Current Affairs of 23 January 2016

Daily Current Affairs contains all major news that occurs National and International Level.It will helpful for those students who are preparing for Bank Exams- IBPS/SBI/PO/Clerk exam , SSC Exams and all other competitive exams .

Current Affairs of 8 December 2015

Dear Banking and SSC , Railway exam Aspirants keep reading Daily Current Affairs for upcoming Exams
1. Sri Lanka tops in 2015 HDI in South Asia Region
1. Sri Lanka has maintained its high ranking in 2015 human development index (HDI) in the South Asia Region. In the 2015 Global Human Development Report (HDR) released by UN Development Programme (UNDP) Sri Lanka was ranked 73rd with an HDI value of 0.757.
2. Rankings of other seven South Asian Countries are Maldives (104), India (130), Bhutan (132), Bangladesh (142), Nepal (145), Pakistan (147) and Afghanistan (171). 
3. India and Bhutan fall under the medium human development countries the category. While Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan fall under low human development countries category.

2. Google, Railtel launches free public Wi-Fi service at Mumbai Central Station
1. Google India and Indian Railways’ telecom arm RailTel has launched free Rail Wire Public Wi-Fi service for railway passengers at the Mumbai Central Station. This service was launched by Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu. With this, Mumbai Central has become the first railway station in India to have free high-speed Wi-Fi Internet facility.
2. Railwire Wi-Fi Service will be available to any user (passenger) having Wi-Fi enabled smart phones. Users can easily stream research their destination, surf high definition video while they’re waiting or save some videos for offline viewing download e books for the journey.

3. Government inks MoU to implement Action Plan for skill development in Telecom
1. The Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has signed MoU with Department of Telecommunication (DoT) for Skill Development in Telecom Sector. The MoU has signed to implement National Action Plan for Skill Development in Telecom Sector.
2. Both signatories will make concerted joint efforts towards skill development by facilitating mobilization of financial support for various activities. The financial mobilization will be under the National Ecosystem for Development of Telecom.

4. Inaugural Best Countries report released at World Economic Forum
1. US News and World Report, WPP’s BAV Consulting and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania  released the inaugural Best Countries report, a joint rankings and analysis project at the World Economic Forum, Davos.
2. The rankings evaluate 60 nations across 24 rankings lists on a wide range of criteria, from sustainability to economic influence.
Germany is viewed as the best country in the world followed by Canada and the United Kingdom. India is ranked as the 22nd best country in the World.
3. Main Highlights
• Sweden is recognized as the most modern country, the Best Country to Raise Kids and the No. 1 nation for Green Living.
• Denmark is named the Best Country for Women.
• The United States is named the most powerful country
• India has the No. 1 upcoming economy.
• Germany is the best country for entrepreneurship,
• Luxembourg is the most business friendly.
• Italy is the country with the richest tradition
• Brazil is the No. 1 nation to visit.
• Canada tops the list of countries with the best quality of life.

5. Former Deputy Speaker of Gujarat Assembly Nirmala Gajwani died
1. Former Deputy Speaker of Gujarat Assembly and Social Activist Nirmala Gajwani passed away on 21 January 2016 in Rajkot, Gujarat. She was 87.
2. Gajwani was a reputed social worker and one of the leading lights of the Sindhi community in the state. 

6. BEPS guidelines of OECD to be implemented in India from 1 April 2016
1. The term BEPS is an acronym of Base Erosion and Profit Shifting and it was in news in the third week of January 2016 as India decided to implement these guidelines.
2. BEPS refers to tax planning strategies that would exploit the gaps and mismatches in tax rules to artificially shift profits to low or no-tax locations where there is little or no economic activity, resulting in little or no overall corporate tax being paid.
3. These norms were announced by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in October 2015 to close tax loopholes that it estimated cost countries upwards of 100 billion US dollars a year.
4. With the implementation of these guidelines, it will become mandatory for Indian multinationals to make country-by-country reporting to follow guidelines from the financial year that begins on 1 April 2016.
5.  It will impact all Indian companies with significant cross-border operations and with annual consolidated global revenue of more than 5500 crore rupees.
BEPS will be major significance for developing countries like India, as they strongly rely on corporate income tax and in particular from multinational enterprises (MNEs).

7. Internet’s openness, dynamism at risk: WEF report
1. There has been a growing concern that the Internet may be in danger of splintering into a series of bordered cyberspace segments, according to a new report by the World Economic Forum.
2. The issues that dominated the discussion include emerging fragmentation of the Internet, along multiple lines, due to developments in technical, governmental and commercial realm.
3. To help build a shared understanding about this global challenge, WEF’s Global Challenge on the Future of the Internet initiative reached out to three leading experts — William J Drake, Vinton Cerf, and Wolfgang Kleinwachter —— to produce a white paper.
4. The paper maps the landscape of Internet fragmentation and cites 28 examples arising from technical, governmental and commercial trends.

8. PM pays tribute to Netaji
1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today paid rich tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his birth anniversary, saying generations of Indians remember him for his bravery and patriotism.
2. The Prime Minister chose this day to declassify secret files relating to Netaji with a view of throwing some light on his mysterious disappearance.

9. Jan Dhan accounts deposits cross Rs. 30,000 cr
1. Deposits in accounts opened under the government’s flagship financial inclusion programme —— Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) —— have crossed the Rs. 30,000 crore mark.
2. As many as 20.38 crore bank accounts were opened under the PMJDY as on the January 20, as per the latest data available. These bank accounts had deposits of Rs. 30,638.29 crore (about $4.5 billion).
3. The accounts that can be opened under PMJDY are Basic Savings Bank Deposit Accounts (BSBDA) which can be of zero balance, as per RBI guidelines.
4. As per the trends available, the percentage of accounts with ‘Zero Balance’ have actually shown a significant decline.Accounts with no balance in them were as high as 76.81 per cent of the total opened under the scheme as on September 30, 2015. They have come down to just about 32 per cent at the end of December.
5. The Finance Ministry data further showed that 8.74 crore of the accounts were seeded with Aadhaar and 17.14 crore account holders were issued RuPay cards.
6. The data further revealed that as on January 15, banks had offered 53.54 lakh account holders overdraft facility of which the sanction was issued for 27.56 lakh cases and 12.32 lakh account holders availed it. The total amount availed was Rs. 166.7 crore.

10. Sindhu storms into Malaysia Masters final
1. Ace Indian shuttler P.V. Sindhu scored an upset victory over top seed Ji Hyun Sung of Korea in a hard-fought three setter to storm into the women’s singles final of the USD 120,000 Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament in Penang.
2. Sindhu, the double World Championship bronze medallist, beat her world number eight Korean opponent 21-19 12-21 21-10 in a semifinal contest that lasted one hour and nine minutes.
3. The world number 12 Indian thus put herself on course for a fifth Grand Prix Gold event. She had won the same tournament in 2013 before bagging three more Grand Prix Gold tournament titles at the Macau Open (2013, 2014 and 2015).

11. Windies' Chanderpaul retires from international cricket
1. West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul has officially retired from international cricket, seven months after selectors opted to discard the veteran and push for a youth-oriented policy.
2. Chanderpaul, who was dumped before the home series against Australia last June, said that he felt he deserved the opportunity to play one final series despite a poor return in domestic cricket before the squad was selected.
3. The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) thanked him for his contribution to their game.
Daily Current Affairs contains all major news that occurs National and International Level.It will helpful for those students who are preparing for Bank Exams- IBPS/SBI/PO/Clerk exam , SSC Exams and all other competitive exams .

Current Affairs of 8 December 2015

Dear Banking and SSC , Railway exam Aspirants keep reading Daily Current Affairs for upcoming Exams
1. Sri Lanka tops in 2015 HDI in South Asia Region
1. Sri Lanka has maintained its high ranking in 2015 human development index (HDI) in the South Asia Region. In the 2015 Global Human Development Report (HDR) released by UN Development Programme (UNDP) Sri Lanka was ranked 73rd with an HDI value of 0.757.
2. Rankings of other seven South Asian Countries are Maldives (104), India (130), Bhutan (132), Bangladesh (142), Nepal (145), Pakistan (147) and Afghanistan (171). 
3. India and Bhutan fall under the medium human development countries the category. While Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan fall under low human development countries category.

2. Google, Railtel launches free public Wi-Fi service at Mumbai Central Station
1. Google India and Indian Railways’ telecom arm RailTel has launched free Rail Wire Public Wi-Fi service for railway passengers at the Mumbai Central Station. This service was launched by Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu. With this, Mumbai Central has become the first railway station in India to have free high-speed Wi-Fi Internet facility.
2. Railwire Wi-Fi Service will be available to any user (passenger) having Wi-Fi enabled smart phones. Users can easily stream research their destination, surf high definition video while they’re waiting or save some videos for offline viewing download e books for the journey.

3. Government inks MoU to implement Action Plan for skill development in Telecom
1. The Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has signed MoU with Department of Telecommunication (DoT) for Skill Development in Telecom Sector. The MoU has signed to implement National Action Plan for Skill Development in Telecom Sector.
2. Both signatories will make concerted joint efforts towards skill development by facilitating mobilization of financial support for various activities. The financial mobilization will be under the National Ecosystem for Development of Telecom.

4. Inaugural Best Countries report released at World Economic Forum
1. US News and World Report, WPP’s BAV Consulting and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania  released the inaugural Best Countries report, a joint rankings and analysis project at the World Economic Forum, Davos.
2. The rankings evaluate 60 nations across 24 rankings lists on a wide range of criteria, from sustainability to economic influence.
Germany is viewed as the best country in the world followed by Canada and the United Kingdom. India is ranked as the 22nd best country in the World.
3. Main Highlights
• Sweden is recognized as the most modern country, the Best Country to Raise Kids and the No. 1 nation for Green Living.
• Denmark is named the Best Country for Women.
• The United States is named the most powerful country
• India has the No. 1 upcoming economy.
• Germany is the best country for entrepreneurship,
• Luxembourg is the most business friendly.
• Italy is the country with the richest tradition
• Brazil is the No. 1 nation to visit.
• Canada tops the list of countries with the best quality of life.

5. Former Deputy Speaker of Gujarat Assembly Nirmala Gajwani died
1. Former Deputy Speaker of Gujarat Assembly and Social Activist Nirmala Gajwani passed away on 21 January 2016 in Rajkot, Gujarat. She was 87.
2. Gajwani was a reputed social worker and one of the leading lights of the Sindhi community in the state. 

6. BEPS guidelines of OECD to be implemented in India from 1 April 2016
1. The term BEPS is an acronym of Base Erosion and Profit Shifting and it was in news in the third week of January 2016 as India decided to implement these guidelines.
2. BEPS refers to tax planning strategies that would exploit the gaps and mismatches in tax rules to artificially shift profits to low or no-tax locations where there is little or no economic activity, resulting in little or no overall corporate tax being paid.
3. These norms were announced by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in October 2015 to close tax loopholes that it estimated cost countries upwards of 100 billion US dollars a year.
4. With the implementation of these guidelines, it will become mandatory for Indian multinationals to make country-by-country reporting to follow guidelines from the financial year that begins on 1 April 2016.
5.  It will impact all Indian companies with significant cross-border operations and with annual consolidated global revenue of more than 5500 crore rupees.
BEPS will be major significance for developing countries like India, as they strongly rely on corporate income tax and in particular from multinational enterprises (MNEs).

7. Internet’s openness, dynamism at risk: WEF report
1. There has been a growing concern that the Internet may be in danger of splintering into a series of bordered cyberspace segments, according to a new report by the World Economic Forum.
2. The issues that dominated the discussion include emerging fragmentation of the Internet, along multiple lines, due to developments in technical, governmental and commercial realm.
3. To help build a shared understanding about this global challenge, WEF’s Global Challenge on the Future of the Internet initiative reached out to three leading experts — William J Drake, Vinton Cerf, and Wolfgang Kleinwachter —— to produce a white paper.
4. The paper maps the landscape of Internet fragmentation and cites 28 examples arising from technical, governmental and commercial trends.

8. PM pays tribute to Netaji
1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today paid rich tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his birth anniversary, saying generations of Indians remember him for his bravery and patriotism.
2. The Prime Minister chose this day to declassify secret files relating to Netaji with a view of throwing some light on his mysterious disappearance.

9. Jan Dhan accounts deposits cross Rs. 30,000 cr
1. Deposits in accounts opened under the government’s flagship financial inclusion programme —— Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) —— have crossed the Rs. 30,000 crore mark.
2. As many as 20.38 crore bank accounts were opened under the PMJDY as on the January 20, as per the latest data available. These bank accounts had deposits of Rs. 30,638.29 crore (about $4.5 billion).
3. The accounts that can be opened under PMJDY are Basic Savings Bank Deposit Accounts (BSBDA) which can be of zero balance, as per RBI guidelines.
4. As per the trends available, the percentage of accounts with ‘Zero Balance’ have actually shown a significant decline.Accounts with no balance in them were as high as 76.81 per cent of the total opened under the scheme as on September 30, 2015. They have come down to just about 32 per cent at the end of December.
5. The Finance Ministry data further showed that 8.74 crore of the accounts were seeded with Aadhaar and 17.14 crore account holders were issued RuPay cards.
6. The data further revealed that as on January 15, banks had offered 53.54 lakh account holders overdraft facility of which the sanction was issued for 27.56 lakh cases and 12.32 lakh account holders availed it. The total amount availed was Rs. 166.7 crore.

10. Sindhu storms into Malaysia Masters final
1. Ace Indian shuttler P.V. Sindhu scored an upset victory over top seed Ji Hyun Sung of Korea in a hard-fought three setter to storm into the women’s singles final of the USD 120,000 Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament in Penang.
2. Sindhu, the double World Championship bronze medallist, beat her world number eight Korean opponent 21-19 12-21 21-10 in a semifinal contest that lasted one hour and nine minutes.
3. The world number 12 Indian thus put herself on course for a fifth Grand Prix Gold event. She had won the same tournament in 2013 before bagging three more Grand Prix Gold tournament titles at the Macau Open (2013, 2014 and 2015).

11. Windies' Chanderpaul retires from international cricket
1. West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul has officially retired from international cricket, seven months after selectors opted to discard the veteran and push for a youth-oriented policy.
2. Chanderpaul, who was dumped before the home series against Australia last June, said that he felt he deserved the opportunity to play one final series despite a poor return in domestic cricket before the squad was selected.
3. The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) thanked him for his contribution to their game.