Daily GK Updates - 9th October, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. AIIMS & Health ministry launches “eDantSeva”: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences in collaboration with the Union Health Ministry launched the 1st-ever website and mobile application on oral health awareness “eDantSeva“. The digital platform contains information about the National Oral Health Programme and a detailed list of all the dental facility and colleges, Information, Education and Communication (IEC) material. It also constitutes a unique feature called the ‘Symptom Checker’. The website also provides GPRS route and satellite images of the facility for easier access to the people. A Braille booklet and voice-over on oral health education for visually impaired was also released on the occasion.

2. India International Cooperative Trade Fair to be held in New Delhi: A three-day International Cooperative Trade Fair will be held in New Delhi from 11th to 13th October 2019.

The first-ever such fair is aimed at promoting cooperative to cooperative trade within India and abroad leading to enhanced rural and farm prosperity. According to Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomer, Representatives from over 150 cooperative societies and 35 countries including, Australia, Japan, China, Brazil, US, UK, Germany and Iran are going to participate in the fair. The event will offer a huge opportunity for the industry and business houses from India and abroad to build an alliance, business networking, product sourcing and interact with primary producers of a wide range of products and service providers.

3. India receives 1st Rafale fighter jet built for Indian Air Force: India has got the 1st Rafale fighter jet “RB-001” built for the Indian Air Force (IAF) in France. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh received the 1st Rafale combat jet aircraft at Production Unit of Dassault Aviation in France. However, the first batch of jets will arrive in India only in May 2020. Defence Minister also held the Annual Defence dialogue with his French counterpart Florence Parly. India had signed an agreement with France for the procurement of 36 Rafale jets at a cost of Rs. 59,000 crores.

Note: The Rafale is a twin-jet fighter aircraft able to operate from both an aircraft carrier and a shore base. It is described as a fully versatile aircraft which can carry out all combat aviation missions to achieve air superiority and air defence, close air support, in-depth strikes, reconnaissance, anti-ship strikes and nuclear deterrence.

4. Day Care Recreation Centre inaugurated in Leh: The 1st Government-sponsored and operated Day-Care cum Recreation Centre for senior citizens has been inaugurated in Leh. The day care Centre, co-sponsored by Government and the District Legal Service Authority will provide a raft of medical facilities including geriatric care, health consultations and check-ups, physiotherapy to the senior citizens. It would also provide legal service, the senior citizens would require on various legal issues. The premise would be a one stop-shop for entertainment, medical services and legal aid for the aged people of the Ladakh region.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India, Mexico agrees to work together on multilateral issues: The fifth round of Foreign Office Consultations between India and Mexico were held in New Delhi. The Indian side was led by Secretary (East) Vijay Thakur Singh and Mexican side was led by Deputy Minister of External Affairs of Mexico Julián Ventura Valero. The two sides reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation, including political, trade and economic cooperation. Both sides underscored the need to hold a regular dialogue in these areas through the established bilateral mechanisms.

2. WTO hosts first World Cotton Day celebrations in Geneva: The first-ever World Cotton Day (7 October) was hosted by the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva. This event stems from the application by the Cotton-4 countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali) to the United Nations General Assembly for its official recognition of a World Cotton Day, reflecting the importance of cotton as a global commodity. Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani is representing India in the five-day event of World Cotton Day. As one of the world’s largest producers and consumers of cotton, India supports the World Cotton Day as an opportunity to recognise the significance of cotton as a global commodity.

3. Antonio Costa re-elected as the PM of Portugal: Antonio Costa has been re-elected as the Prime Minister of Portugal after winning the general elections. Antonio Costa, the Socialist leader and incumbent prime minister, got the most votes in Portugal’s general election, leaving it poised to continue leading the government for another four years.

4. World Post Day: 9 October: United Nations celebrates World Post Day every year on 9 October. The purpose of World Post Day is to bring awareness to the Post’s role in the everyday lives of people and businesses, as well as its contribution to global social and economic development. The day marks the establishment of the Universal Postal Union in 1874 in the Swiss Capital, Bern. It was declared World Post Day by the UPU Congress held in Tokyo, Japan in 1969.

5. India ranks 68th on WEF’s Global Competitiveness Index: World Economic Forum has released the Global Competitiveness Index report. In total, there are 103 indicators distributed across the 12 pillars on which the performance of the countries was evaluated. As per the WEF’s released report, India has moved down 10 places to rank 68th on an annual global competitiveness index which was topped by Singapore. India is among the worst-performing BRICS nations along with Brazil which is ranked 71st this year. WEF stated that India ranks high in terms of macroeconomic stability and market size, while its financial sector is relatively deep and stable despite the high delinquency rate, which contributes to weakening the soundness of its banking system.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Simone Biles wins 15th world title: American artistic gymnast Simone Biles (22-years) has clinched a record-extending 15th World Gymnastics Championship title in Stuttgart, Germany. She collected her 21st medal at the championships to become the most decorated women's gymnast. Biles played a key role in a commanding performance by the USA, earning the most points in three of the four disciplines: the vault, balance beam and floor.

2. Surender Singh creates three world records at World Powerlifting C’ ship: India’s Surender Singh created three world records at the ongoing World Powerlifting Championship in Berlin, Germany. Surender bagged the gold medal in 110 kg category, Classic Raw and the Best Lifter Award in Classic Raw and Single Ply. Three-time World Champion Mukesh Singh went on to add another feather to his cap by winning yet another gold only to be known as 4-time World Champion.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. SBI lowers rates on non-repo-linked loans by 10 bps: State Bank of India (SBI) has announced a reduction in its marginal cost of fund-based lending (MCLR) rate by 10 basis points across all tenors (effective from 10th October 2019). This is the sixth time that the country’s largest lender has cut its MCLR or minimum lending rate in the current financial year. The rate reduction is not applicable to the repo-linked loans. With this reduction, the one-year MCLR, to which all the lending rates are linked to, is set at 8.05% as against 8.15% earlier. The cut in MCLR follows a 25-bps reduction in repo rate by the RBI last week.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. Infosys bags digital transformation services deal from Volvo: Infosys has been selected as the main supplier to deliver Volvo Cars’ digital transformation services for its enterprise digital commercial operations applications and products. Infosys will offer next generation application services leveraging its global delivery model (GDM), agile delivery, automation and other service optimisation levers to deliver effective service operations. Based on the Scale Agile Framework (SAFe), Infosys will enable transformation of application management and application development deliveries to a 100% agile operating model.

AWARDS & HONOURS

1. “Spirit Of Kerala” wins People’s Choice Award: Short film from Kerala “Spirit Of Kerala” has won the People’s Choice Award at the recently concluded My Rode Reel film competition. The film won the honour beating 1,680 entries. The short film is based on a boat race and directed by Arun Joseph. My Rode Reel film competition is touted as the ‘world’s largest short film competition’.

2. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2019: The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2019. The prize will be awarded jointly to John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino. They have been nominated for the prize for the development of lithium-ion batteries. This lightweight, rechargeable and powerful battery is now used in everything from mobile phones to laptops and electric vehicles.

Daily GK Updates - 8th October, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Indian Air Force Celebrated 87th Air Force Day: 8 October: On October 8, 2019 the Indian Air Force (IAF) celebrated its 87th anniversary on Air Force Day at Hindon Air Base in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. During the IAF parade, wing commander Abhinandan Varthaman who shot down Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) F-16 aircraft during a dogfight in February 2019 led the aircraft group of three MiG-21 Bison aircraft flying in ‘avenger’ formation. Balakot heroes Group Captains Saumitra Tamaskar and Hemant Kumar flew a Jaguar and a Mirage 2000, respectively. Former Indian cricketer and Indian Air Force’s first Honorary Group Captain from sportsfield, Sachin Tendulkar also attended the celebration. Air Chief Marshal, R K S Bhadauria, Army Chief Bipin Rawat and Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Karambir Singh paid tributes at the National War Memorial in New Delhi.

2. Telangana police becomes the first in country to integrate police patrol systems with passenger cabs: In order to provide a safe & secure environment to passengers, especially women, the Telangana police in its 1st of its kind in the country, has taken up a high tech initiative to integrate their police patrol systems with passenger cabs. This is being done using police’s ‘Hawk-Eye’ app that is connected to every taxi aggregator apps that provides a cab service facility. In case of emergency, the commuter can access the ‘emergency button’ installed in the related cab service app, the message will be transmitted to Hawk-Eye App through a back-end operational workflow. This will send the latitude and longitudinal coordinates of the passenger to the police & other details of the private cab service to the police attending to emergency services such as control room and closest patrol mobile. ii. The police will be able to respond quickly to reach the commuter by continuously tracing the movement of the vehicle on the geo-tagged map.

Note: Telangana Capital: Hyderabad; Chief minister: K. Chandrashekar Rao; Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan

3. UP CM Yogi Adityanath intoduced Mukhya Mantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath introduced the Mukhya Mantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana which aims to empower the girl child. If a girl child is born, that family will receive Rs 15,000. Under the community marriage scheme, the support amount to poor girls for marriage was increased from Rs 35,000 to Rs 50,000.

4. Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Launched ‘Ganga Aamantran’ Abhiyan: The Union minister of Jal Shakthi Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launched ‘Ganga Aamantran’ abhiyan, a month long open-water rafting and kayaking expedition in New Delhi. The expedition which begins from October 10- November 11 2019, will cover an area of 25,000kms from Devprayag in Uttarakhand to Ganga Sagar in West Bengal. It is the first of its kind effort by National Mission for Clean Ganga(NMCG) to raft across the entire stretch of the river. It is also the longest ever social campaign undertaken through an adventure sporting activity in spreading the message of river rejuvenation and water conservation on a massive scale. The expedition will encompass 5 Ganga basin states. They are Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Indonesia and Vietnam Lead SE Asia’s $100bn Internet Economy: 4th E-Conomy SEA Report For 2019: The 4th Edition of the report titled “e-Conomy SEA report 2019: Powering Southeast Asia’s $100 billion Internet economy” was jointly released by Google, Singapore investment company Temasek and American consultancy Bain & Company. As per the report, Indonesia and Vietnam led the SE (SouthEast) Asia’s $100bn internet economy becoming the fastest-growing digital economies in the region. Until 2018, this report was jointly published by Google and Temasek. Total of 6 countries namely Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam were surveyed. Indonesia’s internet economy is the largest in the region, estimated at $40 billion in 2019, is expected to reach $133 billion mark by 2025. Vietnam’s internet economy is forecast to reach $12 billion in 2019 and up to $43 billion in 2025.

Note: Google Inc: Founded: 1998; Headquarters: California, US

Temasek: Founded: 25 June 1974; Headquarters: Singapore

Bain & Company: Founded: 1973; Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts, U.S

2. Remains of 5,000-year-old city unveiled in Israel’s archaeological site En Esur: Archaeologists of Israel have unveiled remains of a 5,000-year-old city believed to be the biggest in the region from the Bronze Age. The site known as “En Esur” included fortifications, a ritual temple, and a cemetery. An even earlier settlement, believed to be 7,000 years old, was discovered beneath the city. It is regarded as the ‘New York City’ of its time period.

Note: Israel Capital: Jerusalem; Currency: Israeli new shekel; Prime minister: Benjamin Netanyahu.

3. Saturn created a solar system record after the discovery of 20 new moons, surpassing Jupiter: A team of researchers led by Carnegie’s Scott S. Sheppard from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) discovered 20 new moons orbiting Saturn, increasing its tally of moons to 82. It surpassed the number of moons orbiting Jupiter planet which stands at 79. This was announced by the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Minor Planet Center (MPC), France. They were discovered using the Subaru telescope atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii (a state in the Pacific United States) and were about five kilometers in diameter. 17 moons were found orbiting the planet backwards, in a direction opposite to that of Saturn’s rotation around its axis while 3 moons orbited in the same direction as Saturn’s rotation, which is called prograde motion.

4. Michelle Obama’s book “Becoming: A Guided Journal for Discovering Your Voice” set to release: Former First Lady of the United States of America, Michelle Obama‘s second book titled “Becoming: A Guided Journal for Discovering Your Voice” is set to release on November 19, 2019. It is published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House. The journal will be published in more than 20 countries. It includes more than 150 inspiring questions and quotes that resonate with key themes in Mrs. Obama’s memoir. Her first memoir titled “Becoming” (Crown Publishing Group) was released in November 2018.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. India to host 3×3 basketball qualifying tournament for Tokyo Olympics in March 2020: As per the world governing body of the basketball, FIBA (International Basketball Federation), India will host the Tokyo Olympic Games 3×3 basketball qualifying tournament in March 2020 with a total participation of 40 teams (20 male and 20 female teams). The location of the event will be announced later. The competition will be organized under the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). Six places (3 each in both women and men) will be awarded for the Olympic 2020 in the FIBA 3×3 Olympic qualifying tournament. This competition will make its Olympic debut in Tokyo where eight teams will participate in the women’s and men’s categories.

Note: FIBA: Motto: We Are Basketball; Formation: 18 June 1932; Headquarters: Mies, Switzerland; President: Hamane Niang

2. Indian Batsman, Rohit Sharma Attains Career Best 17th In ICC Test Player Rankings 2019: As per the recently released MRF (Madras Rubber Factory) Tyres International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Test Player Rankings” as of October 7, 2019, Rohit Sharma, who became the first Indian cricketer to score a century in both innings of his first test as an opener, reached a career-best 17th position. He jumped from the 54th position to the 17th. Captain Virat Kohli has retained his second position, though he has slipped below 900 mark for the first time since January 2018.

Top 3 players & Other Indians in the batsmen rankings:

Rank	Player Name	Country	Rating points	Average
1	Steve Smith	Australia	937	64.56
2	Virat Kohli	India	899	53.12
3	Kane Williamson	New Zealand	878	49.75
17	Rohit Sharma	India	650	44.95
25	Mayank Agarwal	India	620	55.22
52	Ravindra Jadeja	India	524	33.26

Top 3 & Indian Players in the Bowler Rankings:

Rank	Player Name	Country	Rating points	Average
1	Pat Cummins	Australia	908	21.45
2	Kagiso Rabada	South Africa	828	22.25
3	Jasprit Bumrah	India	827	19.24
10	Ravichandran Ashwin	India	770	25.39
16	Mohammad Shami	India	710	28.45

All-rounders (top 3):

Rank	Player	Team	Points
1	Jason Holder	West Indies	472
2	Ravindra Jadeja	India	398
3	Shakib Al Hasan	Bangladesh	397

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Centre forms inter-ministerial panel to check money laundering: The government formed a 19-member Inter-Ministerial Coordination Committee (IMCC) chaired by the revenue secretary Mr. Ajay Bhushan Pandey to check money laundering activities. It is set up as per the powers conferred under Section 72A of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. Its objective is to facilitate policy and operational coordination among the law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies and various regulators in matters relating to countering of terror financing and money laundering. It has 5 secretaries from the departments of Financial Services, Economic Affairs, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of External Affairs and chiefs from various regulatory authorities and probe agencies. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Cell in the Department of Revenue will be the secretariat of the IMCC.

2. Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey Inaugurated National E-Assessment Scheme of IT Department in New Delhi: The Revenue Secretary Shri Ajay Bhushan Pandey who is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) inaugurated National e-Assessment Scheme (NeAS) in New Delhi. This e-Assessment scheme along with the National e-Assessment Centre (NeAC), would benefit the Income Tax(IT) department in imparting efficiency, transparency, accountability in the assessment process and would have no physical interface between taxpayers and tax officers. Section 143(3A) & (3B) of the IT Act empowered notification of E-assessment scheme. NeAC is to be headed by Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (Pr.CCIT). In this regard, the 1984 batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Krishna Mohan Prasad has been appointed for the same.

3. India gets first details of accounts of Indian citizens in Swiss banks: In the matter of getting information about black money from foreign land, India has got the first details of accounts of Indian citizens in Swiss banks under the new regular system of automatic exchange of information (AEOI). However, the exchange of information is done with the condition of confidentiality. The Federal Tax Administration (FTA) of Switzerland has exchanged details of financial accounts under 75 global standards of AEOI to 75 countries. India is also included in them. Financial accounts information would be exchanged with India again in September 2020. In total, the FTA has shared information (resident’s country, name, address and financial institution with tax identification number, balance in the account and capital income) of 31 lakh financial accounts to partner countries. At the same time, Switzerland has received information about 24 lakh accounts.

Note:  Swiss bank: Headquarters: Basel, Switzerland; Founded: 1872

AWARDS & HONOURS

1. James Peebles, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz awarded 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics: The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (RSAS) decided to award the Nobel Prize in Physics 2019 “for contributions to our understanding of the evolution of the universe and Earth’s place in the cosmos”; with one half of the prize to James Peebles of Princeton University, United States of America (USA) “for theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology” (after the Big Bang theory) and the other half jointly to Michel Mayor from the University of Geneva, Switzerland and Didier Queloz, University of Geneva, Switzerland, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom (UK) “for the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star”. Peebles was awarded half the 9-million-Swedish krona ($910,000) prize while Mayor and Queloz, shared the other half.

2. Arjun bansal and Ankit bose of Indian origin included in Fortune’s 2019 “40 Under 40 list”: Indian-origin Arjun Bansal (35) and Ankiti Bose (27) have made it to Fortune’s 2019 “40 Under 40 Global List”. Arjun is the Vice President of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Software and AI Lab of the US (United States) tech company Intel. Ankiti is the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and co-founder of the fashion platform Zilingo. Amazon’s voice user interface designer Alison Atwell (31) & US Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg (37) were also on the list.

3. IFS officer Ramesh Pandey to be felicitated with 4th Asia Environmental Enforcement Award: The 1996-batch Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Ramesh Pandey will be felicitated with the prestigious United Nations Asia Environmental Enforcement Award 2019 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on November 13, 2019 at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC) in Bangkok, Thailand for combating trans-boundary environmental crime. It is the 4th Edition of the awards. At present, he serves as a as Chief Conservator Forests in Lucknow and Secretary of Uttar Pradesh (UP) State Bio-diversity Board (SBB).

Note: UNEP Formation: 5 June 1972; Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya; Executive Director: Inger Andersen

Daily GK Updates - 7th October, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. NHA ties with Google to strengthen the implementation of PMJAY: National Health Authority signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) with Google to collaborate and strengthen the implementation of Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY). The two organizations will now work together to increase process efficiencies in day-to-day applications. Google will support NHA in improving digital presence of PMJAY and showcasing relevant content to the 50 crore entitled beneficiaries. Google will also help provide training and support to NHA personnel to build on digital skills. NHA is the nodal agency for implementing Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.

Note: NHA is the programme implementing authority of the world's largest public-funded health insurance scheme “Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY). NHA's CEO: Indu Bhushan

2. Union govt launches eco-friendly crackers to fight air pollution: Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has launched eco-friendly green firecrackers, which have been manufactured in India and are available in markets for sellers and consumers. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) labs have been successful in developing various environment-friendly fireworks such as sound-emitting crackers, flowerpots, pencils, chakkar and sparklers. A green logo as well as a Quick Response (QR) coding system has been developed for the differentiation of green crackers from conventional crackers.

3. India to shift to BS VI vehicular emission norms from BS IV by April 2020: India will shift to Bharat Stage Six (BS VI) vehicular emission norms from BS IV by April 2020 in order to curb vehicular pollution. This announcement was made by the Environment and Forest Minister Mr Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi. BS6-compliant vehicles will be available in Delhi in April 2020 and BS6 petrol/diesel is already available in Delhi/NCR.

Note: Bharat stage Emission Standards (BSES) are emission standards instituted by the Government of India to regulate the output of air pollutants from internal combustion engines and Spark-ignition engines equipment, including motor vehicles. The standards and the timeline for implementation are set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Anumula Gitesh Sarma appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to Australia: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of Government of India notified that Mr Anumula Gitesh Sarma was appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to Australia. He is an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Officer of the 1986 batch. He succeeds Dr. Ajay M. Gondane.

Note: Australia Capital: Canberra; Currency: Australian dollar

2. New book documenting Gandhi’s legacy launched in South Africa: A new book titled “150 Years of Celebrating the Mahatma the South African Legacy”, by Fakir Hassen launched in Johannesburg, South Africa. This book released on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary. The book chronicles commemorations of Gandhi’s activities, including his birth and death anniversaries & his visit in South Africa, which was stifled by the apartheid-era minority white government and revived after former president Nelson Mandela.

Note: Capitals of South Africa: Cape Town, Pretoria, Bloemfontein; Currency: Rand

3. World Habitat day: October 7: The World Habitat Day was observed every year on first Monday in October all over the world. This year it was observed on October 7, 2019 with the theme “Frontier Technologies as an innovative tool to transform waste to wealth”. The aim of this day is to reflect on the state of cities and towns and the basic human right to adequate shelter. The theme for 2019 aims to promote the contribution of innovative frontier technologies such as automation, robotics, electric vehicles, renewable energy technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to sustainable waste management to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 11: inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities. In 1985 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared the first Monday of October as World Habitat Day through Resolution 40/202. It was first celebrated in 1986.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Christine Wolf clinches Hero Indian Women’s Open golf title: Austria’s Christine Wolf has won the Hero Women’s Indian Open at Gurugram, Haryana. It was Christine’s first title after six years on the Ladies European Tour. Norway’s Mariaane Skarpnord finished as runner-up while England’s Meghan MacLaren finished third in the competition. Among the Indian players, Anika Varma finished at 5th position while Tvesa Malik was at 6th position.

2. Harmanpreet Kaur becomes first Indian to play 100 T20Is: Indian women cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur became the first Indian to play 100 T20 International matches. She achieves this feat in the sixth T20I against South Africa in Surat. Harmanpreet Kaur is among 10 female players who have reached the three-figure mark in terms of appearances. New Zealand’s Suzie Bates and Australia’s Ellyse Perry top the list with 111 appearances. Overall, Harmanpreet has two more appearances in T20Is than MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, who have played the highest number of matches for India in men’s cricket.

3. Sumit Nagal achieved a career-best ranking of 129 in ATP men’s singles: Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal, aged 22, from Haryana achieved a career-best ranking of 129 in the latest Association of Tennis Professional (ATP) men’s singles rankings 2019. He moved up six places from 135. The first place was held by Novak Djokovic (Serbia), followed by Rafael Nadal (Spain) and Roger Federer (Switzerland). In the doubles ranking, Juan Sebastian Cabal & Rober Farah of Colombia held the top spot followed by Horacio Zeballos of Argentina (3) and Nicolas Mahut (4) of France.

4. 17th IAAF World Athletics Championships For 2019 Held In Doha, Qatar: The 17th Edition of the IAAF World Athletics Championships for 2019 was held at Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar from September 27-October 6, 2019. The biennial event was organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and Qatar Athletics Federation. It was the first edition of the competition under its rebranded name, having previously been known as the World Championships in Athletics. Mascot: The event mascot was “Falah”, an anthropomorphic falcon dressed in athletic gear in the maroon colour of the flag of Qatar. The 18th edition will be held in Eugene, Oregon, United States in 2021.

Medal tally: Top 3 countries

Rank	Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	United States	14	11	4	29
2	Kenya	5	2	4	11
3	Jamaica	3	5	4	12

Indian Performance: 27 athletes from India represented in the championships.

Annu Rani became the first Indian to reach the finals of the women’s javelin throw event in the World Championships in Doha. She threw the javelin 62.43m in her second attempt and emerged as the fifth-best performer of the qualification round breaking her previous record of 62.34m. But she missed out the qualification for 2020 olympics.

India’s Avinash Sable qualified for Tokyo Olympics in men’s 3000m steeplechase event by finishing it in 8 minute 21.37 seconds. Olympics qualifying standard was 8:22.00.

Indian team comprising of Muhammed Anas, VK Vismaya, Nirmal Noah and Jisna Mathew, finished 7th in the finals of 4*400m mixed relay and qualified for the 2020 Tokyo olympics.

MP Jabir qualified for the 400m hurdles semifinals at the World Athletics Championship. With this, he became the second Indian male hurdler to reach the semifinals after Joseph Abraham (2007 Osaka World Championships).

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. State Bank launches debit card with EMI facility on POS: In order to provide a superior and affordable shopping experience to its customers, Indian multinational, public sector bank, the State Bank of India (SBI) has launched the “Debit Card EMI facility” for its existing customers. Under this service, the consumer can opt for an EMI (equated monthly installment) period ranging from 6 months to 18 months. iv. SBI debit card facility is available for those with good credit history. To know your eligibility, customers need to type DCEMI and send an SMS (short message service) to 567676 from registered mobile number.

Note: SBI Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; Chairman: Rajnish Kumar

2. Reliance Nippon Life AMC to be rebranded Nippon India Mutual Fund: The largest Japanese life insurance company, Nippon Life Insurance has renamed Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management (RNAM) as Nippon India Mutual Fund (NIMF) after acquiring 75 % stake in RNAM from Reliance Capital for around Rs 6,000 crore. With the help of a 130 year old Nippon Life’s international network, it will be helpful in expanding the company in the tier-II and -III cities to offer a range of products suited to the investors’ need on the debt side of the mutual fund industry. NIMF runs as an advisor for India focused equity and fixed income funds in Japan (launched by Nissay Asset Management), Korea (launched by Samsung Asset Management) and in Thailand (launched by BBL Asset Management) & controls offshore funds through its subsidiaries in Singapore and Mauritius, and also has a representative office in Dubai, thereby, catering to investors across Asia, West Asia, the UK, the US, and Europe.

Note: Nippon Life Insurance Headquarters: Osaka, Japan; President: Hiroshi Shimizu

AWARDS & HONOURS

1. 2019 Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded jointly to three-person: William G Kaelin Jr, Peter J Ratcliffe and Gregg L Semenza are jointly awarded 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability. This was announced by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute, Sweden. The scientists identified molecular machinery that regulates the activity of genes in response to varying levels of oxygen. This discovery will help to form new strategies to fight anemia, cancer and several other diseases.

About Nobel Prize:

Nobel Prize is a set of annual international awards bestowed for outstanding work in the fields of physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, economics, and the promotion of peace.

DEFENCE

1. 10th edition of Indo Maldives joint exercise begin at Pune: The 10th edition of the joint exercise between India and Maldives named Ekuverin for the year 2019 begun at Aundh Military Station in Pune, Maharashtra. This 14 day joint exercise between Indian Army (IA) and Maldives National Defence Forces will be conducted till October 20, 2019. Under the United Nations (UN) mandate, the exercise focuses to enhance interoperability between the two nations in carrying out counter insurgency and counter-terrorism operations in a semi-urban environment while sharing best practices. Previous edition: The previous/9th edition of the exercise was conducted at Northern Area Headquarter, Lhaviyani Atoll, Maalifushi of Maldives in 2018.

Note: Maldives Capital: Malé; Currency: Maldivian rufiyaa.

2. Indian Army’s first mountain combat exercise ‘Him Vijay’ 2019 begun in Arunachal Pradesh: The Indian Army’s first and biggest mountain combat exercise “Him Vijay” for the year 2019 begun at Arunachal Pradesh. It is an important exercise for validating the operational concepts of the newly raised Integrated Battle Groups (IBGs) to meet the requirements of modern warfare. The exercise has two phases, where the first phase will be conducted from October 7-10, 2019 and the second phase will be conducted from October 20-24, 2019. The key focus of the exercise is to test mobility, communication and coordination of fast-moving troops in difficult terrain.

OBITUARIES

1. Grammy awardee, Drummer Ginger Baker passed away: English drummer Peter Edward familiarly known as Ginger Baker and co-founder of the rock band “Cream” passed away at the age of 80 in England due to old age ailments. Born on August 19, 1939 in London, England Ginger Baker’s music career spanned for 6 decades and emerged as the first superstar percussionist. He won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame in 1993 as a member of ‘Cream’. He launched a band in 1970 named band Air Force with his last Long Playings (LPs) in 2014 called “why?”. He was also credited as number three on Rolling Stones’ 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time published in 2006.