G.K Updates

International News

Greece exits final bailout successfully

• Greece has successfully exited its final three-year bailout program agreed in August 2015.
• Package was agreed to help it cope with the continued fallout from a debt crisis.
• The ESM has disbursed 61.9 billion euros over three years in support of macroeconomic adjustment and bank recapitalization.

Greece

• Capital – Athens
• President – Prokopis Pavlopopulous
• Prime Minister – Alexis Tsipras
• Currency – Euro

European Stability Mechanism

• Founded on 27 September, 2012
• Membership – 19 (all member states of the Eurozone)
• Located in Luxembourg City
• Purpose - To safeguard and provide instant access to financial assistance programmes for member states of the Eurozone in financial difficulty, with a maximum lending capacity of €500 billion.

Person/Events/Awards

Former Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh awarded with US ‘Legion of Merit’

• Former Army chief Gen Dalbir Singh has been awarded with United States (US) 'Legion of Merit'.
• The award was given to him for his exceptionally meritorious service as Chief of Army Staff from August 2014 to December 2016.

Person/Events/Awards

World Mosquito Day: 20th August

• World Mosquito Day is observed on 20th August every year.
• It is commemorated by British Doctor Sir Ronald Ross’s discovery in 1897 that female mosquitos transmit Malaria between humans.

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine holds Mosquito Day celebrations every year.

Person/Events/Awards

Former UN chief Kofi Annan pass away

• Kofi Annan former UN chief Kofi Annan passed away at the age of 80.
• He was the only black African to become UN secretary General.
• He served two terms as UN chief from 1997 to 2006.
• He was awarded Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work.
• The Kofi Annan Foundation described him as “global statesman”.

Person/Events/Awards

Sushma Swaraj inaugurates Panini Language Lab in Mauritius

• External Affairs Minister inaugurated ‘Panini Language Laboratory’ at Mahatma Gandhi Institute (MGI) in Mauritius.
• The lab is gifted by Indian Government.
• It will help MGI to teach Indian Languages in Mauritius.

Mauritius

• Capital – Port Louis
• Currency - Mauritian Rupee
• President - Barlen Vyapoory
• Prime Minister - Pravind Jugnauth

Person/Events/Awards

World’s first – ever 4D printing for ceramics developed

• Chinese researchers have developed the world’s first-ever 4D printing for ceramics that are mechanically robust and can have complex sha
• It will offer broad potential applications in telecommunications, electronics and even space exploration.
• Its ceramic ink is a mixture of polymers and ceramic Nano particles.

4D printing is conventional 3D printing combined with the additional element of time as the fourth dimension, where the printed objects can re-shape or self-assemble themselves over time with external stimuli, such as mechanical force, temperature, or a magnetic field.

Appointments

SS Mundra appointed Independent Director of Indiabulls Housing Finance

• Subhash Sheoratan Mundra has been appointed as Independent Director on the Board of Indiabulls Housing Finance for a period of three years.
• Previously, he was chairman of Bank of Baroda and an executive director at Union Bank of India.
• He left RBI in July, 2017.
• He was the nominated member on the G20 Forum’s Financial Stability Board.
• He was the Vice-Chairman on the OECD's International Network on Financial Education 

Indiabulls Housing Finance

• It has presence in Real Estate, Infrastructure, Housing Finance and Securities.
• Founded in 2000.
• Headquarters – Gurgaon
• Corporate Office – Mumbai

Sports

Deepak Kumar wins silver in 10m air rifle in Asian Games

• Deepak Kumar after a shot of 247.7 claimed silver in 10m air rifle in Asian Games.
• China’s Haoran Yang won the gold in the game with a score of 249.1.

Asian Games

• Officially known as 18^th Asian Games.
• Also known as Jakarta Palembang 2018.
• Scheduled from 18 August to 2^nd September in Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang.

Sports

Novak Djokovic makes history with Cincinnati Masters victory over Roger Federer

• Former world number one Novak Djokovic became the first player to win all nine Masters 1,000 tournaments with victory over Roger Federer in Cincinnati.

Earlier kiki Bertens held off a championship point over world number one Simona Halep in the WTA tournament.