14 October 2017 Current Affairs
HPCL, First Indian OMC to Launch Lubricants in Myanmar
Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) has become the first Oil Marketing Company (OMC) from India to mark its presence in the lubricant market in Myanmar and to lend more visibility and awareness to the brand. Having achieved the number one position in the domestic market, HP Lubricants sought to prove itself in foreign shore by venturing into Myanmar.
Historian Satish Chandra Passes Away
Veteran and one of India’s eminent historian Satish Chandra passed away the age of 95. Satish’s important works include Mughal Empire and its downfall. He was also the author of NCERT’s leading history book ‘History of Medieval India’. Chandra has founded JNU’s Centre for Historical Studies. He was also the chairman and vice chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India during the 1970s.
October 14: World Standards Day
The World Standards Day is observed every year on 14 October across the globe to mark the development of voluntary engineering and scientific standard. The theme for year 2017 is “Standards make cities smarter”.
Audrey Azoulay elected as Director General of UNESCO
Former French Culture Minister Audrey Azoulay (45) was elected as new Director General of UNESCO – the UN’s education, science and culture agency. With this, she becomes first Jewish Director of UNESCO. Azoulay defeated Qatar’s Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kawari in the final 30-28 vote after she won a runoff with a third finalist from Egypt. She will succeed outgoing Director-General Irina Bokova of Bulgaria.
Arjen Robben announced his retirement from International Football
Netherlands’s Footbal Player Arjen Robben has announced his retirement from international football following the Netherlands’s failure to make the 2018 World Cup. Robben scored 37 times and provided 29 assists in 96 appearances, averaging a goal or assist every 112 minutes for his country.
Mobikwik appoints Rukaiya Rangwala as the business head of its payments gateway
Digital wallet major MobiKwik has appointed former Jabong vice-president Rukaiya Rangwala as the business head of its payments gateway business. Recently, MobiKwik had re-launched Zaakpay as MobiKwik Payment Gateway. Rangwala, a technology and e-commerce industry veteran with over 15 years of experience, has worked across the US, Singapore, Japan and India.
Fairy Queen, “World’s Oldest Functional Steam Engine” commences journey
Indian railways will be running of steam hauled tourist train “Fairy Queen” between Delhi Cantonment and Rewari on second and fourth Saturday of month biginning from 14 October 2017. The operation will continue till April, 2018. The train has a capacity of 60 passengers and the tickets can be booked at IRCTC website as well as at various tourist facilitation centres of IRCTC, National Rail Museum (NRM) and through travel operators. The Fairy Queen also known as the East Indian Railway 22 class, was built in the year 1855 and is the World’s oldest steam locomotive as certified by Guinness Book of Records in 1998.
M K Sanu chosen for Mathrubhumi Literary award
Eminent critic, biographer and orator M K Sanu has been chosen for the Mathrubhumi Literary Award for 2016 in recognition of his rich contribution to the Malayalam literature.
US and Israel withdraw from UNESCO
The US withdrew from the UNESCO, accusing UNESCO of “anti-Israel bias”. Following US, Israel has also quit from UNESCO. The withdrawal of the US, which is supposed to provide one fifth of UNESCO’s funding, is a great blow for UNESCO. UNESCO which stands for United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization is headquarterd in Paris, France.