Exam Oriented Current Affairs for the Month of October 2015-www.KiranBookStore.com
01 October 2015 Current Affairs
Maruthi Chairman Bhargava honoured with Forbes Life Time Achievement Award
Maruthi Suzuki chairman R.C. Bhargava has been honoured with the Life Time Achievement Award at the Forbe’s India Leadership Awards, 2015. Mr Bhargava was one of the founding members of Maruthi in 1982. He led the company as MD from 1990 to 1997. From 2007 he was leading the company as the Chairman.
India won Gold medal in the Women’s event at Asian Air Gun Championship
Indian pistol shooter Heena Sidhu won the gold medal in women’s 10 meter air pistol event at the 8th Asian Air Gun Championships in New Delhi. Heena is the India’s first pistol shooter to be ranked number one in the world. India’s Shweta Singh won the Silver medal and Korean shooter Seon A Kim took the bronze medal.
China launched 20th Satellite for its Navigation system
China on 30 September 2015 launched a 20th new generation satellite for the BeiDou Navigation system (BDS) into orbit that will support it’s global navigation and positioning network. The satellite was launched from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in the South
Western Province of Sichuan. A Long March-3 B carrier rocket carried the satellite. It was the first time that the satellite featured a hydrogen atomic clock.
A.K.Pujari assumed additional charge as CMD of SAIL
Dr. Anup K. Pujari on 1 October, 2015 assumed additional charge as the chairman and Managing Director of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). At present he is the secretary , Government of India, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). He was also given the additional charge of the post of Secretary in Ministry of Steel.
02 October 2015 Current Affairs
India to cut emissions intensity upto 35 Per cent by 2030
The Union Envcironment MInistry on 2 October, 2015 submitted it’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) to the UN Frame work Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), committing to cut the emissions intensity of GDP by 33-35 per cent by 2030 from 2005 levels. India has committed to 40 per cent of non-fossil fuel energy to be adopted by 2030. It has also set the target of generating 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent of Carbon sinks in the form of forests. India aims to mobilise domestic and global funds to implement it’s mitigation actions.
Ratan Tata honoured by UK City of Coventry as ‘Honorary Freeman’
The City of Coventry of United Kingdom honoured Ratan Tata, head of Tata Groups, with it’s highest award ‘Honorary Freeman’, in recognition of his contributions to the West Midlands regions of Central England. Ratan Tata took oath as Honorary Freeman of the City of Coventry. Since 1914, only 13 people have been conferred with the honour.
03 October 2015 Current Affairs
CORPAT between India and Indonesia began in Andaman Sea
26th edition of the Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) between India and Indonesia began on 3 October 2015 in the Andaman Sea. The 18-day long CORPAT will conclude on 21 October 2015. It is the first ever bilateral exercise between the two nations. The two-day inaugural India-Indonesia Bilateral Maritime Exercise is scheduled from 17 October to 18 October 2015 in the Andaman Sea. The Bilateral Maritime Exercise and the CORPAT would see participation by one warship and one Maritime Patrol Aircraft from both sides.
Sania-Hingis pair won the Wuhan Open Women’s Doubles Title
Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis pair won the Women’s doubles final at the Wuhan Open tennis tournament held on 2 October, 2015 in central China’s Hubei Province. They defeat the Romania’s Irina Camelia Begu and Monica Niculescu in the finals. This is the 7th title for the Sania-Hingis pair. They have won the Indian Wells, Miami, Charleston, Wimbledon, the US Open, Guangzhou and Wuhan Open this year. They have 7 WTA doubles titles won together this year. This is the 8th title for Sania Mirza.
DRDO inagurates new R&D centre at 17,600 Ft in Jammu & Kashmir
The DRDO on 2 October, 2015 inaguarated an Extreme Altitude Research Centre at Chan La in Jammu and Kashmir at 17,600 Ft above the mean sea level. This is in records as the world’s highest terrestrial R&D centre. It has been established by Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR) of DRDO. This centre is for Research & Development work in frontal areas of food and agriculture and bio-medical sciences for well being of the soldiers deployed in high-altitude cold deserts.
04 October 2015 Current Affairs
Shashank Manohar elected as BCCI President
Nagpur lawyer, Mr. Shashank Manohar has been elected as the President for Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the second time on 4 October, 2015. He is the 36 th President of BCCI. He will be in this post for two years. He has promised to initiate stern and practical steps and deliver results in two months to win back the confidence of Indian cricket fans.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel three day visit to India
German Chancellor Angela Merkel came to India on 4 October on a three day visit to Delhi and Bangalore. She will met the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 5 October and bilateral discussions will be takeplace between India and Germany.
05 October 2015 Current Affairs
India and Germany signed 18 MoUs
India and Germany on 5 October, 2015 ink 18 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) for cooperation in various fields including higher education, civil aviation, railways and food safety. India and Germany also signed a deal to fast track business approvals. The other deals include promotion of German as a foreign language in India and promotion of modern Indian languages in Germany, cooperation on Indo-German solar energy partnership, cooperation in fields of skill development and vocational education and training, cooperation in the field of disaster management, Indo-German partnerships in higher education, cooperation in the field of railways.
Fast -Track wing activated between India and Germany to boost trade
Germany welcomed India’s decision to set up a fast track system for German companies in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The wing will become fully operational by 2016.The fast-track mechanism was one of the several initiatives declared to smoother business ties. To encourage stronger business ethics, both sides entered into an agreement to train corporate executives and junior executives.
Three scientists share Nobel Prize in Medicine
Three scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize 2015 in Medicine whose discoveries led to the development of potent new drugs against parasitic diseases such as malaria and elephantiasis. Irish-born American William Campbell and Japan’s Satoshi Omura won half of the Prize for discovering “Avermectin”, a derivative of which has been nearly eradicated river blindness and radically reduced the incidence of filariasis. China’s Youyou Tu was awarded the other half of the Prize for discovering “Artemisinin”, a drug that has singnificantly reduced death rates from malaria. The three will receive the Prize on December 10 in Stockholm.
Jack Dorsey as new permanent CEO of Twitter
Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of social media company, ‘Twitter’ is the new permanent Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Twitter. Dorsey will also keep his job as CEO of mobile payments company Square Inc, the payments and financial services company he sounded in 2009. Former CEO of Twitter, Dick Costolo resigned from the board in the month of July.
06 October 2015 Current Affairs
Indo-German Summit 2015 held in Bengaluru
The Indo-German Summit 2015 has been held in Bengaluru on 6 October, 2015. The summit was organised by Nasscom. Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel attended the summit. Industrialists from India and Germany and deligates from 15 states attended the summit. In this summit both the nations signed five B to B (Business to Business) agreements.
Japanese, Canadian Scientists win Physics Nobel Prize 2015
Taka aki Kajita of Japan and Arthur McDonald of Canada were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering the “Neutrinos”. Neutrinos are subatomic particles produced from the decay of radio active elements and are elementary particles that lack an electric charge. Kajita discovered that neutrinos from the atmosphere switch between two identities on their way to the Super-Kamiokande detector in Japan. Arthur McDonald demonstrated that neutrinos from the sun were not disappearing on their way to Earth.
First weapon fitted warship- INS Asthradharini commissioned
Eastern Naval command (ENC), commander- in- chief, Vice Admiral Satish Soni on 6 October, 2015 commissioned the first weapon fitted warship INS- Asthradharini into the Indian Navy at the Vishakapatnam naval base. Asthradharini is an advanced replacement of Asthravahini which was decommissioned on 17 July, 2015. INS- Asthradharini can operate at high sea states and has a large deck area with tropedo launchers for deploying and recovering torpedos. This is an indigenously built warship at Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL). The length of the ship is 50m and speed up to 15 knots.
West Bengal State Election Commissioner S.R. Upadhyay resigned
West Bengal State Election Commissioner (SEC) Sushanta Ranjan Upadhyay on 6 October, 2015 resigned from his duties as SEC. He submitted the resignation to Governor Keshari Nath Tripati. Senior IAS officer Alapan Bandopadhyay has been appointed as the interim SEC.
Eminent author Nayantara returns Sahitya Akademi Award
Eminent author Nayantara Sehgal on 6 October, 2015 returned the Sahitya Akademi Award in protest against the increasing intolerance towards the right to dissert in India. Ms. Sehgal got the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1986 for her English novel ‘Rich Like Us’.
07 October 2015 Current Affairs
‘Neeranchal’ programme received the approval for implementation by the Union Cabinet
The World Bank-assisted ‘National Watershed Management Project’ or ‘Neeranchal’ received the approval for implementation by the Union Cabinet on 7 October. The project aims to fulfil the watershed component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMSKY) to reduce surface runoff of rainwater, increase groundwater levels and better water availability in rain-fed areas. The cost of the project is estimated at Rs. 2,142.30 crore of which the Centre will be pitching in with Rs. 889 crore while Rs. 182 crore will be provided by the respective State Governments. The remaining 50 per cent of the project cost will be financed by a World Bank loan. It will be implemented across nine States – Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Rajasthan.
Centre approves War Memorial near India Gate in Delhi
The Central government on 7 October approved a Rs. 500 Crore project for building a National War Memorial and a National War Museum near India Gate in New Delhi in memory of over 22,500 soldiers who laid down their lives post-Independence. The project will be monitered by an empowered steering committee chaired by defence secretary.
Indian Cyclist Deborah Scripts History At Taiwan Cup by winning Five medals
Indian cyclist Deborah created history by winning five medals, including a gold at the Taiwan Cup Track International Classic event. Deborah became the first ever Indian cyclist to achieve top honours in women elite section by bagging a gold, three silver and a bronze. Deborah won the first ever gold medal in the women elite sprint by defeating the Malaysian top rider.
Three scientists for Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Sweden’s Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich of the US and Aziz Sancar , a Turkish-American won the 2015 Nobel Chemistry Prize for work on how cells repair damaged DNA. The three opened a dazzling frontier in medicine by unveiling how the body repairs DNA mutations that can cause sickness and contribute to ageing. They will receive the Prize in Stockholm on 10 December, 2015.
08 October 2015 Current Affairs
Ambani Family ranks third in Forbe’s Asia’s 50 richest families list
As many as 14 Indian families are in the list of Forbe’s 50 richest families in Asia. In this list, Ambani family ranked third with a net worth of 21.5 billion dollars. The other Indian families in the top 10 include the Premji family in the 7th place and the Mistry family in the 10th place. With 14 Indian families, India stood first in the list. The overall list has topped by Lees of Samsung group, with a net worth of 26.6 billion dollars.
Belarus writer Svetlana wins 2015 Literature Nobel Prize
Belarussian writer Svetlana Alexievich won the 2015 Nobel Literature Prize. Alexievich has drawn international acclaim with her emotional accounts of the Chernobyl Disaster and World War II based on witness accounts. She will receive the prize on December 10, 2015 at Stockholm.
T20 International series won by South Africa
South Africa won the T20 International Series which was held on October 2-8, 2015. The first two matchs were won by South Africa. The third match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata has been called off due to rain. With this the South Africa won the series with 2-0. The bilateral Series between India and South Africa has been titled “The Mahatma Gandhi-Nelson Mandela Series”.
09 October 2015 Current Affairs
Sekhar Basu to be the next chairman of Atomic Energy Commission
Renowned scientist Sekhar Basu was on 9 October appointed as chairman of Atomic Energy Commission. Basu, who is presently director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and chief executive of the Nuclear Recycle Board (NRB), will replace RK Sinha who superannuates on October 23 and he will have a tenure till September 19, 2016. Basu has also been appointed Secretary, department of atomic energy. Basu was instrumental in setting up reprocessing and waste management facilities at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research in Kalpakkam.
Author Shashi Deshpande resigned to Sahitya Akademi General Council
Award-sinning author Shashi Deshpande on 9 October resigned from the Sahitya Akademi general council expressing a sense of strong disappointment over the literary body’s silence on the killing of Kannada writer M.M. Kalburgi. She wrote several novels, short stories and essay collections and books for children and won the Sahitya Akademi awasd for her novel “That Long Silence” in 1990. She was awarded the Padma Sri in 2009.
Veteran Music Director Ravindra Jain died
Veteran music director, singer, lyricist Ravindra Jain (71), the genius who overcome his blindness died on 9 October in Mumbai. Jain was one of the most successful composers in the 70s.He was also credited for bringing south Indian singing legend K.J. Yesudas to Hindi movies.
Nobel Peace Prize for Tunisia’s Plural Democracy
Tunisia’s National Dialogue Quartet won the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize for building democracy in the country after the 2011 revolution which unleashed the Arab Spring. The Quartet has excercised it’s role as a mediator and driving force to advance peaceful democratic development in Tunisia with great moral authority. Prize money of 9,72,000 dollars will be presented to the committee in Oslo on December 10.
NASA’s New Horizon found blue skies and water ice on Pluto
The first colour images of Pluto’s atmosphere returned by NASA’s New Horizon Spacecraft has revealed a blue skies and numerous small exposed regions of water ice. Scientists say a blue sky often results from scattering of sunlight by very small particles. On Earth those particles are very tiny nitrogen molecules. On Pluto they appear to be larger but still relatively small soot-like particles. The Haze particles are grey or red, but the way they scatter, the blue light attracted the attention of the New Horizon.
2015 IMF, World Bank Annual Meeting held in Peru
The 2015 annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank has been held from 9-11 October, 2015 in Lima, the capital city of Peru. After 48 years the meeting was held in Latin America. Over ten thousand participants from 188 countries attended the meeting. Arun Jaitley, Finance Minister from India also attended the meeting. IMF MD Christine Lagarde and World Bank President Jim Yang Kim attended the meeting. The meeting is very important for discussing and clarifying the road map for getting to the 100 billion dollars goal in climate finance. Addressing the plenary session of the IMF-World Bank meeting, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley expresses concern over delay in IMF quota reform. The IMF concluded the annual meeting in Lima on 11 October with a warning to Central bankers that the world economy risks another crash unless they continue to support growth with low interest rates.
10 October 2015 Current Affairs
China Open Tennis Women’s doubles winners Sania-Hingis Pair
Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won the China Open Tennis Women’s doubles title. In the finals held in Beijing on 10 October, they defeated the sixth seed Taipei pair Hao Ching Chan and Yung Jan Chan. This is the eighth trophy of this season and fourth in a row for the Sania-Hingis pair. It is the ninth title for Sania in 2015.
Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala resigned
Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala on 10 October resigned to his post. Koirala resigned after parties failed to forge a consensus amid continued protests and blockade of key border trade point with India over the country’s new Constitution.
Veteran Tamil actress Manorama passed away
The legendary Tamil actress Manorama (78) was passed away on 10 October in Chennai. A comedy artist and a singer, she belonged to a generation of South Indian Cinema. In a career spanning nearly six decades, she acted in over 1500 films and created a Guinness world record.
China successfully launched a satellite “Nanligong – 1″ made by students
China on 10 October has successfully launched a satellite called “Nanligong-1″ developed by the students of Nanjing University of Technology and Engineering independently. The satellite carried by a Long March-11 rocket was successfully launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. This satellite is being used for global maritime automatic identification and demonstrating information exchanges between satellites in-orbit.
Nobel Memorial Wall inaugurated in Delhi
A Nobel Memorial Wall on Indian Nobel laureates was inaugurated at Delhi Metro’s Rajiv Chowk station on 10 October, 2015. The bilingual exhibition was jointly inaugurated by the embassy of Sweden and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) with its stated purpose of spreading awareness and inspiring young minds. Ambassador of Sweden to India Harald Sandberg and DMRC chief Mangu Singh unveiled the wall exhibition together. It contains brief portraits and information of the Indian Nobel laureates.
11 October 2015 Current Affairs
K.P. Sharma Oli elected as the new Nepal Prime Minister
Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli on 11 October, 2015 has been elected as the mew Prime Minister of Nepal by defeating the former Prime Minister Sushil Koirala. He secured 338 votes against 249 by Koirala. Oli is the 38th Prime Minister of Nepal.
Hamilton wins the Russian Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes won the Russian Formula One Grand Prix on 11 October, 2015. Hamilton completed his race of 53 laps in one hour 37 minutes and 11.024 seconds. The win was the Hamilton’s ninth of the season and the 42nd of his career. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel is in second place and Mexican Sergio Perez finished third fof Force India.
Indian shuttler Ajay Jayaram won the Dutch Open Title
Indian shuttler Ajay Jayaram won the Dutch Open Men’s singles Title held in Almere , The Netherlands on 11 October. In the finals he defeated the 12th seed and World No.48 Estonia’s Raul Must.
12 October 2015 Current Affairs
Welfare Economist Angus Deaton won the Nobel Prize in Economics
The Royal Swedish Academy on 12 October chose welfare economist Angus Deaton for the Nobel Prize in Economics for his wide ranging work on consumption and poverty. Dr. Deaton is one of the front line economists who focused his studies on poverty and redefined the way poverty is measured around the world, especially in India. A significant number of his research papers take India as a case study for studying poverty and consumption.
Alexander Lukashenko as President of Belarus for fifth time
President Alexander Lukashenko has been reelected for a fifth term, as President of Belarus. Lukashenko garnered 83.5 percent votes in the voting held on 11 October. Lukashenko’s vote share was an increase from 79.7 per cent vote share in 2010.
India, China begin counter-terrorism drills in China
The joint Hand-in-Hand counter-terrorism excercises between India and China started on 12 October, following the arrival of 175 personnel from the Naga Regiment of the Eastern Command in Kunming. An equal number of Chinese personnel from the Chengdu-based 14 Corps are participating in the manoeuvres whose aim is to develop joint operating capability, share useful experience in counter-terrorism operations and to promote friendly exchanges between the armies of India and China. These excercises will continue till October 22.
13 October 2015 Current Affairs
China starts biggest dam on Brahmaputra in Tibet
China on 13 October operationalised the 1.5 billion US Dollars Zam Hydropower Station, the largest in Tibet, built on the Brahmaputra river. Located in Gyaca county, Shannan prefecture, Zam Hydropower station also known as Zangmu Hydropower station, harnesses the waters of the Brahmaputra, known in Tibet as Yarlung Zangbo. Considered the world’s highest-altitude hydropower station and the largest of its kind, th e dam will produced 2.5 billion kilo-watt-hours of electricity a year.
Arun Jaitley chosen as ‘Best Finance Minister of the year’ in Asia
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has been chosen as ‘Finance Minister of the Year, Asia’ by London-based publication Emerging Markets. The magazine said that Jaitley too deserves ‘some recognition’ for India’s relative economic success over the last 18 months. …most of the plaudits for India’s relative economic success have gone to the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and the governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Raghuram Rajan.
India ranks 3rd in Global startup ecosystems
India ranks third among global startup ecosystems with more than 4,200 new-age companies. Nasscom along with Zinnov on 13 October launched the second edition of the startup report titled “Start up India – Momentous Rise of the Indian Start-Up Ecosystem” on the sidelines of Nasscom Product Conclave 2015 in Bengaluru. Three to four startups being born every day and nearly five billion dollars of funding coming in 2015.
Google tops list of World’s Best Workplaces
Google has topped the list of world’s best company to work for compiled by research and consulting firm ‘Great Place to Work Institute’, grabbing the numero uno position for the third straight year, while software developer SAS Institute and manufacturing firm W L Gore were ranked second and third respectively. The annual ‘World’s Best Multinational Workplaces List’ ranks the top 25 global companies to work for. Data storage specialist NetApp and mobile communications provider Telefonica are at fourth and fifth places respectively. EMC Corporation has been ranked sixth, followed by software giant Microsoft at seventh position in the list. Others in the top ten include, BBVA (8th), Monsanto (9th) and American Express (10th) place.
14 October 2015 Current Affairs
Jamaica’s Marlon James wins Man Booker Prize
Marlon James became the first Jamaican winner of the prestigious Booker Prize for fiction on 14 October, 2015. His book ” A Brief History of Seven Killings” won the prestigious Man Booker Prize Award. The novel is based on the attempted assassination of Bob Marley.
Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi wins the Harvard Humanitarian of the Year Award
Indian Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi has been selected for the prestigious Harvard Humanitarian of the Year Award for his contributions towards child reforms and his inspirational work against child abuse. The annual award by the prestigious Harvard University is given to an individual whose works and deeds have served to improve the quality of lives and have inspired us to greater heights. The award ceremony is scheduled to take place on October 16, at the Harvard University.
Union Cabinet approved MoU with Mozambique for cooperation in renewable energy
The Union Government on 14 October 2015 approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India and Mozambique. The agreement aims at establishing a cooperative institutional relationship to encourage and promote technical bilateral cooperation, investment promotion and partnership on new and renewable energy issues on the basis of mutual benefit, equality and reciprocity. The focus will be on the development of new and renewable energy technologies in the field of conducting on-the-job and specialized training courses on renewable energy field, research & development and of technology transfer in renewable energy.
PS Jayakumar appointed as MD and CEO of Bank of Baroda
PS Jayakumar on 13 October 2015 took over the charge of Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of state-owned Bank of Baroda. He has taken the charge when the bank is under the scanner for an alleged black money transactions worth over 6000 crore rupees. In the first week of October 2015, allegedly 6172 crore rupees were remitted from Bank of Baroda to Hong Kong. The amount was allegedly deposited in 59 accounts in cash as advance for imports that never existed.
15 October 2015 Current Affairs
Prime Minister Narendra Modi released postal stamp on Abdul Kalam
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the A P J Abdul Kalam’s birth anniversary celebrations held at DRDO Bhavan in New Delhi on 15 October. Modi released a commemorative postal stamp on Kalam. Narendra Modi also announced a momorial for Kalam at Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu. The Prime Minister unveiled a statue of Dr. Kalam at DRDO Bhavan and opened a photo exhibition titled “A Celebration of Dr. Kalam’s Life”.
Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu declared as ‘AMRUT’ town
Rameshwaram town in Tamil Nadu has been declared as ‘AMRUT’ town on 15 October, 2015 by the Minister of Urban Development. Rameshwaram has been included in Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) for providing basic urban infrastructure.
Zaheer Khan announces retirement from international cricket
India’s finest left arm fast bowler, Zaheer Khan on 15 October announced his retirement from international cricket. With 311 wickets from 92 Test, Zaheer finished as second best India seamer after Kapil Dev. His 610 victims also make him the fourth highest Indian wicket taker of all time.
China’s Sany Group plans 3 billion dollar investment in renewables in India
Chinese construction equipment maker Sany Group has pledged to invest 3 billion dollars (about Rs. 20,000 crore) in building 2 GW of green energy units in the country over the next 5-6 years. Sany will establish efficient technologies for off-shore wind power generation.
16 October 2015 Current Affairs
Supreme Court Bench strikes down NJAC Act as ‘unconstitutional and void’
The Supreme Court on 16 October rejected the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act and the 99th Constitutional Amendment which sought to give politicians and civil society a final say in the appointment of judges to the highest courts. With this veredict, the Collegium system as it existed before the NJAC Act was passed, will become operative again.
India’s subsonic Nirbhay Missile fails
Nirbhay, the subsonic cruise missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) failed on 16 October when it lost control after about 12 minutes of flight and fell into the Bay of Bengal. Nirbhay is a surface-to-surface long range cruise missile. It is a ‘trace-top’ missile which can fly at varying heights from five metres to five Km.
M K Surana appointed as New CMD of HPCL
M K Surana has been appointed as the new Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL). He is currently the chief executive officer of Prize Petroleum Co. Ltd, the upstream of oil exploration arm of HPCL. Mr Surana will replace Nishi Vasudeva on her retirement at the end of March 2016.
Nepal elects Onsari Gharti as first woman Parliament speaker
Nepal on 16 October elected the country’s first woman speaker of Parliament. UCPN- Maoist law maker Onsari Gharti Mangar elected as the speaker of Parliament. Earlier she had served as Deputy Speaker in Parliament. Ganga Prasad Yadav has been elected as the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament.
17 October 2015 Current Affairs
China launches new communication satellite for HK firm
China on 17 October put into orbit a new communication satellite in a commercial mission by the Long March-3B carrier rocket from the southwestern Xichang Satellite Launch Centre. Developed using China’s homegrown DFH-4 platform for the Hong Kong-based APT Satellite Company Limited, ‘APSTAR-9’ is designed to stay in service for at least 15 years. The launch is the 214th mission of the Long March carrier rocket series developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASTC).
Civil Aviation Minister inaugurates International Civil Helicopters Conclave 2015
Union Minister of Civil Aviation P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju has inaugurated the International Civil Helicopters Conclave 2015 in New Delhi. He launched the Corporate logo of Pawan Hans Limited and released a coffee table book on the occasion. The conclave marks the 30th anniversary of Pawan Hans Limited.
Typhoon Koppu smashes into northern Philippines
The powerful Typhoon Koppu hit the northern Philippines. Koppu downed trees and pylons, leaving two cities and 22 towns without power, while landslides and floods cut off 10 roads an