14th September, 2021 Current Affairs

Sakshi Education

NATIONAL

Union Tribal ministry would start Prdhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojna covering 36 thousand villages across the country.

Those villages with 50 percent tribal population would be given priority under it.
The 1,700 tribal villages in Assam will be converted into model village.
Another 184 new Van Dhan Kendras to be set up in the state that would benefit nearly 60 thousand people.
The ministry is working for the empowerment of the tribal people of the country.
On the granting of ST status to six communities in Assam, the matter is under process and the Centre is holding consultation in positive way with various stakeholders.

IIT Bombay receives drone use permission from Civil Aviation Ministry, DGCA

Ministry of Civil Aviation and Directorate General of Civil Aviation have granted conditional exemption from Drone Rules, 2021 to Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.
IIT-B has received drone use permission for research, development and testing of drones in its own premises. This exemption shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the said airspace clearance and shall be valid for a period of one year.

Senior Congress leader Oscar Fernandes passes away

Senior Congress leader Oscar Fernandes passed away in Mangalore. He was 80 and was hospitalized for a few weeks.
A veteran Parliamentarian and a sensitive minister Oscar Fernandes championed the cause of labor and underprivileged.
His mortal remains will be kept in a Church in Udupi and Mangaluru for the dignitaries and public to pay their last respects.
The last rites will be performed in St. Patrick’s Church and his body will be buried in Hosur Cemetery near Bengaluru.

India-US ‘Climate Action and Finance Mobilisation Dialogue’

Environment Minister of India, Bhupender Yadav and United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry launched India-US Climate Action and Finance Mobilization Dialogue on September 13, 2021.
This dialogue was launched under India-US Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership.
This Partnership will provide both countries an opportunity to renew their collaborations on climate change and also address the financing aspects.
It will also strengthen India-US bilateral cooperation on climate and environment and also demonstrate how the world can align swift climate action along with inclusive & resilient economic development.
India-US Climate Action and Finance Mobilization Dialogue was launched in the backdrop of announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Biden to enhance actions in order to meet the goals of Paris Agreement. This announcement was made at the launch of the Partnership at Leaders’ Summit on Climate in April 2021.

UN seeks $606 million to aid Afghanistan after Taliban takeover

United Nations is hosting a high-level donors conference on September 13, 2021 seeking emergency funds for Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover of the country.
UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, was leading the United Nations meeting and called for more than $600 million in a “flash appeal” for Afghans.
The Taliban topples the country as the U.S. and NATO forces exited 20-year war in a chaotic departure.
Appeal for $600 million was made in the light of concerns that instability & upended humanitarian efforts along with the ongoing drought would further endanger lives and push Afghanistan toward famine.

First ever in-person Quad summit to be held on Sept 24: White House

United States President Joe Biden will host the first ever in-person summit of the leaders of the Quad group of countries later this month in Washington DC.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will travel to Washington to meet with Biden at the White House on 24th of this month.
The Quad Leaders will be focused on deepening our ties and advancing practical cooperation on areas such as combatting COVID-19, addressing the climate crisis, partnering on emerging technologies and cyberspace, and promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The Quad is a strategic forum comprising India, Japan, Australia and USA. The Quad leaders held a virtual meeting in March.

North Korea tests new long-range cruise missile capable to hit Japan

North Korea has tested a new long-range cruise missile capable of hitting much of Japan, state media confirmed.
The weekend tests saw missiles travelling up to 1,500 kms, the official KCNA news agency said.
It suggests North Korea is still capable of developing weapons despite food shortages and an economic crisis.
The US military said, the latest tests posed threats to the international community and neighboring Japan.

Aziz Akhannouch named as Morocco's new Prime Minister

King Mohammed VI of Morocco has appointed Aziz Akhannouch of the liberal National Rally of Independents (RNI) party as Prime Minister and asked him to form a government.
RNI emerged as the biggest party in Wednesday's Parliamentary election, crushing the Islamists who had led the country for a decade. Mr. Aziz Akhannouch is a billionaire seen as close to the monarchy.
Elected politicians in Morocco have only limited powers, as key decisions remain in the hands of the monarch.
Ten years ago the Islamist Justice and Development Party became the country’s biggest party in Parliament after electoral reforms were introduced following the Arab Spring protests which swept North Africa and the Middle East.
But a decade on, it lost all but 12 of its 125 seats, leaving it just the eighth biggest party.

New government announced in Lebanon; NajibMikati becomes PM

A new government has been announced in Lebanon over a year after the previous administration quit following the devastating Beirut port explosion.
Najib Mikati - Lebanon's richest man - becomes Prime Minister, a position he has held twice before. His appointment, along with the naming of a new cabinet, ends months of political paralysis. It comes as Lebanon grapples with some of the severest domestic crises it has faced in its history.
The value of the currency has collapsed, unemployment and inflation have soared, electricity, fuel and medicines are in short supply and the country has been rocked by nearly two years of protests calling for wholesale political reforms.
Lebanon had been without a proper functioning government since then-Prime Minister Hassan Diab resigned days after a massive blast on 4th of August last year destroyed Beirut port and the surrounding area.
The explosion, caused by improperly stored ammonium nitrate, killed 203 people, injured at least 6,000 others and left billions of dollars of damage.