Daily Current Affairs, 27th September 2018

1) World Tourism Day: 27 September

•World Tourism Day is observed every year globally on 27th September. It is a unique opportunity to raise awareness on the potential contribution of digital technologies to sustainable tourism development. 

•“Tourism and the Digital Transformation” is the theme of this year’s World Tourism Day (WTD). Hungary is the host country for this year's WTD. 

2) PM Modi Got UN’s Highest Environmental Honour

•Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been awarded with the UN’s highest environmental honour, also given to five other individuals and organisations, for his leadership of the International Solar Alliance and pledge to eliminate single use plastic by 2022. Cochin International Airport was given the award for its leadership in the use of sustainable energy.

•Six of the world’s most outstanding environmental changemakers have been recognised with the Champions of the Earth Award. French President Emmanuel Macron and Mr. Modi have been jointly recognised in the Policy Leadership category for their pioneering work in championing the International Solar Alliance and promoting new areas of levels of cooperation on environmental action.

3) Adultery No Longer A Criminal Offence, SC Strikes Down Section 497 Of IPC

•A five-judge Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra scrapped the pre-Independence provision of adultery in the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which treats a married woman as a commodity owned by her husband. Section 497 (adultery) gives a husband the exclusive right to prosecute his wife's lover. If found guilty, the adulterer faces five years behind bars. 

•A similar right is not conferred on a wife to prosecute the woman with whom her husband has committed adultery. Secondly, the provision does not confer any right on the wife to prosecute her husband for adultery. Further, Section 497 the law does not take into account cases where the husband has sexual relations with an unmarried woman. 

4) IAF Successfully Test Fires Air-To-Air Astra Missile

•The Indian Air Force successfully test fired the indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile Astra from a Su-30 aircraft. The missile, tested at the Kalaikunda Air Force Station, “successfully engaged a manoeuvring target with high precision.”

•In the series of trials held till date, Astra has been launched in the complete Su-30 flight envelope. The flight test assumes significance as it was part of the series of final pre-induction trials. Astra, deemed to be the best in the class weapon system, has undergone more than 20 developmental trials.

5) India And Morocco Signed MoU To Enhance Cooperation In MSME Sector

•India and Morocco signed an MoU for deepening cooperation between MSME sectors of the two countries in Rabat, Morocco.  The MoU was signed by CMD, National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC), Ravindra Nath and Director General, Maroc PME, Mr Rabri Barrazouka. Through this MOU, the NSIC and Maroc PME will work together to enhance cooperation opportunities for MSMEs of both countries. 

•Ms. Alka Arora, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of MSME, held bilateral meetings with Mr. Othman El Ferdaous, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Trade and Digital Economy and with other related Departments for enhancing cooperation in MSME Sector. It will facilitate the transfer of Indian technologies and products to Morocco. 

6) India And Oman Agree To Enhance Bilateral Cooperation

•Sayyid Badr Saud Harib Al Busaidi, the Minister Responsible for Defence Affairs, Sultanate of Oman, is on an official visit to India at the invitation of Raksha Mantri Smt Nirmala Sitharaman. The Omani Minister met with Raksha Mantri in South Block. The Ministers undertook a comprehensive review of bilateral defence cooperation and discussed measures to further enhance bilateral exchanges.

•The three wings of the Armed Forces hold staff talks and advanced joint exercises with each other. Several enabling agreements and Memoranda of Understanding have been signed between the two countries pertaining to defence related issues. Cooperation in maritime security and defence industry engagement were prioritized for future engagement. 

7) IISc Bengaluru Tops India In Global List Of Best Institutes

•No Indian institution figures in the top 250 of the Times Higher Education’s (THE) world university rankings 2019, though the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, has retained its position as the highest-ranked centre in the country, while the Indian Institute of Technology-Indore has risen to the highest position behind it. 

•The rankings show Oxford continues to hold the first place, Cambridge second, and Stanford third. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology rose one place to number four. In India, number of Indian institutions in the rankings increased from 42 last year to 49, making it the fifth best-represented nation. 

8) RBI Eases Cash Reserve Rules To Ease Liquidity

•The Reserve Bank of India allowed banks to dip further into statutory cash reserves in a bid to ease a liquidity squeeze afflicting the nation’s money markets. The move by the central bank follows concerns over tight liquidity conditions and banks’ unwillingness to lend to NBFCs. 

•As per the RBI, banks could 'carve out' up to 15% of holdings under the statutory liquidity reserves to meet their liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) requirements as compared to 13% now.