IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF OCTOBER 23rd, 2018
IMPORTANT
CURRENT AFFAIRS OF OCTOBER 23rd, 2018
1.
The 1st high-level meeting on bilateral security
cooperation between India and China was
held in New Delhi.
a. This meeting
was co-chaired by Rajnath Singh (Union Home Minister)
along with Zhao Kezhi (State Councilor and Minister of
Public Security of the People's Republic of China).
b. During the
meeting, the two sides discussed issues of mutual interest, including bilateral
counter-terrorism cooperation, and welcomed increased
cooperation between India and China in the area of security cooperation.
c. Note : Mr.
Zhao Kezhi is on a bilateral visit to India from 21 to 25 October,
2018.
2.
The Druzhba 2018 (Friendship 2018) joint
bilateral military exercise between Pakistan and Russian special
forces has begun in Pakistan.
a. This exercise
was first started in the year 2016.
b. This exercise
will be organized in north-western hill region in Nowshera district of
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan.
c. The two week
long joint military exercise is aimed at bolstering and building military
cooperation between the two countries
3.
The joint military exercise between United Arab
Emirates (UAE) and United States (US) titled Iron
Magic 19 kicked off near Dubai.
a. The two-week
military exercise is part of series of joint military exercises held throughout
the year between UAE armed forces and armed forces of other countries.
4.
Britain's Prince Harry and his
wife Meghan arrived in Fiji for
the 1st royal visit to the South Pacific nation since a military coup
in 2006.
a. The former
British colony was suspended from the British Commonwealth after the
coup.
b. However, it was
reinstated in 2014 following the democratic elections.
5.
Telugu is the fastest growing language in the US, a study
by US-based Centre for Immigration Studies claimed.
a. The rise in
the number of US residents speaking Telugu can be attributed to the growth of
the IT industry in the country which hires software engineers from India's
Telugu-speaking states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
6.
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has arrived
in Israel on a 3-day visit.
a. Aim of this
visit : To strengthen cooperation with the nation in key sectors like
dairy, agriculture, and horticulture.
b. Various MoUs
will be signed during his visit to tap opportunities that can address Punjab's
requirements.
7.
The Home Ministry today announced that a foreign-origin
spouse of any Indian national or an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI)
cardholder is now eligible for obtaining the OCI card.
a. The OCI card
allows people multiple entry, multi-purpose and life-long visa for visiting the
country.
b. The ministry has
also simplified the process of renunciation of Indian citizenship.
8.
The Indian Railways today announced that it has
decided to refer to its cleaning staff as 'housekeeping staff'
instead of 'safaiwalas'.
a. The term
'safaiwala' indicates a 'Group D' employee usually working in medical,
operating or other departments dealing with cleanliness.
9.
Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi today
announced that Declaration of criminal record has been
made mandatory for those applying for an Indian visa.
a. The decision
was made based on "complaints of serial child sexual abuse offenders
managing to visit India". "
b. This step
will certainly be a strong deterrent for perpetrators of such heinous
crimes," Gandhi added.
10. Union
Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has launched a
campaign titled Harit Diwali-Swasth Diwali.
a. Aim of Harit
Diwali-Swasth Diwali Campaign : To reduce adverse
environmental conditions especially pollution in the country after post Diwali
celebrations due to excessive bursting of crackers which contributes
significantly to air and noise pollution.
11.
Cameroon's 85-year-old Paul Biya has won
the presidential elections for the seventh time after securing 71.3%
of the vote.
a. Note : First
elected as the President in 1982, Biya is sub-Saharan Africa's oldest leader
and one of the world's longest-serving rulers.
12.
India and China today inked their 1st-ever
internal security cooperation agreementaimed at strengthening assistance in
counter-terrorism, organised crimes and exchange of information.
13. India and Myanmar inked
MoU for appointment of private port operator for Operation and
Maintenance (O&M) of Sittwe Port, Paletwa Inland Water Terminal and
associated facilities included in Kaladan Multi Model Transit Transport
Project.
a. The agreement
was signed during Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale's one day visit
to Myanmar today, where he met Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport and
Communications, U Win Khant.
14.
The world’s longest sea-crossing opened in
southern China today.
a. The
55-kilometre (34-mile) crossing, connects Hong Kong, Macau and mainland
China.
15. US-based
ride-hailing startup Uber is going to launch its drone-based
food delivery service titled 'UberExpress' by
2021.
16.
Eminent jurist Fali S. Nariman (89) was
awarded the 19th Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence in
Public Administration.
a. He was
presented the award by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu at a function held in New
Delhi.
17.
Annual Badminton tournament, French Open 2018 began
in Paris today.
a. This
tournament is going to be held from 23rd to 28th October 2018 at Stade Pierre
de Coubertin in Paris, France.
b. Ace Indian
shuttler, PV Sindhu has moved into the pre-quarterfinals of
the tournament.
c. Other top
Indian shuttlers, including Kidambi Srikanth and Saina Nehwal, will begin their
campaign tomorrow.
18. Indian
wrestler Bajrang Punia won the Silver
medal at the World Championships.
a. With this, he
became the 1st Indian to have two World Wrestling Championship medals.
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