CURRENT AFFAIRS 23 September, 2024

CURRENT AFFAIRS 23 September, 2024

1. LAAPATAA LADIES: INDIA’S OFFICIAL ENTRY FOR OSCARS 2025 –

• The Film Federation of India has officially announced that filmmaker Kiran Rao’s “Laapataa Ladies” has been chosen as India’s official entry in the Best Foreign Film Category for the Oscars 2025.
• This selection marks a significant milestone for the film and its creators, putting it on the global stage of cinema.

The selection process was rigorous and comprehensive, involving entries from across India:

• Total entries: 22 films
• 12 Hindi films
• 6 Tamil films
• 4 Malayalam films
• Notable Contenders

“Laapataa Ladies” faced stiff competition from several acclaimed films, including:

• “Animal”
• “Kill”
• “Kalki 2898 AD”
• “Srikanth”
• “Chandu Champion”
• “Joram”
• “Maidaan”
• “Sam Bahadur”
• “Article 370”
• “Aattam” (Malayalam, National Award winner for Best Feature Film)
• “All We Imagine As Light” (Payal Kapadia’s Cannes winner)

2. PRIME MINISTER ATTENDS THE SIXTH QUAD LEADERS’ SUMMIT IN WILMINGTON, DELAWARE –

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi participated in the sixth Quad Leaders’ Summit in Wilmington, Delaware on 21 September 2024, hosted by the President of the United States of America, Joseph R. Biden, Prime Minister of Australia Mr. Anthony Albanese and Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida also participated.
• Thanked President Biden for hosting the Summit and for his personal commitment to strengthen the Quad as a force for global good.
• The Prime Minister stated that at a time when the world is ridden with tensions and conflicts, the coming together of Quad partners, with shared democratic ethos and values, is important for humanity.

3. INDIA’S THIRD HOME-BUILT 700 MWE NUCLEAR REACTOR ACHIEVES CRITICALITY –

• The nuclear power reactor that achieved criticality is the first of a new series of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) to be built at Rajasthan Atomic Power Project in Rawatbhata.
• 700 MWe units are the largest indigenous nuclear power reactors built by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), a public sector undertaking of the Department of Atomic Energy.
• These reactors are pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs), which use natural uranium as fuel and heavy water as coolant and moderator.
• The reactor achieved criticality after meeting the specified conditions of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), India’s nuclear safety regulator.

4. LEFT-LEANING LEADER WINS SRI LANKA ELECTION IN POLITICAL PARADIGM SHIFT-

• Anura Kumara Dissanayake has emerged as Sri Lanka’s newly elected president, securing 42% of the vote in the country’s first election since the 2022 economic collapse.
• The 55-year-old leader of the National People’s Power (NPP) coalition defeated his main rival, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, who garnered 23% of the vote.
• While outgoing President Ranil Wickremesinghe trailed in third.
• The election witnessed a high voter turnout, with 76% of Sri Lanka’s 17.1 million electorate participating in what is seen as a crucial vote for the country’s future.
• Sri Lankan PM Dinesh Gunawardena resigns after Anura Dissanayake wins Presidential Poll
• Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena resigned from his post on Monday as part of a power transition in the country following the presidential election won by Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
• The resignation came ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of Dissanayake.
• Gunawardena, 75, was prime minister since July 2022.
• Born in Galewela, a small village in Central Province, on November 24, 1968.
• Dissanayake moved to Kekirawa at the age of four, where his upbringing would lay the groundwork for his future political consciousness.

5. UNION CABINET APPROVES NEXT GENERATION LAUNCH VEHICLE –

• The Union Cabinet of India, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the development of the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV).
• This decision is a big step for India’s space exploration goals and sets the stage for future projects, like building the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (Indian Space Station) and a crewed mission to the Moon by 2040.
• The NGLV is a new, advanced rocket system that will improve India’s ability to launch missions into space. It is a key part of India’s plan to expand its space program and take on larger, more complex space projects in the future.
• One of the most important features of the NGLV is its ability to carry a much heavier load into space. It can carry up to 30 tonnes to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), which is three times more than what India’s current LVM3 rocket can handle. This makes it possible for India to launch bigger satellites and more ambitious space missions.