Current Affairs - October 9, 2017 Current Affairs

U.S. State Department has approved the possible sale of a THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) anti-missile defence system to Saudi Arabia at an estimated cost of $15 billion (Rs. 98,000 crore). The deal includes 44 THAAD launchers and 360 missiles along with fire control stations and radars.

AU Small Finance Bank has entered into a corporate agency tie-up agreement to sell health insurance products of Aditya Birla Health Insurance. Both the entities believe that tie-up will be mutually beneficial in terms of business, market penetration as well as reach.

Rajesh Nath Managing Director of The German Engineering Federation (VDMA) India conferred as the 'Cross of the Order of Merit', the highest civilian honor awarded to individuals for their services to Germany. The award, also known as Bundesverdienstkreuz or Federal Cross of Merit was instituted in 1951 and is Germany's only honor that is awarded to both Germans and foreigners for achievements in the economic, social, political or intellectual realms.

President Ram Nath Kovind launched 100 crore rupees Mata Amritanandamayi Math Project "Jeevamritham" to provide a filtration system for cleaning drinking water to 5000 villages across India, in Kollam district in Kerala. He also distributed the certificates to three villages out of 12 villages in the States of Bihar, UP, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, and Kerala, which was adopted by the Math, verified as Open Defecation Free by Swatch Bharat Abhiyan.

Bangalore Metro Rail Project Phase II has received Rs. 3,800 crore from European Investment Bank. The project will be jointly financed by European Investment Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which will give over Rs. 3,800 crore (EUR 500 million) and Rs. 2,300 crore (EUR 300 million) respectively.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed certain restriction on banking activities of Oriental Bank of Commerce. RBI initiated prompt corrective action (PCA) against OBC in view of high non-performing assets. OBC will face restrictions in terms of opening new branches, hiring staff and lending to sub-investment grade companies.

In Gurugram Saudi Aramcos ARAMCO ASIA INDIA office has been inaugurated by Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan along with Mr Amin H Al-Nasser, President and CEO of Saudi Aramco. AAI focus on crude oil and LPG marketing, engineering & technical services, and other business development activities. Saudi Arabia is considered to be the second largest supplier of about 19% of our crude oil imports and also 29% of LPG imports to India after Iraq.During 2016-17, India imported about 39.5 MMT of crude from Saudi Arabia.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched an intensive immunization drive from Gujarat's Vadnagar, saying no child should suffer from any vaccine-preventable disease. Under the IMI, a seven-day immunization drive will be conducted each month from now till January 2018 in 173 districts and 17 cities. These districts include 52 in eight northeastern states and 121 in 16 other states. The main aim of the program is that Let no child suffer from any vaccine-preventable disease.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for Bhadbhut Barrage to be built over Narmada River in Bharuch Gujarat. He also flagged off the Antyodaya Express between Udhna in Surat and Jaynagar in Bihar. He inaugurated a new 500-crore rupees civil hospital and a medical college in Vadnagar, Gujarat. He launched the intensified mission Indradhanush to accelerate progress towards the goal of full immunization coverage.

Private life insurance company PNB MetLife has appointed Ashish Kumar Srivastava as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. He will be responsible for leading all aspects of the business in the country. Srivastava joined PNB MetLife in 2013 as the Head of Human Resources before subsequently moving to Dubai in 2015 to take charge of Human Resources for the MetLife Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. Prior to joining PNB MetLife, Ashish served as Director on the board of Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance.

India's Anupama Ramachandran clinched the World Open Under-16 Snooker Championship title at St. Petersburg in Russia. In the girl's category, second seed Anupama knocked out her compatriot and top seed Keerthana Pandian 3-1 to become World Open Under-16 champion. This is the Federation of Billiards Sports of Russia hosted this first-ever World Open championships for Under-16 boys and girls.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is to launch a financial literacy drive in 80 blocks in nine states on the pilot basis to educate people on e-transactions, formal sector borrowings, and insurance purchases. According to RBI, it commissions 9 states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Odisha, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh by the 6 NGOs in collaboration with the sponsor Banks.

A BRICS-themed subway train with carriages representing the five member nations - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - has started test operations in China's south-eastern Xiamen city on October 6, 2017. It has six carriages, five of which represents different cultures of the BRICS countries. The Indian carriage depicts elephants and yoga.