GK Update 29 Sept, 2019 NATIONAL UPDATES: 1. Rural Investors and Start-up Conclave (RISC) 2019 held in Hyderabad: Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated Rural Investors and Start-up Conclave (RISC) 2019 in Hyderabad. It was held at National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Hyderabad. The purpose of this conclave is to generate new ideas and also see how the government can address the challenges faced by the new startups in rural areas 2. Gujarat launches India’s first ‘Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)’ to combat particulate air pollution: The State Government of Gujarat has launched India’s 1st trading program called “Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)” in Surat, Gujarat to combat particulate air pollution. ETS, is a market-based system where the government sets a cap on emissions and allows industries to buy and sell permits (in kilograms) to stay below the cap. For this reason, ETS is also called as a cap-and-trade market. It is designed with the help of a team of researchers from different institutions. Cap-and-trade market: Under this, the GPCB initially determine the total mass of pollution that can be put into the air over a fixed period by all factories/Industries as a whole. A permit is then created in which each is allowed some degree of pollution emissions and the total permit is equal to the maximum fixed pollution emissions. This permit is usually a number/unit that can be bought or sold. Note: Gujarat Capital: Gandhinagar; Governor: Acharya Devvrat; Chief Minister: Vijay Rupani INTERNATIONAL UPDATES: 1. 7th World Hindu Economic Forum (WHEF) 2019 held in Mumbai, Maharashtra: A 3-day event of 7th World Hindu Economic Forum (WHEF) 2019 held at Hotel Grand Hyatt in Mumbai, Maharashtra from 27- 29, September, 2019 with the theme “Prosperous Society: Stronger Society” to bring together financially successful members in Hindu society such as such as traders, bankers, technocrats, investors, industrialists to share business knowledge, expertise and resources with their fellow brethren. The event witnessed the keynote speeches of UP (Uttar Pradesh) Chief Minister Adityanath and Maharashtra chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis in the presence of forefront industry leaders including Piramal Group’s chairman Ajay Piramal, and senior executives from Lockheed Martin US (United States), Tata Sons’ defence business and Larsen & Toubro(L&T), Indian Space Research Organisation Chairperson AS Kiran Kumar, State Bank of India (SBI) Chairperson Rajnish Kumar. Note: The WHEF journey began in 2012 at Hong Kong, followed by successful annual forums in Bangkok 2013, New Delhi 2014, London 2015, Los Angeles 2016, and Chicago 2018. WHEF 2020 will be organized in The Hague, Netherlands. 2. 50th Edition of WEF Annual Meeting for 2020 to be held in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland: The 50th Edition of World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting for 2020 will be held in GK Update 29 Sept, 2019 Davos-Klosters, Switzerland from January 21-24, 2020. The Chief Minister of Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh will be attending the meeting as he has accepted the invitation of WEF president Borge Brende which was issued on behalf of the Forum Board of Trustees. Note: WEF Headquarters: Cologny, Switzerland 3. 6th Edition of International Conference MASCRADE 2019 Organised by FICCI: The 6th edition of International Conference Mascrade 2019 (Movement against Smuggling and Counterfeit Trade) was held on 26-27, September 2019 in New Delhi. The event was organised by FICCI CASCADE (Committee against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy), a dedicated forum of FICCI. The theme for MASCRADE 2019 was ‘Containing Counterfeiting, Smuggling and Piracy: A Winning Strategy’. The event provides a platform to global participants to find solutions for combating, apprehending and administrating preventive mechanisms with regards to illicit trading activities. 4. Deputy Prime Minister And Commerce Minister Of Thailand Jurin Laksanawisit Visited India: The Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister of Thailand Mr Jurin Laksanawisit was on a first trade visit to Mumbai and Chennai, India to promote Thai products from September 25-28, 2019. The delegation comprised of officials from the International Trade Promotion Department, Ministry of Commerce, Thailand Rubber Authority and many private sector officials. Mr Jurin Laksanawisit launched the Agri-Trade Supply Chain Alliance (ATSCHA) which will ease the trade relations and increase trade commodity supply between the countries. He addressed the Thai Indo Business Networking (TIBN), a trade networking platform organised by The Department of International Trade Promotion and Ministry of Commerce, Thailand which was held in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Thailand also invited a business delegation from India in November 2019 and Indian onliner retailer BigBasket.com to sign a deal with the Thailand government for the promotion of Thai products on its e-commerce platform. Thailand and India signed agreements worth Rs 2,400 crore to boost trade ties in the field of rubber, construction material, food and beverages, logistics. Note: Thailand Capital: Bangkok; Currency: Thai Baht India is Thailand’s tenth largest export market. Thailand is the world’s largest exporter of Rubber and Rubber Wood. 5. Nepal Central Bank issued 3 coins bearing Sikh emblem to commemorate 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev: The Governor of Nepal’s Central Bank ‘Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB)’, Dr. Chiranjibi Nepal & Indian Ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri have jointly released three coins (100, 1000 and 2500 Nepali rupees) bearing the Sikh symbol to commemorate the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. These coins will be available in the market from September 30, 2019. A book titled “Sikh Heritage of Nepal” based on Sikh heritage of Nepal was also launched in the program. This book has been published by BP Koirala India-Nepal Foundation in association with the Indian Embassy in Nepal. Guru Nanak dev: He was Nirguna Bhakti saint and social reformer was born at Nankana Sahib (formerly known as Rai Bhoi Di Talwandi) near Lahore,Pakistan in April 15, 1469. He was the GK Update 29 Sept, 2019 first Sikh Guru and founder of Sikhism. The verses composed by him were collected in Adi Granth, written in Gurmukhi script.He is said to have visited Balaju area on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal five hundred years ago. The 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev will be celebrated on 12 November, 2019. Note: Nepal Capital: Kathmandu; Currency: Nepalese rupee; President : Bidhya Devi Bhandari; Prime Minister : Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli 6. World Heart Day 2019: September 29: World Heart Day (WHD) was observed on September 29, 2019. The day which is celebrated annually creates awareness on Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) including heart disease & stroke and highlights the preventive and control measures. The theme of World Heart Day 2019 was, “my heart, your heart” campaign. Note: It was initiated by the Geneva, Switzerland based World Heart Federation (WHF), in conjunction with the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1999. The idea was proposed by Antoni Bayés de Luna, the then president of WHF from 1997-99. 7. World Deaf Day 2019: September 29: World Deaf Day (WDD) which is usually observed every year on the last Sunday in the month of September was observed on September 29, 2019. It creates awareness about the contributions of deaf people to society. The day was initiated by the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) headquartered in Helsinki, Finland. International Week of the Deaf (IWDeaf): This initiative of WFD was first launched in 1958 in Rome, Italy and is observed annually by the global Deaf Community in the last full week of September to commemorate the first World Congress of the WFD which was held in September. This year it was celebrated from September 23-29 under the theme “Sign Language Rights for All!“. OTHER UPDATES: SPORTS 1. Lewis Hamilton Wins 2019 Russian Grand Prix: British racing driver Lewis Hamilton, who races in Formula One for Mercedes won the Russian Grand Prix 2019. This was his 9th win of the season. Team-mate Valtteri Bottas was in second, with Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) was third. Verstappen was fourth. 2. Japan’s Kento Momota wins Korea Open (Badminton): Top-ranked Kento Momota of Japan clinched the men’s singles title at the Korea Open badminton tournament on Sunday with a win over number two Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan. The 25-year-old downed Chou 21-19, 21-17 in a final that lasted 53 minutes. In the women’s final, China’s He Bingjiao defeated Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand 18-21, 24-22, 21-17. South Korea dominated the women’s doubles, with Kim So-yeong and Kong Hee-yong beating compatriots Lee So-hee and Shin Seung-chan 13-21, 21-19, 21-17. Indonesian pair Fajar Alfian GK Update 29 Sept, 2019 and Muhammad Rian Ardianto defeated Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda of Japan 21-16, 21- 17 to clinch the men’s doubles title. 3. India lifts SAFF U-18 C’ship title for first time; defeat Bangladesh 2-1: In Football, India defeated Bangladesh by 2-1 in the final of SAFF Under-18 Championship 2019 to lift the title in Kathmandu. India's Ninthoinganba Meetei was declared Most Valuable Player of the championship. This is India's maiden SAFF U-18 trophy. India remained runners up in 2015 and finished third in 2017. Host Nepal had lifted earlier two editions of the Championship but could not qualify for semi finals this time. 4. 2019 IWF World Weightlifting Championships held in Pattaya, Thailand: 2019 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Weightlifting Championships was held at Eastern National Sports Training Center in Pattaya, Thailand. It was organized by Thai Amateur Weightlifting Association and it was a qualifying event for the Tokyo Olympics 2020. China topped the medal tally with 10 Gold, 5 Silver & 3 Bronze followed by North Korea and Armenia.