Current Affairs - September 10, 2018 Current Affairs

Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, Honourable Vice President of India released the Book Constitutionalizing India: an Ideational Project, authored by Shri Bidyut Chakrabarty, in New Delhi.

Triple jumper Arpinder Singh has created history by becoming the first Indian to win a medal in the IAAF Continental Cup. At Ostrava in the Czech Republic, he clinched a bronze. The 25-year-old Arpinder was representing the Asia-Pacific team in the meet, held once every four years. Reigning Olympic and world champion Christian Taylor of the United States took the gold with a jump of 17.59 metres.

Airtel Payment Bank announced that users can withdraw cash from ATMs, without the need for a physical debit card. For this Airtel has partnered with Empays to enable Instant Money Transfer (IMT) for its account holders. 20,000 ATMs have been enabled with Empays IMT card-less cash technology which will expand to over 100,000 ATMs by the end of 2018. This new service is available to both smartphone and feature phone users through USSD (*400#) and MyAirtel app.

The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 6th International Geriatric Orthopaedic Society of India Conference at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences , New Delhi. The theme of the conference is: "Increased Longevity with Reduced Fragility and Enhanced Mobility". This was organized by Geriatric Orthopaedic Society of India.

India and France have signed an implementation agreement on 'Mobilise Your City' (MYC) in the presence of Minister of State (I/C), Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) Hardeep Singh Puri and Alexander Ziegler, Ambassador of France in India. Mobilise Your City (MYC) is part of an international initiative which is supported by the French and the German Governments and was launched at 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) meeting.

Cyient Solutions & Systems (CSS) has received an order from Indian Army to supply SpyLite mini UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) systems for high altitude aerial surveillance. It is an advanced, electric, mini unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). It can be further optimized to offer covert, extended range real-time visual intelligence.

India Blue defeated India Red and won 57th Duleep Trophy They won by an innings and 187 runs. About Duleep Trophy It was the 57th season of the Duleep Trophy, a first-class cricket tournament in India. It took place in NPR College ground in Dindigul from August to September 2018. There were 3 participants: India Red, India Blue and India Green. Four matches were played : 3 round robins and 1 final.

Actress Aishwarya Rai was honoured with the Meryl Streep Award for Excellence at the Women in Film and Television (WIFT) India Award. The ceremony was established to honour the best female talent in Bollywood and Hollywood. WIFT India is part of WIFT International, a network which promotes professional development and achievement for women in the film industry, video, and other screen-based media.

RBI tweaked norms for exchange of mutilated notes following the introduction of ₹2,000, ₹200 and other lower denomination currencies. Public can exchange mutilated or defective notes at RBI offices and designated bank branches across the country for either full or half value. Making amendments to the Reserve Bank of India (Note Refund) Rules, 2009.

Chinese billionaire and Alibaba Co-founder Jack Ma step down from the post of Executive Chairman to pursue philanthropy in education. Ma, a former English teacher who co-founded Alibaba in 1999, has a fortune of about $40 billion. He will be succeeded by current CEO Daniel Zhang.

The armies of India and the US decided to hold an annual combat exercise "Yudh Abhyas" at Chaubatia in Uttarakhand from September 16 to 29, 2018. It aims to enhance inter-operability between the two forces. Around 400 soldiers from each side are expected to participate in the exercise. This happened after the agreement of 'The Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA)' was signed between the two countries.

China successfully launched a new marine satellite called HY-1C aboard a Long March-2C rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in north China's Shanxi Province. The satellite was developed by the China Spacesat Co., Ltd. under the China Academy of Space Technology. It has a design life of five years and can detect chlorophyll and suspended sediment concentrations and dissolved organic matter. It is used to Monitor ocean colour and water temperaturesfor research and it Provide survey of the resources and environment of China's offshore waters, islands and Coastal zones, marine disaster relief and the sustainable utilisation of ocean resources.

India's current account deficit (CAD) widened to a four-quarter-high at 2.4% of gross domestic product (GDP) in April-June period on the back of rising crude oil prices, from 1.9% of GDP in the January-March quarter of 2017-18, according to data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Merchandise trade deficit expanded to $45.7 billion in the June quarter against $41.6 billion in the March quarter as crude oil prices zoomed past $75 per barrel.

Dr. Bibek Debroy, an Indian economist, indologist and author, has been conferred 'Honoris Causa' by the University of Engineering & Management (UEM) in Kolkata, West Bengal. He is currently serving as the Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM). Mr. Debroy is also the Member of the NITI Aayog, the think tank of Government of India (GoI). 'Honoris Causa' is a degree awarded without examination as a mark of esteem.

Temasek, a Singapore-based global investment firm, has signed an agreement to invest up to $400 million in the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) of India with an option for co-investment with NIIF in the future. As part of the agreement, Temasek will join the Government of India, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), HDFC Group, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance and Axis Bank as an investor in NIIF's Master Fund. It will also be a shareholder in National Investment and Infrastructure Limited, NIIF's investment management company. With this investment, NIIF Master Fund has become one of the largest infrastructure funds in India. It invests in core infrastructure sectors in India like transportation, energy and urban infrastructure.s

Indian sprinter Hima Das has been officially named as the Sports Ambassador of Assam for her recent achievements in the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games and IAAF World U-20 Championship 2018 at a function held at Srimanta Sankardev International Auditorium, Guwahati. Beside this, Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal handed over a cheque worth Rs 1.6 crore to Hima and also offered her a job in the senior category of Sports and Youth Welfare Department. He also announced to develop 500 village stadiums in the state.

In the US Open Tennis, Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the Men's singles final. He defeated Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina in straight sets. It was Djokovic's 14th Grand Slam title and the third US Open title. With this win, he has equalled Pete Sampras's mark of 14 Grand Slams.