Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2017

Notes:
The first edition of Rural Games or Grameen Khel Mahotsav will kick-start from Delhi and will take place between 28th August to 3rd September 2017. The purpose of the Rural Games is to popularize the indigenous games like wrestling and athletics and will also have fun games like Matka Race, Tug of War for senior citizens. In the first stage, the games will be held in Alipur, Mehrauli, Nangloi, Najafgarh and Shahadara where ten thousand youngsters will participate. The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports will also launch sports talent search portal. The portal will enable any person from across country to upload his information and as per that the Ministry will tap their talent and train them further in their respective disciplines.

Notes:
Japanese shuttler Nozomi Okuhara has won the 2017 women’s singles World Badminton championships (WBC) by defeating P V Sindhu in the final by 12-21, 21-17, 21-10 at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland. With this, Sindhu had to settle for silver in the championship. Earlier, Saina Nehwal ended her campaign with a bronze. The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has announced cash award of Rs 10 lakh for Sindhu and Rs five lakh for Saina following their medal winning performances at the world Championships. Sindhu, who had won bronze twice in the 2013 and 2014 editions, became only the second Indian to win a silver medal after Saina Nehwal had achieved the feat in the last edition at Jakarta in 2015.

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:
Ahmed Khan (90), legendary footballer and Olympian, has passed away in Bengaluru on August 27, 2017. He is best remembered for his role in the 1948 Olympics in London, where India lost its first-round match in heartbreaking fashion to France but made a deep impression on the public. He was also part of the Indian sides that won gold at the Asian Games of 1951 and went to the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, will be remembered as a gifted inside-left who mesmerised spectators with his ball control. Khan was also known for being an East Bengal legend and was a part of the famous ‘Pancha Pandavas’ of red and gold. The other four were Venkatesh, Saleh, Appa Rao and Dhanraj.

Notes:
The Indian Commodity Exchange (ICEX) has become the world’s first derivatives exchange to launch diamond futures contract. Initially, the contracts are launched in size of 1 carat with compulsory delivery. This will create an entirely new market for the diamond players where sellers can deliver their certified diamonds to different buyers.The launch will also lead to efficient price discovery based on demand and supply and a nationwide market participation. Till date, over 100 members and around 4,000 clients have registered with the exchange. The exchange will offer a fair, transparent and nationwide market, bringing in large market participation into diamond trade. It will result in efficient price discovery and provide an effective hedging platform for all stakeholders. The new exchange will be able to make a meaningful contribution towards further development of commodity markets.

Notes:
Lawachara National Park (LNP) is located at Kamalganj Upazila, Maulvi Bazar District of Bangladesh and covers an area of 12.5 km2. It is a major national park and nature reserve in Bangladesh. There are 460 species, of which 167 species are plants, 4 amphibian species, 6 reptile species, 246 bird species, 20 mammal species, and 17 insect species. The park is considered of critical importance because the last viable population of critically endangered Western Hoolock Gibbons survive here.

Notes:
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has launched the world’s first IAEA Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) bank at the Ulba Metallurgical Plant (UMP) in Oskemen, Kazakhstan. The $150 million facility will help ensure a steady supply of low enriched uranium for countries’ nuclear power programmes. The bank is owned and managed by IAEA. It is the first of its kind LEU bank not to be under control of any individual country. The IAEA LEU Bank will be a physical reserve of up to 90 metric tons of low enriched uranium suitable to make fuel for a typical light water reactor, the most widely used type of nuclear power reactor worldwide. The LEU Bank will serve as a last-resort mechanism to provide confidence to countries that they will be able to obtain LEU for the manufacture of fuel for nuclear power plants in the event of an unforeseen, non-commercial disruption to their supplies. The LEU can be used to make enough nuclear fuel to power a large city for three years.

Notes:
Yogi Adityanath, the Uttar Pradesh chief Minister, has launched the Startup Yatra programme in Lucknow on August 30, 2017. Beside this, the government has also launch a mobile application and a call centre for startups. As per programme, the state government will provide financial assistance of Rs 15 thousand per month and maximum Rs 10 lakh rupees in a year to those who will begin startups. For this, the state government will soon sign MoU with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). Under this policy, the government will appoint one person in each district of the state who with the use of technology will develop a brand product and connect it with the concerned district.

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:
Dr. R.K. Raghavan, a 1963 cadre IPS officer, has been appointed as the new High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Cyprus and is expected to take up the assignment shortly. Raghavan, who was Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director from January 1999 to April 2001, had investigated high profile cases like Priyadarshini Mattoo murder case, 2000 South Africa cricket match fixing, 2002 Gujarat riots. Prior to this, he was the director-general of Tamil Nadu’s State Vigilance Directorate from 1993 to 1999. He oversaw probe into corruption cases against AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa. After his retirement, Raghavan was also corporate security adviser with Tata Consultancy Services and served as consulting adviser to O P Jindal’s Board of Management.