Current Affairs Today August 20 2018

We are here for you to provide the important current affairs August 20 2018 which have unique updates of all daily events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, India Today, Indian Express, Business Standard, all Government official websites. Our complete current affairs helps you to get more marks in Banking, insurance, UPSC, SSC, CLAT, Railway and all other competitive Exams.

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 INDIAN AFFAIRS

Telangana Government launches Disaster Response Force (DRF) vehicles
Telangana Government has launched Disaster Response Force (DRF) vehicles in Hyderabad to handle situations like flash floods, heavy rains, building collapse and fire mishaps.
i. The DRF vehicles will be parked at 24 locations with Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) DRF staff.
ii. It will reached affected spots for relief work during necessary situations. DRF personnel will be available on the field for 24/7.
ii. This initiative has been launched with the main aim that Telangana should have its own disaster force.
iii. Hyderabad is the second city to have an exclusive Enforcement Vigilance Disaster Management wing.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Esala Maha Perehera festival begins in Sri Lanka
On 16^th August 2018, the historic Esala Maha Perehera festival started in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

i. The festival will be held for 10 days. It started with a grand procession from Sri Dalada Maligawa, the biggest Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka.
ii. This festival is held in the month of Esala (July or August). This month is believed to commemorate the first teaching of Buddha after his enlightenment.
iii. The procession is carried out to obtain the blessings of the Gods for cultivation of crops and enrichment of the kingdom.
iv. The sacred tooth relic of the Buddha is carried through the streets. This festival is also celebrated to honour the four Gods Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama and Goddess Pattini.

Germany surpasses Japan again with world’s largest current account surplus: Ifo
On 20^th August 2018, the Ifo institute said that, Germany’s current account surplus will remain the world’s largest in 2018, in spite of increased trade tensions.
Germany – world’s largest current account surplus:
i. Current account surplus measures the flow of goods, services and investments.
ii. Germany’s current account surplus will remain the world’s largest for the third year in 2018 at $299 billion.
iii. It is followed by Japan in second position with $200 billion. The Netherlands would be third with a current account surplus of around 110 billion dollars.
iv. The United States will remain the country with the largest current account deficit with nearly 420 billion euros.
v. Germany’s current account surplus is mainly due to its trade balance. Exports are expected to exceed imports by 265 billion euros in 2018.
vi. Ifo has estimated that, Germany’s current account surplus would reach 7.8 % in 2018 after 7.9 % in 2017.
vii. From 2011, Germany’s current account surplus has been consistently above the European Commission’s indicative threshold of 6 % of gross domestic product (GDP).
About Ifo Institute:
♦ Founded – 1949
♦ President – Clemens Fuest
♦ Based in – Germany

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

IRDAI directs insurance companies to cover mental illness in policies
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has directed all insurance companies to create provision to cover mental illness in policies.
Insurance companies to cover mental illness in policies:
i. IRDAI has notified all insurance companies to comply with the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 that came to effect on 29^th May 2018, and make provisions for medical insurance of treatment for medical illness with immediate effect.
ii. According to Sec 21(4) of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, every insurer is supposed to make provision for medical insurance for treatment of mental illness on the same basis that is available for treatment of physical illness.
About Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI):
♦ Chairman – Subhash Chandra Khuntia
♦ Headquarters – Hyderabad

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Delhi government’s additional director of health S.K. Arora bags WHO World No Tobacco Day 2018 Award
Delhi government’s additional director of health S.K. Arora has been awarded the WHO World No Tobacco Day 2018 Award for his remarkable contribution towards tobacco control.He was presented the award by Henk Bekedam, WHO India country head.

S.K. Arora – WHO World No Tobacco Day 2018 Award:
i. Tobacco prevalence in Delhi has reduced by 6.5% in the last 6 years. This is more than the rest of India average figures.
ii. National Health Policy 2017 has fixed targets of relative reduction in tobacco prevalence by 15% by 2020 and 30% by 2025. These targets have already been achieved by Delhi before 2017.
About WHO (World Health Organization):
♦ Director-General – Tedros Adhanom
♦ Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

Srikumar Menon concurrently appointed the next Ambassador of India to Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe
On 20^th August 2018, Srikumar Menon was appointed the next Ambassador of India to the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe.
i. Currently, he is the Ambassador of India to Angola. He has been concurrently appointed the next Ambassador of India to the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, with residence in Luanda.
ii. He will take up this new assignment soon.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

India successfully tests indigenously Anti-Tank Guided Missile ‘HELINA’ and Smart Anti Airfield Weapon (SAAW)
On 19^th August 2018, India successfully flight tested the indigenously developed helicopter launched Anti-Tank Guided Missile(ATGM) ‘HELINA’ from Army helicopter in Pokhran, Rajasthan.

HELINA:
i. HeliNA (Helicopter-launched Nag) is helicopter launched version known of NAG ATGM.
ii. HELINA is an indigenously designed and developed long-range precision-guided anti-airfield bomb.
iii. It was tested for its full range. It was released smoothly from the launch platform. The missile tracked the target and hit it with high precision. HeliNa with a range of 7–8 km
iv. The missile is guided by an Infrared Imaging Seeker (IIR) operating in the Lock on Before Launch mode. This is one of the most advanced Anti-Tank Weapons in the world.
Smart Anti Airfield Weapon (SAAW):
i. On 19^th August 2018, the indigenously designed and developed guided bombs Smart Anti Airfield Weapon (SAAW) was also successfully flight tested from IAF (Indian Air Force) aircraft at Chandan range in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
ii. The weapon system was integrated with the live warhead. It has destroyed the targets with high precision.
iii. SAAW can destroy various ground targets through precision navigation. All the mission objectives have been met in the tests.
About Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO):
♦ Secretary – Sanjay Mitra
♦ Headquarters – New Delhi

SPORTS

Cincinnati Masters 2018 or Western & Southern Open 2018
Cincinnati Masters also called Western & Southern Open for the year 2018 took place at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, a northern suburb of Cincinnati, in the United States.It was  117th men’s edition and the 90th women’s edition played in an outdoor hard courts from August 13 – 19 2018. It was also a Masters 1000 tournament on the 2018 ATP World Tour and a WTA Premier 5 tournament on the 2018 WTA Tour.

Highlights of the tournament:-
i. Novak Djokovic won men’s Cincinnati masters 2018 title

• Novak Djokovic of serbia clinched his first Cincinnati Open with a 6-4, 6-4 win over seven-time winner Roger Federer of Switzerland in the final.
• He became the first man to win all nine title of the ATP’s Masters 1000 events in the elite series.
• Roger Federer has lost his final  in the hardcourt US Open for the first time.

ii. Kiki Bertens of the Netherland won women’s Cincinnati WTA 2018 title

• Kiki Bertens, ranked 17th in the world, beat US Open champion Sloane Stephens of Romania
• 2-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-2 in the women’s final of the combined WTA and ATP hard court tournament. This is her second career win over Hale six years after beating her for the first time.
• She became the first Dutch player to reach the singles final and became the first unseeded player to win in Cincinnati since Vera Zvonareva in 2006.

iii. Mens Doubles Won by Brazil’s Bruno Soares and United Kingdom’s Jamie Murray

• Murray and Soaresbeat Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 4-6 6-3 10-6 in the final.It was their first ATP Masters 1,000 title.
• They have won nine titles since they joined forces in 2016, including the Australian Open and US Open.

iv. Womens Doubles Won by Czech Republic’s Lucie Hradecka and Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova
No.7 seeds Lucie Hradecka and Ekaterina Makarova won the first title of the tournament by beating No.6 seeds Elise Mertens and Demi Schuurs in the final.
List of Title Winners of Western & Southern Open 2018

2018 SAFF U-15 Women’s Championship (football)
From 9^th to 18^th August 2018, the 2018 SAFF U-15 Women’s Championship was held at Changlimithang Stadium, in Bhutan.

i. It was the 2^nd edition of the SAFF U-15 Women’s Championship.
ii.Six countries participated: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.
India beats Bangladesh to win SAFF U-15 Championship:
i. Indian U-15 women’s team emerged as champions of the SAFF U-15 Championship.
ii. India defeated defending champions Bangladesh 1-0 in the final. Sunita Munda scored a goal for India in the second-half.
iii. India scored 16 goals in 4 matches including the final and semifinal of the tournament.
iv. Bangladesh bagged the Fair Play trophy in the SAFF Under-15 Women’s Championship.
About South Asian Football Federation (SAFF):
♦ Founded – 1997
♦ President – Kazi Salahuddin
♦ Headquarters – Delhi
♦ Member nations – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Mosquito Day – August 20
World Mosquito Day, observed on 20th August every year. This day is a honor of British doctor Sir Ronald Ross’s discovery in 1897 that female mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans. Mosquitoes have been around for over a hundred million years.

i. Mosquitoes spread diseases like malaria, West Nile virus, dengue, chikungunya, Zika among human beings.
ii. The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine holds Mosquito Day celebrations every year, including events such as parties and exhibitions, a tradition dating back to as early as the 1930s.