National
PM lays foundation stone and dedicates to nation multiple development projects in Pithoragarh
⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation multiple development projects worth about Rs 4200 crore in various sectors in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand on 12 October 2023.
Multiple development projects:
» The projects that were inaugurated and dedicated to the nation by the Prime Minister include 76 rural roads and 25 bridges built in rural areas under PMGSY; 15 buildings of BDO offices in 9 districts; upgradation of three roads built under central road fund viz Kausani Bageshwar road, Dhari-Dauba-Giricheena road and Nagala-Kiccha road; upgradation of two roads on National Highways viz Almora Petshal – Panuwanaula – Danya (NH 309B) and Tanakpur – Chalthi (NH 125); three projects related to Drinking water viz 38 Pumping drinking water schemes, 419 Gravity based water supply schemes and three tube wells based water supply schemes; Tharkot artificial lake in Pithoragarh; 132 KV Pithoragarh-Lohaghat (Champawat) Power Transmission Line; 39 bridges across Uttarakhand and Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) building in Dehradun built under the World Bank funded Uttrakhand Disaster Recovery Project.
» The projects whose foundation stone were laid include a scheme for construction of 21,398 poly-house, which will help in increasing the production of flowers and vegetables and improving their quality; a scheme for cultivation of high-density intensive apple orchards; five projects for NH road upgradation; Multiple steps for disaster preparedness and resilience in the state viz construction of bridges, upgradation of State emergency Operation Center in Dehradun, steps for prevention of landslide in Balianala, Nainital and improvement in other infrastructure related to fire, health and forest; development of hostels and computer labs in 20 model degree college across state; 100 bedded sub district hospital at Someshwar, Almora; 50 bedded Hospital block in Champawat; Astroturf Hockey Ground at Haldwani Stadium, Nainital; Velodrome Stadium at Rudrapur; Manaskhand Mandir Mala Mission Scheme for infrastructure development in temples including Jageshwar Dham (Almora), Haat Kalika (Pithoragarh) and Naina Devi (Nainital) temples.
International
8th BRICS International Competition Conference (BRICS ICC) 2023
⇒ The 8th BRICS International Competition Conference (BRICS ICC) 2023 was held in New Delhi on October 11-13, 2023.
Host:
Competition Commission of India (CCI) hosted the 8th BRICS International Competition Conference (BRICS ICC) 2023.
The conference, hosted biennially by the BRICS competition authorities, provides a platform for promoting cooperation, experience sharing and mutual learning amongst the competition authorities of BRICS countries.
Participation:
The conference brought together more than 600 delegates, including heads of BRICS competition authorities, practitioners, competition policy experts, representatives of international organisations, and other stakeholders from BRICS and non-BRICS nations.
Theme:
The theme of the 8th BRICS International Competition Conference (BRICS ICC) 2023 was ‘New Issues in Competition Law and Policy – Dimensions, Perspectives, Challenges’.
The 8th edition of the conference comprised of three plenary sessions and four breakout sessions on the following themes:
- BRICS Joint Documents (Leniency Programme & Digital Economy Reports)
- New Issues in Competition Law and Policy in the BRICS Countries
- Promoting Soft law Tools to Create a Pro-competitive Environment in the Markets
- Competition Analysis in Digital Economy: Big Technologies and Algorithms
- Sustainability and Climate change: New Dimensions in Competition Law
- Role of Market Studies in Emerging Competition Issues
- Challenges in Merger Control: International Perspective
Key Points:
- In the plenary session on BRICS joint documents, Leniency Programme and Digital Economy Reports were released and discussed.
- The other plenary and breakout sessions facilitated the exchange of views amongst speakers from BRICS and other jurisdictions on a range of new and emerging issues related to competition law and policy.
- A Joint Statement was signed by the heads of BRICS competition authorities, which inter alia acknowledges the importance of continuing to share information, experience and best practices to strengthen enforcement capabilities and promote fair competition practices within BRICS jurisdictions.
9th BRICS International Competition Conference:
Competition Commission of India (CCI) handed over the baton to South Africa for the 9th BRICS International Competition Conference to be held in 2025.
About BRICS International Competition Conference:
- The BRICS International Competition Conference (BRICS ICC) is an important event under the framework of the BRICS Leaders’ Meeting and is held biennially by the BRICS competition authorities on a rotation basis.
- It was established at the meeting of the Heads of State of BRICS (then BRIC) countries in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on 16 June 2009.
- The first conference was organized by Russia in September 2009.
Sports
2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup
⇒ The 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup was hosted by India from 5 October to 19 November 2023. This was the 13th edition of the Cricket World Cup.
- The Cricket World Cup is a quadrennial One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Mascots:
The mascots of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup were a male and female duo named “Tonk” and “Blaze” from the fictional cricketing utopia “Crictoverse”.
Official Theme Song:
The official theme song of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup was titled “Dil Jashn Bole”.
Final Match:
The 2023 Cricket World Cup Final was played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, on 19 November 2023. This was the first time that Ahmedabad hosted a Cricket World Cup final.
- The 2023 Cricket World Cup Final was played between host nation India and Australia.
- In the final, Australia defeated India to win a record sixth World Cup title. Australia won by 6 wickets.
Top Performers:
- Player of the Series- Virat Kohli (India)
- Most Runs- Virat Kohli (765 runs) (India)
- Most Wickets- Mohammed Shami (24 wickets) (India)
ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027:
The 14th ICC Cricket World Cup 2027 is scheduled to be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia in October and November 2027.
Important Day
World Sight Day 2023
⇒ World Sight Day observed annually on the second Thursday of October, is a global event meant to draw attention to blindness and vision impairment.
- World Sight Day 2023 was observed on 12th October 2023.
Theme:
The theme of World Sight Day 2023 was ‘LOVE YOUR EYES AT WORK’.
This World Sight Day, our focus is on helping people understand the importance of protecting their vision in the workplace and calling on business leaders to priorities the eye health of workers, everywhere.
History:
- World Sight Day has been observed since the year 2000 and is now coordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness alongside the World Health Organization.
- It was initially observed as part of a SightFirstCampaign by the Lions Club International Foundation.