Important Current Affairs 27th September 2019

NATIONAL:

India ranks 44 in the World digital competitiveness rankings

• According to a global report, India has ranked 44th in World digital competitiveness rankings in 2019. India stood 48th rank in the year 2019. India has made various improvement in terms of knowledge and future readiness to adopt and explore digital technologies.

Also, according to the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking 2019 (WDCR), with great advancement in the technology sub-factor level, India holds the first position in telecommunications investment.

• Parameter:

The ranking list is produced by the IMD World Competitiveness Center. The rankings are based on various measures including the capacity and  preparedness to adopt and explore digital technologies as a key driver for economic transformation in business, government and wider society.

WDCR examines three factors for the evaluation of an economy. The factors namely:

♦ knowledge, the capacity to understand and learn the new technologies and

♦ technology, the competence to develop new digital innovations

♦ future-readiness, the preparedness for the coming developments.

Vikram had hard landing, NASA releases high-resolution images of Chandrayaan 2

• The United States premier space agency NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Chandrayaan-2's Vikram lander had a hard landing on the Moon's surface. While releasing high-resolution images captured by its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) during a lunar flyby.

• The Vikram lander attempted a soft landing on a small patch of lunar highland smooth plains between Simpelius N and Manzinus C craters on September 7 contact with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).The agency verify the exact location of the spacecraft. The images captured by LROC also do not pinpoint Chandrayaan 2 Vikram lander's location but it is possible that it is hiding in shadow.

• India's first attempt at a soft landing on the Moon. The site was located about 600 kilometers from the south pole in a relatively ancient terrain.The LRO passed over the landing site on September 17 and acquired a set of high-resolution images of the area; so far the LROC team has not been able to locate or image the lander.

INTERNATIONAL:

CIAL won an international award for passenger satisfaction by ACI

• Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) has been selected as the best airport in the Asia-Pacific region in terms of services it offered to passengers. The airport was recognized by Airport Council International (ACI).

• The award was presented to the authorities of Cochin International Airport at the second Annual ACI Customer Experience Global Summit held at Bali, Indonesia.

• Airport Council International (ACI) conducted an annual survey in the 5-15 million passenger category in Airport Service Quality's (ASQ) and CIAL topped among them. One airport from Indonesia has also won recognition in the same category.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY:

Amazon India to train individuals with autism

• Amazon India announced its partnership with a non-governmental organisation (NGO) - Sol's ARC .They planned to launch an industry first pilot programme to train young adults with autism and intellectual disabilities.

• This programme will enable their successful integration into the workforce and help them gain financial independence. Amazon.in will work closely with Sol's ARC to create internship opportunities for them across different parts of its fulfilment network.

• The NGO would also help create awareness among Amazon employees about autism and intellectual disabilities. More than 350 associates who are deaf with speech disabilities are part of the Amazon network across the country's fulfilment centres, sortation centres and delivery stations.

Amazon

Headquarters: Seattle, Washington, United States

CEO: Jeff Bezos

Founder: Jeff Bezos

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION:

Infosys won the United Nations Global Climate Action Award

• Infosys won the prestigious United Nations Global Climate Action Award in the Climate Neutral Now category. Infosys, a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, is the only corporate from India to earn the award. The award recognized the company's efforts to combat climate change. The award will be presented to Infosys at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) which has been scheduled to be held on December 2019 in Santiago, Chile.

Organized by:

The UN Global Climate Action Award is organized by the Momentum for Change initiative of the UN Climate Change Secretariat.

The winners were selected based on innovative solutions that address climate change and help drive progress on many other sustainable development goals, such as poverty alleviation, gender equality, and economic opportunity.

DAYS:

World Maritime Day was observed on 27 September

• World Maritime Day was observed on 27 September every year. The day aims to raise awareness about the importance of shipping safety, maritime security and the marine environment.

Theme:

The theme for the 2019 World Maritime Day is Empowering women in the maritime community. The theme aims to raise awareness of the importance of gender equality. The theme is in line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The theme also highlights the important contribution of women within the maritime sector.

World Tourism Day is observed on 27 September

• World Tourism Day is observed on 27 September every year. For the first time, India is hosting the World Tourism Day. The Day aims to raise awareness about the role of tourism around the world. It also ensures to promote social, cultural, political and economic values.

Theme:

The theme for the 2019 World Tourism Day is Tourism and Jobs: a better future for all.

The theme focuses on:

♦ The need for fresh policies to maximize the potential of tourism. It is expected that new policies can create more and better jobs, especially for youth and women.

♦ To create jobs in tourism as it is required to reflect and incorporate ongoing advances in technology. Tourism is generating 10% of world jobs.

SPORTS:

Deepak Punia reached first rank in Wrestling Ranking

• World Championship silver medallist wrestler Deepak Punia jumped to world number one position in 6kg. He lost the top rank in the 65kg category in the latest rankings issued by the international federation (UWW).

• He settled for a silver after an ankle injury forced him to pull out of the final against Iranian great Hasan Yazdani. The 20-year-old now has 82 points, four more than World Champion Yazdani.

• Deepak won a silver Yasar Dogu and bronze medals at Asian Championship and at Sassari tournaments. He has been rewarded for his consistent show.