Dear Readers, We cover some important news in Current Affairs Today Section, which are not covered in Daily Detailed News, More Current Affairs coverage will help you to Score Good Marks in Competitive Exam.
INDIAN AFFAIRS
- Maharashtra Government approves APJ Abdul Kalam Amrut Yojna
- Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission set to become the first WHO Collaborating Centre for Safety of Medicines and Vaccines in SE Asia: Shri Nadda
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Emergency declared in Maldives
Maldives President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom announced an Emergency in the state for 30 days giving all powers to security forces to arrest suspects prior to a major anti-government protest rally.
Reason:
A joint march by the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), whose leader Mohamed Nasheed is in prison after broadly criticised conviction (explosion aboard the president’s boat that authorities have called an assassination attempt) under anti-terror laws.
Key points :
- Maldives Currency : Rufiyaa
- Maldives Capital: Male
Tropical Cyclone Chapala hits Yemen triggering heavy floods
Tropical Cyclone Chapala has slammed into Yemen and causing heavy flooding and damage in coastal region of the war afflicted country. The cyclone landed in the south eastern area of Hadramawt and Shabwa along the Gulf of Aden coast of Yemen in Arabian Sea bringing furious winds approx of 100 kms per hour.
- Cyclone Chapala has been Categorized as category 4 equivalent storm by Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
- It is the second-strongest and powerfull cyclone on record over the Arabian Sea, only after Cylone Gonu (2007).
Key points :
- Yemen Capital : Sana’a
- Yemen Currency : Yemeni rial (YER)
- Yemen President : Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi
- Yemen PM : Khaled Bahah
Taiwan and China to hold historic meet for the first time
Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou will meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Singapore on relations across the Taiwan Straits. China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and views the island as a breakaway province which will one day be reunited with the mainland.
- As per Andrew Hsia, head of the Mainland Affairs Council, Taiwan’s ministry in charge of China policy the meeting highlighted both sides’ adherence to peace.
- China, which has many times aforesaid it won’t foil in the elections, will however be conveying a message that good ties with Taiwan can only continue if its leaders accept China’s bottom line, which is that there is only “one China”.
Key points:
- Taiwan capital : Taipei
- Taiwan currency:Taiwan Dollar
BANKING & FINANCE
China’s Parliament ratifies AIIB agreement
China’s top legislature ratified the $100 bn Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) agreement which establishes the legal framework for the bank.Lawmakers voted on the agreement at the closing meeting of the bimonthly session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.
- China being the largest shareholder, the ratification is a significant step closer to the AIIB’s formal establishment slated for the end of 2015.
- AIIB will finance infrastructure projects like the construction of roads, railways, and airports in the Asia-Pacific Region.
Three largest shareholders of AIIB
- China – 26.06 per cent
- India – 7.5 per cent
- Russia – 5.92 per cent
The 60-article agreement outlines the financial shares of each founding member as well as rules for policymaking, governance structure, and business and operational systems.
About AIIB :
- The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a proposed international financial institution which is focused on supporting infrastructure construction in the Asia-Pacific region.
- The bank was proposed as an initiative by the government of Chinaand supported by 37 regional and 20 non-regional members Prospective Founding Members, 53 of which have signed the Articles of Agreement that form the legal basis for the proposed bank.
Key points :
- AIIB Headquarters : Beijing
- AIIB President : Jin Liqun
APPOINTMENTS
Government appoints MDs of four PSU banks
The government has appointed MDs of four public lenders, including UCO Bank, Corporation Bank and Andhra Bank.
Andhra Bank :
Suresh N Patel Executive Director of Oriental Bank of Commerce has been appointed managing director Hyderabad based Andhra Bank .
UCO Bank :
R K Takkar will now head the Kolkata-based UCO Bank R K Takkar
Corporation Bank :
J K Garg has been named as the MD of Corporation Bank.
Indian Bank :
Mahesh Kumar Jain has been elevated as the MD and CEO for three years from the date of taking charge or till the date of his superannuation or till further orders, whichever is earliest.
Repco Home Finance approves reappointment of MD
Repco Home Finance the housing finance division of Repco Bank said that the company’s board approved the reappointment of Managing Director R Varadarajan for a period of three years from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2018 in a regulatory filing.
About Repco Bank
Repco Bank (Repatriates Cooperative and Finance and Development Bank) is a cooperative bank established by the Government of India in 1969 to improve financial needs of repatriates from Sri Lanka and Burma.
- It has been controlled by the Ministry of Home Affairs and operated only in the South Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
- The Chennai-based Repco Home Finance operates 106 branches and has 36 satellite centres across the country.
Flipkart names Google executive Chatterjee Sr Vice President
Homegrown e-commerce giant Flipkart said that Google’s Surojit Chatterjee will join the company as Senior Vice President and Head of Consumer Experience and Growth.
Chatterjee will be responsible for all consumer experience across desktop as well as mobile and will report to Punit Soni, Chief Product Officer.
About Surojit Chatterjee :
- He was the global head of Mobile Search Advertising and AdSense for Search (AFS).
- He was a founding member of Google’s mobile search ads and helped make mobile search ads a growth engine for Google, developing it into a multi-billion dollar business.
- He will be part of the leadership team in MukeshBansal, Head-Commerce Platform .
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Civil communications satellite ChinaSat 2C launched by China
China put a new communication satellite into orbit from the southwestern Xichang Satellite Launch Center “ChinaSat 2C” driven by the Long March-3B(China) carrier rocket.
Purpose:
Radio, TV transmission and broadband services for radio stations of the country, TV stations, radio transmitting stations and cable networks.
Developed by: China Academy of Space Technology
Key points:
- 216th mission of the Long March carrier rocket chain by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
- 13th launch by China in the year 2015.
Previous launches
- Gaofen-8, Gaofen-9, and Yaogan earth observatory satellites
- Jilin-1 and APSTAR-9 commercial remote sensing satellites
SPORTS
- Indian Boxer Shiva Thapa attained No.2 spot in World Rankings
Michelle Payne becomes first female jockey to win Melbourne Cup
Pakistani Cricketer Shoaib Malik announces retirement from Test Cricket
Former captain of Pakistan cricket team Shoaib Malik(33) announced his Test retirement after the third day’s play of the third Test against England in Sharjah.
He has played 35 Tests for Pakistan, made a comeback into the Test side after a gap of five years, replacing the injured Azhar Ali in the continuing series against England in UAE and lionized his return with a career-best knock of 245 in Abu Dhabi.
Shoaib Malik:
- Role- All rounder
- Test debut- 2001
- 16 times Man of the Match awards
- 2 times player of the series
Other top cricketers retired this year
- Michael Clarke(Former Australia captain)
- Virender Sehwag(International Cricket)
- Zaheer khan
OBITUARY
Former England Cricketer Tom Graveney died
Former England captain and MCC president Tom Graveney died at age 88.
About Tom Graveney :
- Graveney, who was born in Northumberland, was Worcestershire president from 1994-98.
- An elegant batsman Graveney played 79 Tests for England, scoring 11 centuries and averaging 44.38.
- In 1964 Graveney became the first player to score a 100th hundred since the second world war and he remains one of only 25 to have achieved that feat.
- Appointed president of the MCC in 2005, and an honorary life member.
Interlinking of Indian Rivers authored by Radha Kant Bharati released
Book titled Interlinking of Indian Rivers written by Shri Radha Kant Bharati, a former editor of Bhagirath released by Shri A B Pandya,Chairman of Central Water Commission (CWC) Pandya.
Book is About:
It provides a ground for consideration with reference to the presumptions and issues in inter basin transfer of water in India. Radha Kant Bihari has made a humble effort to provide the different views and opinions expressed by technocrats, media persons and politicians on the subject.
Inter-linking of Rivers is the only solution for various water related problems faced by the country – by Chairman of Central Water Commission (CWC) Shri AB Pandya.
Who is Radha Kant Bharati?
Radha Kant Bharati is former editor of Bhagirath(a journal of water resources) born at Bihar.
Other books:
- Modern temples of India
- Rivers of India(Won companionship of Royal Geographical Society, London)
