[GKmojo] July Month affairs
Important days in July
World Population Day: 11 July 2018
Theme: Family Planning is Human Right
World Youth Skills Day: 15 July 2018
Nelson Mandela International Day: 18 July 2018
World Hepatitis Day: 28 July 2018
Theme: Test Treat Hepatitis
World Day against Trafficking in Persons: 30 July 2018
Theme: Responding to the trafficking of children and young people
Appointments
1) Janardan Singh Gehlot Elected International Kabaddi
Federation Chief
Janardan Singh Gehlot was elected the president of the
International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) for the next four years.
It was announced after the Annual General Congress (AGC) of the
federation, conducted in Dubai, the UAE.
2. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Elected Mexico's President
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has been elected as Mexico's
President with over 53% of the vote, according to the country's
electoral commission. Obrador, who has won the presidency at the third
attempt, promised to tackle violence and wipe out corruption.
3. Vijay Srinivas Appointed Director & GM of United India
Insurance
Chennai-based United India Insurance Company announced the
appointment of K B Vijay Srinivas as its Director and General
Manager.
Prior to taking up the new role, he was serving National Insurance
Company Ltd as its Chief Marketing Officer and General Manager.
United India Insurance Company is the 2nd Largest General Insurance
company in India.It headquarters in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
4. Tata AIA Appoints Rishi Srivastava as CEO and MD
Tata AIA Life has recently announced that its board has appointed
Rishi Srivastava as the new chief executive officer and
managing director, subject to regulatory approval from IRDAI.
Srivastava will take over from current chief executive officer
Naveen Tahilyani who takes over as chief executive officer, group
partnership distribution, AIA Group, Hong Kong.
5. T Latha Appointed New MD & CEO of Dhanlaxmi Bank
Dhanlaxmi Bank Limited has appointed T Latha as the Managing
Director & CEO. She has taken over from G Sreeram, who has
retired from the office on completion of his tenure.
6. Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel Appointed NGT Chairperson
Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, who retired from the Supreme Court of
India has been appointed as the new Chairperson of the National Green
Tribunal (NGT). He has been appointed to the position for a term of five
years, as per an order issued by the personnel ministry.
The National Green Tribunal was established on October 18, 2010 under
the National Green Tribunal Act 2010 for effective and expeditious
disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation
of forests and other natural resources
7.The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) announced
the appointment of Surendra Rosha as CEO (Chief Executive
Officer) for HSBC India, subject to regulatory approvals.
National affairs
1. Goods and Services Tax Day: 1 July
The Government of India has announced that 1st of July shall be
commemorated as ‘GST Day’. Union Minister for
Railways, Coal, Finance & Corporate Affairs Mr Piyush Goyal presided
over as the Chief Guest of the event and Minister of State for Finance.
The government of India is celebrating the 1st Anniversary of the Goods
and Services Tax (GST) coming into force on 1st July 2017.
2. Maharashtra Government Announces 'Kanya Van
Samruddhi Yojana'
The Maharashtra government announced a new scheme
called 'Kanya Van Samruddhi Yojana', wherein farmers families
where girl children are born will be given saplings for plantation.
ii. The scheme is aimed at empowering women and promoting tree
plantation. The scheme was approved in the cabinet meeting chaired by
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
3. Bhitarkanika National Park Becomes Largest Habitat Of
Endangered Estuarine Crocodiles
The Bhitarkanika National Park (Odisha) has become the largest
habitat of the endangered estuarine crocodiles in the
country with a record number of their nesting sites spotted in it.
Altogether 101 nesting sites of estuarine crocodiles were found this time
by enumerators.
The nesting spots had registered 25% rise this year. At least 1698
crocodiles, including albino species, were counted this year along the
water-bodies of Mahanadi delta region, while the figure recorded last
year stood at 1682.
4. Government Approves Hike in Minimum Support Price For
Kharif Crops
The government has decided to sharply increase the Minimum
Support Price (MSP) for Kharif crops, as it responds to concerns
about distress in the country’s farm economy despite two years of strong
monsoons.
The MSP for common variety paddy, the most important Kharif
crop, will be raised by Rs 200 over last year’s Rs 1,550 per quintal. That
works out a 13%t increase for the financial year ended March 2019
compared to a 5.4% increase in FY18.
5. Bengaluru to Get India’s 1st e-Waste Plant
Union minister of chemicals and Fertilisers Ananth
Kumar announced that the country’s first e-waste recycling unit
will come up in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The unit is in keeping with
the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan drive.
A 2016 study by Assocham and KPMG ranked India among the
top five countries in e-waste generation, with an estimated 1.85
million tonnes generated annually.
According to the study, computers comprised 70% of the total e-waste
and telecommunication equipment accounted for 12%. Bengaluru
ranked third after Mumbai and Delhi and generated nearly 92,000
tonnes of e-waste annually.
6. Behdienkhlam Festival Concludes In Meghalaya
The Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern
Region (DoNER) Dr Jitendra Singh attended the famous 4-day
Meghalaya Annual Cultural Festival, "Behdienkhlam", held
every year at the small peripheral town of Jowai, Meghalaya.
On the concluding day of the festival, Dr Jitendra Singh spent time with
the visitors from across the region who had come to attend the festival.
7. Election Commission of India Launches 'cVigil' App
Chief Election Commissioner of India Mr Om Prakash
Rawat, along with the Election Commissioners Sunil Arora and
Ashok Lavasa, launched an Android-based mobile application
named ‘cVigil’ for citizens to report any violation of the model
code of conduct during elections.
cVIGIL will allow anyone in the election-bound state to report violations
of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) that comes into effect from the
date of announcement of elections and goes on till a day after the polls.
8. MP Government Launches Subsidised Power Scheme
‘Sambal’
The Madhya Pradesh State Government launched
an outstanding power bill waiver scheme and subsidised power
scheme called ‘Sambal’ for labourers and poor families. Under
Sambal Yojana, the Below Poverty Line (BPL) families would be
provided electricity at a cost of Rs 200 per month.
The main objective of the scheme is to make sure that all the households
have power facility in the state. In case the bill is lower than Rs
200, the beneficiaries will have to pay the actual bill amount and if the
bill amount is crossing Rs 200 then, the difference amount would be
subsidised by the state government.
9. Law Commission Recommends Regulating Betting
The Law Commission recommended that gambling and betting
on sports, including cricket, be allowed as regulated
activities taxable under the direct and indirect tax regimes and used
as a source for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI).
The commission's report, 'Legal Framework: Gambling and
Sports Betting including Cricket in India', recommends a
number of changes in the law for regulating betting and generating tax
revenues from it.
10. Anju Khosla, Oldest Indian Woman To Complete Ironman
Triathlon
At 52, Anju Khosla has become the oldest Indian woman to
complete an Ironman Triathlon – one of the toughest one-day
sporting events. The New Delhi resident completed her first full Ironman
Triathlon, in Carinthia, Austria, in 15 hours, 54 minutes and 54
seconds.
ii. It comprises 3.86 km swimming leg, 180.25 km bike leg followed by a
marathon (42.2 km), to be completed without a break.
11. PM Modi Inaugurated World's Largest Mobile Factory In
Noida
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President
Moon Jae-in visited Noida and inaugurated the New Mobile
Manufacturing Plant of Samsung at Noida. Notably, it will be
one of the world's largest mobile factory.
With the beginning of this New Plant, India's Make In India and Skill
India Will get a major Push in the country. Samsung has Invested close
to 5,000 Crore Rupees in this plant and aims to Manufacture 12 Crore
Mobile Handsets annually which will result in massive job creation.
12. Haryana Top State In Per Capita Revenue Collection Under
GST
Haryana has topped other states in per capita revenue
collection under GST and is also the fourth highest generator of e-
way bills in the country. The Finance Minister of Haryana Capt.
Abhimanyu claimed Haryana has widened the tax base by 82.22% and
logged 19% hike in revenue collections.
About 1.12 crore e-way bills were generated in Haryana between
April 1, 2018 and June 30, 2018, catapulting the state to the position
of 4th highest generator of e-way bills in the country.
13. MCA Constitutes 10-Member Committee To Review
Offences Under Companies Act, 2013
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has constituted a 10
Member Committee, headed by the Secretary of Ministry of
Corporate Affairs Mr Injeti Srinivas, for review of the penal provisions in
the Companies Act, 2013.
It has been setup to examine ‘de-criminalisation’ of certain offences. The
Committee shall submit its report within thirty days to the Central
Government for consideration of its recommendations.
14. Environment Minister Inaugurates Advanced System Of
Air Quality ‘SAFAR’
Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan unveiled a state-
of-the-art Air Quality and Weather Forecast System–
‘SAFAR’ (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting) at Chandni
Chowk in New Delhi.
The Environment Ministry’s mission model project ‘SAFAR’ is being
implemented in four cities of India – Delhi, Pune, Mumbai and
Ahmedabad as an operational service.
First of its kind in the country, the system was developed indigenously
by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune and
operationalised by India Meteorological Department (IMD).
15. Public Affairs Index 2018: Kerala Best Governed State,
Bihar Worst
According to the Public Affairs Index 2018, Kerala is the best-
governed state in the country, released by a Bengaluru think-
tank, Public Affairs Centre. As per the report, Tamil Nadu,
Telangana, Karnataka and Gujarat are among the top five states
delivering good governance. Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar
Pradesh and Odisha ranked the lowest on the index, indicating higher
social and economic inequalities.
Among smaller states – with the population less than two crore –
Himachal Pradesh topped the list of states with good
governance, followed by Goa, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura.
Meghalaya performed the worst in this list. Manipur, Nagaland, Delhi
and Jammu and Kashmir were the other poor performers. This year’s
index also measured how child-friendly each state is. Kerala,
Himachal Pradesh and Mizoram topped this index.
16. Lok Sabha Passes Negotiable Instruments (Amendment)
Bill
The Lok Sabha passed the Negotiable Instruments
(Amendment) Bill, 2017 which has the provision of allowing a court
trying an offence related to cheque bouncing, to direct the drawer to pay
interim compensation to the complainant.
According to the Minister of State for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla, 16
lakh cheque bouncing cases are lying in the subordinate courts and 35
thousand cases are in the higher judiciary. The interim compensation
will not exceed 20% of the cheque amount and will have to be paid by the
drawer within 60 days of the trial court’s order to pay such a
compensation.
17. Government Sets Up High-Level Committee To Check Mob
Lynching
Considering the increasing incidents of mob lynching, the Union
Government constituted a High-Level Committee chaired by
the Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba to deliberate in the matter
and make recommendations.
The Secretary, Department of Justice; Secretary, Department of Legal
Affairs; Secretary, Legislative Department; and Secretary, Social Justice
and Empowerment are the members of the committee.
Mob Lynching is an act to punish (a person) without legal process or
authority, especially by hanging, for a perceived offence or as an act of
bigotry.
18. Renowned Poet Gopal Das Neeraj Passes Away
Hindi poet Gopal Das Neeraj passed away in New Delhi after a
prolonged illness. He was 94. His famous poetic works
include Asawari, Lahar Pukare and Paran Geet.
He won 3 Filmfare awards and penned some of the all-time hits
like Likhe jo khat tujhe. He was conferred with Padma Shri in 1991
and Padma Bhushan in 2007.
19) The new name of Agartala Airport as approved by the Union Cabinet:
Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Kishore Airport
20) The committee set up by the Government of India has decided to set
up a committee to suggest measures to strengthen National Cadet Corps
(NCC) and National Service Scheme (NSS) is headed by: Shri Anil
Swarup
21) The committee set up by the Government of India to look into the
issue of industrial pollution around the Taj Mahal is headed by: Shri
C.K. Mishra
22) The Union Government has reduced minimum yearly deposit
required under popular girl child savings scheme, Sukanya Samriddhi
Yojana to Rs 250 from Rs 1,000 earlier. This has been lowered to
enable more people to enjoy benefits of this scheme. In this regard,
Government has amended Sukanya Samriddhi Account Rules, 2016.
Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana: It was launched as a small savings
scheme under Beti Bacho Beti Padho (BBBP) in January 2015
Economy and Banking
1. Sashakt: 5 Pronged Strategies to Deal with NPAs
The Sunil Mehta Committee, set up to look into the faster resolution
of stressed assets, has recommended the creation of an asset
management company for the resolution of stressed loans worth more
than Rs500 crore.
Finance minister Piyush Goyal announced that government has
accepted a report submitted by a committee of bankers led by
Punjab National Bank chairman Sunil Mehta.
Sunil Mehta committee on bad loans resolution has recommended a
five-pronged strategy Project 'SASHAKT' to deal with Non-
performing Assets in the country's banking system. The five-
pronged strategy includes:
1. SME resolution approach,
2. Bank-led resolution approach,
3. AMC/AIF led resolution approach,
4. NCLT/IBC approach, and
5. Asset-trading platform.
The Mehta Committee has further proposed a Bank Led Resolution
Approach (BLRA) for loans between Rs 50 and Rs 500 crore. Under
the BLRA approach, financial institutions will enter into an inter-
creditor agreement to authorise the lead bank to implement a resolution
plan in 180 days.
2. RBI Licences Bank of China To Operate In India
The Reserve Bank of India licensed Bank of China to operate
in India. This decision comes as part of the commitment made by PM
Modi to the Chinese leadership. Bank of China will now have operating
offices in India. This will be the second Chinese bank to be
operating in the country.
As on 1 January, 2018 Industrial & Commercial Bank of China
Ltd was operating in India along with 45 other foreign banks. The
United Kingdom’s Standard Chartered has the highest, 100
branches in India as of now.
Bank of China (BOC) headquarters in Beijing. BOC was formally
established in February 1912. Chen Siqing is the Chairman of BOC.
3. YES Bank Gets SEBI Nod To Launch Mutual Fund Business
Private lender YES Bank announced that it has received final
regulatory approval from the Securities & Exchange Board of
India (SEBI) to start mutual fund business.
This approval is subsequent to the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI)
approval. YES Asset Management (India), a wholly owned
subsidiary of YES Bank, will launch fund offerings across the spectrum
in both debt and equity markets over the next 6-12 months.
4. HDFC Bank, Most Valuable Bank In Emerging Market
Outside China
HDFC Bank has gone past Russia's Sberbank to become the
most valuable bank in the emerging market outside
China. HDFC Bank’s current market capitalisation is $78.4 billion
against Sberbank's $74.4 billion. Chinese banks are leading the
pecking order in the emerging market, with Industrial & Commercial
Bank of China topping the list with a market cap of $273.4 billion.
Globally, America's JPMorgan Chase is the most valuable with a market
cap of $353 billion, followed by Bank of America at $282 billion. There
are four lenders from India that now rank among the world's
500 most valuable companies. HDFC Bank is followed by its
housing finance cousin Housing Development Finance Corporation
(HDFC), Kotak Mahindra Bank and State Bank of India.
5. RIL Becomes India's Largest Tax Payer In Private Sector
Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani at the Reliance
Industries’ 41st Annual General Meeting announced that Reliance
is India’s largest payer of Goods and Services Tax (GST),
Excise and Customs Duty, and Income Tax in the private
sector paying Rs.9844 crore in FY18.
Reliance has become the first Indian company to record PBDIT (Profit
before Depreciation Interest and Taxes) of over $10 billion.
6. RBI Cancels Licence Of Alwar Urban Co-Operative Bank
The Reserve Bank of India has announced that the licence of Alwar
Urban Co-operative Bank in Alwar, Rajasthan has been cancelled
as it is not in a position to pay its depositors in full as and when their
claims accrue, among other reasons.
The reasons for the cancellation of the licence were, the bank does not
have adequate capital and earning prospects, and hence does not comply
with the relevant provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
7. Telecom Department Clears Vodafone-Idea Merger With
Riders
The telecom ministry approved the merger of Vodafone India
and Idea Cellular Ltd. that will create the country’s largest
mobile services operator. The Department of Telecom has cleared
the Vodafone-Idea merger, but both companies will have to meet
conditions for final approval.
The combined operations of Idea and Vodafone will create the country’s
largest telecom operator worth over $23 billion. Vodafone will own
45.1% stake in the combined entity, while Kumar Mangalam Birla-led
Aditya Birla Group and Idea shareholders would have 26% and 28.9%,
respectively.
8. BSNL Launches India’s 1st Internet Telephony Service To
Enable Making Calls Without SIM
State-run telecom firm Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
(BSNL) unveiled the country’s first internet telephony
service that will allow users to dial any telephone number in India
through its mobile app.
Now BSNL customers will be able to make calls using the company’s
mobile app “Wings” to any phone number in the country. Using this
service, BSNL customers will be able to make calls on any network in the
country even by using BSNL wi-fi or any other service provider.
9. Global Innovation Index: Switzerland Tops, India Ranks
57th
The Global Innovation Index (GII) has ranked India as the 57th
most innovative nation in the world. The country has improved its
ranking from 60th position in 2017. India has been improving steadily
since it was ranked 81st in 2015.
The GII is being developed jointly by Cornell University, the Paris-
based business school Insead and the World Intellectual
Property Organisation (WIPO) in Geneva. GII ranks 126
economies based on 80 indicators. The Top 3 Countries in Global
Innovation Index are:
1. Switzerland,
2. The Netherlands,
3. Sweden.
10. Andhra Pradesh Tops Ease Of Doing Business Rankings
For the second year in a row, Andhra Pradesh has been ranked as
the easiest Indian state to do business in, according to a survey.
The Chandrababu Naidu-led state took the pole position in the rankings
for Ease of Doing Business that was released by the Department of
Industrial Policy and Promotion and Ministry of Commerce
and Industry in Delhi.
Telangana came second followed by Haryana, Jharkhand and Gujarat.
The north-eastern state of Meghalaya was ranked lowest at 36th.
10. India Becomes World’s 6th Largest Economy: World Bank
India has become the world's sixth-biggest
economy, pushing France into seventh place, according to
updated World Bank figures for 2017.
India's gross domestic product (GDP) amounted to $2.597
trillion at the end of 2017, against $2.582 trillion for France. The
world's top 3 economies are:
1. The United States,
2. China,
3. Japan.
11. HDFC Securities Enable MF Transactions Through
Facebook Messenger
HDFC securities announced the launch of Mutual Funds
transactional capabilities on Facebook Messenger through their
virtual assistant, Arya.
A subsidiary of HDFC Bank, HDFC securities rolled out a theme
called “The Pace of Innovation” which is structured to innovate and
provide intuitive and relevant digital solutions to customers and this
effort, is in line with the vision.
12. India Becomes 69th Shareholder of European Bank For
Reconstruction & Development
India has become the 69th shareholder of the European Bank
for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). This move paved
the way for more joint investment with Indian companies across the
bank’s regions of operation.
The Board of Governors voted unanimously in favour of the country’s
application. The EBRD aims to promote the private and entrepreneurial
initiative in emerging Europe and invests in 38 emerging economies.
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is a
multilateral development bank set up in 1991 after the fall of the
Berlin Wall. Suma Chakrabarti is the President of EBRD.
It headquarters in London, UK.
13. Federal Bank Gets RBI Nod To Enter Bahrain, Kuwait,
Singapore
Private Sector Lender Federal Bank has received the regulatory
nod to open offices in Bahrain, Kuwait and Singapore, but is
awaiting local clearances before it starts operations.
Federal Bank already has representative offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai,
and its desire to expand comes even as a majority of its larger peers are
downsizing their overseas presence.
14. Decisions in 28th Meeting of GST Council: Complete
Highlights
The 28th meeting of GST Council was held in New Delhi. It
reduced tax rates on more than 50 items and exempted sanitary
napkins, rakhis, stone, marble, wooden deities and Saal leaves
from GST. Finance Minister Piyush Goyal chaired the 28th GST
Council meeting in New Delhi.
Highlights On the changes that have been made in the
meeting:
1. GST on footwear priced below 1,000 rupees will attract 5% rate. GST
on imported urea and ethanol sold to oil companies for blending with
petrol and diesel has been reduced to 5%.
2. GST rate on handbags, jewellery box, wooden box for
paintings, artware of glass, stone endeavour, ornamental framed mirrors
and handmade lamps were reduced to 12%.
3. Lithium-ion batteries, vacuum cleaners, food grinders, mixers, storage
water heaters, hair dryers, hand dryers, paint, varnishes, water cooler,
milk cooler, ice cream coolers, perfumes, toilet sprays and toilet
preparation have been brought to 18 from 28% slab.
4. GST council has cleared 46 amendments which will be passed
in Parliament. The exemption limit for traders in Assam, Arunachal
Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim has been increased from 10
lakh to 20 lakh rupees.
15. RBI to Issue New Design Rs100 Denomination Banknote
The Reserve Bank of India will shortly issue Rs100
denomination banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series,
bearing the signature of Dr Urjit R. Patel, Governor, Reserve Bank of
India.
The new denomination has Motif of “RANI KI VAV” on the reverse,
depicting the country’s cultural heritage. The base colour of the note
is Lavender. The dimension of the banknote will be 66 mm × 142
mm. All the banknotes in the denomination of Rs100/- issued by the
Reserve Bank in the earlier series will continue to be legal tender.
16. Amazon, 2nd Company To Hit $900 billion Valuation After
Apple
E-commerce giant Amazon briefly crossed $900-billion market
cap for the first time in its history becoming only the second company
after Apple to achieve this milestone.
This comes after Amazon announced it sold over 100 million products
during its Prime Day sale. Apple is currently the world's most valuable
company with a market cap of $935 billion.
17. Jana Small Finance Bank Launches Commercial
Operations
Jana Small Finance Bank announced the commercial launch of its
banking operations, the last microfinance company to convert
itself into a small finance bank (SFB), three years after the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) gave its in-principle approval.
The small finance bank was earlier called Janalakshmi Financial Services
and weathered huge losses on account of demonetization.
18. IMF Cuts India’s GDP Growth Forecast To 7.3% in 2018
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cut India’s GDP
growth forecast by 10 basis points to 7.3% in the year
2018 and by 30 basis points to 7.5% in 2019, as the international
body expects the central bank to tighten the monetary policy faster.
The IMF announced that India remains a key driver of global growth and
India will still retain its top spot in the global growth league.
19. LIC Board Approves IDBI Bank Stake Purchase
The board of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has
approved the proposal for the insurer to hold a 51% stake in IDBI
Bank. The announcement was made by Subhash Chandra Garg,
Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs.
The life insurer has around 7.5% stake in LIC at present and will acquire
the remaining stake from the government.
IDBI Bank Headquarters in Mumbai. B Sriram was appointed as
the IDBI Bank's CEO and Managing Director recently.
20. RIL Becomes India's Largest Tax Payer In Private Sector
Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani at the Reliance
Industries’ 41st Annual General Meeting announced that Reliance is
India’s largest payer of Goods and Services Tax (GST), Excise and
Customs Duty, and Income Tax in the private sector paying Rs.9844
crore in FY18.
International affairs
1. Asia's 1st Patent Arbitration Centre to Open in Tokyo
Asia's first arbitration centre specialised in intellectual
property is slated to open in Tokyo in September 2018 to resolve
the growing number of disputes in the region.
The International Arbitration Centre in Tokyo (IACT) is set to
have around a dozen arbitrators from around the world, who would try
to resolve disputes within a period of one year.
2. Nigeria Replaces India to Become World's Largest Poor
Population: Brookings Report
With the persistent decline in poverty, India is no longer a nation
having the largest number of poor people in the
world, according to a study published by the US-based think tank,
Brookings.
According to the study, Nigeria has already overtaken India as the
country with the largest number of extreme poor in early
2018, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo could soon take over
the number 2 spot.
The study, titled 'The start of a new poverty narrative' and
published in the Brookings' blog, is authored by Homi Kharas, Kristofer
Hamel and Martin Hofer.
3. South Korean President Moon Jae-in On 4-Day Visit To
India
South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in New
Delhi evening on a four-day visit to India. He is being accompanied
by First Lady Kim Jung-sook on his maiden visit to the nation.
A financing arrangement of 10 billion dollars has been set by
the Korean side for infrastructure development in India. Major items
of India’s exports to Korea are mineral fuels/oil distillates, cereals, iron
and steel.
4. 10th BRICS Summit 2018 Begins In Johannesburg
The 10th edition of BRICS Summit began in Johannesburg,
South Africa. It is a 3-day long summit and will be attended by all the
BRICS leaders.
The theme for this summit is ‘BRICS in Africa: Collaboration for
inclusive growth and shared prosperity in the 4th Industrial
Revolution'. Modi is likely to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the
sidelines of the summit.
5. YouTube Announces $25 million Investment to Fight Fake
News
Video sharing platform YouTube has announced the investment
of $25 million to counter the spread of fake news on its
platform.
The investment is part of the $300 million Google News Initiative which
was launched in March 2018.
6. 8th BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting Held At Durban
The 8th BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting was held at Durban,
South Africa. Indian deligation was led by Mr J P Nadda, Union
Minister of Health and Family Welfare. He stated that India is
committed to eliminating TB by 2025.
Highlighting the accomplishments of India in the health sector, he stated
India's achievement in reducing the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) by
77%, from 556 per 1,00,000 live births in 1990 to 130 per 1,00,000 live
births in 2016, was commended by the Regional Director of
WHO South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO).
7. 4th BIMSTEC Summit To Be Held In Kathmandu
The 4th BIMSTEC Summit will be held in Kathmandu, Nepal. The
announcement in this regard was made by Nepal’s Minister for Foreign
Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali.
The main focus of the summit will be to increase connectivity
between the BIMSTEC nations including roads, airways and
transmission lines.
BIMSTEC stands for Bay of Bengal Initiatives for Multi-Sectoral,
Technical and Economic Cooperation. The group was formed
in 1997 and it brings together Bangladesh, Bhutan India, Nepal, Sri
Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. Nepal is the current chair of BIMSTEC.
8. Two Plus Two Dialogue Between India and US To Be Held In
New Delhi
US State Department has announced that the inaugural ‘two-plus-
two dialogue’ between India and the United States will be held
in New Delhi in September 2018. Recently, the US had postponed
the dialogue due to ‘unavoidable reasons’.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary James
Mattis will travel to India for the dialogue with External Affairs
Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman.
9. Myanmar Joins International Solar Alliance
Myanmar joined the India-initiated International Solar
Alliance (ISA), thus, becoming the 68th signatory to the
Framework Agreement of the ISA that aims for optimum utilisation
of solar energy.
Myanmar Minister for International Cooperation, Kyaw Tin handed over
the ISA Framework Agreement to External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj during a bilateral meeting on Delhi Dialogue 2018.
The International Solar Alliance was launched jointly by Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande on the
first day of the COP-21 summit at Paris in 2015.
10. Forbes Releases 2018 'Celebrity 100' List Of World's
Highest-Paid Entertainers
The Forbes has Released the 'Celebrity 100' list of World's Highest-Paid
Entertainers. Boxer Floyd Mayweather captures the top spot on
Forbes’ 20th annual Celebrity 100 ranking of the world’s highest-paid
celebrities.
Few of the famous names on the list are Leonel Messi 8th, Cristiano
Ronaldo 10th. From India, Akshay Kumar (40.5 million dollars) is
ranked 76th while Salman Khan (37.7 million dollars) is on the 82nd
spot.
The top 3 celebrities on the list are:
1. Floyd Mayweather (Athlete, Boxing, $285M)
2 George Clooney (British liquor giant, $239M)
3. Kylie Jenner (Founder, Kylie Cosmetics, $166.5M)
11) GDP of Top 10 countries - 2017
Released by: World Bank
Rankings
GDP (million
# Country
$)
1. United States 19,390,640
2. China 12,237,700
3. Japan 4,872,137
4. Germany 3,677,439
United
5. 2,622,434
Kingdom
6. India 2,597,491
7. France 2,582,501
8. Brazil 2,055,505
9. Italy 1,934,798
10. Canada 1,653,043
12. As per US State Department’s 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report,
North Korea has been tagged “worst human trafficking nation” for the
16th straight year, citing the use of forced labour.
13. The UN members have unanimously elected Iceland to take
a seat on the world body's 47-member Human Rights Council.
US had left the UNHRC in June, 2018 calling it a cesspool of political
bias for its criticism of Israeli regime's crimes against Palestinians.
Awards and honours
1) Rahul Dravid, 5th Indian to Be Inducted Into ICC Hall of
Fame
Former captains Rahul Dravid of India, Ricky Ponting of
Australia and retired England Women wicketkeeper-batter
Claire Taylor were inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame
2018 during a glittering ceremony in Dublin, Ireland.
Former Team India captain Rahul Dravid has become the fifth
Indian cricketer after Anil Kumble, Sunil Gavaskar, Bishan Singh
Bedi and Kapil Dev to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.
2. Artist Anjolie Ela Menon Conferred Kalidas Award
Noted artist Anjolie Ela Menon had received the National
Kalidas Samman in Delhi for visual arts from the Madhya Pradesh
government.
With her first solo exhibition being held in Delhi in 1958, Menon is
counted among India’s most accomplished artists and is the recipient of
numerous national and international awards including the Padma Shri.
3) Indian recipients of Ramon Magsaysay Award 2018
Dr. Bharat Vatwani: Psychiatrist and founder of Shraddha
Rehabilitation Foundation in 1989. He works to unite mentally ill street
people with their families. He has united 2000 people with their families
so far.
Sonam Wangchuk: Ladakhi engineer, innovator and education
reformist. Founder of Students Educational and Cultural Movement of
Ladakh (SECMOL). He invented the Ice Stupa technique that creates
artificial glaciers used for storing winter water in form of conical shaped
ice heap.
4) The renowned vocalist who has been chosen for the 2018 Sangita
Kalanidhi Award by the Music Academy, Madras: Aruna Sairam
Sports
1. Australia Wins Hockey Champions Trophy Final 2018
In the summit clash of the 37th and final edition of the Hockey
Champions Trophy at Breda, the Netherlands, India lost to
defending champions Australia via penalty shoot-off. The match went
into the shoot-off after both the teams were locked at 1-1 in regulation
time.
It was Australia's record 15th Champions Trophy title. While India won
their second consecutive silver medal, hosts the Netherlands bagged the
bronze medal.
2. Aaron Finch Posts Highest-Ever T20 Individual Score
Australian captain Aaron Finch slammed 172(76) against
Zimbabwe to register the highest-ever individual score in T20Is,
overtaking his own record of 156 runs.
The 31-year-old opener smashed 10 sixes and 16 fours in his knock
before getting out hit-wicket. Finch and D'Arcy Short shared a 223-run
opening stand, which is the highest-ever partnership for any wicket in
T20Is.
3. Max Verstappen Won Austrian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton
Retires
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the Austrian Grand Prix 2018
title in Austria. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen finished in the second spot.
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel finished in the third spot. Mercedes’ Lewis
Hamilton retired from the race due to a mechanical issue in his car.
4. Olympic Medalists To Now Receive Rs 20,000 Pension Per
Month
Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore announced that
the rate of pension for sportspersons who have won medals in
international competitions and have retired from active sports has
been doubled from April 1. At present, the government gives lifelong
pension to 588 players under the scheme of ‘Pension to Meritorious
Sportspersons.'
According to the revised rates, Olympic and Para Olympic
medallists will get a sum of Rs 20,000 per month each, while
gold medallists at World Cups and World Championships in Olympic
and Asian Games disciplines will receive Rs 16,000 per month.
Silver and bronze medallists at World Cups in Olympic and
Asian Games disciplines will receive a sum of Rs 14,000 per
month and an equal amount is payable to gold medallists of the Asian
Games, Commonwealth Games and Para Asian Games.
5. Lewis Hamilton Wins German Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton won the German Grand Prix 2018 held at
Hockenheimring track in Germany. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton secured
the first position.
He was followed by Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes in the second position.
Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen secured the third position.
6. Tokyo 2020 Committee Officially Launches Olympic
Mascots
The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee officially launched
its Olympic mascots 'Miraitowa' and Paralympic
mascot 'Someity' at a ceremony attended by Tokyo Governor
Yuriko Koike and Committee’s President Yoshiro Mori.
The name of the blue-checked Olympic mascot ‘Miraitowa’ is
derived from a combination of the Japanese words for future and
eternity and seeks to "promote a future full of eternal hope in the hearts
of people all over the world".
The pink-checked Paralympic mascot 'Someity' owes its name to a
type of cherry tree blossom and exhibits enormous mental and physical
strength.
7. Sreejesh To Lead Indian Hockey Team At Asian Games 2018
Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh will lead the 18-member Indian
men's hockey squad while Chinglensana Singh Kangujam will serve as
his deputy in the 18th Asian Games, which will begin in Jakarta and
Palembang, Indonesia in August 2018.
8. Dipa Karmakar Clinches Gold Medal at Gymnastics World
Cup
India’s premier gymnast Dipa Karmakar clinched a gold medal
in the vault event of FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge
Cup at Mersin in Turkey.
The 24-year-old from Tripura, Dipa Karmakar scored 14.150 to
win gold. This is Dipa’s first medal in a World Challenge Cup. She had
topped the qualification also with a score of 13.400.
9. Fakhar Zaman, Quickest Player To Reach 1000 Runs In 1-
Day Internationals
Fakhar Zaman recently scored a double century for Pakistan
against Zimbabwe and he became the first player from Pakistan to
score a double century in a one-day international. He became the
quickest player in history to reach 1,000 runs in the format.
Fakhar Zaman has broken the record of West Indies cricketer
Vivian Richards. Fakhar Zaman took 18 innings to reach the 1000
mark. Vivian Richards had achieved this mark in 21 matches.
10. Muhammed Anas Yahiya Breaks Own National Record In
400m
Star sprinter Muhammed Anas Yahiya once again entered the
record books as he broke his own national record to win the 400
metres race at the Cena Noveho Mesta nad Metuji meet in the Czech
Republic.
Anas set a time of 45.24 seconds to break his own record of 45.31
seconds which he had set during the Commonwealth Games in Gold
Coast in April 2018.
11. IAAF World U20 Championship: Hima Das Bags Gold,
Creates History
18-year-old Indian runner Hima Das created history by becoming
the first-ever Indian woman to win an athletics gold on the
international stage.
Hailing from Assam, Hima finished on top of the podium in the
women’s 400m event at the IAAF World U20 Championship
in Tampere, Finland, clocking 51.46 seconds. 51.13 seconds is
her personal best and is now also the Indian U20 national record.
12. 7 New Medal Events Added To Beijing Winter Games 2022
Planning for its next three Olympic Games, the International
Olympic Committee (IOC) has added seven medal events to the
2022 Beijing Winter Games, published a 2020 Tokyo Olympics
schedule with no agreement on when to race swimming finals, and set a
timetable to add new sports to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The next Winter Olympics will now include: women’s monobob, Big
Air freestyle skiing for men and women, plus mixed team
events in short track speed skating, ski jumping, ski aerials
and snowboardcross.
13. Thailand Open 2018: Nozomi Okuhara Beats PV Sindhu To
Win Maiden Title
India's star shuttler PV Sindhu (seeded second) suffered a defeat
to fourth seed Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in straight games inside
50 minutes to settle for runners-up spot in the Thailand Open at the
Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok.
In men's singles, Kanta Tsuneyama (Japan) was the winner
and Tommy Sugiarto (Indonesia) was runner up.
14. Javelin Thrower Neeraj Chopra Wins Gold At Sotteville
Athletics Meet
Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has clinched a gold medal at the
Sotteville Athletics Meet in France. The Indian youngster secured
the top spot in the podium with an 85.17m throw.
Moldova’s Andrian Mardare took the silver medal after he covered a
distance of 81.48m. The bronze medal went to Lithuania’s Edis
Matusevicius, whose best throw of the night was 79.31m.
15. FIFA World Cup 2018 Concludes | France Emerged As
Champions
The 21st edition of the FIFA World Cup concluded in Luzhniki
Stadium in the Russian capital of Moscow. 32 nations, divided
into eight groups, battled it out for the coveted trophy in the quadrennial
month-long event.
France emerged as the champion team of the FIFA World Cup
2018. It has defeated Croatia in a thrilling final by 4-2. It was the
second world cup win for France, it first won in 1998.
16. Wimbledon Championships 2018: Complete List of
Winners
The 2018 Wimbledon Championships is a Grand Slam tennis
tournament which takes place at the All England Lawn Tennis and
Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom.
Novak Djokovic won the men's singles Title for the fourth
time. Angelique Kerber won the Ladies' Singles title.
17) Major General VD Dogra Becomes 1st Serving Indian Army
Officer to Complete Ironman Competition
Major General VD Dogra became the first serving Indian Army officer
and the only General across the world to have completed a gruelling
‘Ironman’ competition held in Austria.
The Ironman is an international triathlon consisting of three consecutive
events- 3.8 km of swimming, 180 km cycling and 42.2 km of running (a
full marathon).
It is considered the toughest one-day sporting event in the world. The
competitors have to complete the events in sequence within 17 hours to
earn the title of ‘Ironman’. Maj Gen Dogra completed the event in 14
hours and 21 minutes.
Books And authors
1. ‘The English Patient’ By Michael Ondaatje Declared 'Best
Booker Prize Winner In 50 Years'
Michael Ondaatje’s bestselling novel 'The English Patient' was
announced as the winner of the Golden Man Booker Prize at the
Southbank Centre in London.
The prize was instituted as part of celebrations to mark the Booker’s
having completed 50 years.
2. Michael Ondaatje Named in Man Booker Prize Long List
Canadian author Michael Ondaatje has again made the Man
Booker Prize list with his latest novel “Warlight,” weeks after his
book “The English Patient” was named the best work of
fiction from the last five decades of the literary prize.
Organizers announced the 13 books in the long list for the prestigious
award, chosen from 171 submissions this year, the highest number of
titles that have been put forward in the prize’s 50-year history.
3. JK Rowling To Release Next Book 'Lethal White'
JK Rowling will come out with the fourth novel titled 'Lethal
White' in the series about the exploits of private investigator Cormoran
Strike in September 2018 under her pseudonym Robert Galbraith.
4. Ramachandra Guha Pens Book Titled 'Gandhi: The Years
That Changed The World (1914-1948)'
All the best by GKmojo
