INTERNATIONAL
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.
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.
Russia destructed its last Chemical Weapons
Russia has liquidated the last arsenals of chemical weapons in the Southwest of the country, 3 years ahead of schedule. In 2010, Moscow set a 2015 target date for eliminating its chemical stockpile and later extended it to 2020. Russia & United States are parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which required them to destroy their stockpiles by 2007 with a potential extension until 2012.
Russia and US partner to build 1st ever Space Station near Moon
Russian and the United States space agencies, Roscosmos and NASA, have agreed to jointly build a “deep space gateway”, the first-ever astronaut-tended space station around the Moon. It would help prepare for manned missions to deep space destinations including Mars. NASA and Roscosmos are two of the major partners in the $100-billion Earth-orbiting International Space Station (ISS).
Angola swears in its First New President after 38 years
Angola swore in Joao Lourenco as the country’s President making him the first new President of the country in 38 years. He served as Angola’s Defence Minister earlier, vowed to attract more foreign investment. The People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) governed since Angola’s hard-fought independence from Portugal in 1975 with Dos Santos taking power in 1979.
Russia launches world’s biggest, most powerful icebreaker
Russia has launched the world’s largest and most powerful icebreaker ship, designed to transport cargo via the Northern Sea Route in the Arctic Ocean. The nuclear-powered vessel, capable of breaking ice fields up to three metres thick, will also carry out rescue work in ice conditions and ice-free waters.
China bans export of key petroleum products to North Korea
China ban exports of some petroleum products to North Korea and as well as imports of textiles from the isolated North, in line with a UN Security Council resolution, passed after Pyongyang’s latest nuclear test. The USA and South Korea are technically still at war with North Korea because the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a truce and not a peace treaty.
DRUZBA 2017, Pak-Russia joint Military Drill started
The joint exercise DRUZBA 2017 between special forces of Pakistan and Russian Armies started in Mineralnye Vody, Russia. Pakistan and Russia are holding two-week long joint military drill focussing on counter-terrorism operations to enhance military ties between the two countries.
Saudi allows women into stadium
Saudi Arabia has allowed women into a national stadium for the first time as it launched celebrations to mark the 87th anniversary of its founding. This marks a shift from previous celebrations in the kingdom where women are effectively barred from sports arenas. This measure represents another step into relaxing some norms as part of its “Vision 2030″ plan for economic and social reforms.
China, Australia joint military training exercise Panda Kangaroo 2017
China and Australia joint military training exercise called “Panda-Kangaroo 2017″ concluded in Kunming, capital of southwest China’s Yunnan Province. This exercise kicked off on September 10, China and Australia each sent 10 soldiers to participate in the joint training.
Britain and Saudi Arabia sign Military Cooperation deal
Saudi Arabia and Britain signed a framework deal for military cooperation. The agreement came after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed security ties with visiting British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah. The agreement comes as Britain seeks to explore lucrative trade deals outside Europe, including energy-rich Gulf monarchies, after voting to leave the European Union.
Qatar Airways becomes World’s First Airline to launch Double beds in Business Class
Qatar Airways has launched double beds in the business class sections of aeroplanes from London to Doha in Qatar. Such cabins, called Qsuites will be rolled out next in flights from Paris and New York.
China bans use of anti-Islam words on social media
Islamophobic terms used by Chinese internet users to stigmatise Muslims have been blocked by authorities to prevent bias against Islam. The move is aimed at removing radical phrases that discriminate against Islam and are biased against Muslims to prevent worsening online hatred towards the group. The ban came after an alleged brawl involving Muslim people at a toll booth went viral. Following which netizens inundated the official Weibo accounts of Tangshan city government departments with complaints of partial treatment of Muslims for the sake of social stability.
China launches fastest bullet train in the World between Beijing and Shanghai
China launches the world’s fastest bullet train ‘Fuxing’ between Beijing and Shanghai at 350 kms per hour, covering the 1,250-km-long distance in just 4 hours and 30 minutes. China has the world’s longest high-speed rail network of over 22,000 kilometres, about 60% per cent of the world’s total.
50 Nations inks UN Nuclear Ban Treaty
Fifty countries have signed a treaty to ban nuclear weapons, a pact that the world’s nuclear powers spurned but supporters hailed as a historic agreement nonetheless. More than 120 countries approved the new nuclear weapons ban treaty in July 2017 over opposition from nuclear-armed countries and their allies, who boycotted negotiations. Among 50, Brazil was the first country to sign onto the ban yesterday, followed by nations from Algeria to Venezuela.
Russia unveils statue of AK 47 inventor Mikhail Kalashnikov
The nine-metre (30ft) statue of Mikhail Kalashnikov, the inventor of the AK-47 assault rifle, has been unveiled in Russian capital Moscow in a controversial ceremony. Kalashnikov designed “Avtomat Kalashnikova”, which became the standard issue rifle of the Soviet army, in 1947 – hence the abbreviation AK-47.
The world is running out of antibiotics: WHO Report
The World Health Organisation has released a report titled “Antibacterial agents in clinical development – an analysis of the antibacterial clinical development pipeline, including tuberculosis”. The report shows a serious lack f new antibiotics under development to combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.
Saudi Arabia to lift ban on internet calling applications
Saudi Arabia will lift ban on voice and video calling apps such as WhatsApp and Skype will be widely available to users, in a move aimed at improving business confidence as the kingdom transitions into a post-oil era. Access to VoIP (Voice over internet Protocol) will reduce operational costs and spur digital entrepreneurship. Saudi Arabia, with its bulging youth population, is among the world’s top per capita users of social media. More than half of Saudi Arabia’s citizens are under 25, who spend much of their time on social media platforms.
China opens dual-use highway to Nepal through Tibet
China opened a dual-use highway in Tibet to the Nepal border which could be used for civilian and defense purposes in China. The highway is 40.4 km long and 25 m wide. It has 4 double lanes. It is classified a first-tier highway. It connects Xigaze airport and Xigaze city center in Tibet. The road helps to ease the congestions and export economy of China.
Russia and Iraq Restore Air Travel after 13-Year Freeze
Russia and Iraq restored commercial airline services for the first time since 2004, with an Iraqi Airways plane leaving for Moscow from Baghdad. Russia suspended flights to Iraq after the 2003 US-led invasion pushed the Arab country into war. It is a signal on the part of the Iraqi authorities that Russian nationals can safely visit Iraq.
Iron Union 5: US and UAE Joint Military Exercise
The US and UAE’s ground forces had begun a joint military exercise in Abu Dhabi, as part of efforts to consolidate their bilateral relations and exchange training and military expertise. Code-named Iron Union 5, the drill is an extension of a series of Iron Claw exercises. The exercise aims to upgrade and boost the readiness of the UAE’s armed forces and to allow both armies to promote their international co-operation in joint military operations.
Nepal begins its first attempt to remeasure Mount Everest
Nepal has begun its first-ever survey to remeasure Mount Everest to check if the world’s tallest peak’s height was altered by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the country in 2015. Notably, the official height of Mount Everest, which lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas, is 8,848 metres (29,029 feet), first recorded by an Indian survey in 1954.
Cassini spacecraft ends 20-year journey
NASA’s $3.9 bn Cassini spacecraft ended its 20-year-long groundbreaking journey with a fiery plunge into Saturn’s crushing atmosphere. Cassini began its mission to Saturn in 1997, reaching the ringed planet in 2004. Its aim was to take pictures, giving the most detailed look at Saturn’s rings & it’s moons. Cassini found new moons orbiting the planet, signs of possible life on existing moons.
Tunisia abolishes ban on Muslim women marrying non-Muslims
Tunisia has abolished a decades-old ban on Muslim women marrying non-Muslims. Until now a non-Muslim man who wished to marry a Tunisian woman had to convert to Islam and submit a certificate of his conversion as proof. The announcement comes a month after President Beji Caid Essebsi called for the government to scrap the ban dating back to 1973. Human rights groups in the North African country had campaigned for the ban’s abolition, saying it undermined the fundamental human right to choose a spouse.
World Economic Forum released Human Capital Report 2017
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has released the Global Human Capital Report 2017. The Global Human Capital Report 2017 proposes a new benchmark for leaders to build the workforces of the future. The index provides a means of measuring the quantifiable elements of the world’s talent potential so that greater attention can be focused on delivering it. The Global Human Capital Index aims to provide a holistic assessment of a country’s human capital-both current and expected-across its population.
London tops in 2017 Global Financial Centres Index
London topped in the 2017 Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI) among 92 financial centres released by the Z/Yen and China Development Institute. It was ranked at 60th position, up by three positions compared to the previous edition. The index is a ranking of the competitiveness of financial centres based on an aggregate of indices from five key areas: business environment, the financial sector.
UNSC unanimously adopts new sanctions against North Korea
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously passed new set of tougher sanctions against North Korea over its sixth and most powerful nuclear test (claimed to be Hydrogen bomb). It was overall the ninth sanctions resolution unanimously adopted by UNSC since 2006 over North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs. The new sanctions imposes ban on North Korea’s textile exports and capping imports of crude oil. New sanctions include:
It limits on imports of crude oil and oil products to North Korea. It bans exports of textiles, which is North Korea’s second-biggest export worth more than $700million a year. It also limits North Koreans from working overseas, which may cut off $500 million of tax revenue per year.
British Parliament passed EU Withdrawal Bill
The Union Government to extract the UK from EU law in time for Brexit passed its first Parliamentary test. The EU Withdrawal Bill was backed by MPs by 326 to 290. The bill which will end the supremacy of EU law in the UK now moves onto its next Parliamentary stage. It was previously referred to as the Great Repeal Bill, the EU Withdrawal Bill overturns the 1972 European Communities Act which took the UK into the then European Economic Community.
Shaheen VI: China-Pakistan Air Forces Joint Exercise
The air forces of China and Pakistan began a joint training exercise named “Shaheen VI” and deployed their latest fighter jets and AWACS aircraft. China has dispatched J-11 fighters, JH-7 fighter-bombers, KJ-200 AWACS aircraft and ground forces including surface-to-air missile and radar troops. The exercise will run in China. AWACS is Airborne Warning And Control System, a mobile, long-range radar surveillance and control centre for air defence.
Saudi Arabia suspend dialogue with Qatar
Saudi Arabia says it has suspended dialogue with Qatar, shortly after a phone call between the Qatari leader and the Saudi crown prince. The two sides had discussed holding talks to resolve the Qatar crisis, which has seen Doha cut off from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE. The development came after US President Trump spoke separately with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar & UAE.
Pakistan PM opens China backed 5th nuclear power plant
Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi inaugurated the country’s fifth nuclear power plant (C-4 plant) located at Chashma in Mianwali district of the Punjab province. This 340 MW Chasma – IV (C – 4) nuclear power plant is developed in collaboration between the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).
Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Aung San Suu Kyi in 1991 cannot be revoked
Myanmar’s Suu Kyi received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for “her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights” while standing up against military rulers. An online petition signed by more than 386,000 people on Change.org is calling for her prize’s removal over the persecution of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims. The Norwegian Nobel Institute announced that prize awarded to Myanmar’s Aung Sang Suu Kyi cannot be revoked.
North Korea claims successful test of Hydrogen bomb
North Korea has announced that it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb that can be placed on an intercontinental ballistic missile. The announcement was made by the state news agency after geological agencies registered a man-made quake in the north-east of the country. As per the analysts, previous North Korean nuclear tests have resulted in earthquakes, however, a 6.3 magnitude tremor indicates that the size of the nuclear test was larger than previous one.
Astronaut Peggy Whitson returns Earth after 288 days in Space
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut Peggy Whitson finishing a 288-day mission that put her over the top as the American who has spent the most cumulative amount of time in space. The oldest female astronaut in the history of space exploration was the first female International Space Station commander and holds the record for number of spacewalks by a woman.
Lebanon gets first animal protection law
Lebanese President Michel Aoun has signed the country’s first animal welfare bill into law, guaranteeing that domestic and wild animals will be legally protected from abuse. The bill is the culmination of years of lobbying for the protection of animals in the Mediterranean country. The law, passed by parliament on August 16, outlines requirements for keeping domestic pets, regulations for zoos and pet shops, and penalties for violations – including jail time and fines.
Read more: Current Affairs September 2017 Study Material | FreeJobAlert.com http://currentaffairs.freejobalert.com/september-2017-current-affairs-study-material/26153/#ixzz5UNqwDZXu
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