1. Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev dies at the age of 91
Tags: Person in news International News
Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev died on 30 August at the age of 91.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- In June, he was taken to the hospital after suffering from a serious kidney ailment.
He played an important role in ending the Cold War.
About Mikhail Gorbachev :
He was born in 1931 in southern Russia.
Gorbachev was the last leader of the former Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, he pushed for stronger Soviet-India ties.
During his tenure, he visited India twice in 1986 and 1988.
He became general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party in 1985.
He wanted to reform the communist regime on the lines of democratic principles by giving freedom to the citizens.
Gorbachev's policies helped to open up the Soviet economy and liberalize society in the late 1980s.
He played a major role in the withdrawal of Soviet troops from a nearly decade-long military operation in Afghanistan.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 "for his role in the radical change in East-West relations".
Cold War :
The Cold War was an ongoing political rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union and its allies that developed after World War II.
This enmity between the two superpowers was first named the Cold War by George Orwell in an article published in 1945.
Its period is considered to be between 1945 to 1991.
The term "cold" is used because there was no direct large-scale war between the two sides.
2. Gautam Adani is now the world’s 3rd richest
Tags: Person in news
According to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Gautam Adani has become the third richest person in the world with a net worth of $137 billion.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- Gautam Adani has become the third richest person in the world, surpassing LVMH co-founder magnate Bernard Arnault.
The top two spots on the list are occupied by Tesla chief Elon Musk ($251 billion) and Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos ($153 billion).
According to Bloomberg, this is the first time an Asian has made it to the list of the top three richest people in the world.
In this list, Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, is at 11th place with a net worth of $ 91.9 billion.
Top 10 list :
1st place - Elon Musk (Tesla)
2nd place - Jeff Bezos (Amazon)
3rd place - Gautam Adani (Adani Group)
4th place - Magnet Bernard Arnault( LVMH luxury fashion brand)
5th place - Bill Gates (Microsoft)
6th place - Warren Buffett (Berkshire Hathaway)
7th place - Larry Page (Google Inc.)
8th place - Sergey Brin (Google Inc.)
9th place - Steve Ballmer (Microsoft Corporation)
10th place - Larry Ellison (Oracle Corporation)
Gautam Adani (Adani Group) :
Gautam Adani is the co-founder of the Adani Group, the country's largest port operator.
Adani Group is also called the largest coal trader of the country.
Gautam Adani is also the richest person in Asia according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Recently, Adani has been included in the list of 100 Most Influential People in Titans category along with personalities like Apple CEO Tim Cook and American host Oprah Winfrey.
Recently, the Adani Group was in the news for buying a 29 percent stake in NDTV.
3. Distinguished Scientist Samir V Kamat takes charge as new DRDO chairman
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Dr Sameer V Kamat has been appointed as the Secretary, Department of Defense Research and Development (DDRD) and the new Chairman of Defense Research Development Organization (DRDO).
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- Dr Sameer V Kamat was currently serving as Director General (Naval Systems and Materials) in DRDO.
Sameer V Kamat will succeed the current Secretary G Satheesh Reddy who has been appointed as Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister.
About Dr Sameer V Kamat :
His full name is Dr Sameer Venkatapathy Kamat.
Dr. Kamat holds a B.Tech Engineering (Hons) degree in Metallurgical Engineering from IIT Kharagpur in 1985.
He obtained his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Ohio State University, USA in 1988.
In recent times, Dr. Kamat has made significant contributions in the development of Rare Earth Permanent Magnet (REPM) at DMRL.
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) :
It is a premier defence research and development agency under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India.
It aims to make India self-reliant in critical defence technology and systems.
It was established in 1958.
Headquarters : New Delhi
Chairman : Dr. Sameer V Kamat
4. Justice U U Lalit sworn in as 49th Chief Justice of India
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Justice U U Lalit took oath as the 49th Chief Justice of India (CJI) on 27 August.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- President Draupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Justice Lalit at the swearing-in ceremony held at the Durbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The tenure of the new Chief Justice is short and he will hold the post till November 8, 2022.
He succeeds Chief Justice N V Ramana who retired on 26 August.
About Justice Uday Umesh Lalit :
He was born on 9th November, 1957 at Solapur, Maharashtra.
Justice Lalit was enrolled as an Advocate by the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa in June, 1983.
He practised in the Bombay High Court until December 1985, before moving to Delhi in January 1986.
He worked in Soli Sorabji's chamber from October 1986 to 1992 and was on the panel of lawyers for the Union of India during the period when Soli Sorabji was the Attorney General of India.
From 1992 to 2002 he served as Advocate on Record and was designated as Senior Advocate by the Supreme Court in April 2004.
He was also appointed amicus curiae in many important matters like forest matters, vehicular pollution, pollution of Yamuna etc.
Landmark Judgments :
In August 2017, a five-judge Constitution Bench, which also included him, declared the practice of instant divorce through 'triple talaq' as "void", "illegal" and "unconstitutional" by a 3-2 majority.
In another important judgement, a bench headed by Justice Lalit had empowered the then royal family of Travancore to manage the historic Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala, which is one of the richest temples.
A bench headed by Justice UU Lalit had ruled that touching the sexual parts of a child's body or any act involving physical contact with 'sexual intent' is punishable under Section 7 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act.
5. Former CEA Krishnamurthy Subramanian appointed India’s Executive Director at IMF
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The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Dr Krishnamurthy Subramaniam, former Chief Economic Adviser, to the post of Executive Director (India) in the International Monetary Fund.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- He has been appointed for a period of three years with effect from November 1, 2022.
Subramaniam, who is currently Professor of Finance at the Indian School of Business, will succeed Surjit S Bhalla, who was appointed to the post in 2019.
Subramaniam had stepped down as the Chief Economic Adviser in 2021 after a 3-year tenure.
The government of India had appointed Professor Subramaniam, ISB Hyderabad, as the CEA in December 2018. He had replaced Arvind Subramanian.
Subramaniam holds an MBA in Financial Economics and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
He has completed his PhD in supervision of former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan.
Subramaniam is also an alumnus of the IIT, Kanpur where he studied electrical engineering.
He was the youngest Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India from 2018 to 2021.
India’s Executive Director at IMF :
The IMF's EDs are elected through voting by governors representing the countries of the respective constituencies for a two-year term.
India falls in a 4-country constituency in which India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan are members.
6. Thailand constitutional court suspends PM Prayuth Chan-ocha
Tags: Person in news International News
The constitution court of Thailand on 25 August temporarily suspended prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha over allegations that he has continued in the post after the expiry of his term.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The court ruled that the PM would remain suspended until the allegations were investigated.
According to the Constitution of Thailand, the prime minister cannot hold office for more than eight years.
Prayuth Chan-ocha became prime minister after a coup in 2014, and eight years have passed since then.
As military leader, Prayuth seized power after a coup in May 2014 and, in August 2014, appointed himself prime minister of the new military government.
Hence the opposition argues that his term as prime minister began in August 2014 and ended this week.
The court considered the petition and supporting documents and gave this decision on the basis of factual doubts.
The court, with a majority of four out of five judges, with effect from 24 August 2022, said that Prayuth be suspended as prime minister until the court issues a final decision.
Deputy Prime Minister Pravit Wongsuwan will currently be the interim head of government.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
About Thailand :
Capital - Bangkok
Official Language - Thai
7. Debasisa Mohanty appointed director of National Institute of Immunology
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Senior Scientist Debasisa Mohanty has been appointed as the Director of the National Institute of Immunology (NII), as per the order of the Personnel Ministry.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- Mohanty is currently working as a Staff Scientist in the institute.
Debasisa Mohanty is an Indian computational biologist, bioinformatician and staff scientist at the National Institute of Immunology.
The government awarded him the National Bioscience Award for Career Development in 2009, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contribution to the biosciences.
In another order, the ministry said Revenue Secretary Tarun Bajaj has been given additional charge as Corporate Affairs Secretary.
National Institute of Immunology :
The National Institute of Immunology is an autonomous research institute located in the
Established - 24 June 1981
Headquarters - New Delhi
Founding Director - G.P. Talwar
8. Manisha Kalyan becomes the first Indian to play in UEFA Women’s Champions League
Tags: Sports Person in news
Striker Manisha Kalyan became the first Indian footballer to play in the UEFA Women's Champions League, making her debut for Apollo Ladies FC at the European club tournament in Cyprus.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- Kalyan replaced Cyprus’ Marilena Georgiou in the 60th minute at the Makareio Stadium, as Apollon Ladies FC beat Latvian top flight club SFK Rīga 3-0 in their UWCL opener on 18 August.
20-year-old Manisha Kalyan became the fourth Indian female footballer to sign for an overseas club when she signed a multi-year contract with Cyprus' top division winners Apollon Ladies.
Kalyan has performed impressively for the national team and the Gokulam Kerala team in the Indian Women's League (IWL).
Manisha won the 'Player of the Season' title in the last season of the Indian Women's Football (IWL) League. Manisha scored 14 goals in that tournament.
Kalyan was recently awarded the AIFF Woman Footballer of the Year for the 2021-22 season.
Kalyan shot to fame last year by scoring a goal in an international friendly match against former World Cup runners-up Brazil.
UEFA Women's Champions League :
It is an international women's association football competition.
It consists of the top club teams from countries affiliated to the European governing body UEFA.
The competition was first played in 2001–02 as the UEFA Women's Cup.
Lyon is the most successful club in this league competition's history. It has won the title eight times, including five consecutive titles from 2016 to 2020.
9. Centre names Piyush Goyal as National Intelligence Grid CEO
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The Union Government has appointed Piyush Goyal, a 1994 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Nagaland cadre, as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NETGRID.
Important facts
IAS officer Piyush Goyal is currently working as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The post of CEO of NetGrid was lying vacant since June after Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Ashish Gupta was appointed as Additional Director General in the Border Security Force (BSF).
Chandrakar Bharti, a 1996 batch IAS officer, has been appointed as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs in place of Goyal. He is serving as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defence.
About National Intelligence Grid
NATGRID is a program to prevent terrorist activities.
After 6/11, NATGRID was established at the national level to prevent such incidents.
It assists various intelligence and enforcement agencies in tracking down suspected terrorists and preventing terrorist attacks.
Large amount of data is studied and analysed by NATGRID using technologies like Big Data and Analytics.
Formation of Netgrid :- 2009
NATGRID Headquarters :- New Delhi, India
10. William Ruto declared winner of Kenya presidential election
Tags: Person in news International News
In Kenya, Deputy President William Ruto has been declared the winner of Kenya's presidential election on 16 August.
Important facts
He defeated his rival Raila Odinga by a very small margin, securing 50.5 percent of the vote.
The worst drought in 40 years has ravaged the northern part of the country, leaving 4.1 million people dependent on food aid, while the country's debt levels have risen.
Ruto was the Vice President of Kenya for the last 9 years.
Significantly, President Uhuru Kenyatta remained in power for a decade.
History of violence
In 2017, over 100 people were killed after the Supreme Court quashed preliminary results over irregularities in the electoral process.
Amid fears that allegations of vote rigging had led to bloody conflicts after the presidential elections in 2007 and 2017, the courts were urged to control any disputes.
The US Embassy in Kenya urged all parties to work together to peacefully resolve concerns about the election.
Economic issues such as rising food and fuel prices, government debt, unemployment and widespread corruption were central to the election in the country.
People here were more worried about fuel prices after the Russia-Ukraine war.
About Kenya
Capital - Nairobi
Official Languages - Swahili, English
Currency - Kenyan Shilling
