28 September 2015 Current Affair Updates | Daily GK Download
1. The 193 member states of the United Nations adopted new Sustainable Development Goals to replace the expiring Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at UN Sustainable Development Summit in New York. 17 broad goals and 169 specific targets are there in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The new goals primarily expect to reduce world poverty, improve health and education and quell climate change. SDGs are expected to be achieved by year 2030. They replaced the eight Millennium Development Goals adopted at a UN summit in 2000.
2. China successfully launched a new model of carrier rocket Long
March-11 for sending four micro satellites into space from the country's
northwestern province. The rocket will mainly be used for launching
micro-satellites. The successful launch of the rocket marked a major
breakthrough for the nation in key technology for solid propellant
rockets. The trip was the 211th mission for the Long March rocket
family.
3. The Ministry of External Affairs appointed new Indian envoys to
Pakistan, China, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United Nations (UN) in a
major reshuffle. Navtej Sarna will be the new High Commissioner to the
United Kingdom. He succeeded Ranjan Mathai. Gautam Bambawale (India's
Ambassador to Bhutan) will take over as High Commissioner to Pakistan.
He succeeded T.C.A. Raghavan. Syed Akbaruddin will be the next Permanent
Representative of India to the United Nations, New York. He will
replace Asoke Mukerji. Vijay Gokhale (India's Ambassador to Germany)
will be the Ambassador to China. He succeeded Ashok Kantha. Anil Wadhwa
(Secretary (East)) will be the new Ambassador to Rome. Pankaj Saran will
replace P.S. Raghavan as the Ambassador of Moscow. Harsh V. Shringla
(Indian Ambassador to Bangkok) will serve as High Commissioner to
Bangladesh. Sujan Chinoy (Indian Ambassador to Mexico) will now be the
Ambassador to Japan and replace Deepa Wadhwa.
4. Australia's oldest cricketer Harold Stapleton, who represented
Australian club New South Wales, died aged 100. An all-rounder, who
played only one first-class match for NSW in 1941 before his career was
cut short by the second World War.
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28 September 2015 Current Affair Updates | Daily GK Download |
5. Singer-actress Jennifer Lopez has been named the first-ever global
advocate for girls and women at the United Nations Foundation. The
46-year-old star will travel the globe in an attempt to highlight the
plight of females struggling in war zones, refugee camps and even on the
mean streets of her native New York.
6. The Finance Ministry announced Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) exemption
to foreign companies with no permanent establishment (PE) in India with
effect from assessment year 2001-02. This means companies not having a
permanent establishment or place of business in India would not come
under MAT with effect from April 2001. Apart from this, the MAT will
also not apply on a foreign company belonging to a country having a
Double Tax Avoidance Agreement (DTAA).
7. Matthias Muller was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of
Volkswagen Group. He succeeded Martin Winterkorn who resigned following
the revelation that the German carmaker manipulated US diesel car
emissions tests.
8. Government has decided to appoint NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind
Panagariya as the Sherpa for G-20 talks, replacing Railway Minister
Suresh Prabhu. The next G20 Leaders' Summit is scheduled on November
15-16 at Antalya in Turkey.
9. Sourav Ganguly has been appointed as the President of Cricket
Association of Bengal (CAB) succeeding Jagmohan Dalmiya as announced by
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Jagmohan Dalmiya passed away
recently. Sourav Ganguly is the former Indian cricket captain.
10. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced that government has
set disbursement target for micro and marginal businesses under MUDRA
scheme during the current fiscal at Rs. 1.22 lakh crore. MUDRA has been
established as a subsidiary of SIDBI with an initial corpus of Rs. 5,000
crore to provide capital to all banks seeking refinancing of small
business loans under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY). PMMY loans fall
into three categories – Shishu (up to Rs. 50,000), Kishore (Rs.
50,000-Rs. 5 lakh) and Tarun (Rs. 5-10 lakh).
11. The 9th Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (RPBD) will be held at Los
Angeles, California, USA from 14 November to 15 November 2015. The Theme
of 9th RPBD will be – The Indian Diaspora: Defining a New Paradigm in
India-US Relationship.
12. Senior RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui has been elected as President
of Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) after an election held as per
directions of the Supreme Court. Siddiqui defeated Vinod Kumar, a former
president of BCA, by a margin of 30 votes.