Current Affairs, August 2015
31st August:
• India's GDP growth slows to 7 per cent in the June quarter which is
slower than provisional growth of 7.5 per cent in the previous quarter.
•
The Union Government proposed a Rs 100 crore spiritual tourism circuit for
Kerala.
• US President Barack Obama rename the "Mt McKinley" mountain in
Alaska as "Denali". It is the highest mountain in North America.
• The
BCCI and Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced that all future bilateral
cricket series between the two countries will be titled as 'The Mahatma
Gandhi-Nelson Mandela Series'.
29th August:
• National Sports Day is observer today in India.
• The President of
India Pranab Mukherjee conferred the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
award, Arjuna awards and Dronacharya awards to the nominated sportsperson.
28th August:
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi pay tribute to the soldiers who fought the
1965 India-Pakistan war on its 50th anniversary.
• New Delhi's Aurangzeb
Road rename as APJ Abdul Kalam Road.
• South Africa's captain AB de
Villiers became the fastest to score 8,000 ODI runs in 182 innings,
surpassing former India skipper Sourav Ganguly.
27th August:
• The Union Government announced the names of 98 towns and cities chosen
for its Smart Cities project.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) launched military communications satellite GSAT-6 in space using
GSLV.
• Usain Bolt wins fourth straight 200 metres world title in
Beijing.
25th August:
• BJP emerging as the single largest party in the Bengaluru municipal
corporation polls with 100 out of 197 seats.
• The government today
released the results of its 2011 religious census according to which Hindus
in the population has slipped below 80 per cent for the first time.
24th August:
• The BSE Sensex down by 1,625 points, a nearly 6 per cent which is
highest fall since 2009.
• Kolkata based Micro Financial Institution
(MFI) Bandhan Financial Services, started operations as a Scheduled
Commercial Bank.
• Serena Williams and Roger Federer wins the Cincinnati
Masters Women's and Men’s Singles tennis title respectively.
23rd August:
• Pakistan called off the Indo-Pak National Security Advisor-level talks
after disagreement in meeting agenda.
• England wins the 5 match Ashes
Series by 3-2 against Australia.
• Usain Bolt wins world 100 meters title
in 9.79 secs at the world athletics championships in Beijing.
•
Australian Captain Michael Clarke and Sri Lanka Batsman Kumar Sangakkara
retire from Test Cricket.
21st August:
• Ranil Wickremesinghe sworn in as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka for
fourth time.
• Greece Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has resigned from his
post.
20th August:
• Ashwani Lohani appointed as the chairman and managing director of national carrier Air India.
19th August:
• The three-judge bench of Justices AR Dave, Kurian Joseph and Adarsh
Kumar Goel of Supreme Court asked the Ansal brothers, convicts in Uphaar
fire tragedy in Delhi to pay a fine of Rs 60 crore to Delhi Government.
•
The annual Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) Global Liveability Index has
named Melbourne as the world's most liveable city for the 5th consecutive
year.
• Suvra Mukherjee wife of President Pranab Mukherjee, passed away
following a cardiac arrest in New Delhi.
18th August:
• 10 pilgrims were killed and 15 others were injured in a landslide in
Manikaran, Himachal Pradesh.
• Sri Lanka's ruling party United National
Party (UNP) has won the general election of the nation.
• Union Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley launched State Bank of India's mobile wallet app known
as SBI Buddy. The app will be available to all customers irrespective of the
bank the customer is banking with or the card the customer is using.
17th August:
• At least 27 people killed when a bomb planted on a motorcycle exploded
outside a shrine in Bangkok.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses
50,000 Indians at Dubai stadium.
• The UAE decided to allot land for
building a first temple in Abu Dhabi.
16th August:
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in UAE on 2 day visit.
• Saina
Nehwal defeated by Carolina Marin 16-21, 19-21 in the final of World
Championship.
15th August:
• India celebrates 69th Independence Day.
• Saina Nehwal becomes the
first Indian to reach the final of World Badminton Championship.
14th August:
• A total of 824 central and state forces police personnel were awarded
gallantry and other service medals on the eve of Independence Day. These
include Presidents Police Medal for Gallantry (PPMG) to the three Punjab
police officials who fought against terrorists from Pakistan in Gurdaspur.
Also eight gallantry awards given to commandos of the Indian army's 21
Parachute Regiment who participated in a cross border raid in Myanmar.
•
Ajinkya Rahane creates a record of most catching by a fielder in Test
cricket. He took 8 catches in the ongoing test match against Sri Lanka.
•
The founder of Hero Cycle Om Prakash Munjal passed away in Ludhiana at the
age of 87.
13th August:
• 1977 batch IAS officer Om Prakash Rawat appointed as the new Election
Commissioner of India.
• The National Security Advisors of India and
Pakistan will meet on 23rd August in New Delhi.
12th August:
• Maharashtra Government had declared traditional 'Dahi-handi'
celebrations in Janmashthami as an adventure sport.
• Sania Mirza became
the only the second tennis player to be recommended for the prestigious
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna. Other 17 sportsperson were recommended for this
year's Arjuna awards.
11th August:
• Indian born Sundar Pichai appointed as the CEO of Google.
• Indian
Government filed a suit against Maggi noodles, to pay 640 crores in damages
for alleged unfair trade practices, false labelling and misleading
advertisements.
• Supreme Court ruled that Aadhar card is not mandatory
for availing government schemes.
• Kochi became the first Indian city to
be a member of World Tourism Cities Federation Council (WTCF).
•
President of India Pranab Mukherjee presented the 24th Saraswati Sammaan for
the year 2014 to Congress MP Dr. M Veerappa Moily.
10th August:
• At least 11 people died and 20 were injured in a stampede near a temple
in Deoghar town, Jharkhand.
• Former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran has
been given three days to surrender to the CBI by the Madras High Court after
his bail is rejected.
8th August:
• The President of India has appointed Ram Nath Kovind as the Governor of
Bihar and Acharya Dev Vrat as the Governor of Himachal Pradesh.
• At
least 50 people were killed when militants attacked a police academy and a
US special forces base in Kabul.
7th August:
• India will boycott the Commonwealth Speakers' conference to be held in
Islamabad in protest against Pakistan's decision not to invite the Speaker
of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.
• Now onwards, no police verification
will be required for reissue of passports.
• The Tripura Assembly has
passed a resolution to end death penalty in the state.
• Prime Minister
Narendra Modi inaugurated the first National Handloom Day at the Centenary
Hall of Madras University, Tamil Nadu.
5th August:
• On terrorist from Pakistani captured alive after an encounter in Jammu
and Kashmir's Udhampur district in which at least two BSF jawans were killed
and 11 others injured.
• At least 29 passengers killed and 25 others
injured when coaches of two trains, Janata Express and Kamayani Express
derailed over a railway bridge in Harda district in Madhya Pradesh.
3rd August:
• The Indian Government has signed a peace accord with the NSCN-IM to
bring peace in Nagaland.
• Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has
suspended 25 of the 44 Congress MPs for five days for causing "grave
disorder" in Parliament.
• The NDA Government has decided to withdraw all
the changes it had proposed to the Land Acquisition Act passed by the UPA
government in 2013.
2nd August:
• Mumbai Cricket Association lifted five-year ban on Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan from entering the Wankhede Stadium.
1st August:
• 20 people died in landslide caused by heavy rain in Chandel district of
Manipur.
• Sports Ministry recommended name of Sania Mirza for this year
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.
• Indian-origin food scientist Harjinder
Singh has been conferred with the "International Dairy Foods Association
Award" for his contribution in improving the quality, safety and processing
efficiency of dairy food.
• Chinese capital Beijing has been chosen to
host 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
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