Current Affairs 19 - 20 October, 2019

1. Defence forces organises DANX-19 in Andaman

• Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) has conducted the 2nd edition of Defence of Andaman & Nicobar Islands 2019 (DANX-19).
• The components of the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard carried out mobilisation and field manoeuvres to validate defensive plans of Headquarters ANC towards pursuance of the Command’s responsibility, namely ensuring the territorial integrity of the A&N Islands.
• In addition to internal forces from ANC, accretional forces from Mainland comprising ships and aircraft, Special Forces from the newly formed Armed Forces Special Operations Division (AFSOD), also participated in this edition.2. India-UK collaboration creates a hand-washing robot:Pepe

2. A team of researchers from India and United Kingdom collaborated to create a new robot named Pepe which encourages children to wash their hands.

• The research project outcomes were presented at 28TH IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (held in New Delhi) on Global Handwashing Day 2019 .
• The project was led by researchers from University of Glasgow’s School of Computing Science in partnership with Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University in Kerala. The project is the second ‘social robot’ research project conducted by University of Glasgow and Amrita University.

Foot Notes:
About UK
1. Prime minister: Boris Johnson
2. Capital: London
3. Currency: Pound sterling

3. India to host 91st Interpol General Assembly in 2022

• India won the vote for hosting the 91st General Assembly of the Interpol in India in 2022, which will be part of celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the country’s Independence.
• According to an Ministry of Home Affairs press note, voting in this regard took place today at the 88th General Assembly of the Interpol at Santiago Chile with India winning with an overwhelming majority.
• The General Assembly is INTERPOL's supreme governing body and comprises delegates appointed by the governments of member countries. It meets once a year and takes all the major decisions affecting general policy, the resources needed for international cooperation, working methods, finances and programmes of activities.

Foot Notes:
About Interpol
1. Headquarters:Lyon, France
2. President:Kim Jong Yang

4. Raunak Sadhwani becomes India's 65th Grandmaster

• Raunak Sadhwani (13) has become India’s 65th Grand Master. He crossed the required mark for achieving this feat and earned a rating of 2500.
• Vladimir Kramnik, former world Champion, was his trainer and master.
• World Chess Federation FIDE gives the title of Grand Master to the chess players according to their rankings.

Foot Notes:
About World Chess Federation
1. Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland
2. President: Arkady Dvorkovich
3. CEO: Geoffrey D. Borg
4. Founded: 20 July 1924
5. Motto: Gens una sumus

5. CM Kamal Nath inaugurates ‘Magnificent Madhya Pradesh

• Chief Minister Kamal Nath inaugurated the “Magnificent Madhya Pradesh” with the aim to promote investments in the state
• Over 900 business representatives are participating in the event organised at the Brilliant Convention Centre, Indore
• Chief Minister Kamal Nath also inaugurated the Global Trade Exhibition at the Brilliant Convention Centre, Indore.

Foot Notes:
About Madhya Pradesh
1. Capital: Bhopal
2. CM: Kamal Nath
3. Governor: LalJiTandon

6. Viswanathan Anand revisits his best games and losses in a new book Mind Master “Mind Master: Winning Lessons from a Champion’s Life”

• Indian Chess player, ViswanathanAnand has penned a new book titled “Mind Master: Winning Lessons from a Champion’s Life”.The book, published by Hachette
• In this book he revisits his greatest games and worst losses, his unique experiences of playing against the best minds, and the methods he employs to prepare for wins, cope with disappointments and, simply, stay in the game.

7. Renowned painter Kalidas Karmakar passes away in Dhaka

• Internationally acclaimed painter of Bangladesh Kalidas Karmakar passed away in Dhaka. He was born on January 10, 1946, in Faridpur district, he completed his graduation from the Government College of Fine Arts and Crafts in Kolkata in 1969.
• He was awarded Shilpakala Padak in 2016 and the Ekushey Padak in 2018 by the Government of Bangladesh for his contribution to fine arts.

Foot Notes:
About Bangladesh
Capital: Dhaka
Currency: Bangladeshi taka
Prime minister: Sheikh Hasina

8. President Kovind Gifts Goddess Tara Statue To Philippine Counterpart

• President Ram Nath Kovind gifted a statue of goddess Tara to his Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte, highlighting the ancient cultural connections between the two countries.
• President Kovind arrived in the Philippines as part of his five-day state visit to the country.In Hinduism and Buddhism, the goddess Tara is regarded as a form of ''shakti'' (power).
• "President Kovind gifted the statue of goddess Tara to President Durerte of Philippines. The gift highlights the ancient cultural connections between the two countries. The Golden Agusan Tara statue was discovered in the Philippines in the last century.

Foot Notes:
About Philippine
President: Rodrigo Duterte
Capital: Manila
Currency: Philippine peso

9. Cuba’s ballet legend Alicia Alonso passed away

• Legendary ballet dancer Alicia Alonso has passed away.She founded the Alicia Alonso Ballet Company in Cuba’s capital.
• By the late 1940s, she had performed major roles, particularly Giselle, in both New York and London.

10. Lagarde appointed European Central Bank's head

• Former IMF chief Christine Lagarde is appointed as the head of the European Central Bank (ECB). She was nominated to become the president of the European Central Bank by the European Union Council.
• Lagarde stepped down two years before the end of her second five-year term at IMF. The 63-year-old is a French lawyer, politician, and economist.
• She has good leadership and institutional experience as well as political and economical experience. She is the Chairwoman of International Monetary Fund (IMF) since 2011.

Foot Notes:
About the EU Central Bank:
Formed on: 1 June 1998
Headquarters: Frankfurt, Germany
Currency: Euro

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