1. Neutrino scientists win Nobel Prize for Physics
i. Japan's Takaaki Kajita and Canada's Arthur B. McDonald won the 2015 Nobel Prize for Physics for their discovery that neutrinos have mass, the award-giving body said.
ii. "The discovery has changed our understanding of the innermost workings of matter and can prove crucial to our view of the universe," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said in a statement awarding the 8 million Swedish crown ($962,000) prize.
iii. Physics is the second of this year's Nobels. The prizes were first awarded in 1901 to honour achievements in science, literature and peace in accordance with the will of dynamite inventor and business tycoon Alfred Nobel.
2. Union Government launches 2nd phase of Mission Indradhanush
i. Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched the second phase of Mission Indradhanush to achieve full immunisation of children below two years. In the second phase, the week-long programme will be implemented in 352 districts of the country.
ii. Mission Indradhanush depicts 7 colours of the rainbow which aims to cover all those children by 2020 who are either unvaccinated or are partially vaccinated against 7 vaccine preventable diseases. These 7 diseases are Diphtheria, Whooping cough, Tetanus, Polio, Tuberculosis, Measles and Hepatitis B.
iii. WHO (World Health Organisation), UNICEF, Rotary International and others are donor partners for Mission Indradhanush.
iv. The mission was launched in December 2015 on the occasion of National Good Governance Day. The first phase drive was started in April 2015 in 201 districts covering 45 lakh children and immunising 20 lakh children.
3. Jack Dorsey appointed as permanent CEO of Twitter
i. Micro blogging site Twitter has appointed its co-founder and interim chief executive officer (CEO) Jack Dorsey as permanent CEO for second time. He will succeed Dick Costolo who had resigned in June, 2015 after serving to this top post for five years.
ii. With this new appointment he will cease to be chairman of the board of Twitter but will continue to serve as a member of the board.
iii. Earlier from May 2007 to October 2008, he had served as Twitter’s president and CEO. He was also the Chairman of the board of members of Twitter since October 2008 and has been a member since May 2007.
iv. Currently, Dorsey also serves as CEO of Square, a mobile payments and financial services company co-founded by him in 2009. He also serves on the board of directors of The Walt Disney Company.
v. Twitter also has appointed Adam Bain as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the company. Prior to this appointment he was Twitter’s President of global revenue and partnerships division from September 2010.
4. World Habitat Day observed on 5 October 2015
i. United Nations on 5 October 2015 celebrated World Habitat Day. It is observed on first Monday of October every year to generate awareness about the state of human settlements and the future of cities.
ii. Public Spaces for All. The theme aims to recognize good public spaces in order to enhance community cohesion and promote happiness, health and well-being of all citizens. It also seeks fostering investment, economic development and environmental sustainability.
iii. United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) through Resolution 40/202 had established World Habitat Day in 1985. It was first celebrated in 1986. The purpose of this day is to reflect on the state of our cities and town along with the basic right adequate shelter for all.
iv. Each year new theme is chosen by the UN which is based on current issues relevant to the Habitat Agenda and to promote sustainable development policies for ensuring adequate shelter for all.
5. Amo doli programme launched by Odisha government in naxal-affected Rayagada district
i. To help patients and pregnant women from inaccessible areas to reach nearest hospital, the state government of Odisha on 4 September 2015 launched a healthcare programme named ‘Amo doli programme’. The programme was launched in naxal-affected Rayagada district of the state and will benefit people of 183 remote villages to reach the hospital.
ii. Under the Amo Doli programme, a stretcher has been designed as a sling to carry patients smoothly and with less effort. Each sling costs around 9000 rupees and the programme is being funded under the Integrated Action Plan which is meant for Maoist-affected districts.
iii. It will help the patients and pregnant women from inaccessible areas to reach their nearest hospital or motorable road. After reaching the nearest motorable point, the villagers can call ambulance by dialing 102 for pregnant women or 108 for emergency services to shift a patient to the nearest hospital.
iv. The slings will be kept either at village welfare committees or with ASHA workers. The programme aims at helping people residing in hilly areas where no approach road to a village exists.
v. This specially-designed sling will replace the traditional method in which people residing in remote and tribal areas of the state used to carry a patient to hospitals by converting a bed into a sling by tying rope on its both ends.
6. Odisha launched Citizen Portal to launch police complaints
i. Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik on 3 October 2015 launched a Citizen Portal, which enables the citizens to lodge their complaints online to the state police through internet.
ii. The facility will allow citizens to access information, request for different police services and complaints. They can also get a copy of FIR.
iii. Citizens can avail the service of portal to get character certificates. They can seek permission for taking out processions, rallies, protests and strikes. They can ask for permission to hold events and performances.
iv. They can use the portal for tenants verification, employees verification. They can also track the status of the complaints registered by them on the portal.
7. China won 2015 FIBA Asian Basketball Championship
i. China on 3 October 2015 won the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asia Championship by defeating the Philippines by 78-67 in the final. The victory has won the nation a direct qualification for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
ii. The game was organised in front of a 7000 strong capacity crowd in Changsha, Hunan province of China.
iii. In the final game, Yi Jianlian scored maximum runs and earned 15 rebounds. He was also selected as the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
iv. Philippines and Iran have secured the second and third place respectively in the tournament. India ended on eighth place in the tournament.