DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS : October 16 & 17, 2019

Daily Current Affairs (October 1,2,3 & 4, 2019) like many other sections is inevitable and this also helps to score in the Banking awareness, Static GK and Financial Awareness sections. Remember, Banking Awareness and Static Awareness Questions are asked from the General Awareness section. This will also help you to ride your preparations for the forthcoming exams.

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NATIONAL NEWS

50th IFFI 2019 to be held in Goa from November 20-28

• The 50th International Film Festival of India, IFFI 2019, will be held from November 20-28 in Goa. Over 200 best films from 76 countries, 26 feature films and 15 non-feature films in the Indian Panorama section will be screened at the film festival.
• This was announced by Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi. The Minister said in a first, films with audio deion will be screened for the visually impaired. 
• Mr Javadekar said Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner Amitabh Bachchan’s outstanding contribution to cinema will be honoured
  This year, the Feature Film Jury was headed by acclaimed filmmaker and screenwriter Priyadarshan. 
• The Jury has chosen Gujarati film HELLARO as the Opening Feature Film of Indian Panorama, 2019. The Non-Feature Jury selected the film Nooreh as the Opening non-feature film of Indian Panorama.

Nirmala Sitharaman to inaugurate National e-Assessment Centre (NeAC) in New Delhi tomorrow

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will inaugurate National e-Assessment Centre (NeAC) in New Delhi.

• The setting up of (NeAC) of the Income Tax Department is a momentous step towards larger objectives of better taxpayer service, reduction of grievances in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of Digital India and promotion of ease of doing business.
• There would be no physical interface between taxpayers and tax officers.
• Under the new system, taxpayers have received notices on their registered emails as well as on registered accounts on the web portal <www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in>, with real-time by way of SMS on their registered mobile number, specifying the issues for which their cases have been selected for scrutiny. 

Vice President says, Literature plays an important role in social transformation

• Vice President inaugurated the valedictory ceremony of 39th World Congress of Poets at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha. 

• It was held from October 2-6, 2019 under the theme ‘Compassion through Poetry’.

• He said, poetry can serve as a powerful catalyst that could hasten the process of social transformation.
  

India, Bangladesh sign MoU for setting up Coastal Surveillance Radar System in Bangladesh

• India and Bangladesh have signed an MoU that will enable Delhi to set up a coastal surveillance system radar in Bangladesh.
• The two countries signed seven agreements in New Delhi after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina.
• Both Prime Ministers welcomed the initiatives for the development of closer Maritime Security Partnership and establishment of Coastal Surveillance Radar System in Bangladesh.
• The coastal surveillance system will pave way for Indo-Bangladesh White Shipping Agreement in future. This will be useful amid growing terror threats via seas.
• Other agreements signed by the two countries include MoU for Standard Operating Procedure on the use of Chattogram and Mongla Ports and MoU on withdrawal of 1.82 cusecs of water from Feni River by India for drinking water supply scheme for Sabroom town in Tripura.

Former PMC Bank chairman Waryam Singh arrested

• The Economic Offences Wing of Mumbai Police has arrested Waryam Singh, former chairman of Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank, in connection with the alleged 4,355 crore rupees scam at the bank.
• This is a fourth arrest in the case. In another development, former managing director of the bank, Joy Thomas, has been remanded to police custody till 17th of October.

Supreme Court says road traffic offences can be prosecuted under the Indian Penal Code also

• Supreme Court has ruled that road traffic offences can be prosecuted under the Motor Vehicles Act as well as the Indian Penal Code (IPC). 

• The apex court also set aside a Guwahati High Court order to prosecute offenders of road accidents under motor vehicle act only.
• The punishment for offenders of motor vehicle accidents under the IPC is stricter compared to the Motor Vehicles Act. 
• A bench comprising Justices Indu Malhotra and Justice Sanjiv Khanna said the sentence imposed by courts should be commensurate with the seriousness of the offence and should have a deterring effect on wrongdoers.

CSIR develops green crackers keeping in view pollution and health hazards

• The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has come up with new and improved formulations in the manufacture of sound-emitting crackers and other fireworks keeping in view the pollution hazard and health risks.
• Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan displayed some of the popular products like flower pots, pencils, chakkar and sparklers, developed by CSIR, at a press conference in New Delhi
• Dr. Rakesh Kumar, Director, said CSIR has developed new formulations for reduced emission light and sound emitting crackers with a 30 per cent reduction in particulate matter using Potassium Nitrate as an oxidant.

Name of Squadron Leader Ravi Khanna added to National War Memorial

• The name of Squadron Leader Ravi Khanna, who was killed by JKLF terrorists in 1990, has been added to the National War Memorial after it was approved by the Indian Air Force. 
• Squadron Leader Khanna and three other IAF personnel were killed in January 1990 in Kashmir allegedly by JKLF founder Yasin Malik. 

Dharmendra Pradhan on three-day visit to Mongolia 

• Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan will pay a three-day visit to Mongolia.

• The Minister will participate in the opening ceremony of infrastructure that Mongolia has already constructed for the Indian funded, Mongol Refinery project. 
• The Mongol Refinery project is being developed under a line of credit of 1.236 billion US dollars.

India gets first tranche of Swiss bank account details

• India has received the first tranche of details about financial accounts of its residents in Swiss banks under a new automatic exchange of information framework between the two countries.
• It marks a significant milestone in the fight against black money suspected to be stashed abroad.
• A Federal Tax Administration (FTA) spokesperson said, India figures among 75 countries with which Switzerland’s FTA has exchanged information on financial accounts within the framework of global standards on AEOI.
• This is the first time that India has received details from Switzerland under the AEOI framework, which provides for exchange of information on financial accounts that currently active as well as those accounts that were closed during 2018.The next exchange would take place in September 2020. 

India to shift to BS VI vehicular emission norms by April next year: Union Environment Minister

• The Supreme Court of India has ruled that no Bharat Stage IV vehicle shall be sold across the country with effect from April 1, 2020. 
• Instead, the Bharat Stage VI (or BS-VI) emission norm would come into force from April 1, 2020 across the country.
• A three-judge bench ruled that the need of the hour was to move to a cleaner fuel. In 2016, the Centre announced that the country would skip the BS-V norms altogether and adopt BS-VI norms by 2020.

Revenue Secretary inaugurates National e-Assessment Centre

• Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey inaugurated National E-Assessment Centre and Regional E-Assessment Centers.

• The National E-Assessment Center is situated in Delhi while Regional E-Assessment Centers are in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune, Bangalore, Delhi and Hyderabad.
• The centres have been established to implement the faceless assessment system for Income Tax Return.
• The establishment of such centres is aimed at eliminating the interface between Assessing Officer and Assessee to ensure greater transparency and accountability in the system.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to leave for France 

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will leave for France on a two-day visit.
• Mr Singh will meet French President Emmanuel Macron. Later, the Minister will participate in the Rafale fighter aircraft handing over ceremony at Merignac along with French Minister of Armed Forces, Florence Parly.
• The Minister is also scheduled to hold the Annual Defence Dialogue with the French Minister of Armed Forces.
• He will address the CEOs of the French Defence industry during which he is likely to urge them to participate in “Make in India” and the DefExpo to be held in Lucknow in February next year.

Goa government releases Rs 60 crore for super speciality block in Goa Medical College Hospital

• The Goa government released Rs 60 crore for the super speciality block being constructed at the Goa Medical College Hospital (GMCH) in Bambolim.
• The 500-bed super speciality facility, being built under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), will be inaugurated by the end of this year.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the Rs 350 crore project in February, 2018. 

Defence minister Rajnath Singh approves 4-fold increase to families of battle casualties

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved a four-fold hike in assistance to the next of kin for all categories of battle casualties from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 8 lakh.

• The amount will be granted under the Army Battle Casualties Welfare Fund (ABCWF).

• “Earlier, there was a provision of financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to the battle casualties which are fatal, 60 per cent and above disability, battle casualties invalided out due to disability and Rs 1 lakh to disability less than 60 per cent.
• It was in addition to liberalised family pension, financial assistance from Army Group Insurance, Army Welfare Fund and ex-gratia amount. The ABCWF was instituted in July 2017 and was implemented with effect from April 2016.

Harsimrat urges Centre to name Amritsar IIM after Guru Nanak

• Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal urged the Centre to dedicate the IIM, Amritsar, to Sikhism founder Guru Nank Dev.

• She urged Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal to name it as Sri Guru Nanak Devji 550th Centenary IIM. 
• The Minister for Food Processing, while welcoming the HRD Minister for the ground-breaking ceremony of the IIM said, “Dedicating the IIM to the Guru Sahab would be a befitting tribute on the occasion of the 550th Parkash Purb (birth anniversary).”

Dr Harsh Vardhan launches eDantseva website and mobile application, a big step in digital health

• Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare launched the eDantseva website and mobile application, the first ever national digital platform on oral health information and knowledge dissemination,
• This marks an important milestone as e-DantSeva will reach out to more than one billion people with one click in the form of a dedicated website and mobile application. 
• The Union Health Minister also released the Braille booklet and Voice over on Oral Health Education for the visually impaired individuals, along with the oral health posters for pregnant women and children.

63rd Dhammachakra Pravartan Din to be celebrated in Nagpur

• In Maharashtra, 63rd Dhammachakra Pravartan Din will be celebrated at Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur. 
• Buddhist followers from the different parts of the country and abroad are reaching at the venue to pay homage to the Architect of Indian Constitution Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar at Deekshabhoomi.

Justice Ajai Lamba takes oath as CJ of Guwahati HC

• In Assam, Justice Ajai Lamba has taken oath today as the Chief Justice of the Guwahati High Court.  

• Governor Professor Jagdish Mukhi has administered the oath taking ceremony at the Raj Bhawan in Guwahati.

• Several dignitaries including Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal were present in the oath taking ceremony.

Army’s biggest mountain combat exercise ‘Him Vijay’ begins in Arunachal Pradesh

• The Indian Army’s biggest ever mountain combat exercise in Arunachal Pradesh ahead of China President Xi Jinping’s visit to India this month is reported to have irked Beijing, which considers large parts of Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet.
• ‘Him Vijay’ is the first ever such drill that the military is holding in the northeastern state. Three battle groups, each comprising 4,000 soldiers, are participating in the exercise at a height of 14,000 feet – 100 kms away from the Line of Actual Control (LAC). 
• The key focus of the exercise is to test mobility, communication and coordination of fast-moving troops in difficult terrain

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Scotland becomes first UK country to ban smacking

• Scotland has become the first country in the UK to make it a criminal offence for parents to smack their children.
• The ban on all physical punishment was backed overwhelmingly by 84 votes to 29 by the Scottish Parliament.
• The move will give children in Scotland the same protection from assault as adults when it comes into force.
• Parents and carers are currently allowed to use “reasonable” physical force to discipline their children.
• The smacking ban bill was introduced by Scottish Greens MSP John Finnie, a former police officer, who won the support of the SNP, Labour and Lib Dems as well as his own party and many children’s charities.

Mexican actress Aparicio named UNESCO ambassador

• The United Nations’ cultural agency UNESCO has appointed Mexican actress Yalitza Aparicio as its goodwill ambassador for indigenous peoples.
• The 25-year-old actress made history as the first indigenous performer nominated for a best actress honour at the Academy Awards this year for her performance in the film “Roma”, in which she speaks in an indigenous language and in Spanish.

IMPORTANT DAYS

• Wildlife Week is celebrated in India in the month of October from 2nd to 8th October every year. The week is celebrated with the view to preserve the fauna means the animal life of India. 
• The week aims to make people more aware of the conservation and protection of wildlife. 
• It will focus the people’s attention on the importance of conservation of wildlife. It aims to implement more services to preserve wildlife.

World Habitat day observed on October 7, 2019

• The World Habitat Day is observed every year on first Monday in October all over the world. 
• This year it was observed on October 7, 2019 with the theme “Frontier Technologies as an innovative tool to transform waste to wealth”. 
• The aim of this day is to reflect on the state of cities and towns and the basic human right to adequate shelter.

United Nations:

• Founded: 24 October 1945
• Headquarters: New York, US
• Secretary General: Mr.Antonio Guterres

APPOINTMENTS

Indian-Origin Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa Poised for Re-election

• Costa’s Socialist Party has won 36.6 % of the vote followed by the center-right Social Democratic Party (PSD) on 27.9%, its worst result since 1983.
• The general election witnessed nearly 11 million people to vote in the race for control of Portugal’s 230-seat parliament.
• Nicknamed “babush”, Costa is expected to renew his commitment to stick to budget rules.
• He joined the youth wing of the Socialist party in 1975 at the age of 14 & he came to power in 2015.
• Portugal:
• Capital: Lisbon
  
• Currency: Euro
  
• President : Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa

Anumula Gitesh Sarma appointed India’s High Commissioner to Australia

• Diplomat Anumula Gitesh Sarma was appointed as India’s next High Commissioner to Australia, the Ministry of External Affairs said. Sarma is a 1986 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer.
• Sarma, who has previously served as the Indian envoy to Uzbekistan and Fiji, will replace AM Gondane as the High commissioner to Australia.

AWARDS AND RECONITION

• Scientist trio from UK, US bags Nobel Medicine Prize for research on how cells sense oxygen

• US researchers William Kaelin and Gregg Semenza and Britain’s Peter Ratcliffe shared the Nobel Medicine Prize for discoveries on how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability, the Nobel Assembly said.
• “They established the basis for our understanding of how oxygen levels affect cellular metabolism and physiological function,” the jury said.
• Their research has “paved the way for promising new strategies to fight anemia, cancer and many other diseases.”
• The three will share the Nobel Prize sum of nine million Swedish kronor (about USD 914,000).
• They will receive their prize from King Carl XVI Gustaf at a formal ceremony in Stockholm on December 10, the anniversary of the 1896 death of scientist Alfred Nobel who created the prizes in his last will and testament.

2019 Nobel season to begin with Medicine Prize announcement; Greta Thunberg likely to nab Peace honour

• Swedish teenage activist Greta Thunberg could win the Peace Prize will be awarded in Oslo for her campaign to raise awareness about climate change.

OBITUARY

Grammy awardee, Drummer Ginger Baker passed away at the age of 80

• On October 6, 2019, English drummer Peter Edward Ginger Baker is familiarly known as Ginger Baker and co-founder of the rock band “Cream” passed away at the age of 80 in England due to old age ailments.
• Born on August 19, 1939 in London, England Ginger Baker’s music career spanned for 6 decades and emerged as the first superstar percussionist. He won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame in 1993 as a member of ‘Cream’.

SPORTS NEWS

ICC women’s ODI rankings: India maintains second position

• In the latest ICC women’s ODI rankings, India maintained their second position but increased the points lead over third-placed England.
• The ICC ranking released said, the Indian women’s team is now three points ahead of England. India now has 125 points against England’s 122.
• In the T20 International ranking, India was placed at the fifth position.

Surender Singh creates three world records at World Powerlifting C’ ship

• Surender Singh of India created three world records at the ongoing World Powerlifting Championship in Berlin, Germany. 
• Surender bagged gold medal in 110 kg category, Classic Raw and the Best Lifter Award in Classic Raw and Single Ply. 
• Three-time World Champion Mukesh Singh went on to add another feather to his cap by winning yet another gold only to be known as 4-time World Champion.
• Indian contingent bagged a total of 4 gold and 1 silver medal. 

Tennis: Novak Djokovic clinches Japan Open title

• World number one Novak Djokovic clinched the Japan Open tennis title today defeating Australian qualifier John Millman 6-3, 6-2 in straight sets.
• Djokovic, playing in his first Japanese competition, dominated throughout the game, to claim the trophy at the Ariake Colosseum at Tokyo.
• Djokovic grabbed an early break in the first set to take a 3-1 lead with a series of sizzling serves and precision returns that had Millman scrambling across the baseline.

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