4th September 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

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International Affairs

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has completed his Vietnam visit and headed to China.
• During this visit, he will  attend the G20 summit. 
• In his Vietnam visit, Modi signed various pacts for India's better ties with the country, including a protocol on double taxation avoidance agreement. 
• Note : Modi is the first Indian PM to visit Vietnam in the last 15 years, after Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
• In China, modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Hangzhou on the sidelines of G20 leaders summit and held bilateral talks with him. 
  
• The two leaders met amid differences between the two nations over the listing of Pakistan-based terrorist organisations in the UN, India's NSG membership, and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. 
• They had last met in June in Tashkent.
• The UK government has agreed to ban plastic microbeads in beauty products by the end of 2017, following a campaign by environmentalists. 
• When dumped in water bodies, the fish egg-sized beads appear like food to marine life and causes digestive problems, affecting their growth.

National Affairs

• Gumthala Garhu Village near Pehowa in Kurukshetra district (Haryana) became the first Wifi hotspot village in Haryana circle. 
• The service was inaugurated by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar from Chandigarh under the bulk plan of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to provide internet services to rural areas.
• Aiming to raise awareness and change perceptions regarding the Denotified Tribes, the '1st Nomad Film Festival' is being held at the India Islamic Cultural Centre in Delhi today. 
• It will showcase short films as well as documentaries on the lives of the tribes. 
• Note : The tribes were listed as 'Criminal Tribes' under the 1871 Criminal Tribes Act during the British rule.
• A 2 day World Coin and Currency Exhibition-cum-auction is being held in West Bengal's Siliguri district. 
• Organised by the Numismatic Society of Calcutta, the event features a vast collection of coins, medals, stamps, and currency notes from across the world, some even dating back to 600 BC.
• The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has approved the use of Pelargonic Acid Vanillyl Amide (PAVA) shells as an alternative to Pellet Guns for crowd controlling in Jammu and Kashmir. 
• PAVA sheels also called Nonivamide are chilli-filled grenades. They are less lethal compared to pellet guns and immobilises the target temporarily rather than causing physical injury.

Awards & Honors

• Mother Teresa was today declared 'Saint Teresa of Calcutta' in canonization ceremony headed by Pope Francis in the Vatican. 
• This comes after the Pope recently recognised a second miracle attributed to her intercession, fulfilling the requirement of two miracles for sainthood. 
• She had earlier been beatified 13 years ago on October 19, 2003.
• Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairperson and Managing Director of Biocon Limited was appointed Knight of the National Order of the French Legion of Honour (Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur). 
• Shaw was bestowed with this prestigious award for her contribution to biosciences and research. 
• She will be presented with this award on behalf of the French President later in 2016.

Deaths

• Bangladeshi media tycoon and a member of Jamaat-e-Islami, Mir Quasem Ali (63) was hanged today for atrocities committed during the 1971 war of independence. 
• Note : Ali became the sixth top perpetrator to be hanged for the massacre of 30 lakh people in 1971.

Science & Technology

• American multinational technology company, Search Engine Giant, Google was incorporated on this day (4th September) in the year 1998 .
• Founders of Google : Larry Page and Sergey Brin

New Appoints

• Governor of Maharashtra Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao, was today sworn in as the acting Governor of Tamil Nadu. 
• Note : Chennai. President Pranab Mukherjee had given additional charge of Tamil Nadu to C Vidyasagar Rao as per Article 153 of Constitution as the tenure of K. Rosaiah ended on 31 August 2016.

Business & Economy

• The DCB Bank, a new-generation private sector bank, has launched a card-less mobile-based payment solution 'mVisa', to make payments at retail outlets easier. 
• It will allow customers to pay through their smartphones by scanning the unique Quick Response (QR) code. 
• The bank has equipped over 1,000 retail outlets with 'mVisa' and plans to expand to over 25,000 shops across India.
• State-owned telecom operator BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) has made an offer of less than ₹1 per GB stating that from September 9 it will give “unlimited” wireline broadband services priced at a monthly pack of ₹249. 
• The 'Experience Unlimited BB 249' plan will enhance customer experience and attract new users, BSNL stated. 
• Note : This offer follows Reliance Jio's launch announcement earlier this week.
• The Punjab National Bank today announced that it will charge current account holders more from October for not maintaining the quarterly average balance. 
• For current general accounts, urban sector customers will be charged ₹1,000 per quarter, while rural customers will have to pay ₹400 against ₹200 now. 
• The bank also revised charges for non-maintenance of QAB in PNB Smart Banking current account.

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