Daily Current Affairs Updates: 29 September 2014

1) Ashraf Ghani sworn in as Afghanistan President: Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai has been sworn in as Afghanistan’s new President, replacing Hamid Karzai in the country’s first democratic transfer of power since the 2001 U.S-led invasion toppled the Taliban. He became President of Afghanistan in a peaceful transition Monday after a six-month election season that ended with marathon negotiations that gave the newly created position of chief executive to his challenger Abdullah Abdullah. Mr. Karzai had been Afghanistan’s only leader since 2001.

2) Seema Punia clinches first athletics gold in Asian Games: Discus thrower Seema Punia Antil ended India's gold-less streak in track and field events on the third day of athletics competitions as she beat back a strong challenge from two Chinese rivals to bag the coveted yellow metal at the Asian Games. Seema ran away with the gold with a best throw of 61.03m in the women's discus throw final while team-mate Krishna Poonia finished fourth with a below par 55.57m at the Incheon Asiad Main Stadium.

3) Panneerselvam sworn in as Tamil Nadu chief minister: AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam was sworn in as Tamil Nadu chief minister at a simple ceremony at the Raj Bhavan on Monday afternoon, two days after a special court in Bangalore sentenced former chief minister J Jayalalithaa to four years imprisonment in a disproportionate assets case. Governor K Rosaiah administered the oath to Panneerselvam, after which his cabinet colleagues were sworn in.

4) World Heart Day observed: World Heart Day was observed on 29 September 2014 across the globe. The objective of the day is to inform people around the globe that heart disease and stroke are the world’s leading causes of death, claiming 17.3 million lives each year. Eating more of low-calorie and nutrient-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables, and less of high-calorie, high-sodium foods, such as refined, processed or fast foods, can shape up our diet as well as our heart.

5) Modi announces lifelong visas for Indian diaspora: Amid cheers from thousands of Indian-Americans, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced several measures to ease travel to their motherland including life-long visas. “Happy?” he asked as the crowd cheered his announcement with chants of “Modi, Modi” at the huge Madison Square Garden community reception for him. “There is even more to come,” he said smilingly as he announced that People of Indian Origin (PIOs) in staying in India for long would not have to report to police. “There is no need for them to do that anymore.”

6) Sania Mirza-Saketh Myneni Win Mixed-Doubles Gold at Asian Games: Sania Mirza and Saketh Myneni's successful run at the Asian Games 2014 continued as the pair beat Chinese Taipei's Hsien Yin Peng and Hao Ching Chan 6-4, 6-3 to win India's sixth gold medal at Incheon. This is Sania's third consecutive Asian Games mixed doubles final appearance. In 2006, she won a gold with Leander Paes. She followed that up with a silver medal in 2010 with Vishnu Vardhan and has now won a gold with Saketh Myneni at Incheon.

7) BlackBerry Passport launched in India for Rs 49,990: BlackBerry has launched its new flagship smartphone, BlackBerry Passport in India for Rs 49,990. The smartphone was announced last week internationally and India is one of the first countries where the phone will be available. The Passport is a departure from the usual smartphone design and has a square shape. Its 4.5-inch touchscreen has an aspect ratio of 1:1 with a resolution of 1440 x 1440 pixels. Under the display is an innovative touch enabled keyboard that combines a physical keypad with virtual keypad functions seamlessly. You can swipe to delete and flick to select a predicted word on the keypad just like you would do on a display.