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Showing posts with label
September 2014 Current Affairs Updates.
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Showing posts with label
September 2014 Current Affairs Updates.
Show all posts
International Affairs
- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai’s administration signed security agreements to keep U.S. and allied troops in the country beyond this year and secure billions of dollars in aid for Asia’s poorest country.
- Note : Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai has sworn in as Afghan President yesterday.
- The world has lost 52 percent of its biodiversity since 1970, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) announced in a study released today on the state of our planet.
- India will host its first-ever Asian Development Tour (ADT) tournament with the launch of the TAKE Solutions India Masters from October 29 to November 1 in Bangalore.
- India will host its first Renewable Energy Global Investors Meet and Expo - 'RE-INVEST' - from 15th February 2015 to 17th February 2015 in NewDelhi.
- Thailand today announced plans to give tourists wristbands carrying their personal details, as the kingdom falls under intense scrutiny over visitor safety following the murder of two British holidaymakers.
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National Affairs
- 37 Union ministers and other Members of Parliament will
simultaneously launch Rs 1,000 minimum monthly pension under Employees'
Pension Scheme 1995 (EPS-95,) run by the EPFO, across the country
tomorrow.
- With a view to promote rail tourism in the country and to provide reasonably priced tourism package to tourists, especially the pilgrims in the country, India Railways has finalized six pilgrim special tourist train packages in the first phase, which will kick start from 25th October 2014.
- Kalraj Mishra, Union Minister for MSME inaugurated the India Pavilion at the IGA Royal Perth Show 2014.
- Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray today announced that his party has decided to pull out from Narendra Modi government.
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International Affairs
- Libya’s new parliament today swore in Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni and his cabinet during a meeting in the eastern port town of Tobruk.
- PM Modi met his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu today in NewYork to discuss ways to step up bilateral relations.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to visit India with a trade mission.
- Narendramodi assures Prime Minister of Nepal Sushil Koirala of India's support to ensure success of upcoming SARCC summit
- Sri Lanka becomes the 1st country to give written support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call at UNGA for International Yoga Day.
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International Affairs
- The United States and dozens of other countries vowed to speed up and strengthen the U.N.’s overstretched peacekeeping response to crises around the world.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 69th session of UN General Assembly in NewYork today.
- His speech was in Hindi.
- Addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the Prime Minister Modi said that we should put aside our differences and mount a concerted effort to combat terrorism.
- He said that terrorism is taking a new shape and new name. No country, big or small, is free from its threat.
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International Affairs
- India today announced USD 12 million contribution to the United Nations to help it fight the deadly Ebola virus in the African continent.
- Rival Palestinian groups, Fatah and Hamas, reached an agreement to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian national unity government, representatives of both factions have announced.
- India and China today resolved the stand-off at the Ladakh border.
- The withdrawal of troops will begin today and it will be completed by the month-end.
- The breakthrough came in a bilateral meeting of External Affairs Minister Sushma Sawaraj and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in New York.
- Leaders of the world's most developed economies today warned Russia of more sanctions unless all fighting stops in Ukraine and vowed to stand by the war-torn country as winter approaches.
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International Affairs
- US President Barack Obama led the UN Security Council in unanimously approving a binding resolution on stemming the flow of foreign jihadists to Iraq and Syria.
- Prime Minister Modi left for the United States this evening to attend United Nations General Assembly in New York.
- In a speech at the United Nations General Assembly today, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi described terrorism as a plague.
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International Affairs
- Opening the UN General Assembly debate (participated by 193-nations) in New York, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has warned that human rights are "under attack" throughout the world.
National Affairs
- The Union Cabinet today approved a five year plan for Swacch Bharat Mission which will begin from 2nd of next month.
- The mission will cost around Rs 62,000 crore and it will be implemented in over 4,000 cities.
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International Affairs
- India will seek re-election to the UN's main human rights body for a second consecutive term in a vote to be held next month.
- India is currently a member of the 47-nation UN Human Rights Council and its term ends on 31st December 2014.
- A wave of suicide bombings by Islamic State militants in western Iraq has killed 40 soldiers amid waning efforts by security forces to retake territory from the Sunni extremist group.
- The number of Ebola infections will triple to 20,000 by November, soaring by the thousands every week if efforts are not significantly stepped up to stop the outbreak, the WHO recently warned.
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International Affairs
- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif for talks on Iran's nuclear program and the threat posed by Sunni extremist group Islamic State, a senior State Department official said.
- German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has reiterated that Germany will not get involved in US and French airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) jihadists in Iraq and Syria. He also ruled out ground deployments.
- Islamic State militants closed in on Syria's third-largest Kurdish town today as tens of thousands of people fled in terror across the border into Turkey.
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National Affairs
- People under preventive detention have the right to vote, the Election Commission has said ahead of Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana, and warned that there should be "no ground" for any grievance due to non-compliance of the directive.
- Rajasthan Government has launched an action plan to resolve problem of malnutrition among children in Baran district.
- Under this action plan, health department has started screening of children facing malnutrition and provide training to nurses and 300 Asha Sahyogini workers.
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International Affairs
- The India-Africa Summit, which was scheduled to be attended by 53 countries in December, has been cancelled this year due to Ebola outbreak in that continent.
- The First summit was held New Delhi.
- The Second summit was held at Addis Ababa.
- The Third India-Africa Summit was to take place in Gurgaon on 4th December 2014 (this summit will now be held only in 2015).
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National Affairs
- The Centre launched a programme, ‘India Newborn Action Plan (INAP)'
to reduce infant mortality and bring down the number of deaths to a
single digit by 2030 from the current 29 deaths per 1,000 live births.
- Inaugurated by Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.
- External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today inaugurated the revived Nalanda University, renowned as a centre for learning till it was burnt down 800 years ago by an invading Turkish army.
- The university will be built in Rajgir, 12 km from where the ancient Nalanda University stood till the 12th century.
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International Affairs
- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko visits canada (Ottawa)
- He spent his trip to Ottawa warmly thanking Canada for its support, but also made it clear his country needs additional assistance through expanded loan agreements, intelligence sharing and freer trade.
- China backed India's bid for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a Beijing-dominated security grouping.
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International Affairs
- President Pranab Mukherjee returned home after a
"highly successful" four-day visit to Vietnam during which key pacts to
further strengthen bilateral ties were signed.
- This visit
also saw the two countries declaring a united Indo-Vietnam stand for
free navigation in the disputed waters of South China Sea and adjoining
maritime areas.
- Home Minister Rajnath Singh will leave for
Kathmandu tomorrow to attend the sixth meeting of SAARC Home Ministers
to be held on Friday.
- Saudi Arabia's top religious body "The
Council of Senior Ulema", today warned Muslims against joining militant
groups, saying their "deviant doctrine" has no place in Islam.
- Chinese
President Xi Jinping arrived in India today on a three-day visit. Three MoUs signed on infrastructure, railways and a sister city agreement
between Ahmedabad and China's Guangdong province (Read important Highlights of this visit from here)
- Egypt has summoned the ambassadors of European Union countries to protest a recent EU statement to the UN Human Rights Council which criticized the country's human rights records.
- The EU, in a recent statement to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, had expressed concern over the human rights record in Egypt, citing "random detention of activists and opposition figures".
National Affairs
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched 11 welfare schems of Gujarat government today under the title of ‘Swavlamban Abhiyan’. The schemes are;
- Aid to milk producing cattle and equipments to tribal women,
- Distribution of milking machines and chaff cutters among cooperative rural milk producing women groups,
- Assistance to cooperative milk producing women groups to build ‘dudh ghar’,
- Mukhyamantri Amrutam Maa Vatsalya Yojana,
- Assistance for health care to construction labors suffering from occupational health diseases,
- Interest benefit to farmers to build warehouse in farm, tablet distribution to ITI apprentice studying computer courses,
- Pandit Dindayal Upadhyaya young entrepreneurs scheme,
- Benefit in interest on self employment loan to ITI passed apprentice,
- Shri Nanaji Deshmukh housing scheme,
- Dattopant Thengdi labor interest assistance scheme for construction laborers,
- Impex-B’s formation to expand employment oriented services and middle class oriented schemes.
- India is on the "brink of an urban revolution" with its population in towns and cities expected to reach 600 million by 2031, according to a new UN-backed report which pegged the gap in urban infrastructure investment in the country over the next 20 years at a whopping $827 billion.
- Andhra Pradesh chief minister, N Chandrababu Naidu, sought cooperation of Australia in helping the state government build infrastructure projects and strengthen roads and drainage networks in the new state.
Awards & Honors
- Actor Leonardo DiCaprio appointed as UN Messenger of Peace
- The sports ministry has finally agreed to give the Arjuna Award to boxer Manoj Kumar.
- Important Points to Note :
- The Kapil Dev-led award committee had earlier refused to give the coveted award to the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist.
- Manoj had filed a case in the Delhi High Court.
- Later the committee stated that they mistakenly believed that he was involved in a doping case.
Deaths
- Former Assam Director General of Police Shankar Barua, whose premises were searched by the CBI in connection with Saradha scam last month, allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself at his residence today.
Sports
- The Asian Games torch arrived in host city Incheon today, two days before the opening ceremony that will formally inaugurate the two-week competition featuring almost 10,000 athletes.
- International basketball’s governing body FIBA said that players will be allowed to wear religious head coverings, such as hijabs or turbans, on a trial basis in some competitions.
- The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 trophy made its first public appearance in Pakistan on Wednesday at the iconic Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore as part of its global tour.
- Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq received it.
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International Affairs
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi today had a telephonic conversation
with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and told him that his recent
visit to India touched the heart of every Indian.
- Abbott thanked Modi for the warm reception and hospitality accorded to him during his visit to India earlier this month.
- Note : India and Australia had signed a landmark civil nuclear cooperation agreement during Abbott's visit.
- They exchanged views on regional and international developments.
- Abbott told Modi that a warm welcome awaits him during his bilateral visit to Australia in November 2014 after the G-20 Summit.
- British Prime Minister David Cameron during a visit to Scotland today warned that if the country voted for independence from the UK, it would not be a "trial separation" but a "painful divorce".
- The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will hold an emergency meeting on the Ebola crisis on Thursday to find ways to scale up the global response to the epidemic.
- The United States has bombed militants near Baghdad in support of Iraqi forces, striking close to the capital for the first time in its expanded campaign against Islamic State jihadists.
- New data released today (September 16) by the United Nations Organization show that under-five mortality rates have dropped by 49 per cent between 1990 and 2013.
- Ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India, the US says it has a very broad relationship with India and wants India to have good relationships with all the countries in the region, including China.
- US State Department spokesperson - Marie Harf
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology has emerged as the leading varsity in the world, according to a global university ranking released Today.
- No Indian institution featured in the top 200.
- The Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B), is 222nd in the world, followed by
- IIT-Delhi at 235th,
- IT-Kanpur at 300th,
- IIT-Madras at 322nd and
- IIT-Kharagpur at 324th positions.
Books & Authors
- "The Diary of the Nation's Conscience Keeper : Not Just an Accountant" written by Vinod Rai.
- Vinod Rai was the former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)
- This book has been creating a major controversy now a days.
- This book talks about various issues observed during his 2008-2013 tenure as CAG, including Ex Pm Manmohan Singh's role at times like 2G and coal block allocations.
National Affairs
- In a boost to relief efforts in the flood-ravaged Kashmir Valley, the Jammu-Sringar national highway today reopened for traffic after remaining closed for 13 days due to landslides triggered by incessant rains.
Business & Economy
- The National Green Tribunal today gave its nod to transportation of 38,6545 metric tonnes coal in West Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya.
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National Affairs
- Nation observed Hindi Diwas on 14th September 2014.
- Why is Hindi Diwas celebrated?
- Hindi Diwas (Hindi Day) is celebrated on 14th September, because on this day in 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India had adopted Hindi written in Devnagari script as the Official Language of the Union.
- It is the language spoken as a mother tongue by around 258 million people
- It is known as the 4th largest language of the world
- India hit out at Pakistan over its remarks that Hafiz Saeed had no case against him, saying he was the “evil” mastermind behind the Mumbai attacks and it was up to Pakistan to bring the chief of terror outfit Jamat-Ud-Dawa (JuD) to book and deliver justice.
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International Affairs
- India formally submitted an application for full membership to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) at the SCO Heads of State Summit in Tajikistan capital Dushanbe.
- Pakistan and Iran have already submitted their applications to join it.
- Our country has a very good chance of being inducted into Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) along with Pakistan, a development which will strengthen anti- terrorism campaign in the region.
- Other members of SCO : Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
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International Affairs
- The Peruvian government has imposed a state of emergency in two Amazonian districts to battle a surge in drug smuggling along the borders with Brazil and Colombia.
- The United Nations today confirmed the release of all 45 Fijian peacekeepers who had been held for two weeks by Al-Qaida-linked militants in the Golan Heights on the Israeli-Syrian border.
- Ten Arab countries, including six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states, and the US have agreed to combine forces to destroy the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group wherever they exist in Iraq and Syria.
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International Affairs
- Bhutan and India held third round of Development Cooperation Talks Today to review the Indian assistance of Rs 45 billion for Bhutan's 11th Five Year Plan.
- Bhutan Foreign Secretary - Yeshey Dorji
- Indian Special Secretary (ER & DPA) - Sujata Mehta
- Agreed to speed up the implementation of the mutually agreed projects
- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko that Russia had withdrawn most of its troops from eastern Ukraine, raising further hopes that a peace deal struck last week would stick.
- Unveiling its comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy, US today vowed to “degrade and destroy” the Islamic State (IS) with air strikes and said terrorists who threaten America will find “no safe haven’’
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National Affairs
- The
Commerce and Industry Ministry is likely to unveil the new five-year
Foreign Trade Policy (2014-19) “ very soon”.
- The new policy will be different from earlier policies.
- Commerce minister - Nirmala
Sitharaman
- Initiating
measures to strengthen consumer rights, the government today said, that
it will amend laws to set up a regulator to address consumer grievances
and take penal action against defaulting companies, and also bring more
products under the ambit of mandatory quality certification.
- The
Bombay high court today directed Maharashtra government to provide
medical screening facilities at Pune and Nagpur airports to detect Ebola
virus among passengers arriving from affected countries, on the lines
of existing amenities at Mumbai and Delhi airports.
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