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September 08, 2017

August 2017 Current Affairs Highlights (One-Liners)

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Friends, here are the Major Current Affairs Highlights of August 2017. These one-liners cover all important International, National, MOUs, Indexes, Banking, Technology, Books & Authors, Committees and Sports affairs of August month (from 1st to 31st August  2017). We will  provide the pdf version soon, but we advise you to write these on your own so that you wont forget them again. All the Best and Happy Reading :)

August 2017 Current Affairs Highlights (One-Liners) 

  • ‘I am HIV positive, so what ?’, a book on the career of Manipur’s highly-acclaimed bodybuilder, K Pradipkumar Singh, known for his personal struggle against HIV AIDS, was recently released. This book was written by : Jayanta Kalita.
  • 10th India-European Union Counter Terrorism Dialogue was recently held at New Delhi. During this dialogue, India and the European Union have agreed to strengthen cooperation between their security and intelligence agencies to combat the threat of terrorism and check terror financing.
  • 12th August 2017 was observed as the International Youth Day with the Theme “Youth Building Peace”.
  • 15th edition of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) ministerial meeting was recently held in Kathmandu, Nepal. Union External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj represented India.
  • 15-year-old shooter Shapath Bharadwaj has become India's youngest athlete to feature in government's Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme.
  • 16-year-old Indian-origin student Kavya Kopparapu with her team has developed an AI system to recognise signs of a diabetic complication that damages blood vessels in the eye.
  • 18-year-old India's junior para-athlete Rinku Hooda has won Silver medal in the Javelin throw F46 at the 1st World Para Athletics Junior Championships in Switzerland.
  • 19 acres of land which housed around 70 government office buildings in Chattisgarh’s Raipur is being converted into India's first micro forest in order to create an oxy-zone.
  • 19th August 2017 was observed as the World Humanitarian Day (WHD) with the Theme “#NotATarget”.
  • 19th August 2017 was observed as the World Photography Day with the Theme “Understanding clouds”.
  • 3 Indian companies featured in the Forbes' List of 'World’s Most Innovative Companies 2017. They are : Hindustan Unilever - 7th Rank (Highest-ranked Indian company), Asian Paints - 8th Rank and Airtel - 78th Rank.
  • 5 Judge bench of Supreme Court declared the practice of Triple Talaq as 'unconstitutional', and ordered a ban on it.
  • 7 Indian chess players including former World Champion Viswanathan Anand will be taking part in the Chess World Cup to be held in Tbilisi, Georgia, from September 2 to 27.
  • 72nd anniversary of Hiroshima atomic bombing was observed on 6th August 2017.
  • 91-year-old Queen Elizabeth II of UK is going to resign from her throne at the age of 95. Upon her abdication, the Queen's eldest son Prince Charles will become the King.
  • 9th August 2017 was observed as International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples with the Theme "10th Anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples"
  • 9th August 2017 was observed as Kranti Diwas (Quit India Day) in India with the Theme “Sankalp se Siddhi- the attainment through resolve”.
  • A 5-member special committee has been constituted by the Delhi government to prepare the Final parking policy for the city. The panel will be headed by : Om Prakash Agarwal (CEO of World Resources Institute (WRI), India)
  • A Panel that was set up to look at all aspects of household finance in India has recommended that PAN card should be required for all gold transactions. The panel was chaired by : Tarun Ramadorai (Professor of financial economics).
  • A set of 6 caves housing over 50 artefacts from the last Ice Age has become the 42nd UNESCO World Heritage Site in Germany.
  • A US court has ruled that politicians cannot block people on social media as it violates their right to freedom of speech.
  • According to recently released provisional census data, Pakistan's population has surged to over 20 crore, a 57% spike since the last census in 1998.
  • Afghanistan has requested India to launch a special satellite exclusively for its use. The satellite will be used in areas of telecommunications, television services, mines and other sectors.
  • American sprinter Allyson Felix has become the Most decorated athlete in world championships with 15 medals, breaking Usain Bolt's shared all-time record of most medals at the biennial athletics event.
  • American tennis player Serena Williams has topped the Forbes' list of highest paid female athletes of 2017, with $27 million in earnings between June 2016 and June 2017.
  • As part of its special focus on Indian languages, the Oxford University Press has launched online dictionaries in Tamil and Gujarati.
  • Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has agreed to give the Sikh community in the state a 'Micro Minority status'.
  • Australian state government has approved the world's biggest single tower solar thermal power plant, a 150-megawatt structure to be built in South Australia by 2020.
  • Axis Bank recently launched a campaign titled 'Experience Axis' featuring Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone.
  • Bangladesh is going to conduct Indian Ocean Naval Symposium’s (IONS) Maiden International Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise (IMMSAREX) in November 2017 at the Bay of Bengal.
  • Brazil's Neymar has become the world's most expensive footballer, with Paris Saint-Germain signing him for a five-year deal from Barcelona for a fee of ₹1,680 crore (€222 million).
  • Britain is going to pay up to €40 billion as part of a deal to leave the European Union.
  • Canadian citizens who do not identify as Male or Female will soon be able to mark "X" on their passports and other identity documents.
  • Central Park located in Delhi's Connaught Place will get facial recognition surveillance as part of a collaboration between New Delhi Municipal Corporation and NEC Corporation India.
  • China formally opened its first overseas military base in Africa's Djibouti. Djibouti also hosts US, Japanese, and French bases.
  • China has been drafting a law on the appropriate use of its National Anthem by introducing criminal prosecution for violators.
  • China is going to launch the World's first nuclear power plant, the Sanmen Nuclear Power Station, that is immune to meltdown.
  • China is relaunching the Fastest bullet trains in the world, which run at 350 kilometres per hour.
  • China's State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) has banned companies from registering odd and long names.
  • Deepwater Horizon actor Mark Wahlberg has topped Forbes 2017 list of World's Highest Paid Actors, earning $68 million during the 12-month scoring period.
  • Delhi government has announced a complete ban on manual cleaning of sewers.
  • Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan was sentenced to 20 years in prison for rape by a special CBI court in Haryana.
  • Digital payments and ecommerce company Paytm has rebranded Postcard, its digital version of gifting money in an envelope on festive occasions, to Lifafa (which means envelope in Hindi) after India Post sent a notice to the company to stop using the term 'postcard'.
  • Distance runner Mo Farah won the final track race of his career, clinching a win in 5,000-metre final with a margin of 0.04 seconds at the Diamond League.
  • Double Paralympics gold medalist Devendra Jhajharia has became the 1st Para Ahlete to be awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, the country's highest sporting honour.
  • During it's bi-monthly policy review, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cut Repo rate by 25 basis points to 6%, the lowest in more than six-and-a-half years.
  • England football captain Wayne Rooney announced his retirement from international football, after appearing for England in 119 matches.
  • External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj recently inaugurated India's first 'Videsh Bhavan' in Mumbai. The Bhavan integrates all Ministry of External Affairs offices in Maharashtra under one roof, and will reportedly help in effective management.
  • Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched 'Bharat 22' exchange-traded-fund (ETF) to divest government assets in 22 state-run and private firms. ICICI Prudential will manage the fund.
  • Flipkart recently completed its merger with eBay India's operations.
  • For the first time in history, BJP became the largest political party in Rajya Sabha after pushing Congress to the second spot.
  • Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has penned a book titled 'I Do What I Do'.
  • Georgia began the 'Noble Partner' military exercise with the US and partner countries despite Russia's earlier objections to the drills claiming they could destabilise the region.
  • Germany has test launched surveillance cameras with biometric face recognition capability at one of Berlin's railway stations.
  • Goa cabinet passed an amendment granting Coconut Palm the status of “State tree”.
  • Google has announced 'Oreo' as the name for the latest version of the Android operating system, continuing the dessert-themed names.
  • Haryana barred all government school teachers from stepping inside the classrooms with mobile phones.
  • Home Minister Rajnath Singh has attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting on disaster prevention which was held at Kyrgyz Republic from 24th August 2017.
  • Hurricane Harvey became the most powerful storm to hit US' Texas in more than 50 years.
  • In a bid to establish equality and a better standard of living for every citizen in the state, the Andhra Pradesh government is going to provide Pension to the Transgender community. Important Note : Odisha was the first Indian state to give social welfare benefits such as pensions to the transgender community.
  • In order to incentivise digital transactions the government is planning to offer 2% discount over the applicable GST rate on bills up to ₹2,000.
  • India and Bangladesh have confirmed that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will visit Dhaka in the first half of September to attend the 4th Bangladesh-India Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) meeting.
  • India and China have agreed to withdraw their troops from Doklam after being in a standoff for over two months.
  • India and Germany have signed an agreement on technical cooperation under the Indo-German Energy Programme – Green Energy Corridors (IGEN-GEC).
  • India and Russia for first time are going to conduct Indra Tri-Services Exercise, involving their Armies, Navies and the Air Forces in October 2017 to further ramp up military ties.
  • India and the United States have agreed to enhance peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region by establishing a new two-by-two ministerial dialogue.
  • India and the US are going to co-host the Global Entrepreneurship Summit at Hyderabad ( Telangana) from 28th to 30th November 2017. US President Donald Trump’s daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump will be leading the American delegation at the 3 day summit.
  • India and United States have established new Two-byTwo (2 by 2) ministerial dialogue to enhance strategic coordination between the two countries and maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
  • India has gifted 30 ambulances and 6 buses to Nepal for it's hospitals, charitable organisations and educational institutions on the occasion of Independence Day.
  • India has ratified the 2nd commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol that commits nations to reduce emission of greenhouse gases (GHG).
  • India has received the first-ever shipment of crude oil from the US in August 2017.
  • India has signed a loan agreement with China led-Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) for financing of $329 million for Gujarat Rural Roads Project (GRRP).
  • India is going to host the next steering committee meeting of the proposed 1,814 kilometre-long Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) Gas Pipeline.
  • India won South Asian Football Federation Under-15 Championship defeating host Nepal by 2-1 in the final at Kathmandu.
  • India’s first private sector missile sub-systems manufacturing facility Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems (KRAS) plant was inaugurated near Hyderabad, Telangana.
  • Indian basketball team captain Amritpal Singh became the first Indian player to be picked up by an Australian National Basketball League team, after signing for the Sydney Kings.
  • Indian boxer Neeraj Goyat defended his WBC Asia Pacific Welterweight title against Philippines' Allan Tanada after a 12-round contest in Mumbai.
  • Indian boxer Vijender Singh won his career's second professional title, defeating China's Zulpikar Maimaitiali to win the WBO Oriental Super Middleweight belt in Mumbai.
  • Indian Commodity Exchange (ICEX) commenced operations as the World's first diamond futures exchange. The exchange is backed by companies like Reliance Capital and MMTC.
  • Indian Government has inked US $24.64 million Grant Agreement from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) of the World Bank for Ecosystem Service Improvement Project.
  • Indian Navy’s second LCU Mark IV L52 ship was commissioned at Port Blair, capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. LCU L52 is the second LCU Mk-IV class ship to be inducted into the Indian Navy. LCU - Landing Craft Utility.
  • Indian pair of Kynan Chenai and Shreyasi Singh win bronze in mixed team trap event of Asian Shotgun Shooting Championship in Kazakhastan.
  • Indian shooter Ankur Mittal bagged the Gold medal in Men's double trap at the 7th Asian Shotgun Championship in Astana, Kazakhstan.
  • Indian shooter Maheshwari Chauhan won a Bronze medal at the ongoing 7th Asian Shotgun Championships in Kazakhstan.
  • Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal settled for a Bronze medal after crashing out of the Badminton World Championships in the semifinals.
  • India's first indigenous sniper rifle was launched at the Rifle Factory in West Bengal's Ishapore.
  • India's first museum on Partition of the Indian subcontinent was opened in Amritsar (Punjab), as India and Pakistan celebrate 70 years as independent nations.
  • India's first 'Railways disaster management village', to be developed at a cost of ₹44.42 crore, on the outskirts of Bengaluru by December next year.
  • India's Lakshya Sen, who is currently the world number one junior shuttler, won the Bulgaria Open International Series title a day after turning 16 in Sofia, Bulgaria.
  • India's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has cut its workforce by 6,622 people in the first quarter of this fiscal, driven by natural attrition such as retirements and voluntary retirement scheme.
  • India's Ravindra Jadeja surpassed the likes of Anil Kumble and Kapil Dev to become the 2nd fastest Indian to reach 150 wickets in Test cricket.
  • IndusInd Bank became the 6th Indian bank whose market capitalisation soared past the ₹1 lakh crore-mark. HDFC Bank is the country's most valued bank with a market cap of ₹4.6 lakh crore, followed by State Bank of India, and ICICI Bank.
  • Israel has successfully launched Venus satellite (Vegetation and Environment Monitoring New Micro-Satellite), its first spatial environmental research vehicle designed for orbital monitoring of Earth's vegetation.
  • ISRO and NASA are jointly working on a mission titled NISAR to co-develop and launch a dual frequency synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite by 2021. NISAR - NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar.
  • ISRO's regional positioning system NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation), India's very own substitute for the Global Positioning System (GPS), will now rely on high-precision atomic clocks developed by Delhi-based National Physical Laboratory.
  • Japan, the world's third largest economy, expanded at an annualised rate of 4% in the April-June quarter, making it the Fastest growing economy among the G7 nations.
  • Karnataka Government has launched an experimental cloud seeding Project titled "Varshadhari" in Bengaluru. Under this project, an aircraft will spray chemicals to induce rainfall.
  • Karnataka Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with software giant Microsoft India to develop a unique “farm price forecasting model.”
  • Karnataka government will be merging the existing seven health schemes to launch a unified scheme- 'Arogya Bhagya'.
  • Lebanese President Michel Aoun has signed the country's first animal welfare bill into law, guaranteeing the legal protection of domestic and wild animals from abuse.
  • Lebanon abolished a law that allowed rapists to escape punishment by marrying their victims. Jordan and Tunisia banned similar laws earlier this year.
  • Market Regulator SEBI set up a committee on 'fair market conduct'. Head of this committee : T K Viswanathan (former law secretary)
  • Mercedes' British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton registered his 58th career race win after claiming the Belgian Grand Prix title.
  • Messaging app WhatsApp is going to start WhatsApp Payments, a facility for instant money transfer via the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
  • Mexico will create a new division of the Federal Police to preserve and secure its cultural heritage.
  • MoS for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir approved a proposal to rename the Mughalsarai railway station in UP after RSS ideologue Deendayal Upadhyaya.
  • Mozilla, the maker of Firefox web browser, has launched a cross-browser tool called 'Send', which lets users share self-destructing files of up to 1 GB.
  • NASA is planning to send microbial life on its Mars 2020 rover mission, which would use Mars' atmospheric carbon dioxide to produce oxygen.
  • Nepal has criminalised an ancient practice known as 'Chhaupadi' that banishes women from homes during menstruation.
  • Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was on a 5-day visit to India. This visit aims to get India committed to post-earthquake reconstruction and infrastructural expansion in the country.
  • Odisha Government has launched a grid-connected rooftop solar programme through net-metering system at the State Secretariat in capital city of Bhubaneswar.
  • On the occasion of World Elephant Day (12th August) the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest has launched a nationwide campaign titled Gaj Yatra to protect elephants.
  • Parliament has passed the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2017. This bill will replace the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2017 promulgated by President in May 2017.
  • PM Narendra Modi will be on a visit to China from 3rd to 5th September 2017. During this visit, he will attend the 9th BRICS Summit.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated 1.4-kilometre long hanging bridge across the river Chambal in Rajasthan's Kota.
  • Qantas Airways is set to offer a 20-hour non-stop flight from Sydney to London, making this the world's longest non-stop commercial flight.
  • Qatar has approved a new employment law which limits foreign domestic staff to a maximum of 10 hours work a day, the first such protection for foreigners working in the country.
  • Qatar has approved an unprecedented law that will grant permanent residency to expats (persons who lives outside their native country) fulfilling certain conditions.
  • Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University, India's first aviation university, was inaugurated on August 18 at Raebareli (Uttar Pradesh).
  • 'Rayichapalu', a regular catch for fishermen in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam, has been declared as One of the rarest species of fish in the world.
  • Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani has surpassed Hong Kong's Li Ka-shing to become Asia's second-richest person with a $35.2 billion (₹2.25 lakh crore) fortune, as per Bloomberg.
  • Russia has settled the final debt of $125.2 million that it inherited from the Soviet Union. It was the money the Soviet Union owed to former Yugoslavia as a part of a trade deal between the two countries.
  • Russian entrepreneur Viacheslav Semenchuk has announced plans for an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) of the world's first digital currency aimed specifically at Jewish communities across the globe.
  • Russian firm Tactical Missiles Corporation is developing Artificial Intelligence-powered missiles that can make decisions like choosing a target by itself.
  • Sanjivani Jadhav, a 20-year-old marathon runner from Nashik, won the Silver medal in the women's 10,000-metre at the 29th World University Games in Taipei.
  • Shah Rukh Khan has been named India's highest paid actor with ₹243.7 crore ($38 million) earnings in the list.
  • Shapath Bharadwaj, a 15-year-old from Meerut, won a Bronze medal in the double trap event at the ISSF Junior Shotgun World Cup in Italy.
  • Shuttler PV Sindhu became the 2nd Indian to win a Silver medal at the Badminton World Championships, losing to Japan's Nozomi Okuhara in the women's singles final in Glasgow.
  • Software giant Microsoft has announced its Project Brainwave deep learning acceleration platform for real-time artificial intelligence (AI).
  • South Korea, North Korea and India celebrate their Independence Day on the same day (15th of August).
  • Spain based Real Madrid defeated Manchester United 2-1 to lift the UEFA Super Cup title. This is their 4th UEFA Super Cup title.
  • Sri Lanka has signed a $1.1-billion deal to lease its southern Hambantota port to China.
  • Starting from September, PNB (Punjab National Bank) is going to charge customers for depositing cash above ₹5,000 in non-base branches, even if these are located in the same city.
  • State-owned oil marketing company Bharat Petroleum (BPCL) has announced that it has increased the commission offered to dealers up to 50% with effect from August 1.
  • Swiss president Doris Leuthard was on 3-day visit to India. During this visit, India and Switzerland held extensive talks on entire gamut of bilateral relationship including on ways to ramp up trade and investment ties.
  • The 2030 Water Resources Group (2030WRG) has decided to help the Maharashtra Government to raise $270 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
  • The 7th Meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) was recently held in New Delhi under the Chairmanship of the Union Minister of Finance Arun Jaitley.
  • The Adivasi Will Not Dance, a book of short stories by Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, has been banned by the Jharkhand government on the grounds that it is offensive to the dignity of Santhal women.
  • The annual La Tomatina festival was held in Spanish town Buñol, amid increased security following several terror attacks. Considered the Biggest food fight in the world, thousands of participants threw an estimated 160 tonnes of tomatoes at each other.
  • The Baltic nation of Estonia is considering starting its own virtual currency called 'estcoin' to boost its economy.
  • The Bengaluru International Airport, in partnership with Thumby Aviation Private Limited, will soon have India's first helicopter-taxi service. The "HeliTaxi service: would ensure quick and seamless transfers to and from airport.
  • The Cabinet also approved an MOU to set up US $40 million India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F).
  • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved renaming of SAMPADA (Scheme for Agro-Marine Processing and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters) as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY). Objective of this Scheme : To supplement agriculture, modernize processing and decrease agricultural-waste.
  • The central government made Aadhaar mandatory for the registration of deaths and announced that the decision will come into effect from October 1, 2017.
  • The Defence Ministry has granted additional administrative and financial powers to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to speed-up the construction of roads along the Indo-China border.
  • The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in the Union Commerce Ministry has banned duty free imports of Gold, Silver items from South Korea.
  • The FIFA Under-17 World Cup official winner's trophy was recently displayed at the India Gate. The tournament's winner will lift the trophy on October 28. The event will be India's first official FIFA tournament.
  • The French Presidency announced an official role for Brigitte Macron (President Emmanuel Macron's wife). This is the first time a spouse of France's head of state has been given an official role (official First Lady title).
  • The Geographical Indications Registry (GIR) has granted Geographical Indication (GI) status to Gobindobhog rice, a speciality from Burdwan district of West Bengal.
  • The government has accepted 65 out of 99 recommendations of the Lt General DB Shekatkar-led committee, which will result in the redeployment of 57,000 Indian Army personnel for various other required duties.
  • The government has ordered state-run oil companies to raise subsidised cooking gas (LPG) prices by ₹4 per cylinder every month, effective June 1.
  • The Haryana government will organise Digital Haryana Summit in Gurugram on September 15 to discuss issues like digital governance, smart living in cities and villages, citizen partnership, and entrepreneurship among others.
  • The Home Ministry has given its approval for the construction of a 32 kilometres long road in Ladakh. This road will be built between Marsimik La to Hot Spring, the former being around 20 kilometres away from the Pangong Lake.
  • The Independence Day this year (15th August 2017) was observed as 'Sankalp Parva', or 'Day of Resolve'.
  • The India-ASEAN Youth Summit was recently held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh to commemorate 25th anniversary of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)–India dialogue partnership in the ongoing year.
  • The Indian Army has developed a mobile application titled 'Humraaz' through which serving soldiers can track details like postings and promotions.
  • The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Ministry of Health inked Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) to collaborate on vaccine research and development.
  • The Indian men and women's wheelchair basketball teams won Bronze at the 4th Bali Cup International Tournament for Wheelchair Basketball.
  • The Indian Men's Hockey team defeated Netherlands 2-1 in the second match of the two-match Rabo Super Serie to clinch the series 2-0.
  • The Indian Railways has signed its 1st EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) contract with Larsen and Turbo (L & T) for electrification of railway lines.
  • The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is going to launch a full-fledged niche Earth Observation (EO) satellite titled the Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite (HySIS). Its launch will allow ISRO to enter the domain of operational hyperspectral imaging from earth orbit.
  • The island of Tuvalu was the least visited country in 2016, according to a report by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.
  • The ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) and CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (NPL) have signed MoU to make indigenous regional positioning system-NavIC independent from the US clock system.
  • The Jharkhand government cleared a draft Anti-conversion bill which aims to ban religious conversion through force or allurement.
  • The Karnataka government has decided to rename 100 Morarji Desai government residential schools after former PM Indira Gandhi.
  • The Karnataka government will soon come out with an 'Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage Policy' aimed at reducing pollution and promoting healthy environment.
  • The Kerala High Court lifted BCCI's lifetime ban imposed on cricketer S Sreesanth from the sport over the IPL 2013 spot-fixing case.
  • The Lok Sabha has also passed the State Banks (Repeal and Amendment) Bill, 2017. The bill seeks to repeal the two Acts namely State Bank of India (Subsidiary Banks) Act, 1959, and State Bank of Hyderabad Act, 1956.
  • The Lok Sabha has passed the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2017 by voice vote. This bill seeks to amend the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 to insert provisions for handling cases related to stressed assets of banks.
  • The Lok Sabha has passed the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Amendment) Bill, 2017 by voice vote. The bill enables exit of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and increase authorised capital of the development institution six times to Rs 30000 crore.
  • The Maharashtra government is going to introduce cycling tracks along the arterial roads of 10 cities including Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, and Latur.
  • The Multi Commodity Exchange Ltd (MCX) has received markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India's (Sebi) approval to launch India's first Gold options contract.
  • The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has successfully launched Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-M (TDRS-M) into orbit.
  • The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has given a nod to Spice Digital Ltd. for processing bill payments under the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) as a Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU).
  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced only 1.4% of old ₹1,000 notes have not come back into the banking system post demonetisation.
  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a ₹3 crore penalty on state-owned Union Bank of India for "non-compliance" of Know Your Customer (KYC) norms in two separate cases.
  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will shortly issue new banknotes of ₹ 50 rupee denomination in the Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series. The base colour of the new notes will be Fluorescent Blue and its dimension will be 66 mm x 135 mm.
  • The Russian Air Force will begin training female military pilots for the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
  • The State Bank of India (SBI) accounts for over 27% of the total amount owed to public sector banks by wilful defaulters, with 1,762 such defaulters owing as much as ₹25,104 crore to it as on March 31.
  • The State Bank of India (SBI) has realised ₹235.06 crore as penalty from 3.88 crore accounts for not maintaining monthly average balance in the first quarter.
  • The Supreme Court barred firework manufacturers from using five chemicals that lead to air and noise pollution, that would further result in diminished sparkle effects and sound in crackers. Those chemicals are : Lithium, Antimony, Mercury, Arsenic, and Lead
  • The Supreme Court, in a historic verdict, declared Right to Privacy a fundamental right in the Indian Constitution. Privacy is protected by Article 21 and part 3 of the Constitution.
  • The Telangana government has launched an exclusive 24x7 helpline '181' for women.
  • The Tripura Cricket Association (TCA) in association with BCCI will build a cricket stadium, with a seating capacity of 25,000, at Narsinghgarh.
  • The Union Cabinet cleared a proposal to extend the proxy voting facility to Non-Resident Indians. Until now, the option of proxy voting was only available to service personnel in the country.
  • The Union Cabinet gave its approval for raising Extra Budgetary Resources of up to Rs, 9,020 crore for Long Term Irrigation Fund (LTIF) during the financial year 2017-18.
  • The Union Cabinet has apprised Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between India and Brazil for cooperation in fields of Zebu Cattle Genomics and Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs).
  • The Union Cabinet has approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Sweden on cooperation in the field of Intellectual Property (IPRs).
  • The Union Cabinet has approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Myanmar for conservation of earthquake-damaged pagodas at Bagan, Myanmar.
  • The Union Government has launched e-Rashtriya Kisan Agri Mandi (e-RaKAM) portal to provide a platform for farmers to sell agricultural produce. e-RaKAM is a first of its kind initiative that leverages technology to connect farmers from the smallest villages to the biggest markets of the world through internet.
  • The Union HRD Minister Prakash Javdekar launched ‘Swasth Bachche, Swasth Bharat’ Programme in Kochi, Kerala. Aim of this programme : To provide a comprehensive and inclusive report card for children covering all age groups and children of different abilities.
  • The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry has constituted a Task Force on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for India’s Economic Transformation. Head of this Task Force : Dr. V. Kamakoti
  • The Union Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MEITY) has constituted an expert Committee to study and identify key data protection issues and recommend methods for addressing them. The 10-member committee will be headed by : Justice B N Srikrishna (Supreme Court Judge (retired))
  • The Union Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs is going to establish National Sports Museum at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi. This will be first of its kind sports museum in India.
  • The United States and China have signed an agreement to improve communication between the militaries of the two countries and reduce the "risk of miscalculation".
  • The United States saw its first coast-to-coast solar eclipse after 99 years on 21st August 2017 with the path of totality passing through 14 states from Oregon to South Carolina.
  • The Uttar Pradesh government has made the registration of marriages compulsory for all religions and castes in the state.
  • The work on converting Bengaluru's Puttenahalli lake into a bird reserve was recently began.
  • To connect Beijing with Zhangjiakou city, China is constructing a 12-km-long high-speed train tunnel through one of the portions of its iconic Great Wall. [Zhangjiakou is going to co-host 2022 Winter Olympics.]
  • To curb infiltration by Pakistan, the Indian government is going to install a 24/7 seamless virtual fence with sensors along the India-Pakistan border.
  • To maintain cleanliness along banks of Ganga River, the Uttar Pradesh Government launched an awareness drive titled "Namami Gange Jagriti Yatra".
  • To train women entrepreneurs in the state, the Odisha government and social networking giant Facebook have jointly launched a programme titled ‘SheMeansBusiness’.
  • Turkey has begun constructing a wall along the 500-km-long border with Iran.
  • UK-based broadcaster BBC has introduced a new font titled BBC Reith.
  • Ukraine has removed all 1,320 statues of the communist revolutionary Lenin as part of a government drive to rid the country of Soviet-era symbols.
  • UK's 96-year-old Prince Philip recently retired from public duty after serving for over 65 years as the Captain General of the Royal Marines.
  • Undefeated professional boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced his retirement after knocking out MMA Champion Conor McGregor in the 'richest fight in history'.
  • Under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), the Delhi Police has launched a skill development programme titled YUVA. The ‘YUVA’ initiative aims to connect with youth by upgrading their skill as per their competencies.
  • Union home minister Rajnath Singh has launched a Digital policing portal, making it possible to electronically apply and seek verifications for tenants, domestic helps and even passports.
  • Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Harsh Vardhan launched a new campaign titled “Harit Diwali, Swasth Diwali”. Aim of this campaign : To reduce adverse environmental conditions especially pollution in the country after post Diwali celebrations due to excessive bursting of crackers which contributes significantly to air and noise pollution.
  • US Defence Department has ordered an Army-wide ban on all consumer drones made by the world's largest drone manufacturer DJI (Dà-Jiāng Innovations Science and Technology Co., Ltd), over "cyber vulnerabilities associated with its products".
  • US President Donald Trump signed an Anti-Russia sanctions bill into law after negotiating its "critical elements". This is the first step that Trump has taken against Russia, which reportedly helped him become US President.
  • US state Hawaii is going to ban pedestrians using mobile phones while crossing the street in Honolulu from October.
  • US-based cab-hailing startup Uber launched in-app messaging feature along with multi-destination rides for users in India.
  • US-Norwegian company Kolos is set to build World's largest data centre in Arctic Norway, powered by 100% sustainable energy.
  • Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath recently launched 'Swachh Uttar Pradesh, Swasth Uttar Pradesh' campaign. Aim of this campaign : To fight encephalitis, adding that its prevention starts with sanitation.
  • Western Asian country Qatar has launched a new direct sea route between its Hamad Port and Pakistan's Port of Karachi.
  • With an aim to bring transparency in recruit in government jobs, the Uttar Pradesh Government has decided to do away with interview in the recruitment of non-gazetted officers from Class II to IV.
  • With over 5,300 recipients between 2004 and 2017, India is the largest beneficiary of the Erasmus scholarships for higher education offered by the European Union (EU) member states.
  • World Badminton Championships, also known as 2017 BWF World Championships were recently held from held from 21st August 2017 to 27th August 2017 at Emirates Arena, Glasgow, Scotland.
  • World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) was observed from 1 to 7 August in more than 120 countries. Theme of World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) 2017 : "SUSTAINING BREASTFEEDING TOGETHER"
  • World's 4th richest person Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has become the biggest shareholder of US' second largest bank, Bank of America, with a 6.6% stake.
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