Daily Breaking News & Current Affairs

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Current affairs on 29 january 2015

1. Nation remembers Lala Lajpat Rai on his 150th birth anniversary

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has saluted Punjab Kesari Lala Lajpat Rai, on his birth anniversary. In his message, the Prime Minister said that Punjab Kesari Lala Lajpat Rai was a unique personality who was ahead of his time.

ii. Journey of Lalaji -
Popularly known as Punjab Kesari, Lala Lajpat Rai was born on 28 January 1865 in Jagraon town of Ludhiana district.

The session of the Indian National Congress at Allahabad in December 1888 marked the beginning of his political career.

The year 1905 was important for the emergence of a new leadership in the Indian National Congress of Lal-Bal-Pal, as they were popularly known. The partition of Bengal in 1905 aroused their stout nationalism.

Lalaji presided over the first session of the All India Trade Union Congress in 1920.

Lalaji also went to Geneva to attend the eighth International Labour Conference in 1926 as a representative of Indian labour community.

His journal Arya Gazette concentrated mainly on the subjects related to the Arya Samaj.

For the sake of India's independence movement, Lalaji led a procession to demonstrate against the Simon Commission.

Lalaji was made the target of a brutal lathi charge in which he was injured badly.

A meeting was held the same evening at which Lalaji, wounded and aching, spoke with such vigour that his words, 'Every blow aimed at me is a nail in the coffin of British imperialism', became historic.

on 17 November 1928, Lalaji succumbing to his injuries passed away.

2. BrahMos to be integrated with Sukhoi

i. HAL has completed integration of BrahMos thermonuclear cruise missile with Sukhoi-30MKI after over two years of work, modifying the Russian-made aircraft.

ii. HAL director S Subrahmanyan, who led the project, said the first test flight of the modified Su-30MKI with the BrahMos missile will be conducted in March.

3. Governor nominates Anglo-Indian in Jharkhand Assembly

i. Glen Joseph Galstaun was today nominated as the representative of the Anglo-Indian community in the Jharkhand Assembly.

ii. Governor Syed Ahmed nominated Galstaun to the House as there is a need for a representative from the community.

iii. With his nomination, the strength of the House has gone up to 82 from 81.

4. Centre to dilute stake in CIL

i. The government is planning to dilute its stake further in Maharatna public sector Coal India Ltd (CIL) with the company putting up on the stock exchanges a notice for an offer for sale of up to 10 per cent of the government stake in CIL.

ii. CIL had gone public in October 2010 with a 10 per cent dilution of the government holding, the trade unions had blocked a follow-on offer proposed by the UPA-II government in late 2013.

iii. In this fresh move, the allocation shall be on a price priority method at multiple clearing prices in accordance with the SEBI OFS circular.

iv. CIL had helped generate over Rs 23,000 crore through its initial public offer and expectations are that a similar amount would be garnered this time too. CIL shares have averaged at Rs.383.

5. S Jaishankar takes charge as Foreign Secretary

i. S Jaishankar took charge as Foreign Secretary, replacing Sujatha Singh whose tenure was abruptly curtailed.

ii. S Jaishankar is a 1977-batch IFS officer .

iii. He will have a two-year tenure as per rules. The 60-year-old diplomat was India's Ambassador to the US.

iv. The decision to appoint Jaishankar, who played a key role during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US in September and US President Barack Obama's just concluded visit here, was taken by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet chaired by Modi.

6. ICC ends Amir’s ban

i. In a major breakthrough, the ICC has allowed Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir to return to domestic cricket early from his five-year ban for involvement in spot-fixing.

ii. Amir (22) was jailed for six months and banned for his part in a spot-fixing scam during Pakistan’s tour of England in 2010.

iii. Amir, then 17, delivered pre-arranged no balls at Lord’s in a plot that also led to the banning of Mohammad Asif and then captain Salman Butt

Current affairs Quiz

7. Planning Comission of India came into existence in which year? - 1950 (Now it has been revamped as NITI Aayog from January 2015).

8. When were the fundamental duties incorporated in the Constitution? - 1976

9. Second Five Year plan gave priority to? - Heavy Industries

10. How many items are there in the Union List? - 99

11. How much of India's total geographical area is forest land? - 23%

12. What is "God Save the Queen/King"? - Name of British National Anthem

13. When was 'Jana Gana Mana' first sung? - Second day of the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress on December 27, 1911.

14. First oil refinery in India was set up at? - Digboi

15. India switched over to the decimal currency system in which year? - 1957

16. Biosphere reserve of India Nanda Devi is located in which state? - Uttarakhand
 
Pakistan Thursday
reiterated its opposition to grant a
permanent seat on UN Security
Council to India and insisted on
reforms to make the forum more
democratic.
Pakistan contested the Indian move
after US President Barrack Obama
announced support for India to seek
permanent Security Council`s seat
during his recent visit to New Delhi.
Foreign ministry spokesperson
Tasnim Aslam said India did not
"qualify to become a permanent
member of UNSC because of its
violations of UN resolutions", Xinhua
news agency reported.
 
After launching the
ambitious 'Make in India' campaign,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
government is mulling launching
another key campaign, 'Read India',
reports said on Thursday.
The campaign is most likely to be
launched on February 14.
As part of the project, new libraries
would be opened across the country
so that people from all walks of life
get access to various books. However,
as for now, the study centres are
expected to come up in villages
adopted by parliamentarians under
the 'Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram
Yojana'.
The Human Research Development
(HRD) Ministry, headed by Smriti
Irani, will be tasked with supervising
the mega project.
 
Jayanthi Natarajan quits congress
FM:Review environmental projects of UPA regime
PM asks IT experts to innovate for mobile governance.
 
Jayanthi Natarajan attacks Rahul, Congress questions resignation timing

Pak blast: 40 killed

GDP revised upward to 6.9 pc

ODI: ENG beat IND
 
Current affairs on 30th january 2015

1. 30th January observed as Martyrs' Day

i. The government today observed Martyrs' Day on the 67th death anniversary of
the Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi and those who sacrificed their lives in the struggle for the country's freedom.

ii. The MHA has told all states and UTs to see that “speeches and talks connected with the significance of the day, particularly mentioning the role of freedom fighters in the freedom of India may be made”.

iii. The day is remembered in the living memory of all the freedom fighters who lost their lives for handing our the much needed independence.

iv. Mahatma Gandhi was assasinated by Nathuram Godse on this day.

2. IIT Bombay launches mass open online courses

i. Prof Devang Khakhar, Director of IIT Bombay, launched three Mass Open Online Courses (MOOC) in computer programming, thermodynamics, and signals and systems from the institute’s IITBombayX platform developed in collaboration with edX.

ii. edX is a not-for-profit initiative by MIT and Harvard.

iii. About this course - The Introduction to Computer Programming will be 16-week course in two parts aimed at computer programming students. The course on Thermodynamics, designed for mechanical engineering students, will last 12 weeks. Signals and Systems will be a 16-week course in two parts designed for electrical engineering students. The students will get an honour certificate of achievement certifying successful completion of the course after they have qualified in the tests.

3. Send money 24x7 using only your phone's address book

i. HDFC Bank, India’s second-largest private bank, is set to introduce a new app, Chillr, which will allow users to send money to any contact in their phone books, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

ii. Chillr is a third-party app, which will be available exclusively for the customers. It will allow them to transfer money using a contact’s mobile number alone.

iii. Through the app, one can send Rs 1-5,000 a day. While the bank will not levy any charges, users will have to pay a fee for using the IMPS platform.

4. Charles Townes died

i. Townes shared the 1964 Nobel Prize in physics with Russian physicists Aleksandr M. Prokhorov and Nicolai G. Basov for the invention of the Laser.

ii. On April 26, 1951, Townes scribbled a theory on scrap paper that would lead to the laser, the invention he’s known for and which transformed everyday life and led to other scientific discoveries.

iii. The laser paved the way for other scientific discoveries that revolutionize everything from medicine to manufacturing, including DVD players, gun sights, printers, computer networks, metal cutters, tattoo removal and vision correction.

5. Jaipal Singh appointed PS to MoS Home

i. Jaipal Singh, a Gujarat-cadre IFS officer, has been appointed Private Secretary to Minister of State for Home Affairs Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary.

ii. Singh, a 1991-batch Indian Forest Service officer is presently working as Director in Department of Higher Education.

iii. He has been appointed for a period of upto September 26, 2018, which is maximum period of seven years of stay outside the cadre in a single stint, or on a co-terminus basis with the minister's tenure.

6. India overtakes China as world’s leading gold consumer

i. India overtook China as the world’s biggest gold consumer in 2014 as global physical demand fell.

ii. Chinese gold demand slid by more than a third last year to a four-year low of 866 tonnes.

iii. Indian jewellery demand rose 14 percent last year to a record 690 tonnes, putting it back ahead of China as the world’s number one jewellery manufacturer.

7. RK Mathur to hold additional charge of DDR&D

i. Defence Secretary RK Mathur is given additional charge of Department of Defence Research and Development (DDR&D).

ii. Mathur, a 1977-batch IAS officer of Manipur Tripura cadre, will hold the additional charge for a period of three months.

iii. He will take over the additional charge from incumbent Avinash Chander.

iv. Another IAS officer Reena Ray has been appointed as Additional Secretary in Department of School Education and Literacy.

8. Shekhar Sen appointed as Chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi

i. Renowned music composer and actor Shekhar Sen is appointed as the Chairman of the Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA).

ii. Shekhar Sen will succeed Leela Samson who resigned from the position on 5 September 2014. The post was lying vacant since October 2014.

Shekhar Sen:

He is famous for his mono act musical plays Tulsi, Kabeer, Vivekananda, and Soordas

Shekhar Sen has received prestigious awards including Padam Shri Award in 2015, Safdar Hashmi Puraskar in 2001 for his contribution in field of theatre and V. Shantaram Lalit Kala Puraskaar in 2008.

Current Affairs Quiz

9. Who was appointed as the new foreign secretary of India on 28 January 2015?

(A) H S Brahma
(B) Sujatha Singh
(C ) S Jaishankar
(D) DP Sinha


10. R K Laxman, the country's best-known cartoonist, passed away on 26 January 2015. He is best known for creation of which among the following iconic character?

(A) Common Man
(B) Amul girl
(C ) Chacha Chaudhari
(D) Suppandi

11. Alexis Tsipras was recently sworn in as prime minister of which country?

(A) Brazil
(B) Malaysia
(C ) Egypt
(D) Greece

12. Who won the men's singles of Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament on 25 January 2015?

(A) HS Pranoy
(B) Kidambi Srikanth
(C ) Parupalli Kashyap
(D) Lee Chong Wei

13. Who recently won the Allan Border Medal for the Australian player of the year?

(A) Mitchell Johnson
(B) Steve Smith
(C ) Brad Haddin
(D) James Faulkner

14. Which International Airport has recently emerged as the busiest international airport in the world?

(A) Dubai International Airport
(B) United Kingdom London Heathrow Airport
(C ) Hong Kong International Airport
(D) Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport

15. Name the winter snow storm recently hit the northeastern states of the USA?

(A) Athena
(B) Juno
(C ) Brutus
(D) Nemo

16. Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic recently defeated which top seeded player in the quarterfinals of Australian Open 2015?

(A) Rafael Nadal
(B) Roger Federer
(C ) Andy Murray
(D) Novak Djokovic

17. Which cricket player recently pulled out of West Indies World Cup squad saying he needed more time to work on his bowling action?

(A) Darren Sammy
(B) Sulaiman Benn
(C ) Jerome Taylor
(D) Sunil Narine

18. After deciding to split into three, which company recently became the first Indian listed company to solely focus on life insurance?

(A) Max India
(B) Reliance
(C ) Bajaj
(D) Aviva

Answers

9. Ans. (C ) S Jaishankar
10. Ans. (A) Common Man
11. Ans. (D) Greece
12. Ans. (C ) Parupalli Kashyap
13. Ans. (B) Steve Smith
14. Ans. (A) Dubai International Airport
15. Ans. (B) Juno
16. Ans. (A) Rafael Nadal
17. Ans. (D) Sunil Narine
18. Ans. (A) Max India
 
Govt:CIL stakesale reflects investor confidence

JnK Flood:Rs1102cr for rehabilitation

Kerala:35th NationalGames begins today

AusOpenFinal:Serena vs Sharapova
 
The BJP's chief ministerial
candidate Kiran Bedi is missing
from posters and some election
speeches as the party changes the
pitch of its campaign in Delhi
dramatically. With seven days to
go for polling, party president and
chief strategist Amit Shah has
deployed the BJP's biggest guns to
take on Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam
Aadmi Party.
 
Inter-continental surface-to-surface nuclear capable ballistic missile AgniV test fired

TN:10 dead in tank collapse

ChitFund Scam,Odisha:CBI raids at 15places
 
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