Daily GK Updates - 18th August, 2017

                 NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. H1N1 death-door for Five in August 2017 till now: Five persons have died of the H1N1 influenza virus and  two succumbed to leptospirosis  in the last two weeks. Swine flu is a respiratory disease with symptoms that include fever, coughing, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body ache and fatigue. The city has also reported scores of cases related to other monsoon-related diseases.

2.“Harit Diwali, Swasth Diwali” Campaign – Celebrate Pollution-Free Diwali this Year: Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr.  Harsh Vardhan, launched the “Harit Diwali, Swasth Diwali” campaign, here today.  Addressing a gathering of about 800 children from schools of Delhi and NCR, the Minister impressed upon the children the importance of their contribution towards reducing pollution by not bursting harmful fire crackers during Diwali.  

3. TRAI cracks the whip on call drops: Telecom operators will now have to pay hefty penalties for call drops: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Friday issued stringent guidelines with a penalty of up to ₹10 lakh on companies if they fail to meet the benchmark for three consecutive quarters. if an operator fails to meet the call drop benchmark in consecutive quarters, the penalty amount will be increased 1.5 times and in the third consecutive month it will be doubled.

4. Indian Army to get six heavy-duty Apache attack helicopters: The Army will finally get its own heavy-duty attack helicopters after a bitter tussle with the IAF over the last several years. The defence ministry on Thursday cleared the acquisition of six Apache attack helicopters, armed with Hellfire and Stinger missiles, for the Army at a cost of Rs 4,168 crore.

5. Manipur cut off as crucial Barak Bridge collapses: The Barak bridge is located along the Imphal-Jiribam highway and passes through the hill district of Tamenglong. The highway, considered as the second lifeline of the border state, assumed greater importance after a massive landslide at Viswema in neighbouring Nagaland cut off the major Imphal-Dimapur national highway.

                                 INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. First regional centre of NDB opens in South Africa: The first regional centre of the New Development Bank, set up by India and other BRICS nations, was officially opened here today by South African President Jacob Zuma and the bank's Indian head K V Kamath.  The New Development Bank (NDB), formerly referred to as the BRICS Development Bank, is a multilateral development bank established by the BRICS states (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) with an initial authorised capital of the bank is USD 100 billion.The idea for setting up NDB was proposed by India at the 4th BRICS summit in 2012 held in New Delhi. The creation of a NDB was the main theme of the meeting.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Vishal Sikka quits as Infosys CEO: Vishal Sikka has resigned as managing director and CEO of Infosys, citing "personal attacks" on him as one of the reasons for his sudden decision. The company's board accepted his resignation with immediate effect and has appointed chief operating officer UB Pravin Rao as interim managing director and CEO. The sudden move came amid growing acrimony between the company's board and its founders led by NR Narayana Murthy. Infosys shares plunged over13 per cent today after the announcement. Infosys in a statement said Mr Murthy's "continuous assault" is the primary reason Dr Sikka resigned despite enjoying strong support of the board. 

2. Mamta Suri – The new Executive Director of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board: Mamta Suri has taken charge as the Executive Director, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI). Before joining IBBI, Dr. Suri was serving as Chief General Manager, Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India. Dr. Suri has obtained her Ph.D. in Finance from University of Delhi and M. Sc.in Insurance Risk and Management from City University, London.

SPORTS:

1. Lakshya Sen-wins Bulgarian Open International crown: Lakshya Sen on Thursday clinched the Bulgaria Open International Series title after notching up a hard-fought win over Croatia’s Zvonimir Durkinjak in the men’s singles final in Sofia, Bulgaria.

OBITUARIES:

1. Veteran photographer S Paul dies at 88: He worked with T he Indian Express for over two decades before retiring in 1989. Veteran photographer S Paul died at a hospital in New Delhi on Wednesday, The Indian Express reported. He was 88. His family members said Paul had undergone a surgery a few days ago.

Daily GK Updates - 17th August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Amritsar: India opens first Partition museum 70 years after bloody event: A new museum on the Partition of the Indian subcontinent opens this week, as the two South Asian giants India and Pakistan mark seven decades as independent nations. The museum is a nonprofit trust that has raised money from individuals such as Indian ad guru Suhel Seth and companies including Airtel and the Hindustan Times. The Punjab government donated the space.

2. Maharashtra CM inaugurates next gen projection mapping system: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today inaugurated the next generation projection mapping system at the iconic Gateway of India in south Mumbai.  Actors Amitabh Bachchan and Nana Patekar narrated the story and history of Mumbai at the arch monument against the backdrop of a laser and light show held tonight.  Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, business tycoon Anand Mahindra, ministers Subhash Desai, Ram Shinde, Jaykumar Rawal were also present on the occasion.

3. Shantosh Sharma-a newly appointed CMD of HCL: Santosh Sharma was on Monday appointed as chairman and managing director (CMD) of Hindustan Copper Ltd (HCL). He is currently director (operations) in the same company. The appointments committee of the cabinet (ACC) has approved his appointment to the post for a period of five years.

4. Parsi Festival – Navroz: Navroz, the beginning of the Parsi New Year, falls today. It is celebrated for health, wealth, prosperity and productivity. Parsis are a very prominent community in India despite their small number. They have made a mark in diverse fields. Scientist Homi Jehangir Bhabha was a pioneer in atomic research. JRD Tata was a legendary businessman. Sam Manekshaw was India's first field Marshal. Parsi community is known for contributing greatly to Indian business. The government-supported Jiyo Parsi Scheme was launched on September 24, 2013. It is unique programme aimed at arresting the decline in population of the Parsi community in India. Parsis don't cremate or bury corpses but leave them for vultures to feed on at a place called Tower of Silence. After 1990, when there was a decline in the number of vultures, many began using electric crematorium. Parsis have more females compared to males in their community—1,050 females per 1,000 males, much higher than India’s average of 933 females, according to the 2001 Census. Parsis are commonly seen speaking either Gujarati or English. But their native language is Avestan. Zoroastrianism was founded by Prophet Zoroaster in ancient Iran about 3,500 years ago. The Avesta is the primary collection of religious texts of Zoroastrianism. Demographic trends project that by 2020, there will be only 23,000 Parsis left in the country which will take away their community tag and label them as tribals. According to the 2001 census, the Parsi community has the highest literacy rate in the country. Perhaps that's why it has been so successful.

5. Launch of Indira canteen scheme: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched the Indira Canteen scheme—a state government initiative named after former prime minister Indira Gandhi—aimed at providing food at low cost to the urban poor.  The canteen, located at Kanakanapalya in Jayanagar, an upscale locality in Bengaluru, is one of 101 such across various locations in the city on Wednesday.  To be sure, many of the Indira Canteens did not open for service on Wednesday.  The canteens are loosely modelled on late Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa’s ‘Amma Canteens’.

6. Establishment of GeMSamvad: An MoU was signed today between Government eMarketplace (GeM) SPV and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Smt S Radha Chauhan, CEO GeM and Sh Chandrajit Banerjee, DG, CII singed the MoU on behalf of GeM SPV and CII respectively.  This MoU between GeM and CII is aimed at establishing GeM Samvaad- a participative and collaborative approach with the industry for promoting Indian industry and entrepreneurship. As part of this initiative GeM & the Indian industry shall work together to create GeM related awareness and onboard industry members from across the country.

7. CCEA approves DIPAM for strategic disinvestment:  On August 16, 2017, Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved following two proposals of Department of Investment and public Asset Management (DIPAM) for strategic disinvestment. (i)Setting up an Alternative Mechanism (ii)Empowering the Core Group of Secretaries (CGD).

8. Petrol pumps to sell EESL’s energy efficient bulbs, fans:Energy efficient appliances will now be sold in fuel retail outlets of Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs). An agreement between the oil companies and Energy Efficiency Services Ltd was signed by Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Petroleum and Natural Gas. The petrol pump dealers will directly do business with EESL and would get about 10 per cent margin.An eco-system is being developed to enhance the non-fuel retail business of fuel retail outlets.

9. Govt approves completion of North Koel Reservoir Project: The Union cabinet on Wednesday gave its green signal to complete the remaining works of the North Koel Reservoir Project in Jharkhand and Bihar at an estimated expenditure of over Rs 1,622 crore and also approved raising extra budgetary resources of up to Rs. 9,020 crore for completing ongoing irrigation projects in the country.

10. India has 27,312 elephants, census shows : While numbers are lower than in 2012, previous counts were not synchronised & may have had duplication. According to the report, released by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change on August 12, Karnataka has the highest number of elephants (6,049), followed by Assam (5,719) and Kerala (3,054).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Barcelona and Cambrils: Terrorists planned bigger attacks, police reveal amid hunt for van driver. The Spanish terror suspects had been planning even bigger attacks, police have revealed as they continue a massive hunt for the rampaging van driver who ploughed into a crowd in Barcelona. Authorities are in a race against time to find the driver who left 13 people dead and more than 100 wounded on Las Ramblas yesterday afternoon.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Real Madrid wins Spanish super cup 2017: Real Madrid beat Barcelona, 2-0, to complete a 5-1 victory on aggregate in the Spanish Super Cup on Wednesday, dominating its fiercest rival without the need of Cristiano Ronaldo or Gareth Bale. Marco Asensio and Karim Benzema provided the goals in the second leg for a home side that showed confidence that Barcelona sorely lacked.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1.  Aadhar linkage mandatory for farmers to aware crop loans: To ensure hassle-free benefits to farmers under Interest Subvention Scheme, the Reserve Bank of India has advised banks to make Aadhaar linkage mandatory for availing short-term crop loans up to ₹3 lakh in 2017-18. This move is in line with the government’s increasing emphasis on linking Aadhaar to various transactions in the economy including filing Income-Tax returns and getting direct benefit transfer.

2. Shubh Aarambh- a new home loan product by axis bank: Axis Bank has launched Shubh Arambh, a home loan product, that entails waiving off four EMIs each at the end of the fourth, eighth and 12th year of a 20-year loan. In a bid to expand its customer base in the affordable housing segment, Axis Bank on Thursday launched a new product wherein disciplined borrowers will be eligible for waivers of 12 instalments on loans of up to Rs30 lakh.

SCIENCE/ TECHNOLOGY:

1. Malpelo- a new tectonic plate discovered: Misfit plates in the Pacific led scientists to the discovery of a microplate between the Galapagos Islands and the South American coast. This research has been done by the researchers at Rice University.

Daily GK Updates - 16th August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Santosh Sharma as Hindustan Copper CMD: Santosh Sharma has been appointed as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) for a period of five years. Currently, He is Director (operations) in the same company.

2. Government demands remove ‘Blue Whale Challenge’ links from search engines and applications: The Union govt. has directed internet majors Google, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Microsoft, and Yahoo to immediately remove links of the dangerous online game ‘Blue Whale Challenge’. There are instances of children committing suicide in India while playing this online game. Now, the internet majors to ensure that any such link of this deadly game should be removed immediately from a social media platform. The Blue Whale Challenge is a suicide game in which the player is given certain tasks to complete for a period of 50 days and the final task leads to suicide. The player is asked to share photos after finishing the different levels of the game.

3. Launch of the first  online course on  Infusion Therapy in India: A global authority in infusion therapy ‘Infusion Nurses Society (INS)’ has launched India's first online course on Infusion Therapy for nurses. The Infusion Nurses Society aims to train over 3000 nurses in the vital medical procedure. The course will enable members to access the various infusion therapy modules and presentations through its website. Infusion therapy deals with all aspects of fluid and medication infusion, via an intravenous or subcutaneous application.

4. ‘SheMeansBusiness’- FB Programme launched by Odisha: Odisha CM 'Naveen Patnaik' has launched Facebook's program 'She Means Business' for women entrepreneurs in the state. The ‘SheMeansBusiness program’ has been launched in 16 countries across the world including India. The program was launched in partnership with Odisha’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) department and Project Mission Shakti. Around 25000 women entrepreneurs and Self-Help Group (SHG) members will get training on digital marketing skills by the end of 2018.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. The world's most liveable city – Melbourne: Melbourne (Australia) has once again been named the world's most liveable city by Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), receiving a perfect score for healthcare, education, and infrastructure. Vienna once again came second and Vancouver third. It was a record seventh time in a row from 2011 to 2017 in the top spot for Melbourne. The Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) Liveability Index ranks 140 cities each year on those topics, as well as stability, culture, and environment.

2. Italy to host of  G-7 interior ministers summit on security : Italy will host a summit of Group of Seven Interior Ministers centred on security issues in the fall. Italy currently holds the rotating helm of the G-7 industrialized nations. These countries are the seven major advanced economies as reported by the International Monetary Fund. The 43rd G7 summit was held in Taormina, Italy on May 2017. The group consists of seven major advanced economies including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom and the United States. The European Union is also represented within the G7. The G7 countries represent more than 64% of the net global wealth.

3. Nepal and China have signed three pacts to further boost their ties in power and energy sectors: The pacts were signed to undertake a feasibility study to excavate natural gas and petroleum in the Himalayan country. The agreements signed will cover economic and technological cooperation, oil and gas resources exploration, and promotion of investment.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. Indian export grows 3.9% in July2017: According to the Official data, country's exports grew 3.9% in July this year to 22.5 billion dollars. Exports rose due to an increase in shipments of petroleum, chemicals, and marine products. The country's trade deficit widened to 11.4 billion dollars during the month under review, from 7.8 billion dollars in July last year. Gold import spurted 95% (2.1 billion dollars) and oil imports increased 15% in July.

SCIENCE/ TECHNOLOGY:

1.  Zika vaccine innovation: Scientists have developed the world's first plant-based Zika vaccine, which may be more effective, safer and cheaper than other vaccines against the mosquito-borne virus.Presently, there are no licensed vaccines or therapeutics available to fight Zika. The vaccine works against a part of a Zika viral protein, called DIII, which plays a key role for the virus to infect people. All Flaviviruses have the envelope protein on the outside part of the virus. The domain III has a unique stretch of DNA for the Zika virus, and we exploited this to generate a robust and protective immune response that is unique for Zika

OBITUARIES:

1. Stephen Wooldridge, Australian Olympic cycling champion, dies aged 39 : Born in Sydney, Wooldridge won gold in the 4,000m team pursuit at the Athens Olympics in 2004 and claimed four world titles in the same discipline. He was inducted into the NSW Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.  He won gold for Australia in the 2004 Athens Olympics, was also a four-time world champion in the discipline and the 2002 Commonwealth Games champion. In 2005, Wooldridge was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to sport as a gold medallist at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens He was inducted into the NSW Hall of Champions in 2015. The cause of death has not been released by authorities till now.

Daily GK Updates - 15th August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 112 Gallantry Awards Given on Independence Day: President Ram Nath Kovind has approved 112 Gallantry Awards to armed forces and paramilitary personnel on the occasion of the 71st Independence Day. The Awards includes five Kirti Chakras,17 Shaurya Chakras, 85 Sena Medals (Gallantry), three Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry) and two Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry). Of all 112, 19 are posthumous. Those awarded the Kirti Chakra include Major Preetam Singh Kunwar of the Garhwal Rifles; Havildar Giris Gurung (Posthumous) from the First Gorkha Rifles; Major David Manlun (Posthumous), of the Naga Regiment; Pramod Kumar (Posthumous), Commandant, 49 Batallion, Central Reserve Police Force and Chetan Kumar Cheeta, Commandant, CRPF.

2. Ministry of Culture organizes Sankalp Se Siddhi Programme in Coimbatore: To take forward the initiative of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for a New India movement from 2017 - 2022, a  Sankalp Se Siddhi  (Attainment through Resolve)  Programme was organized at  Sri Ramalinga Sowdambigai College of Science and Commerce, Onappalayam, Coimbatore on 12  August, 2017.  Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (Independent Charge), Dr. Mahesh Sharma graced the occasion.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India Deploying Israel Fences Systems Along Border: The Indian Border Security Force is implementing an ambitious project called the comprehensive integrated border management system (CIBMS) as part of the government’s plan to completely seal the Indo-Pak and India-Bangladesh borders in the next few years.

                                             OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Government slaps $264 mn penalty on Reliance Industries Ltd: The government has imposed a new penalty of $ 264 million (about Rs 1,700 crore) on Reliance Industries Ltd and its partners for producing less than the targeted natural gas from eastern offshore KG-D6 fields in 2015-16.

2. SBI CSR – adoption  of 50 villages: The nation's largest lender State Bank of India today launched a CSR initiative, SBI Gram Seva, which will work in the areas of health, education, environment and rural infrastructure. The SBI Foundation will identify and partner with NGOs to carry out CSR initiatives under which it adopt five villages each from 10 village panchayats with each village getting around Rs 2.40 crore over the next three years.

Daily GK Updates - 14th August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  NGT directed to maintain a minimum 15 to 20% E-flow in rivers: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed all states to maintain a minimum environmental flow of 15 to 20% of the average lean season course in their rivers. E-flow means environmental flow. E-flow defines the quantity, timing and quality of water flow required to sustain freshwater and estuarine ecosystems, besides human livelihood. If any state is unable to adhere to this average percentage then it may approach the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). The order came after the counsel for the environment ministry told the tribunal that it has completed study of six river basins — Siang, Tawang, Bichom, Subansiri, Dibang and Lohit.

2. DAMON - Special programme to prevent spread of malaria in Odisha: A special program would soon be launched to prevent the spread of malaria in remote areas of Odisha’s Ganjam district. The programme has been christened as “Durgama Anchalare Malaria Nirakaran” (DAMON) and people testing positive for malaria will be provided treatment under the programme. Besides other diseases like malnutrition among the children and complicacy among the pregnant women will also be identified in the camps and necessary treatment will be provided.

3.  Religious Freedom Bill passed in Jharkhand: Jharkhand state assembly has passed Religious Freedom Bill 2017, which ait to stop the forced conversions in the state. Now, the bill will be sent to the governor of the state, following whose approval it would go to the President for assent. A person converting willingly will have to inform the Deputy Commissioner about details such as time, place and the person who administers the conversion proceedings.

4. The five-day India-ASEAN Youth Summit has begun in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh: The event is being organized by Foreign Ministry, Madhya Pradesh government and India Foundation. The state has been chosen for this event as the Sanchi stupa here strengthens the state’s cultural affiliation with the ASEAN countries. Over 175 delegations of youths from Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and India will attend the Summit. The exercise will mark the 25th anniversary of the ASEAN-India dialogue partnership in the ongoing year and also the commemorative year’s theme of “Shared Values, Common Destiny”

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. WHO declares Somalia free of polio: The UN health agency, World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared Somalia free of polio. According to the UN health agency, it had not recorded any case of polio disease in Somalia in the last three years. Somalia recorded the last case of polio in 2014 in the central part of the country.

2. The Flying Sikh - 'Milkha Singh' as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for physical activity in South-East Asia Region: Legendary Indian athlete Milkha Singh has been appointed WHO (World Health Organisation) Goodwill Ambassador for Physical Activity in South-East Asia Region. He will promote WHO South-East Asia Region's NCD Prevention and Control Action Plan which seeks to reduce the level of insufficient physical activity by 10% and NCDs by 25% by 2025. An estimated 8.5 million people die due to NCDs every year in WHO South-East Asia Region. A ‘goodwill ambassador’ is a person who advocates for a specific cause on the basis of their notability.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1.  The great sprinter Usain Bolt (30-year) said good bye to the Athletics world: Running the final race of his career, after taking the baton from his Jamaican teammate Yohan Blake, suffered cramps on his left hamstring as he tried, in vain, to chase down his rivals in the men's 4x100m relay race at the World Athletics Championships in London. Britain won the gold in 37.47 seconds while United States (38.01) and Japan took the silver and bronze respectively.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1.Newly appointed MD (Exim Bank) -  David Rasquinha: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has appointed ‘David Rasquinha’ as the Managing Director (MD) of Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) for a period of three years. EXIM Bank commenced operations in 1982 under the Export-Import Bank of India Act, 1981 and head office in Mumbai.

Daily GK Updates - 13th August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Neil Chatterjee to chair US energy commission: President Donald Trump has appointed Neil Chatterjee  as chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Chatterjee had previously been an energy policy advisor to US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican. 

2. India's first railway disaster management village: Rains falling into rivers and coaches catching fire will be common sights in the country's first 'railways disaster management village' expected to come up on the outskirts of Bengaluru by December next year. The railways has earmarked the 3.32 sq km village of Hejjala, with a population of 3,483 people, to develop its Disaster Management Institute and Safety village at a cost of Rs 44.42 crore, according to the blueprint accessed by PTI.

3. I V Subba rao – New Secretary to Vice President: Retired IAS officer I V Subba Rao was  appointed secretary to Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu. Rao, a 1979 batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, retired from service as special chief secretary last year. He held several important posts in Andhra Pradesh and later served the UNESCO.

4. T.J.S George Selected For First Kesari Media Award: veteran journalist and star  of Mysore Columnist  T.J.S George has been chosen for the First Kesari Media Award,institute by Kesari Memorial Journalist trust here.

5. Maharashtra CM Lanches ‘Namo Yuva Rojgar Kendra’: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched Namo Yuva Rojgar Kendra an initiative on the part of the state government providing job opportunities to unemployed youth in Mumbai.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Israel fence systems at Pakistan border: A smart Israel-developed fencing system having a ‘quick response team’ mechanism which strikes when the CCTV-powered control room detects an infiltration attempt. 

2. Norway has world's fastest mobile Internet: According to global leader in broadband testing Ookla,Norway has the fastest mobile Internet in the world. In only 13 months, Norway has jumped from 11th to first place on the list of world best providers of fast Internet connection.

3. India, Russia to hold mega war games : India and Russia will hold a mega war game in October involving their armies, navies and the air forces for the first time to further ramp up military ties. The exercise Indra, which will be held in Russia from October 19 to 29, will primarily focus on achieving coordination between forces of the two countries in a tri-services integrated theatre command scenario.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. India bags Gold at Asian Shotgun Championship: India finished their campaign at the 7th Asian Shotgun Championship on high as the pair of Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Rashmmi Rathore bagged a gold medal in the skeet mixed team event. The Indian duo eked out a narrow 28-27 win over the Chinese pair of Liu Jiangchi and Ga

Daily GK Updates - 12th August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Prasoon Joshi as Chairman of CBFC : The Centre has appointed lyricist Prasoon Joshi as Chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification, CBFC, for a period of three years. CBFC is a statutory body under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, regulating the public exhibition of films under the provisions of the Cinematograph Act. Mr Joshi has replaced former Chairman Pahlaj Nihalani. The government has also reconstituted the existing CBFC with immediate effect for a period of three years or until further orders. Information and Broadcasting Ministry in a release confirm that there are 12 members in the new board, which include Ms. Gautami Tadimalla, Narendra Kohli, Naresh Chandra Lal, Vivek Agnihotri and Ms Vidya Balan.

2. NAMO e-tabs : Chief Minister of Gujarat Mr. Vijay Rupani has distributed NAMO e-tabs to college students across the state. The NAMO- e Tab (New Avenues of Modern Education Through Tablets) has 1.3 GH core processor, 1 GB RAM, 8 GB internal memory (expandable up to 32 GB), 3450 mAh battery, voice calling facility, 2 MP rear and 0.3 mp front camera, 7 inch HD display and Android 5.1 Lollipop OS. e-tablet costs Rs 8000 but it is being distributed to the students for one thousand Rupees only. The Government will distribute e-tablets to 4 lakh students during this year for which provision of Rs.300 crore has been made. 5 lakh students have already registered for this NAMO- e-TAB.

3. Launch of “Mobile therapy van” in Bihar: The van is an outcome of a joint project of the World Bank and the Bihar government which is run by Social Welfare department. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar flagged off mobile therapy vans which would provide basic medical assistance to elderly people, widows and other section who requires social security. The vans equipped with basic medical apparatus and accompanied by a technical team would provide basic medical care to elderly people, widows and disabled in the districts.

4. "Sankalp to Siddhi” Programme:  Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry will celebrate Sankalp to Siddhi- New India Manthan in all the districts of the country from 19th to 30th of this month. This program will last for two and a half hours in which the first video message of the Prime Minister to be shown. A film will be shown on the efforts being made by the government for agricultural development and the resolution will be taken to free the country from poverty, corruption, terrorism, communalism and casteism.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Uhuru Kenyatta re-elected as a president of Kenya: In Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta has been re-elected as President. Election Commission Head Wafula Chebukati has announced in Nairobi that Kenyatta got  54.27% votes beating his rival Raila Odinga who got 44.74 % of votes. Opposition leader and Presidential candidate Raila Odinga claimed massive fraud during Presidential polls. However, the country’s Electoral Commission has denied opposition claims that IT system had been hacked in order to manipulate the poll results.

2. UN International Youth Day – 12th August: The International Youth Day (IYD) is observed every year on 12th August to draw attention to a given set of cultural and legal issues surrounding youth. International Youth Day 2017 is dedicated to celebrating young people’s contributions to conflict prevention and transformation as well as inclusion, social justice, and sustainable peace. On 17 December 1999, the International Youth Day (IYD) was instituted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) by passing resolution 54/120.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. India dropped a place in the latest FIFA rankings released to stand at number 97: In July, India had reached their best FIFA ranking in the last 21 years as they stood at 96, the second highest ranking for the country ever. India currently stands at 341 points on the 97th position, four points behind 96th placed Zambia. The team has progressed brilliantly under the English manager Constantine, who started coaching the team when it was ranked 171st in the world. India will now play a three-nation tournament with Mauritius and St. Kitts and Nevis at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Chennai from August 19th to 27th.

2. Los Angeles approves host city contract for 2028 Games Summer Olympics to southern California and ceding the 2024 Games to Paris: Los Angeles city council rubber-stamped the host city contract today, paving the way for bringing the 2028 Summer Olympics to southern California and ceding the 2024 Games to Paris. The members voted 12-0 in favour of signing off on the memorandum of understanding and host city contract documents which would see the city host the Summer Games for the third time in history.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. SBI merger bill : The Lok Sabha passed the bill to repeal the SBI (Subsidiary Banks) Act 1959, State Bank of Hyderabad Act 1956 and to further amend the State Bank of India Act, 1955, following the merger of five associates with the parent SBI. The five associates that were merged are State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ), State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH), State Bank of Mysore (SBM), State Bank of Patiala (SBP) and State Bank of Travancore (SBT).

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. A trading platform for digital currency in India is to be launched by Bitbay: Poland based bitcoin exchange platform Bitbay, one of the top ten cryptocurrency trading platforms in the world, has launched a dedicated platform for trade and exchange of digital currencies such as bitcoin, litecoin, ether, Lisk, monero, dash and gamecredits. The company will also work towards creating awareness about digital currencies and also removing misconceptions related to these currencies in a market like India. It will be offering six digital currencies to keep and trade with local currency and will carry out demo trading from August 10 till August 24. This would be done without real money to make users understand aspects of trading.

2. SEBI ties up with SEO for technical assistance: Markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) entered into a pact with its counterpart Security and Exchange Organization (SEO) of Iran to promote technical assistance and facilitate cross-border cooperation in the area of securities regulations. The pact will facilitate mutual assistance, contribute towards efficient performance of the supervisory functions, and enable effective enforcement of laws and regulations governing the securities markets. The MoU was signed by SEBI chief Ajay Tyagi and SEO Iran chairman Shapour Mohammadi.