IMPORTANT
CURRENT AFFAIRS OF OCTOBER 3rd, 2018
1.
The 6th edition of IBSAMAR, a
joint multi–national maritime exercise between Indian,
Brazilian and South African Navies was
started at Simons Town, South Africa.
a. IBSAMAR - India-Brazil-South Africa Maritime
b. Aim of
IBSAMAR : To undertake collective training for participating navies,
building interoperability and mutual understanding as well as sharing of best
practices.
c. Initiated
in 2006, IBSAMAR is considered as most visible manifestation of convergence of
democratic values, economic interests and maritime cooperation. T
d. he last
edition of IBSAMAR V was conducted off Goa, India in February 2016 and all
previous exercises were held in South Africa.
2.
The International Court of
Justice has ordered the United States to lift
sanctions on Iran which are linked to humanitarian goods and
civil aviation.
a. Iran
claims the US sanctions violate terms of a treaty it signed with the country in
1955.
3.
Following an 18-year campaign by women's
groups, Australia has decided to scrap a 10% tax on
tampons and sanitary pads.
a. The
tax, which would be removed from January 2019, was levied on the products as
they were categorised as non-essential items.
4.
India was ranked 5th among 206
countries in Cigarette Package Health Warnings: International Status
Report 2018 released by Canadian Cancer Society.
a. The
ranking of the countries was in terms of largest pictorial warning on cigarette
packs.
b. In
India, 85% of both sides of cigarette packets are covered with warnings.
c. Top 5
in the List :
i) Timor-Lest
ii) Nepal
iii) Vanuatu
iv) New
Zealand
5.
Canada today stripped Myanmar
leader Aung San Suu Kyi of her honorary
citizenship in response to crimes committed against the Rohingya
minority.
o
Note : Suu Kyi is the first
person to have her honorary Canadian citizenship revoked.
6.
To benefit the 25 lakh poor people who were
left out of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), the Odisha Government
has launched State Food Security Scheme (SFSS).
a. The
beneficiaries of the SFSS will get cheap rice at the cost of Re 1 as availed by
the people covered under the NFSA.
b. Each
poor man will get 5 kg of rice per month as per the provision of the National
Food Security Act, 2013.
7.
To commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's birth
anniversary, PM Narendra Modi released a rendition of Gandhiji's favourite
bhajan 'Vaishnav Jan To' by artists from 124 nations.
a. The
video of the song features voices of singers from 40 countries, with short
clips of the world's region they represent.
b. Artists
from nations like Pakistan, China and Germany are a part of the video.
a. President
Ram Nath Kovind administered the oath.
b. He has
replaced Dipak Misra.
c. Important
Point to Note : Gogoi is the 1st CJI from a North East state.
9.
Senior judge of Supreme Court Madan
Bhimarao Lokur has been appointed as the Executive
Chairman of National Legal Services Authority of India (NALSA).
a. He was
appointed by President Ramnath Kovind in exercise of power conferred under
Clause (b) of sub-section (2) of Section 3 of the Legal Authorities Act, 1987.
10.
Iraq's parliament today elected the moderate
Kurdish politician Barham Salih as the country's new President.
a. Salih
is a former prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraqi
Kurdistan and a former deputy prime minister of the Iraqi federal
government.
11.
American astronomers have discovered a new
extremely distant object, spotted 2.5 times farther beyond Pluto from the Sun
in 2015.
a. Nicknamed
'The Goblin', the dwarf planet has a 40,000-year orbit with the
closest distance to Sun at 65 astronomical units (AU) and farthest at 2,300
AU.
12.
Realtors body National Real Estate
Development Council (NAREDCO) has signed Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to
provide skill training and jobs in construction sector for 2.5
lakh poor people.
a. The
partnership will strengthen skill trainings and employment opportunities in
construction sector for urban poor under Deendayal Antyodaya
Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission.
13.
India and Uzbekistan have
inked 17 agreements.
a. These
agreements were signed after delegation level talks Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat
Mirziyoyev in New Delhi.
b. The
Signed Agreements are :
i) Agreement
for visa-free travel for diplomatic passport holders.
ii) Agreement
in scientific-technical and innovation fields.
iii) Agreement
in the field of agriculture and allied sectors.
iv) Agreement
on cooperation in the exploration and uses of outer space for peaceful
purposes.
v) Agreement
on cooperation in the field of health and medical science.
vi) Agreement
on cooperation in the field of tourism.
vii)Agreement
on cooperation on establishment of the India- Uzbekistan business council
viii)
Agreement on mutual cooperation in combating illicit trafficking
narcotic drugs
ix) Memorandum
on cooperation in the field of military education.
x) MoU
between Samarkand City of Uzbekistan and Municipal Corporation of Agra, Uttar
Pradesh.
xi) MoU for
cooperation between Office of the Security Council under President of
Uzbekistan and National Security Council Secretariat of India.
xii)MoU on
Cooperation between Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) and Institute for
Strategic and Regional Studies under President of Uzbekistan.
xiii)
MoU on Cooperation for establishment of the Uzbek-Indian Free
Pharmaceutical Zone in the Andijan Region of Uzbekistan.
xiv)
MoU on Cooperation in the sphere of Law and Justice.
xv)
MoU on establishment of mutual cooperation and partnership
xvi)
MoU on for Development of pharmaceutical industry under the
Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
xvii)
Program of Cooperation between Ministries of Foreign Affairs of
Uzbekistan and India for 2019-2020.
14.
The Indian Rupee reached a
fresh low today and weakened past the 73 mark against the US
dollar for the first time after crude oil prices surged to nearly $85 per
barrel, a four-year high.
15.
Saudi Arabia has
announced a grant of $200 million to Yemen to
help stabilise the country's economy and increase the value of the Yemeni
rial.
a. Note : The
Yemeni rial has lost nearly half its value this year amid the ongoing civil
war.
16.
India’s leading stock market Bombay
Stock Exchange (BSE) became 1st stock exchange in the
country to launch commodity derivative contracts.
17.
The 2018 Nobel Prize in
Chemistry has been awarded to Frances Arnold (US), George
Smith (US) and Gregory Winter (UK).
a. Arnold was
awarded for the directed evolution of enzymes, while Smith and Winter won
the accolade for drug research that can neutralise toxins, counteract
autoimmune diseases and cure metastatic cancer.
18.
Nobel Prize in Physics 2018 winner
American physicist Arthur Ashkin (96 years), became
the oldest-ever person to win the Nobel Prize.
a. With
yesterday's award Ashkin surpassed late economist Leonid Hurwicz,
who won the 2007 Prize in Economic Sciences as a 90-year-old.
19.
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi today presented with United Nations' highest environmental
honour 'Champions of the Earth' in Delhi by UN Secretary-General António
Guterres.
a. PM Modi
was recognised for his leadership of the International Solar Alliance and
pledge to eliminate single-use plastic in India by 2022.
b. Note : He
was among six winners of this prestigious award including French President
Emmanuel Macron.
