Important Current Affairs 30th October 2019

NATIONAL  AFFAIRS

-PM Narendra Modi leaves for home after concluding visit to Saudi Arabia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, during which he held extensive talks with the top Saudi leadership and addressed a key financial forum here.

Prime Minister Modi ,held wide-ranging talks with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, during which a Strategic Partnership Council was established to coordinate on important issues.

A memorandum of under standing was also signed to roll out RuPay card in the Kingdom - making Saudi Arabia the third country in the Persian Gulf after the UAE and Bahrain to introduce India’s digital payment system.

-Considering proposal to drop everything about Tipu Sultan from textbooks: BS Yediyurappa

Earlier, on October 28 State Education Minister Suresh Kumar wrote to the Managing Director of Karnataka Textbook Society, directing him to submit a report in three days on BJP MLA Appachu Ranjan’s proposal to strike off references to Tipu Sultan from history textbooks.

-Congress announces nationwide protests from November 5 to 15 against Centre’s policies

Congress general secretary organisation K C Venugopal said in a statement that the protests against the BJP Government’s “misrule” would be carried out at all state capitals and district headquarters.

The protests will culminate in a “massive programme” in the national capital in the last week of November, he said, adding that at the state level, the PCC presidents, CLP leaders and senior AICC functionaries will provide the leadership, while central leaders will participate in the protest in Delhi.

He said the Congress will highlight the issues of the “adverse impact of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), current economic crisis, mounting unemployment, spiralling price rise, collapse of banking system, heavy loss of jobs in public and private sectors and the omnipresent farm distress”

-Orange alert in 4 districts in Kerala

The Orange alert, indicating heavy to very rainfall of between 6 CM to 20 CM, was for Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts for October 31, while the other 10 districts were issued a yellow alert for tomorrow.

-India considers adding more levies on refined palm oil imports

-Govt is discussing a proposal to impose a new levy in addition to the existing import duty and raise the goods and services tax on the processed tropical oil.

-India, the world’s biggest buyer of palm oil, is considering a proposal to further increase import taxes on the refined variety to boost local processing and cut dependence on overseas purchases.

INTERNATIONAL  AFFAIRS

J&J's own expert, working for FDA, found asbestos in Baby Powder  

Ever since Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) disclosed this month that a government test had turned up asbestos in its Baby Powder, the company has attacked the validity of the result. J&J announced that other labs it hired ultimately found no asbestos in samples from the bottle tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or from the same production lot.In challenging the FDA’s finding, however, the healthcare giant is casting doubt on one of its own experts.

Facebook agrees to pay UK fine over Cambridge Analytica scandal

Facebook (FB.O) has agreed to pay a 500,000 pound fine for breaches of data protection law related to the harvesting of data by consultancy Cambridge Analytica, Britain's information rights regulator said on Wednesday.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has faced questioning by U.S. and EU lawmakers over how the political consultancy obtained the personal data of 87 million Facebook users from a researcher.

The Information Commissioner's Office issued the small but symbolic fine last year after it said data from at least 1 million British users had been among the information harvested by Cambridge Analytica and used for political purposes.

On Wednesday the ICO said that in dropping its appeal and agreeing to pay the fine, Facebook had not made an admission of liability.

Pakistan issues coin to commemorate 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak

The government of Pakistan on Tuesday issued coins to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak, marking the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor for the Sikh pilgrims from India.

The opening of the Kartarpur Corridor has become a major initiative as it comes amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, following the Centre's decision to revoke Article 370, that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

The coin, worth Pakistan rupee 50, will be available at the Kartarpur Sahib along with a postal stamp worth PKR 8 to the travelling pilgrims, as reported by news agency ANI.

Lebanon PM Saad Hariri resigns amid nationwide anti-government protests

Lebanon Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Tuesday announced resignation from the post amid a wave of protests against his government in nearly two weeks.

"I can't hide this from you. I have reached a dead-end. To all my political peers, our responsibility today is how to protect Lebanon and to uplift the economy. Today, there is a serious opportunity and we should not waste it," Harir.

As Hariri announced his resignation, scores of demonstrators in Beirut celebrated with joy and waved the Lebanese flag.

           

SPORTS AFFAIRS

Former captain Hamilton Masakadza appointed Zimbabwe's new Director of Cricket

Hamilton Masakadza, who recently retired from cricket after an 18-year international career, will take charge as Zimbabwe's new Director of Cricket on November 1.

•           Hamilton Masakadza recently bid adieu to international cricket after playing 313 matches for Zimbabwe

•           Masakadza will now begin a new innings as Zimbabwe's Director of Cricket from November

•           Masakadza's appointment is being claimed as a move to strengthen cricket across all levels in the country

BCCI orders 6 dozen pink balls for day-night Test at Eden

•           BCCI orders 6 dozen pink balls from SG for day-night Test

•           SG plans to deliver pink balls by the middle of next week

•           We have been working on the ball since the 2016-17 season: SG marketing director

The BCCI has asked manufacturer SG to deliver 72 pink balls by next week for India's first-ever day night Test, to be held at the Eden Gardens from November 22.

The BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has already confirmed that SG pink balls will be used for the landmark game, leaving the manufacturer with very little room for error.

2020 T20 World Cup Qualifiers: Scotland clinch Australia berth after beating UAE by 90 runs

Scotland are now the 5th team to qualify for the World Cup from the ongoing T20 WC Qualifiers being held in UAE after The Netherlands, Namibia, PNG and Ireland.

•           Scotland beat UAE by 90 runs on Wednesday to qualify for the 2020 T20 World Cup

•           The Netherlands, Namibia, PNG and Ireland had already qualified for the World Cup

•           Wednesday's victory was Scotland's 2nd-highest in history

           

IMPORTANT DATES

•           1340 Battle of Rio Salado Battle (or Tarifa): King Afonso IV of Portugal and King Alfonso XI of Castile defeat Sultan Abu al-Hasan 'Ali of Morocco and Yusuf I of Granada, last Marīnids invasion of Iberian Peninsula

•           1899 Battle of Ladysmith, Natal: Boers defeat the British, leading to the Siege of Ladysmith

•           1905 "October Manifesto" Russian Tsar Nicholas II grants civil liberties and accepts the first Duma (Parliament)

•           1917 British government gives final approval to Balfour Declaration

•           1973 The Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey is completed, connecting the continents of Europe and Asia over the Bosporus for the first time.

AWARDS AND EVENTS

-Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has become the world’s sixth-largest energy entity

On 30 October 2019 Current Affairs: Mukesh Ambani led-Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has become the world’s sixth-largest energy entity with high market capitalization. RIL overtook British oil major BP Plc in terms of market capitalization to become the world’s sixth-largest energy entity.

RIL hit a market cap (m-cap) of $130.76 billion on 30 October compared with BP Plc’s $128 billion. The shares of RIL traded at Rs.1,466 on the BSE. It has gained over 31% so far in 2019.

Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest energy entity, that pumps about 10% of the world's crude. It has emerged as the most profitable company in 2018.

-5th International Conference on ROADTECH 

On 30 October 2019 Current Affairs: The 5th International Conference on ROADTECH (Sustainable Roads and Highways-Smart Use of Available Resources for Green and Sustainable Roads) was held in New Delhi on 30 October. Union Minister of State for Road Transport V.K. Singh addressed the meeting.

Highlights:

♦ Discussion included the growth of the economy by propelling the infrastructure. To achieve this growth India needs sustainable and environment-friendly roads and highways.

♦ The centre has planned to improve the field of infrastructure in the future than the work done in the last five years

♦ To find the unique way to monetize the road projects in an environment-friendly manner was also discussed

♦ The meeting culminated by deciding to focus on the infrastructure sector to fight the economic slowdown.