1st October 2015 - Important Current Affairs updates

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International Affairs

• Today (1st October) is World Vegetarian Day.
• • It is a day of celebration established by the North American Vegetarian Society in 1977 and endorsed by the International Vegetarian Union in 1978, To promote the joy, compassion and life-enhancing possibilities of vegetarianism."
• Today (1st October) is International Day of Older Persons.
• • This year (2015) observes the celebration of the 25th anniversary of International Day of Older Persons (IDOP).
  • Themes of International Day of Older Persons
  • • 2011 : The Growing Opportunities & Challenges of Global Ageing
    • 2012 : Longevity: Shaping the Future
    • 2013 : The future we want: what older persons are saying
    • 2014 : Leaving No One Behind: Promoting a Society for All
    • 2015 : Sustainability and Age Inclusiveness in the Urban Environment
• The United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva has adopted a consensus resolution on accountability for the alleged human rights violations during the Sri Lankan civil war.
• • Sponsored by the U.S., the U.K. and other countries, including Sri Lanka, the resolution called upon Colombo to establish a credible judicial process, with the participation of Commonwealth and other foreign judges, defence lawyers and authorised prosecutors and investigators, to go into the alleged rights abuses.
  • India welcomed this move.

National Affairs

• The election commission has banned the publication and dissemination of exit polls of any kind from October 12, the first phase of Bihar assembly elections, till November 5 when the last phase of the polling ends.
• • Chief Election Commissioner of India : Nasim Zaidi
• Govt has received an amount of 3,770 crore rupees from 638 declarations under the onetime black money compliance window which was closed yesterday.
• • The compliance window opened on 1st July, 2015 and was till 30th of September 2015.
  • Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015 (the Act) has been enacted to deal with the menace of black money stashed abroad.
  • Tax department will initiate action against those who have not disclosed their ‪Black Money‬ and assets stashed abroad.
  • Revenue Secretary : Dr. Hasmukh Adhia
• The 67th Assam Police day was celebrated in Guwahati.
• The Central Government has notified 'Mid Day Meal Rules, 2015' under the National Food Security Act.
• • A statement issued by the HRD Ministry announced that the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA, 2013) contains provisions related to welfare schemes including Mid Day Meal Scheme.
  • It further stated that in accordance with the provisions of the Act, the HRD Ministry has finalised the MDM Rules after consultation with states and other related central ministries.
  • The rules will be known as Mid-Day Day Meal Rules, 2015 and will be in effect from the date of notification in the Gazette of India.

Awards & Honors

• Kartik Chandran, an Indian-American associate professor of earth and environmental engineering at Columbia Engineering, has been named a 2015 MacArthur Fellow  for his work in “transforming wastewater from a pollutant requiring disposal to a resource for useful products, such as commodity chemicals, energy sources, and fertilizers".

Science & Technology

• China has successfully launched 20th new generation satellite which has among others a hydrogen atomic clock, moving a step closer to build its own Global Positioning System to compete with the US-operated GPS.
• • It was the 20th satellite for the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), and puts China one step closer to providing an alternative to the US-operated GPS, it said.
  • For the first time the satellite featured a hydrogen atomic clock. 
  • Named after the Chinese term for the plough or the Big Dipper constellation, the Beidou project was formally launched in 1994, some 20 years after GPS.

New Appointments

• Meghalaya Governor, V. Shanmuganathan, was sworn in as the 17th Governor of Manipur.
• • Shanmuganathan has been given additional charge of Manipur after the demise of incumbent Syed Ahmed on Sunday.
  • About Manipur
  • • Established on : 21st January 1972
    • Capital : Imphal
    • Official language : Meeteilon
    • Total Districts : 9
    • Chief Minister : Okram Ibobi Singh

Business & Economy

• In a big jump, India has moved up 16 positions to rank 55th on a global index of the world's most competitive economies.
• • Switzerland has retained its top position for seventh year in a row and is followed by Singapore, the US, Germany and the Netherlands in the top-five.
  • These are followed by Japan, Hong Kong, Finland, Sweden and the UK in the top-ten. 

• Minister of State (I/C) for Youth affairs and Sports Sarbananda Sonowal conferred Arjuna Award 2015 to M.R. Poovamma (Athletics) and Babita Kumari (Wrestling).
• • Note : M.R. Poovamma and Babita Kumari could not receive the Arjuna Award from President of India on 29August 2015 as both of them were abroad due to professional commitments.
• Former world number one Heena Sidhu won the Gold medal in women's 10 meter air pistol event at the 8th Asian Air Gun Championships in New Delhi.
• • India’s Shweta Singh won the silver medal.
  • Korean shooter Seon A Kim took the bronze.

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