Current affairs : October 15, 2016 for all competetive exams
World Student Day: October 15
October 15th, Dr. Abdul
Kalam's birthday is observed as World Student Day by United Nations
Organization annually.
- In India, he is highly respected as
a scientist and as a great personality.
- He was the 11th President of India.
International Day of Rural
Women: October 15
The International Day of
Rural Women is observed across the world on 15 October.
- The theme for the day for the year 2016 is Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must too.
Centre plans to revive counter-terror body
The Centre is planning to revive the National Counter Terrorism Centre
(NCTC), a project conceived by the UPA government in 2012.
- It was after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack that the then Home Minister suggested setting up of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), on the lines of the one in the United States and the British Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre.
India, Russia to set up agro irradiation centres
India and Russia have signed a pact to set up 25 integrated infrastructure
centers for irradiation treatment of perishable food items to improve shelf
life and cut post-harvest losses.
- At least 7 centers will be set up in Maharashtra, with the first centre near Shirdi to be ready next year.
PM Narendra Modi inaugurates
Shaurya Smarak in Bhopal
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
on 14 October 2016 inaugurated 'Shaurya Smarak', the war memorial in Bhopal,
Madhya Pradesh.
Mizoram's Pachuau declared
India's oldest working journalist
The Mizoram government and
the Mizoram Journalists' Association declared Lalbiakthanga Pachuau as the
"oldest working journalist in the country".
- The 90-year-old former soldier is the editor of 'Zoram Tlangau', a Mizo daily, started by him in 1970.
Safe Motherhood Week starts in
Uttar Pradesh
In Uttar Pradesh, the Safe
Motherhood Week is being observed from 14 October to 21 October 2016.
- The main aim of the 'Safe Motherhood Week' is to decrease the 'Mother Mortality Rate' (MMR) and 'Infant Mortality Rate' (IMR).
Vice-President Hamid Ansari is visiting Hungary and Algeria:
The Hungary visit should serve to underline and acknowledge the support and
understanding that India has extended to that country over a long time.
- In the case of Algeria, which has rich oil, gas and phosphatic resources, India sees this visit as an opportunity to kindle interest in cooperative ventures. Collaboration in the field of space missions is also on the horizon.
Self-powered UV photodetector charges energy storage devices
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, have
developed a cost-effective, high-performance, self-powered UV photodetector
that can use the harvested optical energy for direct self-charging of energy
storage devices such as supercapacitor.
- The researchers developed the photodetector by integrating semiconducting vanadium doped zinc oxide (VZnO) nanoflakes with a conducting polymer.
The three-day South Asian
Sufi Festival began in Jaipur with a call for giving a “healing touch” to the
turbulent and violence-ridden society facing the scourge of terrorism.
- Speakers highlighted Sufism as a philosophy that could eliminate terrorism, curb religious fanaticism and stop communal violence.
China, Bangladesh ink 26
agreements
Bangladesh and China
on 14 October 2016 signed 26 agreements in the key areas of power, road
and railway connectivity.
- The two countries have also agreed to jointly advance China’s ‘belt and road initiative’ and establish “institutional cooperation” in areas of maritime issues and counter-terrorism.
Israel cuts ties with Unesco over Jerusalem draft
resolution
Israel suspended cooperation
with Unesco on Friday, a day after the U.N. cultural agency adopted a draft
resolution that Israel says denies the deep, historic Jewish connection to holy
sites in Jerusalem.
- Unesco’s draft resolution, sponsored by several Arab countries, uses only the Islamic name for a hilltop compound sacred to both Jews and Muslims, which includes the Western Wall, a remnant of the biblical temple and the holiest site where Jews can pray.
Amazon unveils global store
Amazon on Friday unveiled
the Global Store, which will offer over four million global products of
international brands.
- The store will enable Indian customers to purchase authentic global products in Indian currency with ease and confidence across various categories such as books, apparel, shoes, watches, office supplies, home, kitchen, sports, trendy fashion accessories and unique brands that are not available in India.
Air India posts first operational profit after 8
years
Air India posted an
operational profit of Rs.105 crore in 2015-16 compared to an operational loss
of Rs. 2,636 crore in 2014-15 due to an increase in traffic growth.
- This is the first time the national carrier has posted an operational profit since it was merged with erstwhile Indian Airlines in 2007, the financial results of 2015-16 cleared by the airline auditors and approved by its Board showed.
Valvoline ropes in Virat Kohli
as brand ambassador
Valvoline Cummins India has
signed up India Test captain Virat Kohli as its ambassador.
- As part of the association, Kohli
will be the face of Valvoline engine oils and lubricants range.
- Valvoline is the world’s first and most enduring lubricant brand.
Indian-origin scientist bags
young scientist award in US
Kirtiraj Kundlik Gaikwad, an
Indian scientist with the Department of Packaging, has been awarded the
prestigious IAFP Young scientist scholarship award for his research work on
"development of novel oxygen absorbing package in the field of active
packaging for oxygen sensitive food products".
New Secretary-General of UN:
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has formally elected Antonio Guterres as the new Secretary-General of the United Nations.
- He will serve for five years
starting from January 1, 2017.
- The UN Secretary-General is the head of the United Nations Secretariat and is de facto spokesperson and leader of the UN.
Ajay Kumar Bhalla appointed
new DGFT
Senior IAS officer Ajay
Kumar Bhalla was on 14 October 2016 appointed as the Director General of
Foreign Trade (DGFT).
- He has been appointed to the post in place of Anup Wadhawan, who has been appointed as additional secretary in the commerce ministry.
ICICI names Bagchi to board as Sabharwal quits
ICICI Bank on Friday named
Anup Bagchi, MD & CEO, ICICI Securities, to the company’s board after Rajiv
Sabharwal, an executive director who was heading its retail business, resigned
from the bank.
- Mr. Bagchi, who will replace Mr. Sabharwal as the lender’s retail head from November 1, will join the board with effect from February 1, 2017
Junior World Cup from December 8
Even as the participation of
the Pakistan team remains unclear, the International Hockey Federation (FIH)
has announced the final schedule for the junior men’s World Cup to be held from
December 8-18 in Lucknow with host India placed in Pool D along with England,
South Africa and Canada.
- India will open its campaign
against Canada on day one followed by England and South Africa on December
10 and December 12.
- India, which had also hosted the previous edition in 2013 (New Delhi),
