Daily Current Affairs : October 7, 2017

NATIONAL

World Dental Show 2017 opens in Mumbai:

The 3-day international exhibition – ‘World Dental Show 2017’ was opened in Mumbai showcasing the evolving global technologies and techniques in dentistry.

Indian Dental Association (IDA) hosted the exhibition which has witnessed participation from the international exhibitors from China, Germany, Israel, Malaysia, Russian Federation, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, UK and US, numbering about 120 are displaying their latest dental wares in 250 well-furnished stalls.

Maharashtra

• Capital: Mumbai
• Chief Minister: Devendra Fadnavis
• Governor: Vidyasagar Rao

INTERNATIONAL

Saudi Arabia agrees to purchase S400 missile defence systems from Russia:

 Saudi Arabia agreed to purchase S400 missile defence systems from Russia on the side lines of a visit by Saudi King Salman to Moscow.

The system uses four missiles, a very-long-range 400 km missile, a long-range 250 km missile, a medium-range 120 km missile and a short-range 40 km missile.

Russia

• Russian President: Vladimir Putin.
• Currency: Russian ruble
• Capital: Moscow

Saudi Arabia

• Capital: Riyadh
• Currency: Saudi riyal

BANKING & BUSINESS

PAN, Aadhaar card not mandatory for jewellery purchase above Rs 50,000:

Now PAN card and Aadhaar card are not needed for jewellery purchases above Rs 50,000.  The government decided to revoke the notification that extended provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, (PMLA) to jewellery purchases. This decision was taken at the 22nd GST Council meeting.

HDFC Life Launched Neo, a servicing Bot for Twitter:

HDFC Life Insurance Company has launched ‘Neo‘, a servicing bot for Twitter that uses artificial intelligence for customer service. This is the second bot put in operation by HDFC Life, after the launch of SPOK, which was an email bot to answer customer queries.

Tata AIA Life launches ‘Eazy Connect’:

Private insurer Tata AIA Life announced the launch of ‘Eazy Connect’, that will extend online customer service to social media platforms.

The chatbot will be available through social media platforms and is developed to respond to the most frequently asked queries, the company said in a release issued here.

Eazy Connect Chabot is an innovative offering and has been created to match customers’ fast paced lives where they need quick and simple ways to stay connected to us. Social media integration is the need of the hour and Eazy Connect will help customers resolve queries on platforms that they frequent,” Tata AIA Life Senior Vice President and Head of Operations Yusuf Pachmariwala said.

Donald Trump is Most Followed World Leader on Twitter, PM Modi Third:

 Donald Trump is the world’s most followed leader on Twitter, while Narendra Modi is the third, according to the latest report by Twiplomacy, a Burson Marsteller research project that tracks the use of Twitter by governments and international organizations.

He overtook Pope Francis by a few thousand followers to occupy the first place in Diplomacy’s October report.

Vijaya Bank Inks MoU with HPCL for Digital Payments:

 Vijaya Bank has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) for enabling all HPCL retail outlets with BHIM/UPI merchant solutions.

This rollout will empower all petrol pump attendants and LPG delivery personnel to accept digital payments. Customers can make payments by scanning a payment QR code, using BHIM Vijaya or any BHIM app that supports payments via UPI.

Vijaya Bank

• MD and CEO: R A Sankaranarayanan
• Headquarters: Bengaluru

APPOINTMENTS

Centre sets up high-level committee for water management in northeast:

The Government has constituted a high-level committee for proper management of the water resources in the North-Eastern Region (NER) under the Chairmanship of Dr. Rajiv Kumar Vice-Chairman, Niti Aayog. This is a sequel to the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s visit to Guwahati in August this year to review the flood situation and relief work in the NorthEastern States.

AWARDS

Nobel Peace Prize 2017 awarded to International Campaign:

The 2017 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). ICAN is a coalition of non-governmental organisations from around 100 different countries around the globe, which advocates prohibition of nuclear weapons under international law.

SPORTS

American Morgan Hurd wins all-around title:

 American Morgan Hurd won the all-around title at the gymnastics world championships in Montreal. The 16-year-old won the United States’ seventh straight Olympic or world all-around title by edging out Canada’s Elsabeth Black 55.232 to 55.132. U.S. champion Ragan Smith withdrew minutes before the competition with an ankle injury.