Latest Current Affairs – August 31 2018
1. Mumbai airport renamed as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport
Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport was renamed as Chhatrapati Shivaji ‘Maharaj’ International Airport. The Maharashtra government on December 8 decided to insert the word ‘Maharaj’ to the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport as it felt the Maratha warrior king deserved to be paid more respect. A proposal was passed in the Assembly and forwarded to the Centre in December 2016. Mumbai’s airport was formerly known as Sahar International Airport. It was renamed as Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in 1999.
2. Royal Challengers Bangalore appoint Gary Kirsten as coach and mentor
IPL side Royal Challengers Bangalore have appointed India’s 2011 World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten as their new head coach. The former South African batsman Gary Kirsten is replacing former New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori, who served as the team’s coach from 2013. Kirsten also briefly served as the coach of the South African national team and another IPL franchise Delhi Daredevils.
3. MRPL is to be merged with HPCL
Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) is on discussion with ONGC to merge its subsidiary Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) with itself. HPCL is owned by ONGC. The Centre has transferred its 51% stake in HPCL to ONGC for Rs. 36,915 crore, in early 2018. HPCL owns 17% stake in MRPL while its parent ONGC holds a majority 71.63% stake in the company.
4. Vodafone-Idea merger completed, becomes India’s biggest telco
Idea Cellular and Vodafone have merged their operations and have officially become operational as a single entity under the name ‘Vodafone Idea Limited’. After National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) cleared the merger on August 31, Vodafone Idea topples Bharti Airtel as the largest telecom service provider in India with a subscriber base of over 408 million. The Board has appointed Balesh Sharma as the CEO of Vodafone-Idea.
5. MoU signed between Department of Biotechnology and International Energy Agency
The main aim of the MOU is to deepen cooperation in support of clean energy innovations to accelerate the research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) of clean energy technologies. India and will help support the generation of data for policy making and improve knowledge of good policy practices for innovation in India and around the world.
6. India and ADB sign $375 Million loan to improve Irrigation Efficiency in Madhya Pradesh
The Madhya Pradesh Irrigation Efficiency Improvement Project will develop 125,000 hectares of new, highly efficient and climate resilient irrigation networks.
- Asian Development Bank is a regional development Bank established in 1966.
- Headquarters of ADB is in Manila, Philippines.
- Takehiko Nakao is Present President of the Asian Development Bank.
7. Arunachal Pradesh is threatened by high water discharge from China
Arunachal Pradesh is threatened by the high water discharge from China. This is the highest discharge of water in the last 50 years. The unusually high discharge might submerge at least 12 villages along the river Siang in Arunachal Pradesh. It is expected that the sudden release of water may be from man-made barriers or a natural dam that was formed due to landslides caused by major earthquakes in the Tibetan region of China in November 2017.
8. Census revealed that the population of Nilgiri tahr has increased
A recent census has revealed that the population of the Nilgiri tahr, an endangered mountain goat, at the Mukurthi National Park has grown by 18% from 480 to 568 in the last two years. The population estimation exercise was conducted by the Forest Department and the Department of Zoology and Wildlife Biology, Government Arts College, Udhagamandalam.
Nilgiri tahr also faces several threats. The continuing spread of invasive species of flora, such as wattle and pine, and exotic weeds like the scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) and gorse diminish the grazing land for the tahrs. The Forest Department is stepping up efforts to eliminate those weeds in over 125 hectares of Shola grasslands.
