18 October 2017 Current Affairs
US author George Saunders wins 2017 Man Booker Prize
American author George Saunders won the 2017 Man Booker Prize, a high-profile literary award for his first full-length novel “Lincoln in the Bardo”. With this, he became second consecutive American writer to win prize after Paul Beatty (for his novel The Sellout), after rules were changed in 2014 to allow authors of any book written in English and published in UK to compete.
Ministry of WCD launches campaign on ‘women for women’
The Ministry of Women and Child Development is undertaking an online campaign #IamThatWoman. The main aim seeks to highlight the various aspects of women standing ‘by’ and ‘for’ women. Ministry of WCD has urged people to shun stereotypes associated with women harming other women. Twitter and Facebook users have been encouraged to tag and share stories of women helping women with a photograph and post online with the hashtag #IamThatWoman. A woman manager can easily empathize with her female juniors and help her climb the ladder of success.
Anup Vikal resigns as CFO of Snapdeal
Anup Vikal has resigned as Snapdeal’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and General Counsel. Vikas is likely to jojn Essar Oil as its Chief Financial Officer. His resignation came two months after e-commerce dealer Snapdeal cancelled its merger talks with online retailer Flipkart.
India signs pact to send Interns to Japan for Training
India signed a Memorandum of Co-operation (MoC) with Japan to send youngsters there as technical interns for on-the-job training for a period of three to five years. The MoC on Technical Intern Training Programme was signed by Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Japanese Minister of Health, Labour, and Welfare with Katsunobu Kato in Tokyo. India is the third country with which Japan has signed the MoC.
Veteran British actor Roy Dotrice passes away
Roy Dotrice, a veteran British actor, died in London. He was 94. Dotrice was known for his role as Leopold Mozart in the Oscar-winning film Amadeus and his many theater and TV roles. He won many accolades throughout his lengthy career including a Tony Award in 2000 for his role in the Broadway revival of A Moon for the Misbegotten.
Indian peacekeepers in Sudan awarded with UN medal
Fifty Indian peacekeepers stationed in South Sudan were awarded with the UN Medal for their professionalism and service in protecting civilians and building durable peace in the conflict-ridden country. The peacekeepers were presented with the award by UNMISS Force Commander General Frank Mushyo Kamanzi. These Indian peacekeepers are part of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Indian peacekeepers were deployed with the Indian battalion stationed at Bor in the Jonglei region of South Sudan.
Madhya Pradesh CM launches ‘Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana’
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the ambitious ‘Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojna’ for the farmers of the state. Madhya Pradesh is the first state to lend money to farmers at zero percent interest. The government has approved a web of irrigation projects across the Sagar District which will cover 96-hectare fields.
Google viewed as Most Authentic Brand in India: Survey
Indian consumers regard Google as the most authentic brand, even though Amazon.com tops the list globally, reveal results of the 2017 “Authentic Brands Study” by the new survey of global communications agency Cohn & Wolfe. In India, Google is followed by Microsoft, Amazon.com, Maruti Suzuki and Apple. Globally, Apple takes the second spot after Amazon in the authenticity race.
Kerala HC restores life ban imposed on Sreesanth by BCCI
A division bench of the Kerala High Court has restored the life ban imposed on cricketer S Sreesanth by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in the wake of the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal. The bench gave the verdict on a petition filed by the BCCI against the ruling by a single judge bench that lifted the life ban imposed on the 34-year-old pacer in August 2017.
Zimbabwe bans Fruit, Vegetable imports as Forex Crunch Deepens
The east African landlocked country Zimbabwe, with immediate effect, banned the import of fruits and vegetables to preserve the scarce foreign currencies. Last year Zimbabwe spent more than $80 million on fruit and vegetables which included tomatoes, onions, carrots, grapes, apples and oranges. Many of the Zimbabweans are keeping U.S. dollars at home or they are spending in buying Hard Currency on the black market. This same situation was prevailing during the period of hyperinflation a decade ago.