1) Sushma Swaraj in New York to Attend UNGA Session
•External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj arrived in New York to represent India at the annual UN General Assembly, UNGA, session.
•In the first move, Mrs. Swaraj would kick off her official engagement with a trilateral meeting of foreign ministers of India, US and Japan to give momentum to their cooperation. India is among the 120 countries that have supported the reform efforts of the UN Secretary-General.
2) Google Tez UPI-Based Digital Payments App Launched in India
•Google Tez has become the latest UPI-based payments app in the country. The new Google Tez app can be used to pay for movie tickets, utility bills, and make other transactions online.
•Tez means fast in Hindi, which the company stated was one of the selling points of its new app. Google Tez is a standalone payments app, available on Android and iOS, and is powered by UPI, a payments protocol built by government-backed organization NPCI. The company has partnered with HDFC Bank, ICICI, and State Bank of India for backend processing.
3) Indigenous Artillery Gun Sets New World Record in Range
•An indigenous artillery gun, Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has set a new world record in range by hitting targets at a distance of 48 km.
•During trial firings at Pokhran ranges, ATAGS registered the longest ever distance of 48.074 km, surpassing the maximum range of 35-40 km fired by any artillery gun system in this category.
4) Iceland's PM Bjarni Benediktsson Resigns
•Prime Minister of Iceland Mr. Bjarni Benediktsson has resigned from the post. He lost his nine-month-old, center-right coalition after one party quit.
•The President of Iceland, Gudni Th. Johannesson accepted the resignation of the PM. Benediktsson took office in January 2017, uniting his Independence Party, the Reform Party, and the centrists.
5) Y.C Modi Named NIA Chief, Rajni Kant Misra D-G of SSB
•Senior IPS officer Y.C Modi has been named the chief of the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved Mr. Modi’s appointment as Director General of the NIA. He will take over from Sharad Kumar after he completes his tenure on October 30.
•Another senior IPS officer, Rajni Kant Misra, has been appointed Director General of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). Mr. Misra is at present the Additional Director General in the Border Security Force (BSF).
6) Airtel Payments Bank, First Payment Bank to Integrate UPI on its Digital Platform
•Sunil Mittal-driven Airtel Payments Bank integrated the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) on its digital platform, allowing customer choice and convenience to facilitate secure digital payments.
•Airtel Payments Bank has become the first payments bank in India to integrate the UPI on its digital platform. In January 2017, Bharti Airtel launched Payments Bank in India to enable transactions on digital platforms. The initiative will allow bank customers to link their bank accounts to Bhim app and make UPI payments.
