13 Jul
IPCI Info

13 July

International News Affairs

  • The Roman Catholic Mediterranean island Malta today became the 24th country in the worldto legalise same-sex marriage.
  • Ships carrying Chinese troops are headed to Djibouti to set up China’s first overseas military base in an effort to enhance its global reach.
    • The base will be used for peacekeeping and humanitarian aid in Africa and West Asia, China said.
    • However, India believes the base would become another of China’s “string of pearls” of military alliances and assets.
  • Public schools in Saudi Arabia will start offering physical education for girls from the next academic year, in the government’s latest reform to open opportunities for women.
    • Note: Physical education for women is controversial in Saudi Arabia where conservatives consider it immodest.

 

National News Affairs

  • Delhi Police will be the first state police to get ‘super cop’ beltswhich are widely used by the police in the UK, USA, and Russia.
    • The belt will help the cops carry wireless sets, pistols, and cartridges easily.
  • The union cabinet has approved the establishment of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), South Asia Regional Center (ISARC) at campus of National Seed Research and Training Center (NSRTC) in Varanasi.
  • The Maharashtra government has launched a scheme to cover medical insurance of up to ₹10 lakh for legislators and their families.
    • This scheme is aimed at curbing the use of fake bills in the medical reimbursement scheme the legislators were covered under earlier.
  • Delhi civic agencies are going to launch a mobile app within the next two months to help locate all the 1800 public toilets run by Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
    • The app will allow users to give feedback on the condition of the toilets and will have a rating scale of Happy, Not Happy and Satisfied.
  • The National Green Tribunal (NGT) today ordered that a penalty of ₹50,000 will be imposed for dumping waste in river Ganga on the stretch between Haridwar and Unnao.
    • Directing the authorities that no waste dumping should be allowed within 500 metres of Ganga, the NGT said that 100 metres from the edge of Ganga should be declared a no-development zone.

 

New Appointments

  • Farzaneh Sharafbani today appointed as the CEO of Iran National Airline.
    • With this she became the 1st female to lead the organizaation.

Banking, Business & Economic Affairs

  • The State Bank of India (SBI) has waived charges for fund transfer of up to ₹1,000 through its Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) to promote small transactions.
    • The charge will be ₹5 along with GST for fund transfer of ₹1,000-1 lakh, and up to ₹15 for transactions of ₹1-2 lakh.
    • Note : SBI was earlier charging ₹5 along with service tax for such transfers of up to ₹1,000.
  • Microsoft has ended support for Windows Phone 8.1 just over 3 years after its April 2014 debut, marking the end of the Windows Phone OS.

 

MOUs & Agreements 

  • American multinational retailer Walmart today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Maharashtra government to invest ₹900 crorefor opening up of fifteen stores.
    • Note: Walmart already has two pilot stores in the state in Aurangabad and Amravati.

 

Science & Technology

  • The Indian Railways has launched RailCloud, a virtual server with an inbuilt security system that will enable faster connectivity at a reduced cost.
  • Scientists from University of Cambridge, UK have discovered the smallest star in the universe.
    • It has been named as EBLM J0555-57Ab.
    • The star was identified by a planet-finding experiment run by several universities titled SuperWASP.

 

Books & Authors

  • RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat today releaed a coffee-table book “Narendra Damodardas Modi: The Making of a Legend”.
    • This book has been authored by Bindeshwar Pathak (Chief of Sulabh International)

 

Current Sports Affairs

  • The Indian cricket team has played its first ODI 43 years ago on this day (13th July) in the year 1974.
    • India has played 917 ODIs till date, winning 465 at a success rate of 53.4%.
    • Important Note: India has played the most ODIs in cricket history.
12 Jul
IPCI Info

12 July

International News Affairs

  • The United States has deployed anti-aircraft missiles for the first time in the Baltics for use in NATO military drills in Lithuania.
    • This comes ahead of the Zapad exercise by Russia and Belarus, which NATO allies believe could increase Russian presence.

 

MOUs & Agreements

  • The United States and Qatar today signed an agreement on combating terrorism and terror financing.
    • Note: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, and Egypt had imposed sanctions on Qatar last month accusing it of financing extremist groups.

 

National News Affairs

  • The Telecom department has made it mandatory for all phones, including feature phones, to install Global Positioning System (GPS)from January 1, 2018.
    • The order aims to ensure consumers’ safety as GPS can help locate them in emergency situations.
  • To create awareness about Aadhaar number, the government has started a story-telling contest named ‘Aadhaar Hai To Aasaani Hai‘.
    • People willing to participate can send in a 200-500 word-long story about Aadhaar till August 8 midnight.
    • The top five stories will be awarded ₹20,000 each, while the next 20 stories will be awarded ₹5,000 each.
  • The Telangana government has issued an ordinance to curb the “social evils” caused by online rummy card games.
    • Note : Online gaming is an offence as per the provisions of another ordinance issued by the state a month ago.
  • The National Zoological Park, New Delhi is going to launch an Animal Adoption Scheme.
    • Citizens would be able to adopt an animal after paying a fixed amount of money, usually spent on food and medicines for the animal.
    • The adopter would have free entry for a year and their name will be displayed on the cage.
  • The National Green Tribunal (NGT) today directed a complete ban on ‘manja’ (kite strings) made of or coated with any synthetic material that is non-biodegradable.
  • Maharashtra has become the first Indian state to provide free injectable contraceptives to women under the state’s family planning programme, Antara.
    • The injection contains a female birth-control hormone, which prevents pregnancy for three months.
  • Rajasthan has become the first State to lay down the minimum educational qualifications for contesting elections to village cooperative societies and various other cooperative bodies.
    • In this regard, state government has amended State Cooperative Societies Rules, 2003.

Places in News

  • A total of 36 places in India are recognised as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, with the latest addition being the city of Ahmedabad.
    • With four of its sites recognised, Maharashtra tops the list in India.
    • India’s World Heritage Sites include West Bengal’s Sundarbans, Maharashtra’s Ajanta and Ellora Caves, UP’s Taj Mahal, Goa’s Churches and Convents, among others.

 

Banking, Business & Economic News

  • 5 Indian States (Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Telangana and Arunachal Pradesh) and a Union Territory (PUducherry) have formally adopted the Centre’s Government e-Marketplace (GeM) initiative.
    • In this regard, this states/UT have signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) to join GeM initiative.
    • 4 more states including Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand and Haryana, will ink such MoU soon.
    • What is Government e-Marketplace (GeM) initiative ?
      • GEM Initiative is an Online Market platform to facilitate procurement of goods and services by various Ministries and agencies of the Government.
      • It aims to enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public procurement of goods and services and eliminate corruption.
    • The government has approved e-commerce giant Amazon‘s proposed $500 million (over ₹3,200 crore) foreign direct investment (FDI) in retailing of food products in India.
      • As per the proposal, the company will sell food products online via its wholly-owned subsidiary.
      • Note : The government allows 100% FDI in food retail, including e-commerce, provided the items are produced or manufactured in India.
    • Traders and businesses will have to display the Goods and Services Tax (GST) registration number on their business sign boards and the registration certificate on the premises.
      • This is to ensure that a citizen can easily find out whether a business is registered or not.
      • The GSTIN is a 15-digit number which taxpayers get after registering with GST Network portal.

 

New Appointments

  • Ned Segal, a long time Goldman Sachs banker and the former Senior Vice President of Finance at Silicon Valley’s financial software company Intuit, has been appointed as the new Chief Financial Officer at Twitter.
    • He will take over the CFO role from Anthony Noto, who was promoted to COO post last November.

Science & Technology

  • NASA’s James Webb Telescope, the largest space telescope ever built, has been locked in a vacuum vault for testing at sub-zero temperatures to simulate its working in deep space.
    • The 6.5-metre diameter telescope has 18 gold-coated mirrors and a tennis court-sized sunshield to gather light and protect its instruments.
    • The $8.8 billion telescope took 20 years to build.
  • The Chinese government has ordered telecommunications firms to completely block access to Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) by February 2018, in a crackdown aimed at suppressing dissent over the legitimacy of the ruling Communist Party.
    • Note: China operates the world’s largest Internet censorship regime and has banned several social networking sites including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Current Sports Affairs

  • Indian women’s cricket team captain Mithali Raj has became the all-time highest run-scorer in women’s ODI cricket.
    • She also became the second player after Charlotte Edwards to score over 500 runs in four different calendar years in women’s ODI cricket.
  • Following Angelo Mathews’ resignation as Sri Lanka’s captain from all three formats, the country’s cricket board has named :
    • Dinesh Chandimal as the Side’s Test captain.
    • Upul Tharanga as the limited-overs captain.
11 Jul
IPCI Info

11 July

International News Affairs

  • Today (11th July) is World Population Day.
    • This day was established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989.
    • Objective of World Population Day : To increase the awareness of the people towards the worldwide population issues.
    • Theme of World Population Day 2017: “Family Planning: Empowering People, Developing Nations”.

National News Affairs

  • Tamil Nadu has reported its first case of Zika virus, bringing the tally of the mosquito-transmitted infection in India to four.
    • Note : The previous three cases were confirmed in May, all coming from Ahmedabad.
  • The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has made it mandatory for engineering students to participate in one of five extracurricular activities, otherwise they won’t be awarded a degree.
    • The activities include yoga, National Service Scheme (NSS), National Cadet Corps (NCC), Unnat Bharat Abhiyan and sports.
  • The Delhi government today launched an online portal for citizens to file Right to Information (RTI) applications related to 172 state departments, including the chief minister’s office.
    • Important Points to Note :
      • With this, Delhi has became 2nd state to launch online portal to file RTI.
      • Maharashtra was the first state to accept e-RTI applications.
    • The Supreme Court today suspended the government ban on sale and purchase of cattle for slaughter.

 

Recent Committees in News

  • Karnataka Government today constituted a 9-member committee to study the possibility of designing a separate state flag and providing it a statutory standing.
    • This committee was constituted following representation of social activists from the state urged the government to design a separate flag for Kannada ‘naadu’ and accord statutory standing for it.
    • This committee will be headed by Principal Secretary, Department of Kannada and Culture.

Banking, Business & Economic News

  • Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia has said that if property is rented out for shop, office, or other commercial purposes then it will be taxable under GST in case of earnings over ₹20 lakh.
    • Taxpayers earning more than the exempted threshold have to register with GST Network and pay taxes.
    • However, rental income received from residential house is exempt, Adhia stated.
  • The government today clarified that all free food supplied at religious institutions is exempt from the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
    • However, the government added that some of the inputs and input services-such as sugar, vegetable edible oils, ghee, butter, and the service for transportation of these goods-required for making prasadam are subject to GST.
  • India, the world’s third-largest oil importer, for the first time will import crude oil from the United States.
    • The purchase comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US in June 2017 when President Donald Trump had assured that US looks forward to export more energy products to India.
  • The Union Finance Ministry has launched a new tax payer service module titled Aaykar Setu.
    • The new e-initiative literally means taxpayer’s bridge and will be available in android phones.
    • It compiles various tax tools, dynamic updates, live chat facility and important links to various processes within the Income Tax Department (ITD) in a single module.

Obituary

  • India’s noted cartoonist Mangesh Tendulkar (83)passed away.
    • Tendulkar, a regular contributor to various magazines and newspapers, was spreading awareness about traffic issues through his cartoons for the last several years and some of his works were also used by the city’s traffic department.

Current Sports Affairs

  • Former cricketer Ravi Shastri has been named the new coach of Team India on a two-year contract.
    • This will be Shastri’s second stint with the team, after being the director from 2014 to 2016.
10 Jul
IPCI Info

10 July

International News Affairs

  • Malabar Naval Exercise 2017, a week long trilateral joint naval exercise involving the United States, Japan and India has started today at Chennai coast.
    • Aim of this Exercise: To achieve deeper military ties between the three nations.
    • Running from July 7-17, Malabar 2017 is the latest in a series of yearly exercises that have grown in scope and complexity in recent years to confront potential threats in the Indo-Asian maritime theatre.
    • This is the 21st edition of the Malabar exercise.
    • Malabar 2017 involves both shore exchanges on naval doctrine and interoperability between the three navies, including operating with carrier strike groups and coordinating communications.
    • 16 ships, 95 aircraft and two submarines are taking part in the exercise.
  • The 2017 G20 summit in Germany concluded on Saturday with the world leaders pledging to keep markets open, focus on reciprocity and non-discrimination, and fight protectionism and unfair trade practices.
    • All G20 member countries, except the US, also reaffirmed the 2015 Paris climate accord as “irreversible” to fight the climate change.
  • The UN Human Rights Council has today announced that it will undertake a two-day review of Pakistan’s human rights record in light of the deteriorating human rights situation, particularly in the country’s Sindh province.
    • This comes after the World Sindhi Congress protested in front of the UN body’s Geneva office against enforced disappearances, systematic violence, and marginalisation of Sindhi minorities.

 

National News Affairs

  • The Karnataka government has announced a 3-day global conference on social justicefrom July 21-23 at the University of Agricultural Sciences in Bengaluru.
    • It is aimed at commemorating the 126th birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar.
    • As many as 83 international and 149 national speakers are expected to address 2,000 participants in this conference.
    • Theme of this conference: ‘Reclaiming Social Justice, Revisiting Ambedkar’.
  • Mother Teresa‘s Blue-bordered Sari was recognised as an Intellectual Property of the Missionaries of Charity after she was cannonised last year.
    • The charity made the trademark public recently after it witnessed “unfair usage of the design across the globe.”
    • Note: It is the first time that a uniform has been protected under the Intellectual Property rights.
  • Expanding its outreach to the Arab world, External Affairs Ministry is going to make its website available in Arabic.
    • The portal will include speeches, briefings and other documents of the ministry, and articles written in Arabic on India and its foreign relations.
    • Note: After French and Spanish, Arabic will be the third foreign language that will be available on the ministry’s website.

 

People in News

  • UK’s first pregnant man, Hayden Cross, has given birth to a girl after putting his sex transition on hold to get pregnant by a sperm donor.
    • Cross had been living legally as a man for three years and has undergone hormone treatment to transform from a woman to a man.
    • Note: Cross is UK’s first transgender man to give birth.
  • Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II has appointed her first black equerry, a senior staff member in charge of assisting the royal household.
    • The Ghana-born Afghan war veteran, Major Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah, had moved to the UK in 1982.
    • Earlier, he was an escort commander for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, in 2011.

 

Banking, Business & Economic News

  • President Pranab Mukherjee on the occasion of Guru Purnima launched4 major digital initiatives in to push e-education.
    • They are :
      • Swayam
      • Swayam Prabha
      • National Academic Depository
      • National Digital Library
    • The Gujarat High Court has asked the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)to drop a line from its directive to send 12 large accounts for immediate action under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.
      • It had earlier asked RBI to explain the part that read “such cases will be accorded priority by the National Company Law Tribunal”.
      • RBI has now been asked to drop this line.
    • The Income Tax Department has started sending text messages to people who have made big investments in the past two years, but have neither paid income tax nor filed I-T returns.
      • Around 10,000 people, including those who have bought properties worth over ₹50 lakh, have been sent the messages, and have been asked to pay the tax and file returns.
    • The Railways is going to install automatic flap-gates with barcode scanners at stations in order to check tickets faster and ease the pressure on ticket collectors.
      • The new system will first be made operational at Delhi’s Brar Square station as a pilot project.
    • Venezuela’s state-owned oil firm Petroleos de Venezuela has offered a 9% stake in an oil field to ONGC Videsh, the international arm of India’s state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation.
      • This comes as Venezuela seeks to support its energy industry, which has been hit by falling oil prices and is struggling to maintain its investment in oilfields.
    • India will soon join Global Foreign Exchange Committee (GFXC), a newly-constituted forum of central bankers and experts working towards promotion of a robust and transparent foreign exchange (Forex) market.
      • Note”The committee has been set up under guidance of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), an international financial organisation.

Places in News

  • Okinoshima, sacred Japanese island where women are banned and men must strip naked was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
    • Once the site of prayer rituals, Okinoshima houses a huge collection of artefacts.
    • It allows visitors only on a single day every year, May 27, and bars them from taking souvenirs and disclosing details of their visit.

Current Sports Affairs

  • Mercedes’ Formula One driver Valtteri Bottas has won the Austrian Grand Prix 
  • India bagged a total of 29 medalsincluding 12 golds to top the medals tally at the Asian Athletics Championships for the first time ever.
    • China, who have dominated the event from 1983 up until the last edition, finished second with overall 20 medals including 8 golds.
    • India’s 29 medals is also their highest-ever medal haul in the event’s history.
09 Jul
IPCI Info

9 July

International News Affairs

  • Speaking at the G20 summit,French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that Paris will host a summit on December 12 to address financing issues on the 2015 Paris climate agreement.
    • The summit would aim to mobilise private and public financing for the projects committed to in the Paris agreement.
  • Indiais going to invite the 10 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as Chief Guests for 2018 Republic Day celebrations.
    • If this happens, theRepublic Day 2018 would be the first Republic Day event that will have so many leaders as the chief guests.
    • Note: 10 Member Countries of ASEAN areBrunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
  • TheUnited Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)  has voted to leave Australia’s Great Barrier Reef off its “List of World Heritage in Danger” despite several reports claiming major coral bleaching at the 2,300-km-long ecosystem.
    • However, the UN body expressed “serious concern” about the reef’s health.
    • The reef, which is also the largest living thing on Earth, was recently valued for the first time, at $42 billion.

 

National News Affairs

  • Ahmadabadhas become India’s first World Heritage City after the UNESCO World Heritage Committee accepted India’s official entry at a meeting in Poland today.
    • Nearly 20 nations supported its entry, citing its architecture and secular co-existence of Jain, Islamic, and Hindu communities.
  • TheUttar Pradesh government has decided to introduce an ‘Anti-Copying’ Bill in the upcoming assembly session to check for cheating in the state examinations.
  • Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC)has notified of a new rule under which consumers will be compensated by power distribution companies if they don’t restore an outage for more than two to three hours.
    • The consumers will get a compensation of₹10 per kW per hour from the power distribution companies under this scheme, which comes into effect from September.
  • “JIGYASA”, a student- scientist connect programme was officially launched in Delhi today.
    • Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has joined hands with Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) to implement this programme.
    • The main focus of this programme is on connecting school students and scientists so as to extend student’s classroom learning with that of a very well planned research laboratory based learning.

 

New Appointments

  • Mongolia’s opposition candidate and ex-martial arts starKhaltmaa Battulga has won the country’s first-ever presidential runoff elections with around 50.6% vote.

 

Obituary

  • Bollywood ActressSumita Sanyal (71), who worked in the 1971 Amitabh Bachchan-Rajesh Khanna starrer ‘Anand’, passed away.
    • Born as Manjula Sanyal, Sumita acted in over 50 Bengali movies and Hindi films like Guddi (1971), Aashirwad (1968), among others.

 

Science & Technology News

  • H-Bots Robotics, a startup from Telangana’s T-Hub incubator, is developing ‘police robots’ priced at about ₹3.5 lakh.
    • The first set ofH-Bots’ robots could be deployed to manage traffic by December in Hyderabad.
    • The robots will be able to register complaints, detect bombs, and recognise missing persons.

 

Current Sports Affairs

Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul has become the youngest known winner of a professional golf tour event after claiming the Ladies European Thailand Championship at the age of 14 years, 4 months and 19 days.

  • Thitikul, who ended the championship with a score of -5 at the final hole, replaced Canada’s Brooke Henderson as the youngest winner in ladies’ professional golf.
  • Indian athleteSudha Singh bagged Gold in women’s 3000m steeplechase event on the third day of the Asian Athletics Championships.
    • Note:India are on top of the medal tally with 7 gold, 4 silver and 9 bronze medals.
  • The Indian Polo team clinched a Polo World Cup spot after defeating Pakistan 8-7 in a qualifying match in Tehran today.
    • Note: The Federation of International Polo (FIP) conducts the World Cup Polo championship, a 14-goal tournament every three years.
08 Jul
IPCI Info

8 July

International News Affairs

  • G20 Summit, the annual meeting of the G20(an international forum for the governments and central bank governors from 20 major economies), was recently held at Hamburg Messe, in the city of Hamburg, Germany during 7th and 8th July 2017.

Highlights:

  • On the sidelines of this summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Britain, Italy, South Korea and
  • Addressing the G20 summit, PM said Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad “are equal to Islamic State and Al-Qaeda… their ideology is the same.”
  • Modi, the lead speaker at the ‘fighting terrorism’ session, presented an 11-point Action Agenda calling for collective measures against terror.
  • G20 countries agree for swift action and targeted exchange of information on terrorism and its financing.
  • The United Nations today adopted a Global Draft Treaty banning nuclear weapons amid opposition from all nuclear-weapon states which boycotted the negotiations.
    • Over 140 countries participated in negotiations on the legally-binding treaty that provides for a total ban on developing, stockpiling or threatening to use nuclear weapons.
    • Note: The treaty needs to be ratified by 50 nations to take effect.
  • To facilitate trade and to improve communication between the two countries, India and Bangladesh have decided to construct a bridge over Mizoram’s Khawthlangtuipui river (also known as Karnaphuli river).
  • India is emerging as a front runner in the global fight against climate change, the World Bank has said, noting that the solar power is gradually displacing coal as an energy source in the Asian country.
    • According to the World Bank, with its conscious choice to use significantly more clean energy to fuel its growth, India is contributing to global efforts to save the planet from the effects of climate change.

 

National News Affairs

  • The Centre today notified that action would be taken against those who post videos and images of the protected Andaman and Nicobar Islands’ tribal communities on social media.
    • The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes has said the tribes come under a regulation that protects them from outside interference, violation of which is punishable with imprisonment up to three years.

Banking, Business & Economic News

  • Finance Ministry along with the Central Board of Excise and Customs today launched GST Rates Finder app for consumers to verify the accurate tax rates on commodity and services under the Goods and Services Tax.
    • The app, which is currently available on Android platform, will soon be launched for IOS and can be used in offline mode once downloaded.
  • Private lender Axis Bank has emerged as the front-runner to buy Snapdeal-owned digital wallet startup FreeCharge.
    • The bank is currently conducting due diligence for the acquisition that could be valued at about ₹646 crore.
  • China’s biggest banks, including Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and Agricultural Bank of China, lost a combined $15 billion (nearly ₹97,000 crore) in value in a week.
    • ICBC declined around 7.4% over the week, touching its lowest level versus the benchmark Hang Seng Index since January 2008.
    • Moreover, China Construction Bank fell for a fifth consecutive week.
  • RBI Deputy Governor Viral Acharya today said, that the Reserve Bank of India is considering setting up of Public Credit Registry (PCR), an extensive database of bank loans.
    • Acharya suggested the registry would be managed by a public authority like the central bank, and reporting loan details should be mandatory.
    • Note: Current database hosts credit information of those with loans above ₹5 crore.
  • Vietnam has granted ONGC Videsh a two-year extension to explore oil block 128 in the South China Sea.
    • Note: The permission was first granted in the year 2006 which is due to expire in mid-June.

Awards & Honours

  • For the third consecutive year,Tata Steel Ltd has bagged Prime Minister’s trophy for ‘Best Performing Integrated Steel Plant’.
  • Music composer AR Rahman has been nominated at the World Soundtrack Awards for his music in the film ‘Viceroy’s House‘.

 

Current Sports Affairs

  • India’s Harinder Pal Sandhu has defeated Rhys Dowling of Australia to lift South Australian Open squash title.
07 Jul
IPCI Info

7 July

International News Affairs

  • Today (7th July) is Global Forgiveness Day.
    • This day was created in 1994 by the Christian Embassy of Christ’s Ambassadors.
    • Important Note: There is already a Forgiveness Day in August (which is observed on 1st Sunday in August each year), founded by the Worldwide Forgiveness Alliance, but the Global Forgiveness Day is different. This was founded by CECA (Christian Embassy of Christ’s Ambassadors).
  • Today is World Chocolate Day.
    • This day marks 467 years since chocolate was introduced to Europe.
  • The French government has announced that the country will end sales of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040 as part of an ambitious plan to meet its targets under the Paris climate accord.
  • India and Israel jointly launched a $40 million (over ₹258 crore) technology fundduring PM Modi’s visit to the country.
    • The Israel India Innovation Initiative Fund (I4F), will receive $4 million a year from each government for five years.
    • The fund is aimed at encouraging Indians to invest in Israel’s technology ecosystem and to open development centres in Israel.

 

Places in News

  • The Unesco World Heritage committee has put the West Bank city of Hebron’s Old Town on its list of world heritage in danger, drawing outrage from Israel.
    • The decision was taken in Krakow, Poland, on a proposal from the Palestinian side.

 

National News Affairs

  • India recently-enforced Anti-Hijacking Act, 2016.
    • This act prescribes death penalty for hijack conspirators in case of a casualty, and life imprisonment otherwise.
  • The central government has approved the renaming of two villages in Haryana, after complaints from villagers.
    • The Ganda village has been renamed to Ajit Nagar and Kinnar has been renamed to Gaibi Nagar.
  • Karnataka‘s Urban Land Transport Directorate has proposed the introduction of 4,000 GPS-equipped public-sharing bicycles at a cost of about ₹60 crore in Bengaluru.
    • It also proposed setting up 350 docking points, including four at metro stations, for the bicycles.
    • This comes after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah proposed the idea of a bicycle sharing system in his budget speech.
  • The government is going to link promotions of IPS officers to their physical fitness.
    • A proposal in this regard has been circulated to all states and Union Territories for their comments.
    • Important Points to Note :
      • Currently, IPS officers are promoted based on the completion of required years of service.
      • The proposed system of promotions is already being followed by the central para-military forces.

 

Banking, Business & Economic Affairs

  • Customers of Banks will not suffer any loss if unauthorised electronic banking transactions are reported within three days, the Reserve Bank of India has announced today.
    • Further, the amount involved will be credited to the accounts concerned within 10 days.
    • These rules will be applicable for third-party breaches, where the deficiency lies neither with the bank nor with the customer but elsewhere in the system.
  • Netherlands’ third-largest bank ABN AMRO today announced that it will no longer extend credit to clients in the tobacco industry.
    • The bank’s decision came as it announced a new partnership with the Heart Foundation in its fight against smoking.
  • India has slipped by one spot to become the4-largest foreign investor into the UK.
    • The US remains on the top, investing in 577 projects in the UK, followed by China (including Hong Kong) in second place with 160 projects.

New Appointments

  • RP Sanjiv Goenka Group Chairman, Sanjiv Goenkahas been nominated as the Chairman of the Board of Governors of Indian Institute of Technology – Kharagpur.
    • He will serve as the Chairman for the tenure of three years.

Science & Technology

  • A UN survey has revealed that Singapore is the Most cyber secure country in the world, followed by the US, Malaysia, Oman, and Estonia.
    • Important Note: India ranked 25th in the list.
    • Top 10 in the List :
      • Singapore
      • United States
      • Malaysia
      • Oman
      • Estoni
      • Mauritius
      • Australia
      • Georgia
      • France
      • Canada
    • European and Japanese space agencies are building a joint mission to solar system’s smallest and “least explored” rocky planet Mercury.
      • Two spacecraft, one each for ESA (European Space Agency) and JAXA(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), are scheduled to launch in October 2018 and would reach Mercury’s orbit seven years later, enduring 350ºC temperature.
    • Pakistan has successfully test fired short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile ‘Nasr‘.
      • ‘Nasr’ is a high-precision weapon system with the ability to be deployed quickly.

Current Sports Affairs

  • India’s Manpreet Kaur bagged Gold medal in women’s shot-puton the opening day of the Asian Athletics Championships 2017 in Bhubaneswar.
    • Meanwhile, Vikas Gowda won the bronze medal in the men’s discus throw finals but failed to qualify for World Championships.
06 Jul
IPCI Info

6 July

International News Affairs

  • Today (6th July) is World Zoonosis (also spelled zoönosis and zoonoses) Day.
    • Zoonosis is derived from the Greek words zoon (animal) and nosos (ailment).
    • Zoonosis is an ailment that is transmitted from animals to human beings.
    • Approximately 150 zoonotic diseases are known to exist.
    • This day is observed every year to emphasize and bring the problem awareness amongst people, and teach them to take right action.
  • Vietnamese capital Hanoi today approved a proposal to ban motorbikes, the city’s most popular mode of transport, from its central streets by 2030.

 

National News Affairs

  • The Uttar Pradesh government is going to launch a scheme on World Population Day (July 11), under which it will give a kit comprising condoms and oral contraceptive pills as ‘shagun’ to newly-weds.
    • The kit, aimed at stabilising population, will also contain a letter from the health department explaining the nuances of family planning and importance of minimum time between two children.
  • Hyderabad is planning to establish India’s first university only for Dalit students by 2018. The University is going to be a part of the government’s policy to provide free education to students from weaker sections from kindergarten to post-graduation level. TSWREIS, a social welfare society of Telangana, running 268 residential institutions for Dalit students, proposed the plan to the government.
  • The Supreme Court on Thursday held that a person obtaining jobs and admissions under the reserved category by producing fake caste certificates will lose the job/admission as well as the certificate. The Court dismissed Bombay High Court’s verdict that if a person has been in the job for a long time, and the certificate is found later, he/she can continue.
  • The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation has received the approval to create a 12-km ‘missing link’ between Khopoli and Kusgaon, which will allow motorists to drive at 100 kmph. The project, which will reportedly begin by November, will allow motorists to avoid the sections which witness landslides during monsoon season.

 

Banking, Business & Economic News

  • Jammu and Kashmir became the last state to implement GST, passing the resolution during a special session of the legislative assembly on Wednesday. The assembly passed the tax reform amid protests by opposition members National Conference and Congress, and a statewide anti-GST shutdown by businesses. BJP’s state unit claimed revenues would go up by ₹10,000 crore annually after GST.
  • China-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) on Wednesday approved a $329-million (over ₹3,100 crore) loan to build access roads across 4,000 villages in Gujarat. The project entails construction and upgradation of district and farm-to-market roads. AIIB officials said this will contribute to improved agricultural productivity, non-farm employment opportunities and rural income.
  • Restrictions on cash dealings of ₹2 lakh or more will not apply to credit card bill payments, the Revenue Department has clarified on Monday. Earlier, the government banned cash transaction of ₹2 lakh or above with effect from April 1, 2017. The move was aimed at curbing black money by discouraging cash transactions and promoting digital economy.
  • The European Union has approved a $6.1-billion (over ₹39,000 crore) state bailout for Italy’s fourth largest lender, Monte dei Paschi di Siena. This came after the bank agreed to a drastic overhaul including a salary cap for senior managers. Monte dei Paschi, the world’s oldest bank, earlier failed to raise $5.68 billion in the market to expand its capital.
  • The Income Tax Department has released a list of people who are exempted from linking their Aadhaar card with the PAN for now.
    • This list includes :
      • Residents of Assam, Meghalaya and Jammu & Kashmir,
      • All Non-Residential Indians (NRIs),
      • Citizens of Foreign Nations,
      • Individuals aged 80 years or more.

MOUs & Agreements

  • During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historical visit, India and Israel signed a total of 7 agreements in various areas like agriculture, space cooperation.
    • Note: Three of the seven MoUs were regarding space cooperation.
    • The Signed Agreements are :
      • MoU for conservation of water in India
      • MoU for setting up of India-Israel Industrial R&D & Technological Innovation Fund (I4F)
      • MoU on State Water Utility Reform in India
      • MoU on India-Israel Development Cooperation- 3-year work program in Agriculture (2018-2020)
      • MoU on cooperation in electric propulsion for small satellites
      • MoU on cooperation regarding cooperation in atomic clocks
      • MoU on cooperation in GEO-LEO optical link
    • The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO)has inked an agreement with 4  Private Sector Banks (ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank) and one Public Sector Bank (Bank of Baroda) for the purpose of collection of provident fund dues from the employers and payments to its subscribers.
      • Important Points to Note :
        • This is the first time the EPFO has roped in private banks.
        • Already the EPFO had tied up with five banks, namely, State Bank of India (SBI), Punjab National Bank, Allahabad Bank, Indian Bank and Union Bank of India.
        • This latest agreement will now authorise 10 banks to collect provident fund contribution and make payment to the employees.

People in News

  • PM Narendra Modi met Moshe Holtzberg, the now 11-year-old survivor of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, in Jerusalem today.
    • Note : Moshe, then two, was the youngest survivor of the attack at Nariman House, being rescued by his nanny while his parents were killed.
    • Modi told Moshe he could visit India anytime and his family would be provided with a long-term visa.

 

Current Sports Affairs

  • Former Russian chess champion Garry Kasparov is set to come out of retirement to play in a US tournament next month.
    • Kasparov, who retired from professional chess in 2005, will compete against nine top players at the Sinquefield Cup in Missouri.
  • The Pankaj Advani-led Indian snooker team defeated Pakistan in the final of the Asian Team Snooker Championship 
    • Important Points to Note :
      • Advani remained the only player to not lose a single individual match in the team event.
      • This title brings up Advani’s second Asian title this season and the 8th overall, while it was the first title for Advani’s teammate Laxman Rawat.
    • Indian National Football has managed to secure 96th spot at the latest FIFA world football rankings.
      • This is the best ranking secured by India in 21 years.
        • Top 10 in the List
        • Germany
        • Brazil
        • Argentina
        • Portugal
        • Switzerland
        • Poland
        • Chile
        • Colombia
        • France
        • Belgium
05 Jul
IPCI Info

5 July

International News Affairs

  • “Maitree 2017” a 14 day joint military training exercise between Indian Army and Royal Thailand Army commenced at Bakloh in Chamba district in Himachal Pradesh.
    • Aim of this exercise:To build and promote closer relations while exchanging skills and experiences between the two armies.
    • Note: Maitree 2016 was held at Krabi in Thailand in 2016.
  • The United States of America (USA) has rolled out Global Entry programme (GEP), a pre-approved expedited entry clearance programme for low-risk Indian travellers.
    • This program allows people to land at the country’s airports and enter through automatic kiosks without waiting in queues.
    • With this initiative, India became 11th country whose citizens are now eligible to enroll in the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) initiative.
    • Note: Indian Ambassador to US Navtej Sarna was the first Indian national to enroll in the programme.

 

National News Affairs

  • Environment Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan today launched a month-long plantation drive to mark Van Mahotsav.
    • Van Mahotsav is observed every year in the first week of July and is celebrated on different days in different parts of India.
    • Objective of Van-Mahotsav : To keep local people involved in plantation drives and spread environmental awareness.
  • The Haryana government has decided to run electric buses, each capable of saving nearly 4.25 lakh litres diesel and reducing carbon emissions by 1,150 tonnes in 10 years, in Gurugram.
    • Gurgaon Metropolitan Development Authority, Municipal Corporation, Gurgaon and Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation would bear 50%, 40% and 10% of the cost of the project, respectively.
  • Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajeev Pratap Rudi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan jointly laid the foundation stone of India’s biggest Global Skill Park in Bhopal.
    • The park will come up on 37 acre land allotted in Narela Shankari area of Bhopal.
    • It will be established with the support of Singapore’s Institute of Technical Education and Education Services (ITEES).

 

Awards & Honours

  • A new Israeli Chrysanthemum flower has been named ‘MODI‘ as a gesture to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel.
    • Important Note: This is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Israel.

 

Banking, Business & Economic News

  • The Union Ministry of Power has announced that about 97% of the total outstanding debt of all state power distribution companies (discoms) has been covered under the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY).
    • As on September 2015, the total debt of all state-owned discoms was Rs. 3.95 lakh crore.
    • The 26 states and 1 UT which have joined the UDAY scheme accounted for total outstanding debt of Rs. 3.82 lakh crore.
    • Hence, about 97% of the total outstanding debt of all State discoms has been covered under UDAY.

 

Science & Technology

  • The first successful rover called Sojourner was deployed on Mars‘ surface via NASA’s Pathfinder mission 20 years ago on this day (July 5) in the year 1997.
  • India’s The Energy Resources Institute (TERI) has been ranked as the second best climate think tank in the world.
    • The rankings were released by the the International Center for Climate Governance, which focuses on the design of climate policy and related governance issues.

 

New Appointments

  • Senior IPS officer Sanjay Kumar was appointed as Director General (DG) of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
    • He is going to replace R K Pachnanda who has been appointed as the DG of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
    • Prior to this appointment, Sanjay was the Director General of Police (DGP) in Himachal Pradesh.

 

Current Sports Affairs

  • The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has submitted an expression of interest to host the Under-20 FIFA World Cup in 2019.
    • Preparing to organise October’s FIFA Under-17 World Cup, AIFF president Praful Patel has said that hosting the FIFA Under-20 World Cup would be the next “logical step for the development of football in India”.
  • The 22nd edition of the Asian Athletics Championship is all set to be kicked off by Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar 
    • Over 1,200 athletes and officials from 44 countries in Asia will witness the largest sporting event Odisha is organising.

 

04 Jul
IPCI Info

4 July

International News Affairs

  • Today (4th July) is Independence Day of United States.
    • This day commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on 4th July 1776, by the Continental Congress declaring that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as a new nation, the United States of America, and no longer part of the British Empire.
    • President Pranab Mukherjee extended his greetings to Donald Trump’s administration and the people of America on the eve of US Independence Day.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Israel today for his three-day historical visit.
    • Important Note: He is the first ever Indian Prime Minister to visit Israelin 70 years.
    • Modi met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and will meet with President Reuven Rivlin.
    • Modi’s three-day visit aims at commemorating 25 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries and strengthening cooperation in the areas of defence, agriculture and science and technology.

 

National News Affairs

  • The annual buffalo racing sport ‘Kambala‘ has been legalised in Karnataka after President Pranab Mukherjee approved the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Ordinance, 2017
  • The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) has been extended for six more months in Nagaland with effect from June 30.
    • Note: The AFSPA has been in force in Nagaland for several decades.
  • Delhi High Court today launched a helpline number-1888 for litigants and lawyers to provide an easy access to justice.

 

Science & Technology

  • After successfully test-firing its first intercontinental ballistic missile on Tuesday, North Koreaclaimed that it now has missiles capable of reaching anywhere in the world.
    • The missile had a trajectory of 2,800 km and landed in Japanese waters.
    • Note: This is North Korea’s eleventh missile test this year and comes days before world leaders discuss disarming the country at the G20.

 

Books & Authors

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to write a book for the youth of the country wherein he will address issues like overcoming examination stress, keeping one’s composure and what to do after the exams.
    • The book, a first-of-its-kind initiative by a serving prime minister, will be out later this year in multiple languages.

Banking, Business & Economic News

  • In the first merger of commodity exchanges in the country, National Multi Commodity Exchange (NMCE) and Indian Commodity Exchange (ICEX) have announced their merger.
    • The deal, which will create the country’s third largest commodities exchange, has been approved by the boards of both exchanges and is expected to be completed by December.
  • ICICI Prudential has agreed to take over the life insurance business of Sahara Group’s subsidiary Sahara Life, which was shut down by insurance regulator IRDAI in June.
    • The administration of Sahara Life was taken over by the regulator and it was asked to stop issuing new policies, marking the first time IRDAI took such a step in its 18-year history.
  • A consortium including India’s oil and gas company ONGC has announced that it is willing to invest$11 billion in Iran to develop a natural gas field and build the infrastructure to export the fuel.
    • This comes after India announced a reduction in oil imports from Iran earlier amid a deadlock over the rights to one of its gas fields.

MOUs & Agreements

  • The Union Government and Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a $220 million loan agreementfor improving connectivity as well as transport efficiency and safety on State Highways of Rajasthan.

New Appointments

  • Achal Kumar Joti has been appointed as the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).
    • He will take charge after Nasim Zaidi retires on July 6.
  • Tata Global Beverages Limited (TGBL) today appointed Tata Sons headN Chandrasekaran as Chairman with immediate effect.