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• On 10th October 2018, World Mental Health Day was observed all over the world.


• In 1992, World Federation for Mental Health declared October 10 as the World Mental Health Day.


• This day creates awareness on mental health issues and support needed for mental health.


• Theme for World Mental Health Day 2018 is “Young People and Mental Health in a Changing World”.

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• On October 9, 2018, Ukraine along with United States and other NATO countries launched “Clear Sky 2018” war games, which will run until October 19, in western Ukraine.


• To secure air sovereignty and promote peace and security.


• 700 troops are participating with NATO countries such as the United States, Britain, the Netherlands, Poland and Romania.


• US will be represented by F-15C Eagle fighter planes and C-130J Super Hercules.

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• On October 9, 2018, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Shri J P Nadda inaugurated ‘2nd World Conference on Access to Medical Products: Achieving the SDGs 2030’ in New Delhi.


• The objectives of the conference is Working on recommendations from the 1st World Conference 2017, Work on medical products in the context of SDGs (including trade agreements) in line with GPW 13 of WHO, Accelerating research and innovation.


• It also highlighted the importance of traditional medical system in achieving the health goals.


• The National Health Policy 2017 was also discussed.


• Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, World Health Organization announced the release of 13th Global Programme of Work (GPW13) for strategic direction in Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 (SDG).


• It is built around “triple billion” goal of strategic priorities of Healthy Lives, Universal Health Coverage and health emergencies.

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• On October 9, 2018, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj launched ‘India for Humanity’ initiative in New Delhi.


• It is a part of 150th Birth Anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi being held over the next one year.


• For this, MEA had collaborated with charitable organization Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti, BMVSS.


• This initiative comprises of a year-long series of artificial limb fitment camps in a number of countries spanning the globe fully sponsored by Ministry.


• Initially,the camps will be held in 12 countries identified through the Missions with financial support of Indian government.

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• On October 9, 2018, Centre reconstituted 20-member Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority or the EPCA. To tackle air pollution in the National Capital Region.


• The authority is headed by Former secretary Bhure Lal.


• The EPCA is mandated to enforce Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in the city as per the pollution levels.


• The tenure of the last EPCA expired on October 3.

• On October 8, 2018, UNICEF and NASSCOM Foundation signed an MOU to strengthen child rights through meaningful business interventions.


• To create awareness and use technology in the right way to protect children’s Rights.


• Together the organizations will co-create sensitisation workshops across India through online and offline interventions such as Tweet chats, webinars, meetups and roadshows.

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• On October 4, 2018, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the UN Environment signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at CII’s headquarters in Delhi.


• This MOU aims to work on coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development.


• It aims to promote cooperation in issues of environment, climate change, renewable energy, energy efficiency, resource conservation and management, water sanitation, smart cities and urban infrastructure.


• As per the MOU, the Un-plastic Initiative of CII and UN Environment will rope in industry to take actions to curb Plastic pollution.

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• On October 9, 2018, Central government set up a Strategic Policy Group (SPG) headed by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval to assist the National Security Council.


• To advise on matters of national security and strategic interests.


• The SPG will assist the National Security Council on undertaking national security measures and strategic review of country’s security affairs.


• The NSA gives strategic advice to prime minister on the topics of national security and the group’s decision will help it implement them the right way.


• The group will also be responsible for inter-ministerial coordination and integration of relevant inputs.


• The decisions thus taken by the group will lead cabinet secretary to coordinate implementation of the decisions.

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• On October 9, 2018, Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Manohar Lal Khattar announced the launch of an anti-terrorist force (ATF) called ‘Kavach’.


• The force will comprise of specially trained recruits from the state police, to deal with security challenges.


• For this, Haryana police recruits will be trained by the National Security Guard (NSG).

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• On October 9, 2018, Jharkhand has announced to be the partner state in Goa International Film Festival 2018 which will be held on 20th to 28th of November, 2018.


• The decision was taken in meeting between Secretary of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting ,Mr. Amit Khare and Chief Secretary of Jharkhand, Sudhir Tripathy at Ranchi.


• This is help Jharkhand to showcase its culture.


• Furthermore, it was also decided to organize Jharkhand Film Festival, under Indian Panorama, in two towns of Jharkhand in January 2019.

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• On October 8, 2018, National Housing Bank announced increase of the Refinance limit to Rs.30,000 crore from the previous Rs. 24,000.


• With this eligible Housing Finance Companies & Other entities will have increased availability of funds.


• The initial sanctioned limit was set to Rs. 24,000 crore for the current year (July 2018-June 2019) to refinance and credit Housing Finance Companies & other Institutions.


• Till date, Rs.8835 crore has been sanctioned.

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• On October 9, 2018, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted a growth rate of 7.3 per cent for India in the current year of 2018 and 7.4 per cent in 2019. In 2017-18, India had recorded a 6.7 per cent growth rate.


• This was published in the IMF’s World Economic Outlook Report.


• For 2019, the GDP prediction has been decreased compared to the April 2018 World Economic Outlook (WEO) report.


• The reason for the decrease is due to increase in oil prices and the tightening of global financial conditions.


• India will regain the tag of the fastest growing major economies of the world with a strong medium-term growth estimated at 7.75 per cent due to ongoing structural reform.


• It will cross China by 0.7 percentage point in 2018 and 1.2 percentage point growth lead in 2019.

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• On 7th October 2018, former Chelsea and England captain John Terry has announced his retirement from football.


• John Terry is 37 years old. He was a central defender. He has decided to take up a career in management following his retirement.


• For most of his career he played with the Chelsea club. He also captained Aston Villa club. He was capped 78 times by England.


• When he was with Chelsea he won 5 Premier League titles, 5 FA Cups, and the Champions League and Europa League.


• He made his debut in October 1998 when he was 17 years old. He has made more than 700 appearances for Chelsea.

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• On 8th October 2018, the Nobel Prize in Economics was jointly awarded to Americans William Nordhaus and Paul Romer for integrating climate change and technological innovation into the Macroeconomic analysis.


• William Nordhaus is a professor at Yale University. In 1990s, he became the first person to develop a quantitative model that described the interplay between economy and climate.


• Paul Romer is from New York University’s Stern School of Business. He has shown how economic forces govern the willingness of firms to produce new ideas and innovations. This laid the foundation for endogenous growth theory.

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• Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has won the ‘ISSA Good Practice Award’ for Administrative Solution for Coverage Extension at the “Regional Social Security Forum for Asia and the Pacific” held at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia recently.


• ESIC was awarded for its measures on extension of coverage-SPREE (Scheme for Promoting Registration of Employers and Employees), etc.


• Raj Kumar, IAS, Director General, ESIC received the Certificate of Merit on behalf of ESIC.


• Regional Social Security Forum for Asia and the Pacific is a triennial forum. It is the most important social security event in the region.


• ISSA (International Social Security Association) invites submissions for the ISSA Good Practices Award for Asia and the Pacific Regions.


• ESIC hosts ISSA Liaison Office for South Asia at New Delhi. The Liasion Office coordinates with Social Security Institutions in Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Iran.

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• On 7th October 2018, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu presented the ‘Ramineni Awards 2018’ in Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh.


• The Ramineni Foundation’s outstanding person award was presented to badminton coach Pullela Gopichand.


• He also presented special awards to: Telugu literary legend Garikapati Narasimha Rao, film director Nag Ashwin Reddy and writer C Venkata Ramana.


• The outstanding person award carries a prize money of Rs 2 lakh and special awards carry Rs 1 lakh each.

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• Scientists of Rice University, US, have developed tiny spheres that can catch and destroy bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic chemical used to make plastics that contaminates water.


• They have developed micron-sized spheres that look like flower-like collections of titanium dioxide petals. On its surface cyclodextrin is stored.


• It has a hydrophobic (water-avoiding) cavity and a hydrophilic (water-attracting) outer surface.


• BPA is hydrophobic and is attracted to the cavity. It is trapped and degraded to harmless chemicals through reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by the spheres.

Source: Cick Here

• British scientists have created 3D-printed meals for St Helen’s Primary School in Canning Town, London, to develop an interest in science subjects among students.


• Scientists from the annual Big Bang Fair that promotes science, technology and maths (STEM) subjects worked with St Helen’s Primary School.


• They created dishes like geometric fish and chips, cauliflower cogs and mathematical constant ‘Pi’ shaped pie, etc.