General Knowledge and Current Affairs Pack 2016-08-19

1. 18 August 2016 – Praising the spirit and drive of relief workers, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O'Brien, has said the global humanitarian community is determined to not let political disagreements, conflicts or natural disasters get in the way of their ability to help the people who are most in need.
2. 18 August 2016 – The United Nations envoy for Syria abruptly suspended the regular international humanitarian taskforce meeting in Geneva today shortly after it started, saying it made “no sense” to continue unless there is a pause in the fighting so aid convoys could reach besieged areas of the war-ravaged country.
3. 18 August 2016 – While two new reports released today as part of a new global strategy by the United Nations refugee agency found an overall drop in the total number of refugee children detained in 12 focus countries, they also revealed mixed progress in two critical target areas: ensuring alternatives to detention, and improving detention conditions. 
4. 18 August Amid a recent massive anti-crime and anti-drug crackdown in the Philippines that has claimed the lives of more than 850 suspected criminals, two United Nations human rights experts today urged the Government to end the wave of extrajudicial executions and killings, stressing that drug charges should be “judged in a court of law, not by gunmen on the streets.”
5. 18 August Amid news of an agreement to close the Australian immigration detention centre on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today underscored the importance of finding permanent and sustainable resettlement solutions that address the needs of the refugees.
6. 18 August The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom today condemned the killing of a Kurdistan TV cameraman on 14 August, the second such murder in Iraq in a week, urging measures to improve the safety of journalists in the country.
7. 1. As a mark of respect for his tremendous contribution to the company, the TATA Group named one of its products after him. Who was he ? What is the brand name he inspired?
8. 2016 Olympics: India at Rio, Day 13
9. 2 Lochte teammates in robbery probe pulled off plane
10. 300 youth from J&K inducted into Army
11. 300 youth hailing from various parts of Jammu and Kashmir were on Thursday inducted as soldiers in the Army after completing a year of strenuous training.
12. 370 miles of roadworks to be stopped over August Bank Holiday in boost for drivers
13. 3 countries join hands, plan Tokyo gathering
14. 5 Soviet infrastructure projects that survived the Afghan wars
15. 60-Second Science - August 17, 2016 - By Christopher Intagliata
16. 73% of Law Ministry budget goes for poll-related work
17. Aankhen 2 starring Amitabh Bachchan, Arshad Warsi in lead roles announced
18. A bacterium with a different genetic code to every other living things is in the pipeline. It will be resistance to all known viruses – and its inventor wants to alter humans in the same way
19. A bacterium with a different genetic code to every other living things is in the pipeline. It will be resistance to all known viruses - and its inventor wants to alter humans in the same way
20. A bizarre video has circulated online for days showing several individuals in black cloaks gathering in a main square at Europe's top physics lab, in what appears to be a re-enactment of an occult ceremony. The video includes the staged 'stabbing' of a woman. CERN hosts machinery carrying out some of the world's most elaborate particle research, including an enormously powerful proton smasher trying to find previously undiscovered particles.
21. A bolt of lightning was capture streaking across the sky of Arizona's Petrified Forest National Park that is said to resemble 'a Tyrannosaurus rex getting ready to chomp a formation' at the park. The sighting was snapped in 2013, which was brought to the desert state by monsoons.
22. About 81 percent of likely voters who support Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump say they believe life in the US has gotten worse in the past half century for people like them in contrast to Democratic rival Hillary Clinton’s backers, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center.
23. About six and a half hours after launch the GSSAP spacecraft will separate from their carrier rocket.
24. ABVP continues protest, demands action against Amnesty over event on Kashmir
25. ACB raids women's panel office
26. According to India Resource Center (IRC), the firm was running the plant without a no-objection certificate (NOC) since January 2015
27. A collection of short stories from author J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter archives are being released as e-books.
28. A computational science doctoral student has successfully tied a new mathematical modeling process to the study of earthquakes.
29. Acquirers Chase Mobile-Game Makers
30. Across the animal kingdom there is a strong trend for females to be more caring parents. Why? Researchers have now expanded upon previous theories to better explain why mothers and fathers differ in the effort they put into caring for young.
31. Actor Ricky Gervais has hit out at the modern obsession with fame and says celebrity culture is responsible for the dumbing down of society.
32. A deep-water marine sponge collected off of Fort Lauderdale’s coast contains leiodermatolide, a natural product that has the ability to inhibit the growth of cancer cells as well as block cancer cells from dividing using extremely low concentrations of the compound, report scientists.
33. Aditi Ashok, the lone woman golfer at the ongoing Rio Olympics, produced a spectacular performance as she finished tied at third-place in the round two of the women's individual stroke play here at Olympic Golf Course.The 18-year-old from Bengaluru, ...
34. A famous 5300-year-old mummy preserved in ice is yielding prehistoric fashion secrets. His clothes were stitched together from five different species
35. A federal judge has rejected a proposed $100 million settlement between Uber Technologies Inc. and drivers in two states, reopening the debate over the car-hailing company’s freelance labor model.
36. Afforestation is priority, says Ramanath Rai
37. A former employee of Deutsche Bank who helped to reveal the financial institution’s false account statements has refused to accept a multimillion-dollar award from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), The Financial Times reports.
38. after a strong protest from Punjab Chief Minister...
39. After increasing threat from the IS and reports of radicalisation of Maldivian youth with about 50 locals believed to have joined the outfit.
40. After its completion the mission will enter a second coast phase, this time lasting about five hours.
41. After playing down fuel's future, group chases rising demand in India and Southeast Asia
42. A gamechanger for the Baloch
43. A gold medal in worthless ideas: Tax breaks for Olympic winners
44. A ‘go-to’ guide for the UK’s solar park community has been planned, allowing researchers to qualify and, where possible, quantify and value the ecosystem services of current and planned parks.
45. Agriculture gets a tech injection
46. A group calling itself Shadow Brokers has claimed to hack the NSA-connected hackers known as Equation Group and put their stolen files up for sale.
47. A group of "shipwreck enthusiasts" have discovered the Lady Washington, a 19th-century-old vessel at the bottom of Lake Ontario.
48. A handful of Zika cases have been identified and health officials are deciding which area or areas to include in any updated travel guidance.
49. Ahead of Reliance Jio launch, Singtel makes a $659-million bet on Airtel
50. A heartbreaking video of a child rescued after an airstrike hit his home in Aleppo has gripped the world. CNN's Barbara Starr reports.
51. A high-fat, high-sugar diet during pregnancy may be linked to symptoms of ADHD in children who show conduct problems early in life, new research indicates.
52. A host of companies including Astral Poly Technik, Anik Industries, Genus Power Infrastructure, Net 4 India, National Fertilizers, Oberoi Realty, Sunflag Iron and Steel, Sun TV Network and Zodiac JRD...
53. Airbus, based in Toulouse, France, is creating a fleet of flying taxis named CityAirbus (artist's impression pictured main image and inset), as well as an electric, autonomous helicopter in a project called Vahana. It hopes to conduct its first flight tests on the University of Singapore campus by 2017.
54. Airbus is creating a fleet of self-flying taxis
55. Airbus wants to make self-FLYING taxis
56. Air Pollution Death Rate in India to Outpace China: Researcher
57. Air pollution takes years off people’s lives. It causes substantial pain and suffering, among adults and children alike. And it damages food production, at a time when we need to feed more people than ever. This is not just an economic issue; it is a
58. Air strike on terrorists' facilities in the Rasmus quarter in southwest Aleppo
59. A.J.ColerecalledtobolstertiredNationalsbullpen%3BBrianGoodwinoptionedtoSyracuse', 'width
60. A.J. Cole recalled to bolster tired Nationals bullpen; Brian Goodwin optioned to Syracuse
61. A K Bhattacharya, in his column, "Selling reforms on Independence Day" (August 17), has succinctly analysed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day speeches in three consecutive years. Modi's emphasis was on empowerment rather than the ...
62. A large number of tech firms have R&D centres in the country, with Bengaluru alone having about 500 labs as of April, majority of them by multinational companies
63. A large screening program has identified several genes associated with age-related conditions including hearing loss, retinal degeneration and osteoarthritis. The animal study may lead to studies of the equivalent human gene and help develop screening programs to identify the risk of developing an age-related condition many years before symptoms appear.
64. A lecturer was reportedly beaten to death by army soldiers in south Kashmir's Pulwama district on Thursday, even as protests continued...
65. Alibaba Group, China’s biggest e-commerce company unveiled its Mission Million Books, inviting Indian citizens to donate textbooks and educational material for the benefit of the underprivileged. Al...
66. Alibaba has held talks to acquire Shopclues; May merge it with Paytm's marketplace
67. Alibaba in talks with e-commerce, logistics, tech firms
68. Alibaba unveils Mission Million Books campaign
69. Alleging prolonged harassment by officials of Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority, a 54-year old owner of a private institute has sought permission from the President of India to commit suicide.
70. All eight Apollo-era launches from Launch Complex 37 were made from Pad B; including all six orbital launches of the Saturn I and the first orbital launch of the Saturn IB – which flew without a payload. The final Saturn launch from the pad was the Apollo 5 mission, the first test flight of the Lunar Module, which operated unmanned in Earth orbit.
71. All major trade unions in Goa under the banner of “Goa Convention of Workers” has decided to back the nationwide general strike call to be observed on September 2 against “anti-labour and anti- peopl...
72. All-night services finally begin on the London Underground today, after being delayed for months by a dispute with workers and a lack of political will according to the city's mayor.
73. Almost 73 per cent of the Rs.5,011 crore budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Law and Justice for the current financial year has been earmarked for election-related expenses. According to the F...
74. Along with the nearby Launch Complex 34, Complex 37 was mothballed once Apollo’s lunar missions began; although the pads were expected to be reactivated as part of an “Apollo Applications” program to include further Earth orbit missions that would make use of the smaller Saturn configurations.
75. Although polls show that Hillary Clinton is currently leading Donald Trump in a number of key battle ground states, it does not mean that Trump's campaign is doomed. His latest campaign shake-up indicates that the Republican presidential nominee is determined to win.
76. Altico Capital said on Thursday it had invested Rs. 200 crore in real estate firm Legacy Group. “Altico Capital has entered into a portfolio based funding with Bangalore-based real estate developer Le...
77. Ambulance driver hurt in firing by security forces
78. A medal is a medal and fourth is fourth, will win gold in 2020 Tokyo Games: Dipa Karmakar
79. American Ashton Eaton repeats as Olympic champion in decathlon
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81. American Dalilah Muhammad wins Olympic gold in women’s 400-meter hurdles
82. American officials are facing a prickly diplomatic puzzle in how they choose to handle the case of Ryan Lochte and the other US swimmers accused by Brazilian police of fabricating parts of their harrowing robbery claim last week.
83. American Ryan Crouser takes gold in men’s shot put with Olympic record throw
84. American women were guaranteed the right to vote after the 19th Amendment was adopted in August 1920.
85. Amid a recent massive anti-crime and anti-drug crackdown in the Philippines that has claimed the lives of more than 850 suspected criminals, two United Nations human rights experts today urged the Government to end the wave of extrajudicial executions and killings, stressing that drug charges should be “judged in a court of law, not by gunmen on the streets.”
86. Amid news of an agreement to close the Australian immigration detention centre on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today underscored the importance of finding permanent and sustainable resettlement solutions that address the needs of the refugees.
87. Amid Olympic sailing events, severed leg found in Rio’s Guanabara Bay
88. Amir Hekmati waves after arriving on a private flight at Bishop International Airport in Flint, Mich. on Jan. 21, 2016, in Flint, Mich. The 32-year-old, a former U.S. Marine, had just been released from an Iranian prison.
89. Amnesty denies reports of shutting down office, says will continue to work for justice
90. Amnesty International calls for action against torture in Syrian prisons
91. Amnesty’s plans for South Asia hub hit FCRA hurdle
92. Amnesty shuts office on police advice
93. A mother and her children arrive at Sezged train station, just after disembarking from a bus, after their release from a detention camp in Szeged, Hungary. They were arrested by the police for crossing the border from Serbia.
94. Amy Schumer, Ryan Lochte and other celebrities who use dating apps
95. An Afghan National Army led convoy supported by members of the German Operational Mentor & Liaison Team delivers supplies to Forward Operating Base Kunduz (May 6, ...
96. A naked statue of Donald Trump, complete with bulging belly and elaborate yellow hair, caused laughter and merriment in New York today until it was ripped up by park wardens.
97. A new exhibition in Zurich explores the innovative techniques employed nearly a century ago to craft these formative Surreal works.
98. A new study has found patients who tested negative for lung cancer by a detailed X-ray screening called low-dose helical computed tomography but later went on to develop lung cancer within the following two years had poorer outcomes than patients who initially had a non-cancerous positive LDCT screen.
99. A new study published Tuesday shows that pesticides known as neonicotinoids, or neonics, are likely linked to the decline of wild bee populations.
100. A new study shows for the first time that the Zika virus can infect the mouse adult brain in regions that are vital to learning and memory. The researchers observed that infection correlated with evidence of cell death and reduced generation of new neurons. The findings suggest that the virus could have more subtle effects than have been recognized, perhaps contributing to such conditions as long-term memory loss or depression.
101. A new United Nations report lays bare the widespread and systematic manner in which the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, Da’esh) has committed “terrible atrocities” against the Yezidi and other ethnic and religious communities, the UN envoy for Iraq said today, calling for the perpetrators to be fully and properly held to account.
102. An expert working group will look for a physical point in the geological record that shows where one epoch changed to another, known as a 'golden spike'.
103. An explosion took place in the vicinity of 4th police district of the city earlier this afternoon. Security officials confirmed?the blast took place as a result of a magnetic bomb ...
104. Anil Bhasin, MD – India & SAARC, Palo Alto Networks sheds light on various aspects of cloud security, the current threat landscape and their acquisitions from across the world.
105. An international consortium is examining how physical activity and nutritional health messages are promoted in the run up to and during large-scale sporting events.
106. Annual pilgrimage to Amarnath shrine concludes
107. A number of Bollywood celebrities posted their pictures on social media to celebrate Rakshabandhan on Thursday. Kajol posted this picture of her kids, Nysa and Yug, and captioned it, ‘True love looks like this, happy raksha bandhan.’ (Instagram)
108. A number of competitors at the Rio Olympics have reported stomach problems. Team GB officials have denied that athletes have fallen victim to food poisoning at the Olympic athletes' village in Rio, despite a number complaining of upset stomachs. A gastro-intestinal expert suggests that the culprit may, in some cases, be 'leaky gut' syndrome.
109. A pall of gloom that descended on the country following our gifted gymnast, Dipa Karmakar, losing out on an Olympic medal by a whisker a few days ago has now lifted with Sakshi Malik winning a bronze...
110. A.P. gets Rs. 1,976 cr. special assistance
111. A pilot route to simplify international freight transportation across China, Mongolia and Russia hit the road in Tianjin on Aug 18, aiming to boost international economic relations.
112. A preliminary draft of the law which will replace the Wildlife Protection Act has been prepared and shared between select officials
113. Apropos Apurva Venkat's article, "Wipro journey under Azim Premji" (August 18), what is remarkable about the company's growth from a $2-million oil manufacturing company to a $7-billion company with presence in 60 countries is that it is founded on ...
114. Archaeologists have discovered sea snail and nautilus shells with holes drilled in them at a cave in East Timor. They showed staining with red ochre and may have been worn as a necklace or bracelet.
115. A record year in videogame deal making is turning attention to smaller mobile-game developers now that most bigger targets have been gobbled up.
116. Are there any guidelines for private hospitals to make attendants aware of the treatment being provided to the patients admitted in ICUs or CCUs? The Supreme Court posed this question to the Centr...
117. Are US Shifting Nukes in Turkey? |Duterte Criticised on Philippines War on Drugs
118. Argentina’s Men’s Field Hockey Team Wins First Olympic Gold
119. Argentina win first men's hockey gold
120. Argentina won their first Olympic men's hockey gold with a 4-2 victory over Belgium thanks to a 10-minute goal blitz in the first half.
121. Army chief files affidavit in SC against V K Singh
122. Army chief Gen Dalbir Singh has accused former chief of staff Gen (retd) V K Singh, now a Minister of State for External Affairs...
123. Army orders probe into lecturer’s death
124. Army’s plan to procure carbine hangs fire
125. Around 1,500 Australian and New Zealand veterans and their families traveled to Vietnam to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan.

1. Around 18,000 people die in govt custody in Syria: Amnesty