26-27 August 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has appointed Dr G Satheesh Reddy (Scientific Advisor of Defence Minister) as Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development & Chairman of Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) for a period of two years.
His appointment will be effective from the date of assumption of charge.
DRDO was formed in 1958 by the merger of the Technical Development Establishment and the Directorate of Technical Development and Production with the Defence Science Organisation.

Note:

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is an agency charged with the military's research and development, headquartered in New Delhi, India.
It is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence, Government of India.

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) has appointed former bureaucrat Uday Kumar Varma as its new Secretary General.
He succeeds DS Rawat.
He has extensive administrative experience at the highest levels of administration both in the Madhya Pradesh government and central government.
Mr Varma retired from the position of Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India in 2013.

Note:

ASSOCHAM was established in 1921 by promoter chambers, representing all regions of India.
The objective of this organisation is to promote both domestic and international trade and reduce trade barriers while fostering a conducive environment for the growth of trade and industry of India.

Important Dates

The Sanskrit Divas is observed every year on Shravan Purnima (26^th August 2018).
The Special functions are being organised in different parts of the country to mark the day.
Special programmes and different competitions on Sanskrit are being organised at Lal Bahadur Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth New Delhi.

US Senator John McCain (81-year) passed away after losing a battle with brain cancer.
McCain was also a Republican presidential nominee in 2008.
A fighter pilot during the Vietnam War, he spent more than five years as a prisoner of war after his plane was shot down.
While in the custody he suffered torture that left him with lasting disabilities.

The union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has inaugurated the two- day 3rd Indian Ocean Conference in Hanoi (capital of Vietnam).
This conference will serve as a platform to the countries to come closer and exchange better views on the economic & strategic importance of the region and neighbourhood.
The theme for the year is “Building Regional Architectures”.
This year around 43 countries are participating while 28 ministers and officials are set to address the event.

Note: Earlier, the conference was held in Singapore (2016) and Sri Lanka (2017).

The fourth Asian electoral stakeholder forum (AESF-IV) has begun in Colombo (Sri Lanka) to discuss the state of elections and democracy in the region.
The two-day forum is being held for the first time in South Asia with support from the Election Commission of Sri Lanka and the Asian network for free elections (ANFREL).
The AESF will be attended by more than 250 delegates from 45 countries.
The theme is, 'Advancing Election Transparency and Integrity: Promoting and Defending Democracy Together'.
The forum gives an opportunity for Asian election commissions, election observers, non-government organizations, and interstate bodies to gather and discuss the state of elections and democracy in the region.

The Minister of State for Human Resources Development Satya Pal Singh inaugurated the 24th Delhi Book Fair at the Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.
The nine-day book fair has been organised by the India Trade Promotion Organization and Federation of Indian Publishers (FIP) and (till 2^nd September 2018).
The fair is expected to garner substantial footfall as entry is free.

Note: The first New Delhi World Book Fair was held from March 18 to April 4, 1972 in roughly 6790 m2 area with 200 participants.

Former President Pranab Mukherjee has launched ‘Neta App’ that allows voters to rate and review their political representatives.
The objective of the app to foster political accountability and transparency among leaders.
The App uses a combination of Artificial Intelligence, one-time password and Aadhaar numbers to ensure that the voters who rate leaders are genuine.
The Neta App is available on Android, and iOS and web in 16 languages to cater to a diverse user profile.

According to Punjab National Bank (PNB), a Department of Financial Services report has rated it as number one state-owned bank in terms of digital transactions.
The Nirav Modi scam-hit bank is also rated as the sixth overall amongst all banks in India for digital performance.

India-born PepsiCo’s Chairman & CEO Indra Nooyi will be honoured with the 2018 Asia Game Changer of the Year award by global cultural organisation Asia Society.
The 2018 Asia Game Changer Awards will be given to the individuals or institutions who have broken barriers and in inspired their fellow citizens of the world.
Nooyi would be stepping down as CEO of PepsiCo after 12 years at the helm.

India's Tejinder Pal Singh Toor (23-year) wins the Gold medal in Men's Shot Put at the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.
He won the event with an Asian Games record throw of 20.75 meters.
It's the eighth men's Shot-Put gold for India in Asian Games history.

Note: Toor was born in Khosa Pando village in Moga district, Punjab.

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Irfan (36-year) has set a new world (most economical bowler in the T20 cricket) while playing for Barbados Tridents in the ongoing 2018 Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
He conceded just one run in his 4 overs spell against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, scalped two important wickets in the match.
Earlier, the record was registered to the names of Chris Morris (South African bowler) and Chanaka Welegedara (Sri Lanka) with an economy rate of 0.5 and 0.25, respectively.