VINTAGE

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF SEPTEMBER 25^th, 2018

                         IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF SEPTEMBER 25^th, 2018

1.     The Nelson Mandela Peace Summit was recently held at New York city. 

a.      India was represented by Externatl Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj. 

b.     Speaking at the Summit,  Sushma Swaraj said India is proud to call the late South African President a Bharat Ratna and considers him one of its own. 

c.      She added that his values of "forgiveness, compassion and inclusiveness" are more relevant now than ever. 

d.     Note : Mandela was awarded India's highest civilian honour Bharat Ratna in 1990.

2.     Around 129 countries at the United Nations today pledged to combat drug problem, signing a US-drafted one-page "call to action on the world drug problem". 

a.      The countries pledged to develop national action plans to reduce demand for illicit drugs through education, strengthen international cooperation on justice, law enforcement and health, and cut off the drug supply by stopping production.

3.     New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern became the 1st  female world leader to attend the United Nations General Assembly with a newborn.  

4.     Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven today  became the country's first leader to be ousted in a no-confidence vote.  

5.     Andhra Pradesh has topped the 'Ease of Living Index' rankings released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) today. 

a.      Top 3 States in the Index :

i)      Andhra Pradesh 

ii)    Odisha 

iii) Madhya Pradesh  

6.     The Supreme Court today set up a 3-member committee to look into issues afflicting Indian prisons and recommend steps towards prison reforms. 

a.      The committee will be required to file its report to SC from time to time.  

b.     Head of this Committee : Amitava Roy 

7.     American multinational technology company Microsoft today partnered with the Data Security Council of India to launch a three-year programme, called CyberShikshaa.

a.      Aim of CyberShikshaa : To train 1,000 women from underserved communities in cybersecurity.  

8.     Cab-hailing startup Ola today launched a safety programme called 'Guardian' in India to monitor rides in real time. 

a.      It will track all trips by analysing ride indicators including route deviations, unexpected and midway stops, and will have a response team ready in cases of emergency.  

9.     State-run Dena Bank's board today cleared a proposal suggesting a merger with two other state-run banks, Vijaya Bank and Bank of Baroda. 

a.      The government had last week suggested a merger of the three banks to create the country's second largest state-run bank, after SBI. If the merger takes place, the number of government-run banks will be reduced to 19.

10. US-based aircraft maker Boeing is setting up an electronics manufacturing and avionics assembly facility in Bengaluru at an investment of ₹1,152 crore. 

a.      The 36-acre facility will be Boeing's second-largest after its Seattle, Washington unit and is said to create about 2,600 direct jobs on completion. 

b.     President of Boeing India : Pratyush Kumar 

11. The European Union and Iran have announced to create a new payment system to enable legal trade with Iran in a bid to avoid the US' sanctions. 

12.                       American multinational technology company Google has appointed Keith Enright, as Chief Privacy Officer (CPO) as the company proposed policies for potential federal regulation of data. 

a.      In his new role, Enright will be in charge of crafting Google's strategy on privacy issues. 

13. Australian Cricket Team has hired three Indian spin specialists to help with their training ahead of their upcoming series against Pakistan. 

a.      One of the specialists is former India all-rounder Sridharan Sriram, who has served as the spin bowling specialist with the Australian team in the past too. 

14. American online social media and social networking service company Facebook today  appointed Hotstar CEO Ajit Mohan as the Managing Director and Vice President of Facebook India.  

15.                       Three jailed Saudi human rights activists, Abdullah al-Hamid, Mohammad Fahad al-Qahtani and Waleed Abu al-Khair, have been awarded the Right Livelihood Award for the year 2018.

a.      Important Note : Right Livelihood Award is widely referred to as the 'Alternative Nobel Prize'.   

16. Actor Irrfan Khan starrer 'Doob', titled 'No Bed Of Roses' in English, has been chosen as Bangladesh's official entry for the Oscars 2018 and will contest in the Best Foreign Language category at the 91st Academy Awards. 

a.      Directed by Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, the film was initially banned in Bangladesh over reports that it was based on late Bangladeshi writer-filmmaker Humayun Ahmed.

17.                       India's 37-year-old wicketkeeper M S Dhoni became the oldest player to captain India in an ODI after he led the Indian team against Afghanistan in Rohit Sharma's absence in the Asia Cup today.  

18. Sandeep Kaur, an auto-rickshaw driver's 16-year-old daughter, beat Karolina Ampuska 5-0 to win a gold medal in the 52 kg category at the 13th International Silesian Boxing Championship in Poland.