Current Affairs 24th October 2017

Current Affairs 24th October 2017 - Important Points

• IPS officer Rakesh Asthana appointed as CBI Special Director on - 22nd October 2017

• India beat Malaysia in Asia Cup Hockey on - 22nd October 2017

• United Nations Day 2017 observed globally on - 24th October 2017
•  World Development Information Day observed on - 24th October 2017
• No need to stand in movie Halls to prove patriotism stated by - Supreme Court
• Meghalaya Election Department in - Limca Book Records
• Paris Climate Agreement signed by  Nicaragua on - 23rd October 2017

Current Affairs 24th October 2017 - Details

IPS officer Rakesh Asthana appointed as CBI Special Director on - 22nd October 2017

Rakesh Asthana was appointed as Special Director of Central Bureau of Investigation on 22nd October 2017 approved by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet. A 1984 batch Gujarat cadre IPS officer, Asthana is presently posted as CBI Additional Director.

More about Rakesh Asthana

• Asthana was named as interim CBI Director by the Union Government in December 2016.
• In 1994, while serving as SP in CBI, he handled the investigation of fodder scam of Bihar.
• In 1997, Asthana arrested RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav for the scam and was part of the investigation until 2001.
• He has also been part of the Special Investigation Team set up by the Gujarat government to probe the Godhra train burning incident.
• He also served as the Commissioner of Police of Surat and Vadodara.
• Rajesh Ranjan and AP Maheshwari were appointed as Special DGs in the Border Security Force. In addition to that, Javeed Ahmed, a 1984-batch IPS officer, was given the rank of special DG at the Central Government.

India beat Malaysia in Asia Cup Hockey on - 22nd October 2017

India beat Malaysia with 2-1 in the final to clinch Asia Cup on 22nd October 2017 in Dhaka. On the other hand, Pakistan won bronze after beating Korea by 6-3. After this victory, India ended its wait of 10 long years to win the Asia Cup.

India scored from field efforts through Ramandeep Singh and Lalit Upadhyay to win the most desired title against Malaysia. India last clinched the trophy in 2003 and 2007 in Kuala Lumpur and Chennai respectively.This victory came as a perfect maiden start for new coach of India - Marijne Sjoerd.
More about Asian Hockey Federation:

• It governs the international men's and women's field hockey tournament.
• It was started in 1982 for men's competition while the women's competition was added in 1983 as a non-official championship and made an official tournament in 1985.
• South Korea has been the most successful team with 4 titles in Men's and 3 titles in Women's competition so far.
• India has reached 8 times in the men's finals.
• India ranked 6th in World Hockey.

United Nations Day 2017 observed globally on - 24th October 2017

The United Nations (UN) Day was observed with the theme "Potential in Diversity" across the world on 24th October 2017. This day marks the 72nd anniversary of the UN Charter’s entry into force.

This year's observations of the UN Day included United Nations Day Concert featuring the Slovak National Folklore Ballet. The Day celebrates everything that UN represents and has achieved since its establishment in 1945.  All the member states of the United Nations contribute finances to its operation to help further its goals on this occasion.
Key Details

• The United Nations General Assembly declared 24th October in 1948, the anniversary of the Charter of the United Nations, as the UN Day.
• The General Assembly adopted further resolution in 1971 to declare that United Nations Day will be an international holiday and recommended that it should be observed as a public holiday by all member states.
• A variety of events are organised every year by UN Information Centres to mark UN Day. Activities range from rallies, ceremonies, seminars, art competitions, film screenings and book exhibitions, media campaigns and social media campaigns.

 World Development Information Day observed on - 24th October 2017

The World Development Information Day was observed across the world on 24th October 2017.
According to the UN General Assembly, improving the dissemination of information and the mobilisation of public opinion, particularly among group of young people, would be leading to greater awareness of the problems of development.
The body is committed to promote efforts in the sphere of international cooperation for the development.
Key Highlights

• UN General Assembly established this day back in 1972 in order to draw the attention of the world to development problems and the need to strengthen international cooperation to solve them.
• The Assembly decided that the date for the Day should coincide with the United Nations Day on 24 October.
• The day also coincides with the adoption date in 1970 of the International Development Strategy for the 2nd United Nations Development Decade.
• The main motto of the international organisation is to achieve co-operation among countries across the world in solving international problems of economic, social, cultural and humanitarian nature and to encourage respect for human rights and for the fundamental freedom of all irrespective of their race, language, sex or religion.

No need to stand in movie Halls to prove patriotism stated by - Supreme Court

People do not required to stand up in the theaters to prove their patriotism, the Supreme Court of India ruled and asked the government to consider amending the decree for regulating playing of the national anthem in the cinemas. The Apex court also noted that "We don't require to wear patriotism on our sleeves", and that defines the person is “less patriotic or not“.
While observing the decree, a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra stated that the society doesn’t require “moral policing” by the whims and fancies of government. Supreme Court on national anthem issue: A comprehensive and comparative study

Highlights of Ruling

• The court said that they may change its order of 1st December 2016, for mandatory to play the anthem before the screening of a film.
• The court noted that cinemas are for entertainment, and people do not prove their patriotism there.
• Public cannot be forced to carry patriotism on their sleeves and courts cannot infuse patriotism in the people through their ruling.
• This Court remarked on the PIL filed last year by Shyam Narayan Chouksey disagreement to the court’s directions about playing national anthem in all the cinemas.
• The court then guided the Centre to take an action by January 9th, 2018, for controlling the playing of the national anthem in all theaters.
  Supreme Court instructed cinema halls to play National Anthem before the screening of the movie.

Government’s view on this.

• Explaining the government’s view on this PIL, the Attorney General K K Venugopal appearing for Centre government explained that India is a diverse country, national anthem should be played in the movie halls to bring in equality.
• In his opinion the matter should be left open to the government to take a action on whether the anthem should be played in cinema halls and people should stand up for it or not.

Background of the Remark

• A bench headed by Justice Misra, on December 1st, 2016, had ordered the the cinemas halls of the country to “mandatorily” play the national anthem before a movie and the people present must show standup respect.
• This step was widely marked as an attempt to “instill committed patriotism and nationalism in the citizens.
• The court in its order categorically marked that “love and respect for the nation are reflected when one shows respect for the both, national anthem and the national flag“.

Meghalaya Election Department in - Limca Book Records

The Election department of Meghalaya has won an entry in the Limca Book of Records for creating a human logo with newly-enrolled young voters of Meghalaya on 1st July 2017.
This information was shared by Limca Book of records' official Garima Manon with the Meghalaya Chief Electoral Officer on 24th October 2017 with the following Key Details-

• A sum of 2870 students from 113 schools and 3 colleges between the age group of 18-19 enrolled as new voters and created a 75 feet by 120 feet human logo that read Mission Unite- You 'N' I (towards Enrolment).
• The logo creation was a part of a special drive that was started to enrol young and left-out voters especially for the first-time electors.
• The drive was directed in July 2017 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Complex, Shillong.
• The logo would be published in the November 2017 edition of the Limca Book of Records.
• The state assembly elections of Meghalaya are likely to be held in February-March 2018.

 
Paris Climate Agreement signed by  Nicaragua on - 23rd October 2017

Nicaragua signs a Paris Climate Agreement and leaving The United States and Syria behind.
Central America's country Nicaragua on 23rd October 2017 signed a Paris Agreement on the climate change that leaves the United States and Syria holing out to sign this global climate pact.
According to the Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega, the Paris Agreement is the only global mechanism that offers the conditions to face global warming and its ill effects.
However, in the past, Nicaragua refused to sign the agreement on the grounds that it did not require preventing global warming.

US withdrawal from the Paris agreement

• President Donald Trump on 1st June 2017 withdrew the United States from the remarkable 2015 Paris agreement to fight for climate change.
• President Trump also stated that the Paris accord will undermine the US economy, cost US jobs, weaken American national authority and put the country at a fixed disadvantage to the other countries of the world.
• The United States earlier was one of 195 nations that had an agreed to the grant in December 2015.