Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2017

Notes:
Saina Nehwal from India has won bronze in the 2017 women’s singles World Badminton championships (WBC). In the first women’s singles semi-final at Glasgow, Nehwal lost to Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in three games 12-21, 21-17, 21-10. It must be noted that Okuhara is the first shuttler from Japan to reach the finals of World Championship. Apart from this, Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu from India has won 2nd Women’s Singles semi-final by defeating Chinese Chen Yufei 21-13 21-10 on August 26, 2017 and reached at finals of the World championship.

Notes:
Lewis Hamilton, a British racing driver who races in Formula One for the Mercedes AMG Petronas team, has won the 2017 Belgian Grand Prix at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Stavelot, Belgium on August 27, 2017.

Notes:
The 2nd edition of Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) will be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on August 31, 2017 with theme “Peace, progress, and prosperity”. The 2-day conference is being co-hosted by the India Foundation, a Delhi-based think tank, in collaboration with RSIS, Singapore, and NIFS, Colombo — both research and study centers. The representatives from around 35 countries are expected to participate in the event. From India, External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj will participate in the conference. The conference will also be attended by officials from the USA, Australia and Germany among others.

Notes:
Dhruv Garg, an Indian-origin boy from Wokingham in south east England, in the United Kingdom (UK) has got the highest possible score of 162 on a Mensa IQ test that placed him in the top 1% people in the world who achieved this feat. Garg, who goes to Reading School, a grammar in Berkshire, has also been developing an app to combat social isolation by helping lonely people meet up. The app connects people who live in the same area who want to meet new people. Mensa is believed to be the largest and oldest high IQ society in the world. Membership is open to anyone who can demonstrate an IQ in the top two per cent of the population, measured by a recognised or approved IQ testing process.

Notes:
Ashish kumar Chauhan has been re-appointed as the new Managing Director and CEO of Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) for the period of 5 years from November 2, 2017 to November 1, 2022. For this, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has recently gave its approval to re-appoint Chauhan as MD and CEO of the company for next 5 years.

Notes:
Rajnath Singh, the Union Home Minister, has inaugurated the YUVA – a skill development programme and an initiative by Delhi Police under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) on August 29, 2017. The initiative will engage street children and youth, providing them with opportunities to hone their skills and utilise it professionally through skill development training. For YUVA initiative, Delhi Police has tied up with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for providing mass job linked skill training for the selected youth. The NSDC will provide skill training to the youth under PMKVY and CII will provide job linked training through its Sector Skill Councils who are connected to industry and thereby provide job guarantee.

Notes:
Sumiteru Taniguchi (88), the prominent nuclear disarmament campaigner and peace activist, has passed away in Nagasaki, Japan on August 30. He was the survivor of the 1945 atomic bombing of Nagasaki and a prominent activist for a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons, and chairman of the Nagasaki Council of the A-Bomb Sufferers. He was 16 when the atomic attack happened, and was about 1.8 kilometers away from ground zero when the bomb hit. He suffered severe burns on his back. He appealed for the support of survivors and elimination of nuclear weapons throughout his life. Ten years after the bombing, Taniguchi formed a group with other survivors who experienced the ordeal.

Notes:
Rajiv Mehrishi, the former home secretary, will be the new Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India. He will replace the present incumbent Shashi Kant Sharma who completes his term on September 30, 2017. Meanwhile, three senior bureaucrats were appointed as Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General. They are Ashwini Attri, Anita Pattanayak and Ranjan Kumar Ghose.

Notes:
The Tanintharyi National Park (TNP) is located at the Tenasserim Hills, Myanmar and covers an area of 2072 km2. The main purposes of the park are habitat conservation. It is home to Sambar Deer, Asian Elephant, Barking Deer, Serow, Red Goral, Malayan tapir, tiger, Leopard and a number of bird species.

Notes:
Sunil Arora, a 1980 batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, has been appointed as the new Election Commissioner (EC). The appointment will take effect from the date he assumes the charge. Presently, Achal Kumar Joti is the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) & Om Prakash Rawat is the other Election Commissioner. Arora is the former Information and Broadcasting Secretary and Secretary in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.