Current Affairs Update: 12th and 11th September

Current Affairs Update: 12th and 11th September

Due to Some Technical Issues we are unable to posts on 11th Sept. So In this Current Affairs Update we Include all news updates from 10th September to 12th September. This Includes all Updates from Appointments, National and International Affairs, Rankings, Etc. We can say honestly this is the best platform for Current News Updates for any Government Competitive Exams. Try to saty updated on Daily basis so it would be easy for you to gothrough Our Monthly Capsule.

New Appointments: National

UIDAI chief A.B. Pandey appointed interim GSTN chairman

• The Unique Identification Authority of India’s (UIDAI) chief executive officer (CEO) A.B. Pandey was on Friday appointed interim chairman of the goods and services tax network (GSTN)—the firm providing information technology (IT) backbone and portal for registration and tax returns under the GST regime.
• Pandey was given additional charge days after GSTN’s first chairman Navin Kumar completed his term on 29 August.
• An order issued by the department of revenue under the ministry of finance said, “A.B. Pandey, CEO, Unique Identification Authority of India is assigned the additional charge of the post of chairman, GSTN with immediate effect and until further orders.” The UIDAI issues unique identification numbers (UID), named as Aadhaar, to all residents of India.

Banking/Economic Affairs

Asian Development Bank to provide $152 million to Nepal to enhance power transmission

• The Asian Development Bank will provide a USD 152 million to Nepal for the implementation and enhancement of its power transmission and distribution, officials said here today. The Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Nepal’s Ministry of Finance signed the loan agreement in Kathmandu.

National Pension Scheme upper age limit raised to 65, says regulator

• The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) on Monday announced that the upper age limit for joining the National Pension Scheme (NPS) had been raised to 65 years, from the current 60.

Rankings

IISc Bangalore remains the top university in India in the THE World University Rankings 2018, but has slipped to the 251-300 grouping. Oxford University Topped in Ranking. 

• Indian institutes continued to perform poorly in global university rankings with Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore sliding in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2018 published on Tuesday.
• Though IISc remained the top university in India, it was placed in the 251-300 groupings of the best universities, a fall from the 201-250 cohort of the previous edition of the ranking. After first 200 ranks the UK-based university ranking agency THE places universities in groups instead of assigning them individual ranks. IISc, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur and IIT Kharagpur were the top five Indian schools in the 2018 rankings.

Click Here to Check Complete Ranking List

Karnataka tops in manufacturing excellence: Assocham

• Karnataka has been ranked top among the states in the country in terms of manufacturing excellence, according to a study by apex industry body Assocham. Karnataka ranks third in attracting investments in the manufacturing sector, leaving behind states like Gujarat, the study added. Further, of the total investments attracted by states across the country, Karnataka accounted for a 6.3% share.

National Affairs

New support centre in Sharjah for Indians in distress on the 22nd floor of Damas Tower (Burj 2000), Indian ambassador opens Indian Workers' Resource Centre's second office During the inauguration of the IWRC centre in Sharjah.

• Indians in the UAE now have one more support centre to address their grievances. 
• The Indian Ambassador to the UAE Navdeep Singh Suri on Sunday afternoon opened the Indian Workers’ Resource Centre (IWRC) in Sharjah. 
• The Sharjah Centre on the 22nd floor of Damas Tower (Burj 2000) opposite the Central Post Office is the second office of the IWRC in the UAE after the one in Dubai that currently caters to Indians in all seven emirates.
• As first reported by Gulf News in July 2016, the Ministry of External Affairs decided to open a second centre in Sharjah considering the high number of Indian population in the emirate and easy access for those living in the northern emirates as well. 

Safe Water Network, an international NGO has partnered with Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to launch water ATMs, providing affordable, 24x7 safe water access in Hyderabad.

• The first of the ATMs was inaugurated by Telangana State Home Minister N Narasimha Reddy on Thursday at Nalgonda X Roads. A total of 200 ATMs will be set up to reach a targetted 150,000 people. In the first phase 50 water ATMs will be operationalised by next year.
• The initiative is supported by USAID under the Urban WaSH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) Alliance Partnership and funded by Honeywell India.
• Cloud based monitoring: These water ATMs use a seven step treatment process to purify water that adheres to national norms.
• They are connected via cloud-based technology for real-time monitoring and analyses operational parameters, thereby minimising downtime. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) is supplying raw water for these ATMs.

PM Modi Addressed Students' Convention On Young India New India on 125th Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi today addressed a students' convention to mark the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda's Chicago address at the World's Parliament of Religion in 1893. 
• "This year, we are marking 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda's Chicago address and Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya centenary celebrations," the prime minister said in a tweet. The theme of the address was "Young India, New India - A Resurgent Nation: from Sankalp to Sidhhi". The address focused on Vivekananda's teaching in the present day context. He also spoke about importance of cleanliness.
• The day also marks the centenary celebrations of BJP ideologue Deendayal Upadhyaya. The event was organised by the Deendayal Research Institute (DRI) and supported by the Culture Ministry.

An eight feet bronze statue of Indian freedom struggle leader Subhas Chandra Bose was unveiled at the naval base INS Netaji Subhas Kolkata, named after the iconic leader.

• Netaji's niece in law Krishna Bose cut the ribbon together with Eastern Naval Command chief, Vice Admiral H.C.S. Bisht to unveil the statue.
• GOC, Bengal Area, Lt Gen Gurpal Singh Sanga, Japan's Consul-General in Kolkata Masayuki Taga and several other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.
• Patriotic songs were played and tricoloured balloons released into the air on occasion of the joyous unveiling ceremony.

Govt launches a Total of Rs 50-lakh prize money for Smart City contest To promote competition among Smart Cities and measure the quality and impact of projects undertaken under the flagship programme.

• To promote competition among Smart Cities and measure the quality and impact of projects undertaken under the flagship programme, the housing and urban affairs ministry has launched Smart Cities Awards Contest, 2017, with a total prize money of over Rs 50 lakh.
• Senior ministry officials said the contest was aimed at recognising and rewarding cities, projects and innovative ideas that promote the goals of the mission.
• “The evaluation criteria will include impact, innovation and scalability/replicability in other areas of the city,” an official said.
• All projects completed by April 1, 2018, will be eligible for participation.
• The awards will be presented on June 25 next year, marking the third anniversary of the launch of the mission. “Excellence will be recognised and awarded in areas such as improving governance, quality of built environment, social infrastructure, culture and economy, environment, transportation, mobility and water and sanitation,” a ministry spokesman said.

India starts producing world’s most expensive coffee

• India, Asia’s third-largest producer and exporter of coffee, has started producing the world’s most expensive coffee, made from the poop of civet cat, on a small scale in Coorg district of Karnataka.
• The Civet coffee, also called as Luwark coffee, is expensive because of uncommon method of producing such a coffee.
• It is produced from the coffee beans digested by civet cat. The feces of this cat are collected, processed and sold. It is highly priced because it is claimed to be more nutritious and high cost involved in sourcing the animal dropping, wastage during processing and quality certification.

International Affairs

Tottenham Hotspur will have world's first dividing retractable pitch, so they can host football and NFL

• The new Spurs stadium will boast a space-age new pitch design that will allow Tottenham Hotspur to stage both football and NFL games.
• At the bottom of the stadium bowl, there will be an NFL-approved synthetic pitch.
• The turf pitch for football (i.e. soccer) will be rolled up and rolled on, using three long runners.

Prince Charles becomes longest-serving Prince of Wales 

• Charles, the heir to Britain's throne, today became the longest-serving Prince of Wales in history. 
• The 68-year-old broke the record of Queen's Victoria's oldest son Albert, who went on to become King Edward VII after holding the title of Prince of Wales for more than 59 years before becoming monarch. 
• Charles, who turns 69 in November, is already the oldest heir apparent. 
• However, as Albert -- known in the family as Bertie -- was made Prince of Wales when he was barely a month old, while Prince Charles was not given the title until July 1958, when he was nine, it has taken until now for him to overtake his great-great-grandfather. 

Science & Technologies

One of the biodiversity-rich uninhabited islands Parali I part of Lakshadweep has vanished due to coastal erosion and another four such territories in the sea are shrinking fast, claims a new study.

• Parali I island, part of Bangaram atoll, which was 0.032 km in 1968 has been eroded to an extent of 100%, resulting in its inundation, said R.M. Hidayathulla in his research work.
• Hidayathulla, who is from Androth in Lakshadweep, was awarded PhD in July this year by Calicut University in Kerala for his work “Studies on Coastal Erosion in Selected Uninhabited Islands of Lakshadweep Archipelago with Special Reference to Biodiversity Conservation.”

Application / Portal 

FSSAI launches online platform for food inspection, sampling

• To bring in transparency in food safety inspection and sampling, food regulator FSSAI today put in place a nationwide online platform and asked states to adopt this system as it would help eliminate discrepancy and make food safety officers accountable. 
• The web-based 'FoSCoRIS' system will help verify compliance of food safety and hygiene standards by food businesses as per the government norms. The new system will bring together all key stakeholders — food businesses, food safety officers (FSOs), designated officers, state food safety commissioners — on a nation-wide IT platform and data related to inspection, sampling and test result data will be shared seamlessly by all the officials. 

Agreements (MoU)

India, Afghanistan ink four pacts in areas of health and transport

• External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today met Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Salahuddin Rabbani in New Delhi. The two leaders held delegation level talks and reviewed entire gamuts of bilateral and regional issues. After the talks, four agreements were exchanged in areas like health and transport.
• Addressing the media, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj reiterated India's commitment to support Afghanistan as a secure, stable, united and prosperous nation. She said, strategic partnership with Afghanistan is an article of faith for India. She said, both nations remain united in overcoming challenges posed by cross border terrorism and safe havens and sanctuaries of terrorism.

Bharat Financial, IndusInd Bank sign exclusive merger talk deal for a potential merger with IndusInd Bank.

• Statements issued by BFIL and IndusInd Bank confirmed months of speculation over negotiations between the two parties. Another potential acquirer, RBL Bank, is now out of contention.
• BFIL Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director M R Rao said the merger would result in lower cost of funds and would help the company offer its customers savings products.
• On its existing and new initiatives, such as home improvement loan products, Rao said the company would continue to explore these after the merger.
• For IndusInd Bank, the immediate benefit will be deeper penetration in rural areas. BFIL has more than 1,400 branches, around 7 million customers and a loan book of close to Rs 11,000 crore. BFIL already works as a business correspondent for IndusInd Bank.

Summit /Conference / Events / Host

Kochi to host BWF Senior Badminton World Championships

• The coastal city of Kochi is all set to host the BWF World Senior Badminton Championships from September 11 to 17.
• The week-long tournament will see a total of 665 players from 40 countries battle it out in eight different age groups -- plus-35, plus- 40, plus-45, plus-50, plus-55, plus-60, plus-65 and plus-70 and will be played in all the five categories.
• A total of 175 players will represent India including Olympians -- Abhinn Shyam Gupta, Nikhil Kanetkar and V Diju -- along with three times Asian Games team bronze medallist Partho Ganguly and 1982 Asian Games bronze medallist Leroy D'sa.

Awards & Honours

Sikkim CM Pawan Chamling honoured at international event for work in organic farming on the occasion of the One World Festival.

• Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling was honoured for his pioneering work in the field of organic farming during a ceremony at Germany's Lagau on the occasion of the One World Festival.

Sports: Awards & Honours

India bags 2nd SABA (South Asian Basketball) U-16 Championship title at Bhutan, Nepal.

• India on Saturday clinched the 2nd South Asian Basketball, SABA, Under - 16 Championship title after registering a commanding win over Bhutan. Indian team dominated their opposition in the whole tournament and remained unbeaten in its all four matches and accumulated 8 points.

India finished fifth in the medals tally with one gold and two silver medals at the Moscow Shotgun World Championship at Russia.

• On the concluding day, India had two teams in the mixed team skeet event but both returned empty handed.
• While the pair of Angad Vir Singh Bajwa and Maheshwari Chauhan finished 17th in qualification round with a combined score of 92, Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Radhmmi Rathore ended 25th out of 41 teams with a score of 90.

Sloane Stephens Beats Madison Keys to Claim U.S. Open Title in Women tennis Category. 

• It was springtime in the United States, and the women’s tennis tour was in full swing, with the clay-court season underway. Kamau Murray received a call in April from his injured protégé Sloane Stephens, who explained that she was ready to start practicing.
• Murray, surprised at how soon the call had come after Stephens’s foot surgery in late January, said he told her, “O.K., call me when you can walk.’
• Nonetheless, they were soon on a court at U.C.L.A. in early May, with Stephens sitting on a wooden table with a racket in her right hand as Murray tossed her balls. He said he then had her sit on a backless office chair with wheels, so she could roll around and hit some more.

Jamie Murray and Martina Hingis reach US Open mixed doubles final

• All in all it has been a mixed week for the Murray family. On Wednesday Andy confirmed he would probably miss the rest of the season to let his hip heal; on Friday his elder brother Jamie combined with Martina Hingis to reach the final of the mixed doubles with a tense but convincing 6-4, 7-6 (8) win over Horia Tecau and Coco Vandeweghe.
• Murray and Hingis, the Wimbledon champions, got the job done in a tight tussle on the intimate, half-filled Grandstand court but they were not complaining. 
• While mixed doubles is on the outer periphery of the competitive game, it has its devotees and there was much to admire in the touch and artistry on show, especially from Murray.Hingis, the 37-year-old Swiss who won five slams in singles and whose late career has blossomed since she returned four years ago to shake up the doubles scene, said: “Jamie carried me pretty much for an hour and half. I’m the older player. But he did great.”

US Open final 2017: Rafa Nadal wins 16th grand slam to complete a Nadal-Federer 2017 clean sweep in Men tennis Category. 

• Rafael Nadal restored order to this eccentric US Open last night, easing to a comfortable 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 victory over giant South African Kevin Anderson on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
• This contest always had “blowout” written on it. Anderson came in as a first-time major finalist, and the lowest-ranked man – at No. 32 in the world - to play for the US Open trophy. No wonder Nadal had been listed at prohibitive odds to secure a 16th grand-slam title.
• Like the women’s final on Saturday evening, the big occasion soon dwindled away into predictability. Nadal was dominant throughout. He broke the giant Anderson serve - which touched 136mph at one stage - no fewer than four times, while never giving up a break point himself.

James Anderson becomes first England bowler to take 500 Test wickets

• James Anderson became the sixth bowler and first Englishman to take 500 Test wickets when he clean bowled West Indies’ Kraigg Brathwaite for four on Day 2 of the third Test at Lord’s on Friday. (ENG vs WI Scores)
• Anderson began the match on 497 and took the wickets of Brathwaite and Kyle Hope before Ben Stokes ran through the visitors in the first innings with a six-wicket spell.

Sumit Nagal wins ITF Futures tournament in the 8th MCC – S R Subramaniam Memorial ITF Futures Men’s tennis championship.

• Sumit Nagal of India blasted Colin van Beem of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-0 in the singles final to justify the top billing in the 8th MCC – S R Subramaniam Memorial ITF Futures Men’s tennis championship here today.
• The top-seed played fluently from the start, stroking the ball and kept his rival on the run. In the 3rd game of the match, van Beem had two break points but could not convert on both. Nagal held serve after a scare and didn’t look back getting a break in the eighth game.