VINTAGE

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF AUGUST 3^rd, 2018

                           IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF AUGUST 3^rd, 2018

1.  The White House has confirmed that India has invited US President Donald Trump to be the Chief Guest for Republic Day parade 2019. 

a.   However, no decision on the matter has been taken yet,.

2.  Zimbabwe’s President and leader of the ruling Zanu-PF party, Emmerson Mnangagwa,  has won the country’s historic Presidential election.

3.  1st ‘Nepal-India Think Tank’ Summit was recently held in Kathmandu, Nepal. 

a.   Aim of this Summit : To foster greater collaboration and knowledge-sharing among the think tanks of the two countries. 

4.  The US Congress has passed National Defense Authorisation Act-2019 (NDAA-19),  a Defence spending bill capping its security-related aid to Pakistan at 150 Million dollars, significantly below the level of more than one billion US dollars per year.

a.   It now heads to the White House for President Donald Trump's assent. 

b.   The US has also voiced its disapproval of growing Chinese involvement in Pakistan, adding to tensions in bilateral ties.

5.  China has proposed to conduct military drills with the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members in the South China Sea.

a.   The country also proposed undertaking joint oil and gas exploration in the sea. 

b.   China and ASEAN members including Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei have disputed claims over the sea.

   6.  Andhra Pradesh Government has approved an unemployment allowance scheme titled 'Mukhyamantri Yuva Nestam'.

a.   The scheme aims to provide Rs 1000 per month unemployed youth in the state. 

b.   The allowance will directly credited in bank accounts of selected beneficiary through biometric authentication in transparent manner. 

7.  The Lok Sabha today passed the 123rd Constitutional Amendment Bill providing for a National Commission for Backward Classes as a constitutional body.

a.   The constitutional amendment bill seeks to grant National Commission on Backward Classes (NCBC) constitutional status at par with National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) and National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCSTs).

8.  NITI Aayog has launched Global mobility hackathon Move Hack to crowdsource solutions aimed at future of mobility in India. 

a.   It is envisaged as one of largest hackathons globally. 

b.   Move Hack aims to bring about innovative, dynamic and scalable solutions to problems pertaining to mobility. 

c.   It is organized in partnership with Government of Singapore and is powered by Hacker Earth. PwC as knowledge partner and NASSCOM as strategic partner.

9.  The FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), the women’s wing of Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has launched a mobile application titled WOW (Wellness of Women). 

a.    Aim of WOW Application : To create awareness on preventive healthcare for women across the country.

b.   WOW app is backed by Chennai-based Apollo Hospitals Group that offers access to renowned doctors and provides health tips.

  10.              Ranchi-based software developer Ranjit Srivastava is developing the world's first Hindi-speaking humanoid robot.

a.   Named Rashmi, the AI-powered robot can also speak Bhojpuri, Marathi, and English, and is equipped with facial expressions and recognition systems.

  11.              The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, presented the Outstanding Parliamentarian Awards for the years 2013-2017 in New Delhi.

a.   Winners of Outstanding Parliamentarian Awards 2013-2017

i)    2013 - Najma Heptulla

ii)  2014 - Shri Hukmdev Narayan Yadav

iii) 2015 - Ghulam Nabi Azad

iv) 2016 - Dinesh Trivedi

v)  2017 - Bhartruhari Mahtab

  12.    Popular screenwriter and lyricist Jalees Sherwani (70) passed away. 

a.   He has penned lyrics for a lot of Salman Khan films like Garv, Tere Naam, Wanted, Dabangg and many more. 

b.   He was also the president of the Film Writers’ Association for quite some time.

  13.            The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) barred Fino Payments Bank from adding new customers since the end of May. 

a.   An RBI audit revealed that some Fino Payments Bank accounts had deposits in excess of the stipulated amount of ₹1 lakh.

b.   Two days ago, the RBI told Paytm Payments Bank to stop adding new customers over discrepancies in adherence to KYC norms.

14. The Union Cabinet gave its approval to the government’s decision to reduce its stake in IDBI Bank below 50%, with Life Insurance Corporation raising stake in the bank to 51%.

a.   The boards of IDBI Bank and LIC have both given their approval for the deal.

b.   It has also approved acquisition of controlling stake by Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) as promoter in the bank through preferential allotment / open offer of equity, and relinquishment of management control by the government in the bank.

15. Kadaknath chicken meat from Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh has received Geographical Indication (GI) tag in “Meat Product, Poultry & Poultry Meat” category. 

a.   This tag will ensure that no one else can use name Kadaknath Chicken while selling any other black chicken. 

b.   It will also enhances its commercial value that will translate into higher prices for producers mainly tribal districts of Jhabua.

16. American multinational technology company, Apple became the world’s first trillion-dollar public company.

a.   The iMac to iPhone company, co-founded to sell personal computers by the late Steve Jobs in 1976, reached the historic milestone as its shares hit $207.05, the day after it posted strong financial results. 

b.   Note : Apple’s share price has grown fourfold since Tim Cook replaced Jobs as chief executive in 2011.

17.              The Centre has approved the Supreme Court Collegium's suggestion to elevate Uttarakhand Chief Justice K M Joseph as Supreme Court Judge.

18. IIFL Mutual Fund has appointed Anup Maheshwari as the joint Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer.

a.   In his new roles, Maheshwari will be responsible for the investment and strategy for IIFL business including mutual funds and Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs). 

b.   He will also be responsible for meeting the company's aggressive growth goals as well as product development and devising innovative investment strategy.

   19.              Indian professional badminton player, Saina Nehwal has become the 1st Woman shuttler to reach Badminton World Championships' quarter-finals for the 8th straight edition.