CURRENT AFFAIRS UPDATES: 27TH AUGUST

CURRENT AFFAIRS UPDATES: 27TH AUGUST

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Do You Know?

Study says that fish may shrink by 30% due to climate change

• Fish are expected to shrink by 20–30% if ocean temperatures continue to rise due to climate change, a Canada-based study has warned. Fish being cold-blooded, cannot regulate body temperatures. As waters get warmer, their metabolism accelerates and they need more oxygen to sustain. When gills cannot supply enough oxygen for a larger body, the fish just stops growing, said researchers.

US lab breaks world record for magnetic strength

• US-based MagLab has achieved a new world record with the strongest resistive magnet, producing 41.4 teslas (a unit of magnetic field strength). Taking 2.5 years and $3.5 million to build, the machine smashed the previous record held by China's 38.5-tesla magnet. Resistive magnets are activated when electric currents are applied, and this one required power equivalent to boiling 21,500 kettles.

Important Days

Mother Teresa's 107th birth anniversary celebrated

• The Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata on Saturday celebrated its founder, Mother Teresa's 107th birth anniversary by lighting candles at her grave and conducting special prayers. Notably, Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 "for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress", and the Bharat Ratna in 1980.

New Appointments: National

Prakash Javadekar appointed as BJP's K'taka poll in-charge

• BJP chief Amit Shah on Thursday appointed Union Minister Prakash Javadekar as the party's in-charge for the assembly elections in Karnataka. In addition to that, Union Minister Piyush Goyal has been appointed the co-in-charge for the state, which will go to polls around mid-2018. The ministers will oversee the election process in Karnataka, where the BJP is currently in opposition.

Banking/Economic Affairs

Banks should link home loan rates to repo rate: RBI appointed committee 

• A Reserve Bank of India appointed committee on Household Finance has suggested that banks link their home loan rates to the RBI's repo rate, the rate at which it lends to banks, instead of the Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rate (MCLR), which the banks follow now. 

Rankings

Only 6 women in Forbes richest tech billionaires list

• Only six women have featured on Forbes list of the '100 Richest in Tech' for 2017. Their collective worth is an estimated 27.6 billion dollar and their average net worth is estimated at 4.6 billion dollar, which is half the average of the entire list at 8.7 billion dollar The group's sole newcomer is Wang Laichun, Chairman of electronics manufacturer Luxshare Precision Industry.

National Affairs

J&K govt to set up Eco-Park in Rajouri

• The Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to build an Eco-Park on 34 acres reclaimed from encroachers in the State’s Rajouri district, an official said on Friday. The park, first-of-its-kind in the region, will have a botanical garden, a cactus garden, a cafeteria and other amenities, he said.

e-Waste disposal from schools kicks starts in Kerala

• The State wide disposal of e-Waste from Kerala schools kick-started at Thiruvananthapuram. Education minister C.Raveendranath flagged off the first vehicle carrying e-Waste from Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Cotton Hill, Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. Similar vehicles from Alappuzha, Puthukkad, Kozhikode North and Thaliparamaba constituencies where the Hi-Tech School programme was piloted, were also flagged off at the event, through video conferencing.

Govt told to examine GM crops’ impact before rollout decision

• A parliamentary panel on Friday pulled up the government for moving with haste towards commercialization of genetically modified (GM) crops, and said it should thoroughly examine the impact of GM crops on the environment before taking a final call.

Science & Technologies

NASA unveils image of snow-covered dunes on Mars

• NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has beamed back an image of the Red planet's snow-covered dunes creating circular patterns over a rust-coloured background. "Unlike on Earth, this snow and ice is carbon dioxide, better known to us as dry ice," NASA mentioned. The $720-million spacecraft was launched in August 2005 and attained Martian orbit in March 2006.

Earth's hot interior made graveyard of tectonic plates: MIT

• An MIT study has found Earth harboured a mantle which was 200 ºC hotter 3 billion years ago, while the crust was composed of much denser stuff. The combination of a hotter mantle and denser rocks likely caused tectonic plates to sink to the mantle's bottom, 2,800 km below the surface, forming a "graveyard" of slabs atop the Earth's core.

Application / Portal 

Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu to launch Sports Talent Portal on August 28

• Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu will officially launch the Sports Ministry’s much-awaited National Sports Talent Search Portal at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on August 28.

Schemes / Programme

Naveen launches rooftop solar project

• Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday launched a grid-connected rooftop solar programme through net-metering system at the State Secretariat here.
• Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Patnaik said grid-connected solar systems are best options for adding renewable solar capacity through people’s participation. These centralised systems also have the ability to strengthen the grid, he said.

Commerce Ministry sets up task force on artificial intelligence

• Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has constituted a Task Force chaired by V. Kamakoti of IIT Madras to explore possibilities to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) for development across various fields.
• The ‘task force on AI for India’s Economic Transformation’ will submit concrete and implementable recommendations for government, industry and research institutions, an official statement said.

Agreements (MoU)

CA Institute signs MoU with ICA Nepal

• The CA Institute has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nepal (ICAN).
• The MoU seeks to establish mutual co-operation for the advancement of accounting knowledge, professional and intellectual development, advancing the interests of their respective members and positively contributing to the development of the accounting profession in Nepal and India.

Summit /Conference / Events / Host

Australian Trade Minister to lead 'Business Week' in India

• With the focus on strengthening collaboration between Australia and India in agri-business and food, higher education and research and smart cities and infrastructure, Australia's Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Steven Ciobo will lead a major mission to the country this month, a statement said here on Thursday.
• According to the statement, the second Australia Business Week in India (ABWI) arranged by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission -- from August 28 to September 1 -- will attract many business leaders.

Sports: Awards & Honours

Saina Nehwal wins bronze at Badminton World Championships

• Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal settled for a bronze medal after crashing out of the Badminton World Championships in the semifinals on Saturday. Nehwal, who had won silver in the 2015 edition, lost to Japan's Nozomi Okuhara 21-12, 17-21, 10-21. PV Sindhu is the only Indian left in the tournament and will play China's Chen Yufei in the second semi-final