Current Affairs for BANK, IBPS Exams - 15 August 2021

::NATIONAL::

Partition Horrors Remembrance Day will be celebrated on August 14: PM Modi

PM Modi said partition and the violence that followed it was a tragic part of history. Displacement of millions, killing and rapes during the partition are still vivid and observing this day is a recognition of their sacrifices.
A day before he addresses the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on India’s Independence Day, Prime Minister NarendraModi declared that August 14 will be observed as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day. Pakistan celebrates August 14 as its Independence Day.
“Partition's pains can never be forgotten. Millions of our sisters and brothers were displaced and many lost their lives due to mindless hate and violence. In memory of the struggles and sacrifices of our people, 14th August will be observed as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day," Modi tweeted.
In a subsequent tweet, he said lessons should be drawn from the violence that erupted during Partition to further enhance harmony and human empowerment. “May the #PartitionHorrorsRemembranceDay keep reminding us of the need to remove the poison of social divisions, disharmony and further strengthen the spirit of oneness, social harmony and human empowerment."
The RashtriyaSwayamsevakSangh, the ideological mentor of the BJP, has been observing August 14 as the Akhand Bharat Divas or Unified India Day. On several occasions, its top leaders have made a case for the reunification of Akhand Bharat, including parts that got separated from India such as Afghanistan and Pakistan but not through coercion.

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::International::

UN chief saddened by loss of life in Turkey floods, mudslides

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday expressed his sadness over the loss of life and damage to infrastructure due to floods and mudslides in northern Turkey following the recent devastating wildfires in the country.
Through a statement attributable to his spokesperson StephaneDujarric, the UN chief "extends his deep condolences to the families affected."
"The United Nations stands in solidarity with the people and the Government of the Republic of Turkey at this challenging time," the statement said.
Floods caused by heavy rain hit the Black Sea region in the north of the country , reportedly leaving more than 60 people dead so far.

::Economy::

HCL Technologies becomes 4th IT firm to reach 3 trillion market cap

HCL Technologies' market capitalisation (market-cap) touched Rs 3 trillion for the first time on Friday, becoming the fourth Indian information technology (IT) firm to achieve this milestone after Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys and Wipro.
Shares of HCL Tech hit a fresh record high of Rs 1,118.55, up 2 per cent on the BSE in intra-day trade, surpassing its previous high of Rs 1,101 touched on Thursday in intra-day deal. At 11:03 am, with aRs 3.03 trillion market-cap, HCL Tech stood at 13th position in the overall market-cap ranking. Wipro, with the market-cap of Rs 3.33 trillion, stood on 14th slot, BSE data shows.
In the past one month, the stock of HCL Tech has outperformed the market by gaining 15 per cent as the management reiterated its double-digit dollar revenue growth guidance and EBIT (earnings before interest tax) margin band of 19-21 per cent for the financial year 2021-22 (FY22). In comparison, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 4.6 per cent during the same period. While, in three months, the stock has rallied 23 per cent as against a 13.3 per cent gain in the benchmark index.
"HCL Tech has a strong presence in data science and engineering. Further, taking into consideration the opportunities in cloud consumption, cybersecurity, automation, app modernisation, we remain optimistic on HCL Tech’s revenue and margin trajectory as well as cost rationalisation efforts going forward," Abdul Karim, an analyst at HDFC Securities said.

Oil pens the week with decline on sustained Delta concerns

West Texas Intermediate fell 1.4% after a 0.9% loss. In Asia, cases were at or near records in Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. Anthony Fauci, US President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, said that the country was prepared to distribute a third shot of vaccine should that be needed.
Oil dropped for a third straight day as the continued spread of the delta coronavirus variant hurt prospects for global demand just as drilling data from the US pointed to increased activity.
West Texas Intermediate fell 1.4% after a 0.9% loss on Friday. In Asia, cases were at or near records in Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. Anthony Fauci, US President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, said that the country was prepared to distribute a third shot of vaccine should that be needed.
After soaring in the first half, crude oil’s rally has started to fray since mid-July. The spread of delta, including in key consumer China, has undermined the outlook for consumption as restrictions on mobility are reintroduced. At the same time, OPEC+ has proceeded with plans to gradually increase production, rolling back the supply curbs it imposed in the early days of the pandemic.

::Science and tech::

Chandrayaan-2 orbiter detects water molecules on the lunar surface

The discovery was made by Chandrayaan-2 orbiter's imaging infrared spectrometer. The scientists said that more data will be made available in the future, giving a complete picture.
India's ambitious Chandrayaan-2 moon mission may have made a hard landing on the lunar surface in 2019, but the orbiter accompanying it has been providing useful information to scientists back on Earth. And earlier this week, a research paper revealed that the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter confirmed the presence of water molecules (H2o) and hydroxyl (OH) on the surface of the moon.
The findings were published in the journal Current Science. "The initial data analysis from IIRS clearly demonstrates the presence of widespread lunar hydration and unambiguous detection of OH and H2O signatures between 29 degrees north and 62 degrees north latitude," the August 10 research article said.
The discovery was made by the orbiter's imaging infrared spectrometer (IIRS).
"Plagioclase-rich rocks have been found to have higher OH or possibly H2O molecules when compared to the mare regions, which were found to have more dominance of OH at higher surface temperature," the group of researchers who studied the IIRS data further said.
The scientists also said that more data will be made available in the future, giving a complete picture.
The Chandrayaan-2 mission was launched by Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) in July 2019. But Vikram lander on-board the mission crash-landed on the lunar surface just 2.1 km from its destination in September that year.

::Sports::

Lahiri finishes 46th, retains PGA card for 2021-22

India's AnirbanLahiri survived some tense moments on the final day to end the Wyndham Championship with an even par 70, which was enough to ensure a full PGA Tour card for the upcoming season.
Lahiri's final Tied-46th placing earned him the 121st spot on the FedEx Cup standings, which ensured his playing rights for 2021-22 season, beginning in September.