GK and Current Affairs Updates

Telecom giant Bharti Airtel has re-appointed Sunil Mittal as its Chairman for another 5 years, with effect from October 1, 2016. 
•    The 58-year-old founded the Bharti Airtel's parent company, Indian business conglomerate Bharti Enterprises, in 1976. 
•    Airtel operates in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, and ranks amongst the top four mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers.
•    Mittal is the Founder of Bharti Enterprises, India’s one of largest conglomerates with diversified interests in telecom, insurance, real estate, agri and food, besides other ventures.
•    The Group also has joint ventures with global leaders like Singtel, SoftBank, AXA, Del Monte amongst others.
•    Bharti Airtel, the Group’s flagship company, offers mobile, fixed broadband and digital TV solutions to over 350 million customers across India, South Asia and Africa.
 

The National Circus Festival was held in Afghanistan's Kabul in mid-August, with children participating in activities like juggling and photography contests. 
•    Founded by Danish dance instructor David Mason, the Mobile Mini Circus for Children began organizing the four-day event in 2008. 
•    The circus has adapted to regional customs, with passages from the Quran being recited at the start.
•    Despite the dangers, the project has grown so popular that it now runs centers in seven provinces and has about 300 regular students. 
•    With dozens of donors and workshops to raise money, the budget is close to $500,000 and its tours of 25 of the country's 34 provinces have reached nearly 3 million people.
•    Mason refuses to be dispirited by the prospect of a Taliban revival. 

Said to be the world's longest and highest glass-bottomed bridge, a 430-metre-long and 300-metre-high skywalk opened in China on Saturday. 
•    The skywalk, made of 99 glass panels connecting two mountain cliffs, is located at Zhangjiajie Park. 
•    The mountain cliffs in the area are said to have inspired the 'floating peaks' in the movie 'Avatar'.
•    Glass bridges in China have been a popular craze for the daring photo opportunities they provide. 
•    Events like mass yoga displays and even weddings have been staged on several such bridges.
•    Park officials have said a maximum of 8,000 visitors will be allowed on the bridge each day.
•    So those wanting to add another thrill to their bucket list are strongly encouraged to book their slots in advance.

BSNL and Microsoft India have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to offer telecom and IT solutions for big businesses to meet the demand for IT and cloud services. 
•    This will help audio and video needs of BSNL's enterprise customers, including government organizations. 
•    Notably, BSNL has large shares in landline network, including leased line connectivity to various enterprises.
•    BSNL and Microsoft India have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to offer telecom and IT solutions for big businesses to meet the demand for IT and cloud services. 
•    It was incorporated on 15 September 2000.
•    It is the largest provider of fixed telephony and broadband services with more than 60% market share and sixth largest mobile telephony provider in India
•    However, in recent years the company's revenues and market share have plummeted into heavy losses due to intense competition in the Indian telecommunications sector

Brazil won its first Olympic gold medal in soccer with a dramatic penalty kick by Neymar to defeat Germany, sending the nation into a frenzy after a 1-1 (5-4 shootout) victory.
Olympic Summer Games:
•    Gold Medals: 2016
•    Silver Medals: 1984, 1988, 2012
•    Bronze Medals: 1996, 2008
Pan American Games:
•    Winners: 1963, 1975, 1979, 1987
CONMEBOL Men Pre-Olympic Tournament:
•    Winners: 1968, 1971, 1976, 1984, 1987, 1996, 2000
•    Brazil Olympic football team represents Brazil in international football competitions in Olympic Games. 
•    The selection is limited to players under the age of 23, except three overage players. 
•    In 13 participations, Brazil won one gold medal (2016), three silver medals (1984, 1988 and 2012) and two bronze medals
•    Germany haven’t played in the Olympic tournament since 1988, when Jurgen Klinsmann was on the team and they won the bronze. 
•    The senior team defeated Argentina in the World Cup final at the Maracana.

The Minister of Culture and Communication, France, in the third week of August 2016 selected Kamal Haasan for the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres 
The distinction is in recognition of his high level of artistic excellence and his distinguished career achievements.
•    Kamal Haasan is an Indian film actor, screenwriter and director.
•    He has won several Indian film awards including four National Film Awards and 19 Film fare Awards.
•    He has starred in the highest number of films submitted by India for the Academy Award Best Foreign Language Film.
•    His breakthrough as a lead actor came in the 1975 drama Apoorva Raagangal.
•    He won his first National Film Award for his portrayal of a guileless schoolteacher who cares for a childlike amnesiac in Moondram Pirai.
•    He was honored with the Padma Shri in 1990 and the Padma Bhushan in 2014.

The 2016 Summer Olympics concluded on 21 August 2016 at ceremony held at the Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The games featured 28 Olympic sports, including rugby sevens and golf, which were added to the Olympic programme in 2009.
•    The opening ceremony took place in the Maracana Stadium on 5 August 2016.
•    The Games were officially opened by Acting President of Brazil Michel Temer.
•    These were the first Summer Olympic Games under the IOC presidency of Thomas Bach.
•    Rio became the first South American city to host the Summer Olympics.
•    The two new sports for 2016 Olympic Games were golf and rugby sevens.
•    The 2020 Summer Olympics will be held in Tokyo, Japan.
•    The city was announced as the host at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires on 7 September 2013.
•    The games are planned to be held from 24 July 2020 to 9 August 2020.
 

Urjit R. Patel is an Indian economist, consultant and banker, currently serving as Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). 
•    As Deputy Governor of RBI, he looks after monetary policy, economic policy research, statistics and information management, deposit insurance, communication and Right to Information. 
•    On 20 August 2016, he was named as the governor of RBI to succeed Raghuram Rajan when the latter's term expires in September 2016
Important positions
•    Advisor, Boston Consulting Group
•    President, Reliance Industries Limited- 2015
•    Executive Director, Infrastructure Development Finance Company (1997-2006)
•    Member, Integrated Energy Policy Committee, Government of India (2004-2006)
•    Non-Executive Director, Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Limited.
•    Non-Executive Director, Multi Commodity Exchange of India Limited
•    Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India.
•    Governor, Reserve Bank of India (From 4th September, 2016)
 

Ahmad Abughaush is a Jordanian taekwondo athlete. He competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, in the men's 68 kg, where he won the gold medal. 
•    This was Jordan's first ever Olympic medal.
•    Ahmad Abughaush was born in Amman, Jordan. 
•    Abughaush started Taekwondo at a local training center in Amman, his skills qualified him for inclusion in the national team. 
•    In 2010, he participated in the Taekwondo World Championship for juniors that were held in Sharm el-Sheikh, where he was the only Arab athlete to achieve a gold medal. 
•    He participated in a number of championships and was given the best Jordanian athlete award by the Jordan Olympic Committee. 
•    Abugaush took a year off in 2013 after he had suffered a rupture in the Cruciate ligament, he soon returned to training and won gold medals in a number of international championships in 2014
 

In a list of India's most influential people marking 60 years of independence, TIME magazine named Infosys Co-founder "father of India's booming IT sector". 
•    The Indian industrialist, who helped found global software consulting firm Infosys in 1981, turned 70 on Saturday. 
•    Murthy also serves on the boards of Ford Foundation, United Nations Foundation and Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.
•    Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy commonly referred to as Narayana Murthy, is an Indian IT industrialist and the co-founder of Infosys.
•    It is a multinational corporation providing business consulting, technology, engineering, and outsourcing services. 
•    Murthy studied electrical engineering at the National Institute of Engineering, University of Mysore, and MTech at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.
•    He started Infosys in 1981 and served as its CEO from 1981 to 2002 and as chairman from 2002 to 2011. 
•    In 2011, he stepped down from the board.