15th October 2016 Events - Important Current Affairs

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Dear Gr8 Ambitionists, here are today's (15th October 2016) Important Current Affairs updates. Happy Reading :)

International Affairs

Today (15th October) is the International Day of Rural Women.
- Aim of this Day : "To recognize the critical role and contribution of rural women".
- Theme of the year 2016 : "Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must too”
Today (15th October) is Global Hand-washing Day.
- Theme of the year 2016 : “Make Handwashing a Habit!”
The 17th India-Russia Annual Summit began in Goa today.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- Bilateral talks focused on defence, energy & nuclear cooperation.
- Both countries signed key difence deals.
The United States has ruled out any sort of treaty alliance with India, claiming that the 21st century is not an era for forming new alliances.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has extended the ceasefire with Marxist FARC rebels by two months.
- The move is reportedly aimed at saving the peace accord after it was rejected by voters in a referendum.
- Note : Santos won the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to bring an end to the 52-year-long civil war with FARC rebels.

National Affairs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 5-day 104th Indian Science Congress at the Sri Venkateswara University in Tirupati on 3rd January 2016.
- Nine Nobel prize winners, four in Physics, three in Chemistry, and one each in Economics and Peace would also take part in the meet.
The Haryana government today started 'Farm Tourism' scheme.
- Under this scheme registered farm owners can host tourists as part of holiday packages.

People in News

Former President and the "Missile Man" APJ Abdul Kalam's 85th birth anniversary today.
- Kalam became the 11th President of India in 2002 and was also conferred with the Bharat Ratna in 1997.
- Important Note : United Nations declared APJ Abdul Kalam's 79th birth anniversary in 2010 as 'World Students' Day', due to his love for students and focus on promoting education.

Science & Technology

ISRO chairman AS Kiran Kumar has today announced that the space agency is in talks with an international body regarding setting up of a telescope on the moon.
- The telescope can have a lot of advantages as there are no atmosphere or atmospheric effects associated with it.

Awards & Honors

American singer-songwriter Madonna has been named 'Woman of the Year' by Billboard for "her creative vision, relentless innovation, and dedication to philanthropic causes".
The Mizoram government and the Mizoram Journalists' Association today declared Lalbiakthanga Pachuau (90) as the "oldest working journalist in the country".
- He is the editor of 'Zoram Tlangau', a Mizo daily, started by him in 1970.

New Appointments

Japan's Soft Bank has appointed its India-born Head of Strategic Finance Rajeev Misra to lead the $100 billion technology investment fund that was announced yesterday. T

Business & Economy

State-run oil and gas major ONGC today advanced over IT major Infosys to become the fifth most valuable company in India.
- Note : Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is India's most valuable company.
India will collaborate with Germany for projects worth ₹1 lakh crore to improve and enhance rail connectivity of the Indian ports.
Telecom regulator TRAI has proposed uniform inter-connection guidelines for transmission of TV channels across all available platforms like cable, DTH, and IPTV to bring in more transparency in the broadcasting business.
- Currently, two regulatory frameworks are applicable for inter-connection of IPTV, DTH, and cable TV services.
- This would result in better services at affordable prices.
State Bank of India (SBI) will divest up to 5% of its stake in its life insurance subsidiary SBI Life Insurance.
- Note : SBI Life is a joint venture between the State Bank of India and BNP Paribas Cardiff, in which the former owns 74% of the stake.

Sports

Manipur's Jason Yengkhom has become the first Indian to win a gold medal in the World Junior Wushu Championships. Y
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt has confirmed that he will retire after the 2017 World Championships in London in August.
- Bolt also informed that the Racers Grand Prix later this year will be his last race in Jamaica.
- Bolt, who is the world recorder holder in 100-metre and 200-metre sprints, is expected to participate in both the races at the event.
ICC has announced that the 2020 women's World T20 will be held separately from the men's tournament for the first time.