Important Current Affairs 23rd August 2018

Important Current Affairs 23rd August 2018

OBITUARY

Veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar Passed Away
 
Eminent journalist and author Kuldip Nayar, who fiercely fought for press freedom and protecting civil liberties, passed away early today. He was 95. 
Kuldip Nayar 
Kuldip Nayar was born on 14 August 1923,  was a veteran Indian journalist, syndicated columnist, human right activist, author and ex-High commissioner of India to United kingdom noted for his long career as a left-wing political commentator. He was also nominated as a Member of the Upper House of the Indian Parliament in 1997.

NATIONAL NEWS

UGC directs to ban sale of junk food in all varsities & higher education institutions
 

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has directed all varsities and higher education institutions to ban sale of junk food on their campuses. 
The purpose is to set new standards for healthy food, making the students live better, learn better and reduce obesity levels. The circular was issued after a directive from the HRD ministry, asking the UGC to ban the sale of junk food on premises of higher education institutions.
University Grants Commission
The University Grants Commission of India (UGC India) is a statutory body set up by the Indian Union government in accordance to the UGC Act 1956 under Ministry of Human Resource Development, and is charged with coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of higher education. It provides recognition to universities in India, and disburses funds to such recognised universities and colleges. Its headquarters is in New Delhi, and six regional centres in Pune, Bhopal, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Guwahati and Bangalore.

Govt allows oxytocin sale through private chemists
 

The ministry in its notification dated April 27 had stated that sale of oxytocin through private retail chemists would be banned from July 1 and that the drug would be sold only in government hospitals and clinics.
Later, it deferred the implementation of the ban till September 1. Now all retail sale shops are permitted to sell oxytocin. 
State-owned Karnataka Antibiotics Pvt Ltd (KAPL) will be the only company to manufacture and distribute oxytocin in India from September 1.
Important to Know
Oxytocin is a naturally-occurring hormone that causes uterine contractions during labour and helps new mothers lactate.

But its misuse is widespread in the dairy industry where livestock are injected with oxytocin to make them release milk at a time convenient to farmers. The hormone is also used to increase the size of vegetables such as pumpkins, watermelons, brinjals, gourds and cucumbers.

The government has already banned the import of oxytocin and its formulations.

Arun Jaitley re-appointed as Finance Minister
 

Arun Jaitley, who stepped aside as Finance Minister in mid-May to undergo a kidney transplant, was today reappointed as Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs.
The President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has directed to assign the portfolios of the Minister of Finance and Minister of Corporate Affairs to Arun Jaitley, in his absence ministerial charges were given to Piyush Goyal on an interim basis.

ICOMOS launch to save cultural heritage damaged in flood-hit Kerala
 

The ICOMOS, a global monument conservation body, has launched an initiative to assess the damage to the rich cultural and built heritage in flood-devastated Kerala and set up an emergency response platform.
International Council on Monuments
The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) is a prestigious non-government organisation dedicated to promoting the application of theory, methodology and scientific techniques for conservation of architectural and archaeological heritage across the world.

DAYS AND DATES

World Senior Citizens Day is celebrated on 21st of August
 
The World Senior Citizens Day is celebrated on 21st of August every year. It was first proclaimed on 14th of December in the year 1990, by the United Nations General Assembly. The holiday was celebrated for the first time on October 1, 1991.
The day is acknowledged to raise awareness about the factors and issues affecting older people, such as deterioration with age and to examine issues that affect their lives such as abuse of elderly people. It is also a day to recognize and appreciate the contributions that older people make to society.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Iran unveils first domestic fighter jet: KOWSAR 
 
Iran unveiled its first domestic fighter jet at a defence show in Tehran named KOWSAR. 

About It:
It is a fourth-generation fighter, with "advanced avionics" and multi-purpose radar and it was "100-percent indigenously made". It resembles US-made F-5F Tiger (first flew in 1974), which is variant of 1950s-era US Northrop F-5 fighter that is a long-time mainstay of Iranian Air Force. It can be used for short aerial support missions. It is equipped with systems that promote precision targeting.

Important:
President of Iran is Hassan Rouhani and Defence Minister is Amir Hatami.

Fourth BIMSTEC summit to be held on 30th and 31st of this month in Nepal's capital Kathmandu
 
Fourth Summit of Heads of State/Government of Bay of Bengal Initiativefor Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) will be held at Kathmandu in Nepal on August 30 and 31. 
In this two-day Summit, leaders of member states will review progress achieved so far in the areas of cooperation and provide guidance to the future work of the BIMSTEC.

BIMSTEC
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an international organisation of seven nations of South Asia and South East Asia, The BIMSTEC member states—Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan, and Nepal—are among the countries dependent on the Bay of Bengal.
Important 
The President of Nepal is Bidya Devi Bhandari
Prime Minister of Nepal is KP Sharma Oli.
India's Ambassador to Nepal is Manjeev Singh Puri.

35% of cyber-attacks on Indian sites from China: official report
 
According to a report sent to the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) and other security agencies by a department under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has said that the maximum number of cyber-attacks on official Indian websites is from China, US and Russia.
The report, prepared by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), which comes under the ministry, analysed cyber-attacks from April-June 2018. 
CERT-In
CERT-In is the nodal agency which deals with cyber security threats like hacking and phishing. It collects analyses and disseminates information on “cyber incidents”, and also issues alerts on “cyber security incidents”.
Important
“The cyber-attacks from China made up 35% of the total number of cyber-attacks on official Indian websites, followed by US (17%), Russia (15%), Pakistan (9%), Canada (7%) and Germany (5%),”

SPORTS

Ankita Raina wins bronze in women's singles tennis
 
Indian tennis player Ankita Raina wins bronze in Women's Singles semi-final. India has won 4 gold, 3 silver and 9 bronze medals.
Ankita Raina became just the second Indian woman after Sania Mirza to medal in the singles event at the Asian Games after losing 4-6, 6-7 (6) to world number 34 Zhang Shuai in the semi-finals.
Sania Mirza had won silver in 2006 and a bronze in 2010.