IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF AUGUST 28^th,  2019

              IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF AUGUST 28^th , 2019

1.     A bus service between Nepal's capital Kathmandu and India's Siliguri in West Bengal has started. 

a.      Nepal's Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transportation Raghubir Mahaseth and Indian Ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri flagged off the bus from Kathmandu last evening. 

b.     The 44-seater air conditioned deluxe bus will complete 650 Kilometre-journey between Kathmandu and Siliguri in 18 hours.  

2.     Pakistan and China are conducting joint bilateral aerial exercise Shaheen VIII (Eagle VIII) in Chinese city of Holton, close to the Indian border near Ladakh.

a.      It was 8th edition of this aerial exercise, which is conducted annually by India’s two neighbours since 2011.

3.     Tamil Nadu Government launched its exclusive education TV channel named Kalvi Tholaikkatchi (Education TV). 

a.      It is an initiative of the School Education Department aimed at benefiting students of classes I to XII.

4.     Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar announced that India has set target to restore 50 lakh hectare of its degraded land by 2030. 

a.      He made this announcement at curtain raiser event for 14th meeting of Conference of Parties to United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP14) to be held in India for first time from September 2-13, 2019. 

b.     Note : India will take President of COP14 for two years from China. 

5.     The Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) has set up a waste plastic to diesel plant in Dehradun (Uttarakhand) as a step towards ensuring freedom from plastic. 

6.     Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio has become India's largest telecom operator by revenue market share in the April-June quarter.

a.      Sunil Mittal-led Bharti Airtel came second with 30% market share and Vodafone Idea was third with a 28.1% share.

7.     Amazon India has launched a Military Veterans Employment programme in country. 

a.      This initiative of e-commerce giant will create employment opportunities for military veterans as well as their spouses across company’s sort centres, delivery centres and fulfilment centres in India.

8.     Paytm has appointed former Goldman Sachs Executive Director and Co-COO for Investment Banking Amit Nayyar as President.

a.      In his new role, Amit will be responsible for the financial services business. 

9.     Tractor manufacturing company TAFE has appointed the former managing director of Cummins India, Sandeep Sinha, as their new CEO.

10. Former Indian cricketer Ramesh Powar has been appointed the India A team's bowling coach for the upcoming five-match one-day series and two four-day games against South Africa A, starting August 29. 

a.      Powar had earlier held the post of Indian women's team head coach. His stint came to an end following the Women's T20 World Cup in West Indies.

11.                       Volkswagen's former Chairman and CEO Ferdinand Piech (82), who built the company into a 12-brand empire, passed away.

a.      The grandson of Beetle designer Ferdinand Porsche, Piech resigned as Volkswagen Chairman in April 2015, months before the diesel scandal was exposed.

12.                       Indian Air Force's Wing Commander S Dhami became India's 1st woman officer to assume charge as the Flight Commander of a flying unit. 

a.      She took charge of a Chetak helicopter unit at Hindon Airbase in Uttar Pradesh. 

13.                       Indian documentary titled 'I'm Jeeja' has won the top award in the 'Under 30 minute' category at the We Care Film Festival on Disability Issues. 

a.      The film tells the story of specially-abled activist Jeeja Ghosh who suffers from cerebral palsy. 

b.     A total of 36 films were selected for the finals out of which 10 films were awarded in different categories.

14. Former Manchester United forward Eric Cantona is set to be given the UEFA President's Award at the Champions League group stage draw event in Monaco today.  

15. A mobile application called 'Maitri' which connects children at orphanages with senior citizens in old-age homes, developed by five 12th class girl students from Noida, Uttar Pradesh has won the bronze medal at global tech competition called ‘Technovation Challenge’ held in San Francisco, United States.

a.      The girls Arefa, Vanshika Yadav, Ananya Grover, Vasudha Sudhinder and Anushka Sharma are from Amity International School in Noida, Uttar Pradesh 

16. Shashi Shanker, the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) was honoured with Distinguished Fellowship of Institute of Directors (IOD), 2019 during 29th Institute of Directors (IOD) Annual Day Ceremony held in New Delhi.

Sports Current Affairs

o    The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has decided to rename Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium as Arun Jaitley Stadium in memory of the former DDCA President, who recently passed away on August 24.  

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF AUGUST 27^th,  2019

              IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF AUGUST 27^th , 2019

1.     India is going to host the Conference Of Parties (COP) 14, of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification from 2nd to 13th September 2019. 

a.      Last time, the meeting was hosted by China. India will take over from China this year as host and President for 2 years. 

b.     The event will see participation of over 3000 representatives from over 200 countries which will include Ministers from around 100 countries.

c.      The Conference will focus on desertification and degradation of land.

d.     Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also attend the mega event. 

2.     The United States today claimed helping reduce India-Pakistan tension is one of the five big takeaways from the just-concluded G7 Summit. 

a.      Promoting the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement and developing stronger trade with Europe were also among the 'takeaways'.

3.     Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to India after completing his 3 nation visit to France, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. 

a.      His visit projected India's role in the global arena as well as in the Asian Region. 

b.     India's prominent stand on protecting environment, climate and digital technology was lauded at the G-7 Summit.

4.     In Nepal, for the 1st time, a cabinet meeting was held through video conferencing.

a.      Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli took part in the meeting from Singapore through video conferencing today.

5.     The 2019 Indo Pacific Chiefs of Defence (CHOD) Conference will be held in Thailand’s capital city Bangkok. 

a.      India will be represented by Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) and Chief of the Air Staff- Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa.

b.     Theme of conference Indo Pacific Chiefs of Defence (CHOD) Conference 2019 : “Collaboration in a free and Open Indo – Pacific”.

6.     The govt today announced that over 3 crore 70 lakh people have joined the nationwide Jal Shakti Abhiyan.

a.      The government had launched the ambitious initiative on 1st of July to enhance water security, especially in water stressed districts. 

b.     During the past two months, the initiative has delivered over 5 lakh local water conservation infrastructures in 256 districts.

c.      Jal Shakti Minister : Gajendra Singh Shekhawat 

7.     The government today announced that there has been more than 80 per cent decline in new HIV infection cases in the country since its peak in 1995. 

a.      The global average of decline in new infection is estimated at 47 per cent.

b.     Health Minister : Dr Harsh Vardhan

8.     The National Aids Control Organization (NACO)  today signed an MoU with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for prevention and control of HIV related diseases. 

a.      The MoU intends to create awareness and educate people about the ill-effects of drugs abuse on the individual, family, workplace and society at large.

b.     It aims to reduce stigmatization of and discrimination against, groups and individuals dependent on drugs in order to integrate them back into society.

9.     State-run Canara Bank has launched India's 1st One-Time Password (OTP) facility for ATM withdrawals. 

a.      The facility, which is activated for cash withdrawals over ₹10,000 per day at its ATMs, will protect the card-holders from unauthorised withdrawals.

10. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that the Central Board has accepted Bimal Jalan Committee recommendations and decided to transfer a sum of ₹1,76,051 crore to the government. 

a.      The sum comprises ₹1,23,414 crore of surplus for the year 2018-19 and ₹52,637 crore of excess provisions identified as per the revised Economic Capital Framework (ECF).

11.                       To examine bank fraud over Rs 50 crore and recommend action, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has constituted Advisory Board for Banking Frauds (ABBF). 

a.      The 4 member body is reconstituted and rejigged version of erstwhile Advisory Board on Bank, Commercial and Financial Frauds.

b.     Chairman : T M Bhasin (Former Vigilance Commissioner)

c.      Members :

i)      Madhusudan Prasad (former Urban Development Secretary)

ii)    D K Pathak (former Director General of Border Security Force) 

iii) Suresh N Patel (former MD and CEO of Andhra Bank) 

12.                       The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) today shared a lunar surface image taken by the Terrain Mapping Camera-2 (TMC-2) of Chandrayaan-2. 

a.      The image showed craters such as Jackson, Mach, Korolev and Mitra. 

b.     Note : The Mitra crater on Moon is named after Padma Bhushan awardee late Indian Professor Sisir Kumar Mitra, known for his work in the field of radiophysics among others.

13.                       India's 1st woman Director General of Police (DGP), Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya passed away.

a.      She was also the 2nd lady IPS officer of India. 

b.     The 1973 batch IPS officer, made history when she was appointed the DGP of Uttarakhand in the year 2004. 

c.      She retired on October 31, 2007. 

14.                       Karnataka will have 3 Deputy Chief Ministers for the first time after the newly formed BJP government appointed Govind Makthappa Karajol (Public Works), CN Ashwath Narayan (Higher Education) and Laxman Sangappa Savadi (Transport) to the post. 

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF AUGUST 26^th,  2019

              IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF AUGUST 26^th , 2019

1.     (26th August) is the Women's Equality Day.

a.      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.

b.     This day was first celebrated in 1973 and is proclaimed each year by the United States President.

2.     Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the President of Senegal Macky Sall and held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the G-7 Summit at Biarritz, France. 

a.      Modi also participated in the Session on Climate, Bio-diversity and Oceans raising India's concerns on the emerging issues. 

b.     Modi will also participate during another Session on Digital Technology later.

c.      The Prime Minister will then meet the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and United States President Donald Trumpto discuss bilateral and a gamut of issues of mutual interest.

d.     Important Points to Note : 

i)      This is the 45th edition of the G7 summit.

ii)    This summit is being held during 24th to 26th August 2019.

iii) Despite not being a member of the G7, India is part of this year's G7 Summit in France's Biarritz as a "Special Partner". 

iv) World leaders in the Summit aim to provide a common platform for various issues including climate change, terrorism, inequalities and trade amidst changing scenario in world trade and blocs.

v)    The highlight of the summit is that newly invited countries will have a definite determination to work for furthering peace and stability in the region and also in boosting world economy.

3.     Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa will embark on a 3-day visit to Thailand beginning today. 

a.      During his visit, he will attend the Indo Pacific Chiefs of Defence Conference in Bangkok.

b.     The conference will provide perspectives on common challenges faced by attending nations and elicit open discussions on the same. 

c.      The Chiefs of Defence of over 33 countries are scheduled to attend the Conference.

4.     Tmil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy today flagged off the 1st electric bus in Chennai. 

a.      It is being operated on a trial basis between the Central Railway Station and Tiruvanmiyur, four trips a day.

b.     The fully air-conditioned bus in-built features like GPS and fire detection and suppression system.

5.     The 10-day annual festival of the famous Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple, in Tamil Nadu, began with a formal flag hoisting ceremony in the sprawling temple premises today.

a.      The main ceremony of the crowning of Lord Sundareswara will be held on 7th of September, after which Lord Sundareswar will accept the reign of Madurai for six months.  

b.     One of the interesting aspects of the festival is the enactment of various incidents in the lives of Lord Sundareswara and Goddess Meenakshi.

6.     Prabhakar Singh, Director General, Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has been chosen for elite and prestigious Eminent Engineer Award for Year 2019 by Institution of Engineers (India). 

a.      He is going to be honored with this prestigious award for his distinguished and exemplary Service in field of Engineering and Technology. 

7.     Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred 'The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance' by the King of Bahrain.  Here is the list of Global Awards conferred on PM Modi from the day he assumed office (2014). 

a.      Amir Amanullah Khan Award : highest civilian award of Afghanistan

b.     Order of King Abdulaziz Sash :  highest civilian honour of Saudi Arabia

c.      Grand Collar of the State of Palestine : highest honour of Palestine, given to foreign dignitaries

d.     Seoul Peace Prize : Prestegious honor given by Seoul Peace Prize Foundation of South Korea.

e.      Champions of the Earth award : United Nations’s highest environmental honour, awarded by UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme)

f.       Order of Zayed : highest civil honour of UAE.

g.      King Hamad Order of the Renaissance : Highest honor of Bahrain

8.     All traffic signals across Hyderabad (Telangana) will be made dynamic and will change with real-time traffic data from Google Maps. 

a.      This comes after the officials noticed that commuters spent less time in traffic after a two-month trial at two signals in Gachibowli. 

b.     Data from Google Maps will be used to decide the timings of signals.

9.     Russia launched world’s 1st floating nuclear reactor called Akademik Lomonosov, sending it on epic journey across the Arctic. 

a.      It was launched and loaded with nuclear fuel from Arctic port of Murmansk for its 5,000 kilometre voyage to Pevek in northeastern Siberia. 

b.     On arriving in Pevek, it will replace local nuclear plant and closed coal plant. 

10.                       The Indian Rupee fell sharply against the US dollar to its day's low of 72.25.

a.      This is the lowest intraday level recorded this year against USD. 

b.     So far this year, the rupee is down about 3.5% against USD. 

11.                       The US Open 2019 tennis tournament, the final Grand Slam event of the season, will begin in New York this evening. 

a.      This is the 139th edition of the tournament. 

b.     It will be held from 26th August to 8th September 2019.

c.      World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and 5-time champion Roger Federer will open their campaigns in Flushing Meadows.

d.     India's Prajnesh Gunneswaran will face Daniil Medvedev of Russia in Men's singles while three Indians Leander Paes, Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan are featured in the Men's Doubles category.

12. BWF World Championship Winners List

a.      Women's Singles : P. V. Sindhu (1st Indian)

b.     Men’s Singles: Japan’s Kento Momota

c.      Men’s Doubles: Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan,

d.     Women’s Doubles: Japan’s Mayu Matsumoto & Wakana Nagahara

e.      Mixed Doubles : China’s Zheng Siwei & Huang Yaqiong