Daily Current Affairs, 27th August 2018

1) 4th Asian Electoral Stakeholders Forum Begins In Colombo

•In Sri Lanka, the fourth Asian electoral stakeholders forum (AESF-IV) begins in Colombo to discuss the state of elections and democracy in the region. The two-day forum is being held for the first time in South Asia with support from the Election Commission of Sri Lanka and the Asian network for free elections (ANFREL). 

•The AESF will be attended by more than 250 delegates from 45 countries. The theme is, ‘Advancing Election Transparency and Integrity: Promoting and Defending Democracy Together’. India is being represented by Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra Ashwini Kumar and an NGO. 

2) India's 1st Biofuel-Powered Flight Lands In Delhi

•In a Historic day for the country's aviation and energy sector, India's first biofuel-powered flight landed in Delhi, covering the distance between Dehradun & Delhi. The biofuel is developed by Indian Institute of Petroleum. The flight test was successfully completed by SpiceJet. 

•The flight was powered with a blend of 75% air turbine fuel (ATF) and 25% biojet fuel. The advantage of using biojet fuel as compared to ATF is that it reduces carbon emissions and enhances fuel efficiency. Made from Jatropha crop, the fuel has been developed by the CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP), Dehradun.

3) 'Atal Ji Ne Kaha', A Book On AB Vajpayee Launched

•"Atal Ji Ne Kaha" is the latest of the books on the BJP patriarch and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee launched with a message by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

•The book is Authored and compiled by Brijendra Rehi. Mr Rehi is noted Doordarshan producer,  and senior journalist. The 320-page book is a rich repository of the former Prime Minister's select speeches and photographs beside having three interviews by the author. The book has been published by Darpan Publication. 

4) Kolkata, Bhopal Top Among Indian Cities In Clean Transport: CSE Survey

•The Statistics from 14 cities across India have been analysed by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the New Delhi-based think tank, to check how some cities, which hold sizeable shares of India’s urban population are positioned in the race for clean and low carbon mobility.  

•Bhopal tops for lowest overall emissions and energy use from urban commute. Kolkata emits least among six megacities due to high usage of public transport and walking. The analysis titled The Urban Commute was released in Kolkata. 

•Top 3 in Overall emissions and energy consumption: 
1. Bhopal
2. Vijayawada
3. Chandigarh.

•Top 3 in Per-travel trip emissions and energy consumption: 
1. Kolkata
2. Mumbai
3. Bhopal.

5) Tamil Nadu CM Lays Foundation Stone For Special Investment Region

•Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami laid the foundation stone for setting up of a Special Investment Region (SIR) in northern Krishnagiri district to attract investments. The foundation stone for the Rs 2,420 crore project was laid through video conferencing from the State Secretariat.

•The SIR would be jointly developed by GMR Infrastructures Limited and the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Ltd (TIDCO) and would come up on 2,100 acre area in Denkanikottai and Shoolagiri taluks of Krishnagiri district.

6) EAM Sushma Swaraj On 4-Day Visit To Vietnam And Cambodia

•External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj begun her four-day tour of Vietnam and Cambodia, with an aim to deepen India’s strategic cooperation with the two key nations in the ASEAN region. She will inaugurate the 3rd Indian Ocean Conference in Hanoi. In Vietnam, she will co-chair the 16th meeting of the Joint Commissionalong with her Vietnamese counterpart, Pham Binh Minh. 

•In the second leg of her two-nation tour, she will visit Cambodia. She will have a bilateral meeting with her Cambodian counterpart Prak Sokhonn and also call on Prime Minister Hun Sen and President of Senate Say Chhum. This will be her first official visit to Cambodia. 

7) India-Kenya Joint Trade Committee Meeting Held In Kenya

•The 8th meeting of India-Kenya Joint Trade Committee was held in Nairobi, Kenya. The meeting was co-chaired by Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu and Mr Peter Munya, Cabinet Secretary (Minister) for Industry, Trade and Cooperatives, Government of Kenya. 

•A meeting of India-Kenya Joint Business Council was held on the sidelines of the Joint Trade Committee meeting. 

8) Asia Society To Honour PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi As 'Game Changer Of The Year'

•PepsiCo's India-born CEO Indra Nooyi will be honoured with the Game Changer of the Year award by a global cultural organisation Asia Society in recognition of her business achievements, humanitarian record and advocacy for women and girls around the world. 

•The 2018 Asia Game Changer Awards will be given in October to individuals and institutions who have broken barriers, defined courage, worked miracles, and in turn inspired their fellow citizens of the world. 

9) Sports Policy For Steel Ministry CPSEs Launched

•Union Minister of Steel, Chaudhary Birender Singh, unveiled the corporate sports policy for Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) under the Ministry of Steel. 

•The policy will provide a framework for promotion of sports by Steel Ministry CPSEs. Steel CPSEs will allocate a specific budget for sports activities, as per their financial strength, and this budget will be separate from the company’s CSR funds. 

10) Japan Wins 1st Ever Title At FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup France 2018

•The U-20 Japan Women's National Team won against the U-20 Spain Women's National Team at the final of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup France 2018, taking down the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup title for the first time in Japanese football history. 

•Takarada Saori was named as the Player of the match with her goal and an assist. Takarada was also awarded the Adidas Bronze Boot as well as the Adidas Silver Ball, while Minami was awarded the Bronze Ball.Japan received the Fair-play award as a team and the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup France 2018 has closed its curtains.