Austria’s Dominic Thiem on September 13, 2020, won the US Open Men’s Singles title. He defeated Germany’s Alexander Zverev after making a comeback in the five-set long marathon final. This was the first US Open final which was decided by a fifth-set-tie break and also the one where the player had recovered from losing the opening two sets to win the title. Dominic Theim has become the first Grand Slam Champion to be born in the 1990s.
The Uttar Pradesh State Government had announced on September 13, 2020, that a special security force will be constituted to protect airports, courts, administrative buildings, banks, metros, and other government offices. The Uttar Pradesh Special Security Force (UPSSF) will be allowed to conduct searches and arrests without any warrants if it is sure about the crime. The information regarding the special security force was shared by UP’s Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi during a press briefing.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga won the leadership vote of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan on September 14, 2020. Mr. Suga will soon secure the position of the new Prime Minister of the country as on September 16, 2020, the Japanese parliament will confirm Suga as the head of the government. As per the final count, Mr. Suga had secured 377 votes of a total of 534 votes. Yoshihide Suga will be replacing the long-serving Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe, who had resigned in August 2020 due to health problems.
The Union Health Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan has informed that the COVID-19 vaccine may get ready by the first quarter of 2021. However, the Union Minister stated that no date has been fixed yet for the launch of the vaccine in India. He further assured that the government has been taking full precautions in conducting the human trials of the vaccine. The Union Health Minister also informed that the vaccine will be first made available to those who need it the most, irrespective of their paying capacity.
The Central Government sought Parliament’s approval on September 14, 2020, to infuse Rs. 20,000 crores in Public Sector Banks in the current financial year to meet regulatory requirements. The document proposed by the Finance Minister mentioned that the government has asked for the Parliament’s authorization of Rs. 20,000 crores for meeting the expenditure towards recapitalization of Public Sector Banks through the issue of government securities.
The Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in his statement in Lok Sabha on September 15, 2020, mentioned that India and China border issue remains unresolved. He was addressing the Parliament on the India-China border stand-off at the LAC, in Ladakh. The Defence Minister informed that there has been no mutually acceptable situation as China still disagrees on the border and doesn’t recognise the traditional and customary alignment of the boundary.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 15, 2020, inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for seven urban infrastructure projects in Bihar through Video Conferencing. The newly launched projects will be implemented at a total cost of Rs. 541 crores. Among the launched 7 projects, four are related to the water supply, one to riverfront development, and two to sewerage treatment. The projects will be implemented by The Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (BUIDCO).
India has been elected as a member of the United Nations’ Commission on the status of women. It is a body of the Economic and Social Council. Along with India, China and Afghanistan had also contested for the membership. While Afghanistan and India had won the ballot among the 54 members, China failed to even cross the half-way mark. The Commission on Status of Women is an inter-governmental body which is dedicated to the promotion of women empowerment and gender equality.
The Parliament on September 15, 2020, passed Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020 after it was approved by Rajya Sabha. The bill was passed in Lok Sabha on March 17, 2020. The bill aims to amend the Aircraft Act of 1934 and convert the 3 regulatory bodies under the Civil Aviation Ministry into the statutory bodies. The 3 regulatory bodies include the Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bureau, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security.
The Asian Development Bank has announced that India’s economy is expected to contract by 9 percent in 2020. It will be worse than the 4% contraction which the bank had forecasted three months ago. India’s GDP has contracted by a record of 23.9% as the COVID-19 lockdown has stalled the businesses and consumer spending. However, as per ADB, India is expected to bounce back with an 8% growth in 2021 once it begins to emerge from the economic devastation caused by the pandemic.