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August 31, 2018

20th to 31st August 2018 Daily Current Affairs - PDF Download

Friday, August 31, 2018 , Leave a Comment

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Dear Great Ambitionists, as we are running out of time, here we are giving you the current affairs of 20th to 31st August 2018 in a single PDF File. You will get regular daily current affairs from 1st September 2018. Happy Reading :)

Daily Current Affairs of 20th to 31st August 2018


International Current Affairs
    • 20th August was observed as World Mosquito Day 
      • This day is a commemoration of Indian doctor Sir Ronald Ross's discovery in 1897 that female mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans.
    • 23rd August was observed as International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition.
      • The day designated by UNESCO to memorialize the transatlantic slave trade.
    • 26th August observed as the Women's Equality Day.
      • This day commemorates the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment (Amendment XIX) to the United States Constitution, which prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex.
      • This day was first celebrated in 1973 and is proclaimed each year by the United States President.
    • 29th August was observed as the International Day Against Nuclear Tests.
      • Aim :  To raise awareness about the effects of nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions.
    • Scotland has become the world's first country to provide free sanitary products to all students in a bid to tackle "period poverty". 
      • The move aims to ensure that students do not miss out on education due to lack of access to sanitary products.
    • India and China have agreed to expand military cooperation and implement confidence building measures to maintain peace. 
      • This came following a meeting between Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe. India and China have sought to improve their ties after being involved in the 73-day-long Doklam standoff last year.
    • 4th edition of Asian electoral stakeholders forum (AESF-IV) held in Colombo (Sri Lanka), to discuss state of elections and democracy in region. 
      • Theme of AESF-IV : Advancing Election Transparency and Integrity: Promoting and Defending Democracy Together.
    National Current Affairs
    • Rashtriya Sadbhavana Diwas (Harmony day) was observed on 20th August 2018 to commemorate the 72nd birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India. 
      • This  day aims to promote national integration and communal harmony. 
      • Rajiv Gandhi was born on August 20, 1944, in Bombay. 
      • He was the youngest Prime Minister of India at 40.
    • 29th August is National Sports day in India.
      • This day marks the birthday of Dhyan Chand (29 August 1905), the hockey legend who won Three Olympic gold medals for India (1928,1932 and 1936)
      • The first National Sport Day was held in 2012.
      • Important Note : 
        • This year the Sports Ministry has postponed the National Sports Day to September 25, 2018 due to ongoing Asian Games (18th August to 2nd September 2018).
        • It has also announced that the outstanding performances of players at the Asian games could be considered for the National Sports Awards.
    • Sanskrit Diwas was observed across the country on 29th August.
    • Telugu Language Day (Telugu Bhasha Dinotsavam) was observed on 29th August.
      • This day is celebrated on 29 August each year in Andhra Pradesh & Telangana states.
      • This date was chosen to coincide with the birthday of the Telugu poet Gidugu Venkata Ramamurthy Panthulu.
    • India and Pakistan are for the first time taking part in a counter-terrorism drill SCO Peace Mission Exercise 2018 organised by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).  
      • Note : Both India and Pakistan became full members of the SCO in 2017.
    • Former President Pranab Mukherjee launched Neta App, a platform enabling voters to review and rate their MP or MLA. 
      • Modelled on US' Approval Ratings, this app manages to "educate voters, track performance via transparent ratings and help parties select candidates with a good track record." 
    • Mahabaleshwar (Maharashtra) has become the wettest place in India this year, leaving behind Meghalaya's Cherrapunji. 
    • The Human Resource Development Ministry launched the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) to promote innovation and research in higher education. 
      • Named after former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, ARIIA will rank educational institutions for innovation output based on all major indicators and parameters used globally.
    • Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport was renamed as Chhatrapati Shivaji ‘Maharaj’ International Airport. "
      • The request was initially made by BJP MP Sambhaji Raje Chhatrapati, who is also the 13th descendant of the Maratha warrior king.
    • A National registry of sex offenders will be launched in September 2018.
      • This registry will help law-enforcement agencies to identify repeat offenders and make people aware of those involved in sex crimes.
    • The Ministry of Health has announced all cigarette and tobacco packs will carry new pictorial warnings including 'Quit Today' message from September 1st. 
      • The packs will also carry a helpline number to help people quit tobacco. 
    • The Tamil Nadu government has issued a directive asking all government and private colleges to ban students from using mobile phones on premises. 
    • Government launched National REDD+ Strategy to improve livelihood of forest dependent population.
      • Note : REDD+ means “Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation”, conservation of forest carbon stocks, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries.
      • Aim of REDD+ : To achieve climate change mitigation by incentivizing forest conservation.
    • HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar launched 3rd edition of World’s Biggest Open Innovation Model - ‘Smart India Hackathon- 2019 (SIH 2019)’. .
      • SIH-2019 is a nationwide initiative to provide students a platform to solve some of pressing problems we face in our daily lives, and thus inculcate a culture of product innovation and a mindset of problem solving. 
    • Important Name Changes to Various Organizations as tribute to Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who passed away on 16th August 2018 :
      • Chhattisgarh Govt. renaming Naya Raipur as Atal Nagar.
      • Uttar Pradesh Govt. will name proposed Bundelkhand Expressway as ‘Atal Path’.
      • AIIMS Rishikesh auditorium, a ghat on Sabarmati River in Gujarat and cyber tower in Mauritius to be named after him.
      • Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) announced its decision to rename its School of Management and Entrepreneurship as Atal Bihari Vajpayee School of Management and Entrepreneurship.
      •  Andhra Pradesh to name AIIMS Mangalagiri after Vajpayee.
      • Himachal Pradesh to rename Rohtang Tunnel after him.
      • Madhya Pradesh govt. to rename Habibganj railway station after him.
      • Assam to name the yet-to-be-inaugurated Bogibeel bridge  as Atal Setu.
    • Former President Pranab Mukherjee launched National Electoral Transformation (NETA) mobile application.
      • This application allows voters to rate and review their political representatives.
      • It is first of its kind platform in India that allows voters to rate and review the political representatives in their constituencies.
    Science & Technology
    • India's first manned space flight is expected to send a 3-member crew for seven days into space.
      • The programme is expected to be completed before 2022 with the first unmanned flight within 30 months.
      • The launch will use ISRO's three-stage heavy-lift rocket GSLV Mk III.
    • SoftBank Robotics has announced that it has partnered with US-based AI startup Affectiva to train its humanoid robot Pepper to interpret human emotions. 
      • Affectiva's Emotion AI software will give Pepper the ability to detect more advanced states of human facial expressions.
    • SpiceJet successfully completed India's first ever biofuel-powered test flight. 
      • The airline flew a Bombardier Q400 aircraft using 75% aviation turbine fuel and 25% biojet fuel from Dehradun to New Delhi. 
    • India and European Union (EU) partnered for Rs. 240 crore research programme to develop a Next Generation Influenza Vaccine to protect people throughout world, through “Horizon 2020” programme. It require 3 applicants from both 3 European member states and India.
    MOUs & Agreements
    • India and Singapore signed a second protocol amending the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) to boost trade ties. 
      • The two countries are also exploring the possibility of launching the Third Review of India-Singapore CECA in September 2018.
      • Note : India is the largest trading partner of Singapore in South Asia, with a bilateral trade of $17.7 billion in 2017-18.
    • Iran and Syria have signed a deal to expand military cooperation after Iranian Defence Minister Amir Hatami's visit to the country. 
    • India signed a $375 million loan agreement with Asian Development Bank (ADB), to contribute to double farming incomes in Madhya Pradesh by expanding irrigation networks and system efficiency.
    • India signed $346 million loan agreement with Asian Development Bank (ADB) to finance improvement of over 400 kilometers of state highways that will enhance connectivity and access to economic centers across 12 districts in Kamataka.
    • India signed $220 million Loan Agreement and a $80 million Guarantee Agreement with World Bank, for India Energy Efficiency Scale-Up Program, to be implemented by the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL). 
      • It will help scale-up deployment of energy saving measures in residential and public sectors, strengthen EESL’s institutional capacity, and enhance its access to commercial financing.
    • The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) signed MOU with International Energy Agency (IEA). 
      • It seeks to deepen co-operation in clean energy innovations to accelerate development of clean energy technologies in India and will support generation of data for policymaking and improve knowledge of good policy practices for innovation in India and around world.
    • The Central Government, State Government of Rajasthan and World Bank signed $250 million Development Policy Loan (DPL) to support Rajasthan in improving the performance of its Electricity Distribution Sector under State’s 24x7 Power for All program.
    • Indian Railways signed MoU with GAIL India, to replace Industrial gases like Dissolved Acetylene, LPG, BMCG and Furnace Oil / High Speed Diesel (HSD) oil with environment friendly Natural Gas.
      • This MoU is a broad based, in principle agreement, between GAIL and Indian Railways for creation of infrastructure and supply of CNG/LNG/PNG for both industrial and domestic purposes.
    • An MoU was signed between the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and National Health Agency (NHA), to provide capacity building for Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) to ensure effective rollout and continued quality implementation.
    • The Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Nitin Gadkari Signed MoUs with 6 States ( Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi) for construction of Lakhwar Multipurpose Project on Yamuna near Dehradun, with cost approx Rs. 3966 Crores.
    Awards & Honors
    • Singapore based DBS Bank named as world's best bank by Global Finance magazine, for its ability to invest in digital innovation while still maintaining stable operations for its customers. 
      • Important Note : DBS is the first Asian bank to receive this title from New York-based publication, which last year gave it to ING Bank.
    • The Punjab National Bank (PNB) has announced that a Department of Financial Services report has ranked it as the best state-owned bank in terms of digital transactions.
    • PepsiCo's India-born Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi will be honoured with the 2018 Asia Game Changer of the Year award by global cultural organisation Asia Society. 
      • Nooyi has been selected in "recognition of her pioneering business achievements, humanitarian record, and advocacy for women and girls". 
    • Retired English professional footballer David Beckham will be presented 2018 UEFA President’s Award by European football’s governing body.
    Banking, Business & Economic Affairs
    • Mukesh Ambani-led telecom company Reliance Jio secured the top spot in Fortune's global 'Change the World' list 2018.
      • American pharma company Merck ranked second while Bank of America ranked third on the list.
    • Amid an economic crisis, Argentina's central bank has raised its benchmark interest rate by 15 percentage points to 60%.
      • This is the highest in the world. 
      • Note : The Argentine peso is down 50% this year against the dollar and the country's inflation is running at over 30%.
    • Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries (RIL) became the 1st Indian company to hit ₹8 trillion in market capitalisation after its stock rallied 1.31% to hit a record high of ₹1262.50. 
    • The United States and Mexico today reached a deal to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the 'United States-Mexico Trade Agreement'.
    • The Union Cabinet has approved a hike in Dearness Allowance to central government employees and Dearness Relief to pensioners from 7% to 9% with effect from July 1, 2018.
    • The government has amended a rule to allow law Enforcement Agencies such as Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and Enforcement Directorate to hold banned notes.
      • Note : Earlier, banned currency notes beyond a certain limit could be held only by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), its agencies, or other persons authorised by it. 
      • An individual is not allowed to hold more than 10 banned notes.
    • Google has rebranded its India-based payments app Google Tez into Google Pay and has partnered with four private banks to offer consumer loans online. 
      • The US search giant said that customers will get instant, pre-approved loans "right within Google Pay in a matter of seconds".  
      • The banks are HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank Ltd, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Federal Bank.
    • The government has announced that industries including real estate, power and agriculture will be able to legally fly drones in the country for commercial purposes from December 1.
    • The Defence Acquisition Council chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has cleared acquisitions worth about ₹46,000 crore. 
      • The biggest procurement approved is the over ₹21,000-crore purchase of 111 naval utility helicopters, which will be built by a competitively chosen Indian private sector company. 
      • The council also approved procurement of 24 anti-submarine capable Multi Role Helicopters.
    • Ujjivan Small Finance Bank launched an overdraft (OD) facility for micro and small enterprise (MSE) customers (turnover over 50 lakh ), as an add-on product to existing MSE term loans offered by bank.
    • Inter-state flow of wind power has begun in India with four states buying power generated from a plant in Gujarat's Bhuj under a government scheme. 
      • The purchase is under the first tranche of the scheme, which enables transfer of renewable power from wind-rich states to wind-deficient states. 
      • This follows India's first auction of wind power projects in February 2017.
    • WhatsApp is going to open up its first India office in Hyderabad .
    • After getting clearance from the National Company Law Tribunal, Aditya Birla Group announced that Vodafone India and Idea Cellular have completed the merger to replace Airtel as India's largest telecom company. 
      • The combined entity boasts of 408 million active subscribers with a 32.2% revenue market share. 
    • The United States has imposed preliminary anti-dumping duties on metal pipes imported from India, China, Canada and three other countries.
      • India has been slapped with an anti-dumping duty of 50.55% while China will face 132% duties. 
      • Note : At $295 million, India is the only country on the list that had greater exports of the pipe to the US last year than Canada.
    • Axis Securities launched commodity broking services with MCX and became the first bank subsidiary to enter commodity broking business. 
    • According to SBI report named Ecowrap, current account deficit of India will rise to 2.8% of the GDP in current financial year, due to rise in oil prices and moderate growth in exports. 
      • This is expected to turn country’s overall balance of payment into deficit mode after six years, leading to forex reserves depletion of USD 16 billion (0.6 per cent of GDP) in the Financial Year 2019.
    • e-Commerce Firm Flipkart unveiled a dedicated portal titled ‘2Gud‘ for refurbished goods, including mobile phones, laptops and tablets. 
    • Top 3 in Forbes’ list of World’s Highest-Paid Actors 2018
      • George Clooney - $239m
      • Dwayne Johnson - $124m
      • Robert Downey Jr - $81m.
      • Note : Indian Actors Akshay Kumar ($40.5 million) and Salman Khan ($38.5 million) ranked at 7th and 9th place respectively.
    • Top 3 in Forbes' List Of Highest Paid Female Athletes 2018 
      • Serena Williams ($18.1 million) (American Tennis Player)
      • Dane Caroline Wozniacki ($13 million) (Danish Tennis Player)
      • Sloane Stephens ($11.2 million) (American tennis player)
      • Note : Indian badminton player P.V. Sindhu ranked at 7th place with earnings of $8.5 million.
    • Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) become 1st public sector enterprise to make a transaction on the “TReDS platform”, an online electronic institutional mechanism for facilitating financing of trade receivables of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) through multiple financiers. 
      • TReDS refers to Trade Receivables Discounting System.
    • Top 5 Companies in Fortune Change the World List 2018
      • Reliance Jio (Telecommunications) - India
      • Merck (Pharmaceuticals) - USA
      • Bank of America (Commercial Banking) - USA
      • Inditex (Specialty Retailers) - Spain
      • Alibaba Group (Internet Services & Retailing) - China
    Deaths
    • Veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar (95) passed away.
      • He had started his career in Urdu journalism and later served as the Editor of The Indian Express. 
      • He is also the author of 15 famous books including 'Emergency Retold', 'India after Nehru' and 'Beyond the Lines'.
    • 6-time senator and former US presidential candidate John McCain (81) passed away.
      • McCain, who lost to former President Barack Obama in 2008, had refused to support fellow Republican Donald Trump for presidency in 2016 over his remarks on women. 
    • Former Union Minister and veteran Congress leader Gurudas Kamat (63) passed away.
      • The former All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary had resigned from all party posts in April 2017. An advocate by profession, Kamat had also served as Mumbai Congress President.
    New Appointments
    • Newly Appoint Governors in August 2018 :
      • Baby Rani Maurya - Uttarakhand 
      • Ganga Prasad - Sikkim 
      • Kaptan Singh Solanki - Tripura 
      • Lalji Tandon - Bihar 
      • Satya Pal Malik - Jammu and Kashmir
      • Satyadev Narayan - Haryana 
      • Tathagata Roy - Meghalaya
    • Liberal Party leader Scott Morrison was elected Australia's fifth Prime Minister in five years after successfully challenging the leadership of former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. 
    • The government has appointed scientist G Satheesh Reddy as the Chairman of the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO), three months after S Christopher completed his term in May this year. 
    • Satya Tripathi, an Indian development economist and lawyer, has been appointed the Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the New York Office of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). 
    • Late Tamil Nadu CM Karunanidhi's son MK Stalin was elected President of the DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam). 
      • Note : Stalin is only the second President of the party after Karunanidhi, who held the post for 49 years.
    • Consumer goods company Colgate-Palmolive India announced the appointment of Mukul Deoras as Chairman with effect from September 1. 
    • US-based home-rental startup Airbnb has named Pixar Studios' former Chief Financial Officer Ann Mather as the first woman on its board. n
    • Lalchand Rajput, the manager of the Indian cricket team that won the inaugural World T20 tournament in 2007, has been named as the head coach of the Zimbabwe cricket team. 
    • First Lieutenant Misa Matsushima became Japan's first female fighter pilot, having completed her training earlier this week. 
      • The 26-year-old will be stationed at the Nyutabaru Air Base and begin flying F-15 fighter jets
    • Chanda Kochhar has been reappointed as a director on the board of ICICI Securities after 97.7% of the votes were cast in her favour.
    • Balesh Sharma, takes over as Vodafone Idea's first CEO.
      • He was the Chief Operating Officer of Vodafone India and a member of its executive committee. 
    • Arun Jaitley has resumed charge as the Finance Minister and Minister of Corporate Affairs after taking a break for three months to undergo a kidney transplant. 
      • Note : In Jaitley's absence, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal held additional charges of his ministry. 
    • Uber has hired Nelson Chai as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO), filling a role that has been vacant since 2015. 
    • Congress President Rahul Gandhi appointed Ahmed Patel as the party's new Treasurer. 
      • He replaces Motilal Vora, who has been appointed General Secretary (Administration), a newly created post. 
      • Meanwhile, senior leader Anand Sharma has been appointed Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Department.
    • Maharashtra Government appointed Bollywood actor Raveena Tandon as brand ambassador of Mumbai city-based Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).
    • Pakistani origin women Mehreen Faruqi became first muslim senator to be sworn in to Australia’s Parliament.
    • T P Sharma has been appointed as new chief Lokayukta of Chhattisgarh.
    Sports Current Affairs
    • Ferrari's Racer Sebastian Vettel (Germany) won F1 Belgian Grand Prix.
    • The 2018 Asian Games are being held at Indonesia (Jakarta and Palembang) from 18th August to 2nd September 2018. Highlights :
      • Wrestler Bajrang Punia defeated Japan's Daichi Takatani in the men's freestyle 65kg final to win India's first gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games.
      • World number three PV Sindhu lost to world number one Tai Tzu-ying in the women's singles final to bag India's first-ever silver medal in badminton at Asian Games.
      • India clinched their first-ever table tennis medal in the history of Asian Games as the men's team bagged bronze after losing in the semi-finals.
      • Manika Batra, who bagged four medals at Commonwealth Games in April, has become the 1st Indian woman to win a medal in table tennis at Asian Games. 
        • She achieved the feat after clinching the bronze medal along with Sharath Kamal in the mixed doubles event. 
      • Hima Das became the 1st Indian sprinter since Manjit Kaur in 2006 to bag silver in the women's 400m event at Asian Games. 
        • The 18-year-old set a new national record by clocking 50.79 seconds in the final, overtaking the 51.00-second record set by her.
      • Neeraj Chopra became the first-ever Indian javelin thrower to win a gold medal at the Asian Games. 
        • Note : Neeraj had also become the first Indian to bag gold in javelin throw at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year.
      • Swapna Barman became the first Indian woman to win the gold medal at the women's heptathlon in the Asian Games, despite suffering a jaw injury. 
      • Sprinter Muhammed Anas Yahiya clocked 45.69 seconds to bag silver medal in the men's 400m event.
        • With this, he became the first Indian since KK Premachandran in 1982 to finish second in the men's 400m event at the Asian Games. 
      • Two-time CWG champion Vinesh Phogat defeated Japan's Irie Yuki in the women's freestyle 50kg final to become the first Indian woman wrestler to win gold at the Asian Games. 
      • Tejinderpal Singh won India's first Athletics medal at the Asian Games 2018 in the form of his Shot Put gold. n
      • Arpinder Singh won the men's triple jump event to bag India's fourth gold medal in athletics and 10th overall at Asian Games 2018. 
      • Indian rowers Sawarn Singh, Dattu Bhokanal, Om Prakash and Sukhmeet Singh won the men's Quadruple Sculls to win India's fifth gold medal at the Asian Games 2018. 
      • Indian squash players Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa bagged a bronze medal each in the women's singles event after losing their respective semi-final matches at the Asian Games 2018. 
      • India's Dharun Ayyasamy broke his own national record in the men's 400m hurdles to bag silver at the Asian Games 2018.
      • Shooter Rahi Sarnobat won the women's 25m Pistol event to become the first ever Indian female shooter to win gold in the history of Asian Games. 
      • The Indian women's archery team won the Silver medal in the compound event for the first time in the history of Asian Games.
      • Boxer Vikas Krishan became the first-ever Indian boxer to bag a medal in three successive Asian Games. 
        • The 26-year-old pulled out of his semi-final bout due to an eye injury, claiming bronze in the men's 75kg category. 
        • Vikas had clinched gold in the men's 65kg category in the 2010 edition and bronze in the 75kg category in 2014.
      • Jinson Johnson bagged India's first gold medal in the men's 1500m event at the Asian Games after 56 years. T
      • India's 28-year-old sprinter Manjit Singh won the gold medal in the men's 800m event .
      • Indian fugitive businessman, Vijay Mallya's Formula One team Force India's name has been changed to Racing Point Force India after the team was given a re-entry into the sport as a completely new team. 
        • The team, which was brought out of administration by a consortium of investors, will start with zero points as it will compete as a new team.
      • World number six Novak Djokovic defeated world number two Roger Federe in the final of the Cincinnati Masters to become the first man to claim all nine ATP Masters 1000 titles. 
        • Check Complete Winners List of Cincinnati Masters 2018
        • Men's Singles : Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
        • Women's Singles : Kiki Bertens (Netherlands)
        • Men's Doubles : Jamie Murray (United Kingdom) / Brazil Bruno Soares (United Kingdom)
        • Women's Doubles : Lucie Hradecká (Czech Republic) / Ekaterina Makarova (Russia)
      • 2019 Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships will be held in North Korean capital Pyongyang.
      • Japan won its first FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup title, held in France, by defeating Spain in finals. 
         
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