Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 14th September 2017

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i. The International Day of Democracy is observed across the world on 15 September. The theme for the year 2017 is ‘Democracy and Conflict prevention’.

ii. This year's theme focuses on the critical need to strengthen democratic institutions to promote peace and stability. It is organized by the United Nations.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

Antonio Guterres is the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

i. Environmental Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurated a two-day conference on “Sustainable landscapes and forest ecosystems: Theory to Practice”.

ii. Dr. Harsh Vardhan launched the “Wood is Good” campaign on the occasion. Wood is a climate-friendly material, as it is a renewable resource, having zero carbon footprint.

i. India has started 'Operation Insaniyat' to provided assistance to Bangladesh in response to the humanitarian crisis being faced on account of the large influx of Rohingya refugees into that country from Myanmar.

ii. The first tranche of India’s relief aid for the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh arrived and was handed over by the Indian envoy Harsh Vardhan Sringla to the General Secretary of ruling Awami League, Obaidul Quader.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

Sheikh Hasina is the PM of Bangladesh.
Abdul Hamid is the President of Bangladesh.

i. Wholesale inflation rose to a four-month high of 3.24 per cent in August as prices of food articles, led by onions and vegetables, soared. Inflation based on the Wholesale Price Index was 1.88 per cent in July 2017 and 1.09 per cent in August 2016.

ii. The last such high level of inflation was witnessed in April when the rate of price rise was 3.85 per cent.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

Arun Jaitley is the current Finance Minister of India.

i. Corporate Affairs Ministry and Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has signed an MoU for automatic and regular exchange of information to curb the menace of shell companies, money laundering and black money in the country.

ii. The MoU will enable sharing of specific information such as PAN number data in respect of corporates, Income Tax returns of corporates, financial statements filed with the Registrar by corporates, audit reports, and statements of financial transactions received from banks relating to corporates.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

Sushil Chandra is the Chairman of CBDT.
Arun Jaitley is the present Minister of Corporate Affairs.

i. Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) has entered into an agreement with microfinance industry association Sa-Dhan to develop digital ecosystem for India's unbanked segment.

ii. The bank will provide technical expertise to train and educate microfinance consumers at the grassroots level and introduce digital banking to promote easier and time-efficient financial transaction among the so-called bottom-of-the-pyramid customer.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

HSBC Headquarters in London, United Kingdom.
HSBC was established in 1865 to finance trade between Europe and Asia
Douglas Flint is the Group Chairman of HSBC Holdings plc.

i. Tech giant Google is announced to unveil a digital payment service in India that has been developed for the local market. In July, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) had stated that Google had completed the testing of its UPI payment service and was awaiting Reserve Bank of India’s approval to launch its service in the country.
ii. Google is looking at launching a payment service ‘Google Tez’, which will include support for Unified Payments Interface (UPI) as well as mobile wallets like Paytm and MobiKwik.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

UPI allows consumers to transfer money from one bank to another using a virtual address.
There is no need of account number, IFSC code or MMID to carry out the transfer.

i. Former United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was elected as Chair of Ethics Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for a four-year term. Ban succeeds Youssoupha Ndiaye of Senegal whose term has come to an end.

ii. His appointment was proposed by the IOC Executive Board and was approved during the IOC Session in Lima with a 74-4 majority.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

Ban Ki-moon was the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations.
The president of IOC is Thomas Bach.

i. Guillermo del Toro’s 'The Shape of Water' was awarded the Golden Lion at the 74th Venice Film Festival. The film, a romantic monster movie starring Sally Hawkins and Michael Shannon, premiered on the Lido on August 31, declared as the best movie.

ii. It’s also the first English-language movie to win Venice’s top prize since Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere in 2010.

List of Awards are as follows-

1. Golden Lion - Best Movie

The Shape of Water, directed by Guillermo del Toro

2. Grand Jury Prize

Foxtrot, directed by Samuel Maoz

3. Silver Lion - Best Director

Xavier Legrand (for Jusqu’à la Garde)

4. Volpi Cup - Best Actress

Charlotte Rampling (for Hannah)

5. Volpi Cup - Best Actor

Kamel El Basha (for The Insult)

i. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) formally awarded to Goa the rights to host the 36th National Games. The announcement was made by the state sports minister Manohar Ajgaonkar.

ii. Ajgaonkar stated that IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta, in a letter to Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, had formally conferred the rights to the state to host the sporting event in November 2017.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

The National Games were formerly known as the Indian Olympic Games.
The first Modern National Games on the lines of the Olympics were held in 1985 in New Delhi.

i. Indian women's boxing's first foreign coach, Stephane Cottalorda, has resigned after just one month of appointment, alleging delay in salary and other payments.

ii. Cottalorda has claimed in his resignation letter that he hasn't been paid his salary for the first month in full and has also cited 'lack of professionalism' on part of Boxing Federation of India (BFI) as his reasons for not coming back to India.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

Ajay Singh is the current President of BFI.

i. The book titled 'Unstoppable: My Life So Far' authored by tennis star Maria Sharapova was unveiled. The book talks about Sharapova’s rise from nowhere to tennis stardom, and the unending fight to stay on top.

ii. The book tells how a seventeen-year-old Maria Sharapova became an overnight sensation by defeating the two-time defending champion Serena Williams to win the prestigious Wimbledon.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

Maria Sharapova is a Russian professional tennis player.
She is one of ten women, and the only Russian, to hold the career Grand Slam.
According to Forbes, she has been named highest paid female athlete in the world for 11 consecutive years.