Daily GK Updates - 3rd October, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. National Khadi Festival 2018 inaugurated : A month-long National Khadi Festival 2018 has been inaugurated on 2 Oct 2018, by Union MSME minister, Shri Giriraj Singh.The fest is being organized by Khadi and Village Industries Commission at Mumbai.Various types of Khadi products of different states would be available at the festival.Around 100 institutions from all over of the country are participating in the exhibition.

2. N. Ravi elected as PTI chairman : N. Ravi, Publisher and former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, was unanimously elected Chairman of the Press Trust of India (PTI).Mr. Ravi succeeds Viveck Goenka, chairman and managing director of the Express Group.Also, Vijay Kumar Chopra, Chief Editor of the Punjab Kesari Group of newspapers, was elected as Vice-Chairman.

3. Justice Ranjan Gogoi sworn in as 46th CJI : Justice Ranjan Gogoi was sworn-in as the 46th Chief Justice of India on 3 October 2018.He was administered the oath by President Ram Nath Kovind.CJI Ranjan Gogoi is the first Chief Justice of India from the north-east and his tenure will end in November 2019.Justice Gogoi started his career as a Permanent Judge of the Gauhati High Court in February 2001.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Mount Soputan erupts in Indonesia : Indonesia’s Mount Soputan volcano erupts on the tsunami-hit island of Sulawes.The authorities raised the volcano’s status to Level III of the four-level national alert system.It is about 1,000 km from the town of Palu where a 7.5 magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami.Indonesia is situated on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where frequent quakes and volcanic activity strikes.

2. PM Modi received UNEP Champions of the Earth : PM Narendra Modi received the United Nations highest environmental honour, the UNEP Champions of the Earth award at New Delhi.The award is presented by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.The award was announced on 26th Sept, on the sidelines of 73rd UN GA in New York.The annual prize is awarded to leaders from government whose actions had a positive impact on the environment.

3. Japan space probe launched new robot : A Japanese probe launched a new observation robot towards an asteroid.The Hayabusa2 probe launched the French-German Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT), towards the Ryugu asteroid’s surface.MASCOT’s launch comes after the Hayabusa2 dropped a pair of MINERVA-II micro-rovers on the Ryugu asteroid.MASCOT can take images at multiple wavelengths and measure magnetic fields.

5. Stamps on International Day of Non-Violence : The UN postal agency issued a new collection of stamps in commemoration of the International Day of Non-violence, marked on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary.Stamps feature artisticinterpretation of ‘The Knotted Gun’, an iconic global sculpture.The sculpture was created by the Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Reuterswrd as a tribute to  Beatles member John Lennon after his murder.

6. Barham Salih as new president of Iraq : Iraq’s Parliament has elected a veteran Kurdish Politician Barham Salih as the country’s new President.Salih is a former prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government.He has named Shiite Adel Abdul Mahdi as Prime Minister of the country.The move will pave the way to form a new government, nearly five months after national elections.

7. Ashkin, Mourou, Strickland won Nobel prize : Scientists Arthur Ashkin, Gerard Mourou and Donna Strickland won the 2018 Nobel Prize for Physics.They were awarded for their work in the field of lasers used for surgery as well as scientific study.Ashkin invented optical “tweezers” that could grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells.Mourou and Strickland separately created the shortest and most powerful laser pulses ever.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. SIDBI launched ‘Udyam Abhilasha’ campaign : Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), had launched a National Level Entrepreneurship Awareness Campaign, Udyam Abhilasha on 2 October 2018.The campaign was launched in 115 Aspirational Districts identified by NITI Aayog.The campaign would create and strengthen cadre of more than 800 trainers to provide entrepreneurship training to the aspiring entrepreneurs.

SPORTS:

1. Lilima to receive Ekalabya Puraskar, 2018 : Hockey player Lilima Minz from Odisha has been selected for the prestigious Ekalabya Puraskar, 2018.The annual award is instituted by the charitable wing of Indian Metals & Ferro Alloys (IMFA) comprises of a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh along with a citation.Ekalabya Puraskar has been instituted to promote literature, sports, the arts, culture, and other socially meaningful activities.

2. Manipur clinch National Football Championship : Manipur claimed victory in the final of the 24th Senior Women’s National Football Championships, defeating hosts Odisha by 2-1.It was the 19th occasion when a state from the northeast of India won the trophy.Manipur captain Bala Devi scored the first goal in the 45th minute.The final match was held at the Barabati Stadium, Cuttack, Odisha.