Current Affairs - October 11, 2018 Current Affairs

Veena Sendre from Chhattisgarh has been chosen as India's first 'Miss Trans Queen'. Veena defeated Namita Ammu of Tamil Nadu to claim the title at the national-level beauty contest organised in Mumbai. Sendre, a former Miss Chhattisgarh, belongs to Mandir Hasaud village in Raipur.

Ukraine along with United States and other NATO countries launched "Clear Sky 2018" war games, which will run until October 19, in western Ukraine to secure air sovereignty and promote peace and security. 700 troops are participating with NATO countries such as the United States, Britain, the Netherlands, Poland and Romania. US will be represented by F-15C Eagle fighter planes and C-130J Super Hercules.

UK-based charity 'Oxfam International's report named 'Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI) Index was released in which India ranked 147th among 157 countries analysed and was labeled as "a very worrying situation" with respect to the rising inequality in the country. Out of 157 countries measured, Denmark topped the list based on its high and progressive taxation, high social spending and good protection of workers. Ranking at 11th, Japan became the topper among the Asian countries. Among the BRICS nations, China was ranked 81st on the list, Brazil 39th and Russia 50th.

The national program of Wild Life Week concluded at the National Zoological Park in New Delhi. Wildlife Week is observed every year from October 2 to 8.Wildlife Week is celebrated since 1952. Minister of State of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Mahesh Sharma addressed the event. He also inaugurated a bio-methanation plant under an MoU between Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The capacity of plant will be 3 Metric Tonnes per day.

Indus Towers, world's largest telecom tower company (outside China), won the Deming Prize for 2018, being the first Indian company in the service sector and the fifth in the world to achieve this. The Deming Prize was bestowed on Indus Towers for distinctive performance improvements through the application of Total Quality Management (TQM) practices. Indus Towers is only the 29th Indian company to win this coveted award, with other notable names including Tata Steel, Ashok Leyland, Mahindra and Mahindra, and NBC Bearings, etc.

IIT-Madras will collaborate with Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency (TNeGA) to enhance data-driven governance. Through this engagement, the Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (RBC DSAI ) at IIT-Madras has agreed to support the State government on various data science and ICT-related challenges. The collaboration is expected to contribute towards various aspects of governance, including (but not limited to) education, healthcare, and agriculture, says a press release from IIT-Madras.

The Corporate affairs ministry set up a 10-member panel to check on the discounts offered by the online retailers. The panel will set probe to: Practices in the digital economy, Backlog of competition cases to be resolved and The fee structure followed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI). These came to the forefront as traditional retailers requested the commerce minister to impose a ban on discounted sales by online sellers.

The government has appointed 58-year-old Pravin Srivastava, a senior officer with the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), and as the 3rd Chief Statistician of India (CSI). Srivastava's tenure will be till August 31, 2020. His appointment would take effect from the date of assumption of charge by him.

Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta has been appointed as the new Solicitor General of India. The senior lawyer will assume the office of the Solicitor General till June 30, 2020. Presently, Mehta is serving as the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) of India. The post had been lying vacant since October 2017 when the then Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar had resigned. Solicitor General is the second highest ranking law officer of the government after the Attorney General.

State-run IDBI Bank has announced that Rakesh Sharma has taken charge as the managing director and chief executive officer of the bank. He has replaced B Sriram. Mr Sharma has been appointed for the period of six months. He retired from Canara Bank as the MD and CEO after serving for a period of three years.

Governor of Odisha Prof Ganeshi Lal laid the foundation stone on country's first 58-acre Second Generation (2G) Ethanol Bio-Refinery plant at Baulsingha village in Bargarh district of Odisha. This was announced in the presence of Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan. This refinery will be set up by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL). The estimated cost of the project is Rs. 1000 crore. It will be producing 3 crore litre of fuel grade ethanol annually.

British scientists have created 3D-printed meals for St Helen's Primary School in Canning Town, London, to develop an interest in science subjects among students. Scientists from the annual Big Bang Fair that promotes science, technology and maths (STEM) subjects worked with St Helen's Primary School. They created dishes like geometric fish and chips, cauliflower cogs and mathematical constant 'Pi' shaped pie, etc.

Infosys Foundation announced Rs 1.5 crores Aarohan Social Innovation Awards (ASIA) to push innovation in social work following increase in funds under the government rules. The awards would be given in six categories including healthcare, rural development and destitute care. The purpose of the awards is to recognise and reward individuals, teams or NGOs that are developing unique solutions for the social sector that have the potential to positively impact the underprivileged in India, at scale. The application for the first edition of the awards would be available from October 15 till this year-end. Participants can submit entries describing their work in the form of videos that can be uploaded on the Aarohan social innovation awards website.

Since 2012, 11 October has been marked as the International Day of the Girl. The theme for International Day of the Girl Child 2018 is 'With Her: A Skilled Girl Force'. The day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls' empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.

Former Chelsea and England captain John Terry has announced his retirement from football. John Terry is 37 years old. He was a central defender. He has decided to take up a career in management following his retirement. For most of his career he played with the Chelsea club. He also captained Aston Villa club. He was capped 78 times by England. When he was with Chelsea he won 5 Premier League titles, 5 FA Cups, and the Champions League and Europa League. He made his debut in October 1998 when he was 17 years old. He has made more than 700 appearances for Chelsea.

World Mental Health Day was observed all over the world on 10th October 2018. This day creates awareness on mental health issues and support needed for mental health. The Theme for World Mental Health Day 2018 is "Young People and Mental Health in a Changing World".

Chief Minister of Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar announced the launch of an anti-terrorist force (ATF) called 'Kavach'. The force will comprise of specially trained recruits from the state police, to deal with security challenges. For this, Haryana police recruits will be trained by the National Security Guard (NSG).