11th August 2014 - Daily Current Affairs updates

11th August 2014 - Daily Current Affairs updates


National Affairs

• Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who also holds the finance portfolio, presented Rs. 1385.77 crore deficit budget for the state today. 
• Sikkim has become the most favoured destination of foreign tourists in the north-eastern states of the country.

1. 2011 - 23,602 tourists
2. 2012 - 26,489 tourists
3. 2013 - 31,698 tourists

• Ignoring strong opposition from Congress, Government today withdrew in Rajya Sabha UPA's bill for making judicial appointments and promised to replace it with a new and comprehensive one as other opposition parties supported the move.  
• Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday tabled the Judicial Appointment Commission Bill in Lok Sabha. The new Bill will replace the existing Collegium system when it comes into effect.

International Affairs
France, in consultation with its EU partners, is looking at supplying arms to Iraq's Kurds to fight against Islamic State jihadists, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said today.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country has started to evacuate wounded people from Gaza to Turkey for treatment.


New Appointments

• Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan today won an outright victory in the first round of presidential elections, promising to be a powerful head of state amid fears his country is creeping towards one-man rule.
• Iraq's new president Fuad Masum today snubbed the powerful incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and nominated the deputy parliament speaker Haider al-Abadi to form the new government, raising fears of more infighting in the government as country faces the threat of Sunni militants in the north.

Awards & Honors

• President Pranab Mukherjee will give away outstanding Parliamentarian Award to senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley (for 2010), Congress veteran Karan Singh (for 2011) and Janata Dal (United) chief Sharad Yadav (for 2012) tomorrow at a function.

Business & Economy

• Tata-SIA Airlines on Monday announced that its proposed airline will be called Vistara. 
• What is Vistara ?

Vistara is derived from the Sanskrit word, which means limitless expanse "and draws inspiration from the brand's domain - the limitless sky".  

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation two hydel power projects in Leh and Kargil in Jammu & Kashmir tomorrow.
• RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan today said the financial inclusion drive, likely to be announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15, will break the link between poor public services, patronage and corruption.