Current Affairs - September 18, 2019 Current Affairs

The DRDO recently successfully flight-tested the Air-to-Air missile, Astra off the Odisha coast. The missile was launched from the fighter jet Su-30 MKI.

Himachal Pradesh Government recently launched the Mukhya Mantri Seva Sankalp Helpline '1100' to enable speedy redressal of public grievances using digital medium.

Moti Bagh, a documentary based on a Uttarakhand farmer's life nominated for the Oscars. The documentary film, directed by Nirmal Chander is based on the life of a farmer called Vidyadutt. The information was shared by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat The Chief Minister appealed to young farmers to play a leading role in preventing migration from villages and take advantage of the schemes launched by the state government.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) joined hands with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the development of human-centric systems for the Human Space Mission to demonstrate its human space flight capabilities. The purpose behind the development is to provide technologies for human-centric systems and technologies specific to the Human Space Mission. ISRO aims to demonstrate human spaceflight capability before the 75th anniversary of India's independence in 2022.

Five women police officers from India were honoured by the United Nations for their exceptional services in the international body's mission in South Sudan. The police officers include Reena Yadav, Gopika Jahangir, Bharati Samantre, Ragini Kumari and Kamal Shekhawat.

The 38th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) is being held from 30th of October to 9th of November 2019 with theme 'Open Books, Open Minds'. Here, authors, publishers, intellectuals and artists from across the world will bring their experiences and expertise to this prominent event and partake in a vibrant cultural programme. Apart from this, UNESCO has also named Sharjah as the World Book Capital City (WBCC) for the year 2019 in recognition of the city's continuous efforts in promoting books and literacy.

The 5th International Ramayan Festival organized by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), in New Delhi. ICCR was established with the vision of propagating Indian culture and its values to the whole world. The Union Minister for Home Affairs, Amit Shah presided as Chief Guest over the 5th International Ramayan Festival. International Ramayan Festival is being organized for 5th year in a row, during which 17 countries have participated with their artists and rendered their versions of Ramayan. Ramayan is one such scripture that has transcended Personal, Societal, Religious, Cultural and National boundaries and reached a global audience.

The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 18th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams. The tournament was hosted in China and was rescheduled from 2018 to 2019.

Gangs Of Wasseypur has become the only Indian film to feature in "The Guardian" list of 100 Best Films of the 21st century. The film has bagged the 59th position.

Shri Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Environment, Forest and Climate Change has inaugurated the renovated Jayakar bungalow (a famous heritage building of Pune) at National Film Archive of India (NFAI)in Pune, Maharashtra. The bungalow has been renovated with an outlay of 3 crore rupees.

Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and his Slovenian counterpart signed seven MoUs and agreements to promote bilateral relations. The agreements have been signed on investment, sports, culture, clean ganga mission, science and technology among others.

Meghalaya-based rights activist Agnes Kharshiing, who survived an assault by the coal mafia almost a year ago, received the 11th International Hrant Dink Award. She received the award along with Turkish activist against male violence, Nebahat Akkoc. The two activists were presented the award that commemorates the memory of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, who was killed in 2007, in Istanbul. The Hrant Dink Award is presented every year to individuals, organisations or groups that work for a world free from discrimination, racism and violence.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu dedicated the Dikshi Hydroelectric Project to the people of the state. The 24 Mega Watt Hydroelectric Project has been installed at Dikshi Village in West Kameng District. It is a Run of the River project constructed on the river Phudung by Devi Energies Private Limited. It was completed in a record time of four years with an investment of about 430 crore rupees. Government of Arunachal Pradesh is the sole beneficiary of the power generation from this project.

Spain captures second FIBA basketball World Cup title. Spain won its second FIBA basketball World Cup by defeating Argentina 95-75.

The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), Indian Navy and the Royal Thai Navy are participating in the inaugural Singapore-India-Thailand Maritime Exercise (SITMEX) from 16 to 20 September 2019.

The Union Ministry of Coal signed an allotment agreement with the West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited (WBPDCL). Under the agreement, WBPDCL has been allotted the Deocha Pachami Dewanganj-Harinsingha coal block.

Wing Commander Anjali Singh has become India's first ever woman military diplomat to be posted in any of the Indian missions abroad. She has joined the Indian Embassy in Russia as the Deputy Air Attache.

Cognizant Technology Solutions has appointed Ramkumar Ramamoorthy as Chairman and Managing Director of Cognizant India. Ramkumar Ramamoorthy has played a leading role marketing and communications, market research and intelligence, public affairs, and knowledge management in his 21 plus years of experience in the company.

Zhang Yi Man won women's singles title in women's title by defeating Asuka Takahashi of Japan.

Justice P Lakshmana Reddy, a retired judge of the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh High Court, was on Sunday sworn-in as the first Lokayukta of the state after its bifurcation in 2014. Governor Biswabhusan Hairchandan administered the oath of office to Justice Reddy at a function in Vijayawada.

Afghanistan cricket team created a new record of most consecutive T20I (twenty twenty International) victories after their 12th successive win in T20I during 2019 Bangladesh Tri-Nation Series held at Dhaka, Bangladesh against Bangladesh. Afghanistan broke their own previous record of most consecutive wins (11 wins in T20I) from 2016 to 2017 and now equals Australia with 12 consecutive victories.

Sri Lanka unveiled South Asia's tallest tower, costing over $100 million, 80% of which has been funded by China under the controversial Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The 350-metre-tall 17-storey Lotus Tower, located in the heart of Colombo city, comprises a television tower, a hotel, a telecommunications museum, restaurants, auditorium, an observation deck, a shopping mall and a conference centre. The tower, spread over an area of 30,600 sq. constructed at a cost of over $100 million, 80% of which was funded by China, Sri Lankan.

On March 12, 1930, Indian independence leader Mohandas Gandhi begins a defiant march to the sea in protest of the British monopoly on salt, his boldest act of civil disobedience yet against British rule in India.

American breast cancer survivor Sarah Thomas became the first person to swim across the English Channel four times non-stop in a 54-hour feat of endurance. She diagnosed with cancer a year ago. She said the hardest part of the swim was dealing with the saltwater, which left her throat and mouth sore.

Airtel Payments Bank launched Bharosa savings account which enables customers to withdraw cash check their balance or access a mini statement of their account at over 6,50,000 Aadhaar-enabled payment system (AePS) enabled outlets across India. These services have been designed for deepening financial inclusion in the country. The benefits of this product will be further amplified through a structured roadway for the phased introduction of other features linked to formal banking.

India's first National Antimicrobial Resistance Hub was recently inaugurated in Kolkata. The Kolkata centre would be the hub for research on antibiotic resistance not only for the country but for the entire South Asia. The centre was jointly inaugurated by the ICMR, in association with the U.S. Consulate of Kolkata and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The union minister for environment, forest and climate change Shri Prakash Javadekar (also Information & Broadcasting minister) flagged off a bus named "Jaldoot" in Pune, Maharashtra which showcases the importance of water conservation. This bus which is redesigned to create "Jaldoot: Travelling Exhibition on Jalshakti Abhiyan", would travel to 8 districts of Maharashtra for 2 months and would also convey to people about the work of govt. in last 100 days, along with bold initiatives and decisions undertaken.

The Union Minister for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey, awarded Vinod Kumar Yadav, Chairman of Railway Board with Eminent Engineers Award. The award was presented at the special event to mark the 52nd Engineers' Day organised by the Institution of Engineers in New Delhi. The award was for his outstanding contributions in the field of engineering. The theme of 52nd Engineers Day was "Engineering for change".