Daily GK Updates - 6th October, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Dr Harsh Vardhan Launched FSSAI’s ‘Trans-Fat Free’ Logo In New Delhi: The union health & family welfare minister shri Harsh Vardhan launched “Trans Fat Free” logo of Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) during the 8th International Chefs’ Conference of 2019 (ICC VIII) held in New Delhi. The logo was launched to boost the ‘Eat Right Movement’ of FSSAI. Shri Harsh Vardhan also released a slogan ‘Chefs 4 Trans Fat Free’ at the event, in which more than 1000 chefs pledged to use trans-fat free oils in their recipes and also work together to help achieve govt’s plan to eliminate trans-fat by 2022 having the motto ‘India@75; Freedom from Trans Fats’.

Note: FSSAI Founded: August 2011; Headquarter: New Delhi; Chairperson: Rita Teotia; Chief Executive Officer (CEO): Pawan Kumar Agarwal.

2. NITI Aayog’s AIM and UNDP India jointly launched ‘Youth Co: Lab’ for youth entrepreneurship & innovation: The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) of NITI Aayog (National Institute for Transforming India) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India of United Nations Sustainable Development Framework (UNSDF) launched a youth lab programme, ‘Youth Co:Lab’ by signing a Letter of Intent (LoI) in-order to  empower innovation and social entrepreneurship to the youths of India in New Delhi.  By this initiative entrepreneurs and innovators will connect with govt, mentors, incubators and other investors to gain entrepreneurial skills. The first phase of Youth Co:Lab will focus on six SDGs:

SDG 5 (Gender Equality)

SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation)

SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy)

SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth)

SDG 12 (Sustainable Consumption and Production)

SDG 13 (Climate Action)

3. Global Summit on ‘Spirituality for Unity, Peace and Prosperity’ held in Mount Abu, Rajasthan: The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the Global Conference-cum- expo on ‘Spirituality for Unity, Peace and Prosperity’ organized by Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya at the Shantivan Campus in Mount Abu, Rajasthan. It promoted the connection between one’s consciousness, thoughts and action and their impact on the world. The delegates from across 140 countries had participated in the event.

4. India’s first e-waste clinic to be set up in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh: The first e-waste clinic of India will be set up in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) have tied up to set up the clinic. i. It will be formed in compliance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. The electronic waste will be collected door-to-door or can be deposited directly at the clinic in exchange for a fee. Initially, it will be launched as a three-month pilot project and would be implemented in India, if successful.

5. India’s 1st plant to produce diesel from plastic waste opened in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh: India’s 1st plant to produce diesel from plastic waste in Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh has been soft-launched by Mathura MP (Member of Parliament) Hema Malini with the aim to fulfill Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of a Swachh Bharat Mission. The plant, working on a full scale at the Mathura Municipal Corporation (MMC), built on a public-private partnership (P-P-P) model for which the MMC has signed a contract of Rs 9.5 crore with Paterson Energy Private Limited, Chennai, and Tamil Nadu. The specialty of this plant will be that 6 tons of plastic will be used to make diesel every day.

6. 50th IFFI for 2019 to be held in Goa: Information and Broadcasting Minister Mr. Prakash Javadekar notified that the 50th, the Golden Jubilee edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2019 will be held in Goa from November 20-28, 2019 with Russia as the partner country. For the first time, films with audio deion will be screened for the visually impaired. More than 200 best films from 76 countries, 26 feature films and 15 non-feature films in the Indian Panorama section will be screened. 12 prominent films in different languages which have completed 50 years in 2019, will also be showcased. The feature film jury was headed by filmmaker and screenwriter Priyadarshan and the non-feature jury was headed by documentary filmmaker Rajendra Janglay.

7. National Wildlife Week: October 2 to 8: The Wildlife Week is being celebrated all over India from 2nd -8th October 2019 with the aim of protecting Indian wildlife species from extinction. The theme for the year 2019 is “Life below Water: For People And Planet” which aimed at preservation of underwater fauna and flora. The Wildlife week, organized by National Board of Wildlife since its establishment in 1972, was first celebrated in the year 1972.

8. Punjab govt has appointed justice Vinod kumar sharma as its lokpal: The Punjab government has appointed retired Justice Vinod Kumar Sharma as Lokpal. He succeeds Justice Satish Kumar Mittal, who resigned from the post in April 2018 and became the chairman of Haryana Human Rights Commission. In 2010, Sharma moved to the Madras High Court after served as Punjab and Haryana high court judge from March 22, 2006 to October 26, 2010. He retired as a judge of Madras High Court in May 2013.

Note: A Lokpal is an anti-corruption authority or body of ombudsman who represents the public interest in the Republic of India. The current Chairperson of Lokpal is Pinaki Chandra Ghose.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India-Bangladesh Signs 7 MoUs during Official Visit of Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina to India: Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina was on an official visit to India at the invitation of Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India. She was also invited as the Chief Guest at the India Economic Summit organized by the World Economic Forum in New Delhi. Both the nations exchanged 7 bilateral MoUs/ Agreements in various fields.

2. 20th annual national conference Medrecon 2020 to be held in Kochi, Kerala: The 20th annual national conference on health informatics Medrecon 2020 will be held in Kochi, Kerala on February 7- 8, 2020 under the theme ‘Value of Data in Health Care Ecosystem’. It will be jointly organised by the Health Informatics and Information Management Association (HIIMA), Kerala, and the Health Records Association of India (HERAI). Over 700 delegates from the healthcare sector in India and abroad will participate in the event. Lorraine Fernandes, president of the International Federation of Health Information Management Associations (IFHIMA) in the US will be the keynote speaker.

3. 5th World Parliament of science, religion and philosophy 2019 held in Pune, Maharashtra: A 3-day event of 5th World Parliament of Science, Religion and Philosophy 2019 with the theme of ‘Role of Science, Religion and Philosophy for World Peace and well-being of Mankind’ organised by MIT (Maharashtra Institute of Technology) World Peace University in association with World Peace Centre, Alandi, MAEER’s MIT Group of institutions and MIT ADT University ,was held at the world’s largest dome philosopher Saint Dnyaneshwara World Peace Prayer Hall, Loni Kalbhor in Pune, Maharashtra. The primary objective of the event was to create and promote interfaith and inter-religious movement for World Peace.

4. 14th Indo – Mongolian joint military training exercise, the 2019 Nomadic Elephant-XIV begun in Himachal: The 14th edition of the Indo- Mongolian joint military training exercise Nomadic Elephant-XIV for the year 2019, has begun at Bakloh in Himachal Pradesh. This 14-day exercise will continue till October 18, 2019. The aim of the exercise is to train both the armies in counter terrorism and counter insurgency (counter revolt) operations thus enhancing defence cooperation. The Indian Army is represented by battalion of Rajputana rifles while the Mongolian Army is represented by elite 084 airborne Special task battalion.

5. UNESCO appoints Mexican actress Yalitza Aparicio as goodwill ambassador for indigenous people: A specialized agency of the United Nations, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has appointed Mexican actress Yalitza Aparicio as its goodwill ambassador for indigenous people. The 25-year-old actress made history as the first indigenous performer nominated for a best actress honor at the Academy Awards this year for her performance in the film “Roma”. She will promote initiatives that claim indigenous peoples rights and that promote greater social awareness on the subject. In addition, she will help the UNESCO by preserving their cultural heritage and environment knowledge and fighting for equal access to education.

About UNESCO Formation: 4 November 1945; Headquarter: Paris, France; Director-General:  Audrey Azoulay

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Novak Djokovic won first Japan Open title in Tokyo: World number one Novak Djokovic won his first Japan Open title and the 76th of his career by defeating Australian John Millman in the final in Tokyo. It was a triumphant return to the tour for Djokovic, who had withdrawn from the U.S. Open in the fourth round due to a shoulder injury. It was the 10th time Novak Djokovic had won a title on his tournament debut. Djokovic has already qualified for next month’s season-ending ATP Finals in London.

2. Naomi Osaka and Dominic Thiem won 2019 China Open Tennis Title: Naomi Osaka won the china open tennis tournament by defeating world number one Ashleigh Barty of Australia on 6th October 2019. This was the third title of 2019 for Osaka and fifth in her short career.

List of winners are:

Men’s Single Title: Dominic Thiem (Austria)

Women’s Single Title: Naomi Osaka (Japan)

Men’s double: Ivan Dodig (Croatia) and Filip Polášek (Slovakia)

Women’s double: Sofia Kenin (United States) and Bethanie Mattek-Sands (United States)

3. Italian former professional footballer, Claudio Marchisio announces retirement: Italian former professional footballer & Juventus midfielder, Claudio Marchisio (33) has announced his retirement from football following persistent knee injuries.Key points: Nicknamed ‘Il Principino – the little prince”, Marchisio has joined Juventus at the age of just seven & played almost 400 matches. Marchisio won 55 caps for Italy & was also took part at UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Euro 2012, winning a runners-up medal, and at the 2013 FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) Confederations Cup, where he won a third-place medal.

4. 10th Asian Age Group Championships for 2019 held in Bengaluru, Karnataka: The 10th Asian Age Group Championships (AAGC) for 2019 was held in Bengaluru. It was organised by the Swimming Federation of India (SFI) through the Asia Amateur Swimming Federation (AASF). It was the first time India hosted the international Championship in swimming, diving, water polo and in Artistic swimming events. India finished with a total medal tally of 64 medals (20 gold, 24 silver and 20 bronze). It stood at the 4 spot in Swimming event and second spot in the diving event.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Bhumi Pednekar wins Face of Asia award at Busan International Film Festival: Indian Actor Bhumi Pednekar has been awarded the Face of Asia award the 24th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). Bhumi’s upcoming film “Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitaare”, which features her alongside Konkona Sen, had its world premiere at BIFF

2. Shanti Raghavan & Dipesh Sutariya felicitated with 10th India Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award for 2019: Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (IC) of Civil Aviation, Housing and Urban Affairs and Minister of State of Commerce and Industry of India presented the 10th Edition of India Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2019 to Shanti Raghavan & Dipesh Sutariya of EnAble India alongside the 33rd India Economic Summit for 2019 in New Delhi for building an ecosystem of skilling, employment and entrepreneurship for persons with disabilities (PwDs).

3. Greta Thunberg & Divina Maloum to receive the 15th International Children’s Peace Prize for 2019: The international organisation for the defence of children’s rights KidsRights Foundation will felicitate Sweden’s climate activist Greta Thunberg, aged 16, and peace campaigner Cameroon’s Divina Maloum, aged 14, with the 15th International Children’s Peace Prize for 2019 on November 20, 2019 at a ceremony in The Hague, Netherlands on World Children’s Day.

About the prize: The International Children’s Peace Prize worth €100,000 or $123,000 is awarded annually to a child who fights courageously for children’s rights. The prize was launched by KidsRights during the 2005 World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates at the Capitol in Rome, chaired by Mikhail Gorbachev. Since then, the prize has been presented every year by a Nobel Peace Laureate. The International Children’s Peace Prize is an initiative of Marc Dullaert, Chairman and Founder of the KidsRights Foundation.

OBITUARIES

1. American actress, singer, and model, Diahann Carroll passes away: American actress, singer, and model, Diahann Carroll, who won a Golden Globe and Tony awards and was nominated for an Oscar, has passed away in Los Angeles, US (United States) due to cancer. Born on 17 July 1935, The Bronx, New York, United States, Carroll was the recipient of Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in A Television Series in 1968. She was also the first black woman to win the Tony Award for best actress for her role in the Broadway musical No Strings.