National & International Appointments
1. Shefali Juneja elected as chairperson of Air Transport Committee of ICAO
- Shefali Juneja (representative of India at ICAO) has been elected as the chairperson of UN specialized aviation agency’s Air Transport Committee (ATC).
- She is a 1992 batch officer of IRS (Income Tax cadre), served as a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation before joining the ICAO
- India has secured this position in ICAO after 28 years when she was unanimously elected to the post
- ATC is a standing committee of the ICAO created by the Chicago Convention in 1944
Summits & Conferences
2. UNSC Counter-Terrorism Committee meet to be held in India
- The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Counter-Terrorism Committee will be hosted in Mumbai and Delhi on 28th and 29th of October.
- 2022 Theme: Countering the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes
- The special meeting in India will also be attended by UK foreign secretary, James Cleverly.
- Focus of meet: Internet (including social media), new payment technologies and fundraising methods, and unmanned aerial systems (including drones)
National Affairs
3. Two Indian beaches receive Blue Flag certification
- Thundi and Kadmat beaches in Lakshadweep have received the Blue Flag certification and were added to the list of the cleanest beaches in the world.
- This has taken India's tally of ‘Blue Beaches’ to 12.
- Golden Beach of Puri is also Asia's first Blue Flag certified beach.
- Blue Flag Certification:
- It is awarded by a non-profit organisation known as Foundation for Environmental Education.
- It is an eco-label given to the cleanest beaches in the world.
Banking & Finance
4. CRISIL upgrades Muthoot FinCorp to AA-
- CRISIL has upgraded its long-term rating on the bank facilities and debt instruments of Muthoot FinCorp to ‘CRISIL AA-'.
- It has also upgraded the ratings of Muthoot Microfin Ltd, Muthoot Capital Services Ltd and Muthoot Housing Finance Company Ltd, to A+.
- These upgrades are driven by improvement in the capitalisation profile and expected improvement in the earnings profile of MPG.
- Chairman of Muthoot Pappachan Group: Thomas John Muthoot
National & International Appointments
5. Indian-origin Navjit Kaur Brar becomes councillor of Canada Brampton
- Indian-origin Sikh woman, Navjit Kaur Brar has become the first turban-wearing Sikh woman to be elected as a city councillor of Brampton in Canada.
- She is an Indo-Canadian respiratory therapist.
- She was elected in the recent municipal council polls after she won the race in Wards 2 and 6.
- She is a former Conservative MP candidate for Brampton West.
- Elections for municipal government in Canada held every four years on the fourth Monday of October.
International Affairs
6. Turkish competition board fines $18.6 million on Meta
- Competition authority of Turkey has imposed monetary penalty of 346.72 million lira ($18.63 million) on Meta Platforms (Facebook).
- Reason: For violating competition law
- The firm has obstructed its competitors operating in social network services and online advertising markets as it merged data collected through Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
- The fine was imposed according to the 2021 annual income of the company.
National & International Appointments
7. Harmanpreet Singh named captain for India's FIH Pro League matches
- Hockey India has named Harmanpreet Singh as the captain of the 22-member Indian men’s hockey team.
- He has been appointed for the upcoming double-header matches against Spain and New Zealand in the season opener of FIH Hockey Pro League 2022-2023 to be held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
- While, Manpreet Singh has been named as his deputy.
- All matches will be held at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium, Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
State Affairs
8. Assam launched Trees Beyond Forests initiative
- The Assam government has launched the “trees outside forests in India (TOFI)” programme in collaboration with US Agency for International Development (USAID).
- Aim: To bring farmers, companies, and private institutions together to expand the tree coverage outside of traditional forests in the State.
- The new programme will enhance carbon sequestration, support local communities, and strengthen the climate resilience of agriculture.
Honours & Awards
9. IIT Madras won National Intellectual Property Award for 2021 and 2022
- The Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) has been awarded the national intellectual property award for 2021 and 2022.
- This award was instituted by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
- The criteria for evaluation was patent applications, grants and commercialisation.
- The award was presented by Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal.
- Award: A trophy, citation and Rs. 1 lakh
Agreement
10. Indian Navy join hands with Drone Federation to promote drone technology
- The Technology Development and Acceleration Cell of the Naval Innovation Indigenisation Organisation under the Indian Navy has signed an MoU with Drone Federation of India.
- Reason: For promoting indigenous development, manufacturing and testing of a drone, counter-drone, and associated technologies for the Navy.
- This collaboration will increase the Navy-industry-academia synergy, and source technology development challenges towards component indigenisation.
National & International Appointments
11. Elizabeth Jones as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim at US Embassy New Delhi
- The US administration has named a senior US diplomat, Elizabeth Jones (74) as the next Charge d’Affaires ad interim in New Delhi.
- She is the sixth interim US envoy in the last 21 months (since January 2021).
- She had worked on NATO’s role in Europe vis-a-vis Russia as the US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia.
- Currently, Patricia A Lacina is the Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, who assumed charge on September 9, 2021.
Important Dates
12. World Day for Audiovisual Heritage: 27th October
- World Day for Audiovisual Heritage is observed on October 27 every year to promote the importance of such preservation.
- Theme 2022: Enlisting documentary heritage to promote inclusive, just and peaceful societies
- The Recommendation for the Safeguarding and Preservation of Moving Images was adopted in the 21st General Conference of UNESCO held on October 27, 1980, at Belgrade, Serbia.
- International Federation of Film Archives HQ: Brussels, Belgium
Schemes
13. Delhi LG announces SAMRIDDHI scheme for property disputes and tax dues
- Delhi LG, Vinai Kumar Saxena has announced a one-time property tax amnesty scheme named Strengthening & Augmentation of Municipal Revenue for Infrastructure Development in Delhi (SAMRIDDHI) 2022-23 scheme.
- With this scheme, the NCR people will be able to pay only the principal amount of the current and pending tax of past five years for residential properties.
- The people can also get a waiver on all pending dues, including penalty and interest through this scheme.
Comments
write a comment