Current Affairs Daily Digest – September 26 2019
1. Army chief Bipin Rawat to take over as COSC chairman tomorrow
Army chief General Bipin Rawat will take over as the chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC). He will replace Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa who will be retiring by the end of this month. The senior-most among the chiefs of the three services is appointed as the chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee.
2. UAE’s Hazzaa AlMansoori becomes 1st Arab astronaut to reach space
The UAE’s Hazzaa AlMansoori has become the first Arab astronaut to reach the International Space Station (ISS). Hazzaa was a part of the UAE’s armed forces and had worked as a military pilot. A Soyuz rocket blasted off on Wednesday from the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan, carrying Hazzaa along with American astronaut Jessica Meir and Russian astronaut Oleg Skripochka.
3. Mukesh Ambani tops the 2019 IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List
The eighth IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List 2019 was released on 25 September 2019. Reliance Industries’ Chairman Mukesh Ambani has topped the IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List. He has topped for the eighth consecutive year, with a net worth of Rs 3,80,700 crore.
The list reported that 953 individuals crossed the Rs.1,000 crore threshold to make the list. According to IIFL, the combined wealth of top 25 in the list equates to 10% of India’s GDP and that of 953 accounts for 27%.
4. Rajiva Sinha to be Appointed as New Chief Secretary of West Bengal
Rajiva Sinha will be the new chief secretary of West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Sinha is currently the additional chief secretary to the health and family welfare department. He is a 1985 batch IAS officer, was appointed the chief secretary in 2017 after the retirement of Basudeb Banerjee.
5. First India-Caribbean Summit – 2019
Prime Minister Modi met the leaders of the Caribbean Community on 25th September, 2019, in New York. The meeting focused on fighting climate change and increasing India’s participation in the grouping At the meeting, PM Modi announced 14 million USD grant for community development projects in the region. He also extended 150 million USD of line of credit for renewable energy, solar and climate change related projects.
Leaders and representatives of the Caribbean countries Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, Tobago and Trinidad attended the meeting. Modi also invited the countries to join ISA (International Solar Alliance) and Coalition for Disaster Resilient infrastructure.
6. Last Thursday of September celebrated as World Maritime Day (WMD), 2019
Every Year, World Maritime Day (WMD) is observed on the last Thursday of September. This year, it is being observed on September 26, 2019. This day marks date of adaptation of International Maritime Organization (IMO) Convention in 1958. The day was first observed in 1978. It acknowledges the importance of maritime industry and to highlight importance of shipping safety, maritime security and marine environment.
7. Kristalina Georgieva appointed as new IMF chief
The Bulgarian Economist Christina Georgieva was appointed as the new head of the International Monetary Fund.Kristalina had served as Chief Executive in World Bank as well. Before becoming CEO of the bank in 2019, she had served in number of top positions in the Bank since 2008. In 2014, she served as Vice – President of European Commission.
She had run the post of Secretary – General at the UN for a very short duration. Her tenure ended following a vote at the UN Security Council where Antonio Guterres gained its support.
8. ERSS-112 launched in Delhi, 15 Prakhar vans also flagged off
The next time you have a fire emergency and simultaneously need police and ambulance assistance, instead of calling three separate helpline numbers – 100 (police), 101 (fire), and 102 (ambulance) just dial “112”. The emergency response support system (ERSS-112) was launched in Delhi by union minister of state for home affairs, G Kishan Reddy.
9. Pankaj Advani-Aditya Mehta pair wins World Team Snooker title
The Indian duo of Pankaj Advani and Aditya Mehta overcame a tough Thai team to emerge world champions in the IBSF World Snooker Team event. This takes Advani’s world title tally to a phenomenal 23 while Aditya claimed his maiden at a time when his future is being doubted due to health issues.
10. HDFC Bank emerges as India’s most valuable brand
Largest private sector lender HDFC Bank has emerged as the most valued Indian brand at USD 22.70 billion. The list of top ten brands, prepared by the world’s largest media buyer WPP, includes companies from banking, financial services and insurance, telecom and auto segments.
A brand’s overall fortunes had a direct bearing on the brand valuations, as seen in the telecom space, where Airtel’s value fell by 10 per cent to USD 10 billion, while Reliance Jio’s value went up by 34 per cent to USD 5.47 billion.
11. 9th India-China Financial Dialogue held to strengthen cooperation
9th India-China Financial Dialogue was held in New Delhi. A high-level Chinese delegation led by Ms. Zou Jiayi, Vice Minister, Ministry of Finance, China interacted with the Indian delegation led by Atanu Chakraborty, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs on wide-ranging issues of mutual interest.
12. Hyundai, Bank of Baroda tie up for vehicle finance
Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) said it has signed an agreement with Bank of BarodaNSE 2.41 % to be the preferred financier for its dealers and consumers.
Under the agreement, the bank will provide detailed financing structure for both dealers and consumers, further enhancing its presence across network of Hyundai Motor India Ltd, the company said in a statement.
13. International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons 26 September
The International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons has been observed annually since 2014. To observe the International Day, the United Nations is supporting events both in New York and Geneva. United Nations Information Centres around the world are encouraged to raise awareness to the observance of International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.
14. Britannia restaurant co-owner dies at 87
Meheraboon Rashib Gourabian, owner of the iconic Britannia and Co. restaurant at Ballard Estate, passed away. He was popularly known as Meherwan Kohinoor, and most remember him greeting patrons while entering and exiting the restaurant. Mr. Kohinoor was 87.
