VINTAGE

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF AUGUST 23^rd, 2018

                                IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF AUGUST  23^rd  , 2018

Q.1 President Kovind Inaugurates International Buddhist Conclave in New Delhi 

i. President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the International Buddhist Conclave in New Delhi. The theme of the conclave is 'Buddha Path – The Living Heritage'. 

ii. The Ministerial level delegation from ASEAN countries will participate in the conclave along with delegates from 29 countries including US, UK, Germany, France and Russia. This year Japan is the partnering country for the Buddhist conclave. 
Q.2 PM Inaugurates Various Projects In Junagadh, Gujarat 

i. The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi inaugurated various projects in Junagadh district of Gujarat. These included the Government Civil Hospital, a milk processing plant and some buildings of the Junagadh Agriculture University.

ii. There were nine initiatives, worth over Rs 500 crore, which were either being dedicated, or their foundation stones were being laid.

Q.3 Iran Unveils 1st Domestic Fighter Jet 'Kowsar'
i. Iran unveiled its first domestic fighter jet named 'KOWSAR' with President Hassan Rouhani. 
ii. The new "Kowsar" is a fourth-generation fighter shown at the National Defence Industry exhibition in Tehran. It was "100-percent indigenously made" for the first time. 

Q.4.  4th BIMSTEC Summit To Be Held in Kathmandu 

i. The fourth Summit of Heads of State/Government of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) will be held at Kathmandu in Nepal on August 30 and 31. 

ii. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the summit. During the two-day Summit, leaders of member states will review progress achieved so far in the areas of cooperation and provide guidance to the future work of the BIMSTEC. 

Q.5 Forbes’ List Of World’s Highest-Paid Actors 2018: George Clooney Tops, Akshay Kumar Ranks 7th

i. Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan have made it to the Forbes’ list of World’s Highest-Paid Actors 2018, which was topped by George Clooney. Akshay and Salman made it to spot seven and nine, respectively. 

ii. The world’s 10 highest-paid actors tallied a combined $748.5 million between June 1, 2017, and June 1, 2018, before fees and taxes. The list this year was topped by George Clooney.

iii. Top 3 on Forbes’ list of the world’s best-paid male actors 2018: 

1. George Clooney: $239m

2. Dwayne Johnson: $124m

3. Robert Downey Jr: $81m.
Q.6 Kempegowda International 2nd Fastest Growing Airport In The World 

i. The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) has emerged as the second fastest growing airport in the world in the first half of 2018 in terms of actual growth in the number of passengers. It has recorded 1,58,50,352 flyers during the six-month period. 

ii. Only Tokyo's Haneda International has bettered KIA's growth. The report was published by RoutesOnline, a company focussing on the quality and standards of aviation globally. New Delhi's  Indira Gandhi International Airport is placed sixth.

Q.7. RIL 1st Indian Company To Cross Rs 8 Trillion Market Capital 

i. The Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) became the first Indian company to cross Rs 8 trillion market capitalization after its shares surged nearly 37% in 2018. 

ii. RIL share prices rose 1.31% to hit a record high of Ra1,262.50, pegging its market cap at Rs8.01 trillion after data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) showed Reliance Jio continued to add subscribers at a healthy pace.
Q.8. HAL Becomes 1st PSU To Transact On TReDS: RXIL 

i. The Receivables Exchange of India (RXIL) announced that Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has become the first public sector enterprise to make a transaction on the "TReDS platform".
ii. According to the NSE-SIDBI joint venture, TReDS is an online electronic institutional mechanism for facilitating the financing of trade receivables of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) through multiple financiers. 

Q.9 Arun Jaitley Resumes Charge As Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister 

i. Union Minister Arun Jaitley is back as the Finance Minister after a three-month interval to recuperate from a kidney transplant surgery.

ii. In Mr Jaitley's absence, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal was holding the additional charge of the Finance and Corporate Affairs portfolio. 

Q.1. David Beckham To Receive 2018 UEFA President's Award 

i. Former England captain David Beckham will receive the UEFA President's Award for his contribution to football and promoting the sport in "every corner of the planet". 

ii. David Beckham will become the third Englishman to receive the UEFA President's Award. Sir Bobby Robson (2002) and Sir Bobby Charlton (2008) are the previous English winners.
Q.11 Veteran Journalist Kuldip Nayar Passes Away 

i. Eminent Indian writer and journalist Kuldip Nayar passed away in New Delhi following a brief illness. He was 95. Mr. Nayar was originally born in Sialkot in 1923.

ii. His famous autobiography was "Beyond The Lines". He was also the High Commissioner of India to the U.K. and nominated member of the Rajya Sabha.