Daily GK: 02nd - 3rd November 2014

1.    Anita Kapur likely to be new CBDT Chairperson

i. Senior IRS officer Anita Kapur is tipped to be the new chairperson of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the apex authority of the Income Tax department.
ii. Kapur, a 1978-batch officer of the Income Tax cadre, is currently serving as Member of Legislation and Computerisation and Income Tax in the CBDT.

iii. She is expected to take over the new charge on November 1 after incumbent Chairman K V Chowdary retires on October 31, a senior official said. She will be in office till November next year.
iv. The CBDT has six members apart from the Chairman and is the apex body for framing policy and administrative issues related to direct taxes and the Income Tax department.

2.    Veteran Bollywood actor Sadashiv Amrapurkar died

i.  Known for his subtle mannerism, the versatile Sadashiv Amrapurkar played varied villainous and comic roles in Indian cinema enthralling the audience with his ’unique’ style in a career spanning over three decades.

ii. The ailing actor, who died at a hospital here this morning at the age of 64, played iconic character roles including a ruthless eunuch in ‘Sadak’, a villain in ‘Ardh Satya’ and a selfish father in ‘Ishq’ with an effortless ease.

iii. Ironically, while he would instill fear with his negative roles on—screen, the actor was a true gentleman in real life and involved in many social activities.

iv. Born as Ganesh Kumar Narwode to an auto driver in Nashik in 1956, he adopted the name Sadashiv in 1974. Fondly known as Tatya in his family and friend circle, Amrapurkar grew up in Ahmednagar with his parents and a younger brother.

v. Right from his younger days, Amrapurkar was into acting and was part of several plays in school and college.

vi. After ‘Ardh Satya’, Amrapurkar starred in small roles in films such as ‘Purana Mandir’, ‘Nasoor’, ‘Muddat’, ‘Veeru Dada’, ‘Jawani’, and ‘Farishtay’.

vii. In 1987, he starred as the main villain in Dharamendra starrer ‘Hukumat’ which went on to be a blockbuster that grossed even more than ‘Mr India’.

3.    India set to include Mauritius in Visa on Arrival scheme

i. India is working on the inclusion of Mauritius in the group of countries to be listed in its Visa on Arrival scheme, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Monday describing the bilateral ties as truly unique and extraordinary.

ii. "Mauritius was the first and largest recipient of indentured labour from India, and is home to the Aapravasi Ghat, a spiritual and emotional shrine to the memory of these brave souls," Swaraj said at the inauguration of the International Conference on Indentured Labour Route Project.

iii. Swaraj, who is on a three-day visit to Mauritius, said India has long supported Mauritius in all its efforts to research, document and preserve this precious history, and the Indentured Labour Route Project can also be assured of the full support of India.

4.    India economic summit from Nov 4-6

i. The World Economic Forum in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will host the India Economic Summit in New Delhi from November 4 to November 6 under the theme ‘Redefining public-private cooperation for a new beginning’.

ii. “This year’s summit would focus on issues such as gender equality, smart cities and climate change, apart from business and industry,” said CII Director-Geneal Chandrajit Banerjee.

iii. The annual summit will see 700 participants from 45 countries and Union Ministers such as Arun Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitaraman, Smriti Irani, Nitin Gadkari and Piyush Goyal are expected to attend.

5.    Manmohan Singh chosen for Japan national award

i. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been chosen for one of Japan’s top national awards for his contribution to India-Japan ties, becoming the first Indian to receive the rare honour.

ii. Dr. Singh will be awarded ‘The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers’ for his “significant contribution to the enhancement of relations and promotion of friendship” between Japan and India for about 35 years, a Japanese Embassy statement said.

iii. It is a “high level National Order” and a rare honour awarded to those who are recognised for their distinguished contribution, it said, adding “Manmohan Singh is the first Indian recipient of this Order.”

iv. Dr. Singh said he was truly honoured and felt “humbled by the love and affection showered upon me by the people and government of Japan.”

6.    UN chief Ban Ki-moon launched global campaign to end female genital mutilation

i. United Nations (UN) chief Ban Ki-moon on 30 0ctober 2014 launched a global campaign in Kenya to end the deadly practice of female genital mutilation.
ii. More than 125 million girls and women have been cut in 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East. If current trends continue, 86 million young girls are likely to undergo same form of the practice by 2030.
iii. As per the UN, the practice of female genital mutilation is a violation of human rights. In 2012, the U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring zero tolerance for female genital mutilation (FGM) with the hope to raise awareness against the practice.

7.    First dedicated International Textile Fair begins in Dubai

i. The International Textile Fair begins in Dubai today. More than 200 exhibitors from all over the world including India will showcase their latest fashion designs, fabrics and clothing at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

ii. The first dedicated international textile show in the Gulf region has brought together textile manufacturers and designers from India, China, Pakistan, Turkey, Indonesia, Italy and other countries at one platform.

iii. The ITF The textile fair provides a platform for buyers and designers to view the showcased latest trims and accessories, from current ranges to pre-collections of the 2015 edition.

8.    IRENA holds 8th council meeting in Abu Dhabi today

i. The International Renewable Energy Agency, IRENA will hold its eighth Council meeting in Abu Dhabi today. The two day meeting is being attended by representatives from over 85 countries.

ii. The Indian delegation is being led by the Secretary, Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy. The meeting will review the progress made in the implementation of the biennial Work Program set up at the Assembly in January.

iii. The IRENA Council, which convenes twice yearly, guides the Agency’s programs and activities and helps set the agenda for the annual Assembly, scheduled to be held on 17 and 18 January next year.

iv. India is one of the Permanent members of the UN body which facilitates collaboration and knowledge sharing to move the global renewable energy agenda forward.

v. The agency works to achieve the goal of sustainable development by promoting widespread and increased adoption of renewable energy worldwide.

9.    G.K. Vasan quits Congress

i. Congress leader G.K. Vasan, on Monday, announced that he is quitting the party and will float a new outfit soon. The name of the political party and the party flag will be unveiled soon, he informed the mediapersons in Chennai on Monday.

ii. The son of late Congress veteran G.K. Moopanar, had earlier hinted at "a new political course" on Sunday.

10.  Central Zone won the Duleep Trophy

i. Central Zone won the 2014-15 Duleep Trophy title of cricket by defeating South Zone in the finals played at Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi with 9 runs.

ii. This was the first Duleep title for Central zone in ten seasons and the narrowest win in the tournament’s history, in terms of runs.  iii. South Zone, while chasing a victory target of 301 in the second innings of the final match were all out for 291 in 88.4 over. 

iv. K Rahul was adjudged as the Man-of-the-match for his knocks of 185 and 130 in the final.

11.  Pakistan decimates Australia to win series

i. Pakistan beat Australia by 356 runs in the second and final test in Abu Dhabi on Monday to complete a 2-0 series victory.

ii. Resuming on 143-4 and needing to bat out three sessions to force a draw, Australia folded for 246 in their second innings after lunch.

iii. Steve Smith (97) top scored for them, adding 107 runs with Mitchell Marsh (47) as the duo defied Pakistan for major part of the morning session.

iv. Left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar was the pick of the Pakistani bowlers, claiming five for 120.

v. Pakistan had won the first test in Dubai by 221 runs.

12.  Pakistan jump to third in rankings

i. Pakistan has vaulted into third position in the Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings thrashing Australia by 356 runs in the second Test in Abu Dhabi to complete a two-nil series sweep.

ii. The series victory, Pakistan’s first against Australia in 20 years, sees Misbah-ul-Haq’s side gain nine rankings points to leapfrog England, Sri Lanka and India into third position.

Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings (November 3)

1. South Africa (124)        2. Australia (117)              3. Pakistan (105)

4. England (104)                5. Sri Lanka (101)                   6. India (96)

13.  Lewis Hamilton overtake Nico Rosberg to win US GP

i. Lewis Hamilton caught and passed Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg to win the United States Grand Prix and extend his World Championship lead.

ii.  Hamilton took his 10th victory of the season thanks to a late and brave move down the inside of Rosberg at Turn 12, after erasing the German's lead. The result extends Hamilton's lead over Rosberg to 24 points with 75 available in the two remaining races.

iii. Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo drove superbly to beat the Williams to third. Hamilton's victory will be another psychological blow for Rosberg, who arrived in Austin, Texas, admitting he needed three strong races to have any chance of beating his team-mate to the title

14.  India thrash Sri Lanka by 169 runs in 1st ODI

i. India thrashed Sri Lanka by 169 runs in the first one-day International to take lead in the five-match series at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday.

ii. India :363/5 in 50 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 111, Shikhar Dhawan 113; Suraj Randiv 3-78) Sri Lanka : 194 all out in 39.2 overs (Mahela Jayawardene 43, Thisara Perera 29; Ishant Sharma 4-34).
iii. Put into bat, Rahane struck 111 from 108 balls (13x4, 2x6) en route to his second ODI century while Dhawan returned to form with a 107-ball 113 (14x3, 3x6), his sixth overall, and first since his 119 vs West Indies in Kanpur in November last year, to set the tempo for the record total at this venue.

Iv. This was only the second time 300-plus was scored at this venue with the previous best being India's 301 for three against Zimbabwe way back in 1998.