Current Affairs 26th October 2015

Current Affairs 26th October 2015

Updated : 26-Oct-2015

Current Affairs 26th October 2015 - Important Points
Current Affairs 26th October 2015 - Details
Who has been appointed as Chairman of AEC and Secretary of DAE - Sekhar Basu
Among the important appointments, On 23rd October 2015, Renowned Indian nuclear scientist Shekhar Basu was appointed as the Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).

He has replaced Ratan Kumar Sinha.
In 1975, Basu joined Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in its Reactor Engineering Division.
He has also served as the Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Project Director of Nuclear Submarine Programme (BARC) and many more.
In 2014, he was honoured by Padma Shri for his contributions to the fields of science and technology.
Who has won the ODI series - South Africa
Among the important Sports Current Affairs, On 25th October 2015, the five-match One Day International (ODI) series against India was won by South Africa. This was South Africa’s first ever bilateral ODI series win on Indian land.
Series Report
- 1st Match: South Africa won by 5 runs and AB de Villiers (South Africa) was declared as the Man of the Match.
- 2nd Match: India won the match by 22 runs and MS Dhoni (India) was declared as the Man of the Match.
- 3rd Match: South Africa won the match by 18 runs and M Morkel (South Africa) was declared as the Man of the Match.
- 4th Match: India won the match by 35 runs and V Kohli (India) was declared as the Man of the Match.
- 5th Match: South Africa won by 214 runs and Q de Kock (South Africa) was declared as the Man of the Match.
AB de Villiers (South Africa) was declared as the Player of the series.
2015 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix title won by - Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton
Among the important Sports Current Affairs, On 25th October 2015, the 2015 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix title was won by Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.
In the final race, Nico Rosberg of Germany stood at the second position whereas Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel (Germany) stood third.
Force India driver Sergio Perez (Mexico) was at the fifth position.
Who is appointed as DGP of Punjab - Suresh Arora
Among the important appointments, On 25th October 2015, Suresh Arora was appointed as the Director General of Police (DGP) by the Punjab Government. He is a 1982-batch IPS officer.
Suresh had played a pivotal role in fighting terrorism. During the Operation Black Thunder I and II were conducted, Suresh was posted in Amritsar as Superintendent of Police (SP) and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP).
He has won various gallantry medals and awards, including the President's Meritorious Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal and the Prakram Medal.
Who has became the first Indian to win Silver Medal in Archery World Cup Final - Abhishek Verma
Among the important Sports Current Affairs, On 24th October 2015, Indian archer Abhishek Verma won silver medal in the Archery World Cup Final medal in the compound section held in Mexico City and became the first ever Indian to win Archery World Cup Final medal.

In 2014, Verma won the gold medal along with Rajat Chauhan and Sandeep Kumar in the men's compound archery team event, and the silver medal in the men's individual compound event at the Asian Games held at Incheon, South Korea. On 15th August 2015, he won a gold medal in the compound men's individual section in the third leg of Archery World Cup held in Wroclaw, Poland.
World Polio Day observed on - 24th October
Among the important International Current Affairs, On 24th October 2015, World Polio Day was observed to create awareness about the hazards of the crippling disease.
Rotary International over a decade ago established the day to mark the birth of Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop a vaccine against poliomyelitis.
Use of this inactivated poliovirus vaccine and subsequent widespread use of the oral poliovirus, developed by Albert Sabin, led to the establishment of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 1988. Since then, GPEI has reduced polio worldwide by 99%.
Do You Know :
A per the UNICEF data, polio does not exist in most of the world, as the cases decreased by 99.9 % worldwide. Since the beginning of 2015, there have been 51 cases of wild polio virus globally compared with 242 wild polio cases for 2014.
Indian Railways developed warning system for - unmanned level crossings
A warning system for unmanned level crossings was developed by Indian Railways which is working satisfactorily for the last three months on Coimbatore-Metupallayam section.
The research wing of Indian Railways, Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) finalised the specification of the system.
Highlights of the warning system
- The system is fitted with solar panel and has a theft protection system.
- The system consists of two blinkers and one siren to alert people when a train is within one km radius of the level crossing.
- In case of wrecking of the system at the level crossing, SMS alert will be sent to pre-programmed mobile numbers by the system.
- The system consists of two sensor modules and a control module in which train movements are detected and siren and blinker alerts are produced when the train is within one km of the level crossing.
Who has been honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award & Sangeet Acharya Ratna - Nandakumara and Sivanesan
Among the important International Current Affairs, In October 2015, Dr MN Nandakumara and Sivasakthi Sivanesan were awarded with Lifetime Achievement Award and Sangeet Acharya Ratna Award respectively in London by Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Ranjan Mathai.
Nandakumara, Executive Director of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, London, was awarded for his contribution to Indian arts and Sivasakthi Sivanesan, Resident Carnatic Music at the Bhavan for music.
Other awards announced and their recipients include :
- Samyo Musician of the Year - Sanjuran Keerthikumar
- Young Musician of the Year - Yarline Thanabalasingham
- Young Dancer of the Year - Parbati Chaudhury
- Nritya Acharya Award - Pushkala Gopal
- Tarang Musician of the Year - Jasdeep Singh Degun
Which Indian state has signed two memorandums with Japan - Andhra Pradesh
On 22nd October 2015, a MoC for development of economic infrastructure and a MoU to develop Amaravati was signed by the Government of Andhra Pradesh with the Government of Japan.
AP-Japan Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
- Andhra Pradesh Finance department and Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) signed the MoU.
- Its purpose is to invite foreign investments and developing the state's new capital city and the surrounding region.
AP-Japan Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC)
- Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Japanese State Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Yosuke Takagi signed the MoC.
- The purpose of the memorandum is to accelerate industrial development in the state through effective policy coordination.
Do You Know :
Ancient Amaravati, from which the proposed capital derives its name, has long cultural ties with Japan. In Japan, around 34 % of population practises Vajrayana Sect of Buddhism that was founded by Acharya Nagarjuna in Amaravati between 150 AD and 250 AD.
India’s first AC double-decker Shatabdi train to run on - Mumbai-Goa route
On 23rd October 2015, India’s first AC double-decker Shatabdi train will soon run between Mumbai and Goa route announced by the Ministry of Railways.
The proposed train between Mumbai and Goa will cater to growing demand by tourists that come to Goa from all over the globe.
In October 2011, the first double-decker air conditioned train was flagged off between Howrah and Dhanbad. Since then, the service is operational between many cities, including Delhi-Lucknow, Ahmedabad-Mumbai, Chennai–Bangalore and Delhi-Jaipur.
Which hindi channel has emerged as most watched channel - Doordarshan
Among the important National Current Affairs, On 24th October 2015, Public service broadcaster Doordarshan claimed that it has emerged as the most-watched Hindi channel in terms of time spent per viewer ahead of top General Entertainment Channels (GEC).
It was announced after the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) released the All India viewership data, which includes rural India for the very first time.
According to the data, DD National, the flagship channel of Doordarshan, registered an Average Time Spent of 51 Min per viewer, which was highest among Hindi GECs, in the week 41 (from 10 October 2015 to 16 October 2015).
Apart from this, the data also reflects that the channel’s gross viewership in lakhs (GVL) rose from 479.9 lakhs in week 40 to a massive 4040.5 lakh in week 41.
About Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC)
Broadcast Audience Research Council India is an industry body, which designs, commissions, supervises and owns an accurate, reliable and timely television audience measurement system for the country.
Reducing global health risks through mitigation of short-lived climate pollutants report released by - WHO
Among the important International Current Affairs, On 22nd october 2015, a report titled Reducing global health risks through mitigation of short-lived climate pollutants was released by the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO in collaboration of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants, a voluntary global partnership of governments, businesses, scientific institutions, intergovernmental organizations and civil society produced the report.
Highlights of the report
- Reducing emissions of SLCPs, which persist in the atmosphere from days to about a decade, can provide health benefits directly from reduced air pollution and related ill-health, indirectly from reduced ozone and black carbon effects on extreme weather and from other types of health benefits.
- This report reviews a range of strategies and policies for action covering sectors such as urban planning, transport, household energy and building design, food production and consumption, power generation, industry, and waste management.
- The report focused on the need to reduce short-lived climate pollutants like black carbon, ozone, methane and carbon dioxide that contribute to climate change and lead to more than 7 million deaths linked to air pollution each year.
- The report suggests that countries, health and environment ministries, and cities can take right now to reduce emissions, protect health and avoid illness and premature deaths.
- Short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), including black carbon, methane, and ozone, are responsible for a substantial fraction of climate change as well as for a significant proportion of air-pollution related deaths and diseases that kill some 7 million people per year.
Which state has commissioned 215 new power sub-stations in three years - Haryana
On 25th October 2015, Haryana Government announced that it planned to commission 215 additional sub-stations of various capacities to reduce transmission and distribution (T & D) losses.
The state government's inititatives are
- A Smart Power Grid in Gurgaon will be developed at an estimated cost of 7000 crore rupees with the help of Union Government.
- In-principle approval was given to phase out four old and inefficient units of the Panipat thermal power station and replace them with a new 800-MW Supercritical Unit.
- Initiative to expand 418 existing sub-stations and putting in place 3171 kilometre transmission and distribution lines till 2018.
- Mhara Gaon - On 1st July 2015, Jagmag Gaon scheme was launched to provide 15 hour uninterrupted power supply from the existing 12 hours in rural areas.
Union Government initiatives
- For development of power sector infrastructure in rural areas, a sum of 316 crore rupees was approved by the union government under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana.
- Under the Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS), around 390 crore rupees were granted to the state for strengthening of the distribution system in urban areas.
Hero Women’s Indian Open 2015 won by - Emily Kristine Pedersen
Among the important Sports Current Affairs, On 25th October 2015, Hero Women’s Indian Open 2015 at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon, Haryana was won by Emily Kristine Pedersen of Denmark. It was her maiden European Tour title.
She defeated the trio of Malene Jorgensen, Becky Morgan and Cheyenne Woods, who tied for the second position, to win the winner’s cheque of 60000 US dollars.
Aditi Ashok was the best Indian performer and tied at the 13th position whereas Vani Kapoor finished 20th and was adjudged as the best Indian professional at the tournament.
About Hero Women’s Indian Open
It is a 400000 US dollar event which is tri-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour, the Ladies Asian Golf Tour and the Women’s Golf Association of India. The annual event was started in 2007 and attracts best of talent from across the globe with the majority of players coming from Europe and Asia.