CURRENT AFFAIRS AUGUST 21

1. Zambian President arrives in New Delhi

President of Zambia Edgar Chagwa Lungu arrived in New Delhi on a three-day visit to India.

• Mr Lungu will meet President Ram Nath Kovind and will hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• The discussion is likely to focus on cooperation in defence, security, geology and mineral resources, energy, health, education, infrastructure, culture, trade and investment-related issues.
• The bilateral trade between India and Zambia has grown steadily.
• With investments of over 5 billion US dollars, India is one of the largest investors in Zambia.

2. DRDO hands over the design of Mobile Metallic Ramp to Indian Army

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) handed over the design of Mobile Metallic Ramp (MMR) to the Indian Army.

• With a load-bearing capacity of 70 metric ton (MT), the MMR has been designed and developed by DRDO’s premier research laboratory, Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES).
• The ramp will provide the strategic mobility for Armoured and Mechanized units and formations of the Army.
• It is portable, modular in design, which can be easily assembled or disassembled.

3. Railways' second double-decker Uday Express to run between Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada

Railways' second double-decker Uday Express will run between Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada to cater to the busy route in the East Coast Railway zone.

• The first Uday or Utkrisht double-decker Yatri Express was a specially-designed air-conditioned chair car which started service between Coimbatore and Bangalore in June 2018.
• They are equipped with WiFi facility, have striking interiors, cushioned seating, and display screens.
• Another Uday Express is proposed between Bangalore City and Chennai Central.
• The train consists of nine double-decker coaches and two power cars.

4. Hollongi Airport will be completed by March 31, 2022

Union Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri announced that the Hollongi Airport in Itanagar will be completed by March 31, 2022.

• Mr Puri made the announcement while reviewing the status of Civil Aviation in Arunachal Pradesh through a video conference with Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Greenfield Airport at Hollongi near Itanagar on 9th of February this year.

5. Wipro inks pact with IISc for research in robotics, 5G

Wipro announced a strategic partnership with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru to conduct advanced applied research in autonomous systems, robotics and 5G space.

• The two organisations have jointly set up the Wipro IISc Research and Innovation Network (WIRIN), an industry-academia collaboration unit.
• The institute would benefit from advancing its research goal and capacity-building besides the commercialisation of the research outcome.

6. Ravinder Takkar appointed Vodafone Idea CEO

Vodafone Idea’s CEO Balesh Sharma has stepped down due to "personal reasons".

• The company has accepted Sharma's resignation and replaced him with the representative of Vodafone Group, Ravinder Takkar.
• Sharma was the representative of Vodafone in the Joint Venture between British telecom giant Vodafone and Aditya Birla Group's Idea that was formed to fight the onslaught of free calls and dirt cheap data plans unleashed by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio.
• Takkar will be appointed as his successor with immediate effect.

7. Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Bajwa's term extended by 3 years

The term of Pakistan's army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has been extended for a period of three years.

• Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan had approved the extension of Bajwa's term.
• The move had been taken taking into view the security environment in the subcontinent.
• The extension of Qamar Bajwa's tenure comes amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan over the political situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
• Qamar Bajwa was appointed the chief of the Pakistani Army in November 2016 by then prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

8. Indian-American teen wins South Asian Spelling Bee competition

An Indian-American teenager from New Jersey, Navneeth Murali won the 2019 South Asian Spelling Bee (SAS Bee).

• He won after correctly spelling the word ‘flipe’ and earned the national title and $3,000 grand prize.
• The South Asian Spelling Bee (SASB) is an annual spelling bee platform in the US for children of South Asian descent.

9. Madhya Pradesh para swimmer Satendra Singh Lohia crosses America's Catalina Channel

Divyang Satendra Singh Lohia from Madhya Pradesh has become the first Asian swimmer to cross the Catalina Channel of America.

• Satendra holds the Asian record of crossing both the English and Catalina channels.
• Gwalior born Satendra led the Indian Para Relay team along with five teammates and crossed the Catalina Channel in 11 hours 34 minutes.
• At that time, the water temperature was around 13 degrees Celsius.
• Satyendra has also honoured with the Vikram Award, the highest sports award in Madhya Pradesh.

10. Former Madhya Pradesh CM Babulal Gaur passes away

Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Babulal Gaur died in Bhopal.

• Babulal Gaur served as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh from August 2004 to November 2005 and represented Govindpura Assembly seat for 10 times.
• Born on 2nd June 1930, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader was credited with expanding party's foothold in Madhya Pradesh.
• Babulal Gaur retired from electoral politics in 2018 citing old age.