1. ISIS bombs ancient temple of Bel in Palmyra
(i) The 2000-year-old temple of Bel in Palmyra was destroyed as the militant group Islamic State of Syria (ISIS) blew it up it in early September this year.
(ii) Temple of Bel is one of the ancient and carefully preserved historical sites in Syria, which was dedicated to the Palmyrene gods.
(iii) As per the head of Syrian Department of Antiquities and Museums, there was an explosion within its perimeter but the basic structure of the site was unharmed. However, satellite images show that the main building along with several columns in the vicinity were brought down.
2. 12 Syrian migrants die in an attempt to reach Greece
(i) On September 2, Turkish coastguards carried the body of a young Syrian boy who was washed ashore, along with many others, in a failed attempt to escape to Grrece.
(ii) As per reports, at least 12 Syrian migrants were killed in a failed attempt to reach Greece and two went under Turkish waters. Over the past 5 years, the Syrian conflict has been consistently escalating causing thousands to be killed and several more to flee the country risking their life.
(iii) For the last few months, Europe is dealing with a huge influx of refugees from Syria. Four million Syrians have registered/are awaiting registration with the UNHRC.
3. Polio Virus discovered in Europe for the first since 2010
(i) In September 2015, two Ukrainian children were detected with polio for the first time since 2010.
(ii) The WHO said that both cases occurred because immunisation rates in the Ukraine were extremely low.
(iii) India has been declared polio-free, however in neighbouring countries of Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan, the disease is still endemic.
4. SAARC conference on disaster mitigation held in New Delhi
(i) A conference of the member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was held in New Delhi on 2nd September 2015.
(ii) The objective of the conference was to undertake joint efforts on issues related to disaster mapping and mitigation in the member nations.
(iii) The National
Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)
participated in the conference that was held considering the increased frequency of
disasters in the wake of the recent earthquake in Nepal.
5. G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ meet to be held in Turkey
(i) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan will participate in the G20 meet, which is to be held in Ankara, Turkey on September 4-5, 2015.
(ii) Ministers and governors from Argentina, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union, will participate.
(iii) They will exchange views on the recent global economic developments, challenges and collective measures to resolve them.
6. Central government announces plans to create Green Highways Fund
(i) The government announced of its plans to create a Green Highways Fund in order to transform its 96,000 km network of National Highways into “green corridors”.
(ii) It will thus be mandatory to set aside 1% of the the total road project cost for tree plantation.
(iii) The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is formulating the ‘Green Highways (Plantation & Maintenance) Policy -2015’ to develop eco-friendly NHs with the participation of the community, NGOs, private sector, among others.
7. Jhumpa Lahiri selected for the prestigious 2014 National Humanities Medal
(i) Indian-American Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Jhumpa Lahiri has been selected for the prestigious 2014 National Humanities Medal. The US President Barack Obama would present her the award in mid-September 2015.
(ii) She has been selected for the
honour for her constant effort to describe lives of the Indian-Americans through narratives
with dual themes of kinship and estrangement.
8. FIFA rankings released
(i) As per the recently released FIFA world rankings, Argentina holds on to its No. 1
rank. Wales, at ninth rank, has for the first time moved ahead of England. India
ranks 155th on the list.
(ii) As per the ranking, the top 10 teams are 1. Argentina, 2. Belgium, 3. Germany, 4. Colombia, 5. Brazil, 6. Portugal, 7. Romania, 8. Chile, 9. Wales, 10. England. – Agencies
To get fresh updates on your Facebook & Twitter timelines, subscribe to our pages created specifically for them. We will be posting only those exam specific links on these pages:
Bank PO:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pagalguybankpo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaGaLGuYBankPO
SSC & Other Exams:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pagalguy-SSC-CGL-Others/879667042056262
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pagalguyssc
UPSC:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pagalguy-UPSC/951926044840262
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaGaLGuYUPSC