Daily GK Update 18th and 19th January 2015

Canadian actor-writer Don Harron dies at 90

(i) Don Harron, who entertained TV audiences in Canada and the U.S. with his comic alter ego Charlie Farquharson and helped bring the Canadian classic novel “Anne of Green Gables” to the stage, has died. He was 90.

(ii) Harron’s eldest daughter Martha said her father died on Saturday morning surrounded by family at his Toronto home after choosing not to seek treatment for cancer.

(iii) The wit and humour that landed him roles on CBC radio and television programs continued to define her father to the very end, Martha Harron said.

Mali declared Ebola-free

(i) Mali’s health minister said the West African country is Ebola-free after recording no new cases for 42 days, the period required for the World Health Organization to declare an outbreak officially over.

(ii) Mali recorded its first Ebola case in October. The country nearly eradicated the disease before a new wave of cases occurred in November. In total, the disease infected eight people, killing six of them, according to the WHO.

(iii) Ebola has killed more than 8,400 people in West Africa, with the overwhelming majority of those deaths occurring in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

NITI Aayog to monitor, evaluate govt policies, says Planning Minister Rao Inderjit Singh

(i) As lakhs of crores of rupees earmarked annually towards central Plan Expenditure, NITI Aayog will actively monitor and evaluate implementation of government programmes and initiatives, Planning Minister Rao Inderjit Singh said in New Delhi on Monday.

(ii) A major task before the NITI Aayog is to actively monitor and evaluate implementation of programmes and initiatives,” Mr. Singh said.

(iii) It is being jointly organised by National Institute for Labour Economics Research and Development (NILRD) and Programme Evaluation Organisation of the NITI Aayog.

SpiceJet promoters will suffer huge loss: CFO

(i) Exiting the cash-strapped SpiceJet will cause “a substantial capital loss” to its existing promoters Sun TV group, says the group CFO, SL Narayanan.

(ii) Mr. Maran will invest about Rs 80 crore more into the company ahead of the new investors, to make the warrants that he holds fully paid up. 

(iii) These warrants will convert into 18 crore shares by 2016, which represents about 23 per cent of the fully diluted equity.

Pakistan takes up PIA property, visa issue with India

(i) Pakistan took up the issue of the troubles the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) office in Delhi is facing with the government officially on Sunday, the foreign affairs spokesperson in Islamabad said.

(ii) According to an official release, Pakistan had “raised the issue of extension of visas” and “the Indian authorities have been informed about the notice received by the PIA office in New Delhi regarding its property.”

Senior Congress leader Paladugu passes away

(i) Senior Congress leader and MLC Paladugu Venkata Rao (75) passed away here in the early hours of Monday.

(ii) Mr. Rao, who was ailing for some time was admitted into a city hospital, breathed his last today. He is survived by wife Susheela.

(iii) Born on November 11, 1940 in Krishna district, Mr. Rao joined active politics as Youth Congress leader in 1968 and made his electoral debut as a Member of Legislative Assembly from Nuzvid constituency in 1978. 

(iv) He went on to serve as Minister for Rural Water Supply (1980-82), Agriculture Minister (1982) and Marketing Minister (1982-83).

V.N. Vasavan to head CPI(M) in Kottayam

(i) The district meeting of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] held in the run-up to the 21st party Congress has elected V.N. Vasavan, former MLA and present district secretary of CITU, as the new district secretary.

(ii) He was elected unanimously. Mr. Vasavan’s election comes in the wake of the stepping down of K.J. Thomas, who has completed his third term as district secretary.

C.K. Sasidharan re-elected CPI district secretary

(i) C.K. Sasidharan has been re-elected district unit secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI) for the third time.

(ii) He was re-elected at the two-day district meet of the party that concluded at Kaduthuruthy on Sunday. 

(iii) The meeting also elected a 44-member district committee and a 41-member delegation to the State conference to be held here next month.

Maria Sharapova wins 1st-round match at Australian Open

(i) Second-seeded Maria Sharapova concluded an opening day of matches on Rod Laver Arena with a 6-4, 6-1 win Monday over Czech player Petra Martic at the Australian Open.

(ii) Sharapova, who began the season by winning the Brisbane International title, broke Martic’s service in the last game of the opening set and then dominated the second. 

(iii) She’ll play fellow Russian Alexandra Panova, a qualifier, in the second round.

Federer wins opening match at Australian Open over Lu

(i) Second-seeded and 17-time major champion Roger Federer defeated Lu Yen-hsun of Taiwan 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 on Monday in a first-round match at the Australian Open.

(ii) Federer, wearing a neon yellow shirt which matched his shoes, won his 74th match in 85 starts at Melbourne Park, a record that has seen him win four Australian Open titles.

(iii) Federer broke Lu’s service in the 11th game of the final set and held in the next to advance to the second round.