Flash Flood Guidance Services for South Asia Inaugurated
NATIONAL NEWS
Flash Flood Guidance Services for South Asia Inaugurated
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) commissioned Flash Flood Guidance Services for South Asian countries - India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Flash Floods are highly localized events of short duration with a very high peak and usually have less than six hours between the occurrence of the rainfall and peak flood.
This new system will enable all the member countries for issuing impact-based forecasting at watershed and also city level, of floods which are very sudden and of short duration.
The Flash Flood Guidance is a robust system designed to provide the necessary products in real-time to support the development of warnings for flash floods about 6- 12 hrs. in advance at the watershed level with resolution of 4kmx4km for the Flash Flood prone South Asian countries
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
India to Chair the Apex body of ILO
India will be presiding over the Governing Body, the apex executive body, of International Labour Organisation after 35 years.
The 1998 batch IAS officer Shri Apurva Chandra has been elected as the Chairman of the Governing Body of ILO for the period October 2020- June 2021.
The Governing Body (GB) is the apex executive body of the ILO which decides policies, programmes, agenda, budget and elects the Director-General.
Facts:
HQ of ILO: Geneva, Switzerland
Members: 187 countries
Pakistan to be continued under Grey list of FATF
The anti-terror financing watchdog, Financial Action Task Force (FATF), has continued to place Pakistan under the Grey list.
The FATF is an inter-governmental body set up in 1989 to combat money laundering, terror financing and other related threats to the international financial system. It currently has 39 members.
The members include two regional organizations- the European Commission and Gulf Cooperation Council.
Facts:
President of FATF: Marcus Pleyer
HQ of FATF: Paris, France
IMPORTANT DAYS
UN Day
2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the day United Nations came into force in 1945.
24 October has been celebrated as United Nations Day since 1948.
World Polio Day
The World Polio Day is observed on 24th October each year to spread awareness for polio vaccination and to eradicate polio.
The Rotary International by WHO convene this day to remember Jonas Salk who led the first team to develop a vaccine against poliomyelitis.
The theme for World Polio Day 2020 is “Stories of Progress: Past and Present”.
World Development Information Day
The General Assembly in 1972 established World Development Information Day to draw the attention of the world to development problems and the need to strengthen international cooperation to solve them.