Current Affairs: Daily GK Update 01st November 2017

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1. Important Cabinet Approvals- 01st November 2017

i. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given the following set of approvals. The full list of Cabinet Approvals is given as follows.

ii. The Cabinet has approved-

1. Trade Agreement between India and Ethiopia for strengthening and promoting trade and economic cooperation.

2. Signing an Agreement between India and Armenia on cooperation and mutual assistance in customs matters.

3. Amendment in the National Council for Teacher Education Act, 1993- The amendment seeks to grant retrospective recognition to the Central/State/Union Territory funded Institutions/Universities conducting Teacher Education Courses without NCTE recognition till the academic year 2017-2018.

4. Ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme (State Plans) - Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) as Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana- Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied sector Rejuvenation (RKVY-RAFTAAR) for three years i.e. 2017-18 to 2019-20.

5. Special Banking Arrangement (SBA) for payment of outstanding subsidy to fertilizer companies during 2016-17.

2. India Makes it to Top 100 in ‘ease of doing business’: World Bank

i. India broke into the top 100 in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings, notching up the biggest improvement among all countries on the back of big gains on a number of measures.

ii. The rise to the 100th position from 130 last year made India one of the top 10 best-improved countries and rounded off a day of good news on the economic front for the government. The World Bank’s ‘Doing Business 2018 — Reforming to Create Jobs’ report ranks 190 countries on the basis of a combined score on 10 parameters.

Important Takeaways from Above News for RRB PO Mains Exam-

Jim Yong Kim is the President of World Bank.
The World Bank headquarters in Washington, D.C., United States.

3. India Tops List of New Tuberculosis Cases in 2016: WHO

i. India topped the list of seven countries, accounting for 64 percent of the 10.4 million new tuberculosis (TB) cases worldwide in 2016, according to a new report by the World Health Organisation.

ii. India was followed by Indonesia, China, Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria and South Africa, according to a Global TB Report 2017 released by the WHO. An estimated 1.7 million people died from TB in 2016. Also, India along with China and the Russia accounted for almost of half of the 490,000, Multidrug-Resistant TB (MDR-TB) cases registered in 2016.

Important Takeaways from Above News for IBPS PO Mains Exam-

TB is a disease which in humans is usually caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis).
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is the WHO’s Director General.
WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

4. India, Tunisia Agreed to Combat Terror, Extremism

i. India and Tunisia agreed to jointly combat terrorism and extremism while ramping up cooperation in the field of security. A review of bilateral ties was undertaken as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj co-chaired the 12th India- Tunisia Joint Commission Meeting with her Tunisian counterpart Khemaies Jhinaoui.

ii. Six agreements in the fields of judicial cooperation, cooperation in youth issues, information and communications technology, trade and business, were also signed.

Important Takeaways from Above News for IBPS PO Mains Exam-

Tunis is the capital of Tunisia.
Beji Caid Essebsi jas is the present President of Tunisia.

5. Govt Sets up Arun Jaitley-Panel to Oversee PSU Bank Mergers

i. The government set up a ministerial panel, led by finance minister Arun Jaitley, to consider and oversee mergers among the country’s 21 state-run banks.
ii. Members of the panel on PSU bank consolidation include railway and coal minister Piyush Goyal, and defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Important Takeaways from Above News for IBPS PO Mains Exam-

The State Bank of India merged operations of five of its associate banks and Bharatiya Mahila Bank with itself have marked the first consolidation move in the sector following the bad loan crisis.
The merger has reduced the number of state-controlled banks to 21 from 26.

6. SBI Sanctions Rs2,317 crore for Financing Solar Power Projects

i. State Bank of India announced sanction of credit facilities amounting to Rs2,317 crore to corporates for financing Grid Connected Rooftop Solar projects under an SBI-World Bank program.

ii. This funding will create solar power capacity aggregating 575 MW. The renewable energy space can avail loans for establishing grid-connected rooftop solar projects at the bank’s marginal cost of funds based lending rate plus 15 basis points.

Important Takeaways from Above News for RRB PO Mains Exam-

Rajnish Kumar is the Present Chairman of Mumbai-Headquartered SBI.

7. Michael Jackson Named Top-Earning Dead Celebrity for 5th Time

i. Michael Jackson is atop the Forbes list of top-earning dead celebrities for the fifth straight year, with $75 million (all figures in US).

ii. Golf legend Arnold Palmer claims the No. 2 spot with $40 million and Peanuts creator Charles Schulz ranks third with the income of $38 million. The list is compiled from information gathered from pretax income from Oct. 15, 2016, through Oct.15, 2017 before deducting cuts for agents, managers, and lawyers.

8. Bhutan King Arrived in India for Four-Day Visit

i. King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck has arrived in New Delhi on a four-day visit to India. He was accompanied by his wife, Queen Gyaltsuen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck.

ii. During the visit, the King will meet with President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Important Takeaways from Above News for RRB PO Mains Exam-

Thimphu is the capital of Bhutan.
Dzongkha is the official language of Bhutan.

9. Haryana Announces Lifetime Pensions for 'Hindi Satyagrahis'

i. The state government of Haryana has announced lifetime monthly pension of Rs 10,000 for 'Hindi Satyagrahis' and those from the state who were jailed during the Emergency.

ii. The state government also announced that it would be providing enhanced financial assistance to World War-II veterans and their widows.

Important Takeaways from Above News for RRB PO Mains Exam-

Manohar Lal is the Present CM of Haryana.
Kaptan Singh Solanki is the Present Governor of Haryana.

10. Tata Steel Elevates T V Narendran as Global CEO, MD

i. Tata Steel has elevated T V Narendran as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director globally. He was appointed as Managing Director of Tata Steel for India and South East Asia on November 1, 2013.

ii. Koushik Chatterjee has been reappointed as Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer for a period of 5 years with effect from November 9, 2017.

Important Takeaways from Above News for RRB PO Mains Exam-

Jamsetji Tata was the founder of TATA Steels.
It Headquarters in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

11. Vikram Singh Appointed Private Secretary to President

i. Railway officer Vikram Singh was appointed Private Secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind. Singh is a 1997 batch officer of the Indian Railway Traffic Service.

ii. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment to the post for a period of two years. IAS officer P C Meena was appointed Private Secretary to Minister of State for Commerce and Industry C R Chaudhary.

Important Takeaways from Above News for RRB PO Mains Exam-

Ram Nath Kovind is the 14th President of India.

12. Suresh Chukkapalli Appointed as Consul General of Korea

i. Suresh Chukkapalli, Chairman of Phoenix Group of Hyderabad, has been appointed as Honorary Consul General in Hyderabad by the Republic of Korea, with consular jurisdiction over the state of Telangana.

ii. Suresh Chukkapalli was given charge/invested formally at a ceremony in New Delhi.

Important Takeaways from Above News for RRB PO Mains Exam-

South Korea is the fourth largest economy in Asia and the 11th largest in the world known for its global corporations.

13. Bharti AXA Life Appoints Vikas Seth as CEO

i. Bharti AXA Life Insurance, a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and AXA, has appointed Vikas Seth as Chief Executive Officer. The appointment is subject to requisite IRDAI approval.

ii. Prior to joining Bharti AXA Life, he was with the Aditya Birla Group, where he worked for nearly 10 years in different roles.

Important Takeaways from Above News for RRB PO Mains Exam-

Bharti AXA Life is a life Insurance player that was started in 2006.
It brings together the Paris-headquartered AXA Group and Bharti Enterprises.
The joint venture has a 51% stake from Bharti and 49% stake from AXA.

14. Joint Indo-Russia Tri-Services Exercise Indra-2017 Successfully Conducted

i. The Joint Indo-Russia Tri-Services Exercise INDRA-2017 was successfully conducted at Vladivostok in Russia. The name of the exercise INDRA has been derived from INDia and RussiA.

ii. Exercise INDRA-2017 is the first Joint Tri-Services Exercise between Russia and India. The theme of Exercise INDRA-2017 was ‘Preparation and Conduct of Operations by a Joint Force for Suppression of International Terror Activity at the request of a host country under UN mandate’.

Important Takeaways from Above News for RRB PO Mains Exam-

Moscow is the capital of Russia.
Vladimir Putin is the present President of Russia.

15. Martina Hingis Announces Retirement from Pro Tennis

i. Martina Hingis, one of only six women's players to hold the No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles at the same time, will retire after the WTA Finals. Hingis, 37, won Grand Slam titles Nos. 24 and 25 at the US Open in September, capturing the women's doubles and mixed doubles titles.
ii. Overall, she won 13 major doubles titles, along with five in singles and seven in mixed doubles. She held the world No. 1 ranking for 209 weeks during her career, winning 43 WTA singles titles and 64 doubles titles.

Important Takeaways from Above News for IBPS PO Mains Exam-

Martina Hingis is from Switzerland.
She is the youngest Grand Slam champion in history, having won the Wimbledon doubles title when she was just 15.
Hingis was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2013.

16. Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day): October 31

i. India celebrates October 31 as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day). This day marks the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who played an instrumental role in the integration of princely state with Indian Union post-independence.

ii. Prime Minister Modi also flagged off the 1.5 km ‘Run for Unity’ event at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi.

Important Takeaways from Above News for IBPS PO Mains Exam-