1. Former Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Girish Chandra Murmu has been appointed by the President as the new Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India. GC Murmu had resigned as J&K Lt Governor on August 5, 2020.
2. Two coastal villages in Odisha -Venkatraipur and Noliasahi- have been recognised as tsunami ready by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC). This is the first time that any state in India is getting recognition. The Information and Public Relations Department of Odisha made the announcement.
3. The Serum Institute of India (SII) has entered into a landmark partnership with Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate the manufacture and delivery of COVID vaccine for India and the middle and low-income countries.
4. Former Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP) suffered the biggest setback in the Sri Lankan Parliamentary Elections 2020. The party managed to win only one seat.
5. The Andhra Pradesh government is all set to launch ‘YSR Cheyutha’ on August 12, 2020, to benefit the rural economy of the state amid hardships resulting due to Coronavirus pandemic.
6. US President Trump has signed a new executive order that bans US transactions with TikTok owner Bytedance and We Chat parent firm, Chinese tech giant Tencent.
7. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra (RSK) on August 8, 2020. The Kendra is an interactive experience centre on the Swachh Bharat Mission. The Prime Minister will be inaugurating the centre on the occasion of the centenary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi’s Champaran Satyagraha.
8. Japan marked the 75th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bomb attack on August 6, 2020. The main event was held at Hiroshima, which saw in attendance survivors and relatives of the victims and few foreign dignitaries.
