Daily Current Affairs, 09th October 2018

1) World Post Day: 9th October

•World Post Day is celebrated each year on 9 October, the anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union in 1874 in the Swiss Capital, Bern. The theme selected for the 2018 competition is: "Imagine you are a letter travelling through time. What message do you wish to convey to your readers?"

•It was declared World Post Day by the Universal Postal Union (UPU) Congress held in Tokyo, Japan in 1969. Since then, countries across the world participate annually in the celebrations. 

2) India Signs Key Agreements With Tajikistan

•President Ram Nath  Kovind had a meeting with his Tajikistan counterpart Mr. Emomali Rahmon in Dushanbe. On this occasion, both countries signed MoUs in various fields including political relations, strategic research, agriculture, renewable energy, traditional medicine, space technology, youth affairs, Culture and Disaster Management. 

•The President held bilateral level talks his Tajikistan counterpart Emomali Rahmon. Indian grant of 20 million US dollars was announced for Tajikistan to finance development projects. Several other key bilateral pacts were also signed. 

3) Minister Of State For Commerce Attends India–West Africa Conclave In Nigeria

•Minister of State for Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution, C. R. Chaudhary led the Indian delegation to the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)- EXIM Bank, Regional Conclave on India-West Africa Project Partnership being held in Abuja, Nigeria. 

•President and Vice President of Nigeria along with Ministers and Delegation of West African countries are participating in the Conclave. The Conclave is a two-day event with the focus on business deliberations, Business to Government (B2G) and Business to Business (B2B) engagements. 

4) Pakistan Test-Fires Nuclear-Capable Ghauri Ballistic Missile

•Pakistan has successfully test-fired Ghauri ballistic missile capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads up to a distance of 1,300 kilometres. The launch was conducted by Army Strategic Forces Command and was aimed at testing the operational and technical readiness.

•In April, Pakistan successfully test-fired an enhanced version of the indigenously-built Babur cruise missile that can deliver conventional and non-conventional weapons with a range of 700 kilometres. 

5) Google To Shut Down Google+ For Consumers Over The Security Lapse

•Google will shut down Google+ for consumer use over the next 10 months after a bug exposed the personal data of up to 5 lakh users. Google stated that " it discovered and immediately patched" the bug in March 2018 but found "no evidence" that any data was actually misused. Google reportedly didn't earlier disclose the security breach because it feared regulation.

•According to Google, Google+ currently has “low usage and engagement” and that 90 percent of Google+ user sessions last less than 5 seconds. Still, the company plans to keep the service alive for enterprise customerswho use it to facilitate conversation among co-workers.

6) IMF Projects India's Growth At 7.3% In 2018 And 7.4% In 2019

•As per the IMF's latest report, India is projected to grow at 7.3% in 2018 and 7.4% in 2019. The report predicted India to regain the tag of the world's fastest-growing major economy this year, crossing China with more than 0.7 percentage points. In China, growth is projected to moderate from 6.9 per cent in 2017 to 6.6% in 2018 and 6.2 % in 2019. 

•In 2017, India had clocked a 6.7% growth rate. In India, important reforms have been implemented in recent years, including the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the inflation-targeting framework, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, and steps to liberalise foreign investment and make it easier to do business, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in its latest World Economic Outlook (WEO) report. 

7) Asian Para Games 2018: India Bags 11 Medals, 3 Golds

•Javelin thrower Sandeep Chaudhary produced a stunning world record effort as India bagged 11 medals, including three gold, at the Asian Para Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. 

•Chaudhary clinched India's first gold of the Games in the men's category before middle distance runner Raju Rakshitha in women's 1500 meters and swimmer Jadhav Suyash Narayan in men's 50-meter butterflyadded the yellow metals later on the second day of competitions.