Current Affairs 18th & 19th October 2020| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

SC appoints former justice Lokur to monitor steps to prevent stubble burning

• The Supreme Court appointed former justice Madan B Lokur to monitor steps taken to prevent stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh amid rising levels of pollution in the national capital and adjoining regions.
• The order was passed by an apex court bench headed by Justice SA Bobde while hearing a PIL filed by two environmental activities seeking directions to ensure the implementation of the complete ban on stubble burning.
• As many as 2,873 incidents of stubble burning were reported between 21 September and 12 October, up from 755 a year ago.
• The bench also directed court-appointed Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) and chief secretaries of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh to help the Lokur panel with physical surveillance of fields to check instances of stubble burning and other related matters.
• “The concerned state governments will provide secretarial, security and financial facilities to this committee. The committee will submit its report to the Supreme Court in 15 days,” the court stated.
• It has also directed that the National Cadet Corps (NCC), National Service Scheme and Bharat Scouts be deployed to assist the panel.

Govt amends Panchayat law to set up District Development Councils in J&K, elections soon

• The Central government has amended Jammu and Kashmir’s Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, to establish District Development Councils (DDCs) in all districts in the union territory.
• This is the first time such councils have been established in the country, senior government officials stated.
• According to the amendment, every district in J&K will be divided into 14 territorial constituencies to elect members of the body in the maiden DDC elections to be held later this year.
• The final step in the implementation of the 73rd Amendment, which envisages the Gram Sabha as the foundation of the Panchayat Raj system and empowers Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women.
• “For each district there shall be a District Development Council, having jurisdiction over the entire district excluding such portions of the district as are included in a Municipality or Municipal Corporation constituted under any law for the time being in force,” states the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Adaptation of State Laws) Fourth Order, 2020, which was issued.

Prime Minister to inaugurate India Energy Forum

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the annual India Energy Forum by CERAWeek, which gathers energy leaders to further important dialogue on the nation’s new energy future.
• Modi will deliver the inaugural address at the virtual event, to be held on October 26-28, organiser IHS Markit stated.
• India Energy Forum by CERAWeek, now in its fourth year, is hosted by IHS Markit, a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions.
• “The event will convene an international group of speakers and delegates as well as a community of a thousand delegates from India and regional energy companies, energy-related industries, institutions and governments,” it stated.
• The event’s speakers include energy ministers, senior industry executives and leading national and international energy experts.
• Besides Modi, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, US Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette, Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) secretary general Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo and Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud are scheduled to speak at the three-day event.

NCDC to launch Ayushman Sahakar scheme to fund co-operative healthcare facilities

• Inspired by the successfully-run cooperative hospitals in Kerala, the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) has come up with a scheme, Ayushman Sahakar, to involve co-operatives in creating healthcare infrastructure.
• Under the scheme, to be launched by Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, the NCDC will give loans totalling 10,000 crore to prospective cooperatives to set up healthcare facilities.
• The NCDC set up under the Ministry of Agriculture in 1963 has, till date, financed various cooperative initiatives aggregating Rs.1.57-lakh crore.
• The whole thing was inspired by what successful cooperatives have done in the healthcare sector in Kerala.
• One of conditions for getting credit under the Ayushman Sahakar scheme is that members of a cooperative facility should be given services at discounted rates.
• Working capital and margin money to meet operational requirements will be available under scheme. Interest subvention of one per cent is available to women-majority cooperatives.

About National Cooperative Development Corporation:

• Headquarters: New Delhi, India
• Sundeep Kumar Nayak, Managing Director

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

”My Town My Pride” campaign will be for urban areas on the lines of ”Back to Village” in J-K

• Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha announced that the government is coming up with a movement called ”My Town My Pride” from October 19 to provide governance at the doorsteps in urban areas on the pattern of the ”Back to Village” programme.
• Three main objectives – public outreach in towns, strengthening grassroots democracy, and service delivery at doorsteps.

About J&K

• Capitals: Jammu (Winter), Srinagar (Summer)
• Governor: Manoj Sinha

Nagaland Minister for Health & Family Welfare launches handbook on “TB Harega, Desh Jeetega”

• Nagaland Minister for Health and Family Welfare , Mr. S. Pangnyu Phom  launched  a handbook on “TB Harega, Desh Jeetega” .
• The government’s commitment to end Tuberculosis by 2025 in the country.
• The National TB Elimination Programme, NTEP Nagaland is committed to reduce TB burden in terms of incidence, prevalence, morbidity and mortality to make the state free from tuberculosis.
• The main purpose of this handbook, is to proactively engage more elected representatives such as MLAs, members of Zila Parishad, VDB members and Gram Panchayat or Gram Sabha to help address social stigma as well as to promote advocacy and community involvement in TB programme.

About Nagaland

• Capital: Kohima
• Governor: RN Ravi
• Chief minister: Neiphiu Rio

Telangana Dharani portal to safeguard ownership of immovable property

• Dharani project, the Telangana government’s online facility for enlistment of non-agricultural properties, has been conceptualised as a comprehensive system for safeguarding ownership and streamlining transactions related to immovable properties in the state.
• A digital database of agricultural properties has already been created and Pattadar passbooks (green) have been issued. Now, a similar database is proposed to be created for non-agricultural properties for which maroon colour Non-Agriculture Immovable Property Passbooks (NPBs) will be issued.
• The maroon passbooks will be printed with state-of-the-art security features. The data furnished by property owners will be stored in encrypted format on dedicated state government servers and will be used solely for the purpose of Dharani.
• In this regard, requisite information is already being collected from property owners using a specially-designed mobile app.
• To further supplement the effort, two new channels have been created for property owners in GHMC and other municipalities to furnish information. Property owners can access the portal and update details on their own using the URL npb.telangana.gov.in and also register at MeeSeva centres.
• This facility of enlisting properties at MeeSeva will be available free. In this regard, service charges payable to MeeSeva will be borne by the GHMC/municipality concerned.

About Telangana:

• Capital: Hyderabad
• Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan
• Chief minister: K. Chandrashekar Rao

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

Tata Motors partners with HDFC Bank for financing of passenger vehicles

• Tata Motors has parterned with HDFC Bank for financing of its passenger vehicles.
• Through the partnership, the company has introduced two new schemes — ‘Gradual Step Up Scheme’ and ‘TML Flexi Drive Scheme’
• The schemes will be available till the end of November 2020 and can be redeemed on the entire new BS-VI range of cars and SUVs along with the company’s EV range.
• Under the Gradual Step Up scheme, customers can avail EMI options as low as799 per lakh per month, depending on the product and variant. The EMI payments gradually increase over a period of 2 years depending on the payment convenience of the buyer.
• Flexi Drive scheme offers the option to the consumer to choose any three months every year, where s/he can pay a minimum EMI of789 per lakh per month, depending on the product and variant as per convenience.

About Tata Motors

• CEO: Guenter Butschek
• Founded: 1945, Mumbai

CRPF collaborates with IIT Delhi, DRDO, JATC to augment R&D capabilities

• The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the country’s largest para-military force deployed for the internal security of the nation, has collaborated with IIT Delhi, Defence Research and Development Organisation, and Joint Advanced Technology Centre (JATC) — DRDO and IIT Delhi joint initiative — to augment its Research and Development capabilities.
• The force is now working to create a pool of highly specialized technology experts from among its officers.
  This will equip them with unique skills, capabilities, and knowledge to tackle complex challenges, meet operational and strategic needs, and enhance competitive advantage.
• The officers/SOs of the CRPF trained by the IIT Delhi will also be associated with joint research projects undertaken by DRDO and IITD in the field of defense/security tech solutions.
• The initiative will also provide operational feedback on futuristic technologies enabling IIT Tech experts towards proactive Research and Development.
• The CRPF, with its strength of more than three lakh personnel, has more than 500 officers/SOs holding a degree in Engineering.
• This provides the force with a wide scope to train them in the varied fields of technology.

About CRPF

• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Director General: Dr. A.P.Maheshwari

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS

Rohan Jaitley elected unopposed president of Delhi and District Cricket Association

• Rohan Jaitley, the 31-year-old son for of former finance minister late Arun Jaitley, has been elected unopposed as the new president of Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA). Rohan is slated to remain in the post till June 30, 2021.
• Rohan, a lawyer by profession had filed his papers on the last day of nomations. Notably, late Arun Jaitley had also served as the president of DDCA between 1999 and 2013.
• Rohan Jaitley was expected to be the unanimous choice of all warring factions at the DDCA. Sunil Kumar Goel, the only other candidate, had withdrawn after filing his nomination for the president’s post.

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New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern wins second term in landslide election victory

• Jacinda Ardern has won a second term as New Zealand’s Prime Minister after her success at handling the country’s coronavirus outbreak helped secure a landslide victory.
• Ardern’s centre-left Labour Party won 49.2% of the total 83.7% votes counted in the 120-member parliament.
• She is to be elected as the PM for thesecond consecutive three-years term.

About New Zealand

• Capital: Wellington
• Currency: New Zealand dollar

HDFC Bank board appoints Sashidhar Jagdishan as its MD & CEO

• The board of directors of HDFC Bank approved appointment of Sashidhar Jagdishan (Sashi) as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of bank for three-year term from October 27, 2020. The Reserve Bank of India has already approved Jagdishan’s appointment.
• Sashi joined the Bank in 1996 as Manager in the Finance function. He became business Head (Finance) in 1999 and was appointed as Chief Financial Officer in the year 2008.
• Prior to his appointment as Managing Director & CEO of the Bank, he was the Strategic Change Agent of the Bank in addition to overseeing the functions including Finance, Human Resources, Legal & Secretarial, Administration.
• He has completed his graduation in Science with specialisation in Physics. He is a Chartered Accountant by profession and also holds a Master’s degree in Economics of Money, Banking & Finance from the University of Sheffield, UK.

About HDFC

• CEO: Aditya Puri
• Headquarters: Mumbai

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONORS

Aishwarya Sridhar becomes first Indian woman to win at Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards

• Aishwarya Sridhar’s photo titled ‘Lights of Passion’ has won the ‘Highly Commended’ award at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2020.
• The 23-year-old has become the first Indian to win the coveted award.
• Sridhar’s photo is a picture of a tree illuminated with fireflies. The fireflies and stars in the sky form a surreal galaxy around the tree. It won under the Behaviour-Invertebrates category.
• Sridhar won the Sanctuary Asia young naturalist award at the age of 14. She also won the Princess Diana award given to young talents who bring positive change with their contribution to society.

Billboard Music Awards: Post Malone and Billie Eilish win big, Jonas Brothers rake in 3 wins. Complete winners list

• Walking into the show with 16 nominations, Post Malone won nine honors at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards.
• He beat out Eilish for the top prize, but she was still a winner, taking home top Billboard 200 album and top female artist. Other winners included Lil Nas X, who was also on-hand to accept top Hot 100 song for “Old Town Road,” which set the record for most weeks at No. 1. After his performance, Luke Combs was named top country artist .
• This year’s Billboard Awards were originally supposed to take place in April but were postponed because of the pandemic. It’s the reason why some of the nominees in the 55 categories may feel dated.

Here is the complete winners list at BMAs.

• Top Hot 100 song: “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus
• Top Billboard 200 album: Billie Eilish, “When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?”
• Top artist: Post Malone
• Top new artist: Billie Eilish
• Top female artist: Billie Eilish
• Top male artist: Post Malone
• Top streaming songs artist: Post Malone
• Top song sales artist: Lizzo
• Top radio songs artist: Jonas Bros.
• Top duo/group: Jonas Bros.
• Top R&B artist: Khalid
• Top rap artist: Post Malone
• Top country artist: Luke Combs
• Top rock artist: Panic! at the Disco
• Top Latin artist: Bad Bunny
• Top dance/electronic artist: The Chainsmokers
• Top Christian artist: Lauren Daigle
• Top gospel artist: Kanye West
• Top social artist: BTS
• Top touring artist: Pink
• Chart achievement award: Harry Styles
• Icon award: Garth Brooks

Sana Hazari, founder of The Social Corporate, wins Young Achievers Award 2020

• Sana Hazari, who founded – The Social Corporate (TSC) – a new-age Digital platform that partners with SMEs, NGOs, Impact Funds, and Social Enterprises (both for-profit and non-profit) across India, Nigeria and Ghana to offer Consultancy & Staffing Solutions.
• Indian Achievers Award, presented to only 4 individuals in India each year under the ‘Young Achievers’ category, is one of most coveted Awards across the country recognizing individuals with proven track-record of trailblazing efforts in a particular sector.
• For its constructive contribution, the TSC Group has been felicitated and awarded by different associations and corporate groups over the years. To name a few, Sana was selected as one of the ‘Top 10 Women Consultants of India – 2020’ by CEO Insights Magazine. She has also been awarded a Certificate of Appreciation and was felicitated by Dr. Satbir Bedi, IAS, Chairperson of the National Council of Teacher Education of India (NCTE) in 2019, for her contribution to the ZIIEI project for Sri Aurobindo Society.
• The TSC Group recently launched a new initiative called the “Inclusive Leadership Programme” through which selected young minds are mentored and upskilled across cross-functional roles through a 2-month internship program.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS

First SCO Startup Forum to be launched on October 27

• The first-ever SCO Startup Forum will be launched on 27th October 2020 ahead of the SCO trade ministers meeting on 28th October.
• The forum will lay the foundation for multilateral cooperation and engagement among the SCO Member States to develop and hone their startup ecosystems, collectively
• The Forum shall identify areas of cooperation by launching multiple entrepreneurial activities like startup showcase through a dedicated virtual platform, mobilizing capital for startups, sharing of best practices, procuring social innovations, multilateral incubator programs and knowledge exchange workshops etc. It will aid to understand the cultural and economic features of the startup ecosystem in the SCO Member States. In the run up to the launch of SCO Startup Forum, a virtual SCO preparatory Seminar and a workshop were also organized by India.
• Around 40 Indian Missions roped in to further augment Startup India efforts. India is currently the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world with over 35,000 startups, close to 25% of which are core technology startups operating in areas of AI, Robotics, Cloud Computing, IoT, Digital Health, Financial & Education Technology.
• The ‘Startup India’ has launched 10 bilateral bridges since its inception and has helped many technology-based startups to expand their businesses to global markets. Government has roped in around 40 Indian missions to further augment the efforts undertaken by the ‘Startup India’ program by exploiting the opportunities across the geographies.

About Shanghai Cooperation Organisation:

• Headquarters: Beijing, China
• Secretary General: Vladimir Norov

CURRENT AFFAIRS:SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Science-Society-Setu webinar series initiated to strengthen S&T capacity of NGOs & Communities

• DST Secretary Ashutosh Sharma underlined the need to create knowledge that is relevant for different sections of our society at the Science-Society-Setu for AatmaNirbharBharat (S34ANB), a web clinic series by Science for Equity Empowerment and Development SEED Division, Department of Science and Technology (DST).
• The discussions under web clinic to reach the unreached through ‘vocal for local approach’ to strengthen the social infrastructure and technology-driven pillars of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ has been organized by DST in partnership with the Office of Principal Scientific Advisor, India Science Technology & Innovation Portal, WWF-India, AGNi, FICCI and HESCO. They will cover four broad sectors, namely: ‘agriculture and allied sectors, MSME & economic sector, social infrastructure, and cross-sectoral areas’.
• The web clinic is aimed to bridge the systematic gaps in S&T absorption capacity of the community, enhancing the knowledge capacity and livelihood systems for sustainable development at a local level by strengthening the S&T capacity of NGOs and Communities.
• A panel discussion on emerging technologies was organised showcasing different technologies like Internet of Things (IoT) for water conservation, satellite technology for agriculture supply chain, and automation for small scale agriculture.

About Department of Science and Technology

• Minister of State Dr. Harsh Vardhan is head of the department
• Ashutosh Sharma is its present secretary.
• Headquarters: New Delhi

CSIR-CMERI develops Sustainable Municipal Solid Waste Processing Facility

• Decentralised Waste Management technology developed by CSIR-CMERI can result in drastic reduction of expenditure related to Transportation Logistics and can help reductions in CO2emissions, by reducing fossil fuel usage. The Scientifically Decentralised Waste Processing Hubs will help multiply outreach for various locations and will also boost the manufacturing potential for the residents of the region.
• This CSIR-CMERI MSW Technology envisions a Zero-Landfill and a Zero Waste City in addition to developing Job-Creation opportunities. This technology will also help create a revived Green Energy reliant India”.
• CSIR-CMERI has started an innovative technology of producing the Biogas from grass and weeds and Vermi-composting of Slurry of the plant process. A mechanized system has been developed to utilize saw dust, shredded leaves, biogas slurry and produces briquettes.  The Smokeless Stove has also been developed to utilize these briquettes. Such stoves have the benefits of Reduction in import of LPG and reduction in pollution.

About Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute:

• The Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (also known as CSIR-CMERI Durgapur or CMERI Durgapur) is a public engineering research and development institution in Durgapur, West Bengal, India. It is a constituent laboratory of the Indian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
• Director: Prof. Harish Hirani
• Director General: Shekhar C. Mande

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE

India Conducts Successful Night Trial of Nuclear-Capable Prithvi-2 Missile From Odisha Test Range

• A night trial of the indigenously developed nuclear-capable missile Prithvi-2 was successfully conducted as part of a user trial by the Army from a test range in integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, Odisha.
• The trial of the missile, which has a strike range of 350 km, was carried out from a mobile launcher.
• The Prithvi-2 missile is capable of carrying 500-1,000 kg of warheads and is powered by liquid propulsion twin engines.
• Already inducted into the armory of Indian defence forces in 2003, the nine-metre tall ‘Prithvi’ was the first missile to have been developed by DRDO under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).

BrahMos missile test-fired from destroyer INS Chennai in Arabian Sea

• India successfully test fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from the indigenously-built stealth destroyer INS Chennai, with the weapon hitting a pre-designated target in the Arabian Sea.
• The 290-km range missile an Indo-Russian joint venture  has land, air and naval variants.
• The missile has a top speed of Mach 2.8 nearly three times the speed of sound.
• Defence minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the Defence Research and Development Organisation, BrahMos and the Indian Navy for the successful launch.
• Other weapons recently tested by India include a new version of the nuclear-capable hypersonic Shaurya missile with a range of 750 km and the anti-radiation missile to take down enemy radars and surveillance systems.

About DRDO

• Founded: 1958
• Headquarters: DRDO Bhavan, New Delhi
• Chairman: G Satheesh Kumar Reddy

Indian Navy – Sri Lanka Navy Maritime Exercise SLINEX-20 off Trincomalee

• The Eighth Edition of annual Indian Navy (IN) – Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) bilateral maritime exercise SLINEX-20 is scheduled off Trincomalee, Sri Lanka from 19 to 21 October 2020.
• The Sri Lanka Navy will be represented by SLN ShipsSayura (Offshore Patrol Vessel) and Gajabahu(Training Ship) led by Rear Admiral Bandara Jayathilaka, the Flag Officer Commanding Naval Fleet, Sri Lanka Navy.
• Indian Navy Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and Chetak helicopter embarked onboardIN ships, and Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft will also be participating.
• The previous edition of SLINEX was conducted off Visakhapatnam in September 2019.
• SLINEX-20 aims to enhance inter-operability, improve mutual understanding and exchangebest practices and procedures for multi-faceted maritime operations between both navies.

About Sri Lanka

• Capitals: Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
• Currency: Sri Lankan rupee
• President: Gotabaya Rajapaksa

ADTL To Build, Run Rs.753 cr. MiG-29 Simulator Centre For IAF

• (ADTL) stated it has signed the first of two-phase defense contracts, together worth 753 crores, with the Ministry of Defence and Russia’s RAC MiG.
• The Bengaluru-based company, which is involved in military aircraft, electronic devices for the military, and satellite assemblies for ISRO, stated it has been chosen by the two to build, own and maintain two types of simulators for fighter aircraft.
• Under the first contract worth Rs.53 crores, Alpha Design would set up and run the MiG-29 simulator center at the Adampur airfield near Jalandhar initially for two years. The second 18-year contract would be signed after two years, stated ADTL CMD Col. (retd.) H.S.Shankar.
• Earlier this year Indian Air Force bought 21 multirole mig-29 from Russia along with Su-30MKI. These were bought in light of the india-china standoff these were bought under an emergency procurement program these were most probably bought to fulfill the requirements of the Indian air force.

About Russia:

• Capital: Moscow
• President: Vladimir Putin
• Currency: Russian ruble
• Prime minister: Mikhail Mishustin

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHORS

Shashi Tharoor announces new book ‘The Battle Of Belonging: On Nationalism, Patriotism, And What It Means To Be Indian’

• Shashi Tharoor, who just released the book ‘Tharoorosaurus’ announced that his next book will be out in November.
• Titled ‘The Battle Of Belonging: On Nationalism, Patriotism, And What It Means To Be Indian’, the book is about nationalism, patriotism, citizenship, belonging and what they really mean.
• It will be published by Aleph.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul retires from all forms of cricket at the age of 36

• Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul announced his retirement from all formats of cricket, bringing an end to a glorious international career which lasted nearly 13 years.
• Gul made his debut for Pakistan against Zimbabwe in an ODI match at Sharjah in April 2003 and went on to play 47 Tests, 130 ODIs and 60 T20Is till September 2016 which was the last time he turned up for the national team.

Andrey Rublev wins St. Petersburg Open 2020

• Russian third seed Andrey Rublev won his fourth ATP Tour title of the year when he beat Croatia’s Borna Coric 7-6(5) 6-4 to lift the St Petersburg Open trophy.
• Andrey Rublev tied with Novak Djokovic as a four-time title winner in 2020.
• He moves into top 10 of ATP rankings for 1st time.
• The Russian player won the Qatar and Adelaide titles in January and added the Hamburg title last month.

Sheikh Russel Championship: Elavenil wins gold, Shahu Mane bags silver

• World number one Elavenil Valarivan of India won gold and Shahu Tushar Mane bagged a silver at the 2020 Sheikh Russel International Air Rifle Championship organised by Bangladesh Shooting Sport Federation (BSSF).
• Seven countries including host Bangladesh are scheduled to compete in the online competition, and each country will have an ISSF jury member to monitor the event.
• As for Elavenil, she is currently world number one in women’s 10m air rifle.Shahu Mane was selected on the basis of his national rankings as of March 18

Nozomi Okuhara clinches Women’s Singles title at Denmark Open

• In Badminton, former World Champion Nozomi Okuhara clinched the Denmark Open title beating three-time world champion Carolina Marin in women’s singles.
• In the men’s singles final, world number seven Anders Antonsen of Denmark defeated his compatriot Rasmus Gemke. The win means Antonsen moves up to second in the world rankings with Gemke at number three.
• In the mixed doubles, fourth seeds Mark Lamsfuss and Isabel Herttrich became the first German mixed doubles players to win a Super Series event after defeating Chris and Gabby Adcock of England in the final.
• In an all-Japan women’s doubles final, top seeds Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota downed second seeds Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara.
• Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge of England defeated Russian pair Valdimir Ivanov and Ivan Sozonov, becoming the first England pair to clinch the title of men’s doubles in the Denmark Open for 45 years.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Veteran artiste Pradip Ghosh passes away

• Noted Bengali elocutionist Pradip Ghosh passed away. He was 78.
• He was a prominent recitor and renowned vocal artist.
• His most notable works included his recitation of Tagore’s poems, especially those for children.

Renowned carnatic vocalist Narayanaswamy passes away

• Renowned carnatic vocalist PS Narayanaswamy (87), one of the thespians in carnatic music in the country, passed away.
• A recipient of several prestigious awards and titles, including the Padma Bhushan and Tamil Nadu government’s Kalaimamani, Narayanaswamy was the disciple of the legendary Semmangudi Sreenivasa Iyer.
• He had created his own style with ‘Manodharma Sangeetham’.

DAILY CA 17^th OCT

• International Day for the Eradication of Poverty- 17^th oct
• GST compensation: Centre to borrow Rs 1.1 lakh crore to meet shortfall
• Union Education Minister virtually launches ‘KAPILA’ Kalam Program for IP Literacy and Awareness Education campaign
• Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurates Food and Agri Week 2020
• Myanmar Navy to acquire its first submarine, INS’ retrofitted Sindhuvir
• Jana Bank to be sponsor bank for Ashoknagar Co-operative Bank
• SBI authorised to issue, encash Electoral Bonds from Oct 19-28
• RBI imposes Rs 4.5-cr penalty on IndusInd Bank for non-compliance with its directions
• IDBI Bank launches banking services on WhatsApp
• IAV’s first phase becomes operational at Thonnakkal
• UP govt to launch 6-month long women empowerment programme ‘Mission Shakti’ to raise awareness
• Leather Sector Skill Council launches SCALE India android app
• J&K L-G launches mobile app for Vaishno Devi devotees
• Supreme Court Appoints One-Man Panel To Monitor Prevention Of Stubble Burning
• Vishal V Sharma appointed as next Permanent Representative of India to UNESCO
• IWF appoints Michael Irani as interim president
• Rajkiran Rai elected IBA chief
• GreenBase, Tamil Nadu sign MoU to set up industrial, logistics park
• Bank of Ghana” wins Central bank of the year award 2020
• Mrs Seema Gupta Director Operations POWERGRID wins 2020 Stevie Awards for Women in Business
• India, Chile hold first joint commission meeting
• India hosts virtual Summit of Ministers of Justice of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
• FM Nirmala Sitharaman participates in 102nd meeting of World Bank Development Committee Plenary
• Global Hunger Index 2020: India ranks 94 out of 107 countries, under ‘serious’ category

DAILY CA 18^th & 19^th OCT

• SC appoints former justice Lokur to monitor steps to prevent stubble burning
• Govt amends Panchayat law to set up District Development Councils in J&K, elections soon
• Prime Minister to inaugurate India Energy Forum
• NCDC to launch Ayushman Sahakar scheme to fund co-operative healthcare facilities
• ”My Town My Pride” campaign will be for urban areas on the lines of ”Back to Village” in J-K
• Nagaland Minister for Health & Family Welfare launches handbook on “TB Harega, Desh Jeetega”
• Telangana Dharani portal to safeguard ownership of immovable property
• Tata Motors partners with HDFC Bank for financing of passenger vehicles
• CRPF collaborates with IIT Delhi, DRDO, JATC to augment R&D capabilities
• Rohan Jaitley elected unopposed president of Delhi and District Cricket Association
• New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern wins second term in landslide election victory
• HDFC Bank board appoints Sashidhar Jagdishan as its MD & CEO
• Aishwarya Sridhar becomes first Indian woman to win at Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards
• Billboard Music Awards: Post Malone and Billie Eilish win big, Jonas Brothers rake in 3 wins. Complete winners list
• Sana Hazari, founder of The Social Corporate, wins Young Achievers Award 2020
• First SCO Startup Forum to be launched on October 27
• Science-Society-Setu webinar series initiated to strengthen S&T capacity of NGOs & Communities
• CSIR-CMERI develops Sustainable Municipal Solid Waste Processing Facility
• India Conducts Successful Night Trial of Nuclear-Capable Prithvi-2 Missile From Odisha Test Range
• BrahMos missile test-fired from destroyer INS Chennai in Arabian Sea
• Indian Navy – Sri Lanka Navy Maritime Exercise SLINEX-20 off Trincomalee
• ADTL To Build, Run Rs.753 cr. MiG-29 Simulator Centre For IAF
• Shashi Tharoor announces new book ‘The Battle Of Belonging: On Nationalism, Patriotism, And What It Means To Be Indian’
• Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul retires from all forms of cricket at the age of 36
• Andrey Rublev wins St. Petersburg Open 2020
• Sheikh Russel Championship: Elavenil wins gold, Shahu Mane bags silver
• Nozomi Okuhara clinches Women’s Singles title at Denmark Open
• Veteran artiste Pradip Ghosh passes away
• Renowned carnatic vocalist Narayanaswamy passes away

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