1. Sushma
Swaraj in New York to Attend UNGA Session
i.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj arrived in New York to
represent India at the annual UN General Assembly, UNGA, session.
ii. In the first move, Mrs. Swaraj would kick off her official
engagement with a trilateral meeting of foreign ministers of India, US, and
Japan to give momentum to their cooperation. India is among the 120 countries
that have supported the reform efforts of the UN Secretary-General.
2. Railways Cuts Down Sleeping Hours for Passengers
i. According to a circular issued by the
railway board, the passengers in the reserved coaches can only sleep
between 10 pm and 6 am to allow others to sit in the seats for the
rest of the time.
ii. Until the circular was issued, the existing
permissible time for sleeping was between 9 pm and 6 am. The new provision
replaces paragraph 652 in the Indian Railways Commercial Manual, Volume I. This
provision is applicable to all reserved coaches with sleeping accommodation.
3. Indigenous
Artillery Gun Sets New World Record in Range
i. An
indigenous artillery gun, Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), being
developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has set
a new world record in range by hitting targets at a distance of 48 km.
ii. During
trial firings at Pokhran ranges, ATAGS registered the longest ever distance of
48.074 km,
4. Long-Endangered
Snow Leopard Upgraded to 'Vulnerable' Status
i. The
elusive snow leopards, long considered an endangered
species, has been upgraded to 'vulnerable'. But experts warned
the new classification does not mean they are safe.
ii. The
animals still face serious challenges including poaching and loss of
prey in their high Himalayan habitat. Using improved methods for
counting cat numbers, experts now estimate there are about 4,000 snow leopards
in the wild.
5. NASA’s
Cassini Spacecraft Ends 20-year Journey
i. The
National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) $3.9-billion Cassini
spacecraft ended its 20-year-long ground-breaking journey with a fiery
plunge into the Saturn’s crushing atmosphere.
ii. Operators
deliberately made Cassini dive into the gas giant to ensure that the planet’s
moons remain pristine for future exploration. No spacecraft has ever ventured
so close to the planet before.
6. Russia,
Iraq Restore Air Travel After 13-Year Freeze
i. Russia
and Iraq restored scheduled commercial airline services for
the first time since 2004. This move has been hailed as a sign of
stability returning to the war-torn country.
ii. Russia
suspended regular flights to Iraq in 2004 after the US-led
invasion in 2003 plunged the Arab country into war.
7. Amazon
Ties up With Bank of Baroda To Offer Micro-Loans To Sellers
i. Amazon
has tied up with Bank of Baroda for the loans, which can go up to Rs.
25 lakh.
ii. The
Indian arm of the US e-commerce giant, Amazon plans to provide unsecured
micro-loans, as low as 1 lakh, at interest rates as low as 10.45-11 percent at
a short span of 3-5 days.
8. India,
Japan sign Open Sky Agreement
i. India
and Japan today signed an agreement that will allow their airlines to
operate the unlimited number of flights between the two
countries.
ii. The
National Civil Aviation Policy, 2016, allows the government to enter into an
'open sky' air services agreement on a reciprocal basis with SAARC nations as
well as countries beyond a 5,000-kilometre radius from New Delhi.
9. PM
Modi inaugurates country's biggest dam, Sardar Sarovar Dam, Called 'Gujarat's
Lifeline'
i. Prime
Minister Narendra Modi today launched the Sardar Sarovar Dam - the world's
second-biggest - on the river Narmada in Gujarat.
ii. The 1.2-km-long dam, which is 163 meters deep, will irrigate
over 18 lakh hectares in the state, the water from the Narmada will flow into
over 9,000 villages through a canal network, Sardar Sarovar Nigam Limited
(SSNL).
10. Only
Marshal of IAF, hero of 1965, Arjan Singh Passed Away
i. THE
sole Marshal of the Indian Air Force, Arjan Singh, passed away at
the Army’s Research and Referral Hospital. He was 98 years old.
ii. Arjan
Singh had the honor of leading the fly-past of more than a hundred
IAF aircraft over the Red Fort on India’s first Independence Day, August 15,
1947. In 2002, on the occasion of Republic Day, he was granted the honorary
rank of Marshal, the highest military rank attainable, which before him only
two Army chiefs, K M Carriappa and Sam Manekshaw, had achieved.
11. PV
Sindhu wins gold!
i. PV
Sindhu becomes the first Indian to win the Korea Open Superseries with
an outstanding win over Nozomi Okuhara in the much-talked-about women's singles
final in Seoul.
ii. Olympic
silver medallist shuttler P V Sindhu beat world champion Nozomi Okuhara in a
thrilling final to clinch the women's singles title at the
Korea Open Super Series today.
12. Google
Tez UPI-Based Digital Payments App Launched in India
i. Google
Tez has become the latest UPI-based payments app in
the country. The new Google Tez app can be used to pay for movie tickets,
utility bills, and make other transactions online.
ii. Tez
means fast in Hindi, which the company stated was one of the selling points of
its new app. Google Tez is a standalone payments app, available on
Android and iOS, and is powered by UPI, a payments protocol built by
government-backed organization NPCI. The company has partnered with HDFC Bank,
ICICI, and State Bank of India for backend processing.
13. Airtel
Payments Bank, First Payment Bank to Integrate UPI on its Digital Platform
i. Sunil
Mittal-driven Airtel Payments Bank integrated the Unified Payments Interface
(UPI) on its digital platform, allowing customer choice and
convenience to facilitate secure digital payments.
ii.
Airtel Payments Bank has become the first payments bank in India to
integrate the UPI on its digital platform. In January 2017, Bharti Airtel
launched Payments Bank in India to enable transactions on digital platforms.
14. 69th
Emmy Awards: Complete List of Winners
i. The
69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were announced at the Microsoft Theater,
Los Angeles, California, U.S. The Handmaid's Tale became
the first web television series to win the award for Outstanding Drama
Series.
ii. Westworld and Saturday Night Live were the most nominated
programs, each with 22 nominations. Stephen Colbert was the
Host of 69th Emmy Awards.
15. President's
Medal for Former DIG D Roopa
i. Former
DIG D Roopa, who highlighted in a report alleged irregularities at the
central jail in Karnataka, was conferred the President's Medal.
ii. The
award was presented to Roopa for her meritorious service by Governor
Vajubhai Vala at a ceremony at Raj Bhavan in the presence of Karnataka
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
16. Iron
Union 5: US and UAE Joint Military Exercise
i. The US
and UAE's ground forces had begun a joint military exercise in
Abu Dhabi, as part of efforts to consolidate their bilateral relations
and exchange training and military expertise. Code-named Iron Union 5,
the drill is an extension of a series of Iron Claw exercises.
ii. The
exercise aims to upgrade and boost the readiness of the UAE's armed forces and
to allow both armies to promote their international co-operation in joint
military operations.
17. Peruvian
President Appoints Mercedes Araoz Fernandez as New PM
i. The
President of Peru, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski has appointed a former
Economy Minister Mercedes Araoz Fernandez as new Prime
Minister of Peru.
ii. She
served as an economy minister during part of the 2006-11 administration of
President Alan Garcia. Araoz replaced Fernando Zavala, who lost the
vote of confidence by lawmakers recently.
18. Y.C
Modi Named NIA Chief, Rajni Kant Misra D-G of SSB
i. Senior
IPS officer Y.C Modi has been named the chief of the National
Investigation Agency (NIA). The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
(ACC) approved Mr. Modi’s appointment as Director General of the NIA. He
will take over from Sharad Kumar after he completes his tenure on October 30.
ii.
Another senior IPS officer, Rajni Kant Misra, has been appointed Director
General of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). Mr. Misra is at present the
Additional Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF).
19. Iceland's
PM Bjarni Benediktsson Resigns
i. Prime
Minister of Iceland Mr. Bjarni Benediktsson has resigned from the
post. He lost his nine-month-old, center-right coalition after one party quit.
ii. The
President of Iceland, Gudni Th. Johannesson accepted the resignation of the PM.
Benediktsson took office in January 2017, uniting his Independence Party, the
Reform Party, and the centrists.
20. Infosys
Senior VP Sanjay Rajagopalan Quits
i.
Infosys Senior Vice President Sanjay Rajagopalan has resigned from his
post. The decision has come a month after Vishal Sikka stepped down as the
company's MD and CEO.
ii. He
was employed with Infosys from August 2014 to September 2017.
21.
‘Father of nephrology in India’ Dr KS Chugh dies of cancer at 85
i. Dr. KS
Chugh, the “father of nephrology in India”, breathed his last at the
Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER),
Chandigarh. He was 85.
ii. He
was a recipient of several national and international awards, including the
Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award, in 2000.
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