1. President presents Gandhi Peace Prize 2013
i. Environmentalist and social activist Chandi Prasad Bhatt has been awarded the prestigious Gandhi Peace prize for 2013.
ii. President Pranab Mukherjee presented the award to him at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday.
ii. The annual award was instituted by the government in 1995 on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. It carries a plaque, citation and a cash prize of one crore rupees.
iii. Speaking on the occasion, Mukherjee said that as a true Gandhian, 80-year-old Bhatt realized aspirations of people and dedicated himself to improving lives of villagers.
iv. The Gandhi Peace Prize is given to individuals and institutions for their contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods.
2. India largest consumer of antibiotics in the world
i. India has emerged as the world's largest consumer of antibiotics followed by China and the US, according to a new study which quantifies the growing alarm surrounding antibiotic-resistance.
ii. Global use of antibiotics is surging, according to Princeton University researchers who have conducted a broad assessment of antibiotic consumption around the world.
iii. The study, "Global Trends in Antibiotic Consumption, 2000-2010," found that worldwide antibiotic use has risen a staggering 36 per cent over those 10 years, with five countries Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) - responsible for more than three-quarters of that surge.
iv. Among the 16 groups of antibiotics studied, cephalosporins, broad-spectrum penicillins and fluoroquinolones accounted for more than half of that increase, with consumption rising 55 per cent from 2000 to 2010.
v. The study quantifies the growing alarm surrounding antibiotic-resistant pathogens, and a loss of efficacy among antibiotics used to combat the most common illnesses.
3. BRICS nations commit to refrain from taking protectionist measures
i. BRICS nations, including India, today expressed commitment to refrain from taking any protectionist measures and improve policy coordination to enhance trade and investment.
ii. “They (BRICS trade ministers) reaffirmed their commitment to refrain from trade protectionist measures that are incompatible with WTO obligations, while respecting the special and differential treatment for developing countries,” said a joint communique on the eve of the sixth BRICS Summit.
iii. Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who is accompanying Prime Minister Narendra Modi, attended the meeting of Trade Ministers of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).
iv. The ministers also expressed concern over the slow pace of global economic recovery and stressed that “the uncertainty regarding economic growth and policy responses in developed countries could lead to increased volatility in financial markets and further affect the international economy’’.
4. UK’s Foreign Secretary William Hague resigns
i. Britain’s Foreign secretary William Hague has resigned as part of an anticipated reshuffle of the Conservative-led Government ahead of a general election next year.
ii. “Tonight I am standing down as Foreign Secretary after four years to serve as Leader of the House of Commons,” Hague wrote on Twitter last night, adding that he would not stand as a member of parliament in the next UK general election.
iii. Hague, who will remain in the cabinet as Leader of the House of Commons, said “Renewal in politics is good and holding office is not an end in itself”.
5. South Africa’s Nobel-winning novelist Nadine Gordimer dies
i. South African Nobel Prize-winning writer and anti-apartheid activist Nadine Gordimer, who became an icon through her unique insights into the country’s social agonies, has died at the age of 90.
ii. Through 15 novels, several volumes of short stories, non-fiction and other works published in 40 languages around the world, Gordimer eviscerated white-minority rule under the apartheid system and its aftershocks once democracy had been achieved in 1994.
iii. The writer, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1991, died peacefully in her sleep at her home in Johannesburg yesterday, her family said.
6. Durand Cup football tournament to be held in Goa in October
i. The third oldest football tournament in the world, Durand Cup, will be held in Goa between October 28 and November 9 this year.
ii. A host of top clubs and military football teams will participate in the tournament. Durand Cup was first held in the year 1888.
iii. The tournament will be conducted in two phases. The first phase would be a qualifier phase in which 12 to 16 teams would be grouped into pools. Top two teams from the qualifier phase would participate in the main tournament.
7. Visakhapatnam to be IT capital of AP, says Minister
i. Visakhapatnam will be made the IT capital of Andhra Pradesh because of its immense potential, Minister for Information Technology Palle Raghunadha Reddy said here on Tuesday.
ii. The State Government would be announcing the new IT policy in 10 days. A single window clearance for investments would be set up in the State as part of the policy to promote IT industry.
iii. Three IT majors are seeking land in Visakhapatnam, he said while interacting with the technocrats.
iv. The Government would take up the development of IT Investment Region in Visakhapatnam.
8. Typhoon Rammasun hits Philippines; to toss monsoon ‘low’ into Bay
i. Northwest Pacific typhoon Rammasun has barrelled into the Philippines this noon as a category-2 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of storm intensity.
ii. Rammasun is far from being finished as normally happens with a storm on making landfall; instead it will enter South China Sea and churn up into a stronger category-3 typhoon.
9. Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari resigns
i. Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has resigned. The country's football federation has confirmed the news.
ii. Scolari, 65, was appointed the coach of the team in 2012. Brazil finished fourth at this year's FIFA World Cup.
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