DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: OCTOBER 14 & 15, 2018

Daily Current Affairs ( Oct 14 & 15, 2018) 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.

NATIONAL

India and Sri Lanka Signed Two MoU

India and Sri Lanka has signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) for construction of 1200 houses through 50 model villages, using Indian grant assistance of 60 crore Srilankan rupees.

The MoUs were signed by Mr. Taranjit Singh Sandhu, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, and Mr. Bernard Vasantha, Secretary to the Ministry of Housing and Construction.

With this, India’s collaboration with Srilankan government under Model Villages Housing Program stands at 2400 houses in 100 model villages.

A cash grant of 5 lakh Sri Lankan rupees will be provided to each beneficiary in installments, linked to the stages of construction of the house. Indian financial commitment, under grant, for housing in Sri Lanka currently stands at around  350 million US dollars.


INTERNATIONAL

World Bank offers disaster-hit Indonesia $1 billion in loans

The World Bank would provide a standby loan of up to $1 billion for the Indonesian government for relief and reconstruction efforts in the country’s two islands that were hit by earthquakes and a tsunami.

The fund will also give a $5 million grant for technical assistance to ensure reconstruction is robust and community-led.

The loan facility package could include cash transfers to the poorest 150,000 affected families for a period between 6 months to one year, which could help during the recovery phase.

The physical loss from damage on the infrastructure, residential and non-residential property in Sulawesi was around $531 million.

World Bank’s chief executive officer: Kristalina Georgieva

Indonesia

Capital: Jakarta

Currency: Indonesian rupiah


6th RCEP Inter-Sessional Ministerial Meeting Held In Singapore

The Minister of State for Commerce & Industry and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution C. R. Chaudhary, attended the 6th RCEP Inter-sessional Ministerial Meeting (IMM) in Singapore.

The Ministers from 16 RCEP countries met in Singapore to discuss a modern, comprehensive and mutually beneficial economic partnership agreement among ASEAN and ASEAN’s FTA partners.

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is a proposed free trade agreement between the ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the six Asia-Pacific states with which ASEAN has existing free trade agreements.


BOOKS AND AUTHORS

Shashi Tharoor introduces book and a 29-letter word

The Congress leader Shashi Tharoor introduced his new book ‘The Paradoxical Prime Minister’ and a 29-letter word ‘floccinaucinihilipilification’. Shashi Tharoor has described his new book on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as ‘more than just a 400-page exercise in floccinaucinihilipilification’.

The Oxford dictionary defines ‘floccinaucinihilipilification’ as a noun which means “the action or habit of estimating something as worthless”.


APPOINTMENTS

Shekhar Mande appointed as Director-General of CSIR

The Government has appointed Shekhar C Mande as the Director General of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Research (DSIR).

He is the director of the Pune-based National Centre for Cell Science and a top functionary of Vijnana Bharati, a swadeshi science movement affiliated with the RSS.

Mande is a recipient of the coveted SS Bhatnagar Prize, most prestigious science honour in the country, in 2005.

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research is South Africa’s central and premier scientific research and development organisation.


Suchitra Durai appointed: Next Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Thailand

Ms Suchitra Durai (IFS:1988) has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Thailand.

Earlier, she was serving as High Commissioner of India to Kenya.

Thailand

Capital: Bangkok

Currency: Thai baht


Bank of Baroda’s MD and CEO P S Jayakumar gets one-year extension

The Bank of Baroda’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer P S Jayakumar was given one-year extension. It is  an order issued by the Personnel Ministry.

P S Jayakumar, a chartered accountant by qualification, had joined Bank of Baroda in October, 2015.

Prior to his appointment as the MD and the CEO of the bank, he was the co-founder and CEO of VBHC Value Budget Housing (VBHC).

Headquarters: Alkapuri, Vadodara


AWARDS AND HONOURS

Sikkim Wins Future Policy Award 2018

Sikkim has been awarded the prestigious gold prize at global Future Policy Awards for promoting agro-ecology through policies and laws that have made it a “100 percent organic farming” state. The Sikkim’s tourism sector had benefited greatly from the state’s transition to 100 percent organic.

The award is co-organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the World Future Council (WFC) and IFOAM Organics International. It was announced simultaneously at Hamburg and Rome.

Policies from Brazil, Denmark and Quito (Ecuador) were awarded silver.


Stanford University named World’s Most Innovative University: Reuters

Stanford University was named as World’s Most Progressive College by Reuters news company rankings.

The Reuters’ best 100 World’s Most Progressive University rating recognises universities from throughout the earth for their perform in inventing new systems, progress science and electricity new marketplaces and industries.

The top three universities are

1.Stanford University, US
2.Massachusetts Institute of Technologies (MIT), US
3.Harvard University, US


SPORTS

Asian Para Games:  India’s medal tally mounts to 72 with 2 more golds

India recorded its best-ever showing in the Asian Para Games by bagging 72 medals, including 15 gold, with the shuttlers adding two gold and three bronze medals on the concluding day of the competitions in Indonesia, Jakarta.

With 15 gold, 24 silver and 33 bronze medals, India is placed ninth in the overall tally.

China finished on top with 172 gold, 88 silver and 59 bronze for a whopping total of 319 medals.


Great Britain Wins Sultan Johar Cup Junior Hockey

India lost to Great Britain to settle for the silver medal at the eighth Sultan of Johor Cup U-18 hockey tournament. The event was held at Malaysia.

The other teams in the tournament were Japan, Australia, Malaysia and New Zealand.

Great Britain, who finished runners-up last year, secured their second Sultan of Johor Cup title by virtue of this win.

Malaysia

Capital: Kuala Lumpur

Currency: Malaysian ringgit


Leander Paes wins Santo Domingo Open Trophy

Leander Paes has lifted Santo Domingo Open trophy with partner Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela.

The second seeded Indo-Mexican pair beat Ariel Behar and Roberto Quiroz to clinch the title.

Paes, who is ranked 69, added 110 ranking points to his kitty and shared a prize purse of USD 7750 with his partner.

Note: Paes also ended runner-up at Chicago, Dallas on the ATP Challenger circuit and won the Newport Beach event in January.


Japan all set to host 2019 World Relays

Japan is all set to host the 2019 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Relays, beginning May 11.

The first three editions of the IAAF World Relays, in 2014, 2015 and 2017, were held in the Bahamian capital.

The 2019 meet will take place May 11 and 12 at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, near Tokyo.

IAAF President: Sebastian Coe


IMPORTANT DAYS

World Standards Day – October 14

World Standards Day (or International Standards Day) is celebrated internationally each year on 14 October.

The day honours the efforts of the thousands of experts who develop voluntary standards within standards development organizations such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Etc.,


International Day of Rural Women – October 15

The International Day of Rural Women is observed on October 15 every year.

This year’s theme, Sustainable infrastructure, services and social protection for gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls.

It  places empowerment of rural women at the heart of fulfilling the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).


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