VINTAGE

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF SEPTEMBER 6^th, 2018

                         IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF SEPTEMBER 6^th , 2018

1. Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman held the 1st high-level 2+2 talks with their US counterparts Mike Pompeo and Jim Mattis.

a.  They discussed issues of strategic and security interest. 

b.  Both the countries have agreed to work together towards India's entry in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). 

c.   Note : China has been opposing India's bid for NSG membership on the grounds that the country is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

2. The North and South Koreas have agreed to hold a summit during 18th to 20th September 2018 to discuss "practical measures" toward the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

3. India today retained the top WHO position in South-East Asia Region with Dr. PoonamKhetrapal Singh unanimously re-elected as Regional Director for another five-year term beginning February 2019.

a.  The elections were held at the ongoing Regional Committee meeting of WHO South-East Asia.

4. India signed the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA)with the US during the 2+2 talks in Delhi today. 

a.  This deal will enable India to access advanced technologies from US. 

5. American security and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin has entered into an agreement with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) to manufacture wings of its F-16 fighter jets in India. 

a.  Note : Producing F-16 wings in India will support Central Government’s flagship ‘Make in India’ programme and strengthen Lockheed Martin’ strategic partnership with TASL.

6. The Supreme Court on today scrapped parts of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the 1862 law which criminalised homosexuality.

a.  With this, the court ruled that homosexuality is not a crime in India anymore.

b.  However, non-consensual sexual acts, and unnatural sex with animals and children remain a crime.

c.   What is Section 377 ?

d.  The Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) came into force in the year 1862.

e.  This section states, "Whoever voluntarily has carnal inter­course against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished". 

7. To help scientists, data journalists and others find data required for their work, search Engine gaint Google today launched a new search engine called 'Dataset Search'. 

a.  'Dataset Search' will let people find "datasets wherever they're hosted, whether it's a publisher's site, a digital library," Google said. 

8. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has successfully carried out first ever midair refuelling of indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas. 

a.  The midair refuelling test conducted involved dry linkup, meaning no fuel was actually transferred between IAF Il-78 tanker and Tejas fighter jet through its air-to-air refuelling probe.

9. The government has doubled the Overdraft Cap from ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. 

a.  The scheme, which earlier aimed to provide a bank account to every Indian household, will now provide a bank account to every individual. 

b.  Note : The age limit for availing overdraft has been increased to 65 years.

10.              American online social media and social networking service company Facebook today announced that it is going to build its 1st Asian data centre in Singapore.

a.  This 11-storey  data centre is expected to open in 2022.

11.              State-run Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has bagged an order worth Rs. 9,200 crore for supply of 7 Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM) systems to Indian Navy. 

a.  In this regard, it has entered into a contract with Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE).  

b.  The LRSAM will be fitted onboard seven ships to be built by these two shipbuilders. 

c.   Note : This is highest-ever single value order bagged by BEL.

12.              The Ministry of Tourism sanctioned Malanad Malabar Cruise Tourism Project under Swadesh Darshan Scheme for development of rural circuit in Kerala. 

a.  Under this project, the Ministry of Tourism will be developing three cruises with budget of Rs. 80.37 crores. They are :

                                    i.    Malabari Cuisine and Culinary Cruise (Muthappan Cruise)

                                  ii.    Valapattanam River- Theyyam Cruise

                                 iii.    Mangrove Cruise

13.             Cyient Solutions & Systems Pvt. Ltd, a joint venture between IT firm Cyient and BlueBird Aero Systems of Israel,  has bagged order from Indian Army to supply SpyLite mini UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) systems for high altitude aerial surveillance.

14.             WPP Plc, the world’s largest communication services group, has appointed Mark Read as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Executive Director (ED) with immediate effect.