Important Current Affairs 5th October 2021

INTERNATIONAL

Abiy Ahmed takes oath for second term as Ethiopian Prime Minister

• The Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed has been sworn in for a second five-year term. He was administered the oath of office by Supreme Court Chief Justice Meaza Ashenafi. Abiy’s Prosperity Party was declared the winner of June’s parliamentary elections, which were criticised by opposition parties but described by external observers as improved from past elections. He is serving as prime minister of Ethiopia since 2018.

• Mr Abiy won the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for restoring ties with neighbouring Eritrea and for pursuing sweeping political reforms. He is dealing with a war that is spreading from the Tigray region and ethnic violence.

NATIONAL

Expo 2020 Dubai: India Pavilion one of the biggest at the event

• The World Expo 2020 has been organised at Dubai in the United Arab Emirates from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. The main theme of the Dubai Expo 2020 is “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”. The Expo was originally scheduled to take place from 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021 but was postponed due to the C-19 pandemic.

• Expo 2020 is the first to be held in the MENA & SA (the Middle East and North Africa & South Asia) region. World Expos provide a platform to showcase the greatest innovations that have shaped the world we live in today. The grand event will have 191 country pavilions.

David Julius, Ardem Patapoutian win 2021 Nobel Prize in Medicine for discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch

• The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021 was awarded jointly to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian “for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch.” These breakthrough discoveries launched intense research activities leading to a rapid increase in our understanding of how our nervous system senses heat, cold, and mechanical stimuli.

• The laureates identified critical missing links in our understanding of the complex interplay between our senses and the environment. The announcement was made by a panel at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.

• David Julius of the University of California utilised capsaicin, a pungent compound from chili peppers that induces a burning sensation, to identify a sensor in the nerve endings of the skin that responds to heat.

• Ardem Patapoutian, who is with Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Scripps Research, used pressure-sensitive cells to discover a novel class of sensors that respond to mechanical stimuli in the skin and internal organs.

Union minister Kiren Rijiju inaugurated India’s first Sports Arbitration Centre in Ahmedabad

• The Union Minister of Law and Justice, Kiren Rijiju has inaugurated the first Sports Arbitration Centre of India at Ahmedabad in Gujarat. This Sports Arbitration Centre of India (SACI) will serve as an independent body to fast track disputes in the sports sector and serve as a mechanism to redress issues related to sports.

• The SACI will be promoted by Ahmedabad-based SE TransStadia Pvt Ltd. and all legal backing will be provided by the Ministry of Law and Justice. The SACI will have a far-reaching impact for the sports sector of the country by creating a reputation and establishing credibility for itself through the provision to settle disputes and other issues and concerns of the sports sector in a fast, transparent and very accountable manner.

SPORTS

Asian Table Tennis Championship 2021: Indian men’s team wins bronze medal

• The Indian men’s table tennis team claimed the bronze medal in the Asian Table Tennis Championships in Doha, Qatar, after losing to South Korea 0-3 in the semi-finals. The Indian team was assured of a medal after beating Iran 3-1 in the quarterfinals. Both the semifinalists secure a bronze.

• This is the second medal for India at the Asian Championships since 1976. The bronze medal-winning Indian team comprised of Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, Sanil Shetty, and Manav Thakkar.

Durand Cup: FC Goa lift maiden title with 1-0 win against Mohammedan

• FC Goa beat Mohammedan Sporting to win their maiden Durand Cup football title, 1-0, in the final, held at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata. FC Goa Captain Eduardo Bedia scored the all-important goal in the 105th minute after the final match went into the extra time.

• The 2021 Durand Cup was the 130th edition of the Durand Cup, the oldest football tournament in Asia. The tournament was held from September 05 to October 03, 2021, in West Bengal.

APPOINTMENT & RESIGNATION

B. C. Patnaik takes charge as Managing Director of LIC

• BC Patnaik has taken charge as Managing Director of Life Insurance Corporation of India. He was appointed as Managing Director by the Government of India notification dated July 5, 2021.

• Prior to taking charge as Managing Director of LIC, Patnaik was Secretary-General, Council for Insurance Ombudsmen, (CIO) Mumbai. He joined LIC of India in March 1986 as a Direct Recruit Officer.

IMPORTANT DAYS

Ganga River Dolphin Day 2021: 5th   October

• In India, the ‘Ganga River Dolphin Day’ is observed every year on October 5, to raise awareness and encourage conservation of Ganga River Dolphins. It was on this day in 2010, that Ganga Dolphins were declared national aquatic animals. Then, in 2012, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Uttar Pradesh government jointly began the dolphin conservation campaign in the country.

• The Gangetic Dolphins are included under the First Schedule of Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. They have been declared “Endangered” under IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). They are listed under Appendix I as most endangered under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). They are listed under Appendix II of Conservation on Migratory Species. The Vikramshila Ganges Dolphin Sanctuary was established in Bihar under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

World Teachers’ Day 2021: 5th   October

• World Teachers’ Day, also known as International Teachers Day, is held annually on October 5 since 1994. The Day aims to focus on appreciating, assessing and improving the educators of the world and to provide an opportunity to consider issues related to teachers and teaching. The Theme for 2021 International Teachers Day is “Teachers at the heart of education recovery”.

• The day was established in 1994, to commemorate the signing of the 1966 UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, which is a standard-setting instrument that addresses the status and situations of teachers around the world.

BANKING AND ECONOMIC

GST collection in September crosses Rs. 1.17 lakh crore

• The gross GST revenue collected in the month of September was 1,17,010 crore rupees, which included a CGST component of 20,578 crores, SGST is 26,767 crore and IGST component of 60,911 crore rupees.

• The revenue for September was 23% higher than the GST revenues in the same month last year. During the month, revenue from import of goods was 30% higher.