Current Affairs (August – 2020)

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This post contains important current affairs of 26 August 2020. It includes all Major National, International, Business and Sports related current affairs of 26 August 2020. We have collected the latest current affairs and compiled them date wise. These current affairs are important for all competitive exams like bank, ssc, ibps, sbi exams. The GK current affairs will help you score more in these competitive exams. A brief explanation of every current affair is provided to further enhance your general knowledge. Once you have gone through these current affairs we would recommend to you to try 26 August 2020 Current affairs test.

Today is birth anniversary of Mother Teresa
Today is the birth anniversary of Mother Teresa. She was born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu on 26th of August 1910 in Skopje. Mother Teresa arrived in India in 1929 and spent most of her life in service of the destitute in India. The Nobel Laureate founded the Missionaries of Charity and spent 45-years serving the poor, sick, orphaned and dying on the streets of Kolkata. She died at the age of 87 in Kolkata in 1997. Mother Teresa was declared as a Saint on 4th September 2016.

Women’s Equality Day is observed on 26 August
Women’s Equality Day is observed on 26 August. This day commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which granted the women right to vote. In 1971, the U.S. Congress officially recognized August 26 as Women’s Equality Day.

Classroom learning for graduate courses to begin from 1 October in Karnataka
The Karnataka government said it will commence online classes for the new academic year from 1 September and classroom learning from 1 October. Campuses have been shut for over five months now. Deputy chief minister and higher education minister C.N. Ashwathnarayan said students in degree courses will begin attending college from 1 October.

National traditional paddy cultivation festival held in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu
A national traditional paddy cultivation festival was held on Tuesday in Nagapattinam, right in the heart land of the Cauvery Delta region in Tamilnadu. More than 110 traditional paddy varieties were exhibited in the day long festival. These included various lesser known items in the samba variety like kottaram samba, keerai samba etc. Outdoor practical sessions of traditional paddy cultivation techniques were another attraction of the festival. Traditional farmers, modern agriculturists, agriculture scientists and environment protection volunteers took part in the festival.

Karnataka CM addresses virtual Indo-Japan business forum from Bengaluru
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa addressed a virtual Indo-Japan business forum from Bengaluru. In his speech the Chief Minister informed that the state has announced a 25 percent capital investment subsidy on land for industries. He said Karnataka tops innovation index in the country. The state has set up a Japanese Industrial Township near Tumkuru on 519 acres and an agreement is signed to promote Indo-Japan start ups in the state. Mr. Yediyurappa added that select Indian start ups are identified for the Japanese market. He pointed out that the state has set up a single window clearance system for the investors.

Government has launched Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan to provide employment to migrant workers
In the wake of COVID-19 outbreak, Government has launched Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan, GKRA to boost employment and livelihood opportunities for migrant workers returning to villages and similarly affected citizens in rural areas. The Abhiyaan is taking action on mission mode to provide employment to migrant workers who have returned to their native villages of six states, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The Abhiyaan is now empowering villagers with livelihood opportunities in 116 districts of these states.

E-auction portal launched to promote trading of GI-tagged ‘Kashmir Saffron’
Jammu and Kashmir’s agriculture department has created an e-auction portal to promote trading of GI-tagged ‘Kashmir Saffron’. The Department, under the aegis of India International Kashmir Saffron Trading Centre (IIKSTC), has created the portal in collaboration with NSE-IT, with the sole motive to assure buyers to have access to quality ‘Kashmir Saffron’. The Saffron growers of Kashmir valley and buyers across India have been requested to register themselves as sellers and buyers for E- trading on www.saffroneauctionindia.com, so that hassle free e-Trading between registered growers and buyers is ensured.

Sri Lanka will adopt India first approach
Sri Lanka will adopt an “India first approach” as its new foreign policy plank and protect New Delhi’s strategic security interests, the country’s Foreign Secretary Jayanath Colombage has said as he sought to allay concerns amid China’s growing presence in the island nation. Colombage said that despite opposition from port worker trade unions, President Rajapaksa would go ahead with the memorandum of cooperation signed with India. He also said that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa would have an India first approach as the key to strategic security.

BRICS Industry Ministers attend video meeting to discuss ways to boost cooperation in 5G, AI
Industry Ministers of BRICS countries attended a video meeting yesterday to discuss ways to boost cooperation in areas including 5G and Artificial Intelligence. As per Chinese state media, the meeting adopted a joint statement on cooperation in new industries such as 5G, AI and the industrial Internet, among BRICS countries – five members bloc which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Axis launches Liberty Savings Account aimed at millennials
Axis Bank has launched a new savings account called the Axis Liberty Savings Account, aimed at millennial customers. It offers customers the option of maintaining a minimum balance of ₹25,000 per month or spending the same amount every month using the bank’s debit card. It also provides a complimentary insurance cover of ₹20,000, which includes expenses incurred for covid-19-related hospitalization.

DoPPW to integrate e- Pension Payment Order with Digi Locker
The Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare, DoPPW has decided to integrate the electronic Pension Payment Order, e-PPO generated through PFMS application of Controller General of Accounts, with Digi Locker, to enhance Ease of Living of Central Government Civil Pensioners. This system will enable any Pensioner to obtain an instant print-out of the latest copy of their PPO, from their Digi Locker account. This initiative will create a permanent record of their PPO in their Digi Locker and at the same time eliminate delays in reaching the PPO to new Pensioners, as well as the necessity of handing over a physical copy.

17th meeting of India-Vietnam Joint Commission held via video-conference
The 17th meeting of the India-Vietnam Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation was held via video-conference. It was co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh. During the meeting, both sides reviewed the recent developments in India-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and discussed the future trajectory of their wide-ranging engagement. They agreed to add new momentum to the economic and defence engagement between the two countries and to explore closer cooperation in emerging areas such as civil nuclear energy, space, marine sciences and new technologies.

Uber launches auto rentals in India
Uber launched an on demand 24×7 Auto Rentals service in India. The service allows riders to book an auto and its driver for several hours with the liberty to make multiple stops along a journey. Prices start at ₹169 for a one-hour / ten km package with the option of selecting from multiple hourly packages that can be booked up to a maximum of eight hours.

Bajaj Allianz General launches pet dog insurance starting ₹315
Bajaj Allianz General Insurance launched its pet insurance product called Bajaj Allianz Pet Dog Insurance Policy. This policy provides comprehensive coverage to domesticated pet dogs of indigenous origin, pedigree, non-pedigree, cross-bred and also exotic breeds over the lifetime of the dogs from age 3 months to 10 years. The premium for this policy starts from ₹315 (excluding GST) and varies based on the age, size, gender, covers opted for, plan opted for and sum insured selected. A discount of 5% on premium is provided in case of RFID tagging.

Facebook plans news service launch in UK, India, Brazil
Facebook said it is speeding up plans to go international with a news tab feature that involves paying publishers for stories delivered through the leading social network. Facebook News is off to a strong start in the US, driving a significant amount of online traffic to publishers. It will be expanded in the next six months or so to more countries, with top contenders said to be Brazil, Britain, France, Germany, and India.

Mahindra inks pacts with Israeli firm to develop electric commercial vehicles
Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) said it has inked a pact with Tel Aviv-based REE Automotive to explore production of electric commercial vehicles. The Mumbai-based firm has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Israeli firm REE Automotive to explore development and manufacturing of electric commercial vehicles for global markets.

Indian-origin lawyer Rama Tiwari set to lead Singapore Academy of Law
Indian-origin lawyer Rama Tiwari has been appointed Singapore Academy of Law’s deputy chief executive and designated to take full charge from next February. Tiwari, who studied law at Queen Mary University of London, also holds an MSc in Information Technology. Tiwari brings with him more than 20 years of experience in the private sector, where he held senior positions as vice-president in a bank.

RIL appoints former Indian Oil chairman Sanjiv Singh as group president
Sanjiv Singh, former chairman of Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL), has joined Reliance Industries as group president and member of the oil-to-chemicals (O2C) business leadership team. Singh’s appointment at RIL has raised eyebrows as according to the Department of Public Enterprises guidelines, a public sector official retiring at the rank of chairman or director, is expected to follow a six-month cooling off period before joining any other organisation.

England pacer James Anderson became 1st fast bowler in history to take 600 Test wickets
England pacer James Anderson became the first fast bowler in history to take 600 Test wickets yesterday. The 38-year-old was seven wickets away from the feat when he started playing the third Test against Pakistan at the Ageas Bowl. On Day 5 of the match, he dismissed Pakistan batsman Azhar Ali to claim his 600th wicket.