Current Affairs - August 26, 2018 Current Affairs

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has reportedly said that people will be allowed to make calls and use the internet during flights (at 30,000 ft) from October. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had earlier announced that Indian and international flights be allowed voice and data services within India's airspace above an altitude of 9,850 ft.

The Arunachal Pradesh government has decided to organize a youths' conclave "ATAL - Arunachal Transformation & Aspirational Leadership" in Itanagar on 22nd September 2018. The aim of the 3-day ATAL conclave is to engage youths in the age group of 18 to 30 years of the state pro-actively in the areas of public policy and governance. For this, they have to register themselves at www.atalconclave.in. Participants shall brainstorm and present their ideas, proposals and solutions for government policies and existing challenges faced by the state before expert panels. Further, interactive sessions with key policy makers, bureaucrats, sectoral experts, thought leaders, grass-root change-makers are also planned to be hosted in the Conclave. The conclave will see participation of 1000 youths of the state.

Air Marshal RKS Shera, Air Officer-in-charge Maintenance, IAF formally launched The Stores, Proactive, Efficient and Expeditious Despatch of Extra Size/ Wt Consignment (SPEEDEX) contract. To reduce the time taken for transportation of items and ensure early availability of stores to the field units. The theme of the contract is : 'lift, shift and move' , that on all principles of Military Logistics. According to the contract, movement of operationally urgent stores will be done by air and normal consignments by surface mode.

Goswami is currently the leading wicket-taker in the women's ODI format and also the first woman to pick up 200 ODI wickets. She played 68 T20 Internationals and took 56 wickets at an economy rate of 5.45.

NASA has introduced two virtual reality apps which will allow users to take selfies in front of gorgeous cosmic locations. The two apps, the Selfies app and Exoplanet Excursions virtual reality app, were released to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the launch of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The app will let you take snapshots of yourself in a virtual spacesuit, posing in front of gorgeous cosmic locations, like the Orion Nebula or the centre of the Milky Way galaxy. It also provides information about the science behind these stunning images.

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), a global monument conservation body, has launched an initiative to assess the damage to the rich cultural and built heritage in flood-devastated Kerala and set up an emergency response platform. ICOMOS is also an advisory body to the UNESCO for cultural heritage, in particular for implementation of the World Heritage Convention.

Scott Morrison was sworn in as Australia's 30th prime minister. Scott Morrison is 50 years old. He was serving as Australia's treasurer. He defeated former Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton by 45 - 40 votes in an internal vote. This vote was conducted after former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull lost majority support of the Liberal party MPs. Josh Frydenberg was sworn in as the treasurer.

Dr. G Satheesh Reddy has been appointed as the chairman of DRDO for a two year term. He will also be the Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development (DoDRD). He is currently serving as the scientific advisor to the defence minister and is also the Director General of the strategic missile division. He also heads the Research Centre Imarat (RCI).

After the demise of the former PM of India MR. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, various states and institutions renamed themselves after Late PM. The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) announced its decision to rename its School of Management and Entrepreneurship as Atal Bihari Vajpayee School of Management and Entrepreneurship. Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh renaming upcoming capital of the state Naya Raipur as Atal Nagar. Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government to name the proposed Bundelkhand Expressway as 'Atal Path'. AIIMS Rishikesh auditorium, a ghat on Sabarmati River in Gujarat and the cyber tower in Mauritius to be named after him.

The 9th edition of Mountain Echoes Literary Festival 2018 was held in Thimphu, Bhutan. This festival is an initiative of the India-Bhutan Foundation and Siyahi, an Indian literary agency. It was presented by the Jaypee Group and powered by the Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan. The festival focused on Spirituality and Philosophy, Performing Arts, Environmental Conservation, Food, Film & Theatre, etc.

The book "No Spin" is the autobiography of renowned Australian bowler Shane Warne, which will release on October 30. It is the true story behind the headlines, in Warne's own voice, and challenges some of the enduring myths and untruths that surround him. The memoir is written with cricketer and TV presenter Mark Nicholas. Warne is widely regarded as one of the finest bowlers in the history of the game. He played his first Test match in 1992, and took over 1,000 international wickets.

First Lieutenant Misa Matsushima, 26-year-old, of Japan Air Self Defence Force, finished her training to fly F-15s. She is the first woman fighter pilot in Japan. The Japan Air Force decided in 1993 to open all positions to women, except for pilots of fighter jets and reconnaissance aircraft. But the limit was lifted in 2015, opening the way for Matsushima to join the elite group of fighter pilots, with three other women now going through training.

A part capacity of 126 MW wind power of India's first Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS)auction, was commissioned in Bhuj, Gujarat, by Ostro Kutch Wind Private Ltd. Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd (SECI) had conducted India's first auction of wind power projects in February 2017. Tariff of Rs 3.46 was discovered in that, which was much lower than feed in current tariffs. It was a 1,000 MW bid for projects to be connected on ISTS. Through ISTS power generated from one state (renewable resource rich state) can be transmitted to other renewable deficient states. The energy generated from this project is purchased by Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. This 126 MW ISTS project marks the beginning of capacity additions in wind power based on market discovered tariffs, in line with Government's plan of 175 GW RE by 2022.

Appa Rao Podile, Vice Chancellor, University of Hyderabad (UoH) has been selected for the J C Bose Fellowship of Department of Science and Technology by the Government. This fellowship has been awarded as a recognition of his work in plant-microbe interactions and induced resistance in plants. It is initially provided for 5 years. Later, the fellowship can be extended based on performance during the first 5 years. Appa Rao Podile has published more than 100 original research papers.

Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice S J Vazifdar as head of a three-member committee to decide mining company Vedanta's plea challenging closure of its Sterlite copper plant at Tuticorin. A bench headed by chairperson A K Goel had stated a credible mechanism, through which rival contentions can be balanced and final view taken, has to be evolved.