CURRENT GK
1.Summer Olympics Host : Paris , Los Angels :-
Paris will host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. Los Angeles will host the 2028 Summer Olympics after reaching a deal with Olympic organisers.
The Los Angeles Olympics and Paralympics bid committee in cooperation with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
IOC president- Thomas Bach
2.Eminent Dhrupad singer Ustad Dagar passes away :-
Ustad Hussain Sayeeduddin Dagar, maestro and custodian of the venerable Dhrupad tradition of Hindustani classical music and a member of the eminent Dagar family, passed away.
Dhrupad – a Sanskrit portmanteau of Dhruva (immovable) and Pad (verse) has its roots since ancient times, mentioned as early as the 3rd Century B.C. in the Natyashastra.
3.Cabinet approves MoU between India and BRICs countries to set up BRICS Agriculture Research Platform :-
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed among India and various BRICs countries for establishment of the BRICS Agriculture Research Platform (BRICS-ARP).
4.Jadeja maintains top position ICC Test Rankings :-
According to the latest ICC Test Rankings Ravindra Jadeja maintained his top position in the bowlers’ list while Indian skipper Virat Kohli remained stayed at fifth place in the batting charts.
The batting list is being topped by Australia captain Steve Smith followed by England’s Joe Root and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson.
In the bowlers’ chart, Ravichandran Ashwin replaced Sri Lanka captain Rangana Herath to claim the second spot back. Herath is third in the rankings.
In the all-rounders’ list Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan is still maintained at the top, Jadeja and Ashwin also maintained second and third ranks respectively.
5.7th Meeting of BRICS Trade Ministers- Shanghai :-
The 7th Meeting of BRICS Trade Ministers was held in Shanghai from 1-2 August. A six-member delegation led by Commerce and Industry Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, along with Ambassador J.S. Deepak, PR to WTO participated in the meetings.Mr. Zhong Shan, Minister of Commerce from China, presided over the meetings.
A collective courtesy call on Vice Premier Wang Yang was also organized for the BRICS Trade Ministers on 2nd August forenoon. Separately, a bilateral meeting between Commerce and Industry Minister (CIM) and Chinese Commerce Minister was also held on 1st August forenoon.
6.Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) issues advisory to State functionaries :-
Behaviour change is the key to Swachh Bharat Mission’s success. In past three years, tireless effortsmade by thousands of government officials, grassroots leaders, volunteers and Swachhagrahishave made it possible that the number of ODF(Open Defecation Free) States has today gone up to 5, that of ODF districts has gone up to 156, and the number of ODF villages has crossed the 2 lakh mark.
People from all walks of life have shown an exemplary commitment towards making India open defecation free (ODF), and have transformed the Swachh Bharat Mission into a true jan-aandolan.
7.Contest for designing of Logo for the prestigious “Women of India Festival” :-
The Ministry of Women & Child Development has launched a Contest for designing a logo for the prestigious “Women of India Festival’ to be held at Dilli Haat in October 2017. It’s an opportunity for designers who aspire to see their creation displayed on a National platform.
The Women of India Festival offers the biggest selection of organic products prepared or grown by women. The event is organised and fully sponsored by Ministry of Women & Child Development, as part of their major initiative of economic empowerment of women. The festival is visited by lakhs of visitors & buyers, both national and international.
The WCD Ministry has wished to engage voluntary contribution of citizens to design a mark of identification for this important event. Details of the contest are available on the Facebook & Twitter accounts of Ministry WCD (@MinistryWCD). Last date to submit entries is August 21, 2017.
8.Donald Trump signs Russia sanctions Bill into law: White House :-
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed legislation imposing new sanctions on Russia into law, a White House official said on Wednesday.
The U.S. Congress voted last week by overwhelming margins for sanctions to punish the Russian government over interference in the 2016 presidential election, annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea and other perceived violations of international norms.
9.Day in numbers: RBI’s rate cut, and the Kuwait invasion :-
Amount cut in the key lending rate by RBI on Wednesday citing fall in inflation. The rate at which the RBI lends to banks now stands at 6%.
The last date for e-filing income-tax returns this year. It has been extended from July 31.
Number of farmer suicides in India over the past 30 years that can be linked to global warming, according to a study published by Tamma Carleton, a researcher at the University of California at Berkeley in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
10.Banks should reduce rates for existing borrowers too: RBI :-
With commercial banks having a tendency to reduce interest rates only for prospective customers in order to push new business, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Urjit Patel said he expected lenders to pass on lower loan costs to borrowers who had not received the full benefit of the reductions in the policy rate.
On Wednesday, the RBI cut the policy repo rate by 25 basis points (bps) to 6%. A percentage point comprises 100 bps.
11.SEBI acts against former directors of MCX, FTIL :-
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has ordered the freezing of assets of some of the former directors of Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) and 63 Moons Technologies — formerly known as Financial Technologies India Ltd.
(FTIL) — for alleged trading in the shares of these companies on the basis on unpublished price sensitive information at a time when the National Spot Exchange Ltd. (NSEL) was facing regulatory probes.
