Daily Current Affairs October 08 2022

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

8 October-Air Force Day

• Indian Air Force Day is celebrated on 8 October every year.
• The main aim is to pay a tribute to the Air Force of India and acknowledge their contribution, and excellence India has presented in the field.
• Every year the Indian Air Force Day is celebrated at Hindon Air Force Station, which is the largest air base in Asia.
• The Air Force was officially raised as the supporting force of the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom in 1932 and the first operational squadron was created in 1933.
• Indian Air Force Day is celebrated to mark the official establishment of the Indian Air Force, which was on October 8, 1932.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

MSME has organized a national SC-ST hub conclave in Gujarat:

• The Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises has organized a national SC-ST hub conclave in Gujarat.
• The conclave has been attended by many financial institutions such as the State Bank of India and Yes Bank.
• CPSEs like National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd., Food Corporation of India, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, and Indian Oil Corporation Limited also participated in the conclave.
• Details regarding various lending schemes for the MSME sector have been provided during the conclave.
• The National Scheduled Caste Scheduled Tribe Hub (NSSH) scheme has been launched by the Ministry of MSME for inclusive growth of the Indian economy.
• Its main aim is to enhance capacity and promote an entrepreneurship culture among the SC-ST population.

USOF launched the Telecom Technology Development Fund scheme:

• Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) launched the Telecom Technology Development Fund scheme
• The Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) scheme aims at promoting technology ownership and indigenous manufacturing, developing a culture of technology-cum-innovation, reducing imports, and creating intellectual property.
• Under the scheme, USOF is also aiming to create an ecosystem for research, design, prototyping, and proof of concept testing.
• The scheme encourages and inducts indigenous technologies to meet domestic needs.
• Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) provides funds for research and development in rural-specific communication technology applications.

About USOF:

• It was established in 2002 under the Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Act 2003.
• It is an attached office of the Department of Telecom.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India participates at 3rd G20 Sherpa meeting in Indonesia

• India’s Group 20 (G20) Sherpa Shri Amitabh Kant led an Indian official delegation to the third G20 Sherpa meeting of Indonesia’s G20  Presidency, held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia from 26-29 September 2022.
• The 1st Sherpa meeting under the Indonesian Presidency was held in December 2021 and the 2nd Sherpa meeting in July 2022.

About Sherpa :

• A Sherpa is a personal representative of the leader of a member country at an international Summit meeting such as the G8, G20, the Nuclear Security Summit, etc.
• The Sherpa engages in planning, negotiation, and implementation tasks throughout the Summit.
• They coordinate the agenda, seek consensus at the highest political levels, and participate in a series of pre-Summit consultations to help negotiate their leaders’ positions.
• Sherpas are career diplomats or senior government officials appointed by the leaders of their countries.
• The term is derived from the Nepalese Sherpa people, who serve as guides for mountaineers in the Himalayas. ∙
• There is only one Sherpa per Summit for each member country; he/she is assisted by several sous Sherpas.

Recent News :

• Former CEO of the Government’s think tank NITI Aayog, Shri Amitabh Kant, has been selected as India’s new Sherpa for the G-20.

About G20 :

• The G20 or Group of Twenty is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union (EU).
• The members of the G20 are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union.
• India will be holding the G20 Presidency from 1 December 2022 and will convene the G20 Leaders’ Summit in 2023 for the first time

MoS for Culture Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal to attend UNESCO-MONDIACULT 2022 World Conference in Mexico

• The Indian delegation headed by the Minister of State for Culture Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal represented the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) MONDIACULT 2022 World Conference to be held in Mexico City from 28th-30th September 2022.

Goal :

• To shape a more robust and resilient cultural sector, fully anchored in the perspectives of sustainable development goals (SDG)
• At the conference, Culture Ministers of more than 100 countries will participate in this multilateral forum to decide on the global cultural discourse.
• It also promotes solidarity, peace, and security”, in line with the vision enshrined in the UN Secretary-General’s Shri Antonio Guterres report titled ‘Our Common Agenda’ which refers to culture as a ‘global public good, the good of us all.

About UNESCO-MONDIACULT 2022 World Conference :

• The UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development – MONDIACULT 2022 is convened by UNESCO 40 years after the first Mondiacult world conference on cultural policies held in Mexico City in 1982, and 24 years after the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies for Development held in Stockholm in 1998.
• This is the 3rd such conference & the 2nd conference was held in Stockholm, Sweden in

Meghalaya-Mawmluh Cave One Of The First 100 Geoheritage Sites Listed By UNESCO

• Mawmluh Cave in Sohra, located in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya, has been listed among the first 100 International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) geological heritage sites.
• “Mawmluh Cave in Sohra, Meghalaya known for the ‘Meghalayan Age’ has been selected by @theIUGS(@UNESCO) as one of the ‘FIRST 100 IUGS GEOLOGICAL SITES’ in the world,”.
• The full list of the ‘First 100 IUGS Geological Sites’ will be presented at the IUGS’s 60th-anniversary event, which will take place in Zumaia, Spain.
• The First 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites were selected from 181 candidate sites from 56 countries.

About Mawmluh Cave :

• The cave was first explored by a British official named Lieutenant Yule in the year 1844.
• It is the fourth longest cave in the Indian subcontinent.
• Mawmluh Cave, locally called Krem Mawmluh, is known for the ‘Meghalayan Age.
• The word “krem” in the local Khasi language means cave.
• The cave, which is 7.2 kilometers long, has numerous entrances & the cave is situated at an altitude of 4,503 meters
• Only one-fourth of the cave is exposed to sunlight while the rest of the cave is shrouded in complete darkness.

About IUGS :

• Established: 1961
• Headquarters: Beijing, China
• President: Qiuming Cheng
• IUGS is one of the largest scientific organizations of UNESCO.
• IUGS is an international non-governmental organization devoted to international cooperation in the field of geology.
• Internationally significant geological sites are listed by the IUGS, including those with tectonic, sedimentological, petrological, mineralogical, hydrogeological, paleontological, geomorphological, and history of geological sciences connections.

About UNESCO :

• Established: 16 November 1945
• Headquarters: Paris, France
• Director-General: Audrey Azoulay
• UNESCO is a specialized agency of the United Nations.

Aim :

• To promote world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences, and culture.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

Union Minister Shri Amit Shah Announces ST Status For Pahari Community In Jammu And Kashmir

• Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah has announced Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Pahari community in Jammu and Kashmir at a rally in Rajouri, J&K.
• The reservation will be rolled out after the completion of administrative formalities.
• The abolition of Articles 370 and 35A in August 2019 paved the way for providing reservations to deprived sections of Jammu and Kashmir.
• The Gujjars and Bakerwals communities were getting ST benefits since 1991.

Key Highlights :

• The Center formed the Justice Sharma Commission in March 2020, however, it seemed to upset the Gujjars and Bakerwals.
• The Paharis were given a 4 percent quota in the OBC category from January 2020.

About Pahari Community :

• Pahari people is a term used for several heterogeneous communities settled in parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
• Pahari is a term used to describe the various northern Indo-Aryan languages spoken by the people, most of them found in the lower Himalayas.

About J&K :

• Lieutenant Governor: Manoj Sinha
• Capital: Srinagar, Jammu
• National Park: Kishtwar High Altitude NP, Hemis NP, Kazinag NP, Dachigam NP
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Achabal Wildlife Sanctuary, Ramnagar Wildlife Sanctuary, Gulmarg Wildlife Sanctuary

Gujarat Govt Announces Aatmanirbhar Gujrat Scheme For Assistance To Industries

• Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel announced the Aatmanirbhar Gujrat Schemes 2022 for Assistance To Industries at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Aim :

• To attract industries and investors and create large-scale employment opportunities.
• The scheme gives different types of incentives to mega, heavy, and micro industries as well as micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
• The scheme is expected to attract a proposed investment of nearly 12.50 lakh crore rupees in the state besides generating employment for around 15 lakh people in the coming days.
• 9 sectors including green energy ecosystem, sustainability, and mobility have been recognized as thrust manufacturing sectors in line with Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

Incentives to MSMEs under the Aatmanirbhar Gujarat Schemes for Assistance to Industries are as under:

• Net SGST reimbursement to MSMEs upto 75% of fixed capital investment over 10 years
• Capital Subsidy upto INR 35 lakhs for Micro Industries
• Interest subsidy to MSMEs upto INR 35 lakhs per annum for upto 7 years
• EPF reimbursement for 10 years
• Incremental incentives for women entrepreneurs, young entrepreneurs, startups, and differently-abled entrepreneurs
• Electricity Duty exemption for 5 years
• The government of Gujarat, under CM Shri Bhupendra Patel, has responded to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s call of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ on 75 years of India’s independence. 

Recent News :

• In September 2022 Gujarat government announced its partnership with Vedanta-Foxconn group to set up a semiconductor plant in Gujarat with an investment of $20 billion.

About Gujarat :

• Governor: Acharya Dev Vrat
• Chief Minister: Bhupendrabhai Patel
• Capital: Gandhinagar
• Dance: Dandya Ras, Garba
• National Park : Gir National Park, Velavadar NP, Marine NP, Vansda NP
• Wildlife Sanctuary: Jambughoda WS, Barda WS, Purna WS, Mitiyala WS, Shoolpaneshwar WS

Rajasthan: Country’s 1st Hi-tech anti-poaching system installed in Ranthambore Tiger Reserve

• The government of Rajasthan has installed a technology-based Wildlife Monitoring and Anti Poaching System at  Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR) and other protected forests of Rajasthan.
• It is claimed that this is the country’s first hi-tech surveillance system to stop the poaching of tigers and other anti-wildlife activities.
• The State Information Technology and Communication Department have developed this advanced anti-poaching monitoring system for RTR, which includes thermal and optical, PTZ, bullet, dome, and drones.

About RTR :

• The RTR in Sawai Madhopur district is Rajasthan’s most famous protected forest with more than 60 tigers.
• Apart from this,  Rajasthan has other protected forests like Sariska Tiger Reserve Alwar, Mukundara Hills Tiger Reserve Kota, Jawai Dam  Leopard Conservation Reserve Pali, and Jhalana Leopard Conservation Reserve Jaipur.
• To protect wildlife in these forests, high-end thermal and optical cameras based on a hybrid model for protected areas of forests are being used.
• This is an integrated surveillance system equipped with network and communication equipment, solar power systems, drones, etc.
• This is the first 24-hour hi-tech surveillance and poaching system established by any state in the country.
• Its control command center has been established in Ramsinghpura, Shilpgram, and Sawai Madhopur.
• It helps with 24-hour surveillance with cameras in forest areas, monitoring the movements of tigers or other identified wildlife species.

About Rajasthan : 

• Governor: Kalraj Mishra
• Chief Minister: Ashok Gehlot
• Capital: Jaipur
• Dance : Ghumar, Jhuma
• National Park : Keoladeo NP, Ranthambore NP, Mukundara NP
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Bandh Baratha WLS, Jaisamand WLS, Jawahar Sagar WLS

India’s First Green Hydrogen Fueling Station To Be Commissioned In Leh By May 2023

• India’s first green hydrogen fuelling station, being set up at Leh in the Union Territory of Ladakh, is all set to be commissioned before May 2023.
• The first-of-its-kind project is being set up by state-run NTPC.
• The power generator had awarded the contract for the project to Amara Raja Power Systems, part of the $1.3 billion Amara Raja Group, in June.

About the Project :

• Under the project, green hydrogen will be produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using electrolysis powered by renewable energy.
• The project is being set up at a height of 3,600 meters above sea level with a temperature variation of minus 14 degrees to plus 20 degrees Celsius.
• The pilot project will produce 80 Kilograms per day of 99.97 percent pure hydrogen that will be compressed, stored, and dispensed.
• NTPC plans to ply 5 hydrogen fuel cell buses in the region.
• While the Leh project will use green hydrogen for mobility, in the longer run, Amara Raja also plans to bid for green hydrogen projects for industrial applications.
• NTPC’s wholly-owned subsidiary NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd (NTPC REL) floated the tender for the project in July 2021. 
• NTPC REL is also setting up a 1.25 Mw solar power plant to make the Hydrogen Fuelling Station completely green.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING & FINANCE

Karnataka Bank launches ‘KBL Utsav’ loan campaign

• Leading private sector lender Karnataka Bank Limited (KBL) has launched a special campaign ‘KBL Utsav 2022-23’ for home loans, car loans, and gold loans from Oct 01 to Dec 31, 2022, to cater to the demands of customers during the festival season.

Aim :

• To help customers to own a home and a car, with real-time customer authentication, hassle-free and simplified digital processing, and quick sanctions.
• The customers can avail the benefits of digital banking and offers of the special campaign across all its 880 branches.
• Under the KBL Utsav campaign, customers can avail of Home, Car, and Gold loans with attractive interest rates, reduction in processing charges for Car & Gold loans, and nil processing charges for Home loans, apart from other benefits.
• The digital products are designed to ensure customer delight and

About Karnataka Bank :

• Founded: 18 February 1924
• Headquarters: Mangaluru, Karnataka, India
• MD & CEO: Mahabaleshwara M. S
• Tagline: Your Family Bank Across India

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

World Trade Organization lowered its forecast for growth in global trade volume by 1% from 3.4 %:

• The World Trade Organization lowered its forecast for growth in global trade volume to 1 % from 3.4 % earlier, citing rising downside risks.
• Due to several shocks to the global economy, world trade may lose momentum in the second half of 2022 and remain subdued in 2023.
• However, the WTO increased its forecast for the growth of global merchandise trade for 2022 from its April estimate of 3% to 3.5%.
• According to the latest WTO forecasts, the world GDP at market exchange rates will grow by 2.8 percent in 2022 and 2.3 percent in 2023.
• India’s merchandise exports declined 3.5 % in September for the first time in 19 months.

About WTO:

• The World Trade Organization is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade.
• Governments use the organization to establish, revise, and enforce the rules that govern international trade.
• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
• Founded: 1 January 1995
• Membership: 164
• Director-General: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOUR

Angela Merkel has been awarded the prestigious Nansen Refugee Award by the United Nations refugee agency:

• Former German chancellor Angela Merkel received the prestigious Nansen Refugee Award from the United Nations refugee agency.
• The UNHCR selection committee praised Merkel’s “leadership, courage, and compassion” for welcoming 1.2 million refugees and asylum seekers by Germany in 2015 and 2016 during the war in Syria.
• The former chancellor will be honored with the award on October 10 in Geneva.
• Angela Merkel served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021.

About Nansen refugee Award

• It was established in 1954.
• It has been named after Fridtjof Nansen, the first High Commissioner for Refugees for the League of Nations.
• This award honors individuals, groups, or organizations working to protect refugees and other displaced and stateless people.
• It includes a commemorative medal and a monetary prize of US$ 150,000.
• Besides Merkel, four other organizations and individuals will also be awarded worldwide.
• The award will be given to those who have gone beyond to protect refugees and other people forced to flee. UNHCR Nansen Award 2022 went to Mbera Fire Brigade, an all-volunteer firefighting group in Mauritania led by Ahmedou Ag Albohary.
• The regional award for the Americas was given to a women’s rights advocate and activist, Vicenta Gonzalez whose cacao cooperative in Costa Rica empowers asylum-seeking and local women.
• Nansen Award for Asia and the Pacific was given to Meikswe Myanmar, a humanitarian organization.
• Nagham Hasan, a gynaecologist from Iraq who helps Yazidi women was the winner of the Middle East and North Africa region.

Annie Ernaux has been awarded the Noble Prize 2022 in Literature:

• The French author Annie Ernaux has been awarded the Noble Prize 2022 in Literature.
• Ernaux has been awarded for the courage and clinical acuity through which she uncovers the roots, estrangements, and collective restraints of personal memory.
• Annie was born on September 1, 1940. Being a French writer and professor of literature, her work, mostly autobiographical, is linked closely with sociology.
• The Nobel Prize 2021 for Literature was awarded to Tanzanian novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents.
• Some of his bestseller novels include Paradise, By the Sea, and Desertion.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

NTPC Ltd and GE Gas Power signed an MoU to install at NTPC’s Kawas combined-cycle gas power plant in Gujarat:

• State-run NTPC Ltd and GE Gas Power signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the feasibility to demonstrate hydrogen co-firing blended with natural gas in GE’s 9E gas turbines installed at NTPC’s Kawas combined-cycle gas power plant in Gujarat.
• The two companies will jointly explore the pathways to reduce CO2 emissions from the Kawas gas power plant and further implementation at scale across NTPC’s installed units in India.
• NTPC’s Kawa gas power plant is powered by four GE 9E gas turbines operating in a combined-cycle mode and has an installed capacity of 645 megawatts (MW).
• Further, GE’s advanced E- Class gas turbine portfolio currently can burn up to 100% by volume of hydrogen when blended with natural gas.
• In this first-of-its-kind MoU with NTPC in India, GE Gas Power will evaluate the possible modifications in the gas turbine unit and auxiliaries required for blending H2 with natural gas.

WEF has partnered with Madhya Pradesh for bringing together a network called ‘Food Innovation Hub:

• World Economic Forum (WEF) has partnered with Madhya Pradesh for bringing together a network called ‘Food Innovation Hubs, to strengthen local innovation ecosystems and achieve self-sufficiency in food production through private-public partnerships (PPP).
• The World Economic Forum (WEF) is bringing together a network called ‘Food Innovation Hubs, to strengthen local innovation ecosystems and achieve self-sufficiency in food production through private-public partnerships (PPP).
• The Food Innovation Hubs initiative aims to strengthen local innovation ecosystems and achieve self-sufficiency in food production through private-public partnerships (PPP).
• The ‘Food Innovation Hubs are coming up in Columbia, Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates, and the European Union.
• Many others are also in the process of being set up in Kenya and Rwanda.
• The first hub in India is being set up in Madhya Pradesh under a collaboration agreement between the WEF and Madhya Pradesh government.
• The hub which is based on agricultural development will promote innovations in alignment with tenets of the AtmaNirbharata

About WEF:

• The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a nonprofit foundation.
• It was established in 1971 and is based in Geneva, Switzerland.
• It is recognized by the Swiss authorities as the international institution for public-private cooperation.
• The WEF is mostly known for its annual meeting at the end of January in Davos, a mountain resort in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

GAIL appoints Mr. Sandeep Kumar Gupta as Chairman & Managing Director

• Sandeep Kumar Gupta has taken charge as the chairman and managing director of GAIL (India) Limited. 
• Gupta will replace Mr. Manoj Jain, who has a wide experience of more than 34 years in the oil and gas industry.
• In June 2022 the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) selected him for the top role at GAIL after interviewing 10 candidates.

About Mr. Sandeep Kumar Gupta :

• Gupta, 56, is a commerce graduate and a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. 
• Before joining GAIL, he held the position of Director (Finance) in August 2019 on the Board of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, the leading PSU integrated Energy Company in Fortune “Global 500”, and several group companies.
• He has received prestigious individual recognition such as “CA CFO- Large Corporate – Manufacturing and Infrastructure Category” in Jan. 2021 by ICAI for Financial and Risk Management during the Pandemic and was adjudged among the Top 30 CFOs in India by StartupLanes.com in May 2022.

About GAIL (India) Limited :

• Founded: 1984
• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi, India
• GAIL (India) Limited is a central public sector undertaking under the ownership of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India.

SBI General Insurance appoints Mr. Kishore Kumar Poludasu as MD & CEO

• SBI General Insurance Company Limited has appointed Shri Kishore Kumar Poludasu as its new Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
• He was nominated by the parent company, State Bank of India, for the position.

About Shri Kishore Kumar Poludasu :

• Shri Kishore Kumar Poludasu has been associated with the State Bank of India since 1991.
• He is a seasoned BFSI professional with over 3 decades of experience in commercial banking.
• He has also been instrumental in supervising the integration of systems & processes and human resources during the merger between the State Bank of Mysore and SBI.
• He has been associated with the setting up of the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) promoted by the government for enhanced focus on financing and development of the infrastructure sector in India as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) from SBI till September 2022.
• Before his current role at SBI General under State Bank Group, he was the Deputy Managing Director (DMD), of State Bank of India, Singapore Operations.

About SBI General Insurance Company Limited :

• Founded: 2009
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE NEWS

DRDO Tests 3 Unmanned Remote-controlled Weaponised Boats In Pune

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) tested three remotely unmanned, weaponized boats at Bhama Askhed Dam in Pune, Maharashtra.
• The 3 remote-controlled armed boats were tested with no man on the vessel.
• These boats were developed by DRDO in collaboration with the private start-up Sagar Defence Engineering, a defense production start-up.
• The boats are useful for surveillance purposes, patrols, and reconnaissance of overall maritime security.
• Notably, the boats have an endurance of about four hours.
• Currently, the boat can sail at a maximum speed of 10 nautical miles/hour & can be further increased to 25 nautical miles.
• Some variants of these boats use an electric propulsion system with lithium batteries, while others have a petrol engine on board.
• DefExpo-2022 will be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat between October 18 and 22, 2022.

About DRDO :

• Established: 1958
• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Chairman: Dr. Sameer V Kamath
• The DRDO is the premier agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in the Ministry of Defence of the

INS Tarkash at Port Gentil, 1st ever visit by any Indian Navy ship to Gabon

• INS Tarkash has visited a port in Gabon as part of an ongoing deployment in the Gulf of Guinea for anti-piracy patrols.
• This marks the “first-ever visit by any Indian naval ship to Gabon
• During its stay in port, the ship and its crew will participate in official and professional interactions as well as sports fixtures.
• Their professional interactions will include discussions and drills on fire fighting and damage control, medical and casualty evacuation issues, and diving operations.
• In addition, yoga sessions and social interactions are also planned.

About INS Tarkash :

• INS Tarkash (F50) is the second Talwar-class frigate constructed for the Indian Navy.
• It was built at the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia. 
• It was commissioned into Navy service on 9 November 2012 at Kaliningrad and joined the Western Naval Command on 27 December 2012.
• It is equipped with a versatile range of weapons and sensors capable of addressing threats in all three dimensions.

About Gabon :

• President : Ali Bongo Ondimba
• Prime Minister : Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda
• Capital : Libreville
• Currency : Central African CFA franc

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Scientists discover new evidence for the possibility of liquid water on Mars

• An international team of researchers has found new evidence for the possible existence of liquid water beneath the south polar ice cap of Mars using data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
• The results, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, provide the first independent line of evidence, using data other than radar.
• The team, including researchers from the University of Nantes, University College, Dublin, and the Open University, used a range of techniques to examine data from NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor satellite of the surface topography of the part of Mars’ south polar ice cap where the radar signal was identified.
• Like Earth, Mars has thick water ice caps at both poles, roughly equivalent in combined volume to the Greenland Ice Sheet.
• In 2018, evidence from the European Space Agency’s Mars Express satellite challenged this assumption.
• The satellite has an ice-penetrating radar called MARSIS, which can see through Mars’ southern ice cap.
• It revealed an area at the base of the ice that strongly reflected the radar signal, which was interpreted as an area of liquid water beneath the ice cap.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

Saudi Arabia to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games:

• Saudi Arabia has won a bid to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games at a planned mountain resort in the Gulf Arab state’s $500 billion flagship NEOM project.
• The TROJENA development is expected to be completed in 2026 and will offer outdoor skiing, a man-made freshwater lake, and a nature reserve.
• With the unlimited support by the Saudi leadership & HRH Crown Prince to the sports, sector is proud to announce They have won the bid to host AWG TROJENA2029 as the first country in western Asia.
• NEOM is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s most ambitious project under the kingdom’s Vision 2030 development plan to reduce reliance on oil and transform the economy, including by developing sports.
• NEOM, a 26,500-square-km (10,230-square-mile) high-tech development on the Red Sea, will include zero-carbon city “The Line” as well as industrial and logistics areas.

PR Sreejesh and Savita Punia have won the FIH Men’s and Women’s Goalkeepers of the Year:

• India’s PR Sreejesh and Savita Punia were voted the FIH Men’s and Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year, respectively, for the second year running.
• Sreejesh once again showed his value to the team, playing in all 16 games in the Pro League as India finished in the third position.
• He also played in all six games at the 2022 Birmingham CWG, where India won the silver medal.
• The 32-year-old Punia finished on top of the voting with 37.6 points.
• Argentina legend Belen Succi was second with 26.4, followed by Australia stalwart Jocelyn Bartram with 16 points.
• She is now only the third athlete to win the Goalkeeper of the Year (women) award for two consecutive years since its inception in 2014.

The rest of India defeated Saurashtra by eight wickets to win the Irani Cup 2022:

• The Rest of India (ROI) defeated Saurashtra by eight wickets to win the Irani Cup 2022 at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.
• Rest of India pacer Mukesh Kumar was adjudged Player of the Match in Irani Cup 2022.
• Irani Trophy or Irani Cup is a test match format cricket tournament in India.
• The current Ranji Trophy winners and the Rest of India’s cricket team compete in it each year.
• It is organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
• It was named after the late Z. R. Irani.

Daily CA on October 8:

• Indian Air Force Day is celebrated on 8 October every year.
• The Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises has organized a national SC-ST hub conclave in Gujarat.
• Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) launched the Telecom Technology Development Fund scheme
• The World Trade Organization lowered its forecast for growth in global trade volume to 1 % from 3.4 % earlier, citing rising downside risks.
• Former German chancellor Angela Merkel received the prestigious Nansen Refugee Award from the United Nations refugee agency.
• The French author Annie Ernaux has been awarded the Noble Prize 2022 in Literature.
• State-run NTPC Ltd and GE Gas Power signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the feasibility to demonstrate hydrogen co-firing blended with natural gas in GE’s 9E gas turbines installed at NTPC’s Kawas combined-cycle gas power plant in Gujarat.
• World Economic Forum (WEF) has partnered with Madhya Pradesh for bringing together a network called ‘Food Innovation Hubs, to strengthen local innovation ecosystems and achieve self-sufficiency in food production through private-public partnerships (PPP).
• Saudi Arabia has won a bid to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games at a planned mountain resort in the Gulf Arab state’s $500 billion flagship NEOM project.
• The Rest of India (ROI) defeated Saurashtra by eight wickets to win the Irani Cup 2022 at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.
• India’s Group 20 (G20) Sherpa Shri Amitabh Kant led an Indian official delegation to the third G20 Sherpa meeting of Indonesia’s G20  Presidency, held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia from 26-29 September 2022.
• The Indian delegation headed by the Minister of State for Culture Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal represented the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) MONDIACULT 2022 World Conference to be held in Mexico City from 28th-30th September 2022.
• Mawmluh Cave in Sohra, located in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya, has been listed among the first 100 International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) geological heritage sites.
• Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah has announced Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Pahari community in Jammu and Kashmir at a rally in Rajouri, J&K.
• Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel announced the Aatmanirbhar Gujrat Schemes 2022 for Assistance To Industries at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• The government of Rajasthan has installed a technology-based Wildlife Monitoring and Anti Poaching System at Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR) and other protected forests of Rajasthan.
• India’s first green hydrogen fuelling station, being set up at Leh in the Union Territory of Ladakh, is all set to be commissioned before May 2023.  
• Leading private sector lender Karnataka Bank Limited (KBL) has launched a special campaign ‘KBL Utsav 2022-23’ for home loans, car loans, and gold loans from Oct 01 to Dec 31, 2022, to cater to the demands of customers during the festival season.
• Sandeep Kumar Gupta has taken charge as the chairman and managing director of GAIL (India) Limited. 
• SBI General Insurance Company Limited has appointed Shri Kishore Kumar Poludasu as its new Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) tested three remotely unmanned, weaponized boats at Bhama Askhed Dam in Pune, Maharashtra.
• INS Tarkash has visited a port in Gabon as part of an ongoing deployment in the Gulf of Guinea for anti-piracy patrols.
• An international team of researchers has found new evidence for the possible existence of liquid water beneath the south polar ice cap of Mars using data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.