BANKING

AWARENESS

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# RBI committee headed by R Gandhi has recommended

the conversion of Urban Cooperative Banks(UCBs) with
business size of 20,000 crore rupees or more into regular
banks.
Key Recommendations:
Conversion of UCBs will not be compulsory for large
UCBs and they can continue the way they operate
currently in terms of asset size and balance sheet.
Large UCBs can convert themselves into commercial
banks in order to minimise the systemic risk.
For conversion, smaller UCBs with business size of less
than 20,000 crore rupees who are willing to convert to
Small Finance Banks can apply to the RBI.

Licenses for conversion to operate as UCBs will be

issued to well-managed and financially sound
cooperative credit societies having a minimum track
record of 5-years.
With the conversion, UCBs will be allowed to grow and
proliferate further to meet the objective of financial
inclusion.
# Indian Bank has launched 'IndPay' mobile app service
to enable its customers to operate bank accounts anytime
from anywhere.
# Bandhan Bank has become the first micro-finance
company in India to start operations as a full-fledged
scheduled commercial bank.

# Reserve Bank of India has granted in-principle

approval to 11 applicants to start payments banks.
The selected applicants are:
Reliance Industries
Airtel M Commerce Services
Tech Mahindra
Vodafone m-pesa
Aditya Birla Nuvo
Department of Posts
Cholamandalam Distribution Services
Fino PayTech
PayTm
National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL)
Sun Pharma.

# After the irk raised due to the appointment of two

private sector bankers to head Bank of Baroda and
Canara Bank the government has issued norms for
selection of MDs and CEOs in Mid and Small Public
Sector Banks (PSBs).
# Government has launched a web-based portal
www.vidyalakshmi.co.in for the students seeking
educational loans.
# Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched two funds the
India Aspiration Fund (IAF) and SIDBI Make in India Loan
for Enterprises (SMILE) under Small Industries
Development Bank of India (SIDBI) in line to carter
funding for start-ups and to aid small enterprises in India.

# State run insurer, Life Insurance Corporation of India

(LIC) has launched its maiden unit linked insurance plan
(ULIP) product across the country.
# Indias largest private sector lender ICICI Bank has
launched Smart Vault a first of its kind fully automated
digital locker facility in India.
# Indias largest banking entity State Bank of India (SBI)
has launched a Mobile wallet application dubbed as SBI
Buddy.
# Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI) has
appointed Kishor Piraji Kharat as its new Managing
Director & Chief Executive Officer.

# The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has suspended licence

of seven non-banking finance companies (NBFCs).
The seven NBFCs whose licences were suspended are
Religare Finance, Artisans Micro Finance, Eden Trade &
Commerce, RCS Parivar Finance, Nott Investments, Dewra
Stocks & Securities, Swetasree Finance.

# Union Government has launched a seven pronged plan

called Indradhanush Mission to revamp functioning of
public sector banks (PSBs).
The seven shades of Indradhanush mission include
appointments, de-stressing PSBs, capitalisation,
empowerment, framework of accountability and
governance reforms.

Appointments: Selection of non-executive chairman in

remaining 6 state owned PSBs till November 2015.

Appointing MD & CEO of two PSBs as early as possible.
Bank Board Bureau (BBB): It will be a body of 'eminent'

professionals to be selected within 6 months i.e.

February 2015 to monitor key performance indicators of
PSBs. It will become functional from Financial year
2016-17 i.e. form 1st April 2016.
Capitalisation: Infuse 25,000 crore rupees of capital into

debt-laden banks in this fiscal in a phased manner. Out

of this 20,000 crore rupees would be injected in August
2015. Rest 5,000 crore rupees will be performance based
allocation to be allocated in the last quarter of 2016.

De-stressing PSBs: To develop vibrant debt market for

PSBs in order to reduce lending pressure on banks.

Strengthen asset reconstruction of companies.
Empowerment: Provide greater flexibility in hiring of

manpower in PSBs.
Framework of accountability: It will seek to streamline
vigilance process for quick action in case major frauds

and also include connivance of staff.

Governance reforms in PSBs: Next Gyan Sangam (also
known as the Bankers Retreat) will be held from 14 to 16
January 2016. Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP) will be

initiated for top management.

# Indias third largest private sector lender, Axis Bank

has launched the first Contactless Debit, Credit and MultiCurrency Forex Card in association with VISA payWave in
the country.
# The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority
of India (IRDAI) has allowed banks to tie up with insurers.
# Indias largest private sector lender Industrial Credit and
Investment Corporation of India (ICICI) Bank has launched
ICICI Bank Saral-Rural Housing Loan Scheme for weaker
sections of society.

# Union Government has launched Suraksha Bandhan

drive in a Mission Mode through participation of
insurance companies and banks.

# Lok Sabha has passed Negotiable Instruments

(Amendment) Bill 2015 by a voice vote. The bill seeks to
amend The Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 in order to
make cheque-bounce filing of cases more convenient for
check payees (person who receives the cheque).
# HSBC Indias chairman Naina Lal Kidwai announced
the launch of 'green bonds' in India for raising funds for
investments in environmental projects.
What is Green Bond?

A bond is a debt instrument with which a bond issuer

gets capital while the investors receive fixed income in
the form of interest. The issuer of green bond gets capital
from the investors only if the investment is being raised
to fund green projects relating to renewable energy or
emission reductions etc.

ECONOMY

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# United States (US) has extended the anti-dumping duty

on Indian preserved mushrooms for another five years.
# India has lost solar case against United States at the
World Trade Organisation (WTO).
# Former Adobe executive Rajiv Mangla has been
appointed as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of
eCommerce major Snapdeal.
# Union Finance Ministry appointed committee chaired
by retired SC judge A P Shah has recommended that
Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) should not be imposed on
FIIs retrospectively for the period preceding 1st April 2015.

# Union government has announced to sell 10 per cent

stake in state owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
# Video sharing portal YouTube has announced to set up
a new YouTube Space in Mumbai in partnership with
the Asias largest and most renowned film school the
Whistling Woods International (WWI).
# The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has extended the
direct market access facility (DMA) to foreign portfolio
investors (FPI). Henceforth, the foreign investors will
have direct access to the exchange trading system in
Indian stock market without any manual interventions of
the broker.

# With an intention of curbing black money generation

the government has approved the signing and
ratification of the Tax information exchange agreements
between India and Seychelles.
According to the agreement both the nations will
exchange information with each other regarding taxes so
as to curb tax evasion and avoidance by its citizens.
# Three Indian companies Hindustan Unilever Limited,
Sun Pharma Industries and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
and have been named among the worlds 100 most
innovative companies by Forbes.
California-Based Tesla Motors has topped the list whose

market capitalization is of $25.5 billion. Tesla Motors

has also won the Apples creative crown.

# In order to reduce air pollution due to vehicles the

Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has issued a
notification to introduce Bharat Stage IV (BS-IV)
compliant four wheeler vehicles though out the country
from 1 April 2017.
# Central government announced 30 per cent income tax
rebate for establishment of new manufacturing plants and
machinery in 21 backward districts of Bihar.
# Chinese personal computer and smartphone giant
Lenovo has partnered with electronics contract
manufacturer Flextronics to start a manufacturing facility
in Sriperambudur, near Chennai.

# Bombay Stock Exchange has instituted a new system of

Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) for reporting
suspicious trades in order to check money laundering through
stock markets.
# Tata Trust to develop 264 villages in Vijayawada Lok
Sabha constituency of Andhra Pradesh under Sansad Adarsh
Gram Yojana(SAGY) initiative.
About Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY): SAGY
encourages Members of Parliament (MPs) from both Houses
to identify and develop one village from their constituency as
a model village. Under this scheme, MPs will be responsible
for developing the socio-economic and physical infrastructure
of three villages each by 2019, and a total of eight villages
each by 2024.

# The Finance Ministry has imposed definitive antidumping duty on flax or linen fabric imports from
China and Hong Kong for period of five years.
# Kerala government has signed a MoU with Gautam
Adani-led Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ)
for building 7,525 crore rupees Vizhinjam seaport project
near Kovalam beach.
# Worlds largest bicycle manufacturer Hero Cycles
acquired majority stake in UK-based Avocet Sports for an
undisclosed amount.
# Odisha state cabinet has approved the Fisheries Policy,
2015, with an objective to increase the productivity and
production of fish.

# Former Cabinet secretary Ajit Kumar Seth has been

appointed as the Chairman of the Public Enterprises
Selection Board (PESB).
About Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB):

It is a high powered body constituted by Government

of India in 1987.
Its objective is to develop sound managerial policy for the
Central Public Sector Enterprises and to advise Government
on appointments of Chairman, Managing Director or
Chairman-cum-Managing Director and Functional Director to
CPSEs.
It advises the Government on matters relating to

appointments, confirmation or extension of tenure and

termination of services of the appointed personnel.

# Mumbai based Real estate listing portal Housing.com

has acquired Bengaluru-based customer relationship
management software company HomeBuy360.
# India has imposed definitive anti-dumping duty for
period of five years on Potassium Carbonate imports from
Taiwan and South Korea.
# On the eve of celebration of 69th Independence Day at
Red Fort Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a new
campaign Start-up India; Stand up India an initiative to
promote bank finance for Start-ups (an entrepreneurial
venture).
# The Ministry for New and Renewable Energy
sanctioned a 1,500-MW ultra mega solar power park for
Andhra Pradesh.

# Tata Sons has decided to increase its stake in low-cost

carrier AirAsia India from 30 per cent to 41 per cent by
infusing fresh capital. AirAsia India is a joint venture
between Malaysian low-cost airline AirAsia Berhad, Tata
Sons and Arun Bhatias Telestra Tradeplace.
# National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has signed
two Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with
National Skill Development Fund (NSDF) and National Skill
Development Corporation (NSDC) for skill development
training in eastern states and Bihar.
# Central Government has revised the National Solar
Mission target of Grid Connected Solar Power projects
from 20,000 MW by 2022 to1,00,000 MW by 2022.

# The Union Cabinet gave its ex-post-facto approval for

the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between
America and India to establish the PACEsetter Fund.
# Jethabhai Patel the veteran cooperative leader and Sabar
Dairy chief was unanimously elected as Chairman of the
prestigious Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation
(GCMMF) that markets the Amul brand of dairy products
in India and overseas.
# Uninor a subsidiary of Norways telecom major Telenor
has inked an agreement worth 1,200 crore rupees with
Chinese firm Huawei for modernising and managing its
network across six circles in the country.

# Two Indian technology tycoons Azim Premji chairman

of Wipro and Shiv Nadar founder of HCL bagged place in
Top 20 on Forbes first ever list of 100 Richest People In
Technology.
# Thermal Powertech Corporation India Ltd (TPCIL) has
synchronised the second 660 MW unit of its 1,320 MW
coal-fired thermal power plant with the grid. The power
plant is situated at Krishnapatnam in Nellore district of
Andhra Pradesh.
# The social network giant Facebook has doled out 21
million US dollar to Indian app developers under its
FbStart initiative.

# National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development

(NABARD) got accredited by the Green Climate Fund as a
national implementing entity for undertaking climate
change related projects in India.
# Government of India and the World Bank signed the
Financing Agreement for the assistance of National
Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project- I & II (NCRMP- I & II)
of $ 104.00 Million and $ 308.40 Million respectively.
NCRMP-I covers States of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
NCRMP-II covers States of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa,
Karnataka, Kerala, and West Bengal.

#Union Minister for Minority Affairs Dr. Najma Heptulla

launched a new Central Sector Scheme Nai Manzil for
empowering minorities.
The Scheme:
Aims to address educational and livelihood needs of
minority communities in general and Muslims in particular,
which lags behind in terms of educational attainments than
the other minority communities.
Aims to provide educational intervention by giving the
bridge courses to the trainees and getting them Certificates
for Class XII and X from distance medium educational
system.
Aims to provide trade basis skill training in four courses at
the same time of formal education, in field of a)
Manufacturing b) Engineering c) Services d) Soft skills.
It intends to cover people in between 17 to 35 age group
from all minority communities as well as Madrasa students.

# Larsen and Toubro has appointed former Infosys executive

Sanjay Jalona as the Managing Director and CEO of its
subsidiary L&T Infotech, IT arm of L&T.
# In line with the economic slowdown in China, the Peoples
Banks of China devalued yuan by 2 per cent against the US
dollar. The Devaluation was done based on a new way of
managing the exchange rate that better reflected the market
forces which differs greatly with the one introduced at the
start of 1994.
# Worlds sixth largest South Korean steelmaker Posco has
signed an agreement to form a Joint venture with Uttam Steel
and Power to set up a 3 million tonnes per year integrated
steel plant in Maharashtra.
# Warren E Buffett led Berkshire Hathaway has agreed to
acquire Precision Castparts Corporation (PCC).

# Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has fully

commissioned and started commercial production at the first
indigenous Titanium Sponge Plant at Chavara in Kerala.
# Search engine giant Google Inc has announced formation of
a new holding or parent company called Alphabet Inc to
encompass its search engine unit and all other subsidiaries.
# Kochi becomes first Indian city to be a member of Beijing
headquartered, World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF)
Council and join its league of leading tourism cities across
the world.
# China-based Smartphone maker Xiaomi Inc has tied up
with Taiwan-based Foxconn to set first Assembly line in
Andhra Pradesh under Make in India initiative.

# Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has launched a new

mobile app Disha to aid digital literacy in Bihar.
Telecom ministry has also launched Disha handbook that
has pictographic lessons on computer operation.
# The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has amended
income tax rules to provide reporting of information with
regards to financial assets and accounts to comply with
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) pact signed
between India and US in July 2015.
# As per recently released data by US Department of
Agriculture (DoA), India has emerged as worlds largest
exporter of beef. India has retained its top spot as the worlds
largest exporter of beef. It should be noted that in this data
US-DoA has even considered buffalo meat (known as
caeabeef) as beef because India does not export cow meat.

# Maharashtra government has signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) with the Tiawan-based Foxconn to set
up its manufacturing facility in the state.
# Global software giant and consultancy Accenture has
appointed Rekha Menon as the new chairperson for its India
operations.
# Thomas Cook (India) Ltd has acquired Zurich based Kuoni
Groups travel businesses in India and Hong Kong.
# TurkmenGaz, a company owned by Turkmenistan
government will lead the consortium for the TurkmenistanAfghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) natural gas pipeline.

# Indian Multinational conglomerate Larsen and Toubro

(L&T) to be the first to receive license for technology of fullscale system to make Lakshya from Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO).
# To safeguard the interest of domestic industries of India,
government has extended anti-dumping duty on import of all
forms and grades of Vitamin C from China for a period of
five years.
# To commemorate the 1905 Swadeshi movement the Prime
Minister Narendra Modi announced August 7 as National
Handloom Day at the function held in Chennai.
At the event PM Modi also launched the India Handloom
brand to help weavers with brand for global markets.

# Indias telecom giant Airtel has commercially launched the

high-speed 4G services across 296 towns across India .
# Snapdeals R&D department has launched its first product,
a website Findmystyle.in which helps customers to pick
products by data analysing and needs of the customers.
# The American global payments technology solution firm
Visa Inc is set to test its pilot app-based mobile payments
service mVisa in India. mVisa app enables users to transfer
money and make micro payments for services through
mobile. Visa chose India for its pilot app as Indians does the
highest e-commerce transactions over mobile in the world.
# Union Cabinet has approved hiving off Bharat Sanchar
Nigam Limited (BSNL) mobile towers into a new company.

# India and Mozambique agreed to deepen cooperation in

New and Renewable Energy.
# The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(FICCI) have inked MoU to impart training to Micro, Small
& Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to make them competitive
and boost productivity.
# Aprecias Spritam became the first anti-epilepsy pill
manufactured with 3D printer to get the US Food and Drug
Administration (USFDA) approval. The specified porous
structure of the pill Spritam was developed by using
ZipDose 3D printing technology.
# Adani Mining got a set back from Australias Federal court
as it overturned its government environmental approval for
the Carmichael coal mine under construction in Australia.

# Indias largest telecom operator Bharti Airtel has acquired

YTS Solutions a mobile payments solutions company for an
undisclosed price.
# Roland S Folger has been appointed as new Managing
Director and Chief Executive Officer for Mercedes-Benz
India.
# The global advertising agency McCann bagged Tourism
Ministrys Incredible India advertising campaign for the
period of three years. The current campaign is advertised by
Ogilvy India.
# National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Limited has
inked an agreement with Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam
Limited (JBVNL) to form a joint venture (JV) company for
Patratu Power Plant.

# India hosted the second edition meeting of Forum for IndiaPacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) in August 2015 in Jaipur,
Rajasthan.
# India has foiled UK based company Pangaea Laboratories
Limiteds bid to patent use of pine bark, turmeric and tea for
treating hair loss.
India was able to protect its traditional knowledge after
Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL), a unit of
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) had
filed pre-grant opposition against UK based company along
with prior-art evidences using these 3 natural ingredients.
# French global financial services group Banque Nationale de
Paris (BNP) Paribas to acquire retail brokerage firm
Sharekhan for 2,000 crore rupees.

PERSONS
IN
NEWS

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# President of Greeces Supreme Court Vassiliki Thanou

has been appointed as the first female Prime Minister of
Greece, the heavily indebted country which is center of
Eurozone crisis.She replaced Alexis Tsipras who
announced his resignation in a televised address to the
nation.
# Maharashtra government has bought the house in
London where social reformer and architect of the
Indian Constitution Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar had
stayed in the 1920s.
# World No. 1 tennis player Novak Djokovic from
Serbia has been appointed as a new goodwill ambassador
of the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF).

# Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 24 August 2015

inaugurated the birth centenary celebrations of freedom
fighter Rani Gaidinliu. On this occasion he launched a
commemorative coin of 100 rupees and circulation coin of
5 rupees of Rani Gaidinliu to mark her birth centenary
celebrations.
# Justice Madanlal Laxmandas Tahaliyani has sworn-in
as the new Lokayukta of Maharashtra.
# Veteran actor and director Amol Palekar has been
appointed as the Chairman of Indias Oscar jury by
Mumbai based Film Federation of India (FFI).
# Ranil Wickremesinghe has sworn-in as the Prime
Minister of Sri Lanka for fourth time.

# Union Government has appointed Ashwani Lohani as

the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of state
owned national carrier Air India Ltd.
# Renowned Malayalam actor Paravoor Bharathan
passed away in Kochi, Kerala.
# Indias First Lady Suvra Mukherjee, wife of President
Pranab Mukherjee passed away in New Delhi.
# Queen Elizabeth II is set to become Britains longestreigning Monarch in the history.
# The founder of Hero Cycle and a leading industrialist
Om Prakash Munjal breathed his last in the DMC Hero
Heart Centre, Ludhiana.

# President Pranab Mukherjee has appointed former

IAS officer Om Prakash Rawat as an Election
Commissioner (EC) in the Election Commission of India
(ECI).
# Maharashtra government has roped in Superstar
Amitabh Bachchan as its new ambassador for the Tiger
Conservation Project.
# Veteran Marathi stage actor, drama producer and singer
Bhalchandra Pendharkar passed away in Mumbai after a
brief illness.
# Eminent Kannada poet and freedom fighter Kayyara
Kinhanna Rai passed away.

# President Pranab Mukherjee has appointed Acharya Dev

Vrat and Ram Nath Kovind as the governors of Himachal
Pradesh and Bihar respectively.
# Indian-American Atul Keshap has been appointed as the
United States (US) Ambassador to Maldives and Sri Lanka.
# Russian journalist and social activist Zhanna Nemtsova
was awarded with Polands Solidarity Prize 2015.

SPORTS

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National Sports Awards for 2014-15

# Every year August 29 is being observed as National
Sports Day across the country.
Significance: The day marks the birth anniversary of
Hockey Wizard, Major Dhyan Chand. On this day National
Sports awards including Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna
Awards and Dronacharya Awards are bestowed upon sports
personalities by the President of India.
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
Sania Mirza In recognition of her outstanding
achievements in the game of Tennis. Presently she is ranked
no 1 womens player in Womens Double category.

Dronacharya Award

Naval Singh- Athletics Para-sports coach.

Anoop Singh- Wrestling coach.
Harbans Singh- Athletics coach.
Swatantar Raj Singh- Boxing coach.
Nihar Ameen- Swimming coach.
Dhyan Chand Award

Romeo James- Hockey.

Shiv Prakash Mishra- Tennis.
P.P Nair- Volleyball.

Arjuna Award
Sandeep Kumar- Archery.
M R Poovamma- Athletics.
Kidambi Srikanth- Badminton.
Mandeep Jangra- Boxing.
Rohit Sharma- Cricket.
Dipa Karmakar- Gymnastics.
Sreejesh P R- Hockey.
Manjeet Chhillar- Kabaddi.
Abhilasha Mhatre- Kabaddi.
Swaran Singh- Rowing.
Anup Kumar Yama- Roller Skating.
Jitu Rai- Shooting.
Sathish Kumar- Weightlifting.
Bajrang- Wrestling.
Babita Kumari- Wrestling.
Y Sanathoi Devi- Wushu.
Sharath M Gayakwad- Para-Swimming.

# Ethiopias Mare Dibaba has won the gold medal in the

womens marathon event at the World Athletics
Championships 2015 held in Beijing, China.
# Indian wrestler Anil has clinched gold medal in Cadet
Wrestling World Championships in the 50 kg freestyle
competitions.
# Indian womens hockey team has qualified for 2016 Rio
Olympics and now joining nine other teams.
# Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt has won world 200 metre title
in the World Athletics Championships held in Beijing,
China.
# World number two, Roger Federer from Switzerland has
won the Cincinnati Masters title for record seventh time in
mens singles title category.

# Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt has won world 100 metre title
in the World Athletics Championships held in Beijing,
China. With this victory he retained his 100 metre title
which was won earlier in 2009.
# Former Australian Cricketer Arthur Morris passed away.
# Ace Indian golfer Aditi Ashok won the prestigious Ladies
British amateur stroke-play Championship 2015 at Leeds,
United Kingdom.
# Bangladesh has won maiden Under-16 South Asian
Football Federation (SAFF) championship title 2015.
# Former Olympic champion Sebastian Coe from United
Kingdom has been elected as President of International
Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

# Andy Murray of Great Britain has won Rogers Cup

Masters Tournament 2015 also known as the Canada
Masters.
# Defending champion Carolina Marin Martin of Spain has
won the prestigious World Badminton Championship 2015
in womens single category.
# Ace Indian Archer Abhishek Verma has won gold medal
in Archery World Cup.
# International Olympic Committee (IOC) has officially
recognised Frisbee as an Olympic sport.
# Ace Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar has won bronze
medal in womens vault event at the 6th Senior ART
Gymnastics Asian Championships held in Hiroshima,
Japan.

# Indias ace female squash player Joshna Chinappa won

the prestigious Victorian Open squash competition.
# Indias Ranveer Singh Saini has won a Gold medal at the
Special Olympics World Games held in Los Angeles. The
14 year old golfer suffering from autistic achieved this feat
in GF Golf-Level 2 Alternate Shot Team Play.
# Indian womens recurve archery team has won silver
medal in World Archery Championship held in
Copenhagen, Denmark. Indian womens team included trio
of Laxmirani Majhi, Deepika Kumari, and Rimil Buriuly.

MISCELLANEOUS

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INTERNATIONAL
# United National Party (UNP) led United National Front for
Good Governance (UNFGG) has emerged as largest group
by winning 106 seats out of total 225 seats in Sri Lankan
Parliamentary election 2015.
# Egypt has approved stringent new counter-terrorism
laws to fight the menace of growing jihadist insurgency
in the country.
# Australian government has announced to cut countrys
greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions by 26-28 per cent of
2005 levels by 2030 as part of negotiations on a global
climate deal.

# Japan for the first time has switched on a nuclear reactor

nearly two years after all nuclear power stations were closed
aftermath of the Fukushima disaster of 2011.
# A high-intensity earthquake has struck the Hindukush
region in Afghanistan. As per India Meteorological
Department (IMD) this earthquake was having magnitude of
6.2 on the Richter scale and had occurred at a depth of 210
km with its epicentre in the Hindu Kush region.
# 70th anniversary of dropping of disastrous Atomic bomb
on Nagasaki city of Japan was observed across the world.
# India has decided to boycott the 61st Commonwealth
Parliamentary Conference (CPC) which is scheduled to be
held in Islamabad in September 2015.

# Egypt has launched a major expansion of the Suez

Canal. It was inaugurated by Egyptian President Abdel
Fattah al-Sisi in a lavish ceremony held at port city of
Ismailiya ( located on west bank of canal).
# National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
has extended a contract worth US $490 million with
Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) to carry US
astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).
# United Nations 193 member states have reached an
agreement on the outcome document New Sustainable
Development Agenda for the next 15 years i.e. till 2030.
The new agenda draft document called Transforming our
World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was
built on the success of the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs).

# Pakistan was formally conferred Associate Membership

status by European Organisation for Nuclear Research (also
known as CERN). The membership was granted after
Pakistan formally completed the required internal ratification
process. With this, Pakistan became the first Asian country to
become member of CERN.
About CERN:
CERN is an European research organization that operates the
largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Established
in 1954, the organization is based in a northwest suburb of
Geneva on the FrancoSwiss border, and has 22 member
states. Israel is the first (and currently only) non-European
country granted full membership.

DEFENCE
#50th anniversary of 1965 India-Pakistan war was observed
across the country on 28 August 2015.
# India has gifted its former Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Ship
Varaha to Sri Lanka.
# Pakistan and Russia have signed a landmark defence deal
for the sale of 4 advanced Mi-35 Hind E combat helicopters
to Pakistan.
# The US military has launched the largest NATO airborne
drills dubbed as Swift Response 15 since the end of the Cold
War to enhance security and stability in the European region.

# India-US Combined Military Training Exercise YUDH

ABHYAS 2015 will be held from 9th September 2015 at
Joint Base Lewis McChord in United States.

# Indias first Integrated Underwater Harbour Defence and

Surveillance System (IUHDSS) was commissioned in
Kochi, Kerala.

Science and Technology

# Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has
successfully placed communication satellite GSAT-6
into its intended geosynchronous transfer orbit. It was
launched by the indigenously built Geosynchronous
Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)-D6 from the Satish
Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikotta.

# Scientists from United States (US) have successfully

grown a replica of a human brain in a laboratory dish.
The brain called Organoid was created from
reprogrammed skin cells.
# China successfully tested the power system (engines)
of its stated to be the largest space launch vehicle viz.
Long March-5 carrier.

# Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)

has developed a poly-herbal medicine by the trade name
of Lukoskin for the treatment of Leucoderma.
# During the 2015-16 time frame, Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) will be launching 9 nano/ micro
satellites of United States (US). This will be the first time
in ISROs history it will launch US satellites.
# Multi-Application Solar Telescope (MAST), Asias
biggest telescope was inaugurated at the Udaipur Solar
Observatory in Rajasthan.

ENVIRONMENT
# Wildlife researchers have discovered new frog species in
Netravali forest sanctuary of Goa. The discovered species
has been christened as Indirana Salelkari after Netravali
Range Forest Officer Prakash Salelkar for his contribution to
conservation of wildlife.
# Chengalikodan banana variety from Thrissur district of
Kerala has been accorded Geographical Indication (GI)
status by the Chennai based Central GI registry.
# Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) of Kerala has
become the first airport in the world to fully operate on solar
power.
# Bangladesh has become the first country in the world to
receive funds from United Nations for its fast growing Solar
Home Systems.

# Union Government has completed the demarcation of

eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) around the Okhla Bird Sanctuary
in the national capital region (NCR) of Delhi.
# Maharashtra government has roped Cricket legend
Sachin Tendulkar as its new ambassador for the Tiger
Conservation Project.
# Gujarat Government has declared ban on the use of
plastic in the State for the first time.
# Union Government has launched the School Nursery
Yojana in a bid to bring school students closer to nature
by involving them in raising of saplings in school
nurseries.

# Every year 10th August is observed as World Bio-Fuel

Day in a bid to create awareness about non fossil-fuels
(Green Fuels).
Significance of Day: On this day in 1893, Sir Rudalph
Diesel (inventor of the diesel engine) for the first time
successfully ran mechanical engine with Peanut Oil.
# Maharashtra government has declared the area along
Thane Creek as Flamingo Sanctuary.
# South Indian states have decided to constitute Southern
Forest Ministers Interstate Coordination Council (ISCC) to
improve concerted collective efforts for protection of
forests and wildlife of the region.

Places In News
# Union Government has given its nod to rename Delhis
famous Aurangzeb Road after the former President of India
APJ Abdul Kalam.
# Union Tourism Ministry will soon confer the title of Twin
National Heritage Cities on the temple towns of Rishikesh
and Haridwar.
# Indias historic Mughal mausoleum Taj Mahal has bagged
fifth position in the prestigious list of the most attractive
travel hotspots in the world.
# The iconic Mughal monument Taj Mahal became the first
historical monument in the world to have a Twitter account
of its own.

# Haryana Government has decided to constitute the

Haryana Saraswati Heritage Development Board (HSHDB)

in a bid to promote and preserve the various archeocultural facets of the Saraswati Heritage Area (SHA).
# An annual festival of Tendong Lho Rum Faat of the
ethnic Lepcha tribe of Sikkim was celebrated with
traditional devotion and fanfare across the state.

DAYS

Aug 6
Aug 9
Aug 12
Aug 14
Aug 15
Aug 19
Aug 20
Aug 29
Aug 30

- Hiroshima Day
- Quit India Movement Day and
Nagasaki Day
- International youth Day
- Pakistan's Independence Day
- India's Independence Day
- World Photography Day
- Sadbhavana Diwas
- National Sports Day of India
(Dhyanchand's Birth Day)
- Small Industry Day

Awards
# Mountaineer Jot Singh of Indo-Tibetan Border Police
(ITBP) has been honoured with the Tenzing Norgay National
Adventure Award 2014-15.
# Noted Indian agricultural scientist Dr Modadugu Vijay
Gupta has been chosen for the inaugural Sunhak Peace Prize.
# Syria-based woman journalist Zaina Erhaim has won the
prestigious 2015 Peter Mackler Award for Courageous and
Ethical Journalism.
# Punjabi University of Patiala has clinched the prestigious
sports award Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) trophy for
year 2014.

# Eminent Historian writer Babasaheb Purandare has been

conferred with Maharashtra Bhushan Award 2015.
# Bangladesh novelist Zia Haider Rahman has won James
Tait Black award 2015, UKs oldest literary prize for his first
novel, 'In the Light of What We Know'.
# President Pranab Mukherjee has conferred prestigious
literary award Saraswati Sammaan for the year 2014 to Dr.
Marpadi Veerappa Moily in New Delhi. He was bestowed
with this award for his Kannada poem Ramayana
Mahanveshanam which was first published in 2007.
# Professor Raghavendra Gadagkar has been conferred with
highest civilian award of Germany, Cross of Order of the
Merit.

# Goa Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar has been conferred

with the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA)
and Safari India South Asia Travel Award 2015.
He was bestowed with this award in the Best Tourism
Minister category. With this he became first Goan tourism
minister to win this prestigious award.
# Mathematician Dr. Amalendu Krishna has won the
Ramanujan Prize for year 2015.
# Noted Hindi litterateur Kashinath Singh has been chosen
for the Bharat Bharti literary award for year 2014.
# Former Jalore Electoral Officer (EO) Rajan Vishal has been
chosen for Election Commissions Zonal award under the
Best Electoral Practices Award-2014.

Thank
You!

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