Current Affairs August 2016 Study Material - FreeJobAlert

1/9/2017
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August2016CurrentAffairsStudyMaterial
INTERNATIONAL
China,ASEANcountriesagreetoformSouthChinaSeaframework
ChinaandagroupingofSoutheastAsiannationsaimtofinishbythemiddleofnextyearaframeworkfora
code of conduct to ease tension in the disputed South China Sea. The agreement was reached between both
sidesduringameetingatInnerMongoliainnorthernChinaheldonAugust15and16,2016.Thetwosides
alsoagreedtogettheframeworkforthecodeofconductdonebymid2017.Theyalsoapprovedguidelinesfor
a ChinaASEAN hotline for use during maritime emergencies. They also agreed that a pact on unplanned
maritimeencounterssignedbycountriesintheregionin2014isappliedtotheSCS.
http://currentaffairs.freejobalert.com/aug2016currentaffairsstudymaterial/13609/
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WorldsLongest,HighestGlassBridgeToOpenInChina
Theworldslongestandhighestglassbridgewillopentovisitors.Thebridgeconcretedwith99panesofthree
layer transparent glasses, hangs between two steep cliffs 300 metres altitude is maintained from the ground.
Thebridgehasset10worldrecordsspanningitsdesignandconstruction.
Singaporeranked6thinGlobalInnovationIndex
Indiaclimbed15spots,from81lastyear,to66intheGlobalInnovationIndex(GII)andmaintainedthetop
spotintheCentralandSouthAsiaregions,accordingtotherankingsreleasedbyCornellUniversity,INSEAD
and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Switzerland, Sweden, United Kingdom, United
StatesofAmericaandFinlandhavebeenplacedaheadofSingaporeasthetop5intheindex,whileIreland,
Denmark,NetherlandsandGermanyfollow,includinginthetop10mostinnovativeeconomies.
BrazilfreeofmeaslesWHO
TheWorldHealthOrganisation(WHO)hasdeclaredBrazilfreeofmeasles,afternocaseofthediseasewas
registeredinthelastyear.Theeradicationofmeaslesistheconclusionofworkspanningseveralyears.Brazil
sawnodomesticcasesofmeaslesfrom1985to2000,althoughitbrokeoutin2013inthenortheasternstatesof
PernambucoandCeara.TheWHOwillissueacertificationfortheeradicationofmeaslestoBrazil.Measles
canbetransmittedorally,throughmucusorsalivaandmainlyaffectschildren.Itcanbespreadrapidlythrough
theairduetosneezingoracough,andthefirstsymptomsappearafter10dayswithredspotsontheskin.
CanadatoconductworldsfirstZikavaccinetestonhumans
ResearchersfromLavalUniversitybasedinQuebecCity,CanadaaregoingtoconducttheworldsfirstZika
vaccinetestonhumans.Theyarefirstinternationalresearchersteamintheworldtocompleteallofthestepsin
theregulatoryprocessforthetest.ThedevelopmentoftheZikavaccinehasbeenauthorizedbytheUSFood
andDrugAdministration(FDA)andHealthCanada.Untilnow,vaccineshavebeentestedonmice.According
to World Health Organization (WHO), more than a dozen pharmaceutical companies, including Frances
SanofiandIndiasBharatBiotech,areworkingondevelopingaZikavaccine.
INDIA&WORLD
PMModi,RussianPrezVladimirPutinjointlydedicatedKudankulamtotheNation
PrimeMinisterNarendraModi,RussianPresidentVladimirPutinandTamilNaduChiefMinisterJJayalalithaa
jointly dedicated to the nation Unit 1 of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant through a video conference 10
August.IthasbeenbuiltwithRussianexpertisefollowingapactbetweenthethenIndianPrimeMinisterRajiv
Gandhi and Soviet leader Mikahil Gorbachev in November 1988. Now the first unit of Kudankulam power
plantisgeneratingitsfullcapacityof1000megawattsofelectricity.
IndiatoattendSAARCyoungParliamentariansconferenceinIslamabad
AthreememberParliamentarydelegationwouldbetravellingtoIslamabadtoattendthefirstSAARCYoung
ParliamentariansConference(YPC)on`PeaceandHarmonyforDevelopmentscheduledtobeheldfrom16to
18AugustinIslamabad.TheParliamentarianswouldbegoingtoPakistandaysaftertheIndiaPakistanshow
down in Islamabad at the 7th SAARC Interior and Home Ministers conference. The YPC intends to offer
young Parliamentarians narrative as a prelude to the 19th SAARC Summit that Pakistan will be hosting in
November.
IndianAmericangirlbecomestheyoungestdelegateatDNC
An18yearoldIndianAmericangirlhasbecometheyoungestdelegateattheDemocraticNationalConvention
which has nominated Hillary Clinton as the partys presidential candidate. Sruthi Palaniappan from Cedar
RapidsandastudentofHarvardUniversityisastrongsupporterofClinton,thefirstwomantobenominatedas
a presidential candidate by a major political party. Sruthi Palaniapan is a student of the prestigious Harvard
University and an ardent supporter of Hilary Clinton, to make her as the first ever woman president of the
UnitedStates.
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BRICSpolicyplanningdialogueconcludesinPatna
The BRICS Policy Planning Dialogue was successfully concluded in Patna, Bihar. Delegates of BRICS
countriesBrazil,Russia,India,ChinaandSouthAfricahadattendedthemeeting.Thetwoday(2526July
2016)dialogueprovidedacommonplatformtoBRICScountriesforsharingofbestpracticesinforeignpolicy
planningandassessmentbetweentheBRICScountries.ItforwardedthePolicyPlanningtalksinitiatedunder
theChairmanshipofRussiain2015inlinewith2016themeofBuildingResponsive,InclusiveandCollective
Solutions.TheyalsodiscussedtheroleofBRICSininternationalgovernance,ongoingcooperationatBRICS
ForumandreflectedonareasofconvergenceamongBRICS.
IndiamakesthefirstcontributiontoUNTrustFund
India has contributed USD 100,000 to a trust fund set up for victims of sexual exploitation and abuse by
peacekeepers.ThefundwasestablishedattheendofMarchandcontinuestoseekfundstosupportservicesfor
victims and address gaps in services. This is the first contribution to the Trust Fund the Secretariat has
received.Indiahashistoricallybeenoneofthelargesttroopcontributingcountriesinpeacekeepingoperations
andiscurrentlyrankedasthesecondlargestcontributorofmilitaryandpolicepersonnel.Historically,Indiahas
been one of the largest troopcontributing countries in the UN peace keeping operations. Currently, India is
secondlargestcontributorofmilitaryandpolicepersonnel.
NATIONAL
UnionGovtallowsOnlineAuthenticationusingAadhaarfornewmobileconnections
The Union government has allowed internet Aadhar authentication for new mobile sim connections. In this
regard the Department of Telecom has issued guidelines for Electronic Aadhaar, know your client (eKYC).
The eKYC seeks to make the online process of application and authentication faster and simpler for
subscribers. Customer through their Aadhaar number and biometrics will online authorise UIDAI to provide
demographicdetails.Thedetailswillincludename,address,dateofbirthandgender,alongwiththedigitally
signedphotograph,tothemobileoperator.
RailwayBudgetsettobemergedwithUnionBudgetfromnextfiscal
The92yearoldpracticeofpresentingaseparateRailBudgetissettocometoanendfromthenextfiscal,with
the Finance Ministry accepting Railway Minister Suresh Prabhus proposal to merge it with the General
Budget. The move is considered to be a relief to the national transporter, which was suffering from an
additionalburdenofaboutRs40,000croreonaccounttheSeventhPayCommissionandclosetoRs35,000
croreonsubsidyburden.Ifthemergerhappens,theRailwayswillgetridoftheannualdividendthatithasto
payforgrossbudgetarysupportfromthegovernment.Accordingtoareport,thefinanceministryhasgivena
goahead signal to the proposal by the Railways ministry and has set up a five member committee in this
regard.
IndiasfirstNuclearSuppliersInsurancePolicyunveiledbyINIP
ThecountrysfirstNuclearSuppliersinsurancepolicywasunveiledbyIndiaNuclearInsurancePool(INIP).
The policy was unveiled by Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) chairman Sekhar Basu in Mumbai,
Maharashtra. INIP is the 27th global nuclear insurance pool which was launched by state run General
Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re), in association with nonlife insurance companies. New India
AssuranceCo(NIAC)andINIPwillissuethepolicyandadministertheclaimsonbehalfofthepool.Earlier
NIAChadissuedapolicyfortheoperatorsofnuclearpowerplantsunderINIPbyunderwritingpremiumtothe
tuneofRs100crore.
UnionCabinetapprovesliberalizationofFDInormsforNBFCs
The Union Cabinet has approved liberalization of foreign investment norms for the nonbanking finance
companies (NBFCs) to improve the ease of doing business. Decision in this regard, Union Cabinet meeting
chairedbyPrimeMinisterNarendraModiinNewDelhi.CabinethasapprovedForeigninvestmentinNBFCs
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cannowcomeundertheautomaticrouteprovidedtheyareregulatedbyanyofthefinancialsectorregulators.
Entities not regulated by any of the regulators (RBI, SEBI, PFRDA etc.)/ government agencies will need
approvalfromtheForeignInvestmentPromotionBoard(FIPB).ANBFCisafinancialinstitutionthatprovides
bankingserviceswithoutmeetingthelegaldefinitionofabank,i.e.onethatdoesnotholdabankinglicense.
RajyaSabhapassesMaternityBenefits(Amendment)Bill,2016
Following the Cabinet approving the amendment made to the Maternity Benefit Act, which aims to raise
maternityleaveforwomenfrom12to26weeks,theRajyaSabhahaspassedtheamendment.TheBillseeksto
amend the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961. The law protects the employment of women during the time of her
maternity and entitles her of a maternity benefit. The Bill aims at increasing womens participation in the
workforce which is decreasing daybyday. The provisions of bill apply to every establishment employing
tenormorepersonsandincludeminesandfactories.Noemployercanremoveanywomanemployeeonthe
groundofpregnancy.Itisamandatoryforeveryestablishmenthaving50ormoreemployeestohaveacreche.
ParliamentpassesCentralAgriculturalUniversity(Amendment)Bill,2016
Parliament has passed the Central Agricultural University (Amendment) Bill, 2016 to help the northeastern
stateachievehighergrowthinanimalhusbandrysector.TheBillproposestoamendtheCentralAgricultural
University Act, 1992 to include Nagaland under the jurisdiction of Imphal Central Agriculture University
(CAU).TheamendmentwillhelpNagalandtoreapthebenefitoftheImphalCentralAgricultureUniversity
whichwasestablishedfortheentirenortheasternregion.
STATES
IndiasfirstBIOCNGplantinauguratedinPune
IndiasfirstBIOCNGfuelplantwasinauguratedbyUnionMinisterofsurfaceTransportNitinGadkariand
UnionDefenceMinisterManoharParrikar,inPune,Maharashtra.TheplantwascommissionedbyPunebased
PrimoveEngineeringPrivateLimited.IthasbeensetupasaProofofConcept(PoC)whichcanbereplicated
elsewhere.ItusesspecialbacterialsolutionfortreatingagriculturalwasteintheprocessofgenerationofCNG.
Thegasgeneratediscleanedandcompressedforuseinvehicles.Thebiofuelwillhelpinreducingtheimport
ofdieselupto50%andthereforethehugeamountofforeignexchangecanbesaved.
PMNarendraModilaunchesMissionBhagirathainTelangana
BhagirathaatKomatibandaVillage,Gajwel,inMedakDistrictofTelangana.Theschemehasbeenlaunchedby
the State Government with an objective to provide safe drinking water to all. The Prime Minister unveiled
plaquestolayFoundationStonesforimportantdevelopmentprojects.Theseincludedthe1600MWThermal
PowerstationofNTPC at Ramagundam revival of a Fertilizer Plant at RamagundamKalojiNarayanaRao
UniversityofHealthSciences,WarangalandManoharabad
Kothapalli Railway line. He also dedicated to the nation the 1200 MW Thermal Power Station of Singareni
CollieriesatJaipur,inAdilabaddistrict.
UnionCabinetapprovesamendmentsinCentralListofOBCstoAP&Telangana
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for making
suitable amendments in the Central List of OBCs by way of inclusion/ correction/ deletion of castes/
communities applicable to the State of Andhra Pradesh and the newly formed State of Telangana as per the
advice received from the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC).A total of 35 changes
recommendedbyNCBCinrespectofAndhraPradeshand86NewEntriesinrespectofTelanganaStatewill
benotified.Thechangeswillenablethepersonsbelongingtothesecastes/communitiesinAndhraPradeshand
Telangana to avail the benefits of reservation in Government services and posts as well as in Central
Educational Institutions as per extant policy. They will also become eligible for benefit under the various
welfare schemes, scholarships etc. being administered by the Central Government, which are at present
availabletothepersonsbelongingtotheOtherBackwardClasses.
FirstgreenrailcorridoropensinTamilNadu
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Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has inaugurated 114km long RameswaramMana Madurai route as the
countrysfirstgreenrailcorridorwithzerotoiletdischargesection.Accordingly,10passengertrainsconsisting
of286coachesmovinginthesectionhavebeenprovidedwithbiotoiletsenablingtherailcorridorfreefrom
thedischargeofhumanwasteonthetrack.
MaharashtraCMlaunchespilotprojectofecomplaintsystem
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has launched a pilot project of ecomplaint system on an
experimental basis in Pune. After the pilot project, the system will be launched across the state within 8
months.Ithasbeenlaunchedduringtheconcludingceremonyof14thMaharashtraPoliceDutyMeetatSRPF
ground at Ramtekdi. Citizens can now register a police complaint online at any city police station from
anywhere.Aspercurrentlaws,FIRshavetoberegisteredatthepolicestationonly.Also,anewSMSgateway
has been launched where in people get an acknowledgment of the FIR on the phone through a system
generatedSMS,andalsowhenaccusedarearrested,chargesheet/finalreportsubmittedtothecourt.
CONFERENCES
BRICSwomenParliamentariansforumbeginsinJaipur
ThemeetingofBRICSwomenparliamentariansforumhasbeguninJaipur,Rajasthan.BRICSisthegrouping
ofBrazil,Russia,India,ChinaandSouthAfrica.ThetwodaymeetingwasinauguratedbyLokSabhaSpeaker
SumitraMahajan.Atotalof43delegatesfrommembercountriesareparticipatinginthemeeting.Themeeting
willseetheparticipationof5womenparliamentariansfromBrazil,3fromRussia,28fromIndia,2fromChina
and4fromSouthAfrica.
FirstSAARCYouthParliamentariansConferencebeginsinIslamabad
TheFirstSAARCYoungParliamentariansConferencebeginsinIslamabad,withthekeythemeofPeace&
Harmony for Development. The twoday (from August 16 to 18, 2016) intends to offer young
Parliamentarians narrative as a prelude to the 19th SAARC Summit to be hosted by Pakistan in November
2016. 8 parliamentary delegates from 8 SAARC member countries are participating in the conference. Lok
Sabha MP Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, is leading the three member Indian delegation. The goal of the
conferenceistobuildbridgesbetweenthefutureleadersofSouthAsiaonaplatformthatsupportscontinued
engagementandcooperation.
WEFIndiaEconomicSummitinDelhionOctober67
World Economic Forum (WEF), will host its annual India Economic Summit on October 67 in New Delhi
which would be attended by over 500 business and political leaders including top policymakers and CEOs.
This years meet will be convened under the theme, Fostering an Inclusive India through Digital
Transformation.
Indiatohostinternationalsummitontobaccocontrol
IndiaisgoingtohostacrucialglobalsummitinNovembertoeliminatetheillicittradeoftobaccoproducts.
ThesummitisscheduledforNovember712attheIndianExpositionMartinNoida.Inthissummitdelegates
from180countrieswilltakepart.Thisisthe7thsessionoftheConferenceoftheParties(COP7)totheWHO
FrameworkConventiononTobaccoControl(WHOFCTC).
PolicyplanningdialoguemeetingofBRICShasbeguntodayinPatna
BRICS policy planning dialogue meeting has begun on 25 July in Patna. Delegates of BRICS countries
Brazil,Russia,India,ChinaandSouthAfricaareparticipatinginthismeeting.Thedialoguemeetingisbeing
held ahead of the 8th BRICS Summit, which is going to be held in Goa on October 1516 under the
chairmanshipofIndia.ThisyearsthemeofdialogueisBuildingresponsive,Inclusiveandcollectivesolutions.
Thedialoguewillprovideanopportunityforexchangeonstrategicassessmentsofaninternalsituationandthe
regionalsituationofeachcountry.Thedialoguewillalsoseektoenhancesharingofbestpracticesinforeign
policyplanningandassessmentbetweentheBRICScountries.
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AWARDS&HONOURS
UPannouncesRaniLaxmiBaiawardforSakshiMalik
TheUttarPradeshgovernmentwillhonourSakshiMalik,thefirstwomanIndianwrestlertowinamedalin
Olympics,withthecovetedRaniLaxmiBaiaward.TheawardcarriesacashprizeofRs.3.11lakh.The23
yearoldwonthebronzeinthe58kgcategorywrestling.
HavildarHangpanDadahonouredwithAshokChakraposthumously
Havildar Hangpan Dada, who died in Kupwara on May 27 after killing three terrorists, has been awarded
Ashok Chakra, while Lt. Col. Niranjan Ek of the National Security Guard, who died during Pathankot
operations, was awarded Shaurya Chakra on the eve of Independence Day by President Pranab Mukherjee.
Dada, who laid down his life for the country on May 27 this year, valiantly fought at the treacherous
Shamsabari range in North Kashmir eliminating four heavilyarmed terrorists who had infiltrated into North
KashmirfromPakoccupiedKashmir(PoK).HailingfromBoduriavillageinfarflungArunachalPradesh,the
Havildar,whowaspopularlyknownasDadaamonghisteam,waspostedatthehighmountainrangesince
latelastyear.
KeralaTourismbagssixNationalTourismawards
KeralaTourismhasbaggedsixNationalTourismawardsfor201415inthemarketingcategoryforstates.It
received two more awards, including the one for its Responsible Tourism (RT) initiative in Wayanad. Lok
SabhaSpeakerSumitraMahajanpresentedtheawardstoPrincipalSecretaryVenuVandDirectorUVJosein
thepresenceofUnionTourismMinisterMaheshSharmaatafunctionatVigyanBhavaninNewDelhi.Kerala
Tourism received three out of the six awards for states in the Tourism Promotion and Publishing category,
including the one for Most Innovative use of Information Technology social media/ mobile app. The
Wayanad initiative, which has transformed the hilly districts economy through intensive participation of the
localpeople,wasselectedfortheawardintheResponsibleTourismcategory.
IndiasCSIRrankedworlds12thbestGovernmentInstitute
TheCouncilofScientificIndustrialResearch(CSIR)hasbeenrankedworlds12thbestgovernmentinstitution.
The institutes were ranked by a prestigious Scimago Institutions Rankings that ranks institutes based on the
research performance, innovation and social impact. Frances National Centre for Scientific Research was
rankedfirstfollowedbyChineseAcademyofScience,China.
BezwadaWilsonandT.M.KrishnawinRamonMagsaysayAward
Two Indians, social activist Bezwada Wilson and musician TM Krishna, have won the prestigious Ramon
Magsaysay Award 2016. They are among the total six awardees selected for the 2016 Ramon Magsaysay
Award, often regarded as Asias Nobel Prize. The 6 awardees are Bezwada Wilson (India), the National
ConveneroftheSafaiKarmachariAndolan(SKA)ThodurMadabusiKrishna(India):Hehasbeenrecognized
for ensuring social inclusiveness in culture. He is a Carnatic music vocalist. Conchita Carpio Morales
(Philippines) Dompet Dhuafa (Indonesia) Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (Japan): The organisation
hasbeenrecognizedforbuildingaworldofgenuinesolidarity.VientianeRescue(Laos):Theorganisationhas
beenrecognizedforvolunteeringtosavelivesatrisk.Theywillbebestowedwiththisawardattheawarding
ceremonyscheduledtobeheldattheCulturalCenterofthePhilippinesinPasayCityonAugust31,2016i.e.
onthebirthanniversaryofformerFilipinoPresidentRamonMagsaysay.RamonMagsaysayAwardisAsias
highesthonourandisoftenregardedastheregionsequivalentoftheNobelPrize.
SPORTS&GAMES
PVSindhubecomesfirstIndianwomantowinanOlympicsilvermedal
P V Sindhu became Indias first woman to win an Olympics silver medal on Friday, creating history and
pullinganentirecountryoutofitsGamesgloomwithastunningdisplayoftalent,powerandgrace.The21
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yearold Indian, who has been simply unstoppable in the tournament so far, crumbled under the tremendous
pressurecreatedbythetwotimeWorldChampionfromSpaintolose2119,1221,1521inahighintensity
finalthatlastedforanhourand23minutesattheRiocentreinRiodeJaneiro.Sindhuthusbecamethefourth
Indian to win a silver at the Olympics after shooters Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (2004, Athens) and Vijay
Kumar(2012,London)andwrestlerSushilKumar(2012,London).
WrestlerSakshiMalikwinsbronzeforIndiainRio2016
Gritty woman wrestler Sakshi Malik ended Indias painful wait for a medal at the Rio Olympic Games by
clinching the bronze in the 58kg category, pulling off a sensational 85 victory over Aisuluu Tynybekova of
Kyrgyzstanintheplayoffbout.The23yearoldbecamethe4thIndianwomantohaveeverwonanOlympic
medal.
JamaicasUsainBoltwinsGoldmedalin100meterseventat2016RioOlympics
JamaicasspeedsterUsainBolthaswontheGoldmedalin100metersfinaleventat2016RioOlympicsby
sprintingatrecordedtimeof9.81seconds.WiththishehasretainedhiscovetedtitleFastestmanaliveonthe
planet. Besides, American Sprinter Justin Gatlin won silver medal (9.89 seconds) and Andre De Grasse of
Canadawonbronzemedal(9.91seconds).ThiswasUsainBoltsthirdOlympicGoldmedalinthe100mevent
afterhehadwonin2008and2012Olympics.Healsohasallthesprintingworldrecordtohisnameincluding
the100m,200mand4x100m.Heisthefirstmantoholdboththe100metresand200metresworldrecords.
IOCgivesnodtoadditionoffivenewsportsinOlympicGamesTokyo2020
The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will now have five brand new games in its contest as the International
Olympic Committee (IOC) approved the recommendation of adding Baseball/ Softball, Karate, Skateboard,
SportsClimbingandSurfingtothesportsprogramme.Thedecisionwastakenbythe129thIOCsessionbeing
heldinRiodeJaneiro.TheadditionalsportsinTokyowillnotimpacttheathleteoreventquotasofexisting
Olympicsportsorbebindingonfuturehostcities.Theinclusionofthenewsportswilladd18events.
LewisHamiltonwins2016GermanGrandPrixofF1
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton from Great Britain has won the 2016 German Grand Prix title of Formula
One.Itwashisfourthconsecutivewininthe2016seasonandoverallfifthtitleofthe2016season.Itwasalso
histhirdwinofGermanGrandPrixofF1afterwinningitin2008and2011.Earlierin2016season,hehad
won Monaco (May 2016), Canadian (June 2016), Austrian (July 2016), British (July 2016) and Hungarian
(July 2016) Grand Prixes. German Grand Prix was the twelth race of the 2016 season and was held at the
HockenheimringmotorracingcircuitinBadenWrttemberg,Germany.
PatnaPirateswins4thseasonofProKabaddiLeague
ThePatnaPirateshavewonthefourtheditionofSTARSportsProKabaddiLeaguebydefeatingJaipurPink
Panthers. With this win Patna Pirates has become first team to defend its title which they won in the third
seasoninMarch2016.InthefinalmatchplayedatGachibowliStadium,Hyderabad(Telangana)thedefending
championdefeatedJaipurPinkPanthersby3729score.ThePuneriPaltanwasplacedatthethirdplaceinthis
editionaftertheydefeatedTeluguTitansby4035score.WomensSection:StormQueenshavewoninaugural
editionoftheWomensChallengeofProKabaddiLeague.InthefinalmatchtheydefeatedFireBirdsby2423
score.
ECONOMY
TataPowerSolarcommissions100MWprojectforNTPC
TataPowerSolar,oneofthecountryslargestintegratedsolarcompanies,announcedthatithadsuccessfully
commissioned a 100 MW solar project for NTPC in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. This is the biggest solar
projectcommissionedusingdomesticallymanufacturedsolarcellsandmodules,thecompanysaidinarelease.
The plant is expected to generate nearly 160 million kWh of energy per year and help offset approximately
110,000tonnesofcarbondioxideemissionsinitsfirstyearofoperation.
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MicrosoftacquiresgamingstartupBeam
MicrosofthasacquiredBeam,aninteractivelivestreamingstartupthatletsviewerswatchandplayalongwith
gamestreamersinrealtimeanddidnotdisclosefinancialtermsofthedeal.Beam,launchedinJanuarythis
year, has 24 employees. The move will support Microsofts growth strategy around Xbox Live, one of the
worldsmostpopularsocialgamingplatform.
Googlefined$6.8millionbyRussianantitrustbody
RussiasantitrustbodyhasslappedGooglewitha$6.8millionfineafterrulingthatthefirmdidntdoenough
to open Android up to other companies. Officials believe that the search engine has abused its dominant
position by crowdingout domestic rivals like Yandex, commonly known as Russias Google. For instance,
other firms arent able to preload rivals apps for navigation or search on Android devices that are certified
readyforGooglePlay.
IntelbuysAIstartupNervanaSystemsrunbyIndianoriginentrepreneur
IntelCorpsaiditwouldacquirestartupNervanaSystemsastheworldslargestchipmakerbolstersitsartificial
intelligence capabilities. Nervana Systems is led by former Qualcomm researcher Naveen Rao, founded in
2014 and headquartered in San Diego, California. Nervana will help develop Intels artificial intelligence
portfolioandenhancethedeeplearningperformanceofIntelXeonandIntelXeonPhiprocessors.
UnionCabinetincreaseslimitforforeigninvestmentinStockExchangesfrom5%to15%
The Union Cabinet has given its approval for raising foreign shareholding limit from current 5% to 15% in
Indian Stock Exchanges. The decision brings the investment limit of foreign entities at par with that of
domestic institutions. This enhanced limit is for a stock exchange, depository, banking company, insurance
companyandcommodityderivativeexchange.
LeEcobuysUSbasedVIZIOfor$2bn
ChinesehandsetmakerLeEcosaidithasacquiredUSbasedconsumerelectronicsfirmVIZIOfor$2billion.
As part of the definitive agreement, LeEco will acquire all of the VIZIO hardware and software operations,
technologyandintellectualpropertyandthetransactionisexpectedtocloseduringthefourthquarterof2016.
The VIZIO hardware and software businesses will be owned and operated as a whollyowned subsidiary of
LeEco, while VIZIOs data business Inscape will spin out and operate as a separate, privately owned
company.TheacquisitionwillofferLeEcoasteadyinstallbaseofusersandabrandthatisbothpopularand
successfullydistributedthroughoutmajorNorthAmericanretailchannels.
SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY
Airlander10Worldslargestaircraftembarksmaidenflight
The worlds largest aircraft has embarked on its maiden flight, four days after a previous attempt was
abandonedduetotechnicalissues.TheAirlander10partplane,partairshiptooktotheskiesamidcheersand
applause from crowds gathered at an airfield in Cardington, central England. It is a hybrid airship made by
HybridAirVehiclesinUnitedKingdom.Itssuccessfulflightcomes85yearsafteranotherairshiptheillfated
R101tookoffinOctober1930fromthesameairfieldbeforecrashinginFrance.Airlander10ishybridshipi.e.
itisapartlyplaneandpartlyairshipfilledwithheliumgas.Itis92metrelongand43.5mwide.Itcanflyatup
to4,880metresandreachspeedsof148kilometresperhour.Itcanalsocarrya10tonnepayload.
CSMCRIresearchersdevelopphotocatalysttocompletelydegradeindustrialdyes
Scientists at the Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI), Bhavanagar, Gujarat have
beenabletocompletelydegradethreeindustrialdyesmethylorange,methyleneblueandreactiveblack5in
the presence of sunlight. The researchers developed a photocatalyst using titanium dioxide doped with red
seaweedpolymercarrageenantodegradethedyes.
Chinasuccessfullylaunchesworldsfirstquantumsatellite
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China has launched the worlds first quantum communications satellite which boasts of establishing hack
proofcommunications between space and the ground as it is equipped with security features to prevent
wiretapping and intercepts. The 600 kg spacecraft blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Center in the Gobi
Desert. The satellite nicknamed Micius was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. Quantum
communicationboastsofultrahighsecurityasaquantumphotoncanneitherbeseparatednorduplicated.Itis
henceimpossibletowiretap,interceptorcracktheinformationtransmittedthroughit.
IMDtousesupercomputertoforecastmonsoonbasedondynamicalmodel
The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has announced that India Meteorological Department (IMD)
will use supercomputer to forecast Indias annual summer monsoon. The forecast made by a supercomputer
willbebasedonadynamicalmonsoonmodelandwillbeoperationalfromyear2017.Thismodelwillbeused
alongwiththepresenttraditionalensemblemodel.Thedynamicalmonsoonmodelworksbysimulatingthe
weatheronpowerfulcomputers(supercomputers)andextrapolatingitoverparticulartimeframes.Thismodern
forecastingmodelisbeingtestedattheIndianInstituteofTropicalMeteorology(IITM),Pune.Thedynamical
monsoon model is also called the Coupled Forecast System version 2. So far it has achieved only 60%
accuracyinforecastingthemonsoon.
Solarpowertreedevelopedforthegenerationofelectricity
TheMinistryofScienceandTechnologyhascomeupwithaSolarPowerTree,aninnovativewaytogenerate
electricityusingsolarpowerinalimitedspace.TheSolarPowerTreemodelisactuallydesignedlikeatree
withbranchesmadeofsteeltoholdthephotovoltaicpanel.IthasbeendevelopedbytheCentralMechanical
Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), Durgapur, a laboratory of the Council for Scientific and Industrial
Research(CSIR).
PERSONSINNEWS
A).APPOINTMENTS
MicrosoftappointsSriramRajamaniasMDofitsIndialab
MicrosofthasannouncedtheappointmentofSriramRajamaniasnewmanagingdirectorofitsIndialab.Based
in Bengaluru, he will spearhead Microsoft Indias continued focus on worldclass research, innovation and
collaborationwiththescientificcommunity.HewillreplaceChanduThekkath,whowasthemanagingdirector
ofthelabfortwoyears.
DineshKumarKharaappointedasManagingDirectorofSBI
Dinesh Kumar Khara was today appointed Managing Director of State Bank of India (SBI). He is presently
working as MD and Chief Executive Officer of SBI Funds Management Pvt Ltd. The Appointments
CommitteeofCabinet(ACC)hasappointedKharaforaperiodofthreeyears,extendablebytwoyearsafter
reviewofhisperformance.GopalMurliBhagatandHimanshuJoshiwerealsoappointedasexecutivedirectors
ofCorporationBankandOrientalBankofCommerce(OBC),respectively.
AirMarshalNeelakantantakeschargeofSouthernAircommand
Air Marshal S Neelakantan has assumed charge as Air Officer CommandinginChief of Southern Air
Command. The traditional Guard of Honour was presented to him by the Air Warriors. Air Marshal
Neelakantan,whowascommissionedasafighterpilotintheIndianAirForceonDecember28,1977,isan
alumni of National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and Tactics and Combat
DevelopmentEstablishment.
JusticeDilipBabasahebBhosalesworninasChiefJusticeofAllahabadHC
JusticeDilipBabasahebBhosalewassworninasthenewchiefjusticeofAllahabadHighCourt.Theoathof
officewasadministeredbygovernorRamNaikinAllahabad.ChiefJusticeBhosalewasservingasactingchief
justice of high court of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Born in Mumbai in 1956, Justice Bhosale was first
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appointed as judge of Bombay high court in 2001, and later in 2012, he was transferred to Karnataka high
court.
EuropeanCommissionappointsMichelBarnierasChiefBrexitNegotiator
TheEuropeanUnionsexecutiveappointedMichelBarnier,formerFrenchFinancialServicesCommissioner,
asitsChiefNegotiatorfortheUnitedKingdomsexitfromthebloc.HewasappointedunderArticle50ofthe
TreatyonEuropeanUnion.HewillbeaprominentfigureinthenegotiationsoverBritainsexitfromtheunion.
InJune2016,DidierSeeuws,aBelgiandiplomat,wasappointedasheadofaBrexittaskforcebytheEuropean
Council.
B).RESIGNS
BillMaris,theCEOandfounderofGoogleVenturesquits
Bill Maris, the chief executive, and founder of Alphabet Incs , venture capital arm of GV, is leaving the
company. Maris, who will leave on Friday, will be replaced by GV managing partner David Krane. GV,
previously known as Google Ventures, was founded in 2009 and has invested in more than 300 companies
fromlifescience,healthcare,artificialintelligence,robotics,transportation,cybersecurity,andagriculture,and
more.
GermanycaptainBastianSchweinsteigerretires
Germanprofessionalfootballer,BastianSchweinsteigerhasretiredfromthenationalteam,markingtheendof
aglitteringinternationalfootballcareer.The31yearoldmidfielderwasaninstrumentalplayerforGermany
whentheywontheWorldCupin2014andearned120capsforhisnationscoring24goals.
NepalPrimeMinisterKPOliresignsaheadofanoconfidencevote
NepalsPrimeMinister,KhadgaPrasadOlihasresignedfromhisoffice.Heresignedaheadofanoconfidence
vote.Oli,64,whobecameprimeministerofNepalinOctober2015,hasbeenfacinganotrustmotionafterthe
Maoists withdrew support from the coalition government. Oli tendered his resignation after two key ruling
alliance partners Madhesi Peoples Rights ForumDemocratic and Rastriya Prajatantra Party decided to
supportthenoconfidencemotiontabledagainsthimbytheNepaliCongress(NC)andtheCPNMaoistCentre
ledbyPrachanda.
C).DEATHS
Notedactor&directorGobindTejpassedaway
NotedactoranddirectorGobindTejpassedawaywhileundergoingtreatmentataprivatehospital.Hewas88.
HereceivedtheOdishaStateFilmAwardforBestDirectorformovieslikeKaberi,SchoolMaster,Tunda
BaidaandGareSinduraDhareLuha.
AwardwinningMalayalamscreenwriterTARazaqpassedaway
NotedMalayalamfilmmakerscriptwriterTARazaqpassedawayinKochi.Hewas58.Razaqwasreportedly
undergoingtreatmentrelatedtoliverrelatedailmentataprivatehospital,wherehebreathedhislast.
FormerministerS.P.SargunaPandianpassedaway
FormerDMKMinisterS.PSargunaPandian,whobeganherpoliticalcareerasaplatformspeakerevenwhen
shewasaschoolstudent,died.Shewas75yearsold.ShewaselectedtotheAssemblyfromtheR.K.Nagar
constituencyin1989andagainin1996.AsaMinistersheheldtheportfolioofSocialWelfarebetween1996
and2001.Inthe2006Assemblyelections,shecontestedunsuccessfullyfromtheRoyapuramconstituency.
NobelLaureateAhmedZewailhaspassedaway
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Nobel Prizewinning EgyptianAmerican chemist Ahmed Zewail, a science and technology advisor to
PresidentBarackObamaandthefirstU.S.scienceenvoytotheMiddleEast,haspassedawayintheUnited
States.Hewas70yearsold.Hewasanauthorofsome600scientificarticlesand16books,healsoiscredited
withdevelopinganewresearchfielddubbedfourdimensionalelectronmicroscopy.
AkshardhamfounderPramukhSwamipassedaway
PramukhSwami,the95yearoldfounderofAkshardhamtemplesandasaintoftheSwaminarayansect,passed
away after prolonged illness at the Sarangpur temple. He was the president of the Bochasanvasi Akshar
PurushottamSanstha(BAPS),asubsectoftheSwaminarayansect,whichduringhistenureexpandedglobally,
withover3000templesbuiltinfivedecadesworldwide.PrimeMinisterNarendraModiandthelatePresident,
A.P.J.AbdulKalamwereamonghisfollowers.Kalamhadwrittenabookonhisspiritualexperienceswith
PramukhSwamiandduringhistenureasPresident,hehadinauguratedtheAkshardhamtemplecomplexin
NewDelhi.
D).VISITORS
WangYivisitsIndia
Mr.WangonhisthreedayvisitmetPrimeMinisterNarendraModi&SushmaSwarajinNewDelhi.Indias
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, during their talks in New
Delhi,decidedtoputinplaceanewmechanismatthelevelofForeignSecretariestodiscussvariousaspectsof
bilateraltieswhichhavewitnessedstrainintherecentpast.
E).MISCELLANEOUS
Over1000DancingRobotsSetGuinnessRecordInChina
AnewGuinnessWorldRecordforthemostrobotsdancingsimultaneouslyhasbeensetinChinawhere1,007
robotsshimmiedinunison,nearlydoublethepreviousrecord.Eachofthe43.8cmtalldancingmachinesatthe
QingdaoBeerFestivalwerecontrolledusingjustonemobilephoneandtheyhadtodanceforafullminutein
order to count towards the record total, the Guinness World Records said. A few robots were disqualified
because they did not dance or fell over, but the majority of the mechanical dance troupe completed the 60
secondroutineinperfectunison.Eachofthe43.8cmtalldancingmachinesattheQingdaoBeerFestivalwere
controlledusingjustonemobilephoneandtheyhadtodanceforafullminuteinordertocounttowardsthe
record.
SixyearoldIndianboyentersGuinnessWorldRecord
Inaproudmomentforthenation,asixyearoldboyfromKarnatakasettheworldrecordforcoveringlongest
distancebylimboskatingundercars.OmSwaroopGowdaclinchedtheGuinnessWorldrecordstitleaftera
successfulattempttotravelastaggering65.283metredistancewhileholdinghisbodyjustabovegroundand
maintainingasplitspositionthroughout.Ommanagedtoclear36carsduringtheincrediblechallengeatOrion
MallinBangalore.OfficialGuinnessWorldRecordsadjudicatorRishiNathattendedtheeventtoensurethat
alltherulesforwerefollowedcorrectly.
TCStopemployerinITindustry,saysNasscom
SoftwareservicesmajorTataConsultancyServices(TCS)hasbeenrankedasthetopemployerintheIndianIT
industry by the representative body Nasscom. Though Cognizant is a USbased IT firm, it has the largest
numberofemployeesinIndiawithdevelopmentcentresinChennai,Bengaluru,andHyderabad.TheMumbai
basedfirmwasfollowedbyitspeersInfosys,Cognizant,WiproandCapgemini,Nasscomsaidinastatement.
AttheendofJune2016,TCShadatotalheadcountof3.62lakhwhileInfosysandWiprohad1.97lakhand
1.73 lakh, respectively. Others in the top 10 include HCL Technologies, Tech Mahindra, Genpact, Intelenet
GlobalServices,andAegis.
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PLACESINNEWS
Over10000YearOldCampingSiteDiscoveredinLadakh
TheArchaeologicalSurveyofIndia(ASI)hasdiscoveredanancientcampingsitedating8500BCinLadakhin
Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), indicating humans were camping in the area 10,500 years ago. This site was
unearthedat14,000feetabovethesealevelonthewayfromSaserLatoLadakh.
BooksinNews
GrassrootsInnovationauthoredbyProf.AnilK.Guptahasreleased
ThePresidentofIndia,ShriPranabMukherjeereceivedacopyofbookGrassrootsInnovationauthoredby
Prof. Anil K. Gupta of IIM Ahmedabad who is also the Vice Chairman, National Innovation Foundation at
RashtrapatiBhavan.Thebookwasaboutstoriesofextraordinarymenandwomenwhoaresilentlycontributing
totheinnovationmovementfortheeconomicdevelopmentandadvancementofsociety.
HarryPotterandtheCursedChildbooklaunched
ThebookbasedonthescriptoftheplayHarryPotterandtheCursedChildlaunchedtodayglobally.Thisis
JKRowlingseighthHarryPotterstorywrittenalongwithJackThorneandJohnTiffany.Thornescriptedthe
twopartplaybasedontheoriginalstory,whichbegins19yearsafterHarryPotterandtheDeathlyHallows,
whichwaspublishedin2007.
COMMITTEES
GovtsetsupNationalCommitteeonTradeFacilitation
India is setting up a national panel that will cut redtape for the exportimport industry while also ensuring
fasterclearancesofmerchandise,inlinewiththecommitmenttotheWorldTradeOrganisation(WTO).The
NCTFwillfacilitatedomesticcoor
dinationandTFAprovisionsimplementation,andhelpdevelopthepanIndiatradefacilitationroadmap.The
committeeisamandatory,institutionalarrangementunderTFA.
Govttosetuppaneltoreviewecommercerules
Govt to set up panel to review ecommerce rules into all issues including foreign direct investment norms
pertainingtothefastgrowingecommerceindustryinthecountry.ThecommitteewillbeheadedbytheNITI
Aayog CEO. The other members in the panel include officials from commerce and industry ministry and
departmentofelectronicsandITamongothers.Itwilllookatalltheissues,includingFDIpertainingtothee
commercesector.Thecommitteewouldsuggestwaystofurtherpromotethegrowthofthesector.
TVSNPrasadCommitteetoexplorepossiblealternativestopelletgunsinKashmir
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has setup a sevenmember expert committee for exploring the
otherpossiblealternativestopelletgunsasnonlethalweapons.TheCommitteewillbeheadedbyTVSN
Prasad, Joint Secretary in the MHA. It will submit its report within two months. Other members of the
committee: Atul Karwal (IG, CRPF), Rajeev Krishna, (IG Operations, BSF), Tushar Tripathy (DDG, Small
Arms,OrdnancefactoryBoard)andNareshBhatnagar(ProfessoratIIT,Delhi).EarlierUnionHomeMinister
RajnathSinghhadannouncedinLokSabhathatanexpertcommitteewillbesetuptorecommendalternatives
topelletguns.
MadhavcommitteeconstitutedtoprepareguidelinesfordesiltationofRiverGanga
The Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has constituted a
committeetoprepareguidelinesfordesiltationofGangaRiver.Thefourmembercommitteewillbeheadedby
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Madhav Chitale (Expert Member of NGRBA). The tenure of the committee would be for a period of three
months.ThecommitteewillprepareguidelinesfordesiltationofGangaRiverfromBhimgauda(Uttarakhand)
toFarakka(WestBengal).
IMPORTANTDAYS&DATES
Aug07NationalHandloomDay
Aug09InternationalDayoftheWorldsIndigenousPeoples
Aug10WorldBioFuelDay
Aug12InternationalYouthDay
Aug19WorldHumanitarianDay
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