Current Affairs August 2018 eBook PDF

MAJOR NEWS AND EVENTS: AUGUST 2018 

01 August 2018

• The Union Cabinet gave its nod to a Bill to restore the original provisions of a law on atrocities against Dalits and tribals.
• The Reserve Bank of India today hiked its repo rate by 25 basis points, for the second consecutive time.

02 August 2018

• Apple Inc became the first $1 trillion publicly listed US company in the World.
• The Lok Sabha unanimously passes the Bill for constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC).

03 August 2018

• Lok Sabha passes National Sports University Bill to establish a National Sports University in Manipur to promote sports education.03 August 2018
• DRDO conducted the successful test of the Ballistic Missile Interceptor Advanced Area Defence (AAD) at from Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha.

04 August 2018

• Justice Geeta Mittal was today appointed as the Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, becoming the first woman judge in the history to head it.
• India has become the first south Asian to get the Strategic Trade Authorisation-1 (STA-1) status. This status will pave way for high-technology product sales to India, particularly in civil space and defence sectors.
• Indian-origin mathematician Akshay Venkatesh gets prestigious Fields Medal.

05 August 2018

• President Ram Nath Kovind has given assent to a law that will deter fugitive economic offenders to evade legal process in India and flee the country.
• India shuttler PV Sindhu settled for the silver medal after losing her BWF Badminton World Championships final clash to Spain’s Carolina Marin by 19-21, 10-21 at Nanjing, China.

06 August 2018

• India became home to the world’s first-ever thermal battery plant, that was inaugurated in Andhra Pradesh. This plant aims to create a new energy storage form that is expected to have commercial applications, while also maintaining a low carbon footprint.
• Chief Justice Gita Mittal has been appointed as the Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court (HC). She is the acting Chief Justice of Delhi HC. She is the first woman Chief Justice of J&K HC.
• Virat Kohli became the fastest captain to reach 7000 international runs. Brian Lara was the fastes

07 August 2018

• Five-time Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M Karunanidhi died at a hospital in Chennai at the age of 94. He was admitted to the hospital on July 28 after he contracted urinary tract infection and developed a high fever.
• Senior Congress leader and long-time aide of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Rajinder Kumar Dhawan passed away at the age of 81 years in Delhi.

09 August 2018

• First-time lawmaker Harivansh from Janata Dal United had been elected as the Rajya Sabha deputy chairman. He was declared the winning candidate with 125 votes, while United Progressive Alliance’s (UPA’s) B K Hariprasad received 105 votes.
• NDA candidate Harivansh Narayan Singh was elected the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman with 125 votes. The Opposition candidate BK Hariprasad managed to get 105 votes.

10 August 2018

• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has made it legal that a digital copy of documents such as driving license and a vehicle’s registration, insurance etc. which are stored in Digilocker or mParivahan mobile app, will now be accepted legally along with the actual physical documents.
• The Monsoon Session of the Parliament is concluded today. It is the most productive session for Lok Sabha since 2000.
• 26 people died in the flood caused by heavy monsoon rains in Kerala.

12 August 2018

• Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh formally inducted India’s first all Women SWAT Commando unit into Delhi Police.
• Nobel Prize-winning writer V.S. Naipaul from Trinidad died in London at the age of 85. VS Naipaul was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 2001.
• Israel opened a visa application centre in the city of Kolkata for tourists from West Bengal and north eastern states. Visa applications in the jurisdiction under the New Delhi centre would also be accepted here.

13 August 2018

• Former Lok Sabha Speaker and 10 times Member of Parliament, Somnath Chatterjee died at the age of 89 in Kolkata.
• Union Government published the inaugural ‘Ease of Living Index’, where Pune, Navi Mumbai and Greater Mumbai from Maharashtra were ranked today India’s three most livable places. Rampur in Uttar Pradesh figured at the bottom of the livability index released by the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry.

 

14 August 2018

• The President of India Ram Nath Kovind addresses the nation on the eve of 72nd Independence Day.
• The Indian rupee value crashed to all-time low of 70.09 against the US dollar.

15 August 2018

• 72nd Independence Day is celebrated in India.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation from Red Fort. He announced the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Abhiyaan, a national healthcare scheme that will “impact 50 crore Indians”.
• Addressing the nation on the 72nd Independence Day, PM Narendra Modi said, ‘India has registered its name as the sixth largest economy in the world.

16 August 2018

• Former Prime Minister and Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee passes away this evening just past 5 pm at the age of 93 years. He was admitted to AIIMS with a kidney tract infection and chest congestion on June 11. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was Prime Minister for 13 days in 1996, 13 months in 1998 and for five years from 1999.
• Former cricket captain Ajit Wadekar died at the age of 77 after a prolonged illness at Jaslok Hopsital in South Mumbai. Wadekar led India to their first overseas win in England and the West Indies in 1971.

17 August 2018

• Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee cremated in New Delhi with full state honours.
• The death toll in the recent rain- and flood-related incidents across Kerala rose to 164. More than 1.5 lakh people have been shifted to 1,200 relief camps.
• Imran Khan elected as the next Prime Minister of Pakistan by Pakistan lawmakers in the National Assembly.

18 August 2018

• Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan took oath as Pakistan’s new prime minister. Khan, the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), secured 176 votes while his only rival and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Sharif got 96 votes, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser announced.
• Former United Nations Secretary General and Nobel Peace Laureate Kofi Annan died at the age of 80 at a hospital in Bern, Switzerland.
• The Asian Games 2018 starts from today with a opening ceremony at the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) main stadium in Jakarta, Indonesian. 10,000 athletes from 45 countries compete in 58 games in Asian Games 2018. Form India, 572 athletes will took part in this mega event.
• The 11th World Hindi Conference inaugurated in Mauritius.

19 August 2018

• India captain Virat Kohli became India’s highest run-getting Test skipper overseas. Virat Kohli achieved the milestone during Day 1 of 3rd Test. The record was previously held by former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly, who has 1693 runs to his name.
• Apurvi Chandela-Ravi Kumar gets India’s first medal in Asian Games 2018 with Bronze In 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team Event.
• Wrestler Bajrang Punia gives India its first gold medal in the Asian Games 2018. Bajrang defeated Takatani Daichi of Japan 11-8 in the Men’s 65kg wrestling.

20 August 2018

• Vinesh Phogat becomes the first Indian female gold medal winner at the Asiad after defeating Japan’s Yuki Irie in Women’s Freestyle 50 kg gold medal match.
• The United States government has awarded the Legion of Merit (Degree of Commander) to General Dalbir Singh Suhag (Retired), of the Indian Army, for exceptionally meritorious service as chief of the Army staff, Indian Army.

21 August 2018

• Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik has been appointed as the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. He will replace Present Governor NN Vohra.
• Shah Mahmood Qureshi was appointed as Pakistan’s Foreign Minister as Prime Minister Imran Khan approved a 20-member cabinet, Information Minister-designate Fawad Chaudhry said.

22 August 2018

• Bakrid is celebrated today.
• Senior BJP leader Lalji Tandon has been appointed the Governor of Bihar. Kaptan Singh Solanki, the Governor of Haryana, has been transferred to Tripura, while Satyadev Narayan Arya will be the new Haryana governor. Tripura governor Tathagata Roy has been transferred to Meghalaya, and Ganga Prasad, the Governor of Meghalaya, has been transferred to Sikkim. Baby Rani Maurya will be the new Governor of Uttarakhand.
• India’s men’s hockey team cruised to their biggest ever tournament win at the Asian Games with a 26-0 win over Hong Kong.
• Rahi Sarnobat became the first Indian female shooter to win gold at the Asian Games, achieving the rare feat in 25m air pistol final in Palembang, Indonesia.

23 August 2018

• Saurabh Chaudhary, all of 16, became the youngest Indian shooter to win an Asian Games gold medal as he trumped a field comprising multiple world and Olympic champions in the 10m air pistol finals.
• Eminent Indian writer and journalist Kuldip Nayar passed away in New Delhi following a brief illness. He was 95.
• The state government of Chhattisgarh has decided to rename the state’s new capital city Naya Raipur as Atal Nagar in the memory of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The decision was taken during the state’s cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Raman Singh.
• The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), Bengaluru has been ranked as the second fastest growing among top 20 major airports in the world during the first half of 2018.

24 August 2018

• The Odisha Government has tied up with Japan for its mega investment Conclave 2018 to take place in November this year. The state has already identified 600 acres near capital city Bhubaneswar that could serve as a dedicated industrial park for Japanese investors.
• Union minister Arun Jaitley has resumed charge of the ministries of finance and corporate affairs after a hiatus of over 100 days, during which he underwent a surgery for kidney ailment.
• Treasurer Scott Morrison has been elected the new Prime Minister of Australia after winning an internal vote of 45-40 against former Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton.

25 August 2018

• Aerospace scientist G Satheesh Reddy was on Saturday appointed the Chairman of the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) and Secretary in the Department of Defence Research and Development (DDR&D).

• Lalji Tandon, the Senior BJP leader from Uttar Pradesh, was sworn in as Governor of Bihar. Mr.Tandon was administered the oath of office by Patna High Court Chief Justice Mukesh Rasik Bhai Shah.

26 August 2018

• The highest pollution is due to transport in the national capital of Delhi. At the same time, Madhya Pradesh’s capital Bhopal has the lowest level of pollution. The Center for Science and Environment (CSE) has released the report named The Urban Commute after studying 14 cities in the country.
• G Satheesh Reddy has been appointed as the chairman of DRDO for a two year term. He will also be the Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development (DoDRD).He will be replacing Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra who was holding the position as an additional charge after the retirement of S Christopher.
• Atal Ji Ne Kaha is the latest of the books on the BJP patriarch and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee launched with a message by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who says the life of the stalwart from Jana Sangh days to “sanyas” from politics in 2007 is a golden document, dedicated to the nation. It was Authored and compiled by Brijendra Rehi.
• India’s Tejinder Pal Singh Toor wins the Gold medal in Men’s Shot Put final at the 18th Asian Games in Indonesia. He brought India its seventh gold medal by winning the men’s shot put event with an Asian Games record throw of 20.75 meters in Jakarta.

27 August 2018

• Neeraj Chopra wins India’s first javelin gold medal in Asian Games history. He managed a personal best throw of 88.06 to win the top prize in javelin throw.

28 August 2018

• PV Sindhu wins individual silver medal at the Asian Games after losing the women’s singles final to World No. 1 Tai Tzu Ying on Tuesday by 13-21, 16-21. Sindhu is the first Indian that had ever reached the final of a badminton singles event at the Asian Games.
• India’s Manjit Singh won the gold in the men’s 800 metres event while Jinson Johnson clinched the silver medal in men’s 800 metres in Asian Games.

29 August 2018

• The National Sports Day in India is celebrated today on the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand.
• Swapna Barman clinched India’s first-ever heptathlon gold at Asian Games 2018. Also Arpinder Singh won the men’s triple jump final to clinch gold. Dutee Chand wins silver in women’s 200m.

31 August 2018

• The GDP or gross domestic product grew 8.2 per cent in the April-June period, which is the highest level of economic growth recorded since the July-September period in 2014-15.
• Virat Kohli became the second fastest batsman from India after Sunil Gavaskar to complete 6000 runs during the ongoing fourth Test between India and England at Southampton.