Current Affairs - August 2017 Current Affairs ─ August 2017 This is a guide to provide you a precise summary and a huge collection of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) covering national and international current affairs for the month of August 2017. This guide will help you in preparing for Indian competitive examinations like Bank PO, Banking, Railway, IAS, PCS, UPSC, CAT, GATE, CDS, NDA, MCA, MBA, Engineering, IBPS, Clerical Grade and Officer Grade, etc. Audience Aspirants who are preparing for different competitive exams like Bank PO, Banking, Railway, IAS, PCS, UPSC, CAT, GATE, CDS, NDA, MCA, MBA, Engineering, IBPS, Clerical Grade, Officer Grade, etc. Even though you are not preparing for any exams but are willing to have news encapsulated in a roll, which you can walk through within 30 minutes, then we have put all the major points for the whole month in a precise and interesting way. Copyright and Disclaimer Copyright 2017 by Tutorials Point (I) Pvt. Ltd. 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If you discover any errors on our website or in this tutorial, please notify us at [email protected] i Current Affairs - August 2017 Table of Contents Current Affairs ─ August 2017 ........................................................................................................................... i Audience........................................................................................................................................................... i Copyright and Disclaimer .................................................................................................................................. i Table of Contents............................................................................................................................................. ii APPOINTMENTS .......................................................................................................................... 1 AWARDS ................................................................................................................................... 11 BOOKS & AUTHORS ................................................................................................................... 18 COMMITTEES ............................................................................................................................ 19 DEATHS ..................................................................................................................................... 22 DEFENCE ................................................................................................................................... 27 ECONOMIC ............................................................................................................................... 30 ENVIRONMENT ......................................................................................................................... 39 FINANCE.................................................................................................................................... 41 IMPORTANT DAYS ..................................................................................................................... 51 INTERNATIONAL ........................................................................................................................ 55 MISCELLANEOUS ....................................................................................................................... 66 NATIONAL ................................................................................................................................. 69 PERSONS IN NEWS .................................................................................................................. 102 PLACES IN NEWS ..................................................................................................................... 107 ii Current Affairs - August 2017 REGIONAL ............................................................................................................................... 111 REPORTS ................................................................................................................................. 121 RESIGNATIONS & RETIREMENTS ............................................................................................. 126 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ........................................................................................................ 128 SPORTS ................................................................................................................................... 132 iii Appointments Current Affairs - August 2017 1. Cisco appoints Sameer Garde as the new President for India, SAARC region Networking giant Cisco has appointed Sameer Garde as President for India and SAARC. He succeeds Dinesh Malkani who is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities. Garde will be responsible for Cisco's senior- level external engagement, including those with government and industry associations. Prior to joining Cisco, Sameer was working with Philips Healthcare as its President for South Asia. He has worked with Dell India for nine years and then joined Samsung for a year. 2. SEBI approved appointment of Dhirendra Swarup as BSE Chairman Market Regulator SEBI (Securities and Exchange board of India) has approved the appointment of Dhirendra Swarup as the new Chairman of Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). Swarup replaces incumbent Sudhakar Rao. Swarup was a public interest director at the BSE. He was the former Chairman of the Pension Funds Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) and more than our decades of experience across finance. He was also the Chairman of the Cash and Debt Management Committee of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) from 2000 to 2003. 3. Christopher Wray confirmed as FBI Director The US Senate has confirmed Christopher Wray to lead the FBI. He will replace James Comey. The vote was 92-5 for Wray. Wray is a former high-ranking official in President George W Bush's Justice Department who oversaw investigations into corporate fraud. Mr. Wray was hired as a federal prosecutor in Atlanta in 1997 and left the Justice Department in 2005 after rising to the head of the criminal division as an assistant attorney general. 1 Current Affairs - August 2017 4. FICCI appointed Sanjaya Baru as Secretary General Sanjaya Baru has been named new secretary general of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). He will assume the charge from September 1 and will replace A Didar Singh. Mr Singh would continue at the body as a strategic advisor to the President of FICCI, Mr Pankaj Patel. Sanjaya Baru was media advisor and chief spokesperson to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a role in which he served from May 2004 until August 2008. 5. PAYBACK India appointed Gautam Kaushik as its new CEO Payback India has appointed Gautam Kaushik as the new Chief Executive Officer. He will be responsible for the India operations and lead all the critical business areas including Strategic Business Planning and Development, Partner Management & Acquisitions and Customer Engagement. His primary focus would be towards driving engagement through new touch points. Prior to joining PAYBACK, Gautam was working with American Express (AMEX) as Vice President (VP) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO). 6. Walmart India appointed Devendra Chawla as EVP and COO Walmart India has appointed Devendra Chawla as Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Operating Officer. Walmart India is a wholly- owned subsidiary of US-based Walmart Stores Inc. He will lead Merchandising, Marketing, and Omni Channel functions for Walmart India’s Cash and Carry business. Prior to joining Walmart, Chawla was working as CEO for Future Consumer, a part of Kishore Biyani-led Future Group. He has 22 years of experience in retail, FMCG and Operations. 2 Current Affairs - August 2017 7. Mohammad Mustafa appointed as CMD of SIDBI According to a Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) order, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Mohammad Mustafa as the Chairman and Managing Director of Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) for a period of three years. Mohammad Mustafa is a 1995 batch IAS officer. Prior to this appointment, Mustafa was Joint Secretary in the Department of Financial Services (DFS) in the Finance Ministry. 8. ACC Appointments The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the request of Dr. Arvind Panagaria to relieve him from the post of Vice- Chairperson, NITI Aayog w.e.f. 31.08.2017 and appointed Dr. Rajiv Kumar as Vice- Chairperson, NITI Aayog. He was appointed on the same terms and conditions as were applicable to the previous Vice-Chairperson, NITI Aayog. The ACC also appointed Dr. Vinod K. Paul as Member, NITI Aayog, until further orders, on the same terms and conditions as are applicable to the other full-time Members of the NITI Aayog. 9. Air Marshal Hemant