Daily Current affairs - July 17th, 2018 for all competitive exams
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.
President approved Assam bill against witch-hunt
President Ram
Nath Kovind has approved Assam
Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2015 passed by State Assembly in August 2015.
- The
law was prepared to rein in the rising incidents of witch-hunting cases
across the State, following demand from cross-section of society.
- It
was prepared in lines with spirit of universal declaration of human
rights, crimes in witch hunting cases cause gross violation of basic human
rights.
- The
Bill contains provisions for imprisonment up to seven years along with a
fine up to Rs 5 lakh for identifying and calling a person witch. This will
come with Section 302 of the IPC if someone is killed after branding as
witch.
- The
punishment for leading a person to commit suicide after intimidating,
stigmatising, defaming and accusing as witch may be extended to life
imprisonment and fine up to Rs 5 lakh.
Bihar to get world’s cheapest clean drinking
water
Sulabh International introduced the
concept of ‘Sulabh Sauchalya’ in India, which is cost-effective innovative
water project to provide the cheapest drinking water in the
world, only in 50paisa/litre.
- The
first of such a water project was launched in Bihar’s Darbhanga district,
Haribol Pond.
- Sulabh
Jal will be made available through various stages of purification. It can
offer safe drinking water from any water body such as a river or a pond.
- This
is first time in the world that we have succeeded in producing pure
drinking water at a very nominal cost using this new technology and
villagers would directly benefit from it
Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar launches
'Paudhagiri' campaign
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal
Khattar launched the 'Paudhagiri' campaign with an aim to
increase the green cover in Haryana.
- CM
Khattar launched the 'Paudhagiri' campaign by planting a 'maulsari'
sapling in the Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex premises of Gurgaon.
- Under
this plantation drive, 22 lakh students from class 6 to 12 of all
government and private schools in Haryana will plant a sapling each during
three months of monsoon i.e July, August and September.
Haryana launches ‘I am not afraid of English’
initiative
Haryana has launched ‘I am not afraid of
English’ initiative to make primary school students fluent in English.
- The
initiative aimed at capacity building of teachers to enable them help
students to read, write and speak in English right from class 1.
Odisha to get Country’s 1st Skill training
centre
Union Minister for Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan announced that the Centre is planning
to set up one National Skill Training Institute (NSTI) in every
State to meet the rising demand for skilled manpower in the country.
- He laid
the foundation stone of country’s first such skill training institute in
Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
- The
Centre’s endeavour is yet another step to empower the youth of the State
and make them job ready for industries. This will also help in addressing
the issue of migration.
T-Hub to host country’s 1st Defence
incubator
One of the country’s first Defence incubators
will come up in Hyderabad, which is India’s missile development centre and
fast emerging the hub for aerospace industries. The incubator will be housed at
T-Hub.
- The
incubator will be funded through the Ministry’s Innovation for
Defence Excellence (iDEX) scheme.
- Under
the scheme research in the fields of Aerospace & Defence by MSMEs,
start-ups, research institutions, educational institutions are to be
funded. The iDEX will be funded and managed by a Defence Innovation
Organisation (DIO).
BEL signs MoU with Saab for surveillance
Radar
Defence public sector undertaking Bharat
Electronics Limited (BEL) has signed an MoU with Saab,
Sweden, recently for jointly marketing the L-Band 3D Air Surveillance
Radar, RAWL-03, co-developed by BEL and Saab.
- BEL
has joined hands with Saab, Sweden and the US, to market the Long Range
Air Surveillance Radar, cost-effective L Band three dimensional radar, for
early detection and tracking of air and surface targets, thereby, enabling
engagement of fire control systems to neutralise the same.
Iceland replaces US and joins as new member of
UN Human Rights Council
U.N. General Assembly has elected Iceland for
the U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC), filling the seat vacated by
the United States, which withdrew from UNHRC last month.
- Iceland
was nominated by the group of Western nations and received 172 votes.
Iceland’s term begins immediately and it will serve until December 31,
2019.
United Nations Human Rights
Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system
responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights
around the globe and for addressing situations of human rights violations and
make recommendations on them. It meets at the UN Office at Geneva. The
Council is made up of 47 United Nations Member States which are elected by
the UN General Assembly. The Human Rights Council replaced the former United
Nations Commission on Human Rights.
The Council was created by the United Nations
General Assembly on 15 March 2006 by resolution 60/251. Its first session
took place from 19 to 30 June 2006. One year later, the Council adopted its
"Institution-building package" to guide its work and set up its
procedures and mechanisms.
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Pakistan PM launched first land based
communication link with China
Pakistan Prime Minister Nasirul Mulk inaugurated
the Pakistan-China Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) project that would serve as the
first land-based communication link between the two countries, and as a
part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
- The
project includes an 820 km-long underground OFC from Rawalpindi to
Khunjerab and a 172-km aerial OFC link from Karimabad to Khunjerab.
U.N. agrees first-ever global compact for migration
United Nations
for first time has finalized Global Compact for Safe,
Orderly and Regular Migration to better manage
international migration, address its challenges, strengthen migrant rights and
contribute to sustainable development. The agreement will be formally adopted
by world leaders in Morocco in December 2018.
- The
compact is the first intergovernmental agreement to cover
wide-ranging dimensions of international migration in
holistic and comprehensive manner, agreed upon by all the UN member states
minus the United States.
- It
sets out 23 objectives to deal issues
ranging from factors that compel people to move, legal channels for
migration, combating trafficking and smuggling, harnessing the economic
benefits of migration and return of the migrants.
The Global
Compact for Migration (GCM) offers the international community the
opportunity to improve workplace productivity and deliver decent work
outcomes for migrant and national workers, as well as to shift current
misperceptions of migration, by readjusting migration policies to effectively
include all labour market aspects.
The GCM is
meant to be consistent with target
10.7 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – in which Member
States committed to cooperate internationally to facilitate orderly, safe and
responsible migration.
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China to launch 300 low-orbit satellites named
the Hongyan constellation
China planned to launch 300 low-orbit
satellites named the Hongyan constellation to offer worldwide
communication services and the first in the series will be launched in 2018.
- The
announcement was made at the Hunan Commercial Aviation Space and Marine
Equipment Forum held in Changsha.
- The
Hongyan constellation is composed of more than 300 satellites, along with
data processing centres, and will be built in three stages. Once
completed, the satellite communication network will take the place of the
ground-based network and allow a mobile phone to be connected everywhere
on the planet, either in a remote desert or at sea
ISRO successfully conducts ground test of Vikas
Engine
ISRO successfully conducted ground test of its
high thrust version of Vikas Engine at ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) in
Mahendragiri, Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu for duration of 195 seconds.
- The
tests meet all its propulsion parameters and were found satisfactory and
closely matched the predictions.
- Vikas
Engine belongs to family of liquid fuelled rocket engines conceptualized
and designed by ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre in the 1970s.
IIT-Madras unveils word’s first remotely operable LEAP microscope
Indian
Institute of Technology (IIT)-Madras has commissioned remotely operable Local
Electrode Atom Probe (LEAP) microscope.
- It
is claimed to be world’s first remotely operable LEAP microscope, as it can be remotely operated through
special terminal by researchers divided geographically.
- The
remotely operable LEAP microscope has been developed in a collaborative
exercise involving eight top research institutions in country, spearheaded
by IIT-M. Other partner institutions are IITs of Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur,
Kharagpur and Ropar, International Advanced Research Centre for Powder
Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI) and Board of Research in Nuclear
Sciences (BRNS).
- It
was developed at a cost of Rs 40 crore. The microscope also enables a
true three-dimensional (3D) atomic scale reconstruction which would impart
a major thrust to research in nanotechnology, among other fields.
LEAP is
high-performance microscope that can provide a precise atom-by-atom view of materials. It provides atomic-scale insights into metallic, which will
influence wide spectrum of industries ranging from steel to automobiles and
energy to transportation sector. It will also give major thrust to research
in nanotechnology, among other fields
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BrahMos missile successfully test fired
BrahMos, the
supersonic cruise missile was successfully test-fired recently. The test-firing
conducted from a Mobile Autonomous Launcher was part of service life extension
programme for Indian Army under extreme weather condition.
- BrahMos
Weighing 2.5 ton, BrahMos ALCM is the heaviest weapon to be deployed
on India’s Su-30 fighter aircraft. It has been modified by
HAL to carry weapons.
- It
is a world-class weapon with multi-platform, multi-mission role and
is capable of being launched from land, sea and air.
- BrahMos
is a joint venture between the Defence Research and Development
Organization (DRDO) of India and NPOM of Russia.
The name
Brahmos has been taken from two
rivers – Brahmaputra and Moskva. The heavyweight missile,
integrated with the long-range fighter, is seen as a force multiplier for the
IAF. The Brahmos cruise missiles have an effective strike range
of around 290-300 km. The land and warship versions have already
been inducted by the armed forces.
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8th India-Oman joint commission meeting begins
in Muscat
Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and
Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu co-chaired 8th session of India-Oman Joint
Commission Meeting (JCM) along with Minister of Industry, Investment,
Trade and Digital Economy of Oman, Dr Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidy.
- Suresh
Prabhu invited Omani companies to build on their success in India and make
investments to benefit from ‘Make in India’ and ‘Invest India’
programmes which are aimed to encourage manufacturing. Areas of
discussion in the JCM.
Prakash Javedkar inaugurates conference of
heads of AYUSH National institutes
With an aim of upgrading quality of
education, research, hospital care facilities in the national AYUSH
institutions throughout the country and develop them as light
house institutions, All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) under
Ministry of AYUSH organized two days Conference of Heads of AYUSH National
Institutes in New Delhi.
- The Inaugural
session of the conference was graced by Minister of Human Resource
Development Prakash Javadekar and Minister of State (Independent
Charge) for AYUSH Shri Shripad Yesso Naik.
- AYUSH
joined hands together and signed MoUs with Sports Authority of India,
Indian Institute of Technology for collaborative
ventures.
Committee set up to synergise NCC and NSS
The government has decided to set up a
committee under the Chairmanship of Mr Anil Swarup, former Secretary,
School Education, with suitable representations from NCC, M/o Youth Affairs
and Ministry of HRD to suggest measures to strengthen National Cadet Corps
(NCC) and National Service Scheme (NSS).
- The
Committee will deal with on issues like expansion, strengthening training
infrastructure, rationalizing resources, reducing manpower deficiency
affecting NCC and NSS.
UK tops global ranking of nations Soft
Power
UK has topped an annual global ranking of
nations' soft power, with France placed second on the list of 30 countries
which does not feature India.
- The
2018 'Soft Power 30' index, published by UK-based strategic
communications consultancy firm Portland and the University of Southern
California Center on Public Diplomacy, ranked Germany as third followed by
the US.
- This
year's report also features a chapter dedicated solely to Asia, listing 10
countries in the region, ranking India's soft power as eighth. In the
fourth edition of the annual Soft Power 30 Index.
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)
Gautam Kaul won prestigious post in
Federations' executive committee elections
India has been elected new
President of Asian Tug of War Federation. India's Gautam Kaul
won the prestigious post in the Federations' Executive Committee elections
held in Kathmandu, Nepal.
- This
is the first time when India has been elected to lead the organisation.
The post of Secretary-General has also gone to India, while Nepal has got
Treasurer's post.
- Pakistan
and Cambodia have won posts of Vice Presidents. The tenure of newly
elected office bearers will be for 3 years.
Ishwar Sharma, 8 year old Indian boy named
‘British Indian of the Year’
An eight-year-old Indian-origin
schoolboy, Ishwar Sharma who is the under-11 UK national yoga champion has
been named the “British Indian of the Year” in the Young Achiever category for
his achievements in the field of Yoga.
- He
has won a gold medal representing Great Britain at the World Student
Games 2018 in Winnipeg, Canada.
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.
- Lethal
White is billed by publishers Hachette as the most epic Robert Galbraith
novel yet, a gripping mystery and a page-turning next instalment in the
ongoing story of Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott.
Actor Rita Bhaduri passes away
Veteran actor Rita Bhaduri passed away after
fighting a kidney-related ailment for many days. She was 62 years old.
- She
was from the 1973 batch of the Film and Television Institute of India
(FTII), Pune.
Thailand Open 2018: Nozomi Okuhara beats PV
Sindhu to win 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.
