Daily Current affairs - October 29th and 30th, 2017 for all competitive exams
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the Bidar - Kalaburagi New Railway Line to the Nation by unveiling a plaque at Bidar Railway Station, in Karnataka.
Law panel wants more autonomy for tribunals
Law Commission of India has recommended that a Committee led by the Chief Justice of India should be in charge of the appointments of Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Judicial Members of the various central tribunals, which form a pillar of the country's justice delivery system.
- The tribunals perform an important and specialised role in justice mechanism. They take a load off the already over-burdened courts. They hear disputes related to the environment, armed forces, tax and administrative issues
- The Commission has suggested a common nodal agency, possibly under the Law Ministry, to both monitor the working of the tribunals and to ensure uniformity in the appointment, tenure and service conditions for the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and members. As of now, tribunals function under the very government department which may be a litigant before them, and probably, against which they may have to pass orders.
- Every order emanating from the tribunal or its appellate forum, wherever it exists, attains finality, the Commission recommended.
- The power of judicial review conferred on the High Courts is same as that of the Supreme Court, which is a basic feature of the Constitution and tinkered with only by amending of the Constitution.
Army finalises plan to modernise weapons
The army is set to launch a fresh hunt for 7 lakh assault rifles, 44000 light machine guns (LMGs) and 44600 carbines to replace its ageing and obsolete weapons.
- fault lines found in the entire range of small arms except the AK-47
- Our casualties in counter-terror operations can be reduced by half if soldiers are provided better assault rifles
INS Viraat to be refurbished at Kakinada, Andhrapradesh
- The Andhrapradesh State government intends to convert the Indian Navy’s warhorse aircraft carrier INS Viraat into a museum and a hotel in the sea, depending on the logistics.
- The ship will be brought to Kakinada for refurbishment as soon as the DPR is approved by the Union government.
- INS Kursura, the Kalvari-class diesel-electric submarine, which had been decommissioned on September 27, 2001, was thrown open to public as a museum on R.K. Beach in Visakhapatnam on August 24, 2002.
- The TU-142 fighter aircraft of the Navy, which was decommissioned in May this year after 29 years of service, has been placed on a specially erected platform and is being converted into a museum opposite the Kursura museum.
Italy PM Paolo Gentiloni on Two-Day Visit to India
Prime Minister of Italy Paolo Gentiloni arrived in New Delhi on a two-day visit to India. The visit is aimed at strengthening the bilateral political and economic relations between the two countries.
- The last visit of the Italian Prime Minister to India was in February 2007.
- Italy’s support for India’s candidature at the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in 2016
India ships wheat to Afghanistan via Chabahar
The Iranian port of Chabahar processed a maiden shipment of wheat from India’s western seaport of Kandla to Afghanistan. Chabahar port lies outside the Persian Gulf on the Gulf of Oman and can be easily accessed from India’s western coast.
- The shipment is a part of commitment made by India to supply 1.1 million tons of wheat for free to the people of Afghanistan and is the first shipment to Afghanistan through the Chabahar port since the Trilateral Agreement on Establishment of International Transport and Transit Corridor was signed during a visit to Iran by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2016.
- The use of Chabahar port is seen as a major boost to India’s efforts to connect with Central Asia and Russia, and it could facilitate Indian imports of iron ore, sugar and rice as well as crude oil from Iran.
India, Russia conclude war games
India and Russia concluded their joint tri-service exercise, Indra, in Vladivostok on October 29, 2017.
- Indra was an 11-day joint training in counter-terrorism operations.
- This is India’s first tri-service exercise with any country.
- The exercise began on October 19 and saw the participation of over 800 Indian personnel. Indian forces largely used Russian equipment with which they are very familiar.
India and US Hold 11th Trade Policy Forum Meeting in Washington D.C
The Minister for Commerce and Industry noted that the Trade Policy Forum serves as a robust platform that contributes towards promoting bilateral trade and investment between India and the US.
- During the meeting, discussions were held on issues related to bilateral trade, areas of mutual cooperation, market access in agriculture, non-agricultural goods and services and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).
- Trade between the two counties increased to USD 64.51 billion in 2016-17, from USD 62.11 billion in the previous fiscal. However, foreign direct investment from the US into India dipped to USD 2.37 billion in 2016-17 from USD 4.19 billion in 2015-16.
- India has already started to import crude oil and new Liquefied Natural Gas exports are expected to commence early next year
World’s fastest, shortest laser pulse created
Scientists have successfully created the world’s shortest X-ray laser pulse with a duration of just 43 attoseconds, an advance that will allow us to observe electrons in slow motion.
- Researchers from ETH Zurich in Switzerland succeeded in generating the laser pulse.
- This is the shortest controlled event that has ever been devepoled by humans. Researchers can now observe in high detail how electrons move within a molecule or how chemical bonds are formed. Attosecond spectroscopy could also contribute to the development of more efficient solar cells.
Cleartrip Named 'Best Mobile App for Travel' at Mobexx Awards
Online travel solutions provider Cleartrip was named the 'Best Mobile App for Travel and Leisure' at the Mobexx Awards 2017.
- The award was conferred for the success that it has had on the mobile platform, seen by many as the future of advertising and brand marketing. IIT-Roorkee won Schneider's 'Go Green in the City' contest held in Paris.
Book on Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam's Inspirational Words Released
An illustrative book containing inspiring words of Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was released online by Indian women cricket team captain Mithali Raj on the 86th birth anniversary of the former President.
- Titled "Dreamnation: Uniting a Country with Handwritten Dreams", the book includes a collection of 200-plus handcrafted and handwritten postcards from across India. The book is Co-authored by Saji Mathew and Jubie John and published by Bloomsbury.
India will host CMS COP 13 summit in 2020
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced that India will host next Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Species of Wild Animals (CMS) Conference of Parties 13 (CMS COP13) in year 2020.
- CMS COP is also known as a Global Wildlife Conference. The announcement was made during 12th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties 12 (COP12) to CMS held in Manila, Philippines in October 2017
Purnachandra Rao, film producer, passes away
Film producer and veteran Communist leader Atluri Purnachandra Rao passed away after prolonged illness.
- Purnachandra Rao was attracted to the Left ideology after joining the rationalist movement led by Gora.
Kidambi Srikanth Wins French Open to Clinch 4th Super Series Title of 2017
India's Kidambi Srikanth created history as he became the first Indian player to win four Superseries titles in a year after he won the men's singles title at the French Open.
- He defeated Japan's Kenta Nishimoto 21-14, 21-13 in the final to achieve this feat. He also became the only Indian to win the French Open since it became a Superseries event in 2007.
Mithali Raj and Virat Kohli Tops ICC Ranking
India captain Mithali Raj moved up one place to occupy the number one spot in the latest ICC ODI rankings for batswomen.
- Also, Indian captain, Virat Kohli returned to the top of the ICC ODI rankings for batsmen after logging career-high rating points, going past the iconic Sachin Tendulkar in the process. He has reached 889 points, which is the best ever by an India batsman.
Federer Wins 8th Basel Title, 95th Overall
The Swiss superstar won his eighth Basel title, after defeating Juan Martin del Potro, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 to clinch his ATP World Tour-leading seventh title of the year.
- It was Federer's first success against the Argentine in a Basel final, after the South American beat him in both 2012 and 2013.
- Federer moved ahead of Ivan Lendl into standalone second place on the Open Era titles list, only trailing Jimmy Connors, who owns 109 trophies.
Johor Cup Hockey: Indian Junior Team Win Bronze Medal
Indian Junior Men’s Hockey team beat hosts Malaysia 4-0 in the Bronze medal match of the 7th Sultan of Johor Cup 2017 at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium, in Malaysia
- Goals from Vishal Antil (15’, 25’), Vivek Prasad (11’) and Shilanand Lakra (21’) were enough for India to finish their tournament with the Bronze medal.
