06 AUGUST 2015 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Indian-American Atul Keshap confirmed Ambassador to Sri Lanka

  • Indian-American Atul Keshap has been confirmed as the U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives, becoming the second Indian-origin diplomat to be posted to the region after Richard Rahul Verma
  • He is currently working as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in South and Central Asian Affairs Bureau of State Department
  • Mr. Keshap also served as special assistant for the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia for the under secretary of state for political affairs
  • He was also the director for UN Human Rights in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs from 2008 to 2010

Egypt launches Suez Canal expansion

  • Egypt has opened a major expansion of the Suez Canal, which deepens the main waterway and provides ships with a 35km (22 mile) channel parallel to it
  • The expansion aims to increase the traffic handled by the canal
  • The expansion will allow for two-way traffic along part of the route and the construction of the new lane began a year ago
  • The original canal currently handles 7% of global sea-borne trade in which waterway connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, providing the shortest sea link between Asia and Europe



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