Current Affairs 28th October 2015

Current Affairs 28th October 2015 - Important Points

• Name the Irish-born actress who has passed away - Maureen O’Hara

• Who has been appointed as Chief Economist for Citibank India - Samiran Chakraborty

• Who has allowed refugees to compete in Olympics for the first time - IOC

• Which state will host South Asian Rugby 7’S Championship in 2016 - J&K

• Which country will launch manned moon missions by 2029 - Russia

• Name the project launched by Union Finance Ministry to facilitate Taxpayers - E-Sahyog Pilot Project

• Who is appointed as Chair of the IGN on UNSC reforms - Sylvie Lucas

• Who has developed ‘Pruthvi’ chip to power White-Fi devices - Bengaluru-based Saankhya Labs

• Who has been elected as President of Nepal - Bhandari

• Britain's Curry King Lord Gulam Noon Died

• India replaced China to emerge as Biggest Gold Consumer in World: Thomson Reuters

• Which Joint Naval Exercise has begun by India and Sri Lanka - SLINEX 2015

Current Affairs 28th October 2015 - Details

Name the Irish-born actress who has passed away - Maureen O’Hara

On 25th October 2015, Acclaimed Irish-American actress Maureen O’Hara passed away in Boise, US at the age of 95.

She was famous for playing fiercely passionate but sensible heroines roles. In 1939, O’Hara started her career with the film The Hunchback of Notre Dame after she was brought to Hollywood by legendary actor Charles Laughton.

In 1941, her film How Green Was My Valley won five Oscars including best picture and best director for John Ford. Due to her red hair and green eyes, she was famously known as the queen of Technicolor in the film industry.

Who has been appointed as Chief Economist for Citibank India - Samiran Chakraborty

On 27th October 2015, Samiran Chakraborty has been appointed as the Chief Economist of Citibank India.

Earlier to this, he was the Managing Director and Head of Macro Research for South Asia at Standard Chartered Bank. Earlier, he had also served as the Chief Economist of ICICI Bank.

He has a rich experience in conducting macro research, covering various asset classes including credit markets, interest rates and currency.

Who has allowed refugees to compete in Olympics for the first time - IOC

On 26th October 2015, it was announced by Thomas Bach, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief that refugees who are highly qualified athletes will be allowed to compete in the Olympic Games.

According to the announcement, the athletes will be able to compete for the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

As the refugee athletes have no national anthem to play for them, they will be welcomed to the Olympic Games with the the IOC anthem and IOC flag.

Which state will host South Asian Rugby 7’S Championship in 2016 - J&K

On 27th October 2015, it was announced by Jammu and Kashmir Minister for Youth Services and Sports Molvi Imran Raza Ansari that South Asian Rugby 7’S Championship in 2016 will be hosted by Kashmir Valley.

According to the decision, the championship will be held at Bakhshi Stadium from 18th June to 20th June 2016.

Eight teams will participate in the championship which will comprise of 180 participants from various countries like India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, .

The minister also said that the government wants such events to be held in the state for the promotion of sports activities at global level. He also said that the Council would provide all possible support to make the event a success and will provide various facilities like boarding, lodging and logistic for smooth conduct of the event.

Which country will launch manned moon missions by 2029 - Russia

On 27th October 2015, Roscosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency, announced to launch a manned flight to the moon till 2029.

Russian scientists are working on creating a new spacecraft specifically designed for moon missions.

The first test flight of spaceship is expected in 2021. In 2023, it will dock with the International Space Station, and in 2025, the spaceship will carry out its first unmanned mission to the moon.

Do You Know :

On 25th February 1992, the Russian Federal Space Agency was established and is responsible for the Russian space science program and general aerospace research. It was previously called as the Russian Aviation and Space Agency.

Name the project launched by Union Finance Ministry to facilitate Taxpayers - E-Sahyog Pilot Project

On 27th October 2015, the e-Sahyog pilot project of the Income-Tax Department was launched by the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to facilitate taxpayers.

The purpose of the project is to reduce compliance cost, especially for small taxpayers.

Highlights of the project

• It will provide an online mechanism to resolve mismatches in Income-tax returns.
• End to end e-service like SMS, e-mails will be used to inform the tax estimate of the mismatch.
• Taxpayers will have to login with their user-ID and password on the e-filing portal to view mismatch related info and submit online response on the issue.
• The taxpayers can check the updated status by logging in to the e-filing portal.

Who is appointed as Chair of the IGN on UNSC reforms - Sylvie Lucas

On 27th October 2015, Luxembourg ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Sylvie Lucas was appointed as the Chair of the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) on UN Security Council (UNSC) reforms.

He has been appointed by the 70th UN General Assembly session President Morgens Lykketoft and had succeeded Ambassador Courtenay Rattray of Jamaica.

Prior to this, from January 2009 to January 2010, she had served as the president of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Who has developed ‘Pruthvi’ chip to power White-Fi devices - Bengaluru-based Saankhya Labs

In third week of October 2015, a chip, named as Pruthvi, to augment capacities of White-Fi devices has been ddeveloped by Bengaluru-based Saankhya Labs Pvt Ltd..

The chip will be used by Microsoft to expand the reach of internet services in remote areas.

What is White-Fi technology?

• For broadcasting of television signals and use it for the internet, the unused spectrum in frequencies is utilised. These unused spectrum spaces are called White Space hence it is also called TV White Space technology.
• The range of the 200-300 MHz spectrum in the white space is 10 km whereas current Wi-Fi technology has a range of about 100 metres.

Who has been elected as President of Nepal - Bhandari

On 28th October 2015, Bidhya Devi Bhandari was elected as the first women President of Nepal. She is known for advocacy for women’s rights.

Election to the post of president became necessary as the first democratically-framed constitution was adopted on 20th September 2015 and consequently, the then incumbent president Ram Baran Yadav had to resign.

Currently, she is the deputy leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist)-CPN (UML).

Britain's Curry King Lord Gulam Noon Died

On 27th October 2015, Lord Gulam Noon, one of Britain's most well-known Indian-origin peers passed away in London at the age of 79.

He was known as the Curry King and founded the Noon Products business, and became popular of chicken tikka masala in Britain.

In September 1987, he established Noon Products in Britain and manufactured chilled and frozen Indian and Thai ready meals, mainly for UK supermarkets.

He was awarded with an Honorary Degree from the University of East London in November 2009. In 2013, he was appointed as the chancellor of the University of East London.

India replaced China to emerge as Biggest Gold Consumer in World: Thomson Reuters

On 17th October 2015, Gold Survey Q3 2015 Review and Outlook was released by the GFMS team of Thomson Reuters. The survey says that India regained its top position replacing China as the biggest overall consumer of gold in the first nine months of year 2015.

In this period, a total of 642 tonnes of gold was consumed by India whereas China has consumed just 63 tonnes with total consumption of 642 tonnes in first nine month of the year.

Highlights of the Survey in Context of India

• Jewellery consumption in India has rised by 5% year-on-year to an estimated 193 tonnes in Q3 2015.
• A rise of 30 % has been seen in retail investment which is the highest since Q4 2013.
• The reason behind he rise in consumption in Q3 was the fall in local gold prices to the lowest since August 2011.

Which Joint Naval Exercise has begun by India and Sri Lanka - SLINEX 2015

On 27th October 2015, the 4th edition of Sri Lanka-India Exercise (SLINEX) began at Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. The exercise SLINEX 15 is expected to strengthen the capability of two navies to work together and contribute towards maritime security.

The exercise will start with a Harbour Phase, during which, the participants will engage in social interactions, cultural and professional.

The second will be the Sea Phase, which will include complex operations including cross-deck helicopter operations, anti-surface exercises, gun firings and anti-piracy exercises.

About Sri Lanka-India Exercise (SLINEX)

In 2005, SLINEX series of bilateral maritime exercises was initiated and since then three successful engagements have been conducted.

This enables the two navies to develop greater confidence to operate together during complex maritime missions.