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Showing posts with label
August 2016 Current Affairs updates.
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Showing posts with label
August 2016 Current Affairs updates.
Show all posts
National Affairs
- The Union Cabinet has given its approval to create a Project Development Fund (PDF) for catalysing Indian economic presence in the CLMV countries viz. Cambodia, Laos Myanmar and Vietnam.
- The PDF will have corpus of Rs 500 Crore and shall be housed in Department of Commerce.
- It will be operated through the EXIM Bank.
- Amid protests by the opposition, the Kerala government has prohibited Onam festivities in state-run offices and institutions during working hours.
- The Telangana Assembly today ratified the Constitutional Amendment Bill on the Goods and Services Tax (GST), becoming the 12th state or union territory to do so.
- The Centre seeks to roll out the nation-wide uniform indirect tax regime by April 1, 2017.
- The bill requires at least 15 states' assent before the President can notify it as a law.
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International Affairs
- US Secretary of State John Kerry is on a 3-day visit to New Delhi.
- During this visit, he will co-chair the 2nd India-US Strategic and Commercial Dilogue along with US commerce secretary Penny Pritzker, Indian External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and Commerce and Industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
- Important Note : This is the first time the S&CD will be held in India.
- In New Delhi, Pritzker will also co-chair the second US-India CEO Forum alongside Jeff Zients, the Director of the National Economic Council and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy.
National Affairs
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the 1st phase of SAUNI-Saurastra Narmada Avataran Irrigation yojana today at Sanodara of Jamnagar district of Gujarat.
- Under the project, nearly 10 dams and reservoirs of Rajkot, Jamnagar and Morbi will be filled up with the water of Narmada river.
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International Affairs
- Today (29th August) is the International Day Against Nuclear Tests.
- Aim : To raise awareness about the effects of nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions.
- Russia has lifted its ban on charter flights to Turkey.
- Earlier, Russia had banned such flights after a Russian air force jet was shot down by the Turkish military last November.
- Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has since apologised for the incident and the leaders of the two countries have reportedly started restoring bilateral ties.
- China has launched a cargo train service to Russia in an attempt to improve trade and commerce with the country.
- This will reportedly save 30 days in transport time compared to shipping services and will cost 20% of standard air transportation.
- This is a part of China's multi-billion dollar project to revive the ancient Silk Route.
National Affairs
- Today (29th August) is National Sports day.
- 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)
- Note : The first National Sport Day was held in 2012.
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International Affairs
- The Tunisian Parliament today voted to approve the new government led by Prime Minister-designate Youssef Chahed, who backs the implementation of an austerity programme.
- Chahed's proposal of public-sector job cuts and tax rises was backed by 167 of the Parliament's 217 members.
- Important Note : 40-year-old Chahed is Tunisia's youngest Prime Minister since the country became independent in 1956.
National Affairs
- Nalanda University, one of the India's oldest institutes, conducted its first convocation in nearly 800 years today.
- President Pranab Mukherjee laid the foundation stone of the permanent campus of the university in Bihar's Rajgir and awarded two gold medals and 12 Post Graduate degrees to the students.
- Currently, 155 students are studying in the university.
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International Affairs
- Pakistan is going to host the 19th SAARC Summit in Islamabad and Murree during 9th & 10th November 2016.
- It will be the meeting of the head of states or head of government of the eight SAARC countries.
- Besides, nine observers of SAARC have also been invited to attend the Summit.
- Important Note : The 18th SAARC Summit was held in Kathmandu, Nepal in November 2014.
- Theme : Deeper Integration for Peace and Prosperity.
- Focused Area : Enhancing connectivity between the member states for easier transit-transport across the region
- SAARC - South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
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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.
National Affairs
- The first Children Court of South India was launched at the Nampally Criminal Courts Complex in Hyderabad, Telangana to fast disposal of cases related to children.
- Important Points to Note :
- With this, Telangana has become the third state to have a child friendly court after Goa and Delhi.
- This court is the 6th child-friendly court in the country.
- The Odisha government has held investors' meet in Bengaluru today.
- It is part of the celebrations to mark 80 years of Odisha and birth centenary of its former Chief Minister BijuPatnaik.
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International Affairs
- Turkey launched its largest military operation into Syria, sending tanks, planes and ground forces into Jarabulus in an effort to clear the Islamic State from its last remaining frontier with Turkey.
- The offensive, led by Turkey-backed Syrian rebels, came days after an Islamic State-linked suicide attack in a Turkish border town.
National Affairs
- The Union Cabinet approved a revised Double Tax Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) and the
Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income between India and Cyprus.
- The revised DTAA provides for source-based taxation of capital gains on transfer of shares instead of one based on residence.
- Thus, it is considered as a major step in the fight against tax evasion, round tripping and base erosion/profit shifting.
- It also allows India to have the right to tax capital gains arising in India.
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International Affairs
- The 2 day SAARC Finance Ministers’ Conference began at Islamabad.
- The main aim of this conference is to discuss cooperation in different sectors of economy.
- The meeting is also expected to discuss the South Asia-Free Trade Agreement and devise a mechanism for promotion of regional trade.
- SAARC - South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
- India has figured among the top 10 wealthiest countries in the world with a total individual wealth of $5,600 billion while the United States topped the chart.
- According to a report by New World Wealth, India was ranked 7th ahead of Canada ($4,700 billion), Australia ($4,500 billion) and Italy ($4,400 billion), which came in at 8th, 9th and 10th slots, respectively.
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International Affairs
- United States has announced 138 million dollar new aid to South Sudan.
- US Secretary of State John Kerry said the aid is meant for food, water, and medicine for those in need.
National Affairs
- Maharashtra became the first state in the country to draft its own internal security legislation The Maharashtra Protection of Internal Security Act (MPISA), 2016.
- It gives special emphasis on maintaining law and order and combating terrorism, insurgency, caste-related violence and communalism in the state.
- In a major administrative revamp, the two-year-old Telangana government has issued draft notification on rearranging district borders to create 17 new districts.
- After the completion of the process, the number of districts in the State will go up to 27 from the present 10.
- The new districts will come into being in October.
- The Chhattisgarh Assembly unanimously ratified the Goods and Service Tax (GST) constitution amendment bill becoming the fifth state to pass the bill.
- First four states to pass the bill are,
- Himachal Pradesh,
- Assam,
- Jharkhand
- Bihar
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International Affairs
- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ashraf Ghani have jointly inaugurated the renovated Stor Palace in Kabul through video conferencing.
- About Afghanistan :
- Capital : Kabul
- President : Ashraf Ghani
- Chief Executive Officer : Abdullah Abdullah
- Currency : Afghani
- Official language : Pashto Dari
- Nepal's new Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' will embark on a 3-day official visit to India on 15th September 2016.
- Important Note : This will be Prachanda's first foreign visit after assuming office earlier this month.
- About Nepal :
- Capital : Kathmandu
- President : Bidhya Devi Bhandari
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International Affairs
- The 2 Day meeting of BRICS women parliamentarians concluded today in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
- Several issues related to climate change, gender equality, education and health were discussed at this meeting.
- Parliamentarians of BRICS countries shared their experiences on these issues.
- Total 43 parliamentarians from BRICS countries including 28 MPs from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, were participated in the meeting.
- India today announced financial assistance worth Nepali Rs 3.9 crore for the construction of a new building and a hostel facility at a Sanskrit school in eastern Nepal.
New Appointments
- Yogeshwar Sangwan has been concurrently accredited as the Ambassador of India to Georgia, with residence in Yerevan (Armenia).
- He is currently working as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Armenia.
- About Georgia :
- Capital : Tbilisi
- President : Giorgi Margvelashvili
- Prime Minister : Giorgi Kvirikashvili
- Official language : Georgian
- Currency : Georgian lari
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International Affairs
- Today (20th August) is 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.
India ranks a low 39th in terms of fixed broadband adoption in the list of 53 Asia Pacific countries.
- It was revealed by the recently released report ‘State of ICT in Asia and the Pacific 2016: Uncovering the Widening Broadband Divide’.
- It was published by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
- Top 6 Countries in the List :
- Hong Kong,
- New Zealand,
- Japan,
- Macao,
- Australia
- Singapore
- China and India held their 8th high-level Financial and Economic Dialogue to strengthen trade and economic cooperation between the two Asian economies.
- This annual dialogue is aimed at facilitating exchange of ideas and
status updates on common macroeconomic policies and problems faced by
India and China.
- This year's dialogue is being held ahead of the G20
summit in China next month and the BRICS summit in October in India.
- India's Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das held talks with his Chinese counterpart, Vice Minister for Finance Shi Yaobin.
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International Affairs
- Today (19th August) is World Photography Day.
- Today is World Humanitarian Day (WHD).
- This day is observed every year on 19 August to recognize work of humanitarian personnel and those who have lost their lives working for humanitarian causes.
- Theme of the year 2016 : “One Humanity”.
- India has ranked 66th in the 2016 Global Innovation Index (GII).
- In this edition, India has jumped up by 15 spots from 81st position in 2015 GII.
- The annual index was released by France-based international business school INSEAD and World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), a specialized agency of the United Nations.
- Top 10 Countries in the List :
- Switzerland
- Sweden
- UK
- US
- Finland
- Singapore
- Ireland
- Denmark
- Netherlands
- Germany
- Ranks of BRICS Countries in the list
- 25th - China
- 43rd - Russia
- 54th - South Africa
- 66th - India
- 69th - Brazil
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International Affairs
- Australia has recently announced that it is going to close the controversial Asylum seeker detention centre in Papua New Guinea (PNG).
- India and Bangladesh today agreed to jointly produce a documentary on the 1971 War which led to independence for Bangladesh.
- The decision was taken after a meeting between Information and Broadcasting M. Venkaiah Naidu with his Bangladesh counterpart Hasanul Haq Inu.
- The All India Radio (AIR) would begin an exclusive service for Bangladesh and the Bengali diaspora titled “Akashvani Maitree” on August 23.
National Affairs
- The Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) is planning to document stories and legends relating to villages and towns across India into an encyclopedia.
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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
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International Affairs
- The first South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Youth Parliamentarians Conference on `Peace and Harmony for Development’ was started in Islamabad, Pakistan.
- The two-day conference will be held from August 16 to 18, 2016.
- This conference intends to offer young Parliamentarians’ narrative as a prelude to the 19th SAARC Summit to be hosted by Pakistan in November 2016.
- The coastal state of Goa has been given the opportunity to host the BRICS summit.
- Goa was picked ahead of other states because of its high hospitality standards, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has said in a statement.
- Note : The BRICS summit will be held in Goa in mid-October.
- India has provided One million US Dollars grant to Zimbabwe in the wake of El Nino induced drought disaster.
National Affairs
- The Union Government has allowed online authentication using Aadhar for new mobile connections.
- In this regard Department of Telecom (DoT) has issued guidelines for Aadhaar Electronic-Know Your Customer (e-KYC).
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National Affairs
- Nation Celebrated 70th Independence Day today.
- Addressing the nation on this occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 20% increase in the pension of freedom fighters.
- He also announced that the Government of India will bear medical expenses of ₹1 lakh for poor families.
- Modi said the government has also delivered on the promise of One Rank One Pension (OROP).
- The first National Conference of Investigating Agencies was held from August 12 to 13, 2016 at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.
- The two-day conference was inaugurated by the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
- The conference was attended by more than 100 delegates from States / UTs / Central Police Organisations.
- The Bihar State Legislature has unanimously ratified the The Constitution (122nd Amendment) (GST) Bill, 2014 for introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime in the country.
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National Affairs
- The India Nuclear Insurance Pool (INIP), managed by GIC Re, has unveiled the Nuclear Suppliers’ Insurance Policy for ‘Right to Recourse’.
- The policy was unveiled by Atomic Energy Commission chairman Sekhar Basu in Mumbai.
- New India Assurance Company has volunteered to issue the policy and administer the claims as and when notified, said Alice Vaidyan, CMD, GIC Re.
- The Union Government has launched the first phase of Smart Ganga City programme in 10 cities located along River Ganga.
- Those 10 Cities are,
- Haridwar, Rishikesh, Mathura, Varanasi, Kanpur, Allahabad, Lucknow, Patna, Sahibganj and Barrackpore.
- The first phase of programme was jointly launched by the Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti.
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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.
- People observe this day to promote awareness of the inconveniences faced by left-handers in a predominantly right-handed world.
- The US government today declared a public health emergency in Puerto Rico as a result of a Zika epidemic.
- The declaration allows the US Department of Health and Human Services to award grants, access emergency funds and temporarily appoint personnel where needed, among other things.
National Affairs
- Assam became first state in India to ratify The Constitution (122nd Amendment) (GST) Bill, 2014.
- In this regard, the Assam Assembly passed a resolution ratifying The Constitution (122nd Amendment) (GST) Bill, 2014 with simple majority.
- The Bill was passed by the Parliament in August 2016 and was forwarded to states for approval as per Article 368 of Constitution.
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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 2016 : "The Road to 2030: Eradicating Poverty and Achieving Sustainable Consumption and Production"
- Today (12th August) is World Elephant Day.
- This is an international annual event, dedicated to the preservation and protection of the world's elephants.
- The Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju is on a visit to Indonesia.
- During this visit, he will attend the International Meeting on Counter Terrorism which is being held in Bali, Indonesia.
- 20 Countries along with International and regional organizations
including UN, Interpol and ASEAN are participating in this meeting.
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