DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

By admin: Oct. 1, 2023

Murali Sreeshankar wins silver medal in men's long jump at Hangzhou Asian Games

Tags: Sports

India's Murali Sreeshankar won a silver medal in the men's long jump event at the Hangzhou Asian Games with a best jump of 8.19 meters.

An Overview of the News

• Wang Jianan of China won the gold medal with a jump of 8.22 meters.

• Murali Sreeshankar's personal and season's best jump is 8.41 meters, which ranks him fourth globally and second among Asian athletes.

• Another Indian athlete Jesswin Aldrin finished eighth in the same event with a best jump of 7.76 metres.

• Jesswin Aldrin remains the season leader among Asian athletes and is ranked third in the world.

Hangzhou Asian Games 2023:

• Chinese President Xi Jinping officially opened the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China on September 23, 2023.

• The 19th Hangzhou Asian Games will be held from 23 September to 8 October 2023.

• The opening ceremony was held at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium, also known as the Big Lotus.

• Nearly 12,500 athletes from 45 countries and territories in Asia are competing in 61 disciplines across 40 sports.

• The slogan of the Games is 'Heart to Heart, @Future.'

Important Points

• India has sent a strong delegation of 665 members to these games.

• During the opening ceremony, the Indian team flag was raised by Indian men's hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh and Olympic bronze medalist in boxing Lovlina Borgohain.

Marico's Saugata Gupta appointed ASCI Chairman

Tags: Person in news

Saugata Gupta, Managing Director and CEO of Marico Limited, was named the new Chairman of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI).

An Overview of the News

• Parth Sinha, President of Response at Bennett Coleman & Company Limited, was elected as the Vice Chairman of ASCI.

• Sudhanshu Vats, Deputy Managing Director, Pidilite Industries Limited, was appointed as the Honorary Treasurer of ASCI.

About ASCI:

• ASCI, established in 1985, is a voluntary self-regulatory organization within the Indian advertising industry.

• It operates as a non-profit company under Section 25 of the Companies Act.

• ASCI's primary mission is to promote self-regulation in advertising and protect the interests of consumers.

• It enforces a code of self-regulation that mandates advertising that is legal, decent, honest, truthful and non-dangerous or harmful while ensuring fairness in competition.

Regulatory Role:

• ASCI reviews and resolves complaints related to advertisements on various media channels including print, TV, radio and digital platforms.

• It collaborates with government bodies such as the Department of Consumer Affairs, FSSAI, Ministry of AYUSH and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to regulate misleading advertisements in specific sectors.

• The Supreme Court of India has recognized ASCI's self-regulatory mechanism as an effective tool to regulate TV and radio advertising content.

• ASCI is a member of the International Council on Advertising Self-Regulation (ICAS).

Recognition and Headquarters:

• ASCI has received awards from the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) for its efforts, including recognition for its mobile app "ASCIOnline".

• The headquarters of the organization is located in Mumbai, India.

Winter action plan unveiled by Delhi Chief Minister

Tags: Government Schemes

On 29 September 2023, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal introduced a 15-point 'Winter Action Plan' to tackle air pollution in the upcoming winter season.

An Overview of the News

• The 15-point 'Winter Action Plan' includes measures to tackle pollution and improve air quality in Delhi.

• Steps have been taken in Punjab to diversify crops, promote short-duration paddy varieties and encourage the conversion of stubble into energy or fertilizer.

Factors contributing to air pollution:

• The article highlights the factors that contribute to air pollution in NCR during winter, including low wind speeds, cold temperatures, stubble burning, vehicle emissions and industrial pollutants.

• Analysis last winter showed that Delhi had the highest levels of PM2.5 among 27 NCR towns and cities.

Pollution control measures and expert opinion:

• Pollution control measures in Delhi include enforcing dust pollution norms at construction sites, anti-smog guns, mechanized cleaning, PUC certificate checking and monitoring air pollution hotspots.

• Experts stress the need for long-term emission reduction efforts, not just temporary measures, to effectively deal with air pollution.

• The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has permitted the use of diesel generator (DG) sets for emergency services in NCR even during the GRAP restrictions till December 31 this year.

Indian tennis pair Bopanna and Bhosale win a gold medal in mixed doubles at the 2023 Asian Games

Tags: Sports

Indian tennis pair Rohan Bopanna and Rutuja Bhosale won the gold medal in mixed doubles tennis at the 2023 Asian Games.

An Overview of the News

• Rohan Bopanna and Rutuja Bhosale defeated Yu-Hsiu Hsu and Hao-Ching Chan of Chinese Taipei by 2-6, 6-3, 10-4 to ensure their victory.

• India had to come from behind after losing the first set 2-6 but they came back and won the next two sets.

• It was India's second tennis medal at the 2023 Asian Games after Ramkumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni had earlier won a silver in men's doubles tennis.

India's Mixed Doubles Success:

• India has won a total of seven medals in the mixed doubles category at the Asian Games, which includes three gold medals.

• Champions in this category have been Leander Paes and Sania Mirza at Doha 2006, as well as Saketh Myneni and Sania Mirza at Incheon 2014.

India Clinches Gold in Men's Squash at 2023 Asian Games

Tags: Sports

India Clinches Gold in Men's Squash Team Event at 2023 Asian Games, Defeating Pakistan 2-1

An Overview of the News

• Abhay Singh led the Indian team to victory in a tough match in the final round.

• The match started with Mahesh M losing to Nasir Iqbal in straight games (8-11, 3-11, 2-11).

• Saurav Ghoshal leveled the match with an impressive 11-5, 11-1, 11-3 win over Muhammad Asim.

• Abhay Singh won the gold medal with an 11-7, 9-11, 7-11, 11-9, 12-10 win over Noor Zaman.

• The women's squash team won the bronze medal at the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games after losing to Hong Kong, China in the semi-finals.

Historical Achievement

• This is India's second gold medal in squash at the Asian Games, the previous gold medal was won by the men's team in 2014.

• The Indian men's team had earned the bronze medal at the 2018 Jakarta Games.

K.N. Shanth Kumar elected chairman of PTI's Board of Directors

Tags: Person in news

KN Shanth Kumar was elected as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Press Trust of India (PTI) for a one-year term.

An Overview of the News

• K.N. Shanth Kumar was elected after the Annual General Meeting held in New Delhi.

• This change marks an important development in Indian journalism.

• Shanth Kumar has replaced Avik Sarkar.

PTI chief appointed

• Hindustan Times CEO Praveen Someshwar was elected vice-chairman of PTI's board of directors.

K.N. Shanth Kumar's distinguished career

• Shanth Kumar, 62, has extensive experience in media management.

• He has a long association with The Printers (Mysore) Pvt. Ltd.

• His contributions extend to leadership roles in industry organizations including the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) and the Indian Newspaper Society (INS).

About Press Trust of India (PTI)

• PTI, established in 1947, is India's largest and oldest private news agency.

• Owned by a consortium of newspapers, it reinvests profits in its growth.

• Shanth Kumar's election marks a new era for PTI, underscoring its commitment to delivering credible news in a changing media landscape.