September 2014 Current Affairs Study Material

INTERNATIONAL
EU
Imposed
New
Economic
Sanctions
On
Russia
Over
Ukraine
The European Union (EU) on 12 September 2014 imposed new economic sanctions on Russia over
Ukraine. The restrictions include financing for some Russian state-owned companies and asset
freezes on leading Russian politicians.
John
Key
Re-elected As
The
PM
Of
New
Zealand
For A 3rd
Term
John Key was re-elected as the Prime Minister of New Zealand for a third term. John Key-led National
Party (NP) scored a huge victory in countrys Parliamentary elections. In the 2014 General Elections
of New Zealand held on 20 September 2014, the centre-right National Party led by John Key won 48
percent of the vote.
Scotland
Rejects
Independence
From
UK
In a historic referendum held on 18 September 2014 the voters of Scotland rejected its independence
from the United Kingdom.The result of this referendum was declared early on 19 September 2014.
Ashraf
Ghani
Ahmadzai
Is
New
President
Of
Afghanistan
Afghanistans election commission on 21 September has named Former Finance minister Ashraf
Ghani Ahmadzai as the winner of the countrys Presidential election.

INDIA & WORLD

India
and
Germany
Agreed
To
Cooperate
In
Skill
Development
India and Germany on 8 September agreed to prepare a roadmap for cooperation in skill
development, solid waste management and cleaning of rivers.This decision was taken during the
meeting between German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier and Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on 8 September in New Delhi.
India
and
Australia
Signed
Civil
Nuclear
Cooperation
Agreement
India and Australia have signed the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (CNCA) that will allow
Australia to export uranium to India as well as three other agreements, including on water resources
and in sports. The four agreements were signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott in New Delhi on 5 September.
India
and
Bangladesh
Signed
MoU
on
Traditional
Medicines
India and Bangladesh have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the field of traditional
medicines and homeopathy. The MoU was signed on 9 September in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
India-Vietnam
Signed
Seven
Agreements
India and Vietnam on 15 September signed seven agreements, including one for direct flights
between their capitals, for scouting for oil, and an extended line of credit for purchase of defence
equipment. The seven agreements were signed in the presence of Indian President Pranab
Mukherjee and Vietnam President Truong Tan Sang in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam.

NATIONAL
Civil
Aviation
Ministry
Launched
Know
Your
Rights

Portal
Union Civil Aviation ministry on 9 September launched a new portal namely Know your rights for
passengers. The portal was launched to mark 100 days of the new government.
Union
Cabinet
Approved
National
AYUSH
Mission
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 September approved launching of
National Ayush Mission (NAM) to address the gaps in health services through promotion of ancient
and traditional systems of medicine like Ayurved, Siddha, Unani and Homeopathy.
Union
Cabinet
Approved
Swachh
Bharat
Mission
The Union Cabinet on 24 September gave its approval for restructuring of Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan
into Swachh Bharat Mission (Clean India Mission).The programme is aimed at creating a clean India
by 2019 with peoples participation. The sanitation mission was launched on 2 October 2014 in all
4041 statutory towns.
PM
Narendra
Modi
Launched
Make
in
India
Campaign
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Make In India (MIN) campaign with a high-pitch event
held at New Delhis Vigyan Bhawan on 25 September. The campaign aims at reviving the job-creating
manufacturing sector, which is being seen as the key to taking the Indian economy on a sustainable
high growth path.

STATES
Uttarakhand
Govt
Declared
9th
September
As
Himalaya
Diwas
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat officially declared September 9th as Himalaya Diwas.The
state will celebrate Himalaya Diwas to spread the message of conservation of the Himalayan
ecosystems. Harish Rawat in his declaration announced that from 2015 onwards, the state
government would celebrate the day.
Bihar
Govt
Recognised
Transgender
As
Third
Gender
The Bihar government on 9 September 2014 recognised eunuch and transgender as third gender.
This was done to extend the quota benefit as eunuch and transgender were declared as backward
class annexure II category.
West
Bengal
Cabinet
Approved
Farmer-Friendly
Project
The West Bengal cabinet on 12 September cleared a farmer-friendly project (Sech-Bandhu Prakalpa)
offering 46,000 new pump sets with power connectivity to the farmers to boost irrigation in the state.
Presidents
Rule
Imposed
In
Maharashtra
Presidents rule was imposed on 28 September in poll-bound Maharashtra after Chief Minister
Prithviraj Chavan resigned following the break-up of 15-year-old Congress-NCP alliance in the
state.President Pranab Mukherjee signed the proclamation for imposition of central rule in
Maharashtra, a day after the Union Cabinet recommended clamping of Presidents rule in the state.

CONFERENCES
G20
Finance
Ministers
and
Central
Bank
Governors
Meeting
The G-20 Meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors was held at Cairns, Australia on

20-21 September 2014. Meeting of G20 finance ministers in Australia endorses plan to automatically
exchange information on a reciprocal basis by end of 2018. The Group of Twenty (G20) is the premier
forum for its members international economic cooperation and decision-making. Its membership
comprises 19 countries plus the European Union.

AWARDS & HONOURS

South
Africa-based
Organization
Awarded
The
Gandhi
Prize
A South Africa-based outfit involved in conflict resolution has been awarded the Mahatma Gandhi
International Award for Reconciliation and Peace for its efforts in promoting peace and addressing
disputes globally. Graca Machel, chairperson of The African Centre for Constructive Resolution of
Disputess (Accord) Board of Trustees and former First Lady when her late husband Nelson Mandela
was President, accepted the award on behalf of the institution at the Annual Gandhi Awards
Celebration, hosted by the Gandhi Development Trust in Durban.
MS University Chancellor Mrunalinidevi Conferred with Best Manager Award
Dr Mrunalinidevi Puar, Chancellor of Maharaja Sayajirao University, has been conferred with the Best
Manager award by the Oxford Summit of Leaders (Science and Education) in UK on 2 September.
Indian
Scientist
Kamal
Bawa
Won
Midori
Prize
In
Biodiversity
2014
Indian scientist Kamal Bawa, an eminent professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts in
Boston, has won the prestigious Midori Prize in Biodiversity 2014 for his research that included
climate change in the Himalayas.
Snowden
and
Rusbridger
Won
Swedens
Alternative
Nobel
Prize
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and Guardian editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger on 24 September
won Right Livelihood Award. The award was shared between the two.The Right Livelihood Award is
also known as Alternative Nobel prize of Sweden.

SPORTS & GAMES

US
Open
Tennis
Tournament
Winners

2014
Womens Singles :- Serena Williams of US won the US Open Tennis Tournament womens singles
title on 8 September in New York. She defeated Caroline Wozniazki of Denmark in the final.
Mens Singles:- Croatias Marin Cilic won the U.S. Open mens singles title on 8 September to
become the newest winner of this coveted Grand Slam title. He defeated Japans Kei Nishikori in the
final.
Lewis
Hamilton
Won
Italian
F1
Grand
Prix

2014
Mercedes driver Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton of Britain won the Italian F1 Grand Prix on 7
September.
USA
Won
2014
FIBA
Basketball
World
Cup
USA won FIBA Basketball World Cup 2014 by defeating Serbia. The World Cup was held on 14
September at Madrid, Spain.
Lewis
Hamilton
Won
Singapore
F1
Grand
Prix
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain won the Singapore F1 Grand Prix on 21 September to take
a slender 3-point lead over his teammate Nico Rosberg (Germany), who was leading the 2014 season
till now.

ECONOMY
SBI
Launched
First
Multi-Currency
International
Debit
Card
Launched
State Bank of India (SBI) on 8 September launched its first multi-currency international debit card to
allow consumers to use a single card to pay in multiple currencies. This card launched in a tie-up with
MasterCard would, at present, enable customers to load four international currencies in this card.
Mukesh
Ambani
Tops
Richest
Indian
List
Reliance Industries (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani has again topped the list of richest Indian while
Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani has made it to the 10th spot. As per the Hurun India Rich List
for 2014 released on 16 September, Mukesh Ambanis wealth has risen 37 percent to Rs 1.65 lakh
crore this year.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

India
Successfully
Test
Fired
N-capable
Agni-I
Missile
India on 11 September successfully test-fired indigenously developed nuclear-capable surface -tosurface Agni-I missile from Wheeler Island off Odisha coast.The Agni I has a range of 7001250 km.
NASA Unveils Worlds Largest Welder To Build Worlds Most Powerful Rocket
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden officially unveiled the worlds largest welder to start construction
of the worlds most powerful rocket NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at NASAs
Michouds Vertical Assembly Center (VAC) on 12 September.
Nasas
Maven
Spacecraft
Successfully
Enters
Mars
Orbit
Nasas Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft on 22 September 2014 entered
orbit around Mars, completing an interplanetary journey of 10 months and 442 million miles (711
million kilometers). Maven is a space probe designed to study the Martian atmosphere while orbiting
Mars. Mission goals include determining how the Martian atmosphere and water, presumed to have
once been substantial, were lost over time.
ISROs
Mars
Orbiter
Spacecraft
Successfully
Inserted
into
Mars
Orbit
The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also called Mangalyaan Mars-craft is a Mars orbiter launched into
Earth orbit on 5 November 2013 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was
successfully inserted into Mars orbit on 24 September 2014. It is Indias first interplanetary mission
and ISRO has become the fourth space agency to reach Mars, after the Soviet space program,
NASA, and the European Space Agency. This was also Indias first attempt to reach Mars orbit
historically, only Europes ESA made it to Mars on its first attempt.

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS
P
Sathasivam
Sworn
In
As
Kerala
Governor
Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Palaniswamy Sathasivam was on 5 September sworn in as Kerala
Governor. He is the 23rd Governor of the state. He is the first Chief Justice of India to be appointed to
the post which is lower in warrant of precedence to the CJI.

Justice
H.L.
Dattu
Sworn
In
As
42nd
Chief
Justice
of
India
Justice Handyala Lakshminarayanaswamy Dattu was sworn in as the 42nd Chief Justice of India (CJI)
on 28 September 2014. Justice Dattu succeeds Chief Justice R M Lodha who retired on 28
September 2014. He will have a tenure of 14 months and will retire on 2 December 2015.

B)RESIGNS
Maharashtra
CM
Prithviraj
Chavan
Resigned
Prithviraj Chavan on 26 September resigned as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra after his
government was reduced to a minority. Chavan submitted his resignation to governor of the state C
Vidyasagar Rao.

C)DEATHS
Former
Attorney
General
GE
Vahanvati
Died
Former Attorney General of India GE Vahanvati (Goolam Essaji Vahanvati) died on 2 September in
Mumbai. Vahanvati was first Muslim to become Attorney General of India and he was 13th Attorney
General of India. He was appointed the 13th attorney general in June 2009 for a three-year term after
UPA government was re-elected. In 2012, the term was extended by another two years. He resigned
from the position of Attorney General on 27 May 2014 following the regime change at the Centre.

D)VISITORS
Indian
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
Visited
U.S
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Visited U.S from 26 30 September 2014. During his five day
visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 69th session of United Nations General Assembly
(UNGA) in New York on 27 September. In his speech addressing Indian-Americans at Madison
Square Garden in New York, Narendra Modi announced lifetime visas for PIOs (Persons of Indian
origin). India and US has issued a joint vision statement declaring cooperation in energy, economic
growth, science, technology health and education. The Vision Statement titled Chalein Saath-Saath:
Forward Together We Go was issued after the Summit-level meeting between Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama at White House in Washington DC. In the meeting,
the two sides had decided to take steps for extension of the pact besides agreeing to enhance
cooperation in joint production and development of defence equipment.

E)MISCELLANEOUS
Kira
Kazantsev
Crowned
Miss
America
2015
Miss Kira Kazantsev was crowned Miss America 2015. She belongs to New York. This is the third
year in a row that the contestant from New York has won. Kazantsev received the crown on 14
September at Atlantic Citys Boardwalk Hall from outgoing Miss America and Miss New York Nina
Davuluri.

PLACES IN NEWS
London
Ranked
As
Worlds
Most
Expensive
City
London has overtaken Hong Kong as the worlds most expensive place to live and work. This fact was
revealed in the 5th edition of the Savills Live/Work Index that was released on 26 September 2014. At
the other end of the scale, Mumbai remained the cheapest world city in which to locate employees.

ABBREVIATIONS
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization
ESCAP Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
FICCI Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
NCERT National Council of Education Research and Training

BOOKS IN NEWS
M
S
Swaminathan
In
Conversation
with
Nitya
Rao
Book
Released
The book entitled M S Swaminathan, in conversation with Nitya Rao The Ethics and Politics of
Science was released on 10 September by Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu was in New Delhi.This
book is in continuation of the earlier book released in August 2013.

COMMITTEES
Finance Ministry Sets Up H R Khan Committee On Unclaimed PPF, Small Savings Deposits
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has set up a committee on 3 September under Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) Deputy Governor H R Khan to assess the amount of unclaimed deposit in the popular Public
Provident Fund (PPF) and Post Office saving schemes, and suggest steps for utilisation of funds for
the benefit of senior citizens.

IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES

World
Tourism
Day
Observed
Across
The
World
World Tourism Day (WTD) was observed across the world on 27 September 2014. The theme of the
World Tourism Day 2014 is Tourism and Community Development. The 2014 WTD is focused to
highlight the ability of tourism to empower people and provide them with skills to achieve change in
their local communities.
World
Heart
Day
Observed
Across
The
World
World Heart Day was observed across the world on 29 September 2014. The objective of the day is to
inform people around the world of the danger of heart disease and stroke. 2014 theme for World
Heart Days is Heart Choices NOT Hard Choices. The World Health Organization on the occasion
said that there is a need to reduce the consumption of salt that is linked to death of people from
cardiovascular diseases.