Daily Current Affairs 19th August, 2019

Daily Current Affairs 19 August 2019 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

RuPay launched in Bhutan, 9 MoUs exchanged between New Delhi, Thimphu

Nine MoUs and one power purchase agreement were exchanged between India and Bhutan in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bhutanese counterpart Lotay Tshering at the Simtokha Dzong (Monastery in Semtokha, Bhutan).

• PM Modi also launched RuPay Card in Bhutan. He launched the RuPay Card by making a purchase at Simtokha Dzong.
• Apart from the MoUs, the Mangdechhu hydroelectric power plant was inaugurated in Trongsa Dzongkhag District, along with the remote launching of the Thimphu Ground Station of the South Asian Satellite (ISRO’s GSAT-9 communications satellite).
• The two Prime Ministers also launched stamps to commemorate five decades of India-Bhutan Hydropower cooperation.
• The e-plaque of the interconnection between India’s National Knowledge Network and Bhutan’s Druk Research and Education Network was also unveiled during the event.

Mumbai: President Kovind inaugurates Bunker Museum at Raj Bhavan

President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the underground Bunker Museum at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai. The 15,000 square feet underground bunker museum has virtual reality booths in which visitors can “time travel” to the 19th century.

• The British-era bunker was discovered in 2016 and has 13 rooms such as Shell Store, Gun Shell, Cartridge Store and Central Artillery Store.

HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ inaugurates two-day international conference on teacher education by NCTE

Union Minister of Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ inaugurated the International Conference titled ‘Journey of Teacher Education: Local to Global’ in New Delhi. The two-day event is being organized by the National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) as part of silver jubilee celebration of its establishment in 1995.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister announces Trifurcation of Vellore District

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami announced trifurcating the large Vellore district into three and asserted his government’s commitment to the two-language formula.

• Two new districts with Ranipet and Tirupattur as headquarters, respectively, will be carved out from Vellore and KV Kuppam in Vellore district. They will be upgraded into a new taluk.
• Vellore will continue to function as a separate district. With this, the total number of districts in Tamil Nadu is 37.

Manipur CM launches scheme to improve govt schools infrastructure and overall education quality

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh launched “School Fagadaba” scheme to improve the infrastructure of government schools in the state.

• He said the objective was to ensure better infrastructure, quality education and overall improvement of government schools to make them model schools.
• He said biometric devices would be installed in schools in ensuring regular attendance of teachers.

Chhattisgarh: CM announces formation of Lemru Elephant Reserve

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel announced the formation of ‘Lemru Elephant Reserve’ (LER) in Korba, Chattisgarh. Spanning over an area of 450 square kilometres, LER is aimed at minimizing human-elephant conflict and destruction of property in addition to providing a permanent habitat for the wild tuskers.

• Lemru Elephant Reserve of the state will be one-of-its-kind elephant reserve in the world, which will not only serve as permanent habitat for wild elephants but also prevent damage caused by the movement of elephants. It will contribute towards saving wild life and preserving of biodiversity in the region.

National Tribal Festival “Aadi Mahotsav” in Leh- Ladakh

Tribal Affairs Ministry and Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) are jointly organizing a 9- Day Aadi Mahotsav (National Tribal Festival) between August 17 to August 25, in Leh-Ladakh.

• The theme of the festival is “A celebration of the spirit of Tribal Craft, Culture and Commerce” .

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Rupee becomes Asia’s worst performing currency this month

The Indian rupee has become Asia’s worst-performing currency in August amid foreign fund outflows, global trade tensions and pressure from China’s yuan. The local currency has slumped 3.49% against the US dollar so far this month, heading towards its second-worst monthly loss in four years.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

HCL Tech signs MoU with MADC for expansion of MIHAN campus

HCL Technologies has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) for expansion of its Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN).

SPORTS

Panjab University wins MAKA trophy

Panjab University, Chandigarh has won the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) trophy, the Selection Committee for sports awards 2019 announced.

• Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) in Amritsar has got the second position while Punjabi University in Patiala has to settle for the third position.
• The MAKA trophy is conferred to a top-performing university in sports.

Deepa Malik to get Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award

Rio Paralympics silver medallist Deepa Malik is all set to get the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in Para Athletics. It is the country’s highest sporting honour.

• Malik is the first Indian woman to earn a medal at the Paralympic Games and has won 58 national and 23 international medals.

Five sportspersons to get Dhyanchand award

The Selection Committee for sports awards 2019 recommended names of five sportspersons for the Dhyanchand award this year.

• They are Manuel Fredricks (hockey), Arup Basak (table tennis), Manoj Kumar (wrestling), Nitten Kirrtane (tennis), and C Lalremsanga (archery).
• Dhyanchand award is presented to sportspersons for their lifetime achievements and contribution to sport during both their active career and following retirement.

Hima Das wins gold in 300m at Athleticky Mitink Reiter event in Czech Republic

Top Indian Sprinter Hima Das bagged a gold medal in the women’s 300m race at the Athleticky Mitink Reiter in the Czech Republic.

Muhammed Anas wins gold medal in 300m race at Athleticky Mitink Reiter

Indian ace athlete Muhammed Anas bagged a gold medal in the men’s 300m race at the Athleticky Mitink Reiter in the Czech Republic.

DDCA to name stand after Virat Kohli at Feroz Shah Kotla

Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has announced that there will be a stand named after Indian skipper Virat Kohli at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi.

Kreishh Gurbaxani wins Bombay Gym snooker crown

Ranked second in the junior cadre in the country, Kreishh Gurbaxani beat Asutosh Padhy 5-4 to win the Bombay Gymkhana Youth Snooker Open title, at the Bombay Gymkhana billiards room.

AIG Ashish Kapoor clinches two gold medals at WPFG

Assistant Inspector General (AIG) in Vigilance Bureau of Punjab, Ashish Kapoor has bagged gold medals in both singles and doubles titles in Tennis events during the World Police and Fire Games (WPFG) 2019, held at Chengdu in China.

Ashley Cole announces retirement

Derby County’s Ashley Cole (from UK) announced his retirement from football.

AWARDS

Guinness Book of World Records holder Chinmay creates another world record

Guinness Book of World Records holder Chinmay Prabhu made another world record of solving pyraminx (pyramid-shaped rubik’s cube) puzzles while riding a bicycle.

• Prabhu solved 176 pyraminx puzzles in one hour and seven minutes to set the new world record under his name. He broke the record of solving 111 pyraminx puzzles.
• Earlier, he had the Guinness record for solving pyraminx puzzles underwater. He also registered his name in the Limca Book of Records for solving mirror cube blindfolded.

OBITUARIES

Former Bihar CM Jagannath Mishra passes away

Former Bihar Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra passed away. He was 82 and unwell for several months. Mishra was a three-time Chief Minister of the State.

Roger Rabbit creator Richard Williams dies at 86

Triple Oscar-winning and triple BAFTA-winning animator, Richard Williams, has passed away.

• Known for his work ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit?’, the acclaimed animator was also a director, producer, author, and teacher, reported Variety.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Humanitarian Day 

World Humanitarian Day is observed across the world on August 19 to pay tribute to workers who risk their lives in humanitarian services and to gather support for people affected by crises around the world. The day was designated by the UN General Assembly to commemorate the 19 August 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq.

• WHD 2019 campaign: #WomenHumanitarians.

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