The 11th Nuclear Energy Conclave was held in New Delhi

NATIONAL NEWS

The 11th Nuclear Energy Conclave was held in New Delhi

• The Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (I/C), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated 11th Nuclear Energy Conclave.
• The theme of the 11th Nuclear Energy Conclave was Economics of Nuclear Power - Innovation towards Safer & Cost-effective Technologies.
• Hall of Nuclear Energy was inaugurated in Pragati Maidan in Delhi. It aimed to educate the students and the general public about the applications of nuclear energy.

The conclave had three technical sessions under the theme:

1) Growth of the Nuclear Power for Meeting Base Load Demands - Opportunities and Challenges for Manufacturing Industry

2) Use of the Nuclear Energy in Healthcare and Municipal Waste Treatment

3) Emerging Technologies for Economy and Enhanced Safety through Small & Medium Size reactors, Passive Safety features, Molten Salt Reactors.

India to host 91st Interpol General Assembly in 2022

• India will host the 91st Interpol General Assembly in 2022 as part of celebrations of the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence.
• The International Criminal Police Organisation had hosted the general assembly, where representatives of all member countries converge, in India in 1997.
• Rishi Kumar Shukla, the director of the CBI that represents Interpol in India as the country's national central bureau, moved the proposal on Friday in the ongoing 88th general assembly in Santiago, Chile, following which it was put to vote.
• Interpol is an international organization with 194 member states and 100 years of experience of international cooperation in Policing. Interpol's 17 databases house 90 million records.

Odisha's first Robot Restaurant opens in Bhubaneswar

• The Robot Restaurant opened at the Infocity DLF tower of Bhubaneswar claims to be the first restaurant in Eastern India where two indigenously developed robots, 'Champa' and 'Chameli' are engaged.
• Earlier Chennai and Bengaluru had introduced smart restraunts with robots’ machines imported from China.
• The robots are developed at a Jaipur-based start-up using SLAM technology, and It automatically navigates like humans, follows the routes and instructions.
• Not only this, after serving the food, the robots will also ask you for feedback in Odia that 'Are you happy', as the dialogue by CM of Odisha Naveen Pattnaik has gained popularity among masses.

Satya Pal Malik inaugurates J&K Bazar

• Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik has inaugurated J&K Bazar, a retail showroom of authentic Jammu Kashmir Handicrafts, Handlooms, Silk, Agro-based products and Restaurant serving Authentic Kashmiri Cuisine at J&K House in New Delhi.
• The newly constructed state-of-the-art showroom is for promoting J&K specific products of handicrafts and authentic cuisine. The project has been completed over a short period of time. 

DEFENCE

Defence of Andaman and Nicobar Islands exercise 2019 (Danx-19) 14 Oct to 18 oct 19

• Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) has conducted the second edition of Defence of Andaman & Nicobar Islands 2019 (DANX-19), a large-scale joint services exercise from 14 Oct to 18 Oct 19. 
• Spanning over a period of five days, components of the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard carried out mobilisation and field manoeuvres to validate defensive plans of Headquarters ANC towards pursuance of the Command’s responsibility, namely ensuring territorial integrity of the A&N Islands.
• In addition to internal forces from ANC, accretional forces from Mainland comprising ships and aircraft, Special Forces from the newly formed Armed Forces Special Operations Division (AFSOD), also participated in this edition.

APPOINTMENT

Sudhaker Shukla appointed as whole-time member of IBBI

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Sudhaker Shukla as a Whole-Time Member of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI).
• Shukla, a 1985 batch Indian Economic Service officer, has been appointed as IBBI Whole-Time member for a period of five years.
• With this appointment, IBBI now has three WTMs and the entire Board is complete.
• The board has the strength of 10Besides a Chairman and three WTM, the IBBI has four ex officio members representing MCA, RBI, Department of Economic Affairs and Legal Affairs. There are also two part-time members — Chief Economic Advisor Krishnamurthy Subramanian and former MD & CEO of IDBI Bank B Sriram.

General Assembly Elects 14 Member States to Human Rights Council, Appoints New Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services

• The General Assembly elected 14 States to the Human Rights Council, the United Nations body responsible for promoting and protecting all human rights around the globe.
• By secret ballot, the Assembly elected Armenia, Brazil, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Libya, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Namibia, Netherlands, Poland, Republic of Korea, Sudan and Venezuela. 
• All 14 members will serve three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2020.
• The newly elected States are replacing the following outgoing members:  China, Croatia, Cuba, Egypt, Hungary, Iceland, Iraq, Japan, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Tunisia and the United Kingdom.
• In accordance with Assembly resolution 60/251, those Member States were eligible for immediate re-election except delegations which had already served two consecutive terms — China, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

Former IMF chief Christine Lagarde replaces Mario Draghi as head of European Central Bank

• European Union leaders confirmed on Friday the appointment of Christine Lagarde as the new chief of the European Central Bank, replacing Mario Draghi from November 1.
• Lagarde's confirmation for a non-renewable term of eight years comes after EU leaders nominated her for the position on July 2.

Anup Kumar Singh appointed as Director-General of NSG

• Senior IPS officer of Gujarat cadre Anup Kumar Singh has been appointed as Director-General of the National Security Guard (NSG).
• The appointment of Mr Singh, who is a 1985-batch IPS officer, was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
• His appointment will be from the date of joining the post and up to 30th of September, 2020.

OBITUARY

Alicia Alonso: Legendary ballet dancer dies aged 98

• Cuban ballet dancer Alicia Alonso has died age 98.
• Alonso is considered one of the greatest 20th Century ballerinas. She began to lose her sight at 19, relying on only the stage lights to guide her.
• After the 1959 revolution, she helped found the National Ballet of Cuba with then leader Fidel Castro.

Renowned painter Kalidas Karmakar dies in Dhaka

• Internationally acclaimed painter of Bangladesh Kalidas Karmakar passed away in Dhaka. He was 73.
• An icon of modern art in Bangladesh, Kalidas was awarded Shilpakala Padak in 2016 and the Ekushey Padak in 2018 by the Government of Bangladesh for his contribution to fine arts.
• Solo exhibitions of his works were held in Dhaka and many countries, including the US, India, Japan, Iran, and Hong Kong. Apart from painting he was also known for his installation work in which he used diverse materials like wood, pottery, brass, utensils and others.