Current Affairs in English – October 26 2022

National Events:

RRR:

Film RRR won the best international film award at the 50th Anniversary Saturn Awards held in Los Angeles , in October 2022.
They are presented by the Academy of Science Fiction , Fantasy and Horror Films , awarding films in science fiction , fantasy , horror , and other genres.

NIIO:

The Technology Development and Acceleration Cell of the Naval Innovation Indigenisation Organisation ( NIIO ) under the Indian Navy and Drone Federation of India have joined hands.
Both will collaboratively work towards promoting indigenous development , manufacturing and testing of a drone , counter – drone , and associated technologies for the Navy.

Elizabeth Jones:

The United States has appointed Elizabeth Jones to serve as Chargé d’Affaires in New Delhi. She recently served as the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts.
She previously served as Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia , acting Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East , and Ambassador to Kazakhstan. She carries the highest Foreign Service rank of a Career Ambassador.

CCI:

The Government on 25th Oct 2022 appointed Sangeeta Verma as the acting chairperson of the Competition Commission of India ( CCI ). She has succeeded full – time Chairperson Ashok Kumar Gupta who superannuated on 25th October.
Verma is currently a member at the CCI. She has been appointed as Acting Chairperson for 3 months. The CCI is the chief national competition regulator in India. Founded : 2003.

BSE:

BSE ( Bombay Stock Exchange ) on 24th Oct 2022 launched Electronic Gold Receipt ( EGR ) on its platform.
These Electronic Gold Receipts will cater to all market participants as well as commercial participants along the value chain.
EGR allows efficient price discovery and standardization of gold , transparency in gold transactions and settlement guarantee to the Investors.

CCI & Google:

The Competition Commission ( CCI ) on 25th Oct 2022 imposed more than 936 crore rupees penalty on Google in yet another antitrust probe for anti – competitive practices.
The CCI has found Google guilty of abusing its market position to promote its payments app and in – app payment system.
Earlier , CCI had imposed a penalty of over 1337 crore rupees on Google on 20th October. Google CEO : Sundar Pichai.

Order of the Long Leaf Pine:

Eminent Indian – American entrepreneur and activist Swadesh Chatterjee has been presented with the highest award ‘ the Order of the Long Leaf Pine ‘ by the U.S. State of North Carolina.
Chatterjee has been awarded for his immense contribution to strengthening the U.S – India relationship over the past three decades. Chatterjee was also awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2001.

Gujarati New Year:

Gujarati New Year or Bestu Varsh was celebrated on 26 October 2022. The Gujarati New Year is also known as Vikram Sanvat 2079. Homes are decorated with Asopalav torans and marigold flowers.
On this auspicious day , businessmen and traders start their new account books after closing the old one. In Gujarati culture , it is called Chopda.

Jammu and Kashmir:

The Accession Day of Jammu and Kashmir with the Union of India is celebrated on 26 October. It was on this day in 1947 that the then Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir , Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession to become part of India.
The day became an official public holiday in J & K for the first time in 2020 after the abrogation of articles 370 and 35A on 5th August 2019.

Kunjapp:

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on 22nd Oct 2022 launched the ‘ Kunjapp ‘ , a mobile application to prevent cyber crimes against children in the state. It has been developed by the Women and Child Development Department of the state government.
Urgent action will be taken on cases reported by the public on Kunjapp by forming a rapid response team at the district level.

’Honesty Shops’:

Schools in Kerala’s Ernakulam district introduced ” honesty shops ” for students up to Class 12. There will be no salesperson in these shops. Students can choose items they need & drop the money for each item inside the collection box kept on a table.
This initiative was launched by the Student police cadet with the aim of cultivating valuable lessons on trust , truth & integrity for students.

SAMRIDDHI:

Delhi LG Vinai Kumar Saxena on 25th Oct 2022 launched a one – time property tax amnesty scheme ” SAMRIDDHI “.
SAMRIDDHI ( Strengthening and Augmentation of Municipal Revenue for Infrastructure Development in Delhi ) , will start on October 26 and end on March 31 , 2023.
Under the scheme , residential property owners can pay just the principal property tax amount of the current and of the past 5 years.

International Events:

WHO:

WHO has published a report highlighting the first – ever list of fungal ” priority pathogens ” – a catalogue of the 19 fungi that represent the greatest threat to public health.
The WHO fungal priority pathogens list ( FPPL ) is the first global effort to systematically prioritize fungal pathogens. This report is based on research led by the University of Sydney in Australia.

COVID – 19 vaccine:

Shanghai has started administering an inhalable COVID – 19 vaccine from in what appears to be a world first. The vaccine , a mist that is sucked in through the mouth , is being offered for free as a booster dose for previously vaccinated individuals.
It was developed by Cansino Biologics Inc. as an aerosol version of one – shot adenovirus vaccine , which uses a relatively harmless cold virus.

Anna May Wong:

The legendary Hollywood star Anna May Wong on 24th Oct 2022 became the first Asian American to appear on US currency.
Wong’s image has been imprinted on quarter dollars as part of the American Women Quarters Program , which highlights female pioneers on coins.
Recognized as Hollywood’s first Asian American movie star, she acted in over 60 films across a decades – long career.

INTERPOL:

The 91st INTERPOL General Assembly will take place in Vienna , Austria in 2023. The 90th General Assembly was held in New Delhi from 18th to 21st October 2022.
The General Assembly is INTERPOL’s supreme governing body and meets once a year to take key decisions related to its functioning.
It was held in India after a gap of 25 years. INTERPOL was founded in 1923 in Vienna. HQ : Lyon , France.

Disarmament Week: 24th October to 30th October:

Disarmament Week is observed each year from 24th October to 30th October by the United Nations to promote world peace. It advocates eliminating all materials that support armed conflict and have the potential for catastrophic annihilation.
Disarmament Week was first observed in 1978. The UN was also established on 24h October in 1945. The UN Disarmament Commission ( UNDC ) was established in 1952.

World Polio Day : 24th October:

World Polio Day is observed every year on 24th October to raise awareness about the polio vaccination & eradication of polio from every corner of the world. It was established in 1985 by Rotary International to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk ,
who was the lead medical researcher of the team that developed a vaccine against polio. 2022 Theme : ” A healthier future for mothers & children”.

Sports Events:

Yuvraj Singh:

The Cricket Association for the Blind in India ( CABI ) has announced former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh as the brand ambassador for the 3rd T20 World Cup for the Blind.
The 3rd T20 World Cup for the Blind will be held in India from 5 to 17 Dec 2022. Participating countries are : India , Nepal , Bangladesh , Australia , South Africa , Pakistan and Sri Lanka . It was first organized in 2012.