DAILY GK 8-9 AUG 2026
1. ED
DIRECTOR
·
The Appointments Committee of the
Cabinet (ACC), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
approved a one-year extension for Rahul
Navin, Director of the Enforcement
Directorate (ED), extending his tenure until 13 August 2027 or until
further orders, beyond his superannuation on 31 July 2027.
·
He was
appointed as the full-time ED Director on 14th August 2024 following the completion of Sanjay
Kumar Mishra’s tenure.
·
ED operates under the Department of Revenue
(DoR), Ministry of Finance (MoF), and handles investigation and prosecution
of money laundering cases along with foreign exchange law violations.
2. HUNGARY
PRESIDENT
·
The Hungarian Parliament elected Andras Baka,
former head of the Supreme Court of Hungary, as the country’s new President.
·
He was elected by Parliament with 140 votes
in favour and 6 against, with support from members of the governing Tisza
Party.
3. IAF’S
FIRST WOMAN FIGHTER COMBAT LEADER
·
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth became
the first woman fighter pilot of the Indian Air
Force (IAF) to successfully complete the prestigious
Fighter Combat Leader (FCL) course at the Tactics and Air
Combat Development Establishment (TACDE), Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh (MP).
·
The
achievement makes her the first woman
graduate of the IAF’s elite “Top Gun” school,
where only about 1% of IAF pilots are selected for
the 20-week advanced combat programme.
·
The IAF, established on 8 October 1932 and headquartered
in New Delhi, is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces.
·
Air
Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh serves as the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS).
4. BILL
CRIMINALISING INSULT TO VANDE MATARAM
·
The President of India Droupadi Murmu gave
assent to a Bill that criminalises intentional disruption or prevention of the
singing of the national song ‘Vande Mataram’, granting
the National Song the same legal protection as the national anthem.
·
The Prevention of Insults to National Honour
(Amendment) Bill, 2026 amends Section 3 of the Prevention
of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.
·
It extends the same legal protection to the
National Song, Vande Mataram that is currently afforded to the National
Anthem, Jana Gana Mana.
5. AGNI-4 MEDIUM-RANGE
BALLISTIC MISSILE
·
India successfully conducted the flight test
of the Agni-4 surface-to-surface Medium-Range
Ballistic Missile (MRBM) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR),
Chandipur, Balasore district, Odisha.
·
The
missile test was conducted by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC)
in collaboration with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
·
The missile is designed to carry a payload of
up to 1,000 kg over a range of approximately 4,000
kilometer(km).
6. OFFSHORE
PATROL VESSEL ‘SHRUTI’
·
The Indian Navy (IN)
launched Shruti (Yard 3037), the second of four
Next-Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels (NGOPVs) Project built
by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) Limited,
Kolkata, West Bengal.
·
GRSE
launched its first NGOPV, Sanghmitra (Yard 3039), on
20th May 2026 in Kolkata.
7. INDIAN
CELEBRITY BRAND RANKINGS
·
American global financial advisory
firm, Kroll released the 11th edition
of the report titled ‘Kroll Celebrity Brand Valuation
2025’.
·
Bollywood actor Shah Rukh
Khan emerged as India’s
most valuable celebrity, securing the top position in the rankings with a
brand value of USD 177.9 million.
·
He was
followed by actor Ranveer Singh, who retained 2nd place with a brand value of USD
162.9 million, while cricketer Virat Kohli slipped
from 1st (2024) to 3rd place, with a
brand value of USD 158.4 million.
·
Indian Cricketer Sachin
Tendulkar continued to be featured among top 5 of the list, by
moving up by one place to 4th in 2025.
·
Mahendra
Singh Dhoni ranking improved from 7th (in 2024) to 5th (in 2025).
·
Alia
Bhatt (6th) again emerged as the most valued female celebrity in the list.
