Current Affairs 05 - 06 October, 2019

1. World Teachers’ Day: 5 October

• The aim of World Teacher’s Day is to acknowledge the significant role of educators across the world. It commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of UNESCO’s 1966 recommendation concerning the status of teachers. This year’s theme: ‘Young Teachers: The future of the Profession’.
• The UNESCO adopted the recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel in 1997 to complement the 1966 recommendation by covering teaching and research personnel in higher education.
• UNESCO’s Recommendation sets benchmarks regarding the rights and responsibilities of teachers and standard

2. Mexican actress Aparicio named UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador

• The United Nation’s Cultural Agency UNESCO has appointed Mexican actress Yalitza Aparicio as its goodwill ambassador for indigenous peoples.
• The 25-year-old actress made history as the first indigenous performer nominated for a best actress honor at the Academy Awards this year for her performance in the film "Roma", in which she speaks in an indigenous language and in Spanish.
• She will be helping the UNESCO’s work among the indigenous peoples across the world by preserving their cultural heritage and environment knowledge and fighting for equal access to education.

Foot Notes:
About UNESCO
1. Headquarters: Paris, France
2. Head: Audrey Azoulay
3. Formation: 4 November 1945
4. Founded: 16 November 1945, London, United Kingdom

3. Scotland becomes first part of the UK to ban smacking children

• Scotland has become the first part of the United Kingdom to ban the smacking of children. The country introduced a law that makes smacking the children a criminal offence for parents and carers to use physical punishment against a child.
• The law change is aimed to give children the same protection from assault as adults. This law has brought Scotland into line with United Nations recommendations. Currently, the parents and the carers are allowed to use reasonable physical force in order to discipline children.

About United Nations
1. Secretary general: António Guterres
2. Founded: 24 October 1945
3. Headquarters: New York,United States

4. Farook Khan, a prominent Indian-origin journalist dies in South Africa

• Farook Khan, an Indian-origin journalist in South Africa passed away. He hailed from Maharashtra.
• He had started the Miss India South Africa Pageant as part of the Miss India Worldwide Pageant.

5. UCO Bank launches UCash, Digilocker and an App

• UCO Bank has launched three new digital products called, UCash, Digilocker and an app in Kolkata, West Bengal. A new current account facility has also been launched by the bank.
• U Cash enables customers to withdraw money from ATMs through mobile banking without using a debit card. Digilocker aims to eliminate the use of physical documents and enables sharing of verified electronic documents.
• The third product, the new mobile app, integrates four existing apps of the bank – UCO M banking, UCO UPI, UCO M passbook and UCO Secure - in a single interface.

Foot Notes:
About UCO Bank
1. Headquarters: Kolkata
2. CEO: Atul Kumar Goel
3. Founder: Ghanshyam Das Birla

6. India’s 1st plant to produce diesel from plastic waste opened in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh

• India’s 1st plant to produce diesel from plastic waste in Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh has been launched by Mathura MP (Member of Parliament) Hema Malini with the aim to fulfill Prime Minister(PM) Narendra Modi’s dream of a Swachh Bharat Mission.
• The plant, working on a full scale at the Mathura Municipal Corporation (MMC), built on public-private partnership (P-P-P) model  for which the MMC has signed a contract of 9.5 crore with Paterson Energy Private Limited, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• The specialty of this plant will be that 6 tons of plastic will be used to make diesel every day.

7. A new book entitled ’150 Years of Celebrating the Mahatma - the South African Legacy’, by Fakir Hassen launched in Johannesburg , South Africa

• Author and journalist Fakir Hassen’s new 160-page coffee table book entitled ’150 Years of Celebrating the Mahatma - the South African Legacy’ launched on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary in Johannesburg , South Africa.
• The book chronicles commemoration of Gandhi’s activities, including his birth and death anniversaries & his visit in South Africa, which was stifled by the apartheid-era minority white government and revived after former president Nelson Mandela.
• The book has chapters including statues, busts and exhibitions, awards and accolades, both to Gandhi and to others made in his name, the Phoenix Settlements (Mahatma Gandhi’s home during his stay in South Africa) and Tolstoy Farm communes that he initiated in Durban and Johannesburg, South Africa

Foot Notes:
About South Africa
1. Capitals: Cape Town, Pretoria, Bloemfontein
2. Currency: South African rand
3. President: Cyril Ramaphosa

8. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will receive first Rafale fighter aircraft by France

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to participate in the handing over ceremony of the first Rafale fighter jet by France to India on October 8, 2019. The Defence Minister will also perform the Shastra pooja on the occasion and fly a sortie on the fighter aircraft.
• The Defence Minister who will leave from New Delhi on October 7 for a two-day visit to France will also meet French President Emmanuel Macron and hold the annual defence dialogue with the French Minister of Armed Forces, Florence Parly.
• Rajnath Singh will address the CEOs of the French Defence industry on October 9, during which he is expected to urge them to participate in the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

Foot Notes:
About France
Capital: Paris
President: Emmanuel Macron

9. Harmanpreet Kaur becomes first Indian to reach 100 T20 International matches

• Harmanpreet Kaur became the first Indian to play 100 T20 International matches. Harmanpreet, who captains India in the shortest format of the game, turned up for the team in their sixth T20I against South Africa in Surat to achieve the milestone.
• Harmanpreet Kaur is among 10 female players who have reached the three figure mark in terms of appearances. New Zealand's Suzie Bates and Australia's Ellyse Perry top the list with 111 appearances.
• Harmanpreet herself is tied with Pakistan's Bismah Maroof and West Indies' Stafanie Taylor with 100 appearances.

10. Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh launches ‘YSR Vahana Mitra’ Scheme

• Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy will launch the “YSR Vahana Mitra scheme” in Eluru, Andhra Pradesh.
• Under which the government will provide financial assistance of Rs 10,000 per annum to owner-driver of an auto-rickshaw, or taxicab with the aim to meet their insurance premium, licence fee and other recurring expenses.

Foot Notes:
About Andhra Pradesh
1. Governor: Biswa Bhusan Harichandan.
2. Chief Minister: Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy