first prize for their dance based on National Flag.

Iris Mittenaere of France Crowned Miss Universe 2017

  • Iris Mittenaere of France was crowned as the Miss Universe 2017 in the international beauty pageant event held at Manila, Philippines.
  • The first runner-up was Raquel Pelissier from Haiti and second runner-up was Andrea Tovar of Colombia.
  • India was represented by Roshmitha Harimurthy but could not make it to the top 12. 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Atomic clocks of Satellite IRNSS-1A Develops Technical Snag

  • The atomic clocks on the first satellite IRNSS-1A of the NAVIC, an indigenously built satellite system has developed technical complications.
  • The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman, A.S. Kiran Kumar informed that one of the three crucial rubidium clock on IRNSS-1A spacecraft failed six months ago while the other two failed subsequently.
  • NAVIC is a constellation of seven satellitesin the geosynchronous orbit and two backup satellites on ground. Each satellite consists of three atomic clocks. Thus there are total of 27 atomic clock in NAVIC.

INSAT-3DR Satellite to Enable Detecting Farm Fires

  • The Indian Weather Satellite, INSAT-3DR, launched by ISRO has led to a remarkable achievement in Indian weather forecasting.
  • The Next Generation INSAT-3DR, will enable detecting Farm Fires, which was till now only conducted by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) thus helping in formulating effective measures to deal with the issue.
  • INSAT-3DR also enables night time monitoringof atmospheric phenomenon like cloud cover, fog, haze and snow among others.

SPORTS

Supreme Court Appoints Vinod Rai as BCCI Committee’s Head

  • Vinod Rai, the former Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) was appointed as the head of the BCCI by the Supreme Court.
  • The main aim of the committee would be look after the day-to-day functioning of the board in addition to the proper implementation of the Lodha committees recommendations for the board.

PV Sindhu Clinches Her Maiden Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold Title

  • PV Sindhu clinched her maiden Syed Modi International Grand Prix Gold women’s singles title at the Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium in Lucknow.
  • She defeatedGregoria Mariska of Indonesia.
  • The Men’s Single title was won by National Champion Sameer Verma who beat B Sai Praneeth.
  • Pranaav Jerry Chopraand N Sikki Reddy won their maiden Grand Prix Gold title in mixed doubles beating Ashwini Ponnappa and B Sumeeth Reddy.
  • TheMen’s Double title was clinched by top seeds Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen outclassing Chinese Taipei’s Lu Ching Yao and Yang Po Han.
  • Denmark’sKamilla Rytter Juhl and Christinna Pedersen surpassed India’s Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy to clinch the women’s doubles title. 
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