Current Affairs Daily Updates 9th January 2017
APPOINTMENTS
Indian-American engineer
bags Oscar for technical achievement
- Indian-American
Parag Havaldar has been named in
the list of 18 achievements announced by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for its 2017
Scientific and Technical awards.
- He
was honoured for the development of expression-based facial
performance-capture technology at Sony
Pictures Image works.
- His
pioneering system enabled large-scale use of animation rig-based facial
performance-capture for motion pictures, combining solutions for tracking,
stabilisation, solving and animator-controllable curve editing.
SBI Pension Funds appoints
Kumar Sharadindu as MD & CEO:
- SBI
Pension Funds Pvt Ltd (SBIPFPL), a subsidiary of SBI, has recently
appointed Kumar Sharadindu as the MD & CEO of
the company.
- Prior
to this assignment,Kumar was General Manager at SBI Corporate Centre,
Mumbai, heading the private equity business of the bank.
- He
has held several crucial assignments in his banking career spanning more
than 30 years in the areas of credit, treasury, risk and large corporate
lending.
- SBI
Pension Funds had assets under management (AUM) of Rs. 46,019 crore
Olympic champion David Rudisha to be Mumbai Marathon
Ambassador
- Reigning
Olympic and world 800m champion and world record holder, David Rudisha is the International
Event Ambassador for the 14th Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon to be
held on January 15
- He
retained his Olympic 800m title with an imperious display at the Rio 2016
Olympic Games in August with a run of 1:42.15, the fastest time in the
world.
- He
took the gold in London four years before in a world record 1:40.91.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
Veteran Hollywood actress Meryl Streep slams Trump at Golden
Globe Awards
- Veteran
Hollywood actress Meryl Streep slammed US President-elect Donald Trump,
without naming him, in a politically- charged speech at the Golden Globe
Awards function.
- Meryl,
who won the Cecil B DeMille Award winner at the Golden Globes, in her
acceptance speech, cautioned against powerful people using their position
to bully others.
Barai, Shivangi received Pravasi Bharatiya Samaan Award
- Indian-Americans
Dr. Bharat Barai and Dr. Sampat Shivangi have been selected for the
prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, the highest civilian award given to overseas Indians and people of
Indian origin.
- They
received the award from President Pranab
Mukherjee in Bengaluru on January 9, the last day of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas conclave.
- The award was established in
2003 by Ministry of External Affairs. So far,
28 overseas Indians from the US have received the award.
Indian teenagers win prestigious Travel Photographer of The
Year award 2016
- Darpan Basak, 14 years of age,
won the Young Travel Photographer Of The Year, and Ankit Kumar, 13, won the Young Travel Photographer (14 years
old and under) in the Places and Experiences category.
- Travel Photographer of The Year
award was founded by photographers Chris and Karen Coe in 2003.
- It's
an annual award that receives entries from over 100 countries. It's also
an award that has some of the most beautiful picture you'll ever see as
its entries.
Agra and Sikkim have bagged positions in New York Times' top
travel destinations list
- Agra
and Sikkim featured in New York Times' list of '52 Places to go to in 2017'.
- While
Agra has ranked third in the
list, Sikkim has bagged the 17th
position among the top travel destinations for this year.
- Canada, on the other hand, has been
declared the top travel destination
of the year.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
General Anti-Avoidance Tax Rule to kick in from April 2017
- The
General Anti-Avoidance Rule, GAAR,
will kick in from April 1, 2017 said the Central Board for Direct Taxes
today. GAAR was part of the 2012-13 Budget speech of the then Finance
Minister Pranab Mukherjee to check tax evasion and avoidance.
- During
the 2015 Budget presentation, Finance Minister ArunJaitley announced that
its implementation will be delayed by 2 years.
- Its
implementation was repeatedly postponed because of the apprehensions
expressed by foreign investors as GAAR contains provision allowing the
government to retrospectively tax overseas deals involving local assets.
DEATHS
Former Portugal President Mario Soares passes away
- Portugal’s
former President Mario Soares
passed away in capital city Lisbon. He was 92. He is widely seen as the father of the Portugal’s modern-day
democracy.
- He
was the founder of Portugal’s Socialist party and had spearhead of the
country’s entry into the European Union (EU).
- He
was Portugal’s 17th President from 1986 to 1996.
He had headed (as Prime Minister) Portugal’s first democratically elected
government from 1976 to 1978. Later he also served PM from 1983 to 1985.
Former Iranian President
Rafsanjani dies aged 82:
- Former Iranian
President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, 82, passed away on Sunday in a
hospital in Tehran after suffering a heart attack, Iranian media reports
said.
- Rafsanjani,
who served as the country's President from 1989 to 1997, had been heading
the Expediency Council, which was trying to resolve disputes between the
Iranian parliament and the Guardian Council.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Qantas named world's safest airline 4th year running
- Australia's
flag carrier Qantas Airways Ltd's
fatality free record in the jet age means it is the world's safest
airline, for the fourth year running.
- Ratings website
AirlineRatings.com announced the carrier atop its Top 20 list, ahead of Cathy Pacific,
Middle-eastern giant Etihad Airways, Singapore Airlines and local rival
Virgin Australia.
Russia removes LinkedIn from local App stores
- Russia
has directed Google and Apple to
remove LinkedIn from the local Android and iOS App stores.
- The
directive comes weeks after a Russian court blocked the networking
platform for disregarding a rule which requires companies to store Russian citizens' data within the country's
borders.
- Google
and Android have complied with the order and the app is no longer
available.
McDonald's sells China
operations for $2.08 billion:
- McDonald's
is selling most of its China business in a deal worth as
much as $2.1 billion to state-owned Citic and the Carlyle Group.
- McDonald's
owns and operates about 65% of its 2,000 China outlets. Franchising allows
it to take a slice of sales while cutting operating costs.
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Piyush Goyal unveiled
world's largest street light replacement programme in SDMC:
- Power
Minister Piyush Goyal unveiled world's largest street light
replacement programme in South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC)
area.
- Mr
Goyal will also launch a mobile app called Energy Efficiency
Services Limited (EESL) Complaint App for SDMC, wherein users can
now lodge complaints about faulty street lights.
- AIR
Correspondent reports that street Lighting National Programme (SLNP),
currently running in the SDMC area is the World’s Largest Street Light
Replacement Programme where two lakh LED lights will
replace inefficient lamps.
First student startup fund
has Rs 200 crore:
- Gujarat
government has come up with India's first student startup and
innovation policy, which aims to provide Rs 200 crore in the form of
grants to ideas developed by them.
- The
policy aims to support over 1,000 innovation per year and create
pre-incubation support in all universities of the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
inaugurate Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show
- Prime
Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to Gujarat from 9
january 2017, he will inaugurate the 8th edition of 'Vibrant Gujarat
Global Investors Summit 2017' along with series of other programs.
- The
four-day 'Vibrant Summit Summit will be inaugurated at Mahatma Mandir in
Gandhinagar.
- Ahead
of this Summit, the Prime Minister will inaugurate four different projects
after his arrival.
Vijayawada to host 1st
Digi Dhan Mela in Andhra Pradesh:
- In
Andhra Pradesh Vijayawada will be host to the first Digi Dhan Mela
in the State.
- Digi
Dhan Melas are being organised across the country topromote cashless
transactions.
- Union
Minister for Urban Development and Information Broadcasting M. Venkaiah
Naidu along with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will
launch the Mela at Indira Gandhi Municipal Stadium, Vijayawada.
Aadhaar mandatory for
MGNREGS work from April 1:
- The
Union Government has made mandatory for workers in rural areas
enrolled under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee
Scheme (MGNREGA) to have an Aadhaar card.
- Those
who have registered under the scheme will be required to give furnish
proof of possession of Aadhaar card or undergo the enrolment process till
March 31, 2017.
20th National Conference
for e-Governance begins in Visakhapatnam:
- The
20th Edition of the National Conference for e-Governance 2016-17 has begin
in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
- The
theme for this year is ‘Internet of Things and e-Governance’ and
will be covering newly evolving areas of e-Governance across five plenary
sessions.
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi inaugurate Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show:
- Prime
Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 8th edition of'Vibrant
Gujarat Global Investors Summit 2017' along with series of other
programs.
- The
four-day 'Vibrant Summit Summit will be inaugurated at Mahatma
Mandir in Gandhinagar.
- Ahead
of this Summit, the Prime Minister will inaugurate four different projects
after his arrival.
Kerala Ranks 8 in '12 Destinations to Watch' in 2017 by ABTA
- Kerala
figures at number eight in the "12
destinations to watch in 2017" by Britain's largest and prominent
travel and tours operators association.
- The
Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) has ranked Kerala higher than
premier destinations like the US, Sardinia (island of Italy), South Africa
and Vietnam
- The
rankings consist of locations that are expected to capture traveller's
imaginations over the next year.
Prime Minister to inaugurate country's 1st International
Exchange being set up by Bombay Stock Exchange in Gandhinagar
- Prime
Minister NarendraModi is on a two-day visit to Gujarat from today. He will
inaugurate the 8th edition of
'Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit 2017' along with series of other programs during this
two days visit.
- Prime
Minister will inaugurate the four-day 'Vibrant
Summit 2017 at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar tomorrow. Ahead of this
Summit, Prime Minister will inaugurate four different projects today after
his arrival.
- Prime Minister Modi will lay
foundation stone for the redevelopment of Gandhinagar Railway Station. The project includes a
face-lift of Gandhinagar railway station at a cost of 250 crore rupees.
Prime Minister will also inaugurate 'Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show'
today.
DEFENCE / SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AFFAIRS
China to set up world's highest altitude Gravitational Wave
telescopes in Tibet
- China
is setting up the world's highest
altitude gravitational wave telescopes in a Tibet prefecture close to
Line of Actual Control with India with a budget of $18.8 million to detect faintest echoes resonating
from universe which may reveal more about the Big Bang theory.
- Construction
has started for the first telescope, code-named Ngari No 1, 30 km south of Shiquanhe Town in Nagri Prefecture,
said Yao Yongqiang chief researcher with the National Astronomical
Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
- Parts
of Nagriis last Tibetan prefecture at China's border with India.
Indian Army conducts test
of indigenous heavy artillery gun Dhanush:
- The
Indian Army has successfully conducted ‘user-validation’trials
of indigenous Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS)Dhanush in
the Himalayas. It clears the way for the induction in the Army.
- Earlier,
proof firing tests of Dhanush’s armament systems were carried out during
technical trials in June and September 2016 and some initial integrated
firing tests were successfully carried out in December 2016.
- Dhanush
155 MM/52 calibre towed artillery gun is based on the 1980s’ Bofors
FH-77B/39 Calibre artillery gun design.
- Its
indegenous development is aided by the transfer of technology (ToT) clause
signed with the Swedish company.
SPORTS AFFAIRS
Roberto Bautista Agut
beats Daniil Medvedev, wins Chennai Open 2017:
- Spaniard Roberto
Bautista Agut won the men’s singles title of the Chennai Open
2017.
- Agut
beat Russian 20-year-old Daniil Medvedev 6-3 and 6-4 to claim the first
ATP tournament of the season.
- It
was a competition between the next-gen player in Daniil Medvedev taking on
the veteran Roberto Bautista Agut.
8-year-old Kashmiri boy
honoured wins gold in national boxing championship:
- Eight-year-old Abbu
Ammaz, won gold medal in the Boxing Championship at national
level.
- A
class 2 student from Rajouri District, Ammaz was felicitated by the
district authorities and the civil administration.
- Locals
were too proud of this little boy's achievement and lauded the boxing
champ.
