Current Affairs Update - 01 August 2016

Updated on : 11:05, 30 August 2016

— NATIONAL —

– Anandiben Patel resigns as Gujarat chief minister

• Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel has submitted her resignation after a week of protests across the state following the assault on four Dalits by a so-called cow vigilante group.
• Patel sent her resignation to the BJP top brass seeking relief from the top job in the state.
• In a letter posted on her Facebook page, Patel, who took charge as Gujarat’s first woman chief minister in May 2004 after then CM Narendra Modi was elected to the LokSabha, has said that she had two months earlier sought to resign from the party to give “enough time to the new incumbent to prepare for important events like the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat summit”.

– NRIs can send funds online for Govt schemes

• NRIs and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) will now be able to make monetary contributions online for government’s flagship programmes ‘Swachch Bharat’ and Clean Ganga among other social sector projects, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announced here today.
• Swaraj said this while chairing a meeting of the India Development Foundation of Overseas Indians (IDF-OI), a not-for-profit trust established by the government to supplement the country’s social development efforts.

– HRD Minister inaugurates IIT Goa Campus

• Union Minister of Human Resource Development Shri Prakash Javdekar inaugurated Indian Institute of Technology, Goa on Saturday, July 30th.
• He also laid the foundation stone for IIT Goa Students’ Hostel.
• The newly set up IIT Goa shall function from temporary campus at Goa Engineering College, Farmagudi and will be mentored by IIT Mumbai.
• Speaking on the occasion Union HRD Minister stated that IITs are recognised world over as premier institutes of academic excellence. He also stated that the Ministry is working towards increasingthe perception of IITs so that IITs are ranked top in world rankings.

– Norms relaxed for foreign tourists visiting Ladakh

• The Centre has decided to relax the requirement of a Protected Area Permit for foreigners visiting various parts of Ladakh including the Nubra valley, Jammu and Kashmir government said.
• Expressing satisfaction over the development, the chief minister emphasised the resolve of her government to boost tourism infrastructure in the state and open up new areas in Kashmir as well as Jammu province for tourists.

– Kudankulam is safest nuclear plant in the world, says Russian official

• After numerous protests and fears in a post-Fukushima world, the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) attained criticality last month.
• And now, reports are emerging that the plant is ‘the safest in the world’. Vladimir Angelov, a Russian nuclear industry official claimed that the Kudankulam plant is the first in the world to have implemented all the requisite post-Fukushima safety measures and to have operated them successfully.

– Agartala gets train to Delhi: Tripura Sundari Express

• Tripura Sundari Express ready to leave Agartala on its maiden journey to Anand Vihar (Delhi) on Sunday. The train was flagged off by Union Railway Minister Suresh PrabhakarPrabhu.
• Speaking on the occasion, Prabhu lauded the Bangladesh government for its cooperation in establishing rail link and said more options for inter-connectivity with Bangladesh would be explored in the days to come.
• While the railway link would finally directly connect Agartala with Kolkata through Bangladesh, it would also help direct freight movement and exchange tourists between the two countries.

 

— INTERNATIONAL —

– International Organisation for Migration becomes part of UN

• The UN General Assembly on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution approving an agreement to make the International Organisation for Migration part of the UN as a related organisation, underlining a closer legal and working relationship between them is needed “more than ever”.
• IOM, which assisted an estimated 20 million migrants in 2015, is an intergovernmental organisation with more than 9,500 staff and 450 offices worldwide.

– Rare 3,000-year-old tree found in China

• A rare yew tree whose extract is used to treat cancer and is believed to be about 3,000 years old has been discovered in China, authorities said on Sunday.
• The living tree is located in Huanggou Forest, in northeast China’s Jilin Province.
• It is more than 40 metres tall and has a diameter of 1.68 metres, said Yang Yongsheng, head of the forest administration.
• According to the provincial forestry department, it is the oldest — believed to be about 3,000 years old — and the best-preserved Chinese yew in Jilin.

– Yuriko Koike elected Tokyo’s first female governor

• Tokyo’s new governor Yuriko Koike on Monday credited her landslide victory to having stood up to the powers that be in Japan’s ruling party, who didn’t want her to run.
• Koike, 64, was elected Tokyo’s first female governor in the Sunday vote, winning more than 2.9 million votes, far outpacing the nearly 1.8 million ballots cast for closest challenger Hiroya Masuda.
• Masuda, a former governor of Iwate prefecture in northern Japan, was the favoured candidate of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner.

 

— BANKING —

– World Bank gives $100 million for Sri Lanka’s economic reforms

• The World Bank has approved a $100 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA) to support the Sri Lanka’s economic reforms programme, officials said on Monday.
• A World Bank study, the Systematic Country Diagnostic, has highlighted the need for Sri Lanka to move from “a largely inward looking and public sector driven economy” to one that can unleash the potential of the private sector.
• The Sri Lanka competitiveness, transparency and fiscal sustainability Development Policy Financing (DPF), which is only the second DPF to Sri Lanka in a decade, aims to support the government’s reform agenda by reducing obstacles to private sector competitiveness, establishing transparent and well managed public institutions and improving fiscal sustainability.

– Exim Bank raises USD 1 billion from overseas bonds

• Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has announced raising of USD 1 billion (about Rs 6,700 crore) by selling bonds to overseas investors.
• Initially announced for USD 500 million, the issue was upsized to USD 1 billion based on strong demand from the investors.
• The issue attracted a total order book in excess of USD 2.50 billion from over 157 investors.

 

— BUSINESS AND ECONOMY —

– IRB Infra bags Rs 2,100-crore Rajasthan-Gujarat NHAI project

• Toll road firm IRB Infrastructure Developers has received a contract worth Rs 2,100 crore from the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for a six-lane project in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
• In a company released statement, IRB said that it has emerged as a preferred bidder for the six-lane project from Udaipur to Rajasthan/ Gujarat border on section of NH-8 in Rajasthan and Gujarat.

– MobiKwik to power e-cash payments on ‘Food on Track’ app

• Mobile payments company MobiKwik on Monday announced a tie-up with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to power e-cash payments on IRCTC’s e-catering “Food on Track”.
• The company — which also powers payments for IRCTC Connect allowing users to book train tickets instantly — said the e-catering app allows passengers to book and get food from their preferred restaurants, delivered right at their train coaches.

– First phase of Sebi’s new enterprise portal goes live

• Markets regulator Sebi has initiated the first phase of its new enterprise portal to facilitate accurate and timely dissemination of information to the watchdog’s internal and external stakeholders.
• The new portal, which would replace the regulator’s existing portal in a phased manner, went live on July 29 and is being developed by IT major Tech Mahindra.
• The first phase of the project provides the employees of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) and some of its market intermediaries with an interactive portal.

 

— APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGN—

– Darren Lehmann handed two-year extension as Australia coach

• Darren Lehmann will continue as head coach of Australia until October 2019, after receiving a two-year contract extension.
• The 46-year-old’s contract was due to expire in June 2017, but has now been extended to cover home and away Ashes series and the 50-over World Cup in 2019.

– Justice DB Bhosale sworn-in as Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court

• Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik today administered the oath to Justice Dilip Babasaheb Bhosale as the new Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court here.
• Justice Bhosale would be probably the 46th chief justice of the Allahabad High Court and he will succeed Justice D Y Chandrachud, who has now been elavated to the Supreme Court.
• 58- year-old Chief Justice Bhosale was the acting chief justice of the Andhra Pradesh-Telengana states before being appointed as the chief justice of Allahabad High Court.

 

— AWARDS AND HONOURS —

– Nayeemuddin conferred Mohun Bagan Ratna

• Mohun Bagan conferred the highest decoration of the club, the Mohun Bagan Ratna (jewel), on legendary Syed Nayeemuddin in a glittering function here on Friday.
• The former India captain and latter the National coach became the 16th recipient of the prestigious award, which is given to someone making seminal contribution to the success of the club.
• Nayeem, who contributed wholesomely both as a player and later as the coach, received a citation and Rs. 1 Lakh.
• Mohun Bagan’s current star player, Haitian international Sony Norde, was not present to receive the Karuna Shankar Bhattacharya Memorial award for best footballer.

 

— SPORTS —

– Lewis Hamilton wins to increase title lead as Nico Rosberg pays penalty

• Lewis Hamilton has increased his lead of the world championship to 19 points with victory in the German GP.
• Having trailed Nico Rosberg by 43 points just two months ago, the reigning world champion has won six of the last seven races to head into the summer break with a firm grip of the championship again as he chases a third successive title.
• A faultless Hamilton led every lap after overtaking Mercedes team-mate and title rival Rosberg into the first corner.

– Halep beats Keys in Rogers Cup Women’s singles final

• Romania’s Simona Halep has clinched the Rogers Cup women’s singles title after beating American Madison Keys 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 in the final here.
• Sunday’s win gave the 24-year-old her third title of the year. Halep, the No.5 seed was the finalist of the tournament last year, reports Efe.
• The Romanian also won the titles in Bucharest and Madrid earlier this season, and she now has 14 career titles.

– Novak Djokovic beats Kei Nishikori to win Rogers Cup in Toronto

• Novak Djokovic got back to winning ways ahead of the Olympic Games by beating Kei Nishikori in straight sets in the Rogers Cup final in Toronto.
• The world No 1’s hopes of a calendar Grand Slam were shattered at Wimbledon after a shock third round exit against Sam Querrey but he put that disappointment behind him in Canada, winning 6-3 7-5 ahead of his bid to win gold in Rio.

– Dominating Patna Pirates retain Pro Kabaddi crown by thrashing Jaipur, Storm Queens win women’s challenge

• Season 4 of Pro Kabaddi ended on a high note at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad with reigning champions Patna Pirates recording a 37-29 victory over the formidable Jaipur Pink Panthers in the finale.
• It was a closely contested 40 minutes of perhaps the finest kabaddi game of the season, as both teams battled for supremacy.
• Dharmaraj Cheralathan captain of the Patna Pirates, hoisted up the golden trophy amidst spectacular scenes of celebration.

– India to host Kabaddi World Cup in October

• India will host the Kabaddi World Cup this year, featuring 12 countries, in October.
• USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Iran, Poland, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Korea, Japan and Kenya will be playing in the event the dates for which will be declared later.
• The event is scheduled to be held in October 2016 but the dates for the event will be announced later.