Daily Current Affairs from 19 October 2013

Daily Current Affairs from 19 October 2013

Banking

1)  Reserve Bank of India launched the new Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system for large-value funds transfer. The system has several new functionalities including advance liquidity features, gridlock resolution mechanism and hybrid settlement facility, facility to accept future value-dated transactions and options to process multi-currency transactions. The Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system is a large-value funds transfer system which banks use to settle inter-bank transfers for their own accounts as well as for their customers.

2) NRI businessman M A Yusuffali has acquired 4.99 per cent share in Kerala—based Dhanlaxmi Bank after purchasing stakes in two other lenders in the state earlier this year.

3) Nilesh Shah to succeed Manish Chokhani as Axis Capital head: Nilesh Shah will take charge of Axis Capital as Managing Director & CEO from Manish Chokhani on November 15.

Sports

1) Australia beat India by four wickets in the third ODI held in Mohali. Earlier, Mahendra Singh Dhoni led from the front by smashing an unbeaten 139 as India recovered from a poor start to post a massive 303 for nine against Australia. Australia now Leads 7-Match Series 2-1.

2) Ding Junhui won Indian Open Snooker Title 2013: Ding Junhui of China won the 2013 Indian Open Snooker title with a 5-0 victory over Aditya Mehta of India in New Delhi on 18 October 2013. Aditya Mehta, 72nd in the world, became the first Indian player to make the last four of a major ranking event when he reached the semi-finals on 17 October 2013 and he was also first Indian ever to reach the final of the event.

3) Pradeep Sangwan banned for 18 months by BCCI anti-doping tribunal: Kolkata Knight Riders pacer Pradeep Sangwan was today slapped with an 18-month ban from cricket after being found guilty of consuming a banned anabolic steroid.

International

1) US debt increases to $17 trillion: Public debt of United States has increased to a whopping $17 trillion after the Congress increased the debt ceiling this week.

2) Salman Khurshid to visit Philippines, Singapore:  External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid, will be visiting the Philippines and Singapore from October 21 to 24 this year, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Saturday.

National

1) TN allots Rs 717.32 cr for 3 integrated drinking water projects: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, J. Jayalalithaa, has allocated Rs 717.32 crore for implementing integrated drinking water projects in Tirupur, Erode, Thanjavur and Coimbatore districts, to benefit over 10 lakh people.

2) Former Star CEO Sameer Nair joins AAP: Sameer Nair, former CEO of Star TV and NDTV Imagine, and an independent media entrepreneur at present, has joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The fledgling AAP is entering the fray in the Delhi Assembly elections slated for early December.

3) Attorney-General for immediate disqualification of convicted MPs: Ending uncertainty over the procedure to notify the disqualification of convicted MPs Lalu Prasad and Jagdish Sharma, the Attorney-General has told the Lok Sabha Secretariat to immediately issue the notification declaring the seats vacant.

4) Mumbai gets India’s tallest ATC tower: New air traffic control (ATC) tower in Mumbai is India’s tallest, at a height of 84 metres. It will hold this record till the 102-metre tower of Indira Gandhi International Airport is commissioned in Delhi.

5) Justice Sapre sworn in as Gauhati High Court Chief Justice: In Assam, Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre today took oath as the new Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court at Rajbhawan in Guwahati. Governor J B Patnaik administered the oath to him. Justice Sapre earlier served as the Chief Justice of Manipur High Court.

Technology

1) Mars Orbiter lift-off postponed by a week: The launch of the Rs 450-crore Mars Orbiter Mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation has been postponed by a week as a ship carrying the rocket tracking terminal could not reach Fiji on time. The launch was planned for October 28 from ISRO’s Sriharikota launch pad in coastal Andhra Pradesh.

2) Facebook opens doors to Google ad service: Google-owned online ad-placing service DoubleClick announced that the way has been cleared to include space at Facebook.Google had previously been shut out of the social network’s advertising network, with no reasons given for the exclusion or the change of heart.Word that the Internet titan’s online advertising reach would extend to Facebook came as Google shares breached $1,000 for the first time.

Obitutaries

1) Eminent Telugu writer and Gyanpeeth award recipient, Dr. Ravuri Bharadwaja passed away in Hyderabad on 18 October 2013. He was 86. Ravuri Bharadwaja won Gyanpeeth award for the year 2012 for his well known Telugu novel, Paakudu Raallu, which reflected real life behind the silver screen of the film industry.

2) Noted Malayalam music composer K Raghavan died at Thalassery in Kannur district of Kerala on 19 October 2013. He was 99. Raghavan infused the folk element into Malayalam film music and his rustic melodies replaced the then prevailing trend of imitations of popular Hindi tunes of the day. The music mastero, who is credited with giving a new direction and identity to Malayalam film music, has scored music for over 60 films in a career spanning for about four decades.