IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF AUG 11, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF AUG 11, 2016

• On Aug 10, 2016 International Biodiesel day was observed.
• During the 1850s two scientists named as E. Duffy and J. Patrick had designed the first diesel engine. 
• After that another renowned scientist named as Rudolf Diesel built a prime model of diesel engine with a 10 feet iron cylinder and flywheel at its base.
• This model was powered for the first time on 10th August 1893 in Augsburg, Germany. Thereafter this day is celebrated as International biodiesel day. 
• India and the US have agreed on a $30 million joint research initiative on Smart Grid and Energy Storage Technology. 
• India, the US and their respective private partners will annually commit $1.5 million each for five years, subject to congressional approval. 
• Important Note : The public-private five-year deal is the fourth such agreement, where the earlier ones focussed on solar energy, efficiency and bio-fuels.
• India has approached United States (US) and select European countries part of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to crack terror fund trail details of the Al Rehmat Trust from Pakistan. 
• Al Rehmat Trust is financer of terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM)which had carried out the attack at the Pathankot airbase (in Punjab)in January 2016.
• PM Narendra Modi On Aug 10, 2016 inaugurated Unit 1 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant along with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa via video conferencing. 
• Modi dedicated the plant to Indo-Russian friendship and cooperation. 
• The plant, which has been in service since 2014, can generate 1,000 MW of power once fully operational and provide energy​ to various states.
• Modi also launched Yaad Karo Kurbani (remember the sacrifices) celebrations at birthplace of freedom fighter Chandra Shekhar Azad at Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh. 
• The Yaad Karo Kurbani is 15-day programme aimed to commemorate75th anniversary of the Quit India Movement (QIM) and 70 years of Independence.
• The Haryana government On Aug 10, 2016 announced that the social security pension benefit will be extended to persons with 40% disability as well. 
• The Ministry of Tourism On Aug 10, 2016 issued an advisory to all states, instructing themto restrict selfies in front of national memorials from August 12 till August 18. 
• The advisory has been issued as part of security measures being taken in view of Independence Day and ‘Bharat Parv’ event to be organised by the government at Raj Ghat in Delhi.
• The Lok Sabha On Aug 10, 2016 passed the Employees Compensation (Amendment) Act 2016, which provides for the payment of higher compensation of ₹50,000 to ₹1 lakh to employees and their kin in an event of injury by industrial accidents, including occupational diseases. 
• Note : The bill also provides for a hefty penalty in case of an employer violation.
• Goa Tourism has been awarded the 'Film Tourism Destination of the Year' Award at the India International Travel Mart (IITM) in Chennai. 
• Note : More than 100 films have been shot in Goa over the past decade.
• Khashaba Jadhav finished third in the Bantamweight Freestyle wrestlingevent at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, becoming the first athlete in independent India to win an individual Olympic medal. 
• Born in 1926 into a family of wrestlers in Maharashtra, Jadhav was introduced to wrestling when he was five. 
• He passed away in 1984, aged 58.
• The Rajya Sabha On Aug 10, 2016 passed the Enforcement of Security Interest and Recovery of Debts Laws and Miscellaneous Provisions (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which was earlier approved by the Lok Sabha. 
• The bill amends four existing laws and allows easier conditions for the secured creditors to take possession over a collateral upon a default during the loan repayment.
• Food and beverages brand Nestlé has topped Fortune Magazine's list of the 'Most Admired Food Companies' for 11 consecutive years, since 2006. 
• Henri Nestlé, born on August 10, 1814, founded the company as an infant food brand 150 years ago, in 1866. 
• Note : The company merged with Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk in 1905 to form Nestlé.
• The Madhya Pradesh transport department On Aug 10, 2016 banned the services of taxi aggregator firms Uber and Ola in the state with immediate effect. 
• The ban was imposed for the violation of the Central Motor Vehicles Act, which does not provide for surge pricing or a 'peak time' charge.
• The Union Government has announced that the Non-Performing Assets (NPA) of commercial banks have increased by around 4% in the last one year (March 2015 to March 2016). 
• National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)sanctioned Rs 26.06 crore to the government of Punjab.
• The fund has been sanctioned for tackling (handling) waterlogging (saturation of soil with water) by constructing lift schemes in low-lying (lying close to water or ground level) areas, village ponds and other allied (united) works, said an official release.
• Tamil writer and producer Panchu Arunachalam (75) passed away On Aug 10, 2016. 
• He worked with actor Rajinikanth in the film 'Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai' and with Kamal Haasan in films like 'Kalyanaraman', 'Japanil Kalyanaraman' and 'Apoorva Sagodharargal'. 
• Arunachalam also directed films and wrote song lyrics for over 200 films.
• American swimmer Michael Phelps won his 20th and 21st Olympic Gold medals in 200m butterfly and 4x200m freestyle relay On Aug 10, 2016. 
• Phelps, competing in his fifth Olympics, is the most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 25 Olympic medals. 
• He has equaled a 2,168-year old record set by late sprinter Leonidas of Rhodes.  
• Phelps has won more Olympic gold medals than 80% of the 206 countries participating at the Rio Olympics.
• Some of the countries the swimmer has gone past in this Olympics include Austria (19 gold medals), Argentina (18), Jamaica (17), and Iran (15). Moreover, Phelps's gold medal count is more than double that of India (9).
• South Africa's Laura Wolvaardt, at 17 years and 105 days, became theyoungest South African cricketer, male or female, to register a century in international cricket, after scoring 105 against Ireland On Aug 10, 2016. 
• The record was previously held by South African female cricketer Johmari Logtenberg who scored an international ton at the age of 17 years and 338 days.
• Indian boxer Vikas Krishan Yadav qualified for the men's middleweight category's pre-quarterfinals at the Rio​ Olympics.
• The 24-year-old boxer from Haryana will now face Turkish boxer Onder Sipal in the pre-quarterfinals on Saturday.
• Belgian Tom Goegebuer (41) became the oldest weightlifter in Olympic history, when he competed in the men’s 56 kg event at the Rio Games.