Top Weekly Current Affairs – 2020 August 24 to 31

Current affairs is one of the inevitable and compulsive topic in almost every competitive examinations. It is inevitable for an aspirant to get updated on daily current affairs happening around the world. Daily newspaper reading and follow-ups are necessary for mastering these current affairs section. In this article, we have provided the top weekly current affairs from August 24 to 31, 2020 which will help all aspirants to improve scores in their competitive examination like PSC, SSC, RRB and Banking.

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Top Weekly Current Affairs for all Competitive Exams 2020 August 24 to 31

Here are the list of top current affairs of the week  August 24 to 31, 2020 which will be helpful for all competitive examinations like PSC, SSC, RRB, Banking etc.

China launches optical remote-sensing satellite Gaofen-9 05

• China launches optical remote-sensing satellite Gaofen-9 05.
• China has successfully launched a new optical remote-sensing satellite named “Gaofen-9 05” from its Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre.
• The satellite was sent into orbit by a Long March-2D carrier rocket.
• Along with it, another satellite named Tiantuo-5 and one multifunctional test satellite was also launched by the rocket.

India’s longest ropeway on Brahmaputra to open for public in Guwahati

• State Minister of Assam, Siddhartha Bhattacharya is to inaugurate India’s longest ropeway across river Brahmaputra.
• The ropeway is to cut short the travel time by almost an hour.
• It is 2 km long and the distance is covered in 7 minutes.
• The ropeway journey is to provide a view of Neelachal hills (where Kamakhya temple is located).

India Ranked 57th in Digital Quality of life 2020

• In accordance with the 2nd edition of global research “Digital Quality of Life (DQL) Index 2020” released by online privacy solutions provider SurfShark, India ranked 57th out of 85 countries.
• In terms of overall category “Digital Quality of Life 2020” with 0.5 index points which has been topped by Denmark with 0.79 points.
  Digital Quality of Life 2020 : Internet Affordability
• India Ranked 9th.
• Israel Ranked 1st.

Rajiv Kumar appointed as new Election Commissioner of India

• Retired bureaucrat Rajiv Kumar was appointed the election commissioner in place of Ashok Lavasa, who has resigned.
• A 1984-batch IAS officer from Jharkhand cadre, Kumar is currently the chairperson of the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB). His tenure, which started on April 29, was to end on April 28, 2023.
• Kumar had earlier served as the finance secretary from September 1, 2017 to February 29, 2020. He has served the finance ministry and other ministries of the central government since March 2012.

Indian Air Force launches MY IAF Application

• Indian Air Force launched the MY IAF mobile application.
• The application provides career related information and job details to candidates.
• The mobile application will hold details related to the selection process, syllabus, training, payment and other relevant details.
• The launch is a part of Digital India initiative.
• It was developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).

The third edition of Dragonfly festival organised in Kerala as “Thumbi Mahotsavam 2020”

• The World Wide Fund along with the Bombay Natural History Society launched the third edition of Dragonfly festival, 2020.
• The festival aims to create conservation of these insects.
• For the first time, the festival is to be organised in Kerala as “Thumbi Mahotsavam 2020”.
• This is a part of the National Dragonfly Festival.
• Dragon Flies are used as indicators of aquatic ecosystem quality and biodiversity.

Indian Satellite ‘AstroSat’ Detects UV Light From Galaxy 9 Billion Light Years Away

• India’s first multi-wavelength satellite, AstroSat, has detected an extreme ultraviolet (UV) light from a galaxy, called AUDFs01.
• The discovery was made by an international team of astronomers led by Dr Kanak Saha, associate professor of astronomy at the Pune-based Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA).
• This research was published on August 24, 2020, by Nature Astronomy.

Karnataka Government to build “Transit Homes” for Migrant Workers

• The Karnataka Government is to build transit homes for migrant workers.
• The homes aim to provide better living conditions for the migrant workers.
• This is being launched because of the reverse migration in Karnataka amid lock down.
• The project is being launched with inspiration from the “Apna Ghar” project of Kerala.

World Health Organization certifies Africa free from wild Polio

• The Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC), an independent body set up by the World Health Organization (WHO), has certified the African continent free from wild Polio virus.
• The landmark feat related to public health has been achieved by the continent after decades of work along with international health bodies, national and local governments, community volunteers and survivors.
• According to the previous records, about 75,000 children in Africa were paralysed by polio in 1996.

Neelakanta Bhanu Prakash wins Mental Calculation World Championship at Mind Sports Olympiad

• Neelkantha Bhanu Prakash of Hyderabad has become the first Indian to win the gold medal at the Mental Calculation World Championship 2020 at Mind Sports Olympiad (MSO) held in London recently.
• The 20-year-old Neelkantha Bhanu Prakash, is a student of Mathematics at Delhi’s St Stephen’s College and holds the record for being the ‘fastest human calculator’ in the world.
• This is the first time that India has won a gold medal at MSO, the most prestigious international competition for games of mental skill and mind sports held annually.
• He holds four world records and 50 Limca records for being the ‘fastest human calculator’ in the world.

James Anderson becomes first fast bowler to reach 600 wickets in Test Cricket

• James Anderson from England has become the first-ever fast bowler to take 600 wickets in a Test Match Cricket.
• Overall he is the 4th bowler to take 600 test wickets after 3 spinners Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, and Anil Kumble.
• He achieved this feat against Pakistan when he dismissed Azhar Ali.

World Water Week 2020: 24-28 August

• The World Water Week is an annual global event organized by Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) since 1991 to address the planet’s water issues and related concerns of international development.
• The World Water Week 2020 has been organised from 24-28 August in virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The theme for World Water Week 2020 at Home is ‘Water and Climate change: Accelerating Action’.

A book title ‘Cricket Drona’ on renowned coach Vasoo Paranjape

• A book titled ‘Cricket Drona’ on renowned coach Vasudev Jagannath Paranjpe or Vasoo Paranjape will be released on September 2, 2020.
• The book is written by Vasudev Jagannath Paranjpe’s son and current national selector Jatin Paranjpe along with Cricket Journalist Anand Vasu and published by Penguin.
• The book talks about the impact of Paranjpe on shaping the careers of India’s greatest cricketers like Gavaskar, Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma.

India plans to host BRICS Games in 2021

• India is planning to host BRICS Games 2021, which will be aligned with the Khelo India Games scheduled for next year.
• This announcement came after Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju attended a meeting of Sports Ministers of the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).
• India will get the chairmanship of the five-nation independent international group in 2021.
• BRICS Games 2021 will be held during the same time and at the same venues as of Khelo India Games 2021.

Dutch author Marieke Lucas Rijneveld wins International Booker Prize 2020

• Dutch Author, Marieke Lucas Rijneveld won the International Booker Prize 2020 for her debut novel ‘The Discomfort of Evening’.
• Rijneveld became the youngest author to win the prize at the age of 29.
• The book tells the fictional story of Jas, a girl in a devout Christian farming family, whose brother dies in an accident after she wishes he would die instead of her rabbit.

International Booker Prize: The International Booker Prize is an international literary award given annually to a book translated to English and published in the UK or Ireland.

Women’s Equality Day 2020

• The 100th anniversary of the Women’s Equality Day is being observed in the United States on August 26, to commemorate American women getting the constitutional right to vote.
• Women’s Equality Day is now often observed across the world to encourage and spread awareness about women’s empowerment.
• The 19th Amendment to the US Constitution was adopted in 1920. The law prohibits denying citizens of the United States the right to vote on the basis of gender.
• Women’s Equality Day was first marked in 1972.

Ayyankali Jayanthi: August 28

• Every year on August 28, Ayyankali Jayanthi (Ayyankali Day) is celebrated in India, especially the people of Kerala commemorate this day.
• This day is more significant for Kerala’s peoples. On this day, Ayyankali, who was a social reformer was born.
• On 28 August 1863, Ayyankali was born in a small town called Travancore in British India, this state is now known as Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.
• Ayyankali worked his entire life to improve education for the Dalits and Pulayars.
• The results of his continuous efforts were: In 1907 a proclamation was issued that allowed the students of untouchable communities to have admission in the government schools.
• Ayyankali died on 18 June 1941. He was always remembered as a great social reformer, who worked his entire life tirelessly for the betterment of the Lower Caste of the so-called “Caste System” of Kerala.

International Day against Nuclear Tests: 29 August

• The International Day against Nuclear Tests has been held on August 29 since 2010.
• The day aims to increase awareness about the effects of nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions and the need for their cessation as one of the means of achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.
• It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 2, 2009.

National Sports Day: 29 August

• Every year India observes the National Sports Day, (Rashtriya Khel Divas), on 29 August to mark the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, who is regarded as the nation’s greatest hockey player of all time.
• The National Sports Day was celebrated for the first time in 2012.
• The day is used as a platform to launch various sports schemes as well as organise various sporting events and seminars to spread awareness about the importance of physical activities and sports in life.

First marine ambulance boat ‘PRATHEEKSHA’ commissioned in Kerala

• The Chief Minister of Kerala, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the first ever marine ambulance named ‘PRATHEEKSHA’ on 27 August 2020 via videoconferencing.
• Pratheeksha is first in the series of 3 fully equipped marine ambulance boats built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), for the Department of Fisheries, Govt. of Kerala.
• The other two other boats namely ‘Prathyasha’ and ‘Karunya’ were also launched on the same day.
• These marine ambulances will be deployed at Vizhinjam village of Thiruvananthapuram district in Kerala.

Dwayne Bravo becomes 1st bowler to scalp 500 wickets in T20 cricket

• West Indies All-Rounder, Dwayne John Bravo became the first bowler in cricket to scalp 500 wickets in Twenty20 matches.
• He achieved the feat in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2020 match between his team Trinbago Knight Riders and St Lucia Zouks.
• Bravo took the wicket of Rahkeem Cornwall (18) to register his 500th wicket. Dwayne Bravo achieved the feat in his 459th match in the shortest format.

Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan Resigned

• Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan announced his resignation owing to his worsening health condition due to ulcerative colitis.
• 65-year-old Shinzo Abe of Liberal Democratic Party(LDP) was the longest serving Prime Minister of Japan.
• The elected new party leader will hold the post for the remaining 1-year term of Abe.

India’s first International Women Trade Centre to be set up in Kerala

• Kerala is to set up its first International Women Trade Centre in terms of the United Nations Sustainable Development goals.
• This is first of its kind in India.
• The Centre will accelerate women entrepreneurship.
• The Centre has been established under the Green Park initiative of Kerala.

Green Park Initiative

• It was established in 2013 by the State Government of Kerala.
• It focuses on gender equality and empowerment in the state.

Amul (16th) becomes first Indian dairy company to be in Rabobank’s Global Top 20 list

• Amul (16th) becomes first Indian dairy company to be in Rabobank’s Global Top 20 list; Top- Nestle.
• Amul, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) has been ranked 16th in the Rabobank’s Global Top 20 Dairy Companies list. Amul has achieved an annual turnover of $5.5 billion.
• Switzerland’s Nestle topped the list with a turnover of US $22.1 billion. Amul is the first Indian company to enter the top 20 ranking of Rabobank’s Global Top 20 Dairy Companies list.

India, Russia announced joint winners of FIDE Online Olympiad 2020 (Chess)

• India and Russia have been jointly announced the winner of first-ever FIDE Online Chess Olympiad 2020. This was the first time FIDE was holding the Olympiad in an online format.
• India were initially declared to have lost the final round against Russia. Two Indian players (Nihal Sarin and Divya Deshmukh) were declared to have lost on time in the final round after an apparent loss of internet connection for them.
• After this, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich had made a decision to give gold medals to both teams.

India withdraws from multilateral military exercise, Kavkaz 2020, in Russia

• India has withdrawn its participation from the multilateral Military Exercise Kavkaz 2020 to be held in Russia between 15th to 26th September 2020.
• The reason for this has been cited as the COVID-19 Pandemic and consequent difficulties in exercise, including arrangements of logistics.
• Kavkaz 2020 would be held in Astrakhan province of Southern Russia where member countries of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and Central Asian countries would be participating.

51st IFFI to be held in Goa from Nov 20

• 51st International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will be held in Goa, from November 20th to 28th.
• This film festival is a hybrid film festival due to COVID 19, would screen films on the official digital platform along with the theatrical screenings.
• The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia.

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