Daily GK Updates: 12th August 2014

1.    Haider al-Abadi named as New Iraqi Prime Minister

i. Iraqi President Mohammed Fuad Masum named Haider al-Abadi as the new Iraqi Prime Minister. Masum has given thirty days to Haider al-Abadi to form the next government and present it for the approval of parliament. 
ii. Before being nominated for the post of Iraqi Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi was deputy parliament speaker. He was nominated for the post by the Iraqi National Alliance, a coalition of Shia parties.

iii. The purpose of this move is to ensure country’s security which collapsed during rule of Nuri al-Maliki, Prime Minister of Iraq since 2006. It was believed that Maliki’s policies were partly responsible for the violence that has gripped Iraq badly. 

2.    PM dedicates two hydro power projects in Leh and Kargil

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation the Leh Srinagar Transmission Line in Leh and Chutak hydro-power project in Kargil on Tuesday. 

ii. "These projects are the 44 MW Chutak hydro-electric project in Kargil district and the 45 MW Nimoo Bazgo project in Leh district," an official statement said.
iii. The 45 MW Nimoo-Bazgo hydro-electric project is a run-of- the-river scheme to harness the potential of river Indus in the state. The project is designed to generate 239 million units of energy.
iv. The Nimoo Bazgo power station is located on river Indus in Leh district of the state and has an installed capacity of 45 MW (3x15 MW).
v. The approval for the project was accorded at an estimated cost of Rs 611 crore. However, on account of escalation, statutory charges and higher cost of award, project cost has now been revised to Rs 985 crore.

vi.  State run Power Grid Corporation of India is implementing the Leh-Kargil-Srinagar Transmission System for connectivity with Northern Region Grid for meeting demands of the Ladakh region.
vii. The Leh-Srinagar transmission line will connect the Ladakh region with the country's northern grid and ultimately solve the electricity woes of the energy starved Leh and Kargil districts.

3.    K.V. Chowdary appointed as new Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes

i. Senior IRS officer K V Chowdary appointed as new Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). He was apoointed on 1 August 2014.  CBDT is the apex authority of the Income Tax department.
ii. He succeed R K Tewari. He retired on 31 July 2014.
iii. Presently, he is working as the Member (Investigations) in the CBDT and is expected to take over the new charge from 1 August 2014. He will have tenure of three months.

4.    TATA-SIA Airlines brand name to be called Vistara

i. Tata-Singapore Airlines (SIA) named its upcoming joint venture airline asVistara and will start its operation from October 2014. SIA on 11 August 2014 disclosed the name of their airline.
ii. Vistara is an inspiration from Sanskrit word, Vistaar that means limitless expanse. It has drawn inspiration from the brand’s domain – the limitless sky.

iii. The Tata Group and Singapore International Airlines will be headquartered in Delhi and reports suggest that Vistara will give competition to Air India and Jet Airways. Vistara will start its operation with an Airbus 320 aircraft and would add 20 aircraft in next first five years of operations. 

5.    Modi announces Rs. 8,000 crore special assistance for J&K road projects

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced special Central assistance of Rs. 8,000 crore for construction of four important surface communication projects in Jammu and Kashmir while writing off the State’s liability of Rs. 60 crore towards Food Corporation of India.

ii. Addressing a public meeting, attended by about 8,000 people at the Polo Ground in Leh, during his maiden visit to Ladakh region and second to Jammu and Kashmir after taking over as Prime Minister, Mr. Modi said that his Cabinet would soon sanction four major road communication projects for Jammu and Kashmir. He said that these projects would be fully funded by the Centre to the tune of. Rs 8,000 crore.

6.    Oscar Winning Actor Robin Williams died

i. Oscar-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams was found dead at his home in Tiburon, California on 11 August 2014. He was 63. 
ii. Robin Williams was remarkably known for his accurate impersonations. He will be remembered for his crazy comic personality and great dramatic performances hereafter.

7.    R Ashwin ranked no. 1 Test all-rounder; India slipped to 4th position: ICC Test Ranking

i. India’s Ravichandran Ashwin was ranked number one Test all-rounder in ICC Test team rankings released on 11 August 2014. He was ranked at the top after his fine show with the bat in the fourth cricket Test against England played in Manchester.

ii. He successfully scored 40 and 46 not out at the Old Trafford though India lost the Test by an innings and 54 runs. The latest ICC Test ranking was released in Dubai.

iii. Ashwin the Indian off-spinner with 372 rating points displaced South Africa's Vernon Philander (365) at the top of the ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders. 

iv. Apart from this, India slipped to fourth position behind South Africa, Australia and Pakistan in the Test team rankings for its dismal performance against England in two test matches one after another. England is placed at fifth position in the ranking.

v. As per the released test rankings, Africa leads the ICC Test team ranking with 124 points followed by Australia with 123 points, Pakistan with 103 points. However, India has slipped to fourth position with 102 points