Current Affairs Aug 12, 2015

DOWNLOAD PDF

1. Sundar Pichai an Indian to be CEO of Google: Sundar Pichai 43, born in Chennai in 1972 and alumnus of IIT Kharagpur has been appointed as CEO of Google.

2. Aadhaar not mandatory says Supreme Court: Leaving the decision to sign up for Aadhaar entirely to citizens, the Supreme Court ordered that “balance of interest” was better served if obtaining the unique identity number was made optional and not mandatory.

3. Soon ISRO space programmes will use indigenously made titanium sponge : The titanium sponge plant initiated and sponsored by the Indian Space Research Organisation nine years back became operational at Chavara in Kerala . Only six other countries produce titanium sponge commercially. The ISRO can now fully bank on made in India titanium sponge that goes into making its satellites and launch vehicle parts.

4. Government sues Nestle for Rs. 639 crores : The Union government filed a class action suit against Swiss manufacturer of Maggi noodles seeking Rs. 639 crore in damages for alleged unfair trade practices, false labelling and misleading advertisement.

5. Suhasini Haidar wins Prem Bhatia Award : The Prem Bhatia Memorial Award for the Best Political Reporting-2015 was awarded to Suhasini Haidar, Diplomatic and Strategic Affairs Editor with The Hindu.

6. China devalues currency by 1.9 per cent : The People’s Bank of China (PBoC), China’s central bank, decided to devalue the Yuan, also known as the renminbi, by 1.9%, the largest devaluation in two decades. China ‘s shock 2% devaluation of the Yuan pushed the dollar higher and raised the prospect of a new round of currency wars. This is also expected to hurt the Indian exports.

7. SEBI notifies ‘fast-track’ route for share sales: To boost fund raising from markets, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), notified new norms, which will provide all listed companies a ‘fast-track’ route for share sales.

8. SBI first quarter net up by 10.25 %: State Bank of India (SBI), reported a net profit of Rs.3,692 crore for the first quarter ended June, 2015, which was up by 10.25 per cent compared to Rs.3,349 crore recorded in the corresponding period of the last financial year.

9. Sania recommended for Khel Ratna: Sania Mirza was recommended for this year’s Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, while 17 others were picked for the Arjuna Award at a meeting of the awards committee at Delhi.

10. Courts cannot decide on Santhara, says Jain priest: The Digambar Jain Samaj sees the Rajasthan high court order banning its religious ritual, Santhara or fasting to death, as an interference with their religion. Jain saint Suparshaw Sagar, on a visit to the Kolkata's famous Parshanath temple said that the Digambar Jain Samaj does not recognize the court order.

11. Posco to set up 1st steel plant in India: The $2-billion Uttam Galva Group has roped in Korean giant Posco to set up an integrated 3 million tonne per annum steel manufacturing facility in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra at a cost of $3 billion (Rs 19,000 crore). This will be Posco's first steel plant in the country, with its plan to set up own Greenfield unit in Odisha being delayed by almost 10 years due to environmental and land clearances.