1) International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction: 13 October
•The United Nations observes International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction on 13 October every year. The day celebrates how people and communities around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters and raising awareness about the importance of reining in the risks that they face. The day also promotes a global culture of risk-awareness and disaster reduction.
•Theme for 2019: Reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services.
•The 2019 edition continues as part of the “Sendai Seven” campaign (launched in 2016), centred on the 7 targets of the Sendai Framework. This year will focus on Target (d) of the Sendai Framework: “Substantially reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services, among them health and education facilities, including through developing their resilience by 2030.”
2) PM Modi chairs meeting on ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’
•Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting on ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ programme in Delhi. Under the initiative, the government plans to hold people-to-people exchange between states to enhance knowledge about each others culture.
•‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’ highlights India’s diversity and furthers national unity. The goal of the initiative is to develop a holistic national perspective on important issues and encourage the celebration of India’s vibrant regional cultures.
3) Typhoon Hagibis strikes northern Japan
•Typhoon Hagibis strikes Tokyo, capital of Japan after fierce rain and wind paralysed the capital. The cyclone Hagibis which caused floods, landslides and emergency disaster warnings, could be the strongest to hit Tokyo since 1958. Authorities issued evacuation advisories and orders for more than 6 million people across the country as the storm unleashed the heaviest rain and winds in years. Train operators has suspended bullet train services extensively.
•“Hagibis” means “speed” in the Philippine language Tagalog.
4) ADB & India signs $190 million loan for projects in Rajasthan
•The Asian Development Bank and the Government of India has signed a $190 Million loan. The amount will be used to upgrade 754 km of state highways and major district roads (MDRs) to benefit about 26 million people in 14 districts of Rajasthan. For the benefit of commuters and pedestrians, particularly women and children, the project provides for constructing more than 200 bus stops, 70 km of hard shoulder, and 2 km of raised sidewalk on project roads.
5) M C Mary Kom wins bronze in World Women’s Boxing Championships
•The Asian Development Bank and the Government of India has signed a $190 Million loan. The amount will be used to upgrade 754 km of state highways and major district roads (MDRs) to benefit about 26 million people in 14 districts of Rajasthan. For the benefit of commuters and pedestrians, particularly women and children, the project provides for constructing more than 200 bus stops, 70 km of hard shoulder, and 2 km of raised sidewalk on project roads.
6) Eliud Kipchoge becomes 1st athlete to run sub 2-hour marathon
•Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge has become the 1st athlete to run sub 2-hour marathon. He busted the mythical 2-hour barrier for the marathon on a specially prepared course in a huge Vienna park. He finished the marathon with an unofficial time of 1 hr 59 min 40.2 sec and became the first ever to run a marathon in under 2 hours.
•Eliud Kipchoge already holds the men’s world record for the distance with a time of 2 hr 01 min 39 sec, which he set in the flat Berlin marathon on September 16, 2018.
