Current Affairs Update 26 August 2018
Current Affairs is an important part for many exams. Be prepared for this section with ByScoop which brings all the important Current Affairs in one place. 26 August 2018.
G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting Held in Salta, Argentina
- The G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting 2018 was held in Salta, in the north-west of Argentina on August 23-24, 2018.
- The meet took place ahead of the 2018 G20 Summit to be held in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina by 2018 end. It will be the 13th meeting of Group of Twenty (G20).
- The G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting issued a declaration that reflects the G20’s commitment towards promoting “policies and actions that catalyze digital transformations.
- The main area of discussions was to create conditions that help governments, the private sector and civil society maximize the benefits and confront the challenges posed by technological progress.
- The other focus area of the meeting was digital inclusion, in particular the gender divide, digital government, digital infrastructure and measuring the digital economy.
- Theme of 2018 G20 Leaders’ Summit is ‘Building consensus for fair and sustainable development,’.
SpiceJet Operates India’s First Test Flight Powered by Bio-Fuel
- Budget passenger carrier SpiceJet conducted India’s first test flight partially powered by bio-fuel. The flight operated from Dehradun to IGI Airport Terminal 2 at Delhi.
- The initiative aims to reduce costs of air travel by replacing the costly aviation turbine fuel .
- A concoction of bio-fuel (75% air turbine fuel (ATF) and 25% biojet fuel) powered one of the turbine engines of a SpiceJet’s Q400 turboprop flight. This biofuel is developed by CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP), Dehradun.
- Globally, bio-fuel powered flights are operated in Canada.
- The biofuel is made partially from renewable resources such as agricultural residues, non-edible oils and bio-degradable fractions of industrial and municipal wastes
Anil Ambani resigns as Director, Reliance Naval and Engineering
- Anil D Ambani has resigned as the Director of Reliance Naval and Engineering Ltd (RNAVAL) with immediate effect.
- Ambani resigned in compliance with provisions of Section 165 of the Companies Act, 2013, prescribing the limit on directorships to only 10 public companies.
- Reliance Naval and Engineering Limited operates the country’s largest integrated shipbuilding facility and has obtained a license and contract to build warships. It has the largest engineering infrastructure in India and is one of the largest in the world.
Fraud-Hit PNB Ranked As Best State-Run Bank For Digital Transactions
- Punjab National Bank (PNB), which was recently hit by a multi billion dollar fraud by manipulation of its financial messaging, Swift system, has been ranked as the topmost PSU bank in the overall digital transactions category in India.
- The report by the DFS (Department of Financial Services), Ministry of Finance, states that PNB’s average percentage of technical declines is only 0.83 per cent of the total transactions.
- It has been rated as the sixth best in the overall category amongst all banks in India for digital performance.
- The bank is rated as ‘Good’ by the government with a score of ’71’ which is the highest category of performance.
Venkatesh Shetty wins JK Tyre Monsoon Scooter Rally
- Mumbai based defending champion Venkatesh Shetty has won the JK Tyre 29th Monsoon Scooter Rally held on August 25.
- He completed the 5-kilometre loop thrice in Sarul Village near Nashik in just 19 minutes and 13 seconds.
- Zeeshan Sayed, also from Mumbai, claimed the second place while TVS Racing’s Syed Asif Ali took the third place, finishing the entire stretch in 21 minutes and 36 seconds, and 22 minutes and 19 seconds, respectively.
- The popular FMSCI-approved scooter rally, organised by Sportscraft, had been shifted from Mumbai to Nashik this year.
Adityanath lauds doctors for being named for Dr BC Roy award
- Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath congratulated three doctors from the state for being named by the Medical Council of India (MCI) for the coveted Dr BC Roy National Award.
- M.L.B Bhatt, Rakesh Kapoor and Deepak Agarwal have been recognised for the award from Uttar Pradesh.
- The award is given to recognize the contribution of doctors in the field of medicine.
- While SGPGI director Prof Rakesh Kapoor and KGMU vice-chancellor Prof MLB Bhatt have been awarded in the ‘eminent medical teacher’ category, Dr Deepak Agarwal, gasteroenterologist has been awarded for his contribution in the field of gastroentrology in the category ‘to recognise the best talents in development of specialities in different branches in medicines.
Julie Bishop resigns as Australia Foreign Minister
- Julie Bishop, 62, has resigned as the Australian Foreign Minister, after newly-appointed Prime Minister Scott Morrison named his cabinet following his win in a bruising leadership contest.
- Morrison has announced that New South Wales Senator Marise Payne would take over as Foreign Minister.
US Senator and Former Presidential Candidate John McCain Passes Away
- US senator John McCain died after losing a battle to brain cancer. He was 81.
- He was an American politician and naval officer who served as a United States Senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death.
- He previously served two terms in the United States House of Representatives and was the Republican nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 election, which he lost to Barack Obama.
Former India ODI opener Gopal Bose passes away
- Former India One-Day International (ODI) cricketer Gopal Bose has died after suffering a massive cardiac arrest. He was 71.
- Bengal based right-handed batsman Bose, played for India in one ODI at the Oval against England in 1974.
- A knock of 170 for Rest of India in the Irani Trophy match against Bombay in 1973-74 brought him closer to national selection.
Malayalam director K.K. Haridas dead
- Malayalam film director K.K. Haridas passed away in Kochi following a heart attack.
- Haridas, 52, started his career as an assistant in the 80s and since then has worked as an associate in 48 films before turning into a full time director. He has directed a total of 20 films.