Latest Current Affairs – September 17 & 18 2018
1. ‘Game of Thrones’ wins 9 Emmy Awards
HBO series ‘Game of Thrones’ won nine awards at this year’s Emmy Awards. It won Outstanding Drama Series award while actor Peter Dinklage, who portrays Tyrion Lannister, was named Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series at the main award show. Earlier, the series had won seven awards at the Creative Arts Emmys.
2. INSV Tarini’s all-women crew given Tenzing Norgay Award
All the six members of the Indian Navy’s first all-women crew, who sailed across the globe aboard INSV Tarini in 254 days, have been given the Tenzing Norgay Adventure Award. The award is the highest national recognition for outstanding achievements in the field of adventure on land, sea and air. The crew had returned from their voyage on May 21.
3. Russia, Turkey to create demilitarised zone in Syria’s Idlib
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have agreed to create a demilitarised zone in Syria’s Idlib province to separate the government and rebel forces. All heavy weaponry and rebel groups will be withdrawn from the zone by October 10. This is aimed at averting a major offensive in Idlib, one of Syria’s last rebel strongholds.
4. Germany launches world’s first hydrogen-powered train
Germany launched the world’s first zero-emission hydrogen trains which will run on a 100-kilometre stretch. Built by French rail transport company Alstom, the trains are equipped with fuel cells that produce electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen, leaving water and steam as the only emissions. The trains can travel up to 1,000 kilometres on a single hydrogen tank.
5. Dena, Vijaya and BoB may merge to form India’s 3rd largest bank
Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar said the boards of state-run Dena Bank, Vijaya Bank and Bank of Baroda have been advised to merge the three banks. The amalgamated entity would be the third largest bank in India. “The amalgamation will increase the banking operations…No employee will face any service conditions which are adverse,” Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said.
6. One-fifth of Japan’s population is now aged 70 yrs or above
Over one-fifth of Japan’s population is now aged 70 years or above and they account for 20.7% of the country’s population, new government data has revealed. The elderly people (those aged 65 or above) make up 28.1% of the population. The rise in Japan’s ageing society has been attributed to low birthrates, which have led to a shrinking population.
7. Japanese submarine holds drill in S China Sea for 1st time
A Japanese submarine has participated in a naval drill in the disputed South China Sea for the first time. Japanese warships, including the Kaga helicopter carrier, also took part in the exercise. China, which claims over 90% of the sea, warned Japan to act with caution and avoid taking actions that could damage peace and stability in the region.
8. PayU gets RBI nod to open non-banking financial company
South African conglomerate Naspers-owned online payments service provider PayU India has received a licence from the RBI to open its own Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC). The licence will be used to start a new credit business, PayU Credit. Through the service, PayU will issue personal loans and equated monthly instalments for consumers, PayU India MD Jitendra Gupta said.
9. Former Odisha minister Dolagobinda Pradhan passes away at 93
Veteran freedom fighter and former Odisha minister Dolagobinda Pradhan passed away aged 93 after a brief illness. Pradhan had joined the Quit India movement and was also jailed during the freedom movement. He was elected to the state Assembly twice from Cuttack Sadar constituency and served as a minister from 1989 to 1990.
10. Malayalam actor Captain Raju passes away at 68
Veteran actor-director and a former army officer Captain Raju passed away at the age of 68 in Kochi, Kerala. In July, he was airlifted to Kochi after falling unconscious due to a stroke in a flight to the UAE, while going to attend his son’s wedding in USA. He is said to have acted in over 500 films.
11. Jaipur Literature Festival begins in Houston
The festival is the world’s largest free literary gathering, started with a soulful music performance by Indian Sufi singer Zila Khan. The inaugural session also saw Congress leader and writer Shashi Tharoor discuss his book “Why i am a Hindu” with writer Namita Gokhale.
12. Eliud Kipchoge set a new marathon world record
Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge set a new marathon world record in Berlin with a time of 2hr 1min 39sec. He covered 42.2km in the Marathon. The 33-year-old Olympic champion smashed the previous record by Kenyan runner Dennis Kimetto who clocked 2:02:57. Kipchoge’s run was the largest single improvement on the marathon world record since Australian Derek Clayton took almost 2:23 minutes off the record in 1967.
13. Punjab National Bank bagged Hindi implementation award Rajbhasha Kirti
Punjab National Bank got an award for outstanding performance in implementing the Official Language Policy during 2017-18.
14. Six aerodromes of the Airports Authority of India bagged 7 International Awards
The winning airports are Lucknow, Indore, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Pune airports. The Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards 2017 were presented by the Airports Council International (ACI) at the Customer Excellence Global Summit at Halifax, Canada, on September 12. According to a separate release, Delhi and Mumbai aerodromes shared the top slot in the best airport category in Asia-Pacific region with regard to handling of over two million passengers per year.
15. Satya Prakash Malaviya, the former Union Petroleum Minister, passed away
Satya Prakash Malaviya, the former Union Petroleum Minister, 84, passed away at a private hospital in New Delhi. He was suffering from prostate cancer. Mr.Malaviya was the Petroleum Minister in the Chandra Shekhar government at the Centre. He also served as Environment Minister in Uttar Pradesh. Initially, he was with the Praja Socialist Party. Later he joined the Congress. He was jailed during the Emergency.
16. Mary Kom won gold in Silesian Open boxing tournament
M.C.Mary Kom, Five-time World champion, won her third gold medal of the year in the 48kg youth category of the Silesian Open boxing tournament for women in Gliwice, Poland. Mary Kom won against Kazakhstan’s Aigerim Kassanayeva and secured 5-0 in a fine tactical performance. India’s junior boxers claimed 13 medals, six gold, six silver and a bronze, and the Senior boxer, Former World champion Sarita, ended with a bronze.
17. India ranked third in family-owned businesses
India has a total of 111 companies and $839 billion total market capitalization. India follows China (159 companies) and the US (121 companies). Korea came in fourth place, with 43 companies followed by Indonesia in the 5th place.
18. World Ozone Day observed on September 16
On December 19, 1994, the UN General Assembly proclaimed September 16 to be the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, commemorating the date when the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was signed in 1987. Ozone layer is found particularly in the stratosphere layer of atmosphere ranging between 20 to 40 km.
The theme for World Ozone Day 2018 – Keep Cool and Carry On.
19. Maldives defeated India to lift SAFF Cup
Maldives defeated India with a goal 2-1. The win for Maldives comes 10 years after their first SAFF Cup title in 2008.
20. Kent RO to set up its second manufacturing plant at Noida
Kent RO Systems, a healthcare products firm, is to set up its second manufacturing plant at Noida. For this project, it has invested more than Rs.150 crore. The facility will be ready in 4-5 years. Earlier, Kent RO signed a MoU with the U.P. government to invest Rs.200 crore. Kent is aiming to cross Rs.950 crore revenue during the current fiscal.
Despite its other products like air purifiers, vegetable and fruit purifiers and water softeners besides a few home appliances, the water purifiers contribute more than 85% of the total revenue of the company.
21. Uttar Pradesh Police to launch first-ever ‘dial-FIR’ scheme
In this scheme, a common man can register regular crimes without going to a police station, by dialing the emergency number UP 100 and file an FIR, a call-based FIR.
An e-FIR or dial-FIR scheme is the FIR (first information report) that sets the law into motion and to start investigation. To combat crime, an online dossier of over 1-lakh small and big criminals in the state has also been prepared. UP is the only second state to prepare such a localised online criminal database after Punjab.
22. India gets first ever gender-neutral hostel in Mumbai’s TISS
After the Supreme Court scrapped Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that criminalised homosexuality, India has become the first-ever country to have a gender-neutral hostel. The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai’s Deonar has become the first campus in India to have a gender-neutral hostel. The hostel has 10 twin-seater rooms that will host transgender, or gender non-conforming students.
23. Bangladesh govt approved India to use the Chittagong and Mongla seaports
Bangladesh’s Cabinet approved a proposed agreement with India to allow it to use the Bangladesh seaports. The approved agreement will be effective for five years. The agreement would allow India to Chittagong and Mongla seaports for transporting goods to and from the northeastern States.
Only Bangladeshi vehicles may be used as freight transport to move the goods while they are in Bangladeshi territory. India must also follow GATT and Bangladeshi regulations and also pay the customs duties and buy tax equivalent bonds. Any cargos that move through Bangladesh will be monitored by a tracking system. The decision by Bangladesh is a step toward improving the friendly relations between Bangladesh and India.
24. Hangzhou confirmed as host of 2022 Asian Para Games
Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) confirmed that Hangzhou in China will host the fourth edition of Asian Para Games in 2022. Hangzhou will now be represented at the Closing Ceremony of 2018 Asian Para Games, which will begin in Indonesian capital Jakarta on October 6.
25. Time Magazine acquired By Salesforce Founders for $190 Million
The purchase brought Bezos a Pulitzer Prize-winning, 140-year-old newspaper but also put him in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump called the Washington Post an “expensive lobbyist” for Amazon.com. Benioff has a net worth of $6.5 billion, serves as the co-chief executive officer of Salesforce.
26. State Bank of India appoints Prashant Kumar as CFO
Anshula Kant is promoted as Managing Director of SBI, was the CFO. Kumar was designated as Deputy Managing Director (HR) & Corporate Development Officer of India’s largest bank.
