30 September 2017 Current Affairs
China operationalises stealth fighter J-20
China has announced commissioning its first radar-evading J-20 stealth fighter jets into military service, giving its air force an edge in the region. The Chengdu J-20 is China’s fourth-generation medium and long-range fighter jet.
President appoints five new Governors for states and Lt Governor for Andaman
President Ram Nath Kovind, has appointed five new Governors. The appointments are as:
- B. D. Mishra (Retd.) as the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. Took over from Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya.
- Banwarilal Purohit as the Governor of Tamil Nadu. Took over from C. Vidyasagar Rao.
- Satya Pal Malik as the Governor of Bihar. Took over from Keshari Nath Tripathi.
- Professor Jagdish Mukhi as the Governor of Assam. Took over from Banwarilal Purohit.
- Ganga Prasad as the Governor of Meghalaya. Took over from Banwarilal Purohit.
- Devendra Kumar Joshi as the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Took over from Jagdish Mukhi.
30 September: International Translation Day
The observance of this day seeks to recognize contribution of unsung heroes behind international diplomacy who work as language professionals to facilitate dialogue and contribute to development and strengthens world peace and security. International Translation Day 2017 theme is Translation and Diversity.
Aparna Kumar, First Indian woman to scale Mt Manaslu
An Indian Police Service Officer of UP Cadre, Aparna Kumar became the first Indian woman to scale Mount Manaslu, which is the 8th highest mountain peak in the world. Exactly at 10.00 am on September 25, Kumar took up a mission to climb Mount Manaslu in the west-central part of Nepal. She has already successfully scaled the highest peaks of six continents out of seven continents.
Saudi Authorises Women to Issue Fatwas
Saudi Arabia women can now issue fatwas after the historic recommendation was approved by 107 votes in the Shoura Council. With this, the 45 years old tradition of only specialist men being able to issue fatwas in the Kingdom ended. The ruling comes just days after Saudi Arabia lifted a ban on women’s driving.
Veteran actor Tom Alter dies at 67
Veteran film, television and theatre actor and Padma Shri Tom Alter has died at aged 67. The renowned actor and one-time sports writer and author had been battling stage four skin cancer. Alter acted in over 300 movies apart from numerous TV shows, most famously as the gangster Keshav Kalsi in the hit soap opera Junoon which ran for a record five years during the 1990s. In addition to acting, Alter also ventured into direction and was a sports journalist in the 80s and 90s. He was the first person to interview Sachin Tendulkar for TV when the cricketer was yet to debut for India. Alter has written three books, one non-fiction and two fiction, and in 2008 was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri by the Indian government in recognition for his services to the field of arts and cinema.
US fines HSBC $175 mn for Lax Forex Oversight
The US central bank has fined global banking giant HSBC $175 million for failing to oversee foreign exchange traders who misused confidential client information and colluded with traders at competing banks. Between 2008 and 2013, the bank failed to detect misconduct by senior traders, including its global head of foreign exchange cash trading, according to the Federal Reserve. The enforcement action comes two months after the Fed also fined BNP Paribas USD 246 million over similar violations. HSBC was one of six major US and European banks fined a total of $4.2 billion by global regulators in a November 2014 crackdown for attempted manipulation of the foreign exchange market.
Govt keeps interest rates unchanged
The government has kept the interest rates unchanged on small savings schemes like PPF, Kisan Vikas Patra & Sukanya Samriddhi for October-December quarter. Investments in public provident fund scheme will fetch annual rate of 7.8%, while Kisan Vikas Patra investments will yield 7.5%. Since April last year, interest rates of all small saving schemes have been recalibrated on a quarterly basis.