Australia's men's cricket team have donated their prize money from their recent tour of Sri Lanka for purpose of supporting children and families which have been affected by the nation's worst economic crisis in decades.

Led by Pat Cummins, a United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Australia ambassador, the team will donate USD 45,000 to the organisation's Sri Lanka appeal.

Australia cricketers had witnessed the crisis first-hand during their all-format tour to the Island nation in June-July this year. Long lines at petrol stations, cries of thousands of peaceful protestors around Galle International Cricket Ground were common sites throughout the tour. Similar demonstrations in the country's capital Colombo forced the resignation of the country's president and prime minister.

Food prices have skyrocketed by 80 per cent and over two-thirds of households have reduced food consumption. The school has been limited to three days a week as travel is hindered by fuel shortages. Long queues for medicines, health services have become common and there is a shortage of clean drinking water.

The Indian men's football team will play two international friendly matches against Singapore and hosts Vietnam in September.

The Indian team will face Singapore on September 24 before taking on Vietnam on September 27.

Vietnam is hosting the friendly matches in the FIFA window (September 19 to 27) as part of their preparation for the 2022 AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup.

The Blue Tigers will travel to Vietnam on September 22 and return back home on September 28.

India are currently placed 104th on the FIFA world rankings, while their two opponents are placed at 97th (Vietnam) and 159th (Singapore) respectively.

Having qualified for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup two months back, India will be looking to prepare for the showpiece continental tournament next year.

Q1. Name the Mumbai-born author of the Booker Prize-winning novel 'Midnight's Children' who has been  stabbed and suffered a neck wound during  an event in New York recently ?

1. Ruskin Bond
2. Arundhati Roy
3. Vikram Seth
4. Jhumpa Lahiri
5. None of These

Q2. Name PSU which may soon become 12th Maharatna PSU ?

1. Coal India Limited
2. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited
3. Power Grid Corporation of India
4. Rural Electrification Corporation
5. None of These

Q3. Name the country whose  men's cricket team have donated their prize money from their recent tour of Sri Lanka for purpose of supporting children and families which have been affected by the nation's worst economic crisis in decades ?

1. England
2. Pakistan
3. Australia
4. India
5. None of These

Q4. According to the second edition of Britain Meets India Report 2022 India's trade in goods and services with the UK  in 2022 stood at

1. USD 19.51
2. USD 31.34
3. USD 39.31
4. USD 44.35
5. None of These 

Q5. Which among the following is not authored by the Salman Rushdie  ?

1. The Golden House
2. The Moor's Last Sigh
3. Midnight's Children
4. The God of Small Things
5. None of These 

Answers

1------------5  None of These  Ans Salman Rushdie

2--------------4   Rural Electrification Corporation

3---------------3   Australia

4---------------2    USD 31.34

5----------------4   The God of Small Things

Over seven per cent of India's population owns digital currency, according to the UN, which said that the use of cryptocurrency rose globally at an unprecedented rate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The UN trade and development body UNCTAD said that in 2021, developing countries accounted for 15 of the top 20 economies when it comes to the share of the population that owns cryptocurrencies.

Ukraine topped the list with 12.7 per cent, followed by Russia (11.9 per cent), Venezuela (10.3 per cent), Singapore (9.4 per cent), Kenya (8.5 per cent) and the US (8.3 per cent).

In India, 7.3 per cent of the population owned digital currency in 2021, ranking seventh in the list of top 20 global economies for digital currency ownership as a share of the population.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on  Aug 10 approved the proposal of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for the continuation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) up to December 31, 2024. As per the existing arrangement, financial help is to be provided for the completion of already sanctioned 122.69 lakh houses till March 31 this year.

PMAY-U, launched in 2015, is one of the flagship programmes being implemented by the Centre to provide all-weather pucca houses to all eligible beneficiaries in urban areas through states, union territories and other nodal agencies. In 2017, the original projected demand was 100 lakh houses.

Central assistance approved since 2015 is Rs 2.03 lakh crore. The statement further stated that till March 31, the Central assistance of Rs 1,18,020.46 crore has been released and Rs 85,406 crore will be released as central assistance or subsidy till December 31, 2024.

Assam and Arunachal Pradesh constituted 12 “regional committees” as a prelude to resolving their long-standing boundary disputes.

The committees will conduct joint visits to the disputed sites covering 123 villages in eight districts of Assam and 12 districts of Arunachal and make their recommendations to the respective governments after taking into consideration historical perspective, administrative convenience, contiguity and people’s will to delineate the interstate boundary.

The Assam government said it was working closely with the Arunachal government for peaceful, holistic and early settlement of the disputes. It said the committees had been constituted to expedite the process.

Minister Atul Bora chaired the “Assam Regional Committee Meet” on Aug 11 . After a detailed discussion, a decision was taken on the joint visits by the regional committees to the disputed areas.

The committees will submit their reports to the respective chief ministers by September 15.

Earlier this year, Assam and Meghalaya more or less resolved their boundary problem in six of the 12 friction points by adopting the 50:50 template. Half of the disputed areas went to Assam and half to Meghalaya.

Recently, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had stated the two states would begin a fresh process after August 15 to resolve the problem in the remaining six areas considered complex.

Assam is also trying to settle its bitter border row with Mizoram. Both states held a ministerial-level meeting two days ago in Aizawl. It was decided that chief ministers Himanta Biswa Sarma and Zoramthanga would meet in New Delhi next month to try and work out an amicable solution.

Assam also has boundary disputes with Nagaland. Both states are working hard to solve the problem.

Sri Lanka's ousted president Gotabaya Rajapaksa arrived in Thailand on  Aug 11 on a charter flight for a temporary stay before seeking permanent asylum in another country after his short-term visit pass expired in Singapore.

A condition for Rajapaksa's stay in Thailand is that he should not cause problems for the country.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha  has confirmed a temporary visit to Thailand by the 73-year-old embattled Sri Lankan leader for humanitarian reasons, and said he promised not to conduct political activities in the kingdom during his search for permanent asylum in another country.

After fleeing to the Maldives on July 13, Rajapaksa then flew to Singapore, where he announced his resignation a day later after months of protests over Sri Lanka's unprecedented economic crisis.

Facing headwinds over its South Asia push after Sri Lanka's worst economic crisis, China has warmed up to Nepal by pledging USD 118 million in aid and announcing a slew of trade concessions while vowing to speed up work on the stalled BRI projects.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced the concessions for Nepal in his meeting with his Nepalese counterpart Narayan Khadka in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao on Aug 10.

Khadka was on his first visit to China since Sher Bahadur Deuba took over as Prime Minister of Nepal replacing the pro-Beijing K P Sharma Oli last year after which Kathmandu struck a more balanced foreign policy, firming up ties with India and with the US.

Early this year, China expressed concern over the Nepal Parliament's ratification of the contentious US-funded USD 500 million Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact, ending months of deadlock between the Nepalese political parties.

Foreign Minister Wang announced USD 118 million in aid to Nepal and fund the feasibility study of the China-Nepal cross-border railway through the Himalayas via Tibet over which experts have raised concerns about the likely damage it could cause to the fragile ecosystem.

China will offer zero tariff treatment for 98 per cent of export items from Nepal that will come into effect from September 1 this year.

During the talks, Khadka reiterated Nepal's unwavering commitment to the one-China policy and assured that the Nepali territory will not be allowed to be used for any activity against China.

Beijing is seeking its friends and allies to firmly ratify the one-China policy after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi riled China by visiting Taiwan, which China claims as part of its mainland.