TNPSC Current Affairs October 15, 2019

www.tnpsc.academy – TNPSC Current Affairs Oct 15, 2019 (15/10/2019)

Topic: Latest Diary of Events

World Standards Day

World Standards Day (WSD) is celebrated each year all over the world on 14 October by the members of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to pay tribute to the collaborative efforts of thousands of experts worldwide, who develop voluntary technical agreements that are published as International or National Standards.

It is also called International Standards Day.

The aim of WSD is to raise awareness among regulators, industry and consumers as to the importance of standardization to the global economy. The first WSD was observed in 1970.

Topic: Awards and Honours, Latest Diary of Events

2019 Nobel Prize in Economics: Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the prestigious 2019 Nobel Prize for Economics to Indian-American Abhijit Banerjee, his wife, Esther Duflo, and Michael Kremer of United States for their ‘experimental approach to alleviating global poverty’.

Their research will help the world community to understand, address and fight the formidable challenge of poverty.

Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo work at Massachusetts Institute of Technology while Michael Kremer is at Harvard University.

Key facts:

As per the Nobel committee, the research conducted by 2019’s Economics Nobel laureates has considerably improved the ability to fight global poverty. Moreover, in mere two decades, their new experiment-based approach has transformed development economics, which is now a flourishing field of research. The trio’s experimental research methods have benefited over 5 million Indian children, who are part of remedial tutoring programmes in schools.

Esther Duflo has become the second woman to win prize after Elinor Ostrom (2009) of US. She is also the youngest-ever to win prize.

Topic: Awards and Honours, Latest Diary of Events

2019 Booker Prize: Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo jointly win

The 2019 Booker Prize was jointly won by Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo after judges defied the rules by declaring a tie. Even though the organisers told 2019’s judges that they were not allowed to pick two winners, but Peter Florence, the chair of the five-member judging panel, decided to flout the rules anyways. The rules were changed after the last tie in 1992.

2019 Booker Prize:

Although as per the Booker rules the prize must not be divided, however the judges insisted they could not separate the 79-year-old Canadian author Margaret Atwood’s – ‘The Testament’ and ‘Girl, Woman, Other’ by Bernardine Evaristo. Evaristo is the first black woman to win prestigious award since its creation in 1969.

Topic: New Appointments, Latest Diary of Events

Kais Saied elected as new President of Tunisia

Kais Saied is elected as the new President of Tunisia after a landslide victory in recently concluded Presidential runoff. The Independent law professor Kais Saied won against his rival, Nabil Karoui. He won Tunisia’s presidential election with 72.71% of votes.

Topic: Latest Diary of Events

Four Indian sites win UNESCO Cultural Heritage Conservation Awards

Four sites from India have been chosen for the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. The awards were announced in Penang, Malaysia on 14 October 2019. This year marks the 20 years since the institution of awards.

Key facts:

Among the four sites that have been chosen from India for 2019’s UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation, three are in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Three of chosen landmark of city are- Flora Fountain, Gloria Church at Byculla and Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue at Kala Godha.

List of Awards Category-

Award of Distinction: Vikram Sarabhai Library, Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad. It is restored by architect Brinda Somaya

Award of Merit: Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue (Mumbai), a Jewish Synagogue restored by Abha Narain Lambah and Our Lady of Glory Church (Mumbai) restored by David Cardoz and and Ainsley Lewis

Honourable Mention: Flora Fountain (Mumbai). It is restored by conservation architect Vikas Dilwari and his team.

Award of Excellence: historic Tai Kwun – Centre for Heritage and Arts, Hong Kong.

Topic: Sports and Medals

World Youth Chess Championship: R Praggnanandhaa Wins Gold as India Bag 7 Medals

Praggnanandhaa won the World Youth Chess Championship, where participants only under 18 years of age.

Praggnanandhaa is from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. He won the World Youth Chess Championship Under-8 title in 2013 earning him the title of FIDE Master at the age of 7. He also won the Under-10 title in 2015.