22nd October 2018 Current Affairs
Indian Carpet Expo in Varanasi inaugurated
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi Inaugurated 36th Indian Carpet Expo in Varanasi on 21 Octber 2018.
- The expo is being organised under the aegis of the Deen Dayal Hastkala Sankul – a trade facilitation centre for handicrafts – at Varanasi..
- The expo has become a world-famous international fair amongst the buyers of Handmade carpets, rugs and other floor coverings.
Special courts notified for benami cases
- The Finance Ministry has issued the notification for setting up Sessions Courts in all states and union territories.
- The Session court will act as Special Courts for the trial of offences under the benami transaction law.
- Benami transaction refers to transactions made in a fictitious name, or the owner is not aware of the ownership of the property.
Paytm launched PayPay in Japan
- Paytm has launched a payment service called ‘PayPay’ in Japan.
- PayPay is based on QR (quick-response) code technology.
- The payment service has been launched in association with SoftBank Corporation and Yahoo Japan Corporation.
- SoftBank Group is one of the largest investors in Paytm.
CBDT Releases Direct Tax Statistics: Key Highlights
- Continuing the practice of placing key statistics relating to direct tax collections and administration in public domain, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has further released time-series data as updated up to FY 2017-18 and income-distribution data for AY 2016-17 and AY 2017-18.
- There is a constant growth in direct tax-GDP ratio over last three years and the ratio of 5.98% in FY 2017-18 is the best DT-GDP ratio in last 10 years.
- There is a growth of more than 80% in the number of returns filed in the last four financial years from 3.79 crore in FY 2013-14 (base year) to 6.85 crore in FY 2017-18.
L&T Ranks 22 In Forbes' Best Global Employer List, Alphabet Tops
- Engineering and construction major Larsen & Toubro is the only domestic firm to be featured among the top 25 companies in the Forbes’ global 2000 best employers list that is led by Google parent Alphabet.
- While L&T is ranked 22, there are only four domestic firms in the top 100 list which include Mahindra & Mahindra at 55, Grasim Industries at 59 and HDFC at 91, and only 24 domestic companies in the overall list,as per the US magazine.
NASA names gamma-ray constellations
- NASA scientists have devised a new set of 21 modern gamma-ray constellations and named them after fictional characters such as the Hulk and Godzilla.
- The constellations were devised to celebrate the completion of 10 years of operations of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.
- Fermi’s Large Area Telescope has been scanning the entire sky each day, mapping and measuring sources of gamma rays.
Sujatha Gidla won Shakti Bhatt Prize
- Sujatha Gidla has won the 2018 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize.
- She won the award for her book, ‘Ants Among Elephants: An Untouchable Family and the Making of Modern India’.
- The Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize is funded by the Shakti Bhatt Foundation.
- It was set up in 2008 in memory of writer Shakti.
Cope India 2018: India, Japan, US Plan Joint Air Exercise
- India, Japan and the U.S. are set to elevate the bilateral ‘Cope India’ air exercise to a trilateral format.
- The three countries already conduct naval war games under the expanded Malabar naval exercise.
- The U.S. had proposed a trilateral air exercise between India, Japan and the U.S. For this, the Cope India exercise will be elevated to a trilateral level in phases.
Japanese Nobel Chemistry Laureate Shimomura Passes Away
- Japanese-born Marine biologist Osamu Shimomura, who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry, has died.
- He was 90.
- Shimomura and two American scientists shared the 2008 Nobel prize for the discovery and development of a jellyfish protein that contributed to cancer studies.
India’s First Domestic Cruise ‘Angriya’ Flagged Off From Mumbaia
- Angriya, India’s first luxury cruise ship, has been inaugurated at Mumbai.
- Union minister for shipping Nitin Gadkari and Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis flagged-off the cruise which will operate between Mumbai and Goa.
- Named after the first Maratha Navy Admiral Kanhoji Angre and the Angria bank coral reef near Vijaydurg, the luxury ship has 104 rooms, divided into eight different categories.
- It can accommodate 399 passengers and will have 67 crew members including hospitality and marine crew.
#MeToo: SC declined urgent hearing of PIL
- The Supreme Court declined urgent hearing on a PIL seeking the registration of FIRs based on allegations of sexual misconduct and assault levelled by women across various sectors,
- It is a part of what is being referred to as India’s #MeToo movement.
- #MeToo spread virally in October 2017 on social media in an attempt to demonstrate the widespread prevalence of sexual assault and harassment.
Try out the quiz ?
1. Where has Prime Minister Narendra Modi Inaugurated 36th Indian Carpet Expo?
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi Inaugurated 36th Indian Carpet Expo in Varanasi on 21 Octber 2018. • The expo is being organised under the aegis of the Deen Dayal Hastkala Sankul – a trade facilitation centre for handicrafts – at Varanasi.. • The expo has become a world-famous international fair amongst the buyers of Handmade carpets, rugs and other floor coverings.
2. What is the name of Paytm payment service in japan?
• Paytm has launched a payment service called ‘PayPay’ in Japan. • PayPay is based on QR (quick-response) code technology. • The payment service has been launched in association with SoftBank Corporation and Yahoo Japan Corporation. • SoftBank Group is one of the largest investors in Paytm.
3. Which of the following company Ranks 22 in Forbes’ Best Global Employer list?
• Engineering and construction major Larsen & Toubro is the only domestic firm to be featured among the top 25 companies in the Forbes' global 2000 best employers list that is led by Google parent Alphabet. • While L&T is ranked 22, there are only four domestic firms in the top 100 list which include Mahindra & Mahindra at 55, Grasim Industries at 59 and HDFC at 91, and only 24 domestic companies in the overall list,as per the US magazine.
4. What is the name of the device set by NASA scientist with 21 modern?
• NASA scientists have devised a new set of 21 modern gamma-ray constellations and named them after fictional characters such as the Hulk and Godzilla. • The constellations were devised to celebrate the completion of 10 years of operations of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. • Fermi’s Large Area Telescope has been scanning the entire sky each day, mapping and measuring sources of gamma rays.
5. Who won the 2018 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize?
• Sujatha Gidla has won the 2018 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize. • She won the award for her book, ‘Ants Among Elephants: An Untouchable Family and the Making of Modern India’. • The Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize is funded by the Shakti Bhatt Foundation. • It was set up in 2008 in memory of writer Shakti.
6. ‘Cope India’ air exercise a trilateral format is among which countries?
• India, Japan and the U.S. are set to elevate the bilateral ‘Cope India’ air exercise to a trilateral format. • The three countries already conduct naval war games under the expanded Malabar naval exercise. • The U.S. had proposed a trilateral air exercise between India, Japan and the U.S. For this, the Cope India exercise will be elevated to a trilateral level in phases.
7. Who was Osamu Shimomura, who recently passed away?
• Japanese-born Marine biologist Osamu Shimomura, who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry, has died. • He was 90. • Shimomura and two American scientists shared the 2008 Nobel prize for the discovery and development of a jellyfish protein that contributed to cancer studies.
8. Where did the India’s First Domestic Cruise ‘Angriya’ Flagged off from?
• Angriya, India’s first luxury cruise ship, has been inaugurated at Mumbai. • Union minister for shipping Nitin Gadkari and Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis flagged-off the cruise which will operate between Mumbai and Goa. • Named after the first Maratha Navy Admiral Kanhoji Angre and the Angria bank coral reef near Vijaydurg, the luxury ship has 104 rooms, divided into eight different categories. • It can accommodate 399 passengers and will have 67 crew members including hospitality and marine crew.
9. __________ declined urgent hearing on a PIL seeking the registration of FIRs based on allegations of sexual misconduct and assault levelled by women across various sectors.
• The Supreme Court declined urgent hearing on a PIL seeking the registration of FIRs based on allegations of sexual misconduct and assault levelled by women across various sectors, • It is a part of what is being referred to as India’s #MeToo movement. • #MeToo spread virally in October 2017 on social media in an attempt to demonstrate the widespread prevalence of sexual assault and harassment.
