Current Affairs Update – 28-30 September, 2016

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• The Union Government on 29
  September 2016 launched Progress Panchayat. This Panchayat is aimed at reach
  out the minority community and publicize the various welfare measures taken by
  the NDA government for their betterment.
• The programme was kick started by
  Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs (independent charge) Mukhtar Abbas
  Naqvi from Mewat region of Haryana. The programme will be organized in 100
  places across the country in the coming days where Union Ministers will
  interact with people about the several schemes.
• During the programme, the
  government will also seek feedback and suggestions from the people for better
  implementation of the welfare schemes.

• Indian Army conducted surgical
  strikes on terror launch pads across the Line of Control. Director General of
  Military Operations Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh said the motive of the
  operation was to hit out at the terrorists who were planning to infiltrate into
  the Indian Territory.
• Lt General Singh informed that
  significant casualty was caused to terrorists during the operation. He said
  that it is a matter of serious concern that there have been many infiltration
  bids by terrorists at LoC and it was reflected in the terror attacks in Poonch
  and Uri on 11 September and 18 September 2016.
• As per DGMO nothing was done
  despite India’s persistent request to Pakistan not to allow territory under its
  control to be used for terror activities. He said Pakistan gave a commitment to
  India in 2004 that it will not allow its soil to be used for anti India terror
  activities.
• Besides, he also informed that
  almost 20 infiltration attempts have been successfully foiled by Indian Army in
  2016. India has also offered consular access to apprehended terrorists from
  Pakistan and finger prints and DNA samples of the terrorists killed in Uri and
  Poonch attacks can also be made available to the neighbouring country.

• Indian Space Research
  Organization (ISRO) and Telangana government on 28 September 2016 signed a
  Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide digital classes across the state
  through its state channel Mana TV.
• As per the MoU, the ISRO’s
  Development & Educational Communication Unit (DECU) will work with the
  state government to disseminate educational content using satellite technology.
• IT Minister KT Rama Rao said that
  this arrangement would help the channel start coaching classes from 1 October
  2016. The channel will telecast a four-hour programme daily.
• Besides, about 6000 schools of
  the state will launch digital classes from 14 October 2016. The digital classes
  will provide a platform for lakhs of students and job aspirants to get quality
  education.

• The Union Government gave its
  approval to change the name of Gurgaon to Gurugram.
• Haryana Chief Minister Manohar
  Lal Khattar on 27 September 2016 announced that the city as well as the
  district of Gurgaon will now onwards be known as Gurugram.
• Also known as the Millennium
  City, Gurgaon is recognized both nationally and globally as an industrial,
  information technology, software and corporate hub.

• World Economic Forum (WEF) on 27
  September 2015 released the Global Competitiveness Report (GCR) 2016-2017. The
  report assesses the competitiveness landscape of 138 economies.
• The 2016-17 report comes out in the
  context of persistent slow growth and a near-term outlook that is fraught with
  renewed uncertainty fueled by continued geopolitical turmoil, financial market
  fragility, and sustained high debt levels in emerging markets.
• Despite unorthodox monetary policy,
  global GDP growth has fallen from levels of 4.4 percent in 2010 to 2.5 percent
  in 2015. This fall in growth reflects not only the productivity slowdown
  documented in 2015-16 Report, which has continued during 2016, but also what
  now seems like a long-term downward trend in investment rates.
• Switzerland, Singapore and the US
  remain as the world’s most competitive economies.
• The report highlights that for
  second consecutive year, India has jumped 16 places in the GCI report to occupy
  the 39th spot. In 2015-16 GCI report, India was placed at 55th position as
  compared to 71st rank in 2014-15 report.
• In the report, India showed
  biggest improvement in rankings as its competitiveness improved on several
  fronts including efficiency in goods market, business sophistication and
  innovation.

• Online fashion portal Myntra on
  29 September 2016 announced the appointment of Dipanjan Basu as the Chief
  Financial Officer (CFO).
• Basu’s appointment will be
  effective from 17 October 2016.
• Previously, Dipanjan Basu served
  as the Chief Finance & Operating Officer for Wipro’s Digital &
  Consulting Business where he was responsible in building and setting up new
  businesses, M&A and investments in startups.

• Retired IAS officer Shakti Sinha
  was on 29 September 2016 appointed as the Director of Nehru Memorial Museum and
  Library (NMML). His appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of
  the Cabinet (ACC).
• Sinha, who served in the Prime
  Minister’s Office during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure, was also Director in
  India Foundation, a think tank aligned to the RSS.
• The post of Director of NMML was
  vacant since the resignation of its previous Director Mahesh Rangarajan in the
  year 2015.

• The Union Government on 29
  September 2016 appointed R Subramania Kumar as Executive Director (ED) of
  state-owned Indian Overseas Bank.
• Kumar is currently serving as the
  Executive Director of Indian Bank.

• The United States on 27 September
  2016 appointed its first Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis to Cuba in 55. The two
  countries broke off relations in 1961 after the communist revolution.
• He was appointed to the post by
  President Barack Obama, who said that it was a step towards a more normal and
  productive relationship. He said that there was no better qualified public
  servant.
• But this appointment will need an
  approval from the Republican-led Senate, which has opposed to his dealings with
  the communist island.
• The new ambassador DeLaurentis
  had been working at the new US embassy in Havana, which opened since 2014. He
  served in Havana during the transition period between the two nations which
  includes re-opening of embassies in Washington and Havana. This was followed by
  resuming travel and trade relations on a limited basis.

• Executive Directors of the World
  Bank on 27 September 2016 agreed unanimously to reappoint Jim Yong Kim to a
  second five-year term as President of the World Bank Group, beginning 1 July
  2017. 
• The Board noted that in the first
  year of Kim’s leadership, which began in July 2012, shareholders endorsed two
  ambitious new goals for the institution. 
• They were: Elimination of extreme
  poverty by 2030, and Promotion of shared prosperity. These new initiatives
  boosted the income growth of the bottom 40 percent of the population in every
  developing country.

• The International Translation Day
  was on 30 September 2016 observed across the world with the theme Translation
  and Interpreting: Connecting Worlds.
• This is the annual event for the
  translation community and event is marked with a series of dedicated events,
  seminars and symposiums across the world.
• In 1991, FIT launched the idea of
  an officially recognised International Translation Day to show solidarity of
  the worldwide translation community in an effort to promote the translation
  profession.

• World Maritime Day was observed
  across the world on 29 September 2016. Theme for the day is shipping:
  indispensable to the world.
• The theme was chosen to focus on
  the critical link between shipping and global society and to raise awareness of
  the relevance of the role of International Maritime Organization (IMO) as the
  global regulatory body for international shipping. The importance of shipping
  to support and sustain today’s global society gives IMO’s work a significance
  that reaches far beyond the industry itself.
• Besides, to mark the 2016 World
  Maritime Day, a parallel event will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, from 4 to 6
  November 2016.

• World Rabies Day was observed on
  28 September 2016. The theme for World Rabies Day is Rabies: Educate.
  Vaccinate. Eliminate. The day is annually celebrated to raise awareness about
  rabies prevention and to highlight progress in defeating the disease.
• The theme of the day emphasises
  on the two crucial actions that communities can do to prevent rabies. It also
  reflects the global target to eliminate all human deaths from dog-mediated
  rabies by 2030.
• In addition, 28 September also
  marks the anniversary of Louis Pasteur’s death, the French chemist and
  microbiologist, who developed the first rabies vaccine.

• The Indian men’s hockey team
  lifted the 4th U-18 Asia Cup after defeating hosts Bangladesh 5-4 in a pulsating
  summit clash here on Friday.
• The young Indians held their
  nerves in the dying moments of the nail-biting finale as they exacted revenge
  for a 4-5 loss to the hosts in the tournament opener.
• With the half time score tied at
  1-1, the second half of the game began at a frantic pace as India took the lead
  with two quickfire goals before Bangladesh levelled the scores 3-3.
• India responded immediately by
  slotting their fourth goal but the hosts kept their hopes alive by levelling
  the scores again. As the game wore on, Bangladesh slowly started to wrest away
  the rhythm.

• Indian women’s Kabbadi team on 28
  September 2016 bagged gold medal at the 5th Asian Beach Games. In the summit
  clash played at Bien Dong Park in Danang, Vietnam, the team defeated Thailand
  41-31.
• This was fifth gold in succession
  for the Indian team. The Indian women’s kabaddi team had been winning the gold
  since the inception of the biennial Games in 2008.
• For Thailand, it was the fifth
  time in a row they had lost to India in a final.
• Besides, the Indian men’s beach
  kabaddi team settled for the Silver medal. The Indian team lost the game to
  arch-rivals Pakistan 28-30. India had won gold in men’s beach kabaddi the 2008
  and 2010 editions.

• The Local Organising Committee
  (LOC) of the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 on 27 September 2016 unveiled the
  Official Emblem for the event. The FIFA U-17 World Cup will be India’s first
  international football event.
• The FIFA U-17 World Cup India
  2017 will be held in six venues across the country during October 2017.
• The emblem of the first-ever FIFA
  tournament in India was designed as a celebration of the country’s richness and
  diversity of cultures. The logo includes elements of the Indian Ocean, the
  banyan tree, the kite and the starburst, which is an interpretation of the
  Ashoka Chakra, an integral part of the national identity.
• Each of the elements has been
  selected for its deep significance in the culture of the country.

• The Indian Ocean that serves as
  the base of the emblem is an integral part of the subcontinent.
• The banyan tree is the national
  tree of India, deeply rooted in the culture and ethos of India.
• The kite is the symbol of freedom
  and fun. Popular across the country, it represents the soaring aspirations of
  India’s young and vibrant democracy.
• The starburst that sits on the
  top of the emblem evokes festivity and celebration.

• Noted Telugu writer Prof.
  Kalakaluri Enoch was on 29 September 2016 conferred with Moortidevi Award of
  Bharatiya Jnanpith for the year 2015 at function in New Delhi. The award was
  given for his novel Ananta Jeevanam.
• The novel was thought-provoking
  and contemplative as it depicted the struggle of the weak, the downtrodden and
  the common man of Rayalaseema. This is the first time a Telugu writer was
  selected for the award.
• Veteran art historian Dr Kapila
  Vatsyayana presented the award to Prof. Kalakaluri Enoch.

• Airports Authority of India’s
  Tirupati Airport on 27 September 2016 was awarded the Best Tourist Friendly
  Airport under the category for State Annual Excellence Awards for the year
  2015-16 by Andhra Pradesh Tourism.
• The award was presented on the
  eve of World Tourism Day by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Nara Chandra
  Babu Naidu at Bhawani Islands, Vijayawada.

• Veteran music director and
  violinist Uttam Singh on 27 September 2016 was named for the 2016 Lata
  Mangeshkar Award for Lifetime Achievement of the Maharashtra Government.
• The award carries a citation, a
  trophy and 500000 rupees in cash.
• His songs and score for the movie
  Pinjar won him much critical acclaim. It is considered to be his finest work as
  composer.

• Four SAARC member countries,
  namely India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan, decided to boycott the 19th
  SAARC Summit to be hosted by Pakistan. The summit is scheduled to be held in
  Islamabad from 9 to 10 November 2016.
• India was the first nation to boycott
  the summit. It conveyed to current SAARC Chair Nepal that increased
  cross-border terrorist attacks in the region and growing interference in
  internal affairs of member states by one country created environment which is
  not conducive to successful holding of Summit.
• Later, India was joined by
  Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan who pulled out of the summit by citing the
  problem of terrorism in the region.
• As per rules, the summit is
  postponed if any head of state or government decided not to participate in the
  summit. But a formal announcement can be made only by Nepal after internal
  consultation. Nepal is the current chair of SAARC.

• World Health Organization (WHO)
  on 27 September 2016 released its report on pollution, which is extremely
  worrying. The report claims that 92 percent of the world’s population lives in
  places where air quality levels exceed WHO limits. This mean, 9 out of 10
  people globally are breathing poor quality air.
• Maria Neira, head of the WHO’s
  department of public health and environment, termed the report as a ‘public
  health emergency’. She also urged governments to take up measures like cutting
  the number of vehicles on the road, improving waste management and promotion of
  clean cooking fuel.
• The WHO report is based on data
  collected from more than 3000 sites across the globe. According to the report,
  poorer countries have much dirtier air than the developed world.

• The world’s first baby was born
  from a new procedure that combines the DNA of three people. The baby was born
  in Mexico.
• The baby was born on 6 April 2016
  after his Jordanian parents travelled to Mexico where they were cared for by US
  fertility specialists.
• The baby was born using the new
  and controversial technology, called mitochondrial donation, which incorporates
  DNA from three persons.
• The five-month-old boy has the
  usual DNA from his parents, and a small amount of genetic code from a donor.