Daily Current Affairs, 24th August 2018

1) NITI Aayog Releases 5 Thematic Reports On Indian Himalayan Region

•NITI Aayog released five thematic reports on Sustainable Development in Indian Himalayan Region. It was released by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr Rajiv Kumar, CEO Amitabh Kant and member Dr V K Saraswat in New Delhi. 

•The themes include Inventory and Revival of Springs in the Himalayas for Water Security, Sustainable Tourism, and Transformative Approach to Shifting Cultivation, Strengthening Skill and Entrepreneurship Landscape in the Himalayas. As per the Reports, Himalayan Tourism is growing annually at 6.8% has created a huge challenge related to solid waste, water, traffic, loss of bio-cultural diversity.

2) Government Unveils Draft UDAN Scheme For International Routes

•The Centre unveiled a draft scheme for extending the affordable air travel programme UDAN to international circuits, with state governments identifying the routes for operation. The draft International Air Connectivity (IAC) scheme envisages to increase the international ticketing to 20 crore by 2027. 

•According to the draft scheme, state governments will identify the routes to be connected, and airline operators will assess demand on the identified routes and submit proposals for providing connectivity. Operations under the scheme will be permitted through fixed-wing aircraft only with more than 70 seats. 

3) EU Wind Survey Satellite 'Aeolus' Launched From French Guyana

•A new European satellite named 'Aeolus' using advanced laser technology to track global winds and improve weather forecasts has been successfully put into orbit on a Vega rocket from French Guyana. 

•It is part of a European project to monitor environmental damage and help disaster relief. The "Aeolus" satellite has been named after the guardian of wind in Greek mythology that took place at the European spaceport in Kourou. 

4) Treasurer Scott Morrison Elected New Prime Minister Of Australia

•Treasurer Scott Morrison has been elected the new Prime Minister of Australia after winning an internal vote of 45-40 against former Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton. 

•Morrison will take over the charge as PM from Malcolm Turnbull. Morrison's election comes after Turnbull lost support of a majority of the party's MPs. 

5) World Bank Launches World's 1st Blockchain Bond

•The World Bank launched ‘bond-i', the world’s first bond to be created, allocated, transferred and managed by using distributed ledger technology. This two-year bond successfully raised 110 million Australian dollars (USD 80.48 million).

•This was the first time that investors supported the World Bank’s development activities in a transaction that is fully managed using the blockchain technology from start to finish. 

6) India To Grow At 7.5% In 2018, 2019: Moody's Report

•The Indian economy is expected to grow by around 7.5% in 2018 and 2019 as it is largely resilient to external pressures like those from higher oil prices, according to Moody's Investors Service. 

•In its Global Macro Outlook for 2018-19, Moody's stated the run-up in energy prices over the last few months will raise headline inflation temporarily but the growth story remains intact as it is supported by strong urban and rural demand and improved industrial activity. 

•Moody's put G-20 growth at 3.3% in 2018 and 3.1% in 2019. The advanced economies will grow 2.3% in 2018 and 2% in 2019, while G-20 emerging markets will remain the growth drivers at 5.1% in both 2018 and 2019. 

7) Asian Games 2018: India Wins 2nd Gold In Rowing In Asian Games History

•Indian rowers Sawarn Singh, Dattu Bhokanal, Om Prakash and Sukhmeet Singh won the men's Quadruple Sculls to win India's fifth gold medal at the Asian Games 2018.

•The medal is only the second ever gold medal for India in the rowing competition in Asian Games history. India has now won a total of 21 medals at Asiad 2018. 

8) Asian Games 2018: Bopanna, Sharan Win Tennis Maiden Doubles Gold

•Top seeds Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan notched up their maiden men’s tennis doubles gold medal at the Asian Games, in Palembang, Indonesia. Bopanna and Sharan defeated Aleksander Bublik and Denis Yevseyev of Kazakhstan. 

•India have claimed the men’s doubles gold on four occasions at the Games, the last pair being Somdev Devvarman and Sanam Singh in the 2010 Guangzhou edition. Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes remain the most successful Indian men’s doubles pair in the Asian Games history, having claimed back-to-back gold medals in the 2002 and 2006 Games.