Current Affairs Sep 17, 2015

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1. Sri Lankan war crimes horrific: U. N. report: A long-awaited United Nation report has urged Sri Lankan to establish a special court to try the "horrific" abuses committed by the authorities and the rebels in the last phases of the country's civil war.

2. India, Cambodia sign two MoUs: Vice-President Hamid Ansari signed two Memorandums of Understanding - on tourism, and on the Mekong - Ganga Cooperation Initiative-with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen following a session of delegation - level talks.

3. Nepal passes new charter: Nepal's Parliament passed a new national Constitution weeks after political leaders reached a historic agreement to create a federal state following an earthquake that killed nearly 9,000 people.

4. RBI allows10 companies to set up small finance banks: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has granted 'in-principle' approval for 10 companies to set up small finance banks. The approval will be valid for 18 months to enable the applicants to comply with the requirements.

5. Tobacco Board Chairman sent on leave: Following reports of instances of tobacco farmers having committed suicide on account of debt burden the Centre asked the Tobacco Board Chairman to proceed on leave with immediate effect, until further orders.

6. Paytm to invest up to Rs. 1,500 crore for payment bank: Mobile commerce firn Paytm, which is backed by China's Alibaba Group, plans to invest up Rs. 1,500 crore in the next two years for rolling out its payment bank services.

7. PIO becomes Mayor of Bonn in Germany: Ashok-Alexander Sridharan on 14 September 2015 became the first Person of Indian Origin (PIO) to be elected as the mayor of Bonn in Germany. He was born in Bonn in 1965 to an Indian Diplomat and German mother.He belongs to the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) party, to which the German Chancellor Angela Merkel also belongs to.

8. Bangladesh PM wins award: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has won the United Nations Champions of the Earth Award for Policy Leadership to address the issue of climate change. She has demonstrated leadership in making climate change an issue of national priority and advocating for an ambitious global response.

9. 16 September: International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer: International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer was observed across the world on 16 September 2015. The theme and the slogan for the year 2015 are 30 Years of Healing the Ozone Together and Ozone: All there is between you and UV respectively.

10. Indian American teen wins prestigious US Award: Swetha Prabhakaran, an Indian American teen, has been awarded with the prestigious Champions of Change Award of US at the White House. She was chosen for the award in recognition of her efforts for empowering the community by imparting education of Internet coding through her non-profit Organization.

11. Nepal approves new Constitution: Nepal's Constituent Assembly recently approved the new Constitution and endorsed the Preamble of the draft Constitution. Article 301 of the Constitution, defines title and date of commencement of the Constitution. The new constitution, which was passed with a thumping majority in the 601 seat assembly has split the country into seven federal provinces.

12. Hangzhou in East China to host 2022 Asian Games: The capital city of Zhejiang Province Hangzhou in East China has been chosen as the venue for the 2022 Asian Games. The OCA made the decision at its 34th Congress meeting in Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan.

13. Digital Platform Initiative HITS launched: The Government has recently the Headend In The Sky (HITS) digital platform initiative, under the brand name NXT DIGITAL promoted by Hinduja Group. The platform will provide viewers access to over 500 television channels of their choice be it international, national, regional and local; besides a host of other services like e-applications and TV everywhere.

14. Madhya Pradesh launches teacher friendly Mobile App: MP Government has launched M-Shiksha-Mitra mobile app to provide various services and teaching-related work to teachers in a simple and easy way, The app developed by NIC that carries several facilities can be downloaded from Google Play Store in android mobile phone.

15. Book titled “Two Years Eight Months and Twenty Eight Nights”: Salman Rushdie released: The book titled Two Years Eight Months and Twenty Eight Nights authored by the British Indian novelist Salman Rushdie was released recently. The book is an update on his earlier book “A Thousand and One Nights” and the new book has a core subject relating to fiction, history, mythology, and a timeless love story.

16. Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) launched: To transform the lives of people living in the areas which are affected directly or indirectly by mining, the Government has launched the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) , which aims at the welfare of areas and people affected by mining related operations,