CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS
14th September 2022
National
News
President Droupadi Murmu nominated Gulam Ali from J&K to Rajya
Sabha
Gulam Ali, a Gurjar Muslim from Jammu and Kashmir, has been nominated to Rajya
Sabha by President Droupadi Murmu on the recommendation of the Central
government. In the notification, the
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), "In exercise of the powers conferred by
sub-clause (a) of clause (I) of article 80 of the Constitution of India, read
with clause (3) of that article, the President is pleased to nominate Shri
Gulam Ali to the Council of States to fill the vacancy caused due to the
retirement of one of the nominated members."
International News
US mortgage interest rates rise above 6% for
first time since 2008
US
mortgage interest rates increased above 6% for the first time since 2008,
Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) data showed on Wednesday. The average
contract rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage increased by seven basis points
to 6.01% for the week ending September 9. MBA added its Market Composite Index
(MCI) declined 1.2% from a week earlier.
Twilio to cut staff by 11% to reduce costs,
improve margins
Cloud
communications platform Twilio on Wednesday said it plans to cut its staff by
nearly 11% to reduce its costs, improve operating margins and create a better
selling capacity. The firm's restructuring will be completed by the end of Q4
2022, Twilio added. Twilio estimates it'll incur between $70-$90 million in
charges over restructuring plans.
India no.1 in sending students to US
colleges & universities: US Embassy India
"India
is the number one country for sending students to US colleges and
universities," Minister Counsellor for Consular Affairs US Embassy in New
Delhi Don Heflin said. "We issued 82,000 student visas this summer...a
record for us," he said. According to Open Doors report, there were
1,67,582 students from India in the 2020-2021 academic year in the US.
Qimingxing-50: China’s First Fully Solar-powered Unmanned Aerial
Vehicle(UAV)
China has successfully tested its first fully solar-powered unmanned aerial
vehicle (UAV) which can fly for months and can function even as a satellite if
required. The maiden flight of Qimingxing-50 has been achieved, making it the
first large-sized UAV powered only by solar energy, a Chinese government
official informed in a tweet. The
Qimingxing-50, with a wingspan of 50 m, is a high-altitude long-endurance drone
that is capable of high altitude aerial reconnaissance, assessing forest fire
and can also be used for communications. This technology will bolster Chinese
defences in space and at sea.
Norwegian central bank develops National digital currency using
Ethereum
National digital currency using Ethereum: Norges Bank, Norway's central bank,
made a significant advancement in its efforts to develop a digital currency by
publishing the open source code for the nation's central bank digital currency
(CBDC) sandbox based on Ethereum technology. This development was made possible
by the ongoing mainstream adoption of cryptographic technology. CBDCs are a type of electronic fiat money
backed by the central bank. Although they are not required to be, CBDCs can be
built on blockchain networks. However, the CBDC in Norway is built on Ethereum. The sandbox is made to provide a way to
communicate with the test network. The
Bank's official CBDC partner, Nahmii, stated in a blog post that it has also
enabled features including minting, burning, and transferring ERC-20 tokens.
State News
Uttar Pradesh tops in India, 8462 lakes developed under Mission Amrit
Sarovar
Uttar Pradesh becomes the first state in India to construct 8,642 Amrit Sarovar
(Lakes) in India. Amrit Sarovar is an ambitious mission initiated by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, which aims to conserve water for the future. Madhya Pradesh is in the second position,
Jammu and Kashmir in third, Rajasthan in fourth, and Tamil Nadu ranked in the
fifth position. Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh, secured the first position
within the state by constructing 256 Amrit Sarovar. Gorakhpur secured the second position by
constructing 245 lakes, and Pratapgarh secured the third position by
constructing 231 lakes. 15,497 Amrit
Sarovar was identified in different villages panchayats of which 8,462 Amrit
Sarovar have been already developed. These
Amirt Sarovars are twice the total number of Amrit Sarovar collectively
developed in Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu.
Appointments News
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi to be next Attorney General for India
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi is set to be appointed the 14th Attorney General
for India again after KK Venugopal vacates the post. This will be Rohatgi's
second time as AG, after his first stint between June 2014 and June 2017. At the end of June this year, AG Venugopal's
tenure was extended for a period of three months or "until further
orders". This extension is set to expire on September 30. Rohtagi will
take the seat of the country's top law officer from 1st October. People aware of the matter said Rohatgi gave
his consent for assuming the top post last week following a request from the
Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). Rohatgi was Attorney General for the Bharatiya
Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government between 2014 and 2017,
soon after the new dispensation took over.
Burjeel Holdings appoints SRK as brand ambassador
Burjeel Holdings, a private healthcare services provider in the MENA region has
signed Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan as its new brand ambassador. The company
is owned by UAE-based Indian entrepreneur Shamsheer Vayalil. The actor will
appear in a multi-platform advertising campaign in the region for the group
that will be unveiled in the coming weeks. This will be the actor’s first
healthcare ambassador role. In the past,
the actor has also tied up with Dubai’s tourism board to be one its brand
ambassadors. But that partnership ended as of early 2022. He was also the first
Indian celebrity to have received the UAE golden visa.
IBM and IIT Madras collaborate to promote quantum computing in
India
IBM and IIT Madras collaborate: Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
(IIT-Madras) and International Business Machines (IBM) have cooperated to
improve quantum computing research and talent development in India. IIT Madras joins the IBM Quantum Network's
global membership of over 180 organisations through this agreement. IIT Madras
also joins the global network of Fortune 500 corporations, start-ups, academic
institutions, and research labs using IBM Quantum technology to enhance quantum
computing and investigate business application cases as the "first Indian
university."
Agreements News
MeitY Startup Hub and Meta Collaborate to speed up XR technology startups
in India
MeitY Startup Hub and Meta Collaborate: In association with Meta, MeitY Startup
Hub (MSH) will introduce a programme to help and accelerate XR technology
entrepreneurs in India. The program's
announcement is scheduled for September 13, 2022. At the event will be Joel
Kaplan, Vice President, Global Policy, Meta, and Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar,
Hon'ble Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology, Skill
Development & Entrepreneurship. The
government's initiatives to develop skills in cutting-edge and future
technology include this collaboration. With
a big talent pool of creators, developers, and a thriving technology
environment, India is perfectly positioned to play a crucial role in the
metaverse. The world turns to it for
supply-side innovation, talent, and technology to meet the growing need for
digital goods.
Vedanta And Foxconn to Invest 1.54 Lakh Crore In Gujrat For Chip
Manufacturing
The Anil Agarwal-led-Vedanta Limited and Foxconn Group will invest more than Rs
1.54 lakh crore to set up an semiconductor ecosystem in Gujarat. The oil-to-metals conglomerate said Vedanta
Displays Limited will set up a Display Fab Unit with an investment of Rs 94500
crore and Vedanta Semiconductors Limited will set up an integrated
Semiconductor Fab Unit and OSAT (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test)
facility with investment of Rs 60000 crore.
The proposed semiconductor manufacturing fab unit will operate on the
28nm technology nodes with wafer size 300mm; and the display manufacturing unit
will produce Generation 8 displays catering to small, medium and large
applications.
BANKING, BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
SBI authorised to promote Rupee trade with
Russia: Export industry body Prez
India
has decided to authorise State Bank of India (SBI) to promote Rupee trade with
Russia and soon, Russia will name its bank to operationalise the mechanism,
said Federation of Indian Export Organisation President A Sakthivel.
"[Commerce Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam] said very soon Russian government
is going to identify a bank...Rupee trade with Russia will happen,"
Sakthivel said.
India's trade deficit widens to $27.98
billion in August: Govt
India's
merchandise trade deficit widened to $27.98 billion in August 2022 from $11.71
billion a year earlier, revised data released by the government showed on
Wednesday. The country's merchandise exports rose to $33.92 billion in August
from $33.38 billion in the same period last year. Meanwhile, India's imports
rose to $61.90 billion in August from $45.09 billion last year.
Govt to soon invite bids for
privatisation of IDBI Bank: DIPAM Secy
Department
of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey
on Wednesday said the department would soon invite preliminary bids from
investors for the privatisation of IDBI Bank. "It's...first of its kind
transaction where through a bidding route we'll be privatising...bank," he
said. The government presently holds 45.48% stake in the bank and LIC owns a
49.24% stake.
35,000 buses in Karnataka to go electric by
2030: Minister
Karnataka
Transport Minister B Sriramulu said the state government is planning to convert
35,000 buses to electric by 2030 keeping in mind environment and pollution related
concerns. He added that with the rising costs of diesel, they were incurring
losses. The Minister also said that the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport
Corporation (BMTC) is operating electric buses on a contractual basis.
'Moonlighting' not ethically right for
full-time employees: IBM's India MD
Sandip
Patel, the MD for IBM India/South Asia region, said, "All of our workers
when they are employed, they sign an agreement which says that they're going to
be working full-time for IBM." He added, "So moonlighting is not
ethically right for them to get into." 'Moonlighting' refers to the
practice of taking up secondary jobs after regular work hours.
Sachin Bansal helmed Navi Technologies approved by Sebi, for IPO
Navi Technologies approved by SEBI: The Securities and Exchange Board of India
(SEBI) has given Sachin Bansal's fintech business Navi Technologies the
go-ahead for an Initial Public Offering (IPO), which will help the Flipkart
co-founder in his efforts to build a financial services conglomerate. Navi Technologies submitted draft papers to
SEBI in March of this year in order to raise up to Rs 3,350 crore through a new
share offering. Sachin Bansal, who has a
97.39 percent ownership in fintech, stated that there will not be an offer for
sale (OFS) by shareholders in the IPO.
Science and Technology News
Hughes, ISRO Have Launched A Satellite Internet Service
Hughes Communication India (HCI), has collaborated with the Indian Space
Research Organization (ISRO), to launch its first high throughput satellite
(HTS) broadband internet service in the country. Since last year, the company
has been testing its operations in northern India. Through the first high throughout satellite
(HTS) broadband internet service, the company has promised to deliver
high-speed satellite broadband service to remote locations across India from
the desolate part of Leh Ladakh to the northeastern part of India.
Awards News
74th Primetime Emmy Awards 2022: Check the complete list of winners
The 74th Primetime Emmy Awards were held, to mark some remarkable American
television performances until mid-2022. Overall,
there are 40-plus categories, where writers, actors, directors and editors were
awarded for their remarkable work from June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022. The 74th
annual Emmy Awards hosted by Kenan Thompson at the Microsoft Theater in Los
Angeles.
74th Emmy Awards 2022: List of winners
|
Category |
Winner |
|
Outstanding
lead actress in a comedy series |
Jean
Smart-Hacks |
|
Outstanding
lead actor in a comedy series |
Jason
Studeikis – Ted Lasso |
|
Outstanding
comedy series |
Ted
Lasso |
|
Category |
Winner |
|
Outstanding
lead actor in a limited or anthology series or a movie |
Michael
Keaton - Dopesick |
|
Outstanding
lead actress in a limited or anthology series or a movie |
Amanda
Seyfried – The Dropout |
|
Outstanding
limited or anthology series |
The
White Lotus |
|
Outstanding
lead actress in a drama series |
Zendaya
– Euphoria |
|
Outstanding
lead actor in a drama series |
Lee
Jung-jae- Squid Game |
|
Outstanding
drama series |
Succession |
|
Supporting
actor in a comedy series |
Brett
Goldstein – Ted Lasso |
|
Supporting
actress in a comedy series |
Sheryl
Lee Ralph – Abbott Elementary |
|
Guest
actor in a drama series |
Colman
Domingo – Euphoria |
|
Guest
actress in a drama series |
Lee
You-mi- Squid Game |
|
Supporting
actor in a drama series |
Matthew
Macfadyen-Succession |
|
Supporting
actress in a drama series |
Julia
Garner- Ozark |
|
Supporting
actor in a limited series or TV movie |
Murray
Bartlett- The White Lotus |
|
Supporting
actress in a limited series or TV movie |
Jennifer
Coolidge- The White Lotus |
|
Television
movie |
Chip
‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers |
|
Guest
actor in a comedy series |
Nathan
Lane- Only Murders in the Building |
|
Guest
actress in a comedy series |
Laurie
Metcalf- Hacks |
|
Outstanding
writing for a comedy series |
Abbott
Elementary- Quinta Brunson |
|
Outstanding
writing for a drama series |
Succession
– Jesse Armstrong |
|
Category |
Winner |
|
Outstanding
writing for a limited or anthology series or movie |
The
White Lotus – Mike White |
|
Outstanding
writing for a variety series |
Last
Week Tonight With John Oliver |
|
Outstanding
writing for a variety special |
Jerrod
Carmichael: Rothaniel |
|
Outstanding
writing for a nonfiction program |
Lucy
And Desi |
|
Outstanding
competition program |
Lizzo’s
Watch Out for the Big Grrrls |
|
Structured
reality program |
Queer
Eye |
|
Unstructured
reality program |
Love on
the Spectrum |
|
Host
for a reality or competition program |
Rupaul
- Rupaul’s Drag Race |
|
Variety
sketch show |
Saturday
Night Live |
|
Variety
special (live) |
The
Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Starring Dr. Dre- Snoop Dogg- Mary J.
Blige- Eminem- Kendrick Lamar And 50 Cent |
|
Variety
Special (pre-recorded) |
Adele:
One Night Only |
|
Short
form comedy, drama or variety series |
Carpool
Karaoke: The Series |
|
Short
form nonfiction or reality series |
Full
Frontal With Samantha Bee Presents: Once Upon A Time In Late Night |
|
Documentary
or nonfiction special |
George
Carlin’s American Dream |
|
Documentary
or nonfiction series |
The
Beatles: Get Back |
|
Exceptional
merit in documentary filmmaking |
When
Claude Got Shot |
|
Actor
in a short form comedy or drama series |
Tim
Robinson- I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson |
|
Actress
in a short form comedy or drama series |
Patricia
Clarkson – State of the Union |
|
Category |
Winner |
|
Animated
program |
Arcane |
|
Short-form
animated program |
Love-Death
+ Robots |
|
Character
voice-over performance |
Chadwick
Boseman-What if…? |
|
Narrator |
Barack
Obama-Our Great National Parks |
|
Hosted
nonfiction series or special |
Stanley
Tucci: Searching for Italy |
|
Outstanding
directing for a comedy series |
Ted
Lasso- MJ Delaney |
|
Outstanding
directing for a drama series |
Squid
Game – Hwang Dong-hyuk |
|
Outstanding
directing for a limited or Anthology series or movie |
The
White Lotus- Mike White |
|
Outstanding
directing for a variety series |
A Black
Lady Sketch Show – Bridget Stokes |
|
Outstanding
directing for a variety of special |
Adele:
One Night Only – Paul Dugdale |
|
Outstanding
Directing for a documentary/nonfiction program |
The
Beatles: Get Back- Peter Jackson |
|
Outstanding
Directing for a reality program |
Lizzo’s
Watch Out For The Big Grrrls- Nneka Onuorah |
SPORTS
Alireza
Firouzja wins Sinquefield Cup & The Grand Chess Tour
Iranian-French chess grandmaster, Alireza Firouzja beat Ian Nepomniachtchi in
play-offs to win the ninth edition of the Sinquefield Cup. Firouzja also
grabbed an extra $100,000 for winning this year’s Grand Chess Tour. Wesley So and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave came in
second and third place, respectively. The fifth leg of the Grand Chess Tour,
the Sinquefield Cup was held in Saint Louis, Missouri, US. The 9th Sinquefield Cup was played from
September 1 to September 13, 2022, and was the fifth leg of the Grand Chess
Tour 2022. Before the start of the fourth round, Magnus Carlsen withdrew from
the tournament.
Vinesh creates history, becomes 1st Indian
woman wrestler to win 2 World C'ships medals
Wrestler
Vinesh Phogat on Wednesday created history by becoming the first-ever Indian
woman wrestler to win at least two medals in World Championships. The
28-year-old defeated Sweden's Jonna Malmgren 8-0 to bag bronze in the
53-kg category at the 2022 World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade. She had
bagged her first World Championships medal, a bronze, in 2019.
Who are the highest-ranked Indian cricketers
in the latest rankings?
As
per the latest men's cricket rankings, Rishabh Pant is the highest-ranked
Indian Test batter, while Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are
top-ranked Indian bowler and Indian all-rounder, respectively. In ODIs, Virat
Kohli is the top-ranked Indian batter, while Suryakumar Yadav is the top-ranked
Indian batter in T20Is. Hardik Pandya is the top-ranked Indian all-rounder in
ODIs and T20Is.
Books and Authors News
Army Hospital in New Delhi opened the Early Intervention Center
"Prayas"
Former Dutch field hockey player and former Indian Women’s Hockey Coach, Sjoerd
Marijne, authored a new book titled “Will Power: The Inside Story of the
Incredible Turnaround in Indian Women’s Hockey”. The book published by
HarperCollins Publishers India will be launched in September 2022. The book highlights the experiences of Sjoerd
Marijne, when he was appointed the Chief Coach of the Indian Women’s Hockey
Team in 2017. It also talked about how the Indian Women’s Hockey team dealt
with setbacks, mental health issues, internal politics and maintained team
chemistry along with high-performance culture.
The book is a memorable account of Sjoerd Marijne’s innings and will
inspire readers to perform for the best, be it in life, their careers or as
part of teams.
Important Days
Hindi Diwas 2022: Check history and Interesting facts
Hindi Diwas or Hindi Day is observed every year on 14 September to mark the
popularity of Hindi as an official language of India. The language was adopted
under Article 343 of the Indian Constitution.
The first Hindi day was celebrated on 14th September 1953. Hindi is one
of the major languages used in India as a large portion of the country's
population knows and uses the language. Schools, colleges and other educational
institutions celebrate Hindi Diwas by organising various programs. Hindi Diwas is celebrated to commemorate the
adoption of Hindi in the Devanagari script as one of the official languages of
the nation. Hindi was adopted by the National Constitution on September 14,
1949 and it became the official language of the country. India's first prime
minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, decided to celebrate September 14 as Hindi Diwas. Hindi Diwas also marks celebrating the
birthday of Beohar Rajendra Simha who played a crucial role in getting Hindi in
the Devanagari script approved as an official language of India. He was born on
14 September 1916.
Miscellaneous News
Los Angeles named September 17 as ‘Squid Game’ Day
The City of Los Angeles has officially designated September 17 Squid Game Day,
in recognition of the South Korean Netflix series’ achievements. “Squid Game” was nominated for 14 Emmy Awards
in July and is the first non-English language series to earn a nomination for
Outstanding Drama Series. It was also
the first Korean and first non-English language series to win a Screen Actors
Guild Award.
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