Daily GK Updates - 13th October, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.First India-Israel Innovation Centre opens in Bengaluru : The country’s first India-Israel Innovation Centre (IIIC), an entrepreneurial technology hub, was launched in Bengaluru.The IIC is a significant step towards facilitating penetration of Israeli companies in India and aims to forge local partnerships and joint ventures between companies from the two countries.It will provide an ecosystem to support entrepreneurship, a partnership with vendors, mentoring and non-formal community development that will assist the growth of the companies in different verticals and covers business, technology, investors and customers.Start-ups that are part of IIIC will be given mentorship and guidance and opportunities to participate at all IIIC’s global events and experience networking avenues with potential customers.

2. Govt to form national trade portal to cut logistics cost: Commerce Joint Secretary : The union ministry of commerce and industry is in the process of forming a national trade portal to lower logistics cost and link all stakeholders in domestic and import trade, joint secretary to the ministry Keshawva Chandra has said.At a workshop on 'Indian textile sector-competitive analysis and way forward for free trade agreements (FTAs),', he said the portal would include online certificate system since there were 88 government entities delaying the process of certification.

3.  Maneka Gandhi proposes a panel of legal experts to probe #MeToo cases : Women and child development minister Maneka Gandhi propose setting up a committee with senior judicial and legal persons as members to look into all issues emanating from the #MeToo campaign.The committee will look into the legal and institutional framework in place for handling complaints of sexual harassment, including some of the complaints if required, and advise the ministry on how to strengthen these.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  Maryse Conde wins alternative Nobel Literature Prize : Maryse Conde, one of the Caribbean's most renowned authors, has won an award created to replace this year's Nobel Prize for Literature.The prestigious literature prize was suspended this year after a scandal at the Swedish Academy, which awards it.The Guadeloupian author, 81, said she was "very happy and proud" to win the alternative version.

She was selected from 47 authors who were nominated by Swedish librarians and voted on by nearly 33,000 people from around the world.Conde is an author of some 20 novels, including Desirada, Segu and Crossing the Mangrove. She is considered as a grand storyteller who belongs to world literature.

2.  International Day for Disaster Reduction observed today : International Day for Disaster Reduction, held annually on 13th October, celebrates the way that people and communities around the world reduce their exposure to disasters and raise awareness about the risks that they face.This includes disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness.The International Day for Disaster Reduction was started in 1989, after a call by the United Nations General Assembly for a day to promote a global culture of risk-awareness and disaster reduction.The 2018 theme is - Reducing Disaster Economic Losses. 

3.  India wins election to UN Human Rights Council  : India was elected to the United Nations’ top human rights body for a period of three years beginning January 1, 2019.India got total188 votes, the highest number of votes among all candidates in the Asia-Pacific category.The 193-member UN General Assembly held elections here for new members to the UN Human Rights Council.The 18 new members were elected by the absolute majority through a secret ballot. Countries needed a minimum of 97 votes to get elected to the Council.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Textile Ministry to release Rs 7.8 Cr for construction of textile tourism complex in Meghalaya : Minister of State for Textiles, Ajay Tamta has said that the Ministry will release 7.8 crore rupees for the construction of a textile tourism complex in Nongpoh, Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya.He added that the Textile Ministry will provide all necessary infrastructure and machinery to the apparel centers so that local garments can be exported throughout the world.

2. India's cooling energy consumption to grow around 2.2 times by 2027: Report : The country's cooling energy demand will rise to 2 times the existing level by 2027 and interventions can help cut it down by 17 percent in the next decade, a report said.The report, commissioned by the Indo-German Energy Forum, on behalf of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, was prepared by the Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE).India, which currently has one of the lowest access to cooling across the world, is poised for rapid and significant growth in cooling demand.The report suggested that known interventions can help cut down cooling energy consumption by 17 percent, help avoid around 50 medium-sized power plants dedicated to cooling and reduce cooling-related carbon emission by 20 percent in the next decade.

SPORTS:

1. With 72 medals, India placed at 9^th place in Asian Para Games : India recorded its best-ever showing by adding two more gold as the 2018 Asian Para Games drew to a close in Jakarta today.With 15 gold, 24 silver and 33 bronze medals, India is placed 9th in the overall tally.In men's singles SL3 class Badminton, India's Pramod Bhagat defeated Ukun Rukaendi of Indonesia 21-19, 15-21, 21-14 to clinch the gold medal.Para shuttler Tarun added another gold for India on the final day of the event by beating Yuyang Gao of China 21-16, 21-6 in the men's singles SL4 class.

OBITUARIES:

1.Renowned Hindustani classical musician Annapurna Devi passes away : Renowned Hindustani musician Annapurna Devi passed away at the Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai today. She was 91.She was suffering from age-related issues for the last few years.Annapurna Devi was an Indian Surbahar player of Hindustani classical music and she was the daughter and disciple of Allauddin Khan.She was married to sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar.