DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: OCTOBER 22, 2018

NATIONAL

The Prime Minister announced an annual award in the name of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose for police and paramilitary forces for commendable contributions in disaster relief operations.
Prime Minister Mr. Modi announced this while dedicating the National Police Memorial to the nation in New Delhi on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day.

India 9th most valuable nation brand in the world:

Even though India slipped by one spot, it was still ranked one of the 10 most valuable nation brands in the world, according to a report titled ‘Nation Brands 2018’ released by Brand Finance, a leading brand valuation and strategy consultancy.
India’s brand value was $2,046 billion in 2017 and has increased to $2,159 billion in 2018.Topping the list and maintaining its lead is US with a brand value of $25,899 billion which rose by 23% from last year.
The US economy has grown at a rapid pace and is expected to continue it in the coming months.

India’s first domestic cruise ‘Angriya’ flagged off from Mumbai:

Angriya, India’s first luxury cruise ship, is all set for its inauguration on October 20 at Mumbai.
Union minister for shipping Nitin Gadkari and Mahrashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will flag-off the cruise which will operate between Mumbai and Goa. The commercial operations will, however, begin from October 24.
Named after the first Maratha Navy Admiral Kanhoji Angre and the Angria bank coral reef near Vijaydurg, the luxury ship has 104 rooms, divided into eight different categories.
The cruise has six decks and 104 cabins. It can ferry 399 passengers at a time. The price range of the cruise will be from Rs 7,000 to Rs 12,000 for one-way.

INTERNATIONAL

India, Japan, US planning to host joint trilateral air exercise:

India, Japan and the U.S. are set to elevate the bilateral ‘Cope India’ air exercise to a trilateral format. The three countries already conduct naval war games under the expanded Malabar naval exercise.
The U.S. had proposed a trilateral air exercise between India, Japan and the U.S. For this, the Cope India exercise will be elevated to a trilateral level in phases, two official sources independently confirmed on condition of anonymity.
The next edition is scheduled to be held in December for which the Final Planning Conference to finalise the modalities of the exercise is scheduled next week in Kalaikunda [West Bengal].

Prime Minister chairs 6th meeting of NDMA:

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi chaired the sixth meeting of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) at New Delhi.
Prime Minister reviewed the activities of NDMA to effectively manage and respond to disasters affecting the country. He also reviewed ongoing projects undertaken by NDMA.
Prime Minister emphasized on the need for better coordination between the various stakeholders and undertake more joint exercises to bring about effective response to save life and property.

12th ASEM Summit to be held in Belgium:

The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu left for Belgium to attend the two-day 12^th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Brussels.
The theme of the ASEM Summit is ‘Global Partners for Global Challenges’.
The bi-annual event is considered the highest platform for dialogue and cooperation between Asia and Europe in the areas of trade, investment, security and tourism.

Green climate fund approves $1 billion for projects in poor countries:

A U.N.-backed fund has approved more than $1 billion for 19 new projects to help developing countries tackle climate change.
During a four-day meeting in Bahrain that ended, officials overseeing the Green Climate Fund also agreed to start seeking fresh money next year as its initial capital of about $6.6 billion will soon be used up.
Funding approved at the meeting in Manama includes projects linked to geothermal energy in Indonesia, greener cities in Europe and the Middle East, and protection for coastal communities in India.

RANKINGS

L&T ranks 22 in Forbes’ best global employer list :

Engineering and construction major Larsen & Toubro, which is majority owned by its employees, is the only domestic firm to be featured among the top 25 companies in the Forbes’ global 2000 best employers list that is led by Google parent Alphabet.
While L&T is ranked 22, there are only four domestic firms in the top 100 list which include Mahindra & Mahindra at 55, Grasim Industries at 59 and HDFC at 91, and only 24 domestic companies in the overall list,as per the US magazine.

The Top 3 companies in the List are:

1. Alphabet

2. Microsoft

3. Apple.

SPORTS

India beat Japan 9-0 to record their third consecutive win in Asian Champions Trophy:

In Men’s Hockey, India thrashed Japan 9-0 in their third round-robin match of Asian Champions Trophy at Muscat, Oman.
It was India’s third straight win of the tournament, and they have strengthened their chances of making it to the semi-finals.

OBITUARIES

Nobel chemistry laureate Shimomura passes away

Japanese-born Marine biologist Osamu Shimomura, who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry, has died. He was 90.
Shimomura and two American scientists shared the 2008 Nobel prize for the discovery and development of a jellyfish protein that later contributed to cancer studies.