Q1. Name the  Australian  state  in which a court has overturned a law that banned Sikh students to wear a kirpan, a religious article in Sikhism, on campus, calling the legislation "unconstitutional" ?

1. Tasmania
2. Victoria
3. Queensland
4. New South Wales
5. None of These

Q2. Name the country to which India has handed over INR 450 million in advance to fund its unique digital identity project, the most crucial step in the island nation's digitalisation programme being implemented through the Indian grant assistance?

1. Bangladesh
2. Bhutan
3. Maldives
4. Sri Lanka
5. None of These

Q3. Name the chairman of country’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) ?

1. O. P. Bhatt
2. Pratip Chaudhuri
3. Arundhati Bhattacharya
4. Dinesh Khara
5. None of These

Q4. Name the former Microsoft India head  who has joined the  Honeywell recently ?

1. Sanjay Mehrotra
2. Anant Maheshwari
3. Shantanu Narayen
4. Arvind Krishna
5. None of These

Q5. Who among the following has has emerged as the highest-paid bank chief executive in FY23, grossing over Rs 10.55 crore in overall pay ?

1. Sashidhar Jagdishan
2. Kaizad Bharucha
3. Amitabh Chaudhry
4. Sandeep Bakhshi
5. None of These

Answers

1----------------3  Queensland

2----------------4 Sri Lanka

3---------------------4   Dinesh Khara

4-------------------2  Anant Maheshwari

5--------------------1 Sashidhar Jagdishan

Days after the Supreme Court stayed his conviction in the ‘Modi surname defamation case, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi was reinstated as a Member of Parliament on Aug 7.

This will pave the way for Rahul Gandhi to take part in the no-confidence motion which will be taken up by Lok Sabha on Aug 8. The Congress is keen for Rahul to participate in the no-confidence motion on a discussion over the unrest in Manipur and other issues.

Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as a Lok Sabha MP on March 23, after a Gujarat trial court convicted him in a defamation case and sentenced him to two years in jail over his remarks involving the 'Modi' surname during an election campaign in Karnataka. A punishment of two years and above automatically disqualifies a lawmaker.

In a strategic move, the border guarding forces are set to play a pivotal role in fortifying the security of the critically important Siliguri Corridor, known as the Chicken’s Neck, during peacetime. The initiative is part of a comprehensive strategy to bolster defence and safeguard the Siliguri Corridor, which has been divided into Vulnerable Areas and Vulnerable Points.

During peacetime, personnel from the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) will be deployed across designated areas. The Border Security Force (BSF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), which fall under the administrative and operational jurisdiction of the MHA, will assume responsibility at these specified VAVPs . These forces have historically managed borders with neighbouring countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and China.

NDA partner Kuki People's Alliance (KPA)  has announced the withdrawal of support from the N Biren Singh government in Manipur.

In a letter to Governor Anusuiya Uikey, KPA president Tongmang Haokip informed about the party's decision to snap ties with the BJP-led government in Manipur, where ethnic rioting since the last three months has claimed more than 160 lives.

The development, however, will have no impact on the stability of the government, as the BJP has 37 members in the 60-member Manipur Assembly.

Hiroshima officials criticized growing support for nuclear weapons as a deterrent resulting from uneasiness over Russia's war in Ukraine and tensions in the Koreas, commenting  on Aug 7  as the city remembered the atomic bombing of 78 years ago.

The observance came two months after Hiroshima hosted a summit of the Group of 7 major industrial nations, at which G7 leaders visited the city's peace park and a museum dedicated to those who died in the world's first atomic attack.

Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui rejected that position in his peace address at the commemoration.

Hiroshima Gov. Hidehiko Yuzai questioned the growing calls for reinforced nuclear deterrence around the world, including in Japan, since Russia invaded Ukraine and warned of possible nuclear weapons use, while North Korea advances its missile and nuclear development.

The atomic bomb dropped by the United States on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, destroyed the city, killing 140,000 people, and a second bomb dropped three days later on Nagasaki killed an additional 70,000. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and Japan's nearly half-century of aggression in Asia.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who represents Hiroshima in parliament, has sought to highlight the G7 commitment to nuclear disarmament and condemnation of Russia's threats to use atomic weapons. But he has been faulted by survivors for refusing to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. 

Except for a small bag of lentils and the orange juice she reserves for guests, there is no food in Ashwaq Abu al-Wafa’s house in the northern West Bank city of Jenin.

Ever since the UN cut her food aid in June, she has fallen behind on rent. All her money now goes to feeding her three children, she said.

Thousands of families like al-Wafa’s across the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip go through the day not sure where they will get their next meal now that the World Food Program has halted aid to 200,000 people, 60% of beneficiaries, its largest-ever cuts in the Palestinian territories.

The agency has made cuts across the world, from war-torn Yemen to West Africa, a region gripped by its worst hunger crisis in years.

The WFP’s deputy executive director, Carl Skau, announced last week that the agency has raised just $5 billion of the $20 billion it needs to operate fully, forcing it to suspend aid to 38 of its 86 countries where it operates.

The WFP said it suspended aid to those who could earn additional income or get other assistance, like the Palestinian Authority’s cash transfer program for poor families.

Only the most vulnerable, 150,000 people in the West Bank and Gaza, continue to receive aid from WFP. 

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been convicted and handed a three-year sentence in the Toshakhana corruption case.

The Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was found guilty by a district court which also fined him  PKR 1 Lakh.

The cricketer-turned-politician will be disqualified from politics for a period of five years as a result of this verdict. Khan was not present for the hearing and the judge ordered his arrest. However, his legal team said they would be filing an immediate appeal.

The PTI chief is also facing more than 140 cases across the country and faces charges like terrorism, violence, blasphemy, corruption and murder.

The Toshakhana issue became a major sticking point in national politics after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified Imran Khan on October 21, 2022, for making "false statements and incorrect declaration."

The Toshakhana is a department under the Cabinet Division that stores gifts given to rulers and government officials by heads of other governments and foreign dignitaries. Khan bought some of the gifts, including a precious watch, and sold the same for profit.

The case is based on a criminal complaint filed by the ECP that Khan had "deliberately concealed" details of the gifts he retained from the Toshakhana. The reference, which alleges that Imran failed to share details of the gifts (during his time as the prime minister) was filed by lawmakers from the ruling coalition last year.

Earlier, the ECP disqualified Khan for hiding the proceeds of the sale. Khan was authorised to carry out the sale but failed to inform the ECP about the money he made.

HDFC Bank's Sashidhar Jagdishan has emerged as the highest-paid bank chief executive in FY23, grossing over Rs 10.55 crore in overall pay.

Jagdishan's colleague Kaizad Bharucha, the deputy managing director of the largest private sector lender, drew Rs 10 crore for the fiscal year and may be the second-highest grossing banker in the country, according to disclosures made in annual reports.

Among the bank CEOs, Axis Bank's Amitabh Chaudhry's Rs 9.75 crore payout was the second biggest and he was closely followed by Sandeep Bakhshi of bigger rival ICICI Bank, who drew Rs 9.60 crore for the fiscal year.

Uday Kotak, who holds over 26 per cent of Kotak Mahindra Bank, continued with his decision to take a token Re 1 as remuneration started in the pandemic, even in FY23.