VINTAGE

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF OCTOBER 19^th, 2018

                         IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF OCTOBER 19^th, 2018

1.      The 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit was held in Brussels, Belgium.

a.       This summit was chaired by Donald Tusk (European Council President). 

b.       It was attended by heads of state of 51 European and Asian countries, representatives of European Union and Secretary General of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). 

c.       India was represented by M. Venkaiah Naidu (Vice President). 

d.       This edition of summit has prioritised issues related to trade and investment, connectivity, sustainable development, climate change, terrorism, migration, maritime security and cyberspace.

e.       Theme of 12th ASEM Summit 2018 : ‘Global Partners for Global Challenges’. 

2.      The 1st joint military exercise between India and Japan titled “Dharma Guardian”  will be held at the Army’s Counter-Insurgency Warfare School at Vairengte (Mizoram) from 1st to 14th November  2018. 

a.       Armies of both countries will jointly train, plan and execute series of well-developed tactical drills for neutralization of likely threats that may be encountered in urban warfare scenario. 

b.       Aim of Dharma Guardian 2018 : Developing mutual understanding and respect between militaries of both countries, as also facilitate in tracking worldwide phenomenon of terrorism.

3.      The 6th meeting of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was recently held at New Delhi. 

a.       The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

b.       In this meeting, he reviewed activities of NDMA to effectively manage and respond to disasters affecting country. 

c.       He also reviewed ongoing projects undertaken by NDMA.

4.      The North Central Railways (NCR) launched two mobile apps for locating assets and stations. They are :

a.       NCR RASTA App : 

i)       RASTA - Railway Assets Summerised Tracking Application.

ii)     It is for use of railway officers and staff and has exact mapping of all railway assets. 

iii)   This app will enable railway staff to reach desired asset using Google Navigation in case of any emergency.

b)     Yatri RASTA App : 

i)       RASTA - Railway Approach to Station Tracking Application.

ii)     It will allow general public to locate railway stations easily. 

iii)   It is already available for smartphones running on Android and can be downloaded free of cost from Google Play Store.

c)      Both these apps are aimed at helping to fulfil twin objectives of better passenger service and asset maintenance by using cutting-edge technology and for handling emergencies.

5.      India has been ranked as the 58th most competitive economy in recently released World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index 2018.

a.       The World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index is a composite indicator that assesses the set of factors that determine an economy's level of productivity - widely considered as the most important determinant of long-term growth.

b.       On the list of 140 economies, the United States topped the list followed by Singapore and Germany.

c.       Top 10 Countries in WEF Global Competitiveness Index 2018

i)       United States

ii)     Singapore

iii)   Germany

iv)   Switzerland

v)     Japan

vi)   Netherlands

vii) Hong Kong

viii)                   United Kingdom

ix)    Sweden

x)      Denmark

6.      Indian multinational information technology service, TCS has displaced Accenture as the world's largest pure-play IT firm servicing BFSI Sector.

a.       BFSI - Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI).

7.      Shahi Litchi from Bihar has received Geographical Indication (GI) tag from Chennai based Geographical Indication Registry and Intellectual Property India. 

a.       Shahi Litchi which famous for its sweet, juicy, unique flavour and aroma is mostly grown in Muzaffarpur and adjoining areas of East Champaran, Vaishali, Samastipur and Begusarai districts of state. 

b.       Note : Bihar produces 40% of the litchis grown in India on 38% of the area.

8.      The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun has signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) to launch a programme titled ‘Prakriti’ to provide platform for school children to learn practical skills towards sustainable use of resources.

a.       These MoUs aim to make Indian youth more sensitive towards national and global issues of environment and help them become responsible citizens. 

9.      Canara Robeco Mutual Fund has appointed Nimesh Chandan as the Head – Investment, Equity.

10. An Indian-American woman Minal Patel Davis has won the prestigious US' Presidential Medal at a White House ceremony attended by President Donald Trump. 

a.       She was honored with this award for her work against sex slavery and labour exploitation

11. Arshdeep Singh, a 10-year-old boy from Punjab, has won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award in 10 Years and Under category given by UK's Natural History Museum. 

a.       He won the award for the picture titled 'Pipe Owls', which showed two spotted owlets sitting inside an old waste-pipe in Punjab's Kapurthala.