20th October 2016 Events - Important Current Affairs

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Dear Gr8 Ambitionists, here are today's (20th October 2016) Important Current Affairs updates. Happy Reading :)

International Affairs

India and China today carried out a joint army exercise in eastern Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir.
- During the day-long exercise on Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR), a fictitious situation of an earthquake striking an Indian border village was simulated.
- Thereafter joint teams carried out rescue operations, evacuation and rendering of medical assistance.
India and Myanmar today agreed to enhance ties in a range of areas including border security and trade during talks between PM Narendra Modi and Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung Suu Kyi.

MOUs & Agreements

India and Myanmar have signed 3 Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) to boost bilateral relations. They are,
- MoU on Banking Supervision. It was signed between Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Central Bank of Myanmar.
- MoU for designing an academic and professional building programme for insurance industry of Myanmar.
- MoU on Cooperation in the field of Power Sector. Under it India has offered to enhance power supply from Moreh in Manipur to Tamu in Myanmar.

National Affairs

Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao has signed the state government’s ordinance to amend the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act, 1960.
- The ordinance bars directors of mismanaged cooperative banks from contesting bank elections for two consecutive terms.
Vadodara (Gujarat) has got India's 2nd eco-friendly airport which is located on the outskirts of the city.
- The facilities of the airport have also been rated by Green Ratings of International Habitat Assessment, the highest national rating for green buildings conceived by The Energy and Resources Institute.
- Constructed at a cost of ₹160 crores, it has 18 check-in counters.
To address the shortage of doctors in the state, the Haryana government has decided to increase the retirement age of doctors from 58 to 65 years.
Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal today announced that three languages, including Rajasthani and Bhojpuri, would soon be given official recognition under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
- Note : As of now, 22 languages are recognised under Eighth Schedule of Constitution.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is going to declare the Kashmiri Red Stag (also known as Hangul) as a Critically Endangered species.
- Note : The critically endangered status to the Kashmiri Red Stag will help it to get more protection and enhance the conservation efforts to increase its rapidly declining population.

New Appointments

Renu Khator, an Indian-American academic, has been appointed as a Member of the US Department of Homeland Security's Academic Advisory Council.
- Khator, who also serves as the President of the University of Houston, will serve a four-year term on the council.
- She was selected based on her expertise in higher education leadership.

Banking & Economy

State Bank of India (SBI) declares Silchar as its 5th zone in North East after Guwahati, Shillong, Dibrugarh and Jorhat, which will cater to banking needs of the people of Mizoram, Tripura and Manipur along with the Barak Valley.
The World Bank has pledged 2 billion US dollars aid package to Bangladesh to tackle climate change over the next three years.
- The aid package is part of the World Bank’s fund for the poorest countries.
- Bangladesh is extremely vulnerable to climate change and accounts for almost 70% of all storm surges in the world.
- The aid package aims to further develop the resilience of the people at a time when climate change is putting their lives and livelihoods at greater risk.

Science & Technology

Russian defence forces have launched an independent electronic communication system called 'Closed Data Transfer Segment' that is independent and protected from unlicensed connections.
- This system is aimed at enabling fast and safe transfer of classified information.

Awards & Honors

Noted British statistician Sir David Cox (92) was awarded inaugural recipient of the International Prize in Statistics.
- The International Prize in Statistics Foundation has bestowed this award on Sir David Cox in recognition of Survival Analysis Model (or Cox Model) Applied in Medicine, Science, and Engineering.