Today's Current Affairs - 11th October 2022

INTERNATIONAL

US, India Partner to Accelerate Sustainable Energy Transition

• India and US announced the launch of a new energy task force to support the large-scale integration of renewable energy needed to support the clean energy transition. The announcement will strengthen the India-US partnership in the critical energy sector to new levels. There was also a bilateral meeting between Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri and US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, after which the announcement was made.
• During the bilateral meeting, the two leaders underscored the critical importance of clean energy engagement to strengthen energy security.
• The two leaders underscored the importance of ensuring reliable energy supplies to ensure balanced energy markets including India’s support for the US initiative to release crude oil from the strategic petroleum reserves.

China more self-reliant in defence production, outranks India by massive margin, says study

• India stands at fourth position among 12 countries of the Indo-Pacific in self-reliant defence production, says a study by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) that assessed self-reliance in arms production. China dominated the list leaving others behind by a long margin.
• “China dominates the ranking, reaching a self-reliance score more than two and a half times higher than Japans,” the study by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a think tank on global security issues says. The study covered Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Vietnam could not be included in the final ranking due to a lack of data.
• Despite the long-term efforts, India remains one of the largest importers of major arms globally.

NATIONAL

Pakistan to join closing ceremony of SCO anti-terror exercise hosted by India

• Pakistan has confirmed that it will attend the Shanghai cooperation organisation’s anti-terror exercises in India. Pakistan, which is a part of SCO will take part in counter-terror drills in Haryana’s Manesar in October. These exercises will be conducted under the ambit of the SCO regional anti-terrorism structure (RATS).
• A three-member Pakistani delegation will take part in the meeting in Delhi. While the SCO as a grouping came into existence in 2001, India and Pakistan became members of it in 2017.
• India will be hosting the SCO RATS council meeting on October 14th this year in Delhi. New Delhi has also proposed holding a SCO joint anti-terrorist exercise (JATE) in Manesar this year.
• 37th meeting of the Council of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO RATS) took place in Tashkent under the chairmanship of India.

India's space economy expected to be worth USD 12.8 billion by 2025

• India’s space economy is likely to be worth nearly $13 billion by 2025, with the satellite launch services segment set to witness the fastest growth due to increasing private participation, according to a report released.
• India’s space economy was pegged at $9.6 billion in 2020 and is expected to touch $12.8 billion by 2025, according to the report titled ‘Developing the Space Ecosystem in India: Focusing on Inclusive Growth’. In dollar terms, the satellite services and applications segment would be the largest with a turnover of $4.6 billion by 2025, followed by ground segment at $4 billion. The satellite manufacturing stands at $3.2 billion and launch services at $1 billion.
• The growing demand for smaller satellites is set to boost satellite manufacturing in the country. It will attract global start-ups in the sector to help incubate space tech companies here, said the report released by the Indian Space Association (ISpA) and Ernst and Young.

SPORTS

Indian Olympic Association names Goa as host of 37th National Games

• The Indian Olympic Association has confirmed that Goa will host the 37th edition of the National Games in October next year. The state government of Goa also conveyed its in-principle approval to IOA to host the National Games in 2023. The Goa delegation may receive the IOA flag at the Closing Ceremony of the 36th National Games on 12th October 2022 in Surat, Gujarat.
• The 37th National Games will be decided to keep in view of the dates of the 19th Asian Games, which will be held from 23rd September to 8th October 2022 in Hangzhou, China.
• Goa got the rights to host the National Games in 2008 but hasn’t been able to host the games for a number of reasons. Goa was set to host the 36th edition of the National Games but the IOA had to shift the venue to Gujrat, who agreed to conduct the event in a short span of time.

About Goa:

Capital: Panaji

Goa Chief Minister: Pramod Sawant

Goa Governor: S. Sreedharan Pillai

Pooja Patel becomes first athlete to win gold in Yogasana at 36th National Games in Gujarat

• At the 36th National Games, Pooja Patel of Gujarat has become the first athlete to win gold in Yogasana. Yogasana is one of the five sports to be played at the National Games this year for the first time. This Indian indigenous sport made its debut at the Khelo India University Games earlier this year.
• As far as the medal table of the 36th National Games is concerned, Services Sports Control Board is leading the chart with a total of 113 medals, including 51 gold, 33 silver, and 29 bronze. Haryana is second on the table with 95 medals (31 gold, 29 silver, 35 bronze), followed by Maharashtra (119), Karnataka (84), and Tamil Nadu (67). Maharashtra has fewer gold medals than Haryana, which is why it has been placed third on the table.

Harmanpreet Kaur, Mohammed Rizwan win ICC Player of the month crowns in September

• The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the winners of the ICC Player of the Month awards for September 2022. India’s inspirational captain Harmanpreet Kaur is named the recipient of the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award, While Pakistan ace Mohammad Rizwan claims the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award.
• Harmanpreet Kaur becomes India’s first winner of the ICC Women’s Player of the Month. The India skipper was at her brilliant best during the ODI series, scoring 221 runs across the three matches, maintaining a strike rate of 103.47 and only being dismissed once.
• Mohammad Rizwan secures his first-ever ICC Men’s Player of the Month crown after a remarkable spell of scoring throughout September and sees him overcome fellow nominees Cameron Green (Australia) and Axar Patel (India) to the prize.
• The Pakistan star amassed a mammoth 553 runs from ten T20Is, covering performances in the Men’s Asia Cup and the subsequent home T20I series against a touring England side.

About ICC:

Founded: 15 June 1909

Chairman: Greg Barclay

CEO: Geoff Allardice

Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Cristiano Ronaldo scripts yet another incredible record, nets 700th club goal of his career

• Cristiano Ronaldo reached another historic landmark in his extraordinary career by scoring his 700th club goal to seal Manchester United’s comeback win over Everton. The 37-year-old Portuguese forward becomes the first and only player in this present generation to score seven times a hundred goals in football history. His 700th club goal extends his tally over Lionel Messi with Argentina forward scoring 691 goals for Fc Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain.
• Having started his career in 2002, 700 goals means Ronaldo has averaged 35 goals a season. Cristiano Ronaldo’s 700th club goal comes 20 years and two days after his first goal for Sporting Lisbon.
• The five-time Ballon d’Or winner scored his first professional goal on October 7, 2002, at the age of 17 years, 8 months, and 3 days. He scored a brace in Sporting Lisbon’s 3-0 win against Moreirense.

 APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

AMCs to freeze non-PAN card MF portfolios from April 2023, says AMFI

• A Balasubramanian has been re-elected as the chairman of the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI), and Radhika Gupta as the vice-chairperson of the industry body. As the chairman of AMFI, A Balasubramanian will also continue as the ex-officio chairman of the AMFI Financial Literacy Committee. The chairman and the vice-chairperson will hold office until the conclusion of the 28th AGM.
• At the recently conducted board meeting of AMFI, post the 27th annual general meeting (AGM) held in September, Vishal Kapoor (chief executive officer, IDFC Asset Management Co. Ltd.) has been re-elected as the chairman of the AMFI Committee of Certified Distributors, while Sundeep Sikka (ED & CEO, Nippon Life India Asset Management Ltd.) has been elected as chairman of AMFI ETF Committee.

About AMFI:

Founded: 22 August 1995

AMFI CEO: N.S.Venkatesh (23 Oct 2017–)

AMFI Headquarters: Mumbai

 IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of the Girl Child 2022: 11th October

• International Day of the Girl Child is observed on October 11 to raise awareness about the importance and potential girls hold as the future of our society. In 2022, we commemorate the 10th anniversary of the International Day of the Girl (IDG). The International Day of the Girl Child focuses attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights.
• This year’s theme for the International Day of the Girl Child is “Our time is now—our rights, our future”. The focus is on the multitude of challenges put in front of girls’ path to reach their potential. This has been made worse by the ongoing crises of climate change, COVID-19 and humanitarian conflict around the globe. Girls struggle with issues related to their education, their physical and mental wellness, and leading a life without violence.