1. Tajikistan -Kyrgyzstan border clash at ‘Vorukh’ leaves at least 54 people dead
Tags: place in news International News
The old border dispute at Vorukh area between the two former Soviet Central Asian republics of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan flared up again on 16 September leading to the death of at least 54 persons. The bloody clash in the Vorukh area has seen frequent clashes between the two sides.
Both the sides accused each other of using tanks, mortars, rocket artillery and assault drones to attack outposts and nearby settlements.
The border clash came at the time when the leaders of both the countries, Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon and Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov were attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
Border Dispute :
- Both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan were part of the Soviet Union. Both gained Independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
- The current boundary dispute between the two countries lies in the demarcation of boundaries during the Soviet era.
- Vorukh is an enclave of Tajik territory surrounded by Kyrgyzstan. Many times there have been clashes over the issue of the access of the Tajiks living in Vorukh to Tajikistan. The Tajiks living in the Vorukh territory has to cross the Kyrgyz territory to go to Tajikistan.
- Tajikistan has proposed an exchange of territory with Kyrgyzstan so that Vorukh can have access to Tajikistan but so far Kyrgyzstan has refused to accept this offer.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Kyrgyzstan :
- Capital: Bishkek
- Currency: Kyrgyzstan Som
- President: Sadyr Japarov
- Tajikistan
- Capital: Dushanbe
- Currency: Somoni
- President: Emomali Rakhmon
2. Kazakhstan renames its capital to Astana and bars second term for President
Tags: place in news International News
The Parliament of Kazakhstan voted to amend the constitution on 16 September 2022 to revert back the name of the nation’s capital to Astana. It also extended the term of the President and barred a person from becoming President more than once.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
Term of the President :
- The term of the President has been extended to seven years from the present five years.
- Also a person can become the President of Kazakhstan only once. Earlier a person can become the President for a maximum two consecutive times.
Renaming of the Capital :
- It also passed a constitutional amendment to change the name of the capital to Astana from Nur-Sultan.
- Kazakhstan moved its capital from Almaty to Astana in 1997 after it became an Independent country in 1991. In Soviet times Astana was called Tselinograd.
- Later when Kazakhstan first President Nur Sultan Nazarbayev resigned after being in power for almost thirty years in 2019, his successor the current President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev renamed Astana to Nur-Sultan in honour of the ex-leader.
- However, now again the name has been changed back to Astana.
Parliament of Kazakhstan :
- The Parliament of Kazakhstan is bicameral. It consists of the upper house senate and a lower house called National Assembly (Mazhilis).
Republic of Kazakhstan :
- Kazakhstan was part of the Soviet Union which gained Independence on 16 December 1991, after the disintegration of the Soviet Union.
- It lies in Central Asia. It is the largest country in central Asia and 9th largest country in the world.
- It has the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which is the world’s first spaceport. The Soviet Union used to launch its space rocket from here.
- The first Indian astronaut Rakesh Sharma was launched into space from here on the Soviet Soyuz T-11 rocket on 3 April 1984.
- Now it has been leased to the Russians.
- Capital: Astana
- Currency: Tenge
- President: Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
3. Amidst controversy Amit shah inaugurates Hyderabad Liberation Day celebration
Tags: place in news National State News
Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the year-long celebrations of Hyderabad Liberation Day at the parade grounds in Hyderabad, Telangana on 17 September 2022. However the celebration has become controversial after the Telangana Chief Minister announced to observe the day as Telangana National Integration Day. The center move has also been criticized by the Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi.
Both the Chief Minister and Owaisi considers Centre’s move as communal.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- Speaking on the occasion, Amit Shah said for the first time liberation day is being held officially on the land of Telangana after 75 years. He said some political parties feel ashamed to call September 17 Hyderabad Liberation Day as they still have fear of Razakars (Nizam’s para military force) in their mind.
- Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Karnataka Transport Minister Sriramulu and Union Culture minister Kishan Reddy participated in the event while Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao stayed away from the event.
- Telangana Liberation Day is observed on 17 September to mark the popular rebellion against the ruler of Hyderabad, Nizam after Independence. It subsequently led to the Police action by India, code named ‘operation polo in 1948 and the Hyderabad princely state was merged with India.
4. Sudarsan Patnaik creates Modi sand sculpture with Kulhar on PM's birthday
Tags: place in news Person in news State News
Famous sand artist and Padam Shri awardee, Sudarsan Patnaik of Odisha has paid tribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 72 birthday in his own unique way.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- He made a 5 feet sand statue of the PM with the message ‘Happy Birthday Modi ji’ by placing 1,213 Kulhar (clay tea cups) at Puri beach on 17 September 2022. He used 5 tonnes of sand for the purpose.
- Sudarsan Patnaik has participated in more than 60 international sand art championships and festivals around the world and has won many awards.
5. Indigenous Light Combat Helicopter to join IAF helicopter fleet in October
Tags: place in news Defence
The Indian Air Force helicopter fleet will be boosted with the induction of the indigenously developed Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) at Jodhpur, Rajasthan on 3 October 2022. The LCH has been manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
IMPORTANT FACTS -
Capability of LCH :
- According to HAL, the LCH is the only attack helicopter in the world that can land and take-off at an altitude of 5,000 m (16400 feet) with a considerable load of weapons and fuel. It has been made to meet the requirement of the armed forces operating in the high altitude area of Ladakh and Siachen.
- It is suited to perform the roles of search and rescue, destruction of enemy air defence, counter insurgency operations, combat against slow moving aircraft etc.
Limited Series production :
- In March 2022 the Union Government had approved the manufacturing of 15 limited series LCH for the Army and the Air force .Of the 15 limited series production helicopters approved, 10 are for the IAF and five for the army.
- The light combat helicopter Limited Series Production (LSP) is an indigenously designed, developed, and manufactured state-of-the-art modern combat helicopter. It has an indigenous content of 45% that will increase to more than 55% in the further series.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) :
- It was set up as Hindustan Aircraft Limited by Walchand Hirachand in 1940 at Bangalore (now Bengaluru), Karnataka.
- It was taken over by the government of India and merged with Aeronautics India limited and was renamed as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited on 1 October 1964.
- Its main business is to design, develop, manufacture, repair and overhaul of aircraft, helicopters, engines and related systems like avionics, instruments and accessories.
- It comes under the Ministry of Defence.
- Headquarters: Bengaluru
6. Nirmala Sitharaman calls for more women directors at the 2nd Women Director’s Conclave
Tags: place in news Economy/Finance Summits
Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman called for increasing the representation of women in the company’s board of directors in India.
She was speaking at the 2nd ‘Women Director’s Conclave’ being held at Bombay Stock Exchange in Mumbai on 16 September.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The theme of the Conclave was: Celebrating Women Board Leaders'.
- Nirmala Sitharaman said that only three-fourths of the listed firms on the National Stock Exchange have appointed at least one woman as an independent director.
- The Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), in accordance with the Companies Act 2013, has mandated the appointment of one independent woman director in the board of listed companies.
7. 9th Session of ggoverning body of the ITPGRFA to be held in New Delhi
Tags: place in news Science and Technology Summits
The 9th Session of the Governing Body (GB9) of the 'International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture' (ITPGRFA) will be held in New Delhi from 19-24th September, 2022.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- ITPGRFA is a legally binding comprehensive agreement adopted in November, 2001 at Rome during the 31st session of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, which entered into force on June 29, 2004 and currently has 149 Contracting Parties, including India.
- The treaty provides solutions to achieve food and nutritional security as well as climate resilient agriculture. Countries are interdependent for PGRFA (Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture) and consequently a global order is essential to facilitate access and benefit sharing.
Theme of the GB9 :
- The GB9 is being held under the theme “Celebrating the Guardians of Crop Diversity: Towards an Inclusive Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework”.
8. 3rd Global Fintech Fest to be held in Mumbai
Tags: place in news Economy/Finance Summits
The 3rd edition of the Global Fintech Fest will be held in Mumbai, Maharashtra from 19-22 September 2022.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The 3rd Global Fintech Fest will be held in a hybrid mode.
- The Global Fintech Fest is being organised by National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI), Payment Council of India and the Fintech Convergence Council.
- The theme for Global Fintech Fes 2022 is: 'Creating A Sustainable Financial World - Global | Inclusive | Green'.
What is Fintech :
- It is composed of two words: Financial and Technology. It refers to the technological innovation in the design and delivery of financial products like saving accounts, loans, wealth management, investment in stock markets etc.
9. 19th ‘India-ASEAN’ Economic Ministers meeting 2022 held in Cambodia
Tags: place in news Summits
The 19th India -ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nation) economic ministers meeting was held in Siem Reap City, Cambodia on 16 September 2022. Cambodia is currently the chairman of ASEAN.
The meeting was co-chaired by Anupriya Patel, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry and by the Commerce minister of Cambodia Pan Sorasak.
The meeting was attended by Economic Ministers or their representatives from all the 10 ASEAN countries namely, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam
The Ministers noted that trade and economic relations between ASEAN and India are starting to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the two-way trade between ASEAN and India reached USD 91.5 billion in 2021 increasing by 39.2 per cent year-on-year.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
India-ASEAN economic engagements :
- ASEAN is a focus area of economic diplomacy of India. The India-ASEAN Economic ministers meeting is the main body which discusses the trade and investment related issues between the two. The Commerce Minister of India and ASEAN attends these meetings.
Investment between the two :
- Between, 2000-2021, the cumulative Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from ASEAN to India was $117.88 billion.
- These were mainly accounted for by Singaporean investments in India ($115 billion).
- Indian investment into ASEAN since April 2019 till March 2022 is US$ 55.5 billion out of which US$ 51.5 billion investment is in Singapore.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Association of South East Asian Nation (ASEAN) :
- It is considered to be one of the most successful regional groups in the world.
- It was set up in 1967 as a group of South-East Asian nations.
- At present there are 10 members in the group. They are:
- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
- The Headquarters of ASEAN: Jakarta, Indonesia.
10. 25th Energy Technology meet held in Mumbai
Tags: place in news Economy/Finance Summits
The 3 day (15-17 September 2022) , 25th Energy meet organised by the Centre for High Technology (CHT), under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas ,Government of India, in association with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd is being held in Mumbai .
The Energy meet was earlier called the Refining and Petrochemicals Technology Meet.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- Theme of the 25th Energy meet: Refining in the new Energy era”
- The 25th Energy meet was addressed by the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri and Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Rameshwar Teli on 15 September 2022.
- Speaking on the occasion Rameshwar Teli said that the Government is committed to raise the share of Natural Gas in the country’s energy mix to 15% by 2030 from its current share of just above 6%.
- He added that the Government has decided to set up 18 thousand Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations in the country by 2030.
