02 September 2017 Current Affairs
Indian-origin Joseph Yuvaraj Pillay appointed as Interim President of Singapore
Indian-origin civil servant Joseph Yuvaraj Pillay was appointed as Interim President of Singapore until the new President is sworn-in. Pillay succeeds Tony Tan Keng Yam who completed a six-year term on 31 August 2017. At present, Pillay is serving as the Chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA). This is the first time that the office of the President of Singapore has fallen vacant since the elected presidency was introduced in 1991. As per Singapore law, when the office of the President is vacant, the first in line to exercise its powers is the CPA Chairman followed by the Speaker of Parliament.
India most corrupt Asian country, Vietnam second: Forbes
A recent survey by the Transparency International states that India is the most corrupt country in Asia. Depicting how pervasive the problem is across Asia, a list released by Forbes – Asia’s Five Most Corrupt Countries – says that India beats Vietnam, Thailand, Pakistan and Myanmar, when it comes to bribery rate. India is closely followed by Vietnam at 65 per cent bribery rate.
India wins bronze at World Boxing Championships
Wildcard entrant Gaurav Bidhuri’s remarkable run at the World Boxing Championships ended with a bronze medal after he lost his semi-final clash to American Duke Ragan. India thus ended the tournament with a bronze medal, equalling the performance of 2009 (Vijender Singh), 2011 (Vikas Krishan) and 2015 (Shiva Thapa).
Ahmedabad gets India’s first ‘World Heriatge City’ tag from UNESCO
The city of Ahmedabad, known as the commercial hub of Gujarat, was formally accorded the status of India’s first ‘World Heritage City’ by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). The certificate for the same was handed over by UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova to the state’s Chief Minister, Vijay Rupani.
World’s Highest Sandcastle Built in German City
The world’s highest sandcastle is now standing 16.68 meters tall in the German city of Duisburg. A German travel operator organized the construction of the mammoth sandcastle, bringing in 3,500 tons of sand over the past three and a half weeks to the site at a former steelworks in the inland city. It takes the title from a 14.84-metre sandcastle built early this year in India by sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik.
SAAB ties up with Adani Group to build Gripen E fighter jets in India
Swedish defence major SAAB announced its tie-up with Adani Group to manufacture the Gripen E fighter jets in India under the Defence Ministry’s $10 billion single-engine fighter jet procurement programme. The announcement comes within months of US’ Lockheed Martin announcing its joint venture with Tata Advanced Systems for producing the latest version of F-16 in India.
Assam for first time extends AFSPA orders on its own
Assam Government has extended term of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958 and declared entire state a Disturbed Area for six more months under Section 3 of AFSP Act. This is for first time state government has extended AFSPA and Disturbed Area provision on its own. In the past, AFSPA provisions in state were always extended by the Centre. The law and order situation in Assam continues to be matter of concern due to violent incidents carried out by the underground groups, as many as 16 incidents involving these groups were reported between May and July 2017. These incidents had resulted in deaths of civilians, security personnel and militants.
Rajiv Kumar assumes charge of Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog
Noted economist Rajiv Kumar took over as the vice-chairman of government think tank Niti Aayog. Kumar succeeded Arvind Panagariya, an Indian-American Economics Professor at Columbia University. Kumar had also served as the chief economist of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and held senior positions in the Asian Development Bank, the Indian Ministry of Industries, and the Ministry of Finance.
Kenneth I. Juster named U.S Ambassador to India
Kenneth I. Juster, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council at the White House, has been nominated as the next U.S ambassador to India. The appointment will take effect once the U.S Senate confirms him. The post has been vacant since January 20, 2017.