Current affairs on 8 October 2020

Nobel Prize in Literature, 2020
The Nobel Prize, 2020 was awarded to Louis Gluck for her poetry. She is the first female poet to win the prize since Wislawa Szymborska in 1996. She is an American poet. She has won the major literary awards of US such as National Book Award, Pulitzer Prize, National Humanities Medal, Bolligen Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award.

Axis Bank tie-up with Vistara to launch co-branded forex card
Axis Bank in partnership with India's full-service carrier, Vistara launched a Co-Branded Forex Card, 'Axis Bank Club Vistara Forex Card' to cater to the needs of international travellers. This is the 1st-ever collaboration by a bank and an Indian airline for a co-branded forex card.

Russia successfully test-fires Tsirkon hypersonic missile
Russia successfully test-fired a Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile in the Arctic. The Missile was fired from the Admiral Gorshkov frigate in the White Sea, Russian Arctic. The missile covered a distance of 450 km with the maximum altitude of its trajectory at 28 km.

Kuwait Prime Minister Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah Resigns
The Kuwaiti government, headed by Prime Minister(PM) Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah submitted its resignation to Emir Nawaf Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah in anticipation of the upcoming general elections that are due to be held in November 2020. He took charge as the PM in 2019.

J Venkatramu appointed MD and CEO of India Post Payments Bank
J Venkatramu has been appointed the managing director and chief executive officer of India Post Payments Bank (IPPB). He will succeed Suresh Sethi, who served the post till March 2020. Venkatramuis presently working as the chief digital officer in Equitas Small Finance Bank.

Smriti Irani launches first ever Brand & Logo for Indian Cotton
Union Minister of Textiles, Smriti Irani has launched the first-ever Brand and Logo for Indian Cotton on Second World Cotton Day through video conferencing. Now India's premium cotton would be known as 'Kasturi Cotton' in the world cotton trade. The Kasturi Cotton brand will represent Whiteness, Brightness, Softness, Purity, Luster, Uniqueness and Indianness.

Former CBI director Ashwani Kumar passes away
Former Governor of Manipur and Nagaland, and ex-CBI Director, Ashwani Kumar passed away. He was born at Nahan in Sirmaur district and joined the Indian Police Force in 1973. He was allotted the Himachal Pradesh cadre and while working as the District Superintendent of Police at Shimla in 1985, he was inducted in the newly created Special Protection Group (SPG), where he worked till 1990.

Gujarat govt to launch 'Digital Seva Setu' programme
The state government of Gujarat has announced a 'Digital Seva Setu' programme to ensure optimum utilisation of technology for public welfare in rural areas. The program has been initiated under the Centre's BharatNet Project.

Indian Air Force Day: 08 October
Indian Air Force Day is celebrated every year by the Indian Air Force on 8th of October. This year Indian Air Force celebrated its 88th anniversary. Indian Air Force was officially established on 8 October 1932 by the British Empire as the Royal Indian Air Force. The name was changed to Indian Air Force in 1950.

AMHUB: India's first advanced manufacturing hub
The World Economic Forum and Guidance will jointly establish AMHUB in the state of Tamil Nadu. AMHUB is Advanced Manufacturing hub and is first of its kind in the country. Guidance is the nodal investment promotion agency of the state of Tamil Nadu.

Rajeshwar Rao appointed the new Deputy Governor of RBI
The Government of India appointed M Rajeshwar Rao as the new Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India. The post fell vacant in March 2020 when the previous Deputy Governor N R Vishwanathan resigned citing health issues before his term completed. His term completes in September 2020.

India-Japan sign Agreement for cooperation in AI, 5G, Critical Information Infrastructure
India and Japan signed agreements of cooperation in Artificial Intelligence, 5G technology. The countries also agreed to give momentum to the supply chain initiative in the Indo-Pacific region.

Who are India's youngest billionaires as per Forbes India Rich List 2020?
BYJU'S 39-year-old Founder Byju Raveendran is India's youngest billionaire with $3.05 billion wealth as per Forbes list of India's 100 Richest People. Paytm's 42-year-old Founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma is second-youngest billionaire with $2.35 billion wealth. He's followed by Patanjali Ayurved's 48-year-old Chairman Acharya Balkrishna with $2.22 billion wealth and 50-year-old realtor Vikas Oberoi.