1. ISRO successfully launches GSLV-D6 carrying GSAT-6 satellite
i. The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D6) has successfully blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Sriharikota, near Chennai.
ii. This is the third time the indigenously developed Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) is being carried onboard during a GSLV flight.
iii. It may be noted the second mission of GSLV during the last five years after two such rockets failed in 2010. One of the GSLV rockets flew with Indian cryogenic engine and the other one with a Russian engine.
iv. GSAT-6 will join the group of India's other operational geostationary satellites and it will provide communication through five spot beams in S-band and a national beam in C-band for strategic users.
v. The S-Band Unfurlable Antenna of six metre diameter is one of the advanced features of GSAT-6 satellite.
vi. This is the largest satellite antenna realised by ISRO and it is utilised for five spot beams over the Indian main land
vii. Spot beams exploit the frequency reuse scheme to increase frequency spectrum utilisation efficiency.
2. Novak Djokovic new UNICEF goodwill ambassador
i. Reigning world tennis champion Novak Djokovic became a new goodwill ambassador for the UN Fund for Children, joining a roster of athletes and celebrities to hold the post.
ii. The 28-year-old Serbian, who grew up during the Balkans war, has already worked to help vulnerable children through his role as UNICEF Serbia ambassador.
iii. Djokovic, who was born in Belgrade in 1987 shortly before the Balkans war broke out, spent much of his childhood in Serbia.
iv. Djokovic, who was born in Belgrade in 1987 shortly before the Balkans war broke out, spent much of his childhood in Serbia. He has said on past occasions that tennis was a “blessing.”
3. Airtel acquires Augere to strengthen 4G footprint
i. Bharti Airtel on Wednesday said it has agreed to acquire Augere Wireless Broadband India (Augere) in a deal that will allow it to take its 4G operations to nine circles.
ii. Augere holds 20 MHz of broadband wireless access (BWA) spectrum in the telecom circles of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
iii. The company did not disclose the deal size but sources said it could be in the range of Rs. 130-150 crore. Augere had won the spectrum in 2010 for Rs. 122 crore. The acquisition would enhance the company’s strength in 4G, which it had launched recently.
iv. The government had sold 4G spectrum in the 2300 MHz band which at that time looked lucrative due to a lower reserve price compared to the 3G spectrum.
4. Union Cabinet cleared 4 months extension for 7th Pay Commission
i. Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 26 August 2015 gave 4 months extension (up to 31 December 2015) to the 7th Central Pay Commission. Justice Ashok Kumar Mathur is the Chairman of the Commission.
ii. The extension was approved after the commission sought extension of 4 months due to volume of work and intensive stake-holders’ consultations. The Commission constituted by the Central Government in February 2014 was mandated to submit its recommendations by 27 August 2015.
iii. The Sixth Pay Commission headed by Justice BN Srikrishna was implemented with effect from 1 January 2006, the fifth from 1 January 1996 and the fourth from 1 January 1986.
iv. In another decision it also approved amendments in the Central List of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in respect of Gujarat and Uttarakhand. It has been done as per the advices received from the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC).
5. Govt releases smart cities list: 13 cities from UP, 12 from Tamil Nadu, 3 from Bihar included
i. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA government on Thursday unveiled the list of 98 cities that will be part of its ambitious Smart Cities project. Union Minister of Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu released the list of 98 cities, including 13 cities from Uttar Pradesh and 12 from Tamil Nadu.
ii. Other cities include 10 from Maharashtra, 7 from Madhya Pradesh ,3 each from Bihar & Andhra Pradesh.
iii. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the criteria and guidelines for 100 Smart Cities to be selected through city challenge competition in June 25.
iv. Barring Jammu and Kashmir, all states have finalised the names of proposed Smart Cities through competition.
v. Central government proposes to give financial support to Mission to the extent of Rs 48,000 crores over 5 years.
6. Kazakhstan To Host First Nuclear Fuel Bank
i. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Kazakhstan have signed an agreement to create the world's first internationally-controlled bank of low-enriched uranium in the ex-Soviet nation to ensure fuel supplies for power stations and prevent nuclear proliferation.
ii. The agreement on establishing the bank was signed by Yukiya Amano, director general of the UN nuclear watchdog, and Kazakh Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov on August 27 in the Kazakh capital, Astana.
iii. The storage facility, set to become fully operational in 2017, is intended to provide IAEA member states with a steady and predictable supply of fuel even if other routes are disrupted.
iv. Backers also argue it will dissuade countries from building enrichment facilities that might be misused to purify uranium to weapons-grade levels - an issue that bedeviled relations between Iran and the West for more than a decade.
7. Dilip Vengsarkar elected president of cricket statisticians body
i. Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar has been elected unopposed as the president of the Association of Indian Statisticians and scorers of India at its AGM.
ii. Vengsarkar is also the vice president of the Mumbai Cricket Association.
iii. Elected members: President - Dilip Vengsarkar; Vice-presidents - Dara Pochkhanawalla and Ganesh Iyer; Secretary - Theo Braganza (Mumbai); Joint secretary - Deepak Joshi (Mumbai); Treasurer - Ajit Datar (Mumbai); Managing committee members - Prakash Dahatonde, Harish Thakkar (both Mumbai), Kanti Sutar, Tushar Trivedi (both from Gujarat Dilip Singh Upring (from Vidarbha); Co-opted members - Hari Makhija and Ajay Kavitkar (both from Maharashtra)
8. Vikas Gowda enters discus final at World Athletics Championships
i. Two-time Asian Championships gold medallist Vikas Gowda expectedly reached the discus throw final with a best attempt of 63.86 metres in the qualifiers at the World Athletics Championships on Thursday.
ii. Taking part in Group A of the qualifiers, Gowda threw 63.84m in his second attempt, 0.02m short of the first, while his third opportunity was disqualified.
iii. Seven discus throwers qualified for the final from Group A while five from Group B out of a total of 31 participants.
iv. Gowda's personal best throw of 66.28m is also the Indian national record which he achieved in 2012 at Norman, United States.
v. Gowda was the only Indian in action on Thursday at the world meet.
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