30th September 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

International Affairs

• Today (30th September) is International Translation Day.
• Theme of the year 2016 : Connecting Worlds
• The 2016 BRICS Labour & Employment Ministerial Meet was held in New Delhi from September 27- 28, 2016 to deliberate on issues including job creation and social security for workers. 

• The two day meeting saw the participation of the five major emerging BRICS economies viz. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

National Affairs

• Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today announced that the state government will provide body cameras to traffic police personnel for their safety, besides announcing other measures for the welfare of the force.

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29th September 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

International Affairs

• Today (29th September) is World Heart Day.
• The World Heart Day is an international campaign held on 29th September by the World Heart Foundation to inform people about cardiovascular diseases, which are the biggest cause of death. 
• This day promotes preventative measures to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
• Theme of the year 2016 : “Power your Life”
• Today (29th September) World Maritime Day.
  
• This day is observed to highlight the importance of shipping safety, maritime security and the marine environment. 
• Theme of the year 2016 : “Shipping: indispensable to the world”. 

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28th September 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

International Affairs

• Today (28th September) is World Rabies day.
• World Rabies Day is an international campaign coordinated by the Global Alliance for Rabies Control, a non-profit organization with headquarters in the US and UK. 
• Theme of the year 2016 : “Rabies: Educate. Vaccinate. Eliminate”.
• India's Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar today summoned Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit over the Uri terror attack and gave him proof of "cross-border origins" in the terror strike. 
• Jaishankar issued names of the Uri attackers and guides hailing from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.  
• Note : This is the second time India has summoned Basit over the Uri attack in less than 10 days.
• The Ministry of External Affairs has announced that "in the prevailing circumstances" of increasing cross-border terrorist attacks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not take part in the 19th SAARC summit which is going to be held in Pakistan. 
• Note : Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Bhutan have also refused to attend the summit scheduled for November 9-10, after India called for a boycott.
• China tops the World Health Organisation's (WHO) list for the world's deadliest air pollution, with over one million people dying in the country in 2012 from dirty air. 
• China is followed by India (6,21,138 deaths), and Russia (1,40,851 deaths). 
• Note : WHO claims that air pollution kills 30 lakh people worldwide every year.
• India's ranking on the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index for 2016-17 has improved 16 places to 39, making it the fastest riser among the 138 nations surveyed. 
• India’s competitiveness improved across the board, particularly in goods market efficiency, business sophistication, public institutions, and innovation. 
• Note : Switzerland topped the rankings, followed by Singapore and the US.
• India and China have hold the first High Level Dialogue on Counter-terrorism and Security.
• This dialogue was held in Beijing (China).

National Affairs

• Nation paid homage to great freedom fighter Shaheed Bhagat Singh on his 109th birth anniversary today.

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27th September 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

International Affairs

• Today (27th September) is World Tourism Day.
• The purpose of this day is to raise awareness on the role of tourism within the international community and to demonstrate how it affects social, cultural, political and economic values worldwide.
• The World Tourism Day celebration was started by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in the year 1980.
• This date was chosen as on that day in 1970, the Statutes of the UNWTO were adopted. The adoption of these Statutes is considered a milestone in global tourism.
  
• Theme of the year 2016 :  “Tourism for All - Promoting universal accessibility”
• Around 92% of the world's population is breathing bad air or living in places where air quality is below safe levels, a World Health Organisation report stated today. 
• Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific region— including China, Malaysia, and Vietnam— are the most affected, the data showed.

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26th September 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

International Affairs

• India-US joint military exercise 'Yudh Abhyas 2016' held at Ranikhet, Uttarakhand.
• The bilateral military exercise was the 12th edition in the YudhAbhyas series which started in the year 2004 under US Army Pacific Partnership Program. 
• This was the third time the exercise is being conducted at Chaubattia in Uttarakhand.
• Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman is on a 3-day visit to Sri Lanka.
• The aim of this visit is to expand bilateral trade relations between the two nations. 
• The proposed Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement between the two countries will be prominently discussed during the visit. 
• Bangladesh has decided to erect a barbed wire fence along its border with India and Myanmar.
• Earlier, Bangladesh had approved a project for a 282-kilometre road along Bangladesh's border with Myanmar and India. 
• Note : India has already raised barbed wire fence along 79% of the Indo-Bangladesh border, which indirectly helps Bangladesh in monitoring cross-border crimes.
• PM Narendra Modi today announced that India, which accounts for about 4.1% of the global emissions, will ratify the Paris Climate Change agreement on October 2. 
• Note : 
• The Paris agreement will take effect when at least 55 countries accounting for 55% of global greenhouse gas emissions ratify the pact. 
• Currently, 60 countries accounting for 47.76% emissions have ratified the pact.
• The 1st military exercise between Russia and Pakistan named Druzhba-2016 (Friendship-2016) has kicked off in Pakistan. 
• With this, Pakistani Army and Russian Ground Forces (RGF) have come together for the first time in military exercises reflecting growing military ties between two former Cold War rivals.

National Affairs

• The 2nd meeting of the High Level Group of Eminent Experts to strengthen the SAARC Anti-Terrorism Mechanism was held in New Delhi. 
• Delegations from all eight SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) member countries participated in the conference. 
• SAARC  members are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. 
• About CSIR :

• CSIR is an autonomous body and the largest research and development (R&D) organisation in India.
• CSIR - Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
• Established on - 26th September 1942
• Director General - Dr. Girish Sahni

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25th September 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

International Affairs

• Today (last Sunday of September) is World Deaf Day.
• This day is observed to draw the attention of general public, politician and development authorities towards the achievements of the deaf people as well as deaf people community.
• The UN Security Council has approved a resolution on Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), urging global implementation of the treaty that would ban tests of nuclear weapons. 
• This comes after North Korea conducted its fifth and biggest nuclear test recently, inviting condemnation from the UN and EU. Notably, the resolution marked CTBT's 20th anniversary on Saturday.
• Vice-President Hamid Ansari will go on a 5-day visit to Nigeria and Mali from Monday.

• The main aim of this visit is to strengthen India's bilateral engagements with the two West African nations.
• Important Note : This will be the first-ever high-level visit to Mali from India.

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24th September 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

International Affairs

• Today (24th September) is World Maritime Day.
• Theme of the year 2016 :  "Shipping: indispensable to the world"
  
• The Global Burden of Disease study has ranked India 143th in a list of 188 countries, citing mortality rates, malaria hygiene and air pollution as major challenges. 
• The US was ranked 28, while the UK was listed in the top five spots. 
• Important Points to Note :
• Iceland topped the index.
• Central African Republic was ranked the lowest.
• The 8th edition of joint military exercise ‘Indra-2016’ between India and Russia has begun in Russian city of Vladivostok. 
  
• Indra, a portmanteau of the names of both the countries (INDia RussiA) , is a biannual exercise which has been carried out between the two allies since 2003. 
• This year, the focus is on Counterterrorism Operations in Semi Mountainous and Jungle Terrain under United Nations Mandate.  

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23rd September 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

International Affairs

• UK PM Theresa May is going to introduce the 'Alan Turing' Law, which will give posthumous pardons for gay men convicted under historic indecency crimes. 
• The law will decriminalise around 49,000 people convicted under outdated laws, even though the UK had decriminalised homosexuality by 1967. 
• The law is named after gay mathematician Alan Turing, who built a machine to decrypt Nazi messages.
• The world's shortest international flight between Switzerland's St Gallen and Germany's Friedrichshafen, taking around 8 minutes of travel time, will start operating in November.
  
• The flight will operate twice daily with tickets costing about $44 (₹3,000). 
• It currently takes about an hour to travel the 77.2 km distance by car.

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22nd September 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

International Affairs

• India, at the United Nations platform, called Pakistan a “terrorist state” while accusing it of carrying out “war crimes” against Indians through its “long-standing policy” of sponsoring terrorism. 
• India also provided Pakistan evidence of the latter's involvement in the Uri attacks which claimed 18 jawans' lives. 
• Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar summoned Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit and showed him the content of GPS recovered from the terrorists' bodies, Pakistan-made food and medicines, and grenades with Pakistani markings to prove the neighbouring country's role.
• Two US lawmakers have introduced a Bill in the United States House of Representatives to designate Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism.
• The Cabinet today approved a ₹1,102 crore-project to lay an undersea cable link to Andaman and Nicobar Islands from Chennai.
  
• Currently, telecom services on the islands are dependent on satellite connectivity with a limited bandwidth and this project will reportedly boost telecom services. 
• The project is likely to be completed by December 2018.

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21st September 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

International Affairs

• Today (21st September) is International Day of Peace / World Peace Day.
• This day was first celebrated in 1982, and is kept by many nations, political groups, military groups, and peoples.
• In 2013, for the first time, the Day was dedicated by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to peace education, the key preventive means to reduce war sustainably.
• Note : To inaugurate the day, the United Nations Peace Bell is rung at UN Headquarters (in New York City). This bell is cast from coins donated by children from all continents except Africa, and was a gift from the United Nations Association of Japan, as "a reminder of the human cost of war"; the inscription on its side reads, "Long live absolute world peace". 
  
• Themes of the year 2016 : Sustainable Development Goal: Building Blocks for Peace
• UK PM Theresa May today announced that their intelligence agencies will form part of a new taskforce to "Stamp out" Modern Slavery. 
• This is part of UK's move to eradicate modern slavery with government figures estimating 10,000-13,000 people living as slaves in Britain. 
• Note : Modern slavery is a term to describe human trafficking, forced labor, and other slave-like exploitations.

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20th September 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

International Affairs

• According to reports, India will diplomatically isolate Pakistan at global events after the recent Uri attack that claimed the lives of 18 soldiers. 
• India, along with Bangladesh and Afghanistan, is likely to boycott the SAARC summit to be held in November in Pakistan. 
• Note : The three countries will work towards creating global awareness about Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.
• Canada is going to impose a minimum price on carbon emissions in provinces that do not adequately regulate emissions by themselves, in a bid to combat climate change.
• The new emissions regime will be incorporated sometime in October.
• Note : Four largest Canadian provinces currently have either a carbon tax or emissions-limiting system.
• The United Nations held its first-ever summit on 'Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants' today to discuss the issue of around 65.3 million refugees displaced around the world. 
  
• The assembly is expected to approve a document to coordinate the protection of refugees' human rights between its 193 member countries.

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19th September 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

International Affairs

• India is going to declare Pakistan a terror sponsor state after the recent attack on the Army base in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir. 
• Further, India may soon launch a punitive strike and bombing of Pakistani posts in response to ceasefire violations and infiltration. 
• It has also planned to scale down diplomatic ties and economic ties with Pakistan.
• The UN Security Council has called an emergency meeting to discuss air raids by the US-led coalition which killed 62 Syrian soldiers. 
• This comes after a nationwide ceasefire which was brokered by US and Russia, went into effect last week. 
• Note : Syria has asked the United Nations to condemn US aggression and respect its sovereignty.
• France has passed a new law banning all plastic utensils, allowing only those made from biologically-sourced materials. 
• The law will be fully implemented by 2020 and is part of France's 'Energy Transition for Green Growth Act' aimed at tackling climate change.
• China and Russia have carried out joint naval exercises dubbed as Joint Sea-2016 in the resource-rich South China Sea (SCS) off China’s southern Guangdong province.
  

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18th September 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

International Affairs

• The meeting of BRICS Representatives in charge of security was recently held in New Delhi, India. 
• This meeting was hosted by Ajit Doval (National Security Adviser).  
• The meeting was attended by representatives in charge of security of BRICS nations viz. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
• The United States has agreed to partner with India for the 2017 Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, the biennial investors’ summit to create a business-friendly environment in Gujarat.
• Note : Last year, US Secretary of State John Kerry attended the investors' summit.
• Gujarat CM : Vijay Rupani
• The United States is the third-most depressed nation in the world, after India and China, according to a WHO report on mental illness. 
• Reportedly, 15 million US citizens are depressed, with 60% of them actually taking antidepressants. 
• Important Note : India, US, and China are also the nations most affected by anxiety, and drug and alcohol use.
  

National Affairs

• At least 17 Jawans were martyred in the terror attack at the battalion headquarters of the Army at Uri, Jammu and Kashmir today. 
• To take stock of the situation, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Army Chief General Dalbir Singh will visit the state today. 
• Meanwhile, Home Minister Rajnath Singh has called an emergency meeting over the attack.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a high alert across all the airports in the country following this terrorist attack.

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17th September 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

International Affairs

• National Security Advisors of the BRICS Nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) have decided to launch joint efforts to counter terrorism and violent extremism in West Asia and North Africa, during a meeting in New Delhi. 
• The NSAs, who also met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, vowed to enhance cyber security by sharing information.
• India today lost its World Trade Organization appeal against a US complaint on discrimination against importers in the solar power sector. 
• The WTO upheld that India violated rules by requiring solar power developers to use Indian-made products. 
  
• Note : This comes after India complained to WTO against subsidies given to the solar industry in eight US states.
• Japan is going to conduct joint training patrols with the US in the disputed South China Sea, Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said today. 
• This comes after China and Russia started joint naval drills in the South China Sea this week.

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16th September 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

International Affairs

• US President Barack Obama today established the first national marine monument in the Atlantic, permanently protecting nearly 5,000 square miles of underwater canyons and mountains. 
• The White House had said the designation would lead to a commercial fishing ban, although recreational fishing would be permitted. 
• Note : This is the 27th time Obama has acted to create or expand a national monument.
• Britain has approved construction of the $24-billion nuclear power plant Hinkley Point C, amid national security concerns over Chinese state companies being involved in "critical" British infrastructure. 
• The reactor is Britain's first in decades and is being built by French utility firm EDF with financial backing worth $8 billion from China.
• Barack Obama agreed to lift economic sanctions against Myanmar, during a meeting with the country's leader Aung San Suu Kyi today. 
• The US also agreed to exempt Myanmar from paying duties to sell its goods. 
• This comes after Myanmar appointed democratically-elected President Htin Kyaw recently, ending decades of military rule.
  

National Affairs

• The Naropa festival, which is held every 12 years, began today at the 17th century Hemis Monastery in Ladakh. 
• The main events at the week-long Naropa festival, a celebration of the 1,000th birth anniversary of Saint Naropa, are the display of six bone ornaments and the unfurling of the ancient silk Thangka (Tibetan Buddhist painting) of Buddha Amitabha.

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15th September 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

International Affairs

• International Day of Democracy, an annual United Nations initiative, is being observed today.
• Theme of the year 2016 : Democracy and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
• Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal began his 4-day state visit to India.
• This is his first bilateral visit abroad after assuming office for the second time as Nepal’s Prime Minister on 4th August 2016.
• Dahal will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow and is also expected to call on other Cabinet ministers.
• Zurich in Switzerland has been named the most sustainable city in the world by global design and consultancy firm Arcadis. 
• Top 5 in the List :
• Zurich (Switzerland)
• Singapore 
• Stockholm (Sweden)
• Vienna
• London
• 51 countries at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) summit in Hawaii voted in favour of an international ban on the dumping of mining waste at sea. 
• Only Norway and Turkey voted against the proposal put forward by countries like Iran and the Philippines. 
• Note : IUCN is an advisory body that decides global conservation agenda.
• The Canadian government has approved a new law which allows doctors to prescribe pharmaceutical-grade heroin to treat severe heroin addicts. 
• Note : Supervised heroin use was legal in Canada till 2013 and is still allowed in countries like Germany and Switzerland.
• The joint military training exercise between India and United States dubbed as “Yudh Abhyas 2016” has begun in Chaubattia in Uttarakhand. 
• It is the 12th edition of the joint military exercise hosted alternately by the two countries. 
• The two week (from September 14 to 27) exercise will witness participation of about 225 personnel of Congo Brigade of the Indian Army and similar strength of the US Army. 
• The US has agreed to provide military assistance worth around $38 billion to Israel.
• This is the largest military aid to any country in US history. 
• The new 10-year deal which starts from 2019, binds Israel to buy products from the US defence industry. 
• Note : Israel already gets $3.1 billion annually from the US in military assistance.

National Affairs

• Today is Engineer's Day.
• This Day is observed in India on September 15 in honour of Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya who was born on the day in 1860.
• He was the chief designer of the flood protection system designed and built for the city of Hyderabad, as well as the chief engineer responsible for the construction of the Krishna Raja Sagara dam in Mysore which created the largest reservoir in Asia at that time.
• A recipient of India's highest honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1955, he was knighted as a Commander of the British Indian Empire by King George V before Independence.

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14th September 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

International Affairs

• Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani is on a Two day visit to India.
• This is his 2nd visit to the country.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi received him and expressed concern over the continued use of terrorism in the region for achieving political gain. 
• The two leaders called for an end to all sponsorship, support, safe havens, and sanctuaries to terrorists, including for those who target Afghanistan and India.
• The monthly global temperature analysis by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) has shown that August 2016 was the hottest August in the last 136 years. 
• Note : This year's August and July were reportedly the warmest months in the modern times. 
• GISS Director : Gavin Schmidt
• New Zealand PM John Key today announced a ban on forced marriages and introduced family member abuse as a separate offence in a crackdown on domestic violence. 
• Note : New Zealand police investigated over 100,000 incidents of family violence last year, with one in every three New Zealand women reporting an experience of sexual or physical abuse in their lifetime.
• The third edition of BRICS Urbanisation Forum Meet has started in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. 
• The three days conference was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N. Chandrababu Naidu in the presence of Union Minister of Urban Development, M. Venkaiah Naidu.

MOUs & Agreements

• India and Afghanistan signed 3 MoUs after talks between Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
• 1st MOU : Mutuala Legal Assistance Treaty 
• 2nd MOU : Treaty on extradition.
• 3rd MOU : Peaceful uses of outer space.

National Affairs

• The ten-day celebrations of the harvest festival Onam have begun in Kerala and other parts of the country today. 

• The festival, which falls during the Malayalam month of 'Chingam', commemorates the homecoming​ of King Mahabali. 
• Traditional dance forms such as the 'Thiruvathirakali' are performed during the festival, while the 'Vallamkali' (snake boat race) event also takes place.

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13th September 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

International Affairs

• The World Trade Organization (WTO) today announced that India has complained to the international trade regulator regarding the support given to the renewable energy industry in eight US states. 
• In this regard, India told the WTO that the US’ subsidies and domestic content requirements are inconsistent with WTO norms as they favour domestic products over imported goods.
• India, and 21 other countries have been designated as ‘Major Illicit Drug Producing Countries’ by US President Barack Obama. 
• Other countries in the list include Pakistan, Bahamas, Afghanistan, and Mexico, among others. 
• Following an agreement between the US and Russia, a nationwide ceasefire went into effect in Syria today's evening. 
  
• This is the second attempt this year by Washington and Moscow to halt the five-year-old civil war. 

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12th September 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

International Affairs

• Today (12th September) is United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation.
• China and Russia have started naval drills in the disputed South China Sea today. 
• China claimed that the "routine" drills, which are expected to last eight days, are only aimed at strengthening cooperation. 
• This comes amid tensions in the contested waters after a UN court ruled that China does not have "historic rights" over the region.

National Affairs

• The government today approved the Human Resource Development Ministry's proposal to set up a Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) that will pro vide funds for research-oriented infrastructure in premier institutions like IITs and IIMs. 
• HEFA is expected to raise up to ₹20,000 crore for funding world-class labs and mobilise CSR funds for promoting research in these institutions on a grant basis.

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11th September 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

International Affairs

• Thai and Malaysian leaders have today announced that they are considering building a border wall to combat transnational crime and smuggling. 
• The two countries already signed a security cooperation deal to step up intelligence sharing against cross-border terrorism.
• This comes after bombings in Thai tourist towns in August allegedly​ by Muslim separatists, according to police.
  

National Affairs

• The two-day International Buddhist Conclave is going to be held during 3rd and 4th October 2016 at Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh. 
• Aim : To promote Buddhist sites in Bodhgaya and Sarnath.
• This conclave is being organised by the Tourism Ministry of India.
• Buddhists and foreign delegates from over 40 nations are expected to attend the meet.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav will be attending the inauguration.

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