DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS : Aug 26, 2020

Daily Current Affairs (Aug 26 2020) like many other sections is inevitable and this also helps to score in the Banking awareness, Static GK and Financial Awareness sections. Remember, Banking Awareness and Static Awareness Questions are asked from the General Awareness section. This will also help you to ride your preparations for the forthcoming exams.

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Current Affairs Quiz – Aug 26, 2020

National News:

Ministry of Tourism organizes the 50th webinar titled “Cultural heritage of Hyderabad” under DekhoApnaDesh series:

The webinar showcased the culture of Hyderabad which is quite distinct from the rest of Telangana with its strong Islamic influences inherited from the period of the Nizam rule which is starkly visible on Hyderabad’s architecture, food, lifestyle.

Andhra Pradesh:

Capital: Amaravati
Chief Minister: Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy
Governor: Biswa Bhushan Harichandan
Folk dances: Kuchipudi, Vilasini Natyam, Bhamakalpam, Veeranatyam.
National Park: Sri Venkateswara National Park ,Rajiv Gandhi National Park, Papikonda National Park.

Himachal Pradesh government signs ₹110 crore MoU with Micro Tek New Technologies for setting up electronics manufacturing unit in Baddi:

Himachal Pradesh government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) worth ₹110 crore in the presence of chief minister Jai Ram Thakur with Micro Tek New Technologies Private Ltd for setting up a manufacturing unit of thermometers, online/offline UPS, high capacity invertors, oxymeters and other electrical products in Solan district’s Baddi

Himachal Pradesh:

Capital:Shimla
Chief Minister:Jai Ram Thakur
Governor:BandaruDattatreya
National Parks: Inderkila National Park, Simbalbara National Park, Great Himalayan National Park, Pin Valley National Park, Khirganga National Park.

Nitin Gadkari inaugurates 45 Highway projects worth around Rs 11,427 cr in Madhya Pradesh:

Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and MSMEs Nitin Gadkari virtually inaugurated 45 highway projects in Madhya Pradesh.

These projects includes construction of 1,361 km of Road, two over bridges and six bridges at an estimated cost of Rs 11,427 crore.

Madhya Pradesh:

Capital: Bhopal
Chief Minister: Shivraj Singh Chauhan
Governor: Lal Ji Tandon

International News

Germany to issue ‘Green Bonds’ worth up to $13B:

German government plans to generate up to 11 billion euros for clean transportation and renewable energy projects this year by issuing so-called “Green Bond”. Each green bond will mirror a regular debt issuance by the German government, known as as “bunds”.

Germany:

Capital: Berlin.
Currency: Euro.
President: Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Chancellor: Angela Merkel

India and Nepal to expand energy cooperation, explore new pipeline:

India and Nepal are exploring to see if state-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) could look at another petroleum pipeline that runs into the northern and eastern parts of India. Nepal is aiming to meet its rising fuel demands by extending cooperation.

Nepal

Capital: Kathmandu
Currency: Napalese Rupee
Prime Minister: KP Sharma Oli
President: Bidhya Devi Bhandari

India and Vietnam Agree To Add “New Momentum” To Economic and Defence Ties:

India and Vietnam have agreed to add new momentum to their economic and defence engagement besides resolving to explore closer cooperation in sectors like civil nuclear energy and space.
The decisions were taken at a virtual meeting of the India-Vietnam Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation which was co-chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh.

India Pavilion Inaugurated at Army-2020 International Military and Technical Forum In Russia:

The ARMY 2020 International Military and Technical Forum has been organised in Moscow, Russia from August 23 to 29, 2020. The forum is being organised by the Russian Defence Ministry since 2015, at the Patriot Park near Moscow.
The India Pavilion at the 6^th edition of the International Military-Technical Forum was inaugurated by Secretary (Defence Production) Raj Kumar and Indian Ambassador DB Venkatesh Verma.

Russia:

Capital: Moscow
Currency: Russian Rouble
President: Vladimir Putin
Prime Minister: Mikhail Mishustin

Banking and Economy

ICICI Bank becomes first bank in India to use satellite data to assess credit worthiness of farmers:

Private lender ICICI Bank has become the first ever bank in India to make use of satellite data, imagery from Earth observation satellites, to assess credit worthiness of farmers.
Using the satellite data, the bank will be able to measure an array of parameters related to the land, irrigation and crop patterns and use it in combination with demographic and financial parameters to make speedy lending decisions for farmers.

ICICI (Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India):

Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
MD and CEO: Sandeep Bakhshi
Tagline: Hum Hai Na, Khyal Apka.

Mastercard teams up with Goals101.ai to improve personalised banking:

Financial services giant Mastercard has partnered with ai, a bank-tech and Artificial Intelligence (AI) company, to make banking more personalised and automated.
Using big data, AI and automation, Goals101.ai connects merchants and issuers to create targeted and personalised offers for Bank Cardholders.

NSE to launch ‘silver options’ in commodity derivatives segment from September 1:

National Stock Exchange will launch ‘Silver Options’ in the commodity derivatives segment from September 1. The exchange has received markets regulator SEBI’s nod for ‘options’ in goods contracts on the underlying silver spot price for trading in the commodity derivatives segment
Earlier, the National Stock Exchange (NSE) had launched ‘Gold Mini Options’ on June 8.

Acquisitions and Mergers

APEDA signs MoUs with AFC India Limited and NCUI of India:

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has signed MoUs with AFC India Limited, and National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI), Delhi to synergize the activities in the interest of agriculture and allied sectors.

TVS Automobile Solutions and Google tie up to digitise auto aftermarket:

TVS Automobile Solutions Ltd has selected Google Cloud as its technology partner to build its Digital Transformation Strategy. The initiative would be seen as an accelerator in digitizing the global aftermarket landscape. The industry has over 40K retailers.

Cognizant to acquire Tin Roof Software to expand digital engineering services:

The acquisition is expected to expand Cognizant’s software product engineering footprint in the U.S.& connect Tin Roof’s experts with Cognizant’s broader global software development capabilities. Transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2020.

Science and Technology

Indian Satellite AstroSat Detects Extreme UV Light Coming from Galaxy 9.3 Billion Light-years Away:

AstroSat, India’s first multi-wavelength satellite, has detected an extreme Ultraviolet (UV) light from a galaxy which is 3 billion light-years away from Earth, the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA).
A release from the Pune-based Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics said a global team led by IUCAA scientists has achieved the major breakthrough.

IIT Madras and Stuttgart University develop method to dispose pharma waste:

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras along with German researchers have developed ‘Co-Composting’ methods that can be used to safely dispose of toxic pharmaceutical wastewater and sludge. Their method converts the waste into compost of high quality and within just 20 days.

Researchers from Andhra University find rare fish ‘Mahseer’ in Sileru river:

A team of researchers from the Department of Zoology, Andhra University has spotted a species of rare fish called Mahseer (scientific name Tor) on 24 August 2020, from the upper part of Sileru river, in Andhra Pradesh.
This species of fish is listed under the endangered category by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).

Ahmedabad Railway Division launches Baggage Sanitization & Wrapping machine:

Baggage Sanitization & Wrapping machine has been launched by the Ahmedabad Railway Division at Ahmedabad Railway Station, Gujarat. The machine is a first of its kind across the Indian Railways.
The recently launched machine aims to ensure safe travel amid the pandemic. It uses Ultraviolet Radiation for 360 degree sanitization of the luggage.

Appointments and Resignations

DRDO chief G Satheesh Reddy gets two-year extension till August 2022:

Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the extension of the tenure of renowned scientist G Satheesh Reddy as the Chairman of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and as the Secretary of the Department of Defence Research & Development for a period of two years. He was appointed as the chief in August 2018 for two years.

Yatinder Prasad appointed on Coal India board:

State-owned Coal India said Yatinder Prasad, joint secretary and financial advisor with the Ministry of Coal, has been appointed on its board. Prasad is a 1993-batch Indian Audit and Accounts Service officer, Coal India Ltd (CIL).

Indian Energy Exchange MD & CEO Rajiv Srivastava resigns:

Indian Energy Exchange (IEX), Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Rajiv Srivastava has resigned from the post. The Board of Directors of Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) accepted his resignation. He was relieved from his position with immediate effect from 24th August 2020.

Awards and Recognitions

Delhi University student Neelakanta Bhanu Prakash wins ‘World’s Fastest Human Calculator’ title at age 21:

Neelakanta Bhanu Prakash, a 21-year-old boy of Hyderabad has won the title ‘World’s Fastest Human Calculator’ after winning first-ever gold for India in Mental Calculation World Championship at Mind Sports Olympiad (MSO). The championship was held in London.
He has created a new All Time Record and has beaten the records of Math Maestros like Shakuntala Devi and Scott Flansburg. India’s Aryan Shukla finished fourth with a score of 96.

Army Sports Institute of Pune Awarded With Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar 2020:

Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has given the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar 2020 to Army Sports Institute, Pune on 24th August 2020. Army Sports Institute (ASI) is serving as the part of Indian Army’s “Mission Olympics”
The main purpose of this programme was to offer training the vast reservoir of talent in the Indian Army in selected 7 disciplines such as Archery, Athletics, Boxing, Diving, Fencing, Weightlifting, and Wrestling.

Obituary News

Veteran Filmmaker AB Raj passes away at 95:

Veteran filmmaker AB Raj passed away, following a cardiac arrest. He was 95. A B Raj began his career as a filmmaker in Sri Lanka. He directed more than 10 films in Sinhalese under the name A Bhaskar Raj.

Former Republic of Congo president Pascal Lissouba dies at 88:

Former President of the Republic of Congo, Pascal Lissouba passed away. He became the minister of agriculture in 1960 after Congo became an independent country. He served as the president from 1992 to 1997. He served as the Prime minister under the Presidency of Alphonse Massamba Debat.

Republic of Congo:

Capital: Brazzaville
President: Denis Sassou Nguesso
Prime Minister: Clément Mouamba

Sports News

James Anderson Becomes First Fast Bowler To Take 600 Test Wickets:

England’s James Anderson became the first fast bowler to take 600 Test wickets. He is fourth on the all-time list of Test wicket-takers, behind spinners Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne and Anil Kumble. Glenn McGrath took 563 Test wickets.

Olympic badminton gold medalist Ayaka Takahashi to retire:

Ayaka Takahashi (30) and her Partner Misaki Matsutomo (28) became Japan’s first Olympic gold medalists in badminton when they overcame Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl of Denmark in Brazil. She has announced that she will retire at the end of the month.

Badminton World Federation: