Daily Current Affairs : OCTOBER 27, 2017
Daily Current Affairs : OCTOBER 27, 2017
NATIONAL
Piyush Goyal to launch Railways’ first set of solar plants:
The Railway’s first set of solar plants with a total capacity of 5 megawatt peak (MWp) will be launched by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.
The plants on the roof tops of Hazrat Nizamuddin, New Delhi, Anand Vihar and Delhi railway stations will generate 76.5 lakh units of solar power cumulatively per year and shall meet about 30 per cent of the energy requirement of these stations, the officials said.
Rajasthan Assembly passes bill increasing OBC quota to 26%:
The Rajasthan Assembly passed a bill which increases reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) in the state from 21 per cent to 26 per cent.
Rajasthan
- Capital: Jaipur
- Chief Minister: Vasundhara Raje
- Governor: Kalyan Singh
INTERNATIONAL
India, US to implement HOSTAC to strengthen maritime security:
To strengthen maritime security, India and the United States have agreed to implement the programme for Helicopter Operations from Ships Other Than Aircraft Carriers (HOSTAC).
A decision in this regard was taken by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her US Counterpart Jim Mattis during their meeting in Philippines on the side-lines of the ASEAN Défense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus.
“The two emphasized the importance of strengthening maritime security cooperation, and, in support of this objective, decided to implement the program for Helicopter Operations from Ships Other Than Aircraft Carriers (HOSTAC),” the Pentagon Spokesperson Dana W White said.
USA
- President of the United States: Donald Trump
- Currency: United States Dollar
- Capital: Washington, D.C.
Russia launches four ballistic missiles in military exercise:
Russian Defence Ministry said the armed forces have launched four ballistic missiles as part of large-scale war games involving Russia’s strategic forces.
As per the ministry, Russian Tu-160, Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 long-range strategic bombers successfully launched cruise missiles at targets placed at test grounds in Russia and in Kazakhstan, thus concluding the military exercise on a successful note
Russia
- Russian President: Vladimir Putin.
- Currency: Russian ruble
- Capital: Moscow
GMR Hyderabad Airport, Malaysia Tourism to promote Tourism:
GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad and Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board have come together to promote the growth of tourism traffic.
A memorandum of agreement was inked to promote tourism from the catchment area of Hyderabad to Malaysia and also explore new locations for connectivity.
Malaysia
- Currency: Malaysian ringgit
- Capital: Kuala Lumpur
Chile named best country to visit in 2018:
Lonely Planet has ranked Chile as the number one country to visit next year in its much-anticipated Best in Travel 2018 list.
South Korea and Portugal have ranked second and third respectively, while Djibouti and New Zealand have completed the top five.
The other countries featured on the list are Malta, Georgia, Mauritius, China and South Africa.
Qatar introduces minimum wage for first time:
The tiny Gulf state host of the 2022 football World Cup, Qatar, has said it will introduce a minimum wage for workers amid global outcry over the alleged ill-treatment faced by migrant workers in the country.
Qatar
- Currency: Qatari riyal
- Capital: Doha
Saudi Arabia becomes first country to grant citizenship to a robot:
Saudi Arabia has become the first country to give a robot citizenship.
The move is an attempt to promote Saudi Arabia as a place to develop artificial intelligence – and, presumably, allow it to become a full citizen. But many pointed out that those same rights aren’t afforded to many humans in the country.
The robot, named Sophia, was confirmed as a Saudi citizen during a business event in Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia
- Capital: Riyadh
- Currency: Saudi riyal
BANKING & BUSINESS
SBI Slashed IMPS service charge up to 80%:
The State Bank of India (SBI) has decided to slash Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) charges by up to 80 percent.
IMPS is an instant real-time inter-bank electronic funds transfer system in India. IMPS offer an inter-bank electronic fund transfer service through mobile phones. Unlike NEFT and RTGS, the service is available 24/7 throughout the year including bank holidays.
In the revised IMPS charges, no IMPS service charge will be imposed on transactions under Rs 1000. For the transactions between Rs 1000 and Rs 10,000, the users will have to pay Re 1 while for an amount between Rs 10,001 and Rs 1,00,000, the users will be charged Rs 2.Earlier in January, SBI which is the largest commercial bank in the country had reduced charges for NEFT and RTGS transactions up to 75 pct. These charges were applicable on the transactions done through internet banking (INB) and mobile banking (MB) services offered by the bank.
Govt extends date to claim GST transition credit till Nov 30:
The government extended the deadline by a month till November 30 for businesses to claim credit of transitional stock in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime.
India has 3rd Highest Number of Family-Owned Businesses:
India has 108 publicly-listed family-owned businesses, third highest in the world, while China tops the tally with 167 such companies followed by the US which has 121, says a Credit Suisse report.
Besides China, the US and India, the top 10 countries in terms of number of family-owned companies include France (4th place), Hong Kong (5th), Korea (6th), Malaysia (7th), Thailand (8th), Indonesia (9th), Mexico (10th).
AWARDS
Indian Origin Activist Gina Miller named UK’S most influential:
Anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller has been named the UK’s most influential black person.
The 52-year-old campaigner led the successful legal challenge which forced Theresa May to get Parliament’s approval before triggering Article 50 in March.
Rahul Singla conferred with 2017 Young Achiever’s Award:
Rahul Singla, Director, Mapsko Group was awarded the Young Achiever’s Award by Mr. Vijendra Gupta (MLA and member) BJP National Executive, at the 9th Realty Plus Excellence Awards (North) 2017.
SPORTS
Gokul Natesan becomes second Indian-origin player to be signed by NBA G-League side:
Gokul Natesan spent a vital partial of his week building mobile applications and software. He was a 97th collect in a NBA breeze to became usually a second Indian-origin actor to be sealed by an NBA G-League side.
OBITUARY
Sahitya Akademi award winning Malayalam writer Punathil Kunjabdulla passes away:
Renowned Malayalam writer Dr. Punathil Kunjabdulla passed away at a private hospital. He was 75.
HISTORIC EVENT OF THE DAY
Infantry Day celebrated today:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his greetings to the Indian Army on the 70th Infantry.
World Day for Audiovisual Heritage is observed on 27 October:
World Day for Audiovisual Heritage is observed globally on 27 October every year across the world.
The theme of this year is “Discover, remember and share“.
