DAILY GK -- SEPTEMBER 21 TO 30, 2016

thanks : www.bankersadda.com

21th september, 2016

Indira Awas Yojana Renamed After Prime Minister

i. The flagship rural housing scheme Indira Awas Yojana (IAY), started by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, has been restructured and renamed as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), which will be launched next month.

i. The IAY will be subsumed by the PMAY from April 1 next year. Under the new scheme, the government is aiming to construct one crore houses by 2019.

Govt merges Railway Budget with Union Budget

i. The Cabinet today approved the scrapping of the 92-year old practice of presenting a separate Railway Budget and merged it with the Union Budget.

ii. The Cabinet also approved the advancing of the date of presentation of the Union Budget to February 1, as against the current practice of presenting it on the last working day of February.

Centre announces new list of 27 smart cities

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency Varanasi made it to the list of 27 Smart Cities that was announced.

ii. Vadodara, Agra, Nagpur, Ajmer, Amritsar, Gwalior, Thane and Thanjavur are some of the other cities that have been named.

iii. The 27 cities will require the investment of Rs 66,883 crore.

Government approves 9 highway projects worth Rs 2,600 cr

i. The central government has approved nine highway projects at a cost of Rs 2,600.31 crore.

ii. These projects include Rehabilitation and Up-gradation of Allahabad-Mirzapur section of NH-76 in Uttar Pradesh to 2-lane.

iii. The other highways approved are in the states of Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Shubha Mudgal to get 'LalitArpan Samman'
i. Hindustani classical singer Shubha Mudgal will be honoured with the annual 'LalitArpan Samman' this year.
ii. Mudgal, a Padma Shri recipient, was born in Allahabad and is known for her singing in genres of Khayal, Thumri and Dadra.

Bangladesh's Junaid Ahmad new World Bank head in India

i. Junaid Ahmad has become the World Bank's Country Director for India, replacing Onno Ruhl who served a four-year term based out of the national capital.

ii. The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries 

Google rolls out travel app

i. Google Inc. has rolled out Google Trips, a new travel app that lets users plan each day of their trip and help them manage travel reservations. 

Ajay Shirke re-elected as BCCI Secretary

i. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has elected Ajay Shirke as Secretary unopposed at its Annual General Meeting.

ii. Shirke became the secretary in July after Anurag Thakur was elevated as the president.

iii. In another major development, former Indian seamer Venkatesh Prasad was appointed as the new chairman of selectors.

Anup Kumar to lead India in Kabaddi World Cup
i. Star raider Anup Kumar from Haryana will lead India in next month’s Kabaddi World Cup to be held in Ahmedabad.
ii. All-rounder Manjeet Chillar will be Anup’s deputy in the 14-member squad for the tournament that is set to commence on October 7 and will feature 12 teams.

Misbah-ul-Haq becomes first Pakistani to receive Test mace from ICC

i. Misbah-ul-Haq has received the prestigious ICC Test Championship mace for inspiring Pakistan to the top of the ICC Test Team Rankings.

ii. This is for the first time a Pakistani cricketer has received the award.

iii. The current rankings system was introduced in 2003.

Flipkart becomes 1st e-commerce in India to cross 100 million customers

i. Flipkart has crossed the 100-million registered users mark, becoming the first e-commerce company in the country to hit the milestone.
ii. The Bengaluru-based company has doubled its user base over the last year.

iii. It added 25 million users in the past six months alone.

Oscar-winning writer and director dies at 71

i. Oscar-winning writer and film director Curtis Hanson has died at his home in Hollywood at the age of 71.
ii. He is known for his work in films like Kevin Spacey-starrer LA Confidential, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and The River Wild.

22th september, 2016

Delhi's Race Course Road renamed as Lok Kalyan Marg

i. Delhi's Race Course Road has now been renamed as Lok Kalyan Marg.
ii. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence is located on this road.

Mukesh Ambani tops Forbes' 100 Richest Indians list

i. Forbes India has released the annual India rich list and Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani has topped the Forbes' '100 Richest Indians' list.

ii. India's richest pharmaceutical magnate Dilip Shanghvi remains at 2nd. Click here for more

Centre appoints three members to Monetary Policy Committee

i. The Centre has appointed 3 members to the Monetary Policy Committee. 

ii. They are Chetan Ghate, Professor, Indian Statistical Institute; Pami Dua, Director, Delhi, School of Economics; and Ravindra Dholakia, Professor, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. The members will have a term of four years

Ritu Rani retires from international hockey

i. Former Indian women's hockey captain Ritu Rani has announced her retirement from international hockey.

ii. The 24-year-old midfielder made the announcement in a mail to Hockey India president Narinder Batra.

Mohan M Shantanagoudar new CJ of Kerala

i. Justice Mohan M Shantanagoudar was sworn in as Chief Justice of Kerala High Court. 

ii. Governor Justice(Retd) P Sathasivam administered the oath of office to Justice Shantanagoudar, who was the acting Chief justice.

Girish Chandra Gupta sworn in as Calcutta HC chief justice

i. Justice Girish Chandra Gupta was sworn in as Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court.
ii. West Bengal Governor K.N. Tripathi administered the oath of office to Justice Gupta at the Raj Bhavan
Dhoni named captain of India's all-time Test XI by Wisden

i. MS Dhoni has been named as captain of the Wisden's all-time India Test XI team.

ii. The team was announced as India is all set to face New Zealand in Kanpur for their 500th test match. 

HDFC Bank named India’s most valuable brand

i. HDFC Bank has emerged as India’s most valuable brand for the third consecutive year, ranking first on the BrandZ Top 50 list released by WPP Group.

iii. HDFC Bank was followed by Airtel and SBI in the list.

Rafale deal cleared

i. The government has cleared the much-anticipated deal with France for 36 Rafale fighter jets which will cost 7.878 billion Euros.

ii. Last year, the original plan to buy 126 planes was scaled down to 36 due to the Air Force's urgent requirement.

SIEMA inks pact with Anna varsity

i. The Southern India Engineering Manufacturers’ Association (SIEMA) has inked an agreement with Anna University, Regional Campus, Coimbatore (AURCC) to work jointly on projects required for industries.

Industrialist Adi Godrej conferred Clinton Global Citizen Award

i. Industrialist Adi Godrej, the Chairman of Mumbai-based Godrej Group, was conferred the 10th Annual Clinton Global Citizen Award for leadership in business and philanthropy.

ii. The award recognises Godrej's leadership in transforming the intersection of business and philanthropy and making the Godrej Group a global example of what can be achieved through inclusive, sustainable business strategies.

Oxford tops the list as the world's leading university

i. In the latest Times Higher Education world rankings index, Oxford topped the list as the world's leading university, followed by the California Institute of Technology, Stanford and Cambridge.

ii. The United States had 63 institutions in the top 200, while the UK had 32 and Australia had eight. 

iii. Asian universities, with more rising up the list in 2016, the region's top institution National University of Singapore was ranked 24th. 

23th september, 2016

President, PM launch VP's book titled "Citizen and Society"

i. President Pranab Mukherjee has released Vice President Hamid Ansari’s book ‘Citizen and Society’ at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

ii. The book is a collection of lectures delivered by Hamid Ansari ranging from the role of women in a multicultural society to other dynamics of a democratic nation.

Important Union Cabinet Approvals 

i. Cabinet gives ex-post facto approval to the enhancement of Pension for Freedom Fighters.

ii. Union Cabinet approved Agreement between India and Samoa for the exchange of information on Taxes

iii. Cabinet approves the provision of submarine optical fibre cable connectivity between Chennai and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Click here for more...

Andhra Bank ties up with Cigna TTK, Reliance General Insurance

i. Andhra Bank has entered into corporate agency agreements with Cigna TTK Company Ltd, and Reliance General Insurance Company Ltd for providing health and general insurance respectively, to its customers.

ii. These partnerships will provide mutual benefit to the bank and insurance companies in tapping the potential in the market and also help in increasing the insurance coverage

Sahoo is bankruptcy board chief

i. The Centre has appointed Madhusudan Sahoo as chairperson of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India. 

ii. Sahoo is at present a member of the Competition Commission of India. 

Navtej Sarna appointed Ambassador to the US

i. India's High Commissioner to UK Navtej Sarna was appointed as Ambassador to the US.

ii. Mr Sarna is also a prolific author of many fiction and non-fiction books, the most recent being 'Second Thoughts: On Books, Authors and the Writerly Life' that was released last year.

IOCL, GAIL sign MoU for taking equity stake in Dhamra LNG terminal

i. Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) and GAIL (India) Limited on 21 September 2016 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dhamra LNG Terminal Private Limited (DLTPL) for taking equity in the 5 MMTPA capacity LNG Receiving, Storage and Regasification Terminal.

ii. The Dhamra LNG terminal is being built by Adani Enterprises Ltd at Dhamra Port, Odisha.

Wipro acquires Chinese FMCG brand

i. Wipro Consumer Care & Lighting, the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) arm of Wipro Enterprises has signed a pact to acquire 100% shareholding in Zhongshan Ma Er Daily Products to boost its presence in the fast-growing toiletries and liquid detergent space in south China. 

India International Seafood Show in Vizag from today

i. The 20th Edition of India International Seafood Show (IISS-2016) to be organised by the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) will be kick-started in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. 

ii. India International Seafood Show is one of the largest Seafood Fairs in Asia.

Afghanistan signs peace deal with militant group Hezb-e-Islami

i. Afghanistan has signed a peace agreement with one of the country's largest militant groups Hezb-e-Islami led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. 

ii. This agreement paves the way for Hekmatyar to make a political comeback.

iii. As per the agreement, Hekmatyar will be granted amnesty for his offences and the prisoners of Hezb-e-Islami will be released by the government.

Two-Indians selected for wildlife awards

i. Two Indian forest officials, Sanjay Dutta and Ritesh Sarothiya, have been selected for the 2016 Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Awards. 

ii. Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Awards honours individuals engaging in exemplary law enforcement actions to protect wildlife.

24th september, 2016

India, Russia begin joint military exercise in Vladivostok

i. The 8th edition of the Indo-Russia joint military exercise ‘Indra 2016’ was flagged off in Vladivostok in Russia. 

ii. Indra, a portmanteau of the names of both the countries, is a biannual exercise which has been carried out between the two allies since 2003. 

Union Cabinet clears new India-Cyprus DTAA

i. The Cabinet has approved a revised Double Tax Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) between India and Cyprus that provides for source-based taxation of capital gains on transfer of shares instead of one based on residence.

Committees for the birth centenary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay

i. The PM, Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the constitution of two committees for the commemoration of the birth centenary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay.

ii. The Prime Minister will chair a 149 member National Committee, and the Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh, will chair a 23 member Executive Committee.

Arun Goyal appointed Additional Secretary in GST Council

i. Senior IAS officer Arun Goyal has been appointed as Additional Secretary in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council.

ii. The Council, headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, is mandated to decide on tax rate, exempted goods and the threshold limit.

Visaranai to take a shot at Oscar nomination

i. Visaranai, the Tamil docu-drama crime thriller, has been chosen India’s official entry to Best Foreign Language Film category at the 89th Academy Awards to be held in 2017.

Sanjiv Singh is new Chairman of IOC

i. Sanjiv Singh will be the new Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOC). 

ii. IndianOil Corporation Ltd is India's largest commercial enterprise.

TN government for Thaaliku Thangam scheme under marriage assistance programme

i. The Tamil Nadu government has allotted Rs 204 crore towards the implementation of the enhanced gold scheme under a marriage assistance programme. 

ii. Rs 204 crore has been allotted for ‘Thaaliku Thangam’ (Gold for Mangalsutra) scheme for the year 2016-17 to benefit 12,500 women.

First Jesse Owens Award goes posthumously to Muhammad Ali

i. The first-ever Jesse Owens Olympic Spirit Award-2016 will be posthumously bestowed to Olympic champion Muhammad Ali, who passed away on June 3, 2016. 

Childhood cancer awareness exhibition at Taj Mahal from Sept. 25

i. The first-of-its-kind exhibition on childhood cancer awareness will be held at the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra from September 25 to 27, 2016. 

ii. The exhibition ‘CanKids-Kidscan’ will be organised by National Society for Change for Childhood Cancer in India.

Hindi and Urdu writer Reoti Saran Sharma passes away

i. Reoti Saran Sharma, the renowned Hindi and Urdu writer, playwright and television personality, died in New Delhi on 23 September 2016. 

ii. He was 92 years.

25th september, 2016

Madhya Pradesh passes GST Amendment Bill

 The Madhya Pradesh Assembly has passed the Goods and Service Tax (GST) Constitution Amendment Bill. MP became the seventh state in the country to ratify the historic tax amendment bill.

 Before Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Himachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have already passed the bill in their respective assemblies. 

Sania Mirza-Barbora Strycova crowned women’s doubles champions at Pan Pacific Open

 India’s Sania Mirza along with her partner Barbora Strycova from Czech Republic produced a straight sets win over China’s Chen Liang and Zhaoxuan Yang  in the final to win the women’s doubles titles at Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on 24 September 2016.

 The current tournament in Tokyo is Sania’s 40th doubles title win and third in Tokyo.

Arun Goyal appointed Additional Secretary in GST Council

 Arun Goyal , senior IAS officer  has been appointed as Additional Secretary in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council. 

 The GST Council, headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, was mandated to decide on tax rate, exempted goods and the threshold limit.

Five Indian cities in the top 100 Mastercard Global Destinations Cities Index

 Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi , Kolkata and Pune are the Indian cities that have made to the list of  top 100 cities in the sixth annual Mastercard Global Destinations Cities Index. 

 Kolkata ranks 62nd in the index.The study is based on data from IATA, National Tourism Boards, IMF and other organisations.

Govt appoints ICICI Prudential AMC to manage new CPSE ETF

 The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management, Ministry of Finance has appointed ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company Ltd as the asset management company for the creation and launch of a new Exchange Traded Fund (ETF).

ftCash, ICICI Bank team up to launch UPI for micro-merchants

 Mobile payments and loans start-up ftcash, backed by IvyCap Ventures, is the first fintech start-up to launch Unified Payment Interface (UPI) for merchants in association with ICICI Bank.

 ftcash is a virtual POS for micro-merchants to accept payments through credit cards, debit cards, and wallets such as Freecharge, Mobikwik, and PayPal, among others.

Race Course Road renamed as Lok Kalyan Marg

 The Prime Minister's residential address will now be 7 Lok Kalyan Marg and not the famous Race Course Road with the authorities has approved the renaming of the iconic British-era road in posh Lutyens' Delhi.

 A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) presided by Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal.

Chandigarh Administration, French Development Agency sign MoUs

 Chandigarh Administration and French Development Agency (AFD) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoUs) on Chandigarh Smart City Project and 'Technical Cooperation' in the field of Sustainable Urban Mobility.

Rajasthan replaces 5 lakh streetlights with LED bulbs

 Rajasthan becomes the first state to adopt Centre's Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP) in all its urban local bodies (ULB). Almost 5 lakh conventional streetlights have been replaced with LED streetlights across the state.

 The project has been funded by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a public energy services company under the administration of Union ministry of power at no cost to the state.

Lopamudra Raut , the second runner-up at Miss United Continents 2016

 Lopamudra Raut makes india proud as she stands  tall as the second runner-up at Miss United Continents 2016, which was held on 25th Sept, 2016 in Ecuador.

 32 participants from the four continents of America, Asia, Europe and Africa were a part of this grand event. Whereas Jeslyn Santos from Philippines won the Miss United Continents 2016 title, Lopamudra Raut won the second runner-up title.

26th september, 2016

ISRO launches 37th Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from Sriharikota

i. The Indian Space Research Organisation has launched its 37th Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, carrying 8 satellites from its Sriharikota base.

ii. Out Of the eight satellites, three each are from India and Algeria, and the remaining are from Canada and the United States.

Anurag Srivastava appoints Ambassador of India to the Republic of Djibouti

i. Shri Anurag Srivastava, presently Ambassador of India to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, has been concurrently accredited as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Djibouti, with residence in Addis Ababa.

The Hindu wins reader engagement awards

i. The Hindu has been awarded the Silver and Bronze awards in the ‘Best Reader Engagement’ category of the South Asian Digital Media Awards at the WAN-IFRA (World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers) India 2016 conference in Kolkata.

Ajay Singh elected BFI president

i. Uttarakhand’s Ajay Singh has been elected president of the Boxing Federation of India.

ii. The Mumbai-based Jay Kowli won the post of secretary-general as the election process for the office-bearers of the new National federation was completed.

Alexander Zverev stuns Stan Wawrinka to claim St Petersburg Open title

i. Alexander Zverev clinched his first ATP Tour title with a three-set victory over world number three Stan Wawrinka in the final of the St Petersburg Open.

ii. Dominic Inglot and Henri Kontinen has won the 2016 St Petersburg Open Men’s Doubles title.

Japan to host 2026 Asian Games: Olympic Council of Asia

i. Japan’s Aichi prefecture and its capital city Nagoya were confirmed as co-hosts of the 2026 Asian Games. 

ii. South Korea is already hosting the Winter Olympics at Pyeonchang in 2018, while Tokyo hosts the 2020 Summer Olympics before the winter games go to Beijing in 2022.

Velavan wins Asian junior squash title

i. India’s Squash player Velavan Senthilkumar defeat Jordan’s Mohammad Al-Sarraj to won the U-19 Asian Junior Individual squash championship title in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

ii. Velavan is the second Indian to win the title after Ravi Dixit, who won it in 2010.

Indian shuttler Rituparna Das wins Polish Open

i. Indian shuttler Rituparna Das won the Polish Open after defeating compatriot Rasika Raje, in the women's singles final of the International challenge badminton event. 

ii. The women's doubles pair of Sanjana Santosh and Arathi Sara Sunil also clinched the doubles title after defeating top seeds Natalya Voytsekh and Yelyzaveta Zharka.

FCAT chairman Mahajan dies

i. The chairman of Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT), Justice (retd) S K Mahajan has passed away. 

ii. He was the Former Delhi High Court judge. 

ii. The Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) is a statutory body, under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting,  Government of India.

Arnold Palmer Dies In Pittsburgh At 87

i. Arnold Palmer, who is regarded as one of the greatest golfers of all time has died at the age of 87 in Pittsburgh from complications of heart problems.

ii. From 1958 through 1964, Palmer was the charismatic face of professional golf and one of its dominant players. 

27th september, 2016

World Tourism Day: 27 September

i. The World Tourism Day (WTD) is being observed annually on 27th September to raise awareness about the importance of tourism.

ii.Theme for the World Tourism Day is - "Tourism for all promoting universal accessibility’. 

CSIR celebrates its platinum jubilee

i. India's largest civilian research and development agency Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR is celebrating its platinum jubilee.

ii. The platinum jubilee celebrations will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is also the President of CSIR.

Govt removes Sushil Muhnot as CMD of Bank of Maharashtra

i. The Centre has removed Sushil Muhnot from the post of Chairman and Managing Director of Bank of Maharashtra.

ii. The head office of Bank of Maharashtra is in Pune.

Vijay Kelkar elected president of Indian Statistical Institute

i. Former petroleum secretary Vijay Kelkar has been elected as a president of the prestigious Indian Statistical Institute (ISI). 

ii. Vijay Kelkar has succeeded former RBI governor C Rangarajan. 

Sachin, Amitabh in new Swachh Bharat campaign

i. The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has launched an ad campaign featuring Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar, for the Swachh Bharat Mission.

ii. Under this campaign, three ad films featuring.

Pakistan assembly passes marriage bill protecting Hindu women’s rights

i. Pakistan’s lower house of parliament has passed a landmark bill giving its small Hindu minority the right to register marriages.

Veerappa Moily-led parliamentary panel to examine merger of budgets

i. The parliamentary committee headed by the Congress MP M Veerappa Moily, has been constituted to review the all budgetary reforms.

ii. Besides the budget, the committee will also review the disinvestment policy, the banking sector in India, RBI’s emerging role and its framework.

Tripura Legislative Assembly ratifies GST Bill

i. Tripura  becomes 22nd state to ratifies the Constitutional Amendment Bill on Goods and Services Tax (GST).

ii. State Finance Minister Bhanulal Saha moved a resolution to ratify the Constitution (122 Amendment) Bill, 2014 which was passed without any opposition.

Agriculture Minister inaugurates Krishi Unnati Mela in Mathura

i. The Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, Shri Radha Mohan Singh has inaugurated the 4 days Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Krishi Unnati Mela – 2016, in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran wins Belgium Open

i. Sathiyan Gnanasekaran has become only the second Indian table tennis player to win an ITTF event as he clinched the men's singles title of the Belgium Open. 

ii. Sathiyan won his first pro title by defeating local player Nuytinck Cedric

iii. Achanta Sharath Kamal is the first Indian to win an ITTF event in 2012. 

28th september, 2016

World Rabies Day: 28th September

i. World Rabies Day has observed on 28 September 2016. 

ii. The theme for the World Rabies Day - Educate. Vaccinate. Eliminate.

iii. The day is annually celebrated to raise awareness about rabies prevention and to highlight progress in defeating the disease.

India jumps 16 places in global competitiveness ranking

i. India has climbed 16 places to the 39th rank on the Global Competitiveness Index released by the World Economic Forum.

ii. Switzerland has topped the list for the 8th straight time.

Typhoon Megi Hits Taiwan

i. The powerful typhoon Megi has recently hit island-nation Taiwan with winds up to 230 km/hr that causing heavy rains and triggering damaging winds. 

ii. It is equivalent to Category 4 tropical cyclone.

Cabinet approves MoU with Singapore for industrial property cooperation

i. The Union Cabinet has given its formal nod for cooperation between India and Singapore on industrial property rights intended to boost innovation, creativity and technological advancement in both countries.

ii. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for industrial property cooperation between the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, approved by the Cabinet.
Project Saksham: 5 things to know about new indirect tax network of CBEC

i. Project Saksham, a new indirect tax network of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), has been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

ii. The total cost of the project is estimated to be Rs 2256 crore, which will be incurred over a period of 7 years.

Special trees in Delhi to get 'natural heritage' tag

i. The 16 trees located in Aravali and NCR to be notified as “protected” natural heritage, on the lines of recognising special monuments in Delhi, announced by Delhi Cabinet Minister Kapil Mishra.

ii. Some of the trees in the list are  banyan, ailanthus, mango, arjuna, and ashok. 

British woman, 26, becomes one of world’s youngest airline captains

i. A British woman has become one of the world’s youngest commercial airline captains at the age of 26.

ii. She flies Airbus A319 and A320 planes to around 100 destinations, such as Reykjavik, Tel Aviv and Marrakesh.

Microsoft Signed Adobe For Azure Cloud Computing Services

i. Tech giants Microsoft and Adobe has announced a major partnership to promote the use of each other's cloud-computing tools among their mutual customers.

Jim Yong Kim re-appointed as World Bank President

i. Jim Yong Kim has been re-appointed for a second five-year term as World Bank president, beginning July 1, next year

ii. The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programs.

Obama nominates ambassador to Cuba

i. The United States President Barack Obama has appointed its first Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis to Cuba in 55 years. 

ii. The new ambassador DeLaurentis had been working at the new US embassy in Havana, which opened since 2014.

IPS officer OP Singh taking over as the new Director General of CISF

i. OP Singh A 1983-batch officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre O P Singh took over as the new Director General of CISF.

ii. Prior to this serving as the Director General of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)

Telangana ties up with ISRO for bandwidth to telecast coaching programmes

i. The Telangana Government has signed an agreement with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to get bandwidth to telecast Mana TV programmes.

ii. To start with, the TV channel will air coaching programmes for students appearing for various competitive examinations to get government jobs.

Uttam Singh to be honoured with 'Lata Mangeshkar Award'

i. Famous 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.

ii. The award carries a citation, a trophy and 500000 rupees in cash.
Shimon Peres, former Israeli president, dies aged 93

i. The former Israel's defining political figures and a Nobel peace prize laureate, Shimon Peres has died at the age of 93. 

ii. He had served twice as a prime minister and once as a president. 

29th september, 2016

World Heart Day: 29 September

i. World Heart Day is being observed annually on 29 September across the world. 

ii. The objective of this day is to inform people around the world about the danger of heart disease and stroke.

iii. The World Heart Day 2016 theme is 'Light Your Heart, Empower Your Life'.

PMUY launched at Srinagar

i. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched in the state of Jammu & Kashmir at Srinagar by Hon’ble Chief Minister of J&K Mehbooba Mufti.

ii. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, which was launched by the Prime Minister on 1st May 2016 at Ballia (Uttar Pradesh).

World Maritime Day:  29 September
i. World Maritime Day is observed across the world on 29 September.
ii. The World Maritime Day theme for 2016 is "Shipping: indispensable to the world".

Indian women's kabaddi team wins gold in Asian Beach Games

i. Indian women’s Kabbadi team on 28 September 2016 bagged the gold medal at the 5th Asian Beach Games.
ii. In the final clash India defeated Thailand .
iii. Final was played at Bien Dong Park in Danang, Vietnam.

WHO declares Region of the Americas as Measles free

i. The World Health Organisation, a specialised agency of UN has declared the Region of the Americas as Measles free. 

ii. With this, the Americas became the first in the world to have eliminated measles, a viral disease that can cause severe health problems, including pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and even death.

Cuba and Russia sign agreement on Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation

i. Rosatom, Russian state nuclear agency, and Cuba's Ministry of Science on 27 September 2016 signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of peaceful atomic energy use.

ii. The deal was signed by Rosatom Deputy CEO for International Relations Nikolai Spassky and Cuban Deputy Science Minister Jose Fidel Santana.

Karnataka Bank inks distribution pact with Birla Sun Life AMC

i. Karnataka Bank Ltd has inked a memorandum of understanding with Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company for distribution of mutual fund products.

IWAI inks 3 MoUs with DCI and MPT for inland water transport

i. The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has signed three separate MoUs with Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) and Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) to accelerate the development of inland water transport sector as an alternative mode of transport in Panaji.
Former Australian cricketer Max Walker passes away

i. Former Australian cricketer Max Walker, whose awkward and unorthodox bowling action earned him the nickname ‘Tangles’, passed away. 

ii. Maxwell Henry Norman Walker was an Australian cricketer and Australian rules football player. 

30th september, 2016

International Translation Day: 30 September

i. The International Translation Day is being observed today on 30 September across the world with the theme "Translation and Interpreting: Connecting Worlds".

ii. 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. 

Riyadh Mathew is new PTI Chairman

i. Riyadh Mathew, Director of Malayala Manorama, Chairman and Managing Director of Indian Express has been unanimously elected Chairman of Press Trust of India (PTI). 

ii. Mr. Mathew,  succeeds Hormusji N. Cama.

Shakti Sinha to head Nehru Memorial Museum and Library

i. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the appointment of retired IAS officer Shakti Sinha to the post of director, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML). 

ii. The post of director at NMML has been lying vacant since last year. 

US& Vietnam navies begin 7th annual NEA in Da Nang

i. The US and Vietnamese navies have begun the 7th annual Naval Engagement Activity NEA, Vietnam 2016 at Tien Sa Port in Da Nang. 

ii. The exercise will also include Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea and search-and-rescue scenarios.

Telugu author Kolakaluri Enoch bags Moortidevi Award
i. Telugu author and eminent scholar Prof Kolakaluri Enoch was honoured with the 29th Moortidevi Award 2015 for his novel Ananta Jeevanam.
ii. The award was given to the author by noted historian Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan. 

Facebook, Amazon, Google, IBM and Microsoft on one Artificial Intelligence platform

i. Facebook, Amazon, Google, IBM and Microsoft, have joined hands to announce a historic partnership on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.

ii. These companies will discuss advancements and conduct research in AI and how to develop best products and services powered by machine learning.

World's first 3 parent-baby born

i. The world’s first child with genes from three people was born to a Jordanian couple in Mexico.
ii. The five-month-old boy carries not only the DNA from both his parents but also a tiny piece of genetic code from a donor in order to avoid inheriting a genetic condition that could kill him.

Rani becomes 1st Indian woman to cross 60m in javelin

i. Javelin thrower Annu Rani broke her own national record and in the process became the first Indian woman to cross the 60m mark on the third and penultimate day of the 56th Open National Athletics Championships in Lucknow. 

Syed Haq no more

i. Bangladeshi author Syed Shamsul Haq passed away in Dhaka. He was 81.

iii. He was an accomplished short-story writer, novelist, playwright and a very popular poet.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@