Introduction
Current Affairs is a type of broadcast journalism where the emphasis is on detailed analysis and discussion of news stories that have recently occurred or ongoing at the time of broadcast. The article Current Affairs September 24th 2018 includes News summary on current events of International, National, Banking, Sports, Appointments, Science, Obituaries importance of September 24th 2018.
International
IGI Airport 16th busiest in the world: ACI report on Airport Traffic
Key Highlights:
- On September 20, 2018, according to ‘The Annual World Airport Traffic Report 2018’ by Airport Council International (ACI), Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) is the 16th busiest in the world. It jumped 6 places from 22nd position in 2016.
- In 2017, IGI has handled 63.4 million passengers accounting for 14 per cent more passengers than in 2016.
- The first place was held by Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson in the US handling 103.9 million passengers in 2017,followed by Beijing with 95.8 million passengers.
- The other 3 consisting of the top 5 are Dubai International Airport handling 88.2 million passengers at third position.
- Tokyo and Los Angeles dealing with 85.4 million and 84.5 million passengers stood at 4th and 5th place.
- Passenger traffic in advanced economies grew 5.2 per cent while in emerging economies it rose 10.3 per cent in 2017.
- Traffic was measured on three thematic areas: passengers, cargo (freight and mail) and aircraft movements in 2500 airports of 175 countries.
Static GK:
- ACI Headquarters: Montreal, Canada
- Director General: Angela Gittens
Nepal to be world’s first country to double its tiger population
Key Highlights:
- Nepal is likely to become the first country in the world to double its tiger population.
- Nepal has announced that there are an estimated 235 wild tigers in Nepal currently. It has almost doubled from 121 tigers in 2009.
- If this trend continues, Nepal could become the first country to double its national tiger population.
National
Centenary celebrations of Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha inaugurated by President
Key Highlights:
- On September 24, 2018, President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the centenary celebrations of the Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha in New Delhi.
- This emphasized India’s diversity and multiculturalism.
Static GK:
- Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha Headquarters: Chennai
- Founder: M. K. Gandhi and Annie Besant
Home Minister chaired a meeting of central Zonal Council held in Lucknow, UP
Key Highlights:
- On September 24, 2018, Home Minister Rajnath Singh has chaired a meeting of the central Zonal Council in Lucknow.
- Chief minister Yogi Adityanath was vice chairman of the council and the host.
- The meeting comprised of the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand.
- It addressed the common concerns of the participating states and settled cross-border concerns.
Two-day National Orientation workshop on National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) inaugurated by Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, MoSPA
Key Highlights:
- On September 24, 2018, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal inaugurated the two-day National Orientation workshop on National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA).
- This workshop was organized by Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.
- It is a part of the e-Vishan mission on ‘One Nation One Application’ and the project cost is : Rs.739 Crore (approx.).
- The mNeVA (NeVA-mobile app) is a user friendly app that provides information on conduct of business in Legislatures accessible anytime, anywhere to everyone.
- It is a member-centric, decentralised digital application that has the day-to-day information available in the digital platform of e-Vidhan.
- The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, being the Nodal Ministry for the project of e-Vidhan aims to roll out NeVA in 40 Houses including two Houses of Parliament.
AP, Odisha & Madhya Pradesh Best Performing States in “Ease of Living Index” Under Amrut
Key Highlights:
- On September 24, 2018, the “Ease of Living Index” rankings were launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) at the National Dissemination Workshop on Ease of Living Index, 2018 in New Delhi.
- Andhra Pradesh has topped the charts followed by Odisha and Madhya Pradesh.
- The first round of Ease of Living covered 111 cities.
- Gurugram was subsequently included in the assessment.
- Four cities of West Bengal – Howrah, New Town Kolkata, Kolkata and Durgapur did not participate in the competition.
- Naya Raipur of Chhattisgarh and Amravati of Andhra Pradesh did not fulfill the parameters as they are green-field cities.
Sikkim’s first and nation’s 100th airport inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi
Key Highlights:
- On September 24, 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Sikkim and was received by Governor Ganga Prasad, Chief Minister Pawan Chamling. He inaugurated Sikkim’s first airport and nation’s 100th operational airport: Pakyong Airport in Sikkim.
- This was constructed at an estimated cost of Rs. 605 crore under UDAN scheme.
- It will provide regional connectivity and would initially only cater to domestic flights, the first of which would begin from October 4, 2018.
- This will also provide international flight services connecting Sikkim with other countries like Paro in Bhutan, Kathmandu in Nepal and Dhaka in Bangladesh.
- The Pakyong airport is located around 60 km from the Indo-China border and about 30 km from the state capital of Gangtok.
Banking
RBI shortlisted 5 IT firms for implementation of Centralised information and Management System (CIMS)
Key Highlights:
- On September 23, 2018, Reserve Bank shortlisted five IT firms for implementation of a centralised information and management system (CIMS) for data collection.
- The 5 IT firms are: Infosys, TCS, Capgemini, IBM, Larsen & Turbo Infotech.
- This is in line with RBI’s decision of data science lab where the analysts from different backgrounds such as-data analytics, statistics, economics, econometrics and/or finance would work on data collection from about 130 banks/entities.
Maha, Tamil Nadu & Karnataka account for 40 percent of retail loans: TrancUnion Cibil
Key Highlights:
- On September 24, 2018, according to a new report by TransUnion Cibil, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka make up for nearly 40 per cent of all retail loans in the country.
- The increase in retail balances were due to economic development and urbanization.
- The 3 states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka represent about 20% of the population of the country and 32 per cent of the credit active population.
- Overall, the 10 largest Indian states represented Rs 21.27 lakh crore in balances, which comprised almost 76 per cent of the total balance share.
- Out of this, Maharashtra had the highest retail balance of Rs 5.50 lakh crore, comprising of 20 per cent in the country, followed by Tamil Nadu with Rs 2.77 lakh crore and Karnataka with Rs 2.74 lakh crore.
- The lending rose by nearly 27 per cent between the second quarters of 2017 and 2018.
- Loans against property was the only product category which saw increase in rates to 65 bais points.
BSNL signed MOU with Softbank, NTT to roll out 5G, IoT service
Key Highlights:
- On September 24, 2018, BSNL has inked a pact with Japan’s Softbank and NTT Communications to roll out 5G and internet of things technology in India.
- Under this, BSNL and Softbank will work on satellite constellation which will have around 900 satellites to provide high speed internet services.
- The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has recommended auction of about 8,644 MHz of telecom frequencies at an estimated base price of Rs 4.9 lakh crore.
Sports
France Football launches Women’s Ballon d’Or
Key Highlights:
- On 24th September 2018, France Football magazine announced that, a women’s Ballon d’Or will be awarded for the first time in 2018.
- Ballon d’Or is awarded annually for men since 1956. This is the first time it has been introduced for women. The awards will be presented on 8 December 2018 in Paris, France.
Junior World Wrestling Championship held in Trnava, Slovakia
Key Highlights:
- From 17 to 23 September 2018, Junior World Wrestling Championship was held in Trnava, Slovakia.
- India won 7 medals: 4 silver and 3 bronze in the Junior World Wrestling Championship.
5th Track Asia Cup (cycling) 2018 in New Delhi: India finished on top with 6 gold, 5 silver, 2 bronze
Key Highlights:
- On 21-23 September 2018, the 5th Track Asia Cup (cycling) 2018 was held at the Indira Gandhi Velodrome in New Delhi.
- Track Asia Cup (cycling) 2018 event was organized by Cycling Federation of India (CFI). 12 countries participated in the event.
- India topped the medal tally with 6 gold, 5 silver and 2 bronze medals. It was followed by Indonesia in 2nd place with 4 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze and Hong Kong in third spot with 4 gold and 2 bronze medals.
Appointments
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih elected as the New President of Maldives
Key Highlights:
- On 24th September 2018, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih was elected the new President of Maldives. Ibrahim Mohamed Solih will be 6th President of Maldives. He replaces Abdulla Yameen.
- Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is 56 years old. He belongs to the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). He is one of the founding members of MDP.
- He has been representing Lhaviyani Atoll in the Maldivian Parliament since 1994. In 2011, he became the leader of MDP’s parliamentary group.
Static GK:
- Maldives Capital: Male
- Currency: Maldivian rufiyaa
S. Mubarak appointed as next Ambassador of India to Republic of Guatemala
Key Highlights:
- On September 20, 2018, B. S. Mubarak was appointed as next Ambassador of India to Republic of Guatemala.
- Presently he is the Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs.
- He would be replacing Mr. Rajeev Babu Kurup who has been the ambassador of India to Guatemala since 2015.
Science
US Scientists for first time grew miniature human oesophagus in lab with stem cells
Key Highlights:
- On September 24, 2018, US scientists from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Ohio, for the first time have used stem cells to grow human oesophagus — known as the food pipe — in the laboratory.
- They have used pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) in the process.
- The bio-engineered tissues grew to a length of about 300-800 micrometres in about two months.
- It can be used to study birth defects like esophageal atresia, the organoids can be used to study diseases like eosinophilic esophagitis and Barrett’s metaplasia.
Prithvi Defence Vehicle successfully test fired off the coast of Odisha
Key Highlights:
- On September 23, 2018, a two-layer Ballistic Missile Defence system, Prithvi Defence Vehicle was successfully test fired from Abdul Kalam Island of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) off the coast of Odisha.
- The Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV) would engage in targets in the exo-atmosphere region, above 50 kilometres of the earth’s atmosphere.
- Both the PDV interceptor and the target missile were successfully engaged with the help of radar-based detection and tracking system.
- It was guided by high-accuracy Inertial Navigation System (INS) supported by a Redundant Micro Navigation System.
- The test range was earlier known as earlier known as Wheeler Island of the Integrated Test Range (ITR).
Static GK:
- DRDO Headquarters: New Delhi
- Founded: 1958
Obituaries
Former Union minister Shantaram Potdukhe passes away
Key Highlights:
- On 23rd September 2018, former Union Minister and Congress leader Shantaram Potdukhe passed away following a short term illness, in Maharashtra.
- Shantaram Potdukhe was 86 years old. He was a four-time MP (Member of Parliament) from Chandrapur in eastern Maharashtra.
- He was a Union minister of state for finance. He had played a major role in development of educational institutes in Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts of Maharashtra.