General Knowledge & Current Affairs
August 2022 - 1st to 7th
- Vietnam and India to conduct army exercise “Ex VINBAX 2022” in Haryana: August 1-20
- Oman and India to conduct army exercise ‘AL NAJAH-IV’ in Rajasthan: August 1-13
- ITBP DG Sanjay Arora appointed as Commissioner of Delhi Police
- Conference organised in Mumbai by Ports, Shipping & Waterways Ministry on ‘Chabahar Day’: July 31
- located in Iran, Chabahar Port is the commercial transit centre for the region and especially Central Asia
- Vice President Venkaiah Naidu presents President’s colour to Tamil Nadu Police
- Bhutan: Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande meets King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk in Thimphu
- Bengali singer Nirmala Mishra dies in Kolkata at 81
- Parliament passes bill to ban funding of weapons of mass destruction
- Parliament passes bill to extend domestic laws to Indian research stations Maitri and Bharati in Antarctic region
- President of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih arrives in New Delhi on four-day visit to India
- Speaker Om Birla withdraws suspension of 4 Congress MPs after one week
- Centre forms task force to monitor monkeypox virus situation in nation
- Arsenic found in ground water in parts of 209 districts, uranium in parts of 152 districts: Govt
- Kannada daily ‘Udayavani’ founder T. Mohandas Pai dies at 89
- India reports its first death from Monkeypox in Thrissur, Kerala
- PM Modi meets Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in New Delhi; both countries ink six pacts to broad-base ties
- Birth anniversary of Pingali Venkayya, designer of the Indian National flag, observed on August 2
- Lok Sabha passes Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021 seeking to increase the species protected under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972
- Lok Sabha passes Central Universities (Amendment) Bill 2022; Provides for establishing Central universities in various States
- Centre launches State University Research Excellence scheme to create robust Research and Development Ecosystem
- Union Cabinet approves India’s updated NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution) to be communicated to UNFCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change)
- Suresh N. Patel sworn in as Central Vigilance Commissioner
- Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav: Archaeological Survey of India announces free entry at all monuments from August 5-15
- Chief Justice of India N. V. Ramana recommends name of Justice Uday Umesh Lalit as his successor
- India and the US to conduct military exercise “Yudh Abhyas” in Uttarakhand in October
- Parliament passes Family Courts (Amendment) Bill 2022 granting statutory cover to family courts in Himachal, Nagaland
- Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022 comes into effect; authorises taking measurements of convicts and other persons for the purposes of identification and investigation in criminal matters and to preserve records
- ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held at Phnom Penh in Cambodia
- DRDO successfully test fires indigenously developed laser-guided ATGMs
- PM Modi virtually inaugurates and lays foundation stone of various projects of Shrimad Rajchandra Mission in Gujarat
- Indian Army conducts 5-day “Skylight” exercise to test operational readiness of its space-based assets
- India calls for early completion of the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway and its extension to Cambodia
- Uttarakhand tourism department to develop ‘Modi circuit’ at Corbett reserve
- Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba given one-year extension in service
- PM Modi speaks to Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on phone
- ISRO launches small rocket from Sriharikota carrying Earth Observation Satellite & AzaadiSAT satellite
- 8th National handloom observed on August 7
- PM chairs 7th Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog at Rashtrapati Bhawan Cultural Centre, New Delhi
- All-Tribal Students’ Union Manipur (ATSUM) blocks movement on Imphal-Dimapur highway (NH-2) and Imphal-Jiribam highway (NH-39); demands more autonomy for hill districts
- Nallathamby Kalaiselvi becomes first woman director general of CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research)
- Former Philippines President (1992-98) Fidel Ramos dies at 94
- Chinese rocket Long March 5B crash lands in Indian Ocean near the coast of Malayasia; was launched on July 24 for delivering a lab module to China’s Tiangong Space Station.
- First ship carrying 26,000 tonnes Ukrainian grain leaves port of Odesa for Lebanon
- ‘Star Trek’ TV series actress Nichelle Nichols dies at 89
- US kills al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan
- Pakistani Army helicopter on flood relief operation crashes in Balochistan province, all 6 onboard dead
- Taiwan: US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi lands in Taipei
- US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan ‘dangerous and stupid’, says China
- Nagorno-Karabakh: 3 dead in clashes between Azerbaijan and Karabakh forces
- US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reaches South Korea after visit to Taiwan
- China initiates its largest-ever military exercises encircling Taiwan
- China sanctions Pelosi and family over Taiwan visit, cancels range of exchanges with US including climate change
- Missiles fall in Japan’s EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) during China’s military exercises
- South Korea launches its first lunar orbiter Danuri (“enjoy the Moon”) from Florida (US)
- China to run new drills in Yellow and Bohai seas
- 5G spectrum auction enters Day 6 of bidding; garners nearly Rs 1.5-trillion so far
- 5G spectrum auction concludes with bids of over Rs 1.5 lakh crore; Reliance Jio top bidder
- Jet fuel (ATF) price cut by steep 12%, commercial LPG rate reduced by Rs 36
- RBI’s composite financial inclusion index (FI-Index) rises to 56.4 in March
- HDFC Bank Parivartan signs Rs 107 crore deal with IISc Bengaluru for construction of Bagchi-Parthasarathy Hospital
- Tata Group-owned Air India (AI) to raise retirement age of pilots from 58 to 65
- DRI (Directorate of Revenue Intelligence) detects customs duty evasion of 2,217 crore rupees by Vivo Mobile India Private Limited
- Enforcement Directorate seals Young India office at Herald House in New Delhi
- Congress-promoted Young Indian Private Limited owns the National Herald
- Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approves highest ever Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of 305 rupees per quintal of sugarcane for sugar season 2022-23 (October-September)
- Government withdraws Data Protection Bill, 2021 from Parliament
- Ice-cream parlours to attract 18% goods and services tax: CBIC (Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs)
- IOCL signs MoU with Bangladesh for emergency supply of petroleum goods
- Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) increases policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 50 basis points to 5.40%
- RBI proposes to enable BBPS (Bharat Bill Payment System) to accept cross-border inward payments from NRIs
- Premature redemption under Gold Monetisation Scheme payable only in rupees: RBI
- Centre launches web-based registration facility to enable homeless people, destitutes, migrants and other eligible beneficiaries to apply for ration cards.
- First commercial flight of Akasa Air launched on Ahmedabad-Mumbai route
- CHINA
China said it was halting cooperation with the US in several key areas including climate change, military talks and efforts to combat international crime. The new measures follow a trip to Taiwan by a US congressional delegation led by senior Democrat Nancy Pelosi. - UKRAINE
The first grain ship to depart Ukraine since Russia invaded was cleared to leave Turkish waters for its destination in Lebanon on August 3. A team of officials from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN inspected the Razoni’s cargo of 26,000 tonnes of corn and its crew. The Razoni, which left the Ukrainian port of Odesa on August 1, is bound for the Lebanese port of Tripoli. - RUSSIA
Russia has told the US it has “temporarily” suspended on-site inspections of its strategic nuclear weapons, under an arms control treaty known as New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty). The Russian foreign ministry said the US was seeking advantages and had deprived Russia of the right to carry out inspections on US territory. - ISRAEL
A ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip became effective on August 7. The Egypt-brokered truce followed three days of violence with Israel targeting the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and militants firing rockets into Israel. At least 44 Palestinians died. - US
The conservative US state of Kansas has decided in a referendum to protect abortion rights – in a major victory for pro-choice groups. Voters overwhelmingly said they did not wish to amend the state constitution to assert there is no right to abortion. It was the first electoral test of the issue since the US Supreme Court allowed states to ban the procedure. - IRAN
Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban have clashed with Iranian border guards on the frontier between the two countries. One Taliban militant was killed in the clash on July 31 in the border area between Nimroz province in Afghanistan and Hirmand in Iran. - AFGHANISTAN
The US killed the leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in a drone strike in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden confirmed. He was killed in a counter-terrorism operation carried out by the CIA in the Afghan capital Kabul on July 31. - NIGERIA
The Horniman Museum in London agreed to return to Nigeria artefacts looted in the 19th Century from the Kingdom of Benin. Ownership of 72 objects would be transferred to the Nigerian government. - UGANDA
Fifty years after Ugandan Asians, mostly Indians, were forced to leave the country by dictator Idi Amin, the country’s foreign ministry has expressed regret. More than 27,000 Asians were expelled in 1972, and thousands settled in Leicester (UK). - GHANA
Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo has said the payment of reparations to Africans for the damage caused by the slave trade centuries ago is “long overdue”. The transatlantic slave trade was the largest forced migration in history during 16th-19th centuries.
- Commonwealth Games in Birmingham: India’s Jeremy Lalrinnunga wins gold in men’s 67kg category weightlifting
- Football: England beat Germany 2-1 in the final at Wembley Stadium in London to win women’s European Championship
- Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing wins Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest
- NBA (National Basketball Association) legend Bill Russell dies in US at 88; won 11 titles with Boston Celtics
- Birmingham Commonwealth Games: India’s Achinta Sheuli wins gold in men’s 73 kg weightlifting
- Birmingham Commonwealth Games: India win gold in men’s team table tennis by defeating Singapore 3-1 in final
- Birmingham: Commonwealth Games: India win gold in lawn bowls women’s fours team
- Parliament passes National Anti-Doping Bill, 2022 that seeks to provide a statutory framework for the functioning of the National Anti-Doping Agency and the National Dope Testing Laboratory
- Birmingham Commonwealth Games: Malaysia win gold in mixed team badminton by beating India 3-1 in final
- Commonwealth Games in Birmingham: India’s Tulika Maan gets silver in women’s 78kg category Judo after losing to Scotland’s Sarah Adlington in final
- Birmingham Commonwealth Games: Murali Sreeshankar wins silver in men’s long jump
- INDIA AT BIRMINGHAM COMMONWEALTH GAMES
– Eldhose Paul (17.03m) wins gold in men’s triple jump
– Vinesh Phogat wins gold in women’s 53kg freestyle wrestling
– Ravi Dahiya wins gold in men’s 57kg boxing
– Amit Panghal wins gold in men’s 51kg boxing
– Nitu Ghanghas wins gold in women’s 48 kg boxing
– Nikhat Zareen wins gold in women’s 50kg boxing
– Naveen wins gold in men’s 74kg freestyle wrestling
