09 November 2017 - Daily Current Affairs

09 November 2017 - Daily Current Affairs

Mary Kom strikes gold at Asian Women's Boxing Championships

• Five-time world champion Mary Kom (34-year) has won the gold medal in the Asian Boxing Championships in the Light Flyweight category (48-Kg) at Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
• She defeated DPR Korea’s Kim Hyang Mi in the final bout 5-0 by unanimous judge decision.
• This is Mary Kom's first international gold medal since the 2014 Asian Games and her first medal in over a year.
• Indian boxer Sonia Lather had to settle for a silver medal as her Chinese opponent Yin Junhua was awarded the bout on a split judge decision (Featherweight category).

Note:

• Mary Kom is an Olympic Indian boxer hailing from the Kom tribe in Manipur.
• She is the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six world championships.
• On 26 April 2016, Kom was nominated by the President of India as a member of the Rajya Sabha.

Prannoy & Saina Nehwal lift Senior National Titles

• Badminton player H S Prannoy (world no-11) defeated Kidambi Srikanth (world No -2) to emerge men’s champion in the 82nd Senior National Championship, in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
• Prannoy beat Srikanth 21-15, 16-21, 21-7 to lift the men's singles title.
• Saina (world No- 11th) beat PV Sindhu (World No. 2) in the final to claim the women’s singles title at the 82nd Senior Badminton National Championship, in Nagpur.
• Satwik Sai Raj R and Ashwini Ponnappa clinched the mixed doubles crown.

PM Modi, Bangladesh PM Hasina inaugurates train service between Kolkata & Khulna

• Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sheikh Hasina (Bangladeshi PM) has jointly inaugurated the long-awaited direct train-service ‘Bandhan Express’ between Kolkata and Khulna through video-conferencing.
• The Bandhan Express is the second cross-border train between the two neighboring countries starts from 16 November onwards.
• The train will run in either direction twice a week, cover the 177- km distance between Kolkata and Khulna within 4 1/2 hours.
• The Express will re-establish the rail link between the southwestern region of Bangladesh and the heart of West Bengal which was snapped off in the 1950s.
• They also inaugurate simplified end to end immigration and custom clearance services of the ‘Moitree Express’ running between Dhaka and Kolkata (since 2008).

Uttarakhand celebrates its 17th formation day

• Today, Uttarakhand state is celebrating its 17th formation day with much fanfare and gaiety today.
• Uttarakhand’s Governor K. K. Paul reviewed the ceremonial parade at Police line in Dehradun and honored police personals for rendering excellent service.

Note:

• On 9th November 2000, Uttarakhand became the 27th state of the Republic of India, being created from the Himalayan and adjoining northwestern districts of Uttar Pradesh.

Literature honors Manu Sharma passes away

• Padma Shri Manu Sharma passed away at his residence in Varanasi.
• He was elected by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the Navratna for the Cleanliness Campaign.
• Manu Sharma wrote a 'cartoon poem' every day in 'Janvarta', which came out of Banaras.

Bank of China begins operations in Pakistan

• The ‘Bank of China’ has launched its first branch in Karachi (Pakistan).
• It is the first branch of the bank in South Asia.
• The bank would strengthen the "brotherly relations" between the two countries in the financial sector.

Govt doubles import duty on wheat to 20%

• The Union govt has doubled the import duty on wheat to 20% to curb cheap shipments and give positive price signal to farmers in the ongoing Rabi season.
• It has also imposed an import duty of 50% on peas to check cheaper shipments from countries like Canada and to boost domestic prices.
• It seeks to increase the rate of basic customs duty on wheat from 10 to 20% and on Peas from present Nil rate to 50%.
• Earlier, In March 2017, the government had imposed 10% import duty on wheat to contain sharp fall in local prices in view of the bumper crop.

Linking Aadhaar with insurance policies mandatory: IRDAI

• According to the Insurance Regulatory Authority of India (IRDAI), all insurance policies must be linked with Aadhaar.
• It also advised insurers to comply with the statutory norms.
• Linkage of Aadhaar number to Insurance Policies is mandatory under the Prevention of Money-laundering (Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules- 2017.
• These rules have statutory force and, as such, life and general insurers has to implement them without awaiting further instructions.

Odd-even for five days from 13^th Nov in Delhi

• According to the Delhi’s Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot, the odd-even car rationing scheme will be enforced in Delhi for a five-day (13-17^th November) period.
• The decision comes as air pollution levels spiked in the national capital.
• Odd-numbered cars are allowed to run on odd dates while even-numbered cars can only run on even dates.
• Under the policy, private vehicles are allowed to run based on the last number of their license plates.
• In 2016, the scheme was enforced twice 1-15^th January and 15-30 April.

Maneka Gandhi launches online SHeBox for sexual harassment cases

• The Union Women and Child Development Minister Smt Maneka Gandhi has launched a comprehensive SHe-Box online complaint Management System for working women to lodge complaints of sexual harassment at workplace.
• The SHe-Box has been launched to provide a platform to aggrieved women to make their complaints directly so that suitable action is taken to redress their grievances.
• Once a complaint is submitted to the portal, it will be directly sent to the ICC/LCC of the concerned employer.
• The WCD Ministry has also published a Handbook and Training Module on the SH Act to provide information about the provisions of the Act in easy to use practical manner.

Kerala state launched ‘She Pad’ scheme for School Girls

• Kerala govt has launched a scheme “She Pad’’, to distribute free sanitary napkins to girl students from classes VI to XII in schools affiliated to the state school board.
• The scheme will be implemented in 300 schools in 114 panchayats by the Kerala Women Development Corporation with the support of local self-governing bodies.
• The first time, a state government is distributing sanitary napkins to school students.

2nd edition of India International Cherry Blossom festival begins in Shillong

• The 2nd edition of four-day India International Cherry Blossom festival (World’s only Autumn Cherry Blossom Festival) has begun at the 5thGround, Polo Grounds, Shillong.
• The State Govt is focusing on promoting tourism potential of the State by organizing such festivals which will not only boost tourism but also protect and preserve the forest and wildlife biodiversity.
• The festival is being organized by Government of Meghalaya, Institute of Bio-resources and Sustainable Development with support from the Indian Council of Cultural Relations.