Daily Current Affairs for Competitive Exams: September 28, 2016

Hello Readers,

Here are today’s important headlines with key details for UPSC, SSC, IBPS and other competitive examinations.

US appoints Jeffrey DeLaurentis as the first Cuban Ambassador in 55 years

The United States on September 27, 2016, appointed its first Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis to Cuba. The diplomatic relations between the two countries came to a standstill since 1961, following the communist revolution.
DeLaurentis was appointed to the post by President Barack Obama, who said that it was a step towards a more normal and productive relationship. He said that there was no better qualified public servant.
This appointment will need an approval from the Republican-led Senate, which has opposed to DeLaurentis’s dealings with the communist island.
The new ambassador DeLaurentis had been working at the new US embassy in Havana, which opened in 2014. He served in Havana during the transition period between the two nations which includes re-opening of embassies in Washington and Havana. This was followed by resuming travel and trade relations on a limited basis.

LOC launched Emblem for FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017

The Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017, unveiled the Official Emblem for the event, on September 27, 2016. To be held at six venues across the country, FIFA U-17 World Cup will be India’s first international football event.
The emblem was designed as a celebration of the country’s richness and diversity of cultures. The logo includes elements of the Indian Ocean, the banyan tree, the kite and the starburst, which is an interpretation of the Ashoka Chakra, an integral part of the national identity.

About FIFA U-17 World Cup

The FIFA U-17 World Cup is the world championship of association football for male players under the age of 17.
It will be organized by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
The FIFA U-17 World Championship is a competition that was inspired by the Lion City Cup that was created by the Football Association of Singapore in 1977.
It began as a competition for players under the age of 16 with the age limit raised to 17 from the 1991 edition onwards.
The most recent tournament was hosted by Chile and won by Nigeria.

World Bank reappoints Jim Yong Kim for second term as President

Executive Directors of the World Bank unanimously agreed to reappoint Jim Yong Kim for a second five-year term as President of the World Bank Group. The second term will start from July 1, 2017.
The Board noted that in the first year of Kim’s leadership, which began in July 2012, shareholders endorsed two ambitious new goals for the institution.
They were: Elimination of extreme poverty by 2030, and Promotion of shared prosperity. These new initiatives boosted the income growth of the bottom 40 percent of the population in every developing country.

New species of ground-dwelling lizard discovered in Mumbai

A new species of a ground-dwelling lizard has been discovered in Goregaon’s Aarey Colony and Thane’s Badlapur forested belts. The species has been named after a Bengaluru-based scientist Varad Giri.
The findings on the new species were published in the third week of September 2016 in the international scientific journal – Zootaxa.

About the new lizard species

The new species is named as Cyrtodactylus Varadgirii or Giri’s Geckoella.
The species, of the genus Cyrtodactylus known in Southeast Asia, India and Sri Lanka, is a member of the subgenus Geckoella.
They are found in localities like Sanjay Gandhi National Park in north Mumbai, the Aarey Colony, a few localities in Nanded, Chandrapur and Amaravati districts and a few localities in Gujarat.

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran wins Belgium Open title of Table Tennis

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran on September 24, 2016, won the men’s singles title of the Belgium Open.
Sathiyan won his first pro title by defeating Nuytinck Cedric, by 4-0 in the final 15-13, 11-6, 11-2, 17-15 at De Haan in Belgium.
With this, Sathiyan became the second Indian table tennis player to win an International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) event. Achanta Sharath Kamal was the first Indian to win an ITTF event in 2012.

Here is a list of last few articles on Current Affairs and the Monthly Bullet on Current Affairs for SSC