Current Affairs October 27 2018

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 INDIAN AFFAIRS

Overview of 3-day official visit to India of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
On October 18, 2018, Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe started his 3-day visit to India.

Highlights:
i. This is his fifth official visit to India since taking office in 2015.
ii. Sri Lanka PM Ranil Wickremesinghe had bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
iii. He was called on by the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
iv. He also met home minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi.
Meeting with PM Modi in New Delhi:
On October 20, 2018, Sri Lanka PM Ranil Wickremesinghe met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and held bilateral talks at the Hyderabad House inNew Delhi.
i. They discussed on the following:

• Reviewing the status of the India-assisted housing projects in Jaffna,
• Deliberation on the Tamil issue — the reconciliation process and devolution of powers in Tamil-dominated areas,
• India’s joint venture for operating Sri Lanka’s loss-making Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport in Hambantota,

Meeting with Home Minister:
On October 20, 2018, Sri Lanka PM Ranil Wickremesinghe met with the Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
i. They discussed on issues pertaining to security and terrorism in the region.
Meeting with External Affairs Minister:
On October 26, 2018, Sri Lanka PM Ranil Wickremesinghe met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi.
i. They discussed on:

• Progress of joint venture India assisted work in Srilanka,
• Trade and investment and maritime security.

Sri Lanka:
♦ Capital: Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.
♦ Currency: Sri Lankan rupee.

IMPRESS web portal launched by Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar
On October 25, 2018, the Union Minister for Human Resource Development Shri Prakash Javadekar launched the web portal of the Scheme “Impactful Policy Research in Social Sciences (IMPRESS)” in New Delhi.
i. Under the Scheme, 1500 research projects will be awarded for 2 years to support the social science research in the higher educational institutions.
ii.It is launched at a total cost of Rs.414 Cr for implementation up to 31.3.2021 and Indian Council of Social Science and Research (ICSSR) will be the project implementing agency.
iii. The scheme will focus on:

• Identifying  and funding research proposals in social sciences with maximum impact on the governance and society,
• Research on 11 broad thematic areas such as : State and Democracy, Urban transformation, Media, Culture and Society, Employment etc.
• Ensuring selection of projects through a transparent, competitive process on online mode,
• Providing opportunity for social science researchers in any institution in the country,

iv. There will be 4 calls for proposals – October, 2018, February 2019, September 2019 and February 2020 and the selection will be done within 90 days.
v. There will also be a third party evaluation of the projects in March 2021.
Ministry of Human and Resource Management:
♦ Union Minister: Shri. Prakash Javadekar.
♦ Minister of State: Shri Upendra Kushwaha, Dr. Satya Pal Singh.

Global Agriculture Leadership Summit 2018 held in New Delhi
On October 25, 2018, the 2-day 11^th Global Agriculture Summit 2018 concluded in New Delhi.

Objective:
It aimed to provide the platform towards facilitating farmers connect with the technologies, markets, industry, institutions and the Governmental programs.
Key Points:
i. The Global Summit and Award ceremony was organized by Indian Council of Food and Agriculture (ICFA) with support of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Ministry of Food Processing Industries and Ministry of Commerce.
ii. It was inaugurated by Secretary Agriculture and Co-operation, Sanjay Agrawal.
iii. The theme of the summit was: ‘Connecting Farmers to Market’.
iv. It was convened by:

• Dr. M J Khan, Chairman, ICFA,
• Mr. Alok Sinha, Director General, ICFA,
• Mr. C P Shoran, Executive Director, ICA.

v. The chairman of the summit was: Prof. M. S. Swaminathan, Architect of India’s Green Revolution.
vi. Prof. M.S. Swaminathan was presented with first World Agriculture Prize by Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu.It is instituted by the Indian Council of Food and Agriculture (ICFA) at a special session, named Swaminathan Global Dialogue on Climate Change and Food Security.
vii. Along with the summit, the presentation of 11th Global Leadership Awards and the launch of Agriculture Year Book 2018 was also done.
The awards:
i. The institution of the Agriculture Leadership Awards was done in 2008 and is given  annually in different categories to individuals and organizations for outstanding contributions in their respective fields.
ii. The National Awards Committee is headed by the world renowned agriculture scientist, Prof. MS Swaminathan, with twenty six persons of national eminence as its members.
iii. The awardees are as follows:

ICFA:
Headquarters: New Delhi.

2nd edition of Guwahati International Film Festival 2018 begins with focus on ASEAN
On 25^th October 2018, Assam Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal inaugurated the 2^nd edition of International Film Festival2018 (GIFF 2018) in Guwahati, Assam.

Key Points:
i. The festival will conclude on October 31, 2018. 108 films from more than 50 countries will be screened.
ii. Theme of GIFF 2018 is: ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’. The focus region of GIFF 2018 is the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region. 14 films from 10 countries of ASEAN region will be screened.
iii. The opening film of GIFF 2018, was ‘Bhoga Khiriki’ (Broken Window) by filmmaker Jahnu Barua.
iv. GIFF 2018 is organized by: Assam Government-owned Jyoti Chitraban (Film Studio) Society in association with Dr Bhupen Hazarika Regional Government Film and Television Institute.
v. Nearly 35 film personalities from foreign countries will participate. Ambassadors from Lithuania, Myanmar, Argentina, Latvia, Estonia, Serbia, Singapore and Malaysia will also take part.
Some important national parks in Assam:
♦ Kaziranga National Park
♦ Manas National Park
♦ Nameri National Park

Supreme Court issues final deadline for Bharat Stage IV cars as April 1, 2020
On 24^th October 2018, the Supreme Court stated that, no Bharat Stage IV vehicle shall be sold across India with effect from April 1, 2020.

Key Points:
i. The Bharat Stage VI (or BS-VI) emission norm will come to effect from April 1, 2020 throughout India.
ii. BS IV norms have been followed throughout India since April 2017. In 2016, Central Government had announced that India will skip the BS-V norms and adopt BS-VI norms by 2020.
iii. Supreme Court was deciding if grace period should be given to automobile manufacturers for the sale of BS-VI non-compliant vehicles after April 1, 2020.
iv. A three judge bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur stated that only BS VI compliant vehicle shall be sold in India from April 1st, 2020

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

20^th WETEX 2018 held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
On 23^rd to 25^th October 2018, the 20^th Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX) 2018 was held at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Key Points:
i. WETEX is organized by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) every year. It is held under the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
ii. It is conducted under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and President of DEWA.
iii. WETEX 2018 is the largest edition in the 20 year-history of WETEX. It was held under the umbrella of the Green Week, in conjunction with the 3^rd Dubai Solar Show, and the 5^th World Green Economy Summit (WGES).
iv. It displayed latest solutions in conventional and renewable energy, water, sustainability, and conservation.
About United Arab Emirates:
♦ Capital – Abu Dhabi
♦ Currency – UAE dirham
♦ Official languages – Arabic
♦ President – Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
♦ Prime Minister – Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

India, Bangladesh signed agreements for enhancing waterways connectivity
On October 25, 2018, India and Bangladesh signed several agreements for enhancing inland and coastal waterways connectivity between the two countries for trade and cruise movements.
i. The MOUs were signed by:
Shipping Secretary Shri Gopal Krishna, and his Bangladesh counterpart Shri Md. Abdus Samadin.
ii. The MOUs are as follows:

• To use Chattogram and Mongla Ports in Bangladesh for movement of goods to and from India,
• ‘Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade’ (PIWTT) between India and Bangladesh for inclusion of Dhubriin India and Pangaonin Bangladesh as new Ports of Call,
• Inclusion of Rupnarayanriver (National Waterway-86) from Geonkhali to Kolaghat in the protocol route,
• Declare Kolaghat in West Bengal and Chilmari in Bangladesh as new Port of Call,
• Declare Badarpur on river Barak (NW 16) as an Extended Port of Call of Karimganj in Assam and Ghorasal of Ashuganj  in Bangladesh,
• Extension of the protocol routes from Kolkata uptoSilchar in Assam,
• Ports of Kolkata and Haldia in India and Mongla in Bangladesh directly connected to north east through waterways,
• Movement of passengers and cruise vessels on Inland Protocol route and coastal shipping routes to commence between Kolkata – Dhaka – Guwahati – Jorhat and back,
• To check feasibility of operationalisation of Dhulian-Rajshahi protocol route upto Aricha,
• Reconstruction and opening up of Jangipur navigational lock on river Bhagirathi,
• Monitoring of dredging of Ashuganj-Zakiganj and Sirajganj-Daikhowa stretches of Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route in Bangladesh,
• development of Jogighopa as a hub/trans-shipment terminal for movement of cargo to Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Bhutan,
• Notifying Munsiganj River terminal by Bangladesh Customs for routing third party Exim cargo through Kolkata Port,
• To make Nakugaon Land Port in Bangladesh and Dalu ICP (India) operational,
• To connect Gelephu (Bhutan) as tripartite cross-border route,
• Inclusion of Dhamra Port, V.O. Chidambaranar Port (formerly Tuticorin Port) and Kamarajar Port under Coastal Shipping Agreement,

Bangladesh:
♦ Capital: Dhaka.
♦ Currency: Bangladeshi taka.

 India-UK to collaborate on research on Ganga delta, Bay of Bengal
On October 26, 2018, M Rajeevan, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences announced collaboration between India and UK for research on different aspects of the Ganga delta region and the Bay of Bengal.
i. This was announced on the sidelines of a programme launched by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). 
ii. The two countries are also collaborating in several areas of earth sciences and weather, like the monsoon.
iii. Studies will be regarding:

• The Ganga delta: Effects of the region on population, agriculture and environment.
• The Bay of Bengal: Its effect on India in terms of resources and also has an impact on the Southwest Monsoon.

UK:
♦ Capital: London.
♦ Currency: Pound sterling.

Trident Juncture 2018: NATO’s biggest military exercise begins in Norway
On 25^th October 2018, NATO’s (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Trident Juncture 2018 military exercise began in Norway.

Trident Juncture 2018:
i. This is NATO’s biggest military exercise since the Cold War. Trident Juncture 2018, will be held till November 7, 2018.
ii. Nearly 50,000 personnel from all 29 NATO allies, partners Finland and Sweden, are taking part.
iii. Around 65 vessels, 150 aircraft and 10,000 vehicles are taking part. The drill will be conducted in central and eastern Norway, the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea.
iv. It aims to train the Alliance to mobilise quickly to defend an ally under attack.
v. Russia, which shares a border with Norway, was invited to monitor the exercise, but Moscow is still angered by the exercise.
About NATO’s (North Atlantic Treaty Organization):
♦ Secretary General – Jens Stoltenberg
♦ Headquarters – Brussels, Belgium

US Navy, Indian Navy undertake anti-submarine exercises in Arabian Sea
On October 24, 2018, a United States Navy (USN) P-8A Poseidon, with 21 members, along with the Indian Navy’s P-8i airplane participated in 2-day anti-submarine conflict exercises at INS Hansa at Panaji, Goa.
i. This is the maiden visit of the P-8A Poseidon to INS Hansa.
ii. Both the P-8l and P-8A maritime reconnaissance airplane had been manufactured through Boeing.
iii. The maritime airplane have a range of 8300 kilometers and pace in excess of 900 kmph and are important for the Indian Navy to monitor the presence of submarines within the neighboring waters.
Other News:
Indian Navy will induct 4 extra P-8I airplanes at the starting off 2020.
Indian Navy:
♦ Chief of Naval Staff: Admiral Sunil Lanba.
♦ Vice-Chief of Naval Staff:  Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar.

QS Asia Rankings 2019 announced; India doubles presence
On October 25, 2018, according to a report named QS Asia University Rankings 2019 by Quacquarelli Symonds, India doubled their presence in the ranking.

Highlights:
i. India has the third largest number of universities and institutes, after mainland China (112) and Japan (89).
ii. There are 40 new Indian institutions taking the total number to 75 at the top 500 list. But none made it to the top 20.
iii. IIT-Bombay remains the highest ranked institution. It moved one place to the 33rd position.
iv. Other Indian institutions  in the top 100 are:

• IIT-Delhi at the 40th position,
• IIT-Madras at the 48th position,
• Indian Institute of Science at 50,
• IIT-Kharagpur at rank 53,
• IIT-Kanpur (61),
• Delhi University at 62 and
• IIT-Roorkee at 86.

v. 14 Indian institutions moved up the table.
Other Nations:
i. National University of Singapore has been assessed as Asia’s best university.
ii. It is followed by University of Hong Kong, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), Tsinghua University (China) and Peking University(China).
About the rankings:
♦ Universities have been assessed on:
♦ Academic reputation, employer reputation, student-faculty ratio, international faculty and students, staff with PhD, papers per faculty and citations per paper, among other parameters.
QS Quacquarelli Symonds:
Headquarters: London, UK.

BANKING & FINANCE

KIIF Board to issue masala bonds worth Rs 5,000 crore for development works
On October 25, 2018, the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board’s decision to issue ‘masala bonds’ worth Rs 5,000 crore was announced.
Objective:
To fund infrastructure projects in the state
Key Points:
i. For this, the KIIFB CEO has been entrusted the task for issuing the ‘masala bonds’ in November.
ii. Bonds worth Rs 5,000 crore would be issued in the first phase in the London and Singapore exchanges.
iii. RBI had already given sanction for bonds worth Rs 2,606 crore.
Other News:
Another batch of development projects to the tune of Rs 13,886.93 crore were approved by the KIIFB.
KIIFB:
♦ Headquarters: Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
♦ Chairman: CM of Kerala, Shir Pinarayi Vijayan.
♦ CEO: Dr. K. M. Abraham.
Kerala:
♦ Capital: Thiruvananthapuram.
♦ Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan.
♦ Governor: Palanisamy Sathasivam.
♦ National Parks: Periyar National Park, Silent Valley National Park, Pambadum Shola National Park, Mathikettan National Park, Eravikulam National Park, Anamudi Shola National Park.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

IFFCO biggest cooperative in the world: 7^th World Cooperative Monitor 2018
On October 24, 2018, according to the 7th edition ‘Word Cooperative Monitor’ report 2018, fertilizer major IFFCO has been ranked as the biggest cooperative in the world.

It has retained this position from 2016.
i. It was published by: The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) and the European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises (Euricse).
ii. IFFCO has been ranked based on the ratio of turnover over gross domestic product (GDP) per capita.
iii. This relates the turnover of the co-operative to the purchasing power of the country in which it operates.
iv. In FY 2017-18, IFFCO a turnover of nearly USD 3 billion with a strength of nearly 36,000 member co-operatives.
v. Additionally, in the agriculture and food industries sector, IFFCO has bagged the top position among the top 20 co-operatives in the world.
IFFCO:
♦ Full Form: Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative.
♦ Headquarters: New Delhi.
♦ Chairman: Mr. B. S. Nakai.
♦ MD: Dr. U. S. Awasthi.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

India wins Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management Award, 2018
On 23^rd October 2018, two initiatives of India won the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management Award, 2018, at its Annual General Members Meet, in Georgetown, Guyana.
Key Points:
i. The initiative named “Unnayan Banka” – Reinventing Education Using Technology, of Banka District of Bihar was awarded under the Category “Innovation Incubation”. 
ii. Another initiative named “Unified Agriculture Markets” of Co-operation Department of Karnataka was selected under the Category ‘Innovation in Public Service Management’.  This initiative also won the overall Gold Award for CAPAM Awards, 2018.
iii. Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions is an institutional member of CAPAM.
iv. Also, K. V. Eapen, Secretary, DARPG, was elected to the Board of CAPAM.
v. CAPAM has been presenting its International Innovations Awards (IIA) Programme bi-annually, since 1998.
About Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM):
♦ CEO – Gay Hamilton
♦ Location – Ottawa, Canada

Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony for 2014, 2015 & 2016 announced
On October 26, 2018, the Ministry of Culture announced the Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony for the years 2014, 2015 & 2016.
i. These will be conferred to:

• 2014: Manipuri dancer Sh. Rajkumar Singhajit Singh;
• 2015: Chhayanaut (a cultural organization of Bangladesh) and
• 2016: Sculptor, Sh. Ram Vanji Sutar.

ii. This was decided by the Jury under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister, Sh Narendra Modi and comprising of the Chief Justice of India, Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Shri N. Gopalaswami & Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe.
About the Award:
i. The award carries an amount of Rs. 1 crore, a citation in a scroll, a plaque as well as a traditional handicraft/ handloom item.
ii. The award is open to all persons regardless of nationality, race, language, caste, creed or sex.
Background:
i. The annual award was instituted by the Government of India during the commemoration of 150^th Birth Anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore.
ii. The first Tagore Award was conferred on Pt. Ravi Shankar, the Indian Sitar Maestro in 2012 and second was conferred on Shri Zubin Mehta in 2013.
Ministry of Culture:
♦ Minister of State (I/C): Mahesh Sharma.
♦ Secretary: Shri. Arun Goel.

Young Indian scientist Roopam Sharma won World Health Summit Startup award in Berlin
On October 25, 2018, Roopam Sharma, a 23-year old Indian scientist, won the World Health Summit Startup award, 2018, at an annual event of the health summit in Berlin.
i. He won this award for his invention, Manovue – the world’s first intelligent personal assisting system for the visually impaired.
ii. Manovue was also awarded the Microsoft Imagine Cup 2015 and Yahoo Accenture Innovation Jockeys season 4.
iii. He is also listed in the UNESCO Youth forum and Innovators under 35.
iv. He is the youngest person to be recognized as one of the top innovators under 35 by the MIT Tech Review in 2016.
v. He was also conferred with the National Youth Award by the President of India in January 2018.

Jasmine Days by Benyamin bagged JCB Prize for Literature
On October 26, 2018, Malayalam author Benyamin’s novel Jasmine Days won JCB Prize for Literature.

i. The award consists of a trophy and 25 lakhs as prize money.
ii. The 2018 book has been translated from Malayalam to English by Shahnaz Habib who has also received an additional prize of five lakhs.
iii. Benyamin, earlier, had Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in the past for Aadujeevitham.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

Ethiopia appointed its first female president: Sahle-Work Zewde
On October 25, 2018, Ethiopia’s parliament approved appointment of senior diplomat Sahle-Work Zewde as the country’s first female president.

i. She replaced Mulatu Teshome Wirtu.
ii. Presently, she is the U.N. under-secretary general and special representative of the secretary general to the African Union.
Other News:
The Ethiopian cabinet also appointed 10 female ministers, making Ethiopia the third country in Africa, after Rwanda and Seychelles, to achieve gender parity in their cabinets.
Ethiopia:
♦ Capital: Addis Ababa.
♦ Currency: Ethiopian birr.
♦ Present PM: Abiy Ahmed.

Appointment of Chief Justices for five High Courts announced by government
On October 25, 2018, the central government announced the appointment of new Chief Justices for High Courts of Bombay, Calcutta, Uttarakhand, Gauhati and Sikkim.
i. They are as follows:

• Bombay High Court judge N H Patil has been appointed as the Chief Justice of Bombay High Court.
• Calcutta High Court judge Justice D K Gupta has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court.
• Karnataka High Court judge Justice Ajjkuttira Somaiah Bopanna has been appointed as Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court.
• Hyderabad High Court judge Ramesh Ranganathan has been appointed as the Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court. 
• Uttarakhand High Court judge V K Bist has been appointed has Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court.

Other News:
i. Justice D K Gupta has been serving as the Acting Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court since September 25, 2018.
ii. Judge Ramesh Ranganathan previously served as the Acting Chief Justice of the Hyderabad High Court from July 30, 2016 to July 6, 2018.

Cricket Australia re-appointed David Peever as chairman
On October 25, 2018, Cricket Australia (CA) reappointed its controversial chairman David Peever for a span of another three years.

i. Also, Kevin Roberts, who recently served as Cricket Australia’s director, will officially take over from James Sutherland as the new CEO.
ii. Also CA announced an AUD 8.3 million surplus at the meeting with a spurt in the growth of women’s cricket, with “six in every 10 new participants being female”.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Russia successfully launches Soyuz-2.1B rocket, the first Soyuz Rocket since failed space launch
On 25^th October 2018, Russia successfully launched Soyuz-2.1B rocket carrying a satellite for the Russian military, from northern Plesetsk launch pad, Russia.
Key Points:
i. Russia has successfully launched a Soyuz rocket for the first time since the failure of a similar rocket aborted a manned take-off to the International Space Station (ISS) on October 11, 2018.
ii. The satellite has reached its orbit at the set time. It is the third launch of a Soyuz rocket from Russia’s northern Plesetsk launch pad in 2018.
iii. This satellite launch was earlier planned for October 19, 2018. It was postponed following an accident in which two astronauts made an emergency landing minutes after blast-off from Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome.
iv. The failed launch involved an older Soyuz-FG rocket. Russia will switch to the Soyuz-2.1 series for launches to the ISS by 2020, replacing the Soyuz-FG.
About ROSCOSMOS Space Corporation:
♦ Chief – Dmitry Rogozin
♦ Headquarters – Moscow, Russia

World’s smallest optical gyroscope developed
Engineers of Caltech (California Institute of Technology) in the US, led by Professor Ali Hajimiri, have developed a new optical gyroscope that is 500 times smaller than the current state-of-the-art device, still they can detect phase shifts that are 30 times smaller than those systems.
i. A gyroscope is a device used for measuring or maintaining orientation and angular velocity.
ii. The new gyroscope has better performance due to a new technique called “reciprocal sensitivity enhancement.”

ENVIRONMENT

Mammals of India (MaOI), a citizen-science repository of Indian mammals
Mammals of India (MaOI), a citizen-science repository on Indian mammals, was launched in September 2018.
Key Points:
i. The website is available at: www.mammalsofindia.org. MaOI was developed by scientists from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) in Bangalore.
ii. It is an online, peer-reviewed, freely-accessible portal. By October 25, 768 images, of 161 species of mammals, were uploaded.
iii. The photographs will help to collect information on the distribution of various species and interactions between different species of mammals, like predation and mutualism.
iv. MaOI aims to develop individual species pages for all Indian mammals with information on identification, variation, distribution, breeding and non-breeding ecology and species conservation.
About National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS):
♦ Director – Prof. Satyajit Mayor
♦ Location – Bengaluru

SPORTS

West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo announces retirement from international cricket
On 25^th October 2018, West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket.

Key Points:
i. Dwayne Bravo is 35 years old. He is a right-arm bowler and a right-hand batsman.
ii. He made his debut in 2004 against England. He has played 40 Tests, 164 ODIs (One Day International) and 66 T20Is (Twenty20 International).
iii. He has scored 2,200 runs and 86 wickets in Tests, 2,968 runs and 199 wickets in ODIs and 1,142 runs and 52 wickets in T20I cricket.
iv. His last international match for Windies (West Indies cricket team) was a T20I against Pakistan in September 2016. His last Test match was in 2010, against Sri Lanka. His last ODI match for Windies was in 2014 against India.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage – 27 October
On 27^th October 2018, World Day for Audiovisual Heritage was celebrated all over the world.
Key Points:
i.  When: In 2005, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) General Conference declared October 27 as World Day for Audiovisual Heritage.
ii. Why: This day creates awareness on the importance of audiovisual documents and the need to take urgent measures to transfer them to digital format to prevent their loss.
iii.  Theme: for World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2018 is “Your Story is Moving”.
About UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization):
♦ Director General – Audrey Azoulay
♦ Headquarters – Paris, France