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Showing posts with label
August 2015 Current Affairs updates.
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Showing posts with label
August 2015 Current Affairs updates.
Show all posts
International Affairs
- The tallest mountain in North America, Mount McKinley (20,000 feet ), is to be renamed.
- For more than a century, this mountain was named after the 25th U.S. president, William McKinley.
- Now, in honor of Alaska's indigenous Athabascan people, who had always called it "Denali," US President Barack Obama is changing it back.
- India will host the 3rd India Africa Forum Summit in Delhi in October this year to further strengthen its political, economic and diplomatic links with the African continent.
- The five-day event will take place between 26th to 30th October 2015.
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International Affairs
- In Malaysia, thousands of protesters gathered in Kualalumpur for second day demanding resignation of Prime Minister Najib Razak over financial scandal.
- Note : Najib has been fighting for political survival after leaked documents in July showed he received some $700 million in his private accounts from entities linked to indebted state fund 1MDB.
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International Affairs
- Pakistan has banned the Islamic State militant group that has overrun vast stretches of Iraq and Syria after repeatedly denying the dreaded outfit's presence within its territory.
- The decision was taken on recommendation of the Foreign Office, which regularly updates the Pakistan government about international militant groups banned by the United Nations.
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International Affairs
- India has lost a case against the US at WTO as the body ruled that India's domestic content requirements under its solar power programme were inconsistent with the international norms.
- India will now approach the appellate body of the Geneva-based WTO against the dispute panel's ruling.
- Last year, the US dragged India to WTO on country's solar mission plan.
- Note : This is the second case that India has lost to the US at the WTO. In June, the WTO’s appellate body upheld an earlier ruling against an Indian ban on poultry meat and eggs supplied by American producers. The ban had been imposed to prevent an outbreak of avian influenza.
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International Affairs
- A Pakistani anti-corruption court today issued non-bailable arrest warrants against former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and former trade minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim for allegedly minting money by approving subsidies to fake companies.
- Gilani and Fahim are named in a multi-million-rupee graft scandal for alleged corrupt earnings by approving subsidies to fake companies through a scheme of TDAP.
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International Affairs
- Today (26th August) is Women's Equality Day.
- On this day in 1920, Women in the United States were granted the right to vote.
- Republic of the Seychelles President James Alix Michel is on three-day visit to India.
- He was accorded a Guard of Honour at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
- India and Seychelles today signed Five Agreements that will spur further economic exchanges between the two nations.
- The two countries signed the following agreements,
- an air service agreement,
- an MoU for gifting a Dornier aircraft,
- an MoU for agricultural cooperation,
- tax information exchange agreement and
- protocol for blue economy cooperation.
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International Affairs
- South and North Korea have come to an agreement in talks to ease tensions in the latest crisis on the peninsula.
- The deal comes after North Korea expressed regret over a landmine incident that wounded two South Korean soldiers this month.
- In return, South Korea will stop anti-North propaganda broadcasts at noon on Wednesday.
- The two countries also agreed to work towards a resumption next month of reunions for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.
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International Affairs
- Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is on a two-day visit to Egypt.
- Today she held talks on bilateral relations with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and her counterpart Sameh Hassan Shoukry in Cairo.
- Important Note : During this visit, India and Egypt sign MoUs on Scientific and Technical Cooperation and Tourism.
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National Affairs
- Gujarat is going to become the first state in the country to launch ‘Agro-Solar Policy’ to encourage the farmers to tap the solar energy.
- This new policy will encourage the farmers to tap energy from sun, which will also help them to earn additional income from power generation companies.
- To strengthen security on trains, Indian Railways is expediting the process of installing CCTV surveillance cameras in 20,000 coaches at a cost of Rs 700 crore.
- The Funds for the installation will be derived from the Nirbhaya Fund, which was created in the year 2013, after the gang rape incident in the national capital in December 2012.
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National Affairs
- The Government is set to announce by September 1 the names of urban centres that would figure in the list of 100 smart cities, a flagship scheme of the Narendra Modi administration.
- Union minister of urban development and housing : M Venkaiah Naidu
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International Affairs
- The Second Summit of FIPIC began in Jaipur today.
- Leaders of 14 island nations from Indo-Pacific oceanic region have been attending to the meeting.
- Note : India is hosting this summit for the first time.
- FIPIC - Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation.
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National Affairs
- The Taj Mahal has made it to the top five of a prestigious new list of the World's Best tourist attractions.
- According to the Lonely Planet's "Ultimate Travelist" top five tourist attractions in the world are,
- The Temples of Angkor
- The Great Barrier Reef
- Inca city of Machu Picchu
- Great Wall of China
- Taj Mahal
- The Allahabad High Court has lifted its stay on the demotion of SC/ST employees, who were promoted under the ‘reservation in promotion policy’ of the Uttar Pradesh Government.
- During the Mayawati regime, the SC/ST employees were promoted through reservation.
- However, the policy was challenged in the Supreme Court, which in 2012 quashed the promotion based reservation.
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National Affairs
- The
Allahabad High court ruled that, all government servants, elected
representatives, members of judiciary and any other persons who get any
benefit or salary from the state exchequer or public fund should send
their children to primary schools run by the state education board.
- The
court has asked the Chief Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh (UP)
government to "take steps within six months so as to make the aforesaid
directions applicable from the next academic session," and file a
compliance report thereafter.
- Rajasthan Public Service Commission is going to use jammers at examination centres to check unfair means in exams.
- Tamil
Nadu Tops in organ donation in the country with organs of 683 persons
being harvested and donated to over 3,000 beneficiaries since the
setting up of the Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu in 2008.
- Health Minister of Tamil Nadu : C Vijaya Bhaskar
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International Affairs
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns home after two day visit to UAE.
- The visit saw both sides come down heavily on countries sponsoring terrorism against other states.
- The two sides decided to elevate India-UAE relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership and chart out a new course for cooperation in key areas like trade and investment, defense, security, maritime security and intelligence sharing.
- Note : Modi was the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the Gulf nation in 34 years.
- The last Indian Prime Minister to visit the UAE was Indira Gandhi in 1981.
- Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has approved stringent new counter-terrorism laws to fight growing insurgency in the country.
- The laws establish special courts and offer additional protection from legal consequences for military and police officers who have used force.
- They also impose the death penalty for anyone found guilty of setting up or leading a terrorist group.
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International Affairs
- Today is Independence Day of Indonesia
- On August 17, 1945, Indonesia declared its independence from Netherlands.
- About Indonesia
- Capital : Jakarta
- Official language : Indonesian
- President : Joko Widodo
- Vice-President : Jusuf Kalla
- Currency : Indonesian rupiah
- Today is Independence Day of Gabon (Gabonese Republic)
- Gabon, is a country on the west coast of Central Africa that had been under French rule till August 17, 1960.
- About Gabon :
- Capital : Libreville
- Official Language : French
- President : Ali Bongo Ondimba
- Prime Minister : Daniel Ona Ondo
- Currency : Central African CFA franc
- The Indo-United States Combined Military Training Exercise will be held from September 9 to 23 at the Joint Base Lewis McChord in the US.
- The aim of this exercise is to strengthen and broaden interoperability and cooperation between the two armies.
- Note : This will be the eleventh exercise in 'Yudh Abhyas' series which started in 2004 under US Army Pacific partnership programme.
- Ecuador President Rafael Correa has declared a state of emergency over increasing activity at the Cotopaxi volcano near the capital, Quito.
- The home ministry has decided to establish a National Fingerprint Database of nearly 28 lakh convicts and those arrested for criminal offences, by collating records from all the states.
- The move is expected to aid in the speedy identification of criminals and investigation of crimes accross the country.
- Note : At present, the Delhi-based Central Finger Print Bureau (CPFB) has data of over 9.7 lakh finger print records of convicted or arrested persons in digitized form, but over 18 lakh finger print records with finger print bureaus of states and Union Territories are not linked to this central database.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on Two-Day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
- On the first leg of his visit, Modi held talks with Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum of UAE today.
- He also toured Masdar in Abu Dhabi, a zero carbon smart city, taking a ride in a self-driving car that runs on batteries powered by solar energy.
- In a joint statement released by India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), both nations rejected extremism and any link between religion and terrorism.
- They also condemned efforts by states, to use religion to justify, support and sponsor terrorism against other countries.
Business & Economy
- To rapidly expand its portfolio and reach, property portal Housing.com has acquired HomeBuy360, a cloud-based sales lifecycle management platform that connects developers, agents and buyers, for $2 million.
- Note : This is the second acquisition made by the company in 2015, after it bought Indian Real Estate Forum (IREF), a platform providing unbiased property information to consumers and realty business intelligence to empower property buyers and financial institutions to assess risks and take informed decisions.
- The state government today approved Odisha Fisheries Policy, 2015, with an objective to increase the productivity and production of fish from island, brackishwater and marine resources.
- The sector specific policy targets 7.15 lakh tonne of total fish production by the end of 2019-20 from present level of 4.13 lakh tonnes.
- HDFC today announced that it will sell 9 per cent stake in HDFC Life to its British joint venture partner Standard Life for a little over Rs 1,700 crore.
- HDFC : Housing Development Finance Corporation
Deaths
- Pakistan’s Punjab province Home Minister Shuja Khanzada and 8 others killed in a suicide blast.
New Appointments
- Former Rajya Sabha member and dalit leader Ram Nath Kovind was sworn in as new governor of Bihar.
- Former Cabinet secretary Ajit Kumar Seth was on appointed as the Chairman of the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB).
- He has been appointed for a period of three years or till he attains 65 years of age.
- Seth has been appointed in place of Atul Chaturvedi, who has completed his tenure.
- Note : IAS officers Gauri Kumar and Anshuman Das, former CMD of NALCO, have been appointed as members in PESB.
Sports
- Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri has created history after he finished tied Fifth at the PGA Championships.
- Note : This is the highest position by any Indian, at PGA championship.
- PGA - Professional Golfers Association
- World Cup Archery
- The Indian re-curve mixed team comprising archers Deepika Kumari and Mangal Singh Champia settled for the Silver Medal after losing to their Mexican opponents Aida Roman and Juan Rene Serrano in the finals.
Careers
- The CBSE has announced the results of the re-test of AIPMT 2015.
- The results are available online on the official websites of CBSE and AIPMT aipmt.nic.in or cbseresults.nic.in.
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International Affairs
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi today left on a Two-Day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
- Modi is the first Indian prime minister to visit the UAE in 34 years.
- Note : Indira Gandhi visited UAE in the year 1981.
- Modi`s official visit is at the invitation of General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces. Terrorism will be high on the talks agenda.
- Day 1 Visit :
- Modi will hold official talks with the leadership of Abu Dhabi and later visit Masdar City, a city project in Abu Dhabi where he is expected to spend time watching presentatios, the external affairs ministry said.
- Day 2 Visit :
- He will first visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi and then travel to Dubai where, after meeting Dubai`s ruler, he will attend a grand public reception hosted for him at the Dubai Cricket Grounds.
- Note : "India is UAE`s second largest trading partner and the UAE is India`s third largest trade partner."
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National Affairs
- Nation celebrates 69th Independence Day today.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort.
- Here are some Important announcements made by him during his Independence Day address:
- 18,500 villages which still remain without power to be provided electricity in the next 1,000 days.
- Government to club 44 labour laws into four codes to simplify them for the people.
- Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana launched with an outlay of Rs. 50,000 crore.
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International Affairs
- Today (14th August) is Independence Day of Pakistan.
- While Pakistan will celebrate its Independence Day today, India’s falls tomorrow.
- The two countries’ border forces used to traditionally exchange sweets at the Wagah border on this occasion and festivals such as Eid and Diwali.
- But this year, BSF has decided to not accept any such gifts to protest the series of terrorist attacks in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir over the past month.
- Firming up their cooperation to build the $46 billion economic corridor through PoK, China and Pakistan signed around 20 agreements worth $1.6 billion to implement the ambitious CPEC project.
- CPEC - China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
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International Affairs
- Today (13th August) is International Lefthanders Day.
- This day was first observed on the 13th of August, in the year 1976.
- We observe this day to promote awareness of the inconveniences faced by left-handers in a predominantly right-handed world.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in on a visit to India.
- During this visit, he will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hold talks with his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj.
- The visit assumes significance as it will be first trip by a key minister of Iran after it reached the historic pact on its contentious nuclear programme with the Western countries in July.
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International Affairs
- Today (12th August) is International Youth Day.
- The first International Youth Day was observed on 12th August 2000 by United Nations.
- The purpose of this day is to draw attention to a given set of cultural and legal issues surrounding youth.
- Theme of International Youth Day 2015 : Youth Civic Engagement
- The Australian government has announced its emissions reduction target, signalling a reduction of 26-28 percent in carbon emissions by 2030.
- Australia is currently aiming to reduce emissions by 5 per cent by 2020, based on the level of emissions in 2000.
- Japan has restarted its controversial nuclear power program after a shutdown triggered by the 2011 Fukushima crisis, as the government pushes to return to a cheaper energy source despite widespread public opposition.
- The move marks the first time Japan has generated nuclear power since a post-Fukushima shutdown of all its 44 operable reactors two years ago.
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English Vocabulary from
