Current Affairs!

[maniza.siddique]

Daily Current Affairs - 15th July, 2016, Friday

1) Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi appointed as Chairman of CBSE

a) Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi, a 1987- batch IAS officer, has been appointed as the Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for a five-year term.

b) Chaturvedi's name was announced on a day when 19 Additional Secretary-level appointments and 29 Joint Secretary-level appointments were announced.

c) Other appointments are as follows: IAS officer Vandita Sharma as member (Finance) in the Atomic Energy Commission; Guruprasad Mohapatra as Chairman, Airports Authority of India; BB Mallick as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs; and SP Singh Parihar as chairman, Central Pollution Control Board.

2) K V R Murthy appointed as CMD of Jute Corp of India

a) K V R Murthy has taken over as chairman-cum-managing director of the Jute Corporation of India Limited . His appointment is effective from July 2 to a term of five years or his date of superannuation, whichever is earlier .

b) Previously, Murthy was earlier associated with Eastern Railways in the capacity of Chief Commercial Manager.

3) India's Olympic Silver Medalist Joe Antic passed away

a) The former Indian hockey player Joe Antic, passed away at the age of 90 in Mumbai following brief illness.

b) Antic represented the country in the Rome Games where Pakistan ended India's glorious 32-year golden run by winning the final between the arch-foes 1-0.

4) India-born Kinshuk appointed as Dean of University of North Texas College of Information

a) An Indian-American professor Dr Kinshuk has been appointed as the Dean of University of North Texas College of Information in the United States. His appointment will be effective from 15 August 2016.

b) Prior to this, he served as director in the School of Computing and Information Systems. Kinshuk also served as Industrial Research Chair in Adaptivity and Personalisation in Informatics for the National Science and Engineering Council of Canada.

5) Arvind Subramanian panel constituted to tackle pulses shortage

a) Centre has constituted a high level committee to review the minimum support price (MSP) and bonus for pulses.

b) The committee will be headed by Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian and is expected to submit its report within two weeks.

c) It will suggest an appropriate policy to promote cultivation of lentils in India and find the measure to contain the rising prices of pulses in the country.

6) Peru declares Zika emergency in 11 states

a) Peru's government has declared a health emergency in 11 states of the country due to an expanding outbreak of the Zika virus. Peru has 102 confirmed cases of Zika in the country, 34 of which are pregnant women. At least 63 of the infections are located in the Jaen province of Cajamarca, near Peru's border with Ecuador.

b) The states under emergency include Amazonas, Cajamarca, Huanuco, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Loreto, Piura, San Martin, Tumbes, Ucayali and metropolitan Lima.

c) The Zika virus is carried by the same mosquito species which spreads dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. More than 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have registered cases of native Zika since 2014.

7) Supreme Court ordered restoration of Nabam Tuki government in Arunachal Pradesh

a) The five-judge Constitutional bench of Supreme Court has unanimously restored the Congress government in Arunachal Pradesh led by Nabam Tuki.

b) The constitutional bench headed by Justice JS Khehar termed removal of former chief minister Nabam Tuki as unconstitutional. Other members of the bench were Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Madan B. Lokur, Justice P.C. Ghose and Justice N.V. Ramana.

8) Historian William H McNeill passed away

a) William H. McNeill, the prize winning scholar who wove the stories of civilizations worldwide into the landmark "The Rise of the West" and described the power of disease to forge history in "Plagues and People," passed away at the age of 98.

b) His most popular work is The Rise of the West: A History of the Human Community. The book explored world history in terms of the effect of different old world civilizations on one another. The book won the 1964 U.S. National Book Award in History and Biography.

[neerajbhrdwj (Neeraj Bhardwaj)]

एक हत्यारे को मौत की सजा सुनाई गई. उसे तीन कमरे बताए गए. पहले कमरे में आग लगी है, दूसरे कमरे में हथियारों से लैस हत्यारे और तीसरे कमरे में ऐसे शेर है जिन्होंने तीन सालो से कुछ नहीं खाया. उसे किसे चुनना चाहिए.?

[omidichwalkar (Onkar Dichwalkar)]

1) Centre notifies Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016

a) The Union government has notified the (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 and operationalised some of its provisions, giving a legal shape to UIDAI.

b) The government has also notified that UDAI has received a legal standing to carry out the appointment of its chairperson and members.

c) A search-cum-selection committee headed by the cabinet secretary and comprising secretaries of DoPT, finance and DEITY, and two experts to be nominated by the communications and IT minister, would recommend names for the chairperson and members for selection by the Government of India.

2) Union cabinet approves disinvestment of 15% in NBCC

a) The cabinet committee on Economic Affairs approved the disinvestment of 15% paid-up equity in NBCC India Ltd. out of government's 90% share-holding.

b) The disinvestment will be through the offer for sale which is expected to raise Rs. 1,706 crores.

c) It has also been decided to allot additional shares to the eligible and willing NBCC employees at a discount of 5 per cent to the issue/discovered (lowest cut off) price of OFS.

d) Currently, the administrative ministry of Urban Development controls NBCC India. NBCC has interests in construction, engineering and project management consultancy services.

3) Harika Dronavalli wins Fide Women's Grand Prix trophy in China

a) Indian chess player Harika Dronavalli has won the Fide Women's Grand Prix in China by defeating Russia's Olga Girya.

b) Harika finished on seven points in the round robin tournament featuring the world's top 12 players to be crowned the chess queen in Chengdu.

c) It is her first-ever GP title in her career.

4) Theresa May appointed Prime Minister of United Kingdom

a) After the abrupt resignation of Britain's former PM David Cameron, Theresa May, a Conservative politician has become Britain's prime minister.

b) May, the former Interior Minister, has become Britain's second female leader after Margaret Thatcher.

5) Union Cabinet approves revival of defunct fertilizer units in Gorakhpur, Sindri and Barauni

a) The Union cabinet has approved the revival of closed urea units of the Fertilizer Corporation India(FCIL) at Sindri in Jharkhand and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, as well as the Barauni unit in Bihar of Hindustan Fertilizer Corporation (HFCL).

b) These units will provide fertilizers in the mentioned regions and also help to save in subsidy on freight otherwise being incurred for transporting urea from distant western and central regions.

c) The fertiliser units were lying defunct since their closure during 1990-2002.

6) Operation 'Sankat Mochan' launched to evacuate Indian citizens from South Sudan

a) To evacuate over 300 people stranded in South Sudan, Indian government has started Operation Sankat Mochan.

b) India Minister of state for external affairs VK Singh is leading this rescue operation. Till now, India has sent two C-17 military transport aircraft to south sudan.

c) The South Sudan is witnessing heavy military war between former rebels and government soldiers in several parts of the city. According to the ministry, there are around 600 Indians in South Sudan, of them 450 are in Juba and nearly 150 are outside the capital.

7) Kendrapara sheep gets registered breed status

a) The National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources has formally accorded registered breed status on Kendrapara sheep, an indigenous variety mainly found in Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts of the State.

b) The Kendrapara breed was identified as the second in India and sixth in the world to carry FecB mutation gene responsible for multiple births such as twins and triplets.

c) The research had recorded more than 80 per cent multiple births, 71 per cent twinning, nine per cent triplet and one per cent quadruplets in a period of 12 months.

d) It is the 42nd sheep breed to have been registered in India. In the past, four cattle and two buffalo breeds, all native to Odisha, were registered.

8) Ringside With Vijender authored by Rudraneil Sengupta released

a) Book titled 'Ringside With Vijender' authored by Rudraneil Sengupta and published by Juggernaut Books has released.

b) The book describes about the Beijing Olympics bronze medallist boxer Vijender Singh's life post his transition to the world of pro boxing. The book also offers an insight into his struggles, changes in his boxing style, training, and his personal life.

c) Vijender Singh is an Indian professional boxer, born in Haryana. He has won the bronze at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha and also in 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. In 2009 also he has won the bronze medal at the World Amateur Boxing Championships.

[maniza.siddique]

Daily Current Affairs - 17th and 18th July, 2016, Sunday and Monday

1) Forbes released the list of World's Highest-Paid Celebrities of 2016

a) Forbes magazine has recently released a list of World's Highest Paid celebrities of 2016. American pop singer Taylor Swift is on the 1st rank in this list where, One Direction takes the No. 2 spot, followed by author James Patterson (No. 3), and Dr. Phil McGraw and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo,who are tied for No. 4.

b) According to this list, The Rock aka Dwayne Johnson is the highest paid actor in the world.

c) Shah Rukh ranks 86th on the list with earnings of USD 33 million, while Akshay comes in on the 94th spot with USD 31.5 million earnings.

2) World Youth Skills Day 2016 observed globally

a) World Youth Skills day was celebrated worldwide on 15th July, 2016. The theme Skills Development to Improve Youth Employment.

b) The day is celebrated with an aim to raise awareness about the importance of investing in youth skills development.

c) United Nations had organised the event facilitated by the UN Envoy on Youth Ahmad Alhendawi. The event was co-organized with the Permanent Missions of Portugal and Sri Lanka to the United Nations, UNESCO and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

3) Pema Khandu sworn-in as Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister

a) Pema Khandu has sworn in as the ninth Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh. Governor Tathagata Roy administered the Oath of Office and Secrecy to him.

b) Khandu has replaced Nabam Tuki, who resigned from the post after stepping down as leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP). Also, he is the youngest CM of Arunachal Pradesh.

c) Chowna Mein was also sworn-in as the Deputy Chief Minister.

4) UNESCO declares Nalanda Mahavihara as 33rd World Heritage Site in India

a) Bihar's much awaited ancient site, the ruins of Nalanda Mahavihara - barely 98 km away from Patna has been declared as the World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The ruins have large number of remains of stupas, shrines and viharas and important art works in stucco, stone and metal.

b) Nalanda stands out as the most ancient university of the Indian Subcontinent. It engaged in the organized transmission of knowledge over an uninterrupted period of 800 years. The historical development of the site testifies to the development of Buddhism into a religion and the flourishing of monastic and educational traditions said an official statement.

c) Last year, the ruins of Nalanda university was inspected by an expert team from the Paris-based International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).

5) SBI signs MoU with IIT Bombay to promote fintech start-ups

a) India's top public sector bank, State Bank of India (SBI), in second week of July has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE), (IIT) Bombay's technology business incubator, with an intent to promote innovation by startups in the financial sector.

b) The deal also aims to help evaluate start-ups operating out of SINE or those being promoted by SINE for early stage funding within the bank's norms.

c) As per the MoU, both the parties will identify FinTech startups that have products or applications to cater to the financial sector and can help SBI explore opportunities to enhance the synergy for their banking services. SBI will provide a platform for testing/ piloting such products/applications and maybe also check for any specific business linkages.

6) India and Bangladesh sign deal for construction of coal fired power plant

a) India & Bangladesh has signed a deal for the construction of a 1,320 megawatt coal fired power plant. The Rampal Power Station is the biggest project under bilateral cooperation.

b) This is the biggest project under India - Bangladesh cooperation and India's Exim Bank will provide $1.49 billion for the project, scheduled to start generating power in 2019.

c) The deal came amid concerns by environmental groups that the the plant could affect the delicate ecosystem of the world's largest mangrove forest, spreading over both Bangladesh and India. The project is also known as Maitree Super Thermal Power Project.

7) Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba commissions Marine Commandos' base INS Karna

a) Admiral Sunil Lanba, the Chief of Naval Staff, has commissioned the Marine Commandos (MARCOS-East) unit as 'INS Karna' at a function at INS Kalinga in the district.

b) The MARCOS unit is mandated to undertake special operations in the entire area of the Eastern Naval Command (ENC). As per a Defence release, MARCOS East was raised on October 26, 1992 and since then it has been the primary special operations unit in ENC.

c) The unit has been at the forefront in various operations undertaken by the Navy like Operation Zabardast (Sri Lanka February 1993), Operation Tasha (1990-2009), Operation Leech (1998) and Operation Sagittarius (anti-piracy operations in Malacca Strait) and the unit is at present involved in two major operations, including Rakshak (counter terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir since 1997).

8) Union Ministry of Health launches Nationwide Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight

a) Union Ministry of Health has launched a Nationwide Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight campaign. The drive intends to reach under five children at the critical time of monsoon when diarrhoea becomes a common infection.

b) The Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (IDCF) will be observed from 11th to 23rd July throughout the country. The Ministry also unveiled a package of measures putting the Government's resolve to end child diarrhoea deaths on the overdrive.

c) ASHAs shall visit all households with children below five years of age for pre-positioning the ORS and explain the significance of ORS. Also, Intensified community awareness campaigns on hygiene and promotion of ORS and Zinc therapy will be conducted at the state, district and village levels.

9) Six more Indians qualify for Rio Olympics

a) Six Indians on 11 July 2016 have qualified for the Rio Olympics. Rio Olympics will be held from 5 August to 21 August 2016.

b) In Golf, which will make a return to the Olympics for the first time after the 1904 St. Louis Games, three Indians - Anirban Lahiri, Shiv Shankar Prasad Chawrasia and Aditi Ashok - sealed Rio berths.

c) Other to qualify are Renjith Maheswary (leaped with a national record of 17.30 metres bettering the Rio qualification mark of 16.85 metres), Dharambir Singh (broke the national record of running 200m in 20.45 seconds) and Jinson Johnson (ran the second fastest ever 800 metres race to qualify).

10) India, ADB sign $100 mn loan agreement for Cauvery Delta project

a) The Indian government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $100 million loan for 'Climate Adaptation in Vennar sub-basin of Cauvery Delta project' in Tamil Nadu.

b) The agreement aims to strengthen irrigation and drainage system and improve water management in the Vennar sub-basin of the Cauvery delta, which is a major source of water for agriculture in Tamil Nadu as well as neighbouring states.

c) The funding will be used to reinforce embankments of six major irrigation water channels in the Vennar system and rehabilitate 13 irrigation pumping schemes.

11) RBI sets up panel to study Fintech, digital banking

a) The Reserve Bank of India has set up an inter-regulatory Working Group to analyse a host of issues pertaining to financial technology and digital banking.

b) Headed by Sudharshan Sen, Executive Director of the RBI, the group review and restructure the regulatory framework, based on the dynamics fast-developing Fintech. It has 12 members, including AP Hota, MD and CEO, National Payments Corporation of India; AS Ramasastri, Director, Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology, among others.

c) Firstly, the Group will gain a broad understanding of major Fintech innovations, entities, technology platforms involved, and how markets as well as the financial sector are adopting new delivery channels, products and technologies.

d) It will evaluate opportunities and risks the financial system will face due to use of financial technology. It will also analyse how Fintech can be used for optimising financial product innovation and delivery to the benefit of users and other stakeholders.

e) The panel will assess consequences and challenges with respect to various financial sector functions such as intermediation, clearing, and payments, being taken up by non-financial entities.

12) Centre revises schedule for making payments under Income Declaration Scheme

a) The Union government has announced a revised time schedule for making payments under its Income Declaration Scheme 2016. The decision was taken after stakeholders felt that the existing time available (up to November 30, 2016) is "very short".

b) As per the revision:

-Minimum amount of 25% of the tax, surcharge and penalty to be paid by November 30, 2016

-Further amount of 25% of the tax, surcharge and penalty to be paid by March 31, 2017

-The balance amount to be paid on or before September 30, 2017.

13) Portugal wins Euro 2016; defeats France 1-0

a) Portugal beat France 1-0 in Euro final to lift the championship trophy for the first time.

b) Éder's goal in the second period of extra time won them the cup. With this win, their run of 10 consecutive defeats to France, stretching back to 1978, was over.

14) 2016 Wimbledon concludes

a) The 2016 Wimbledon Championships commenced on June 27 and concluded on July 10. This was the 130th edition of the championships, the 49th in the Open Era and the third Grand Slam tournament of the year.

b) Given below is the list of medal winners:

Women's singles: Serena Williams

Men's singles: Andy Murray

Women's doubles: Serena Williams and Venus Williams

Men's doubles: Pierre-Hugues Herbert / France Nicolas Mahut

Mixed doubles: Heather Watson / Finland Henri Kontinen

Girls' singles: Anastasia Potapova

Boys' singles: Denis Shapovalov

Girls' doubles: Usue Maitane Arconada / United States Claire Liu

Boys' doubles: Kenneth Raisma / Greece Stefanos Tsitsipas

Ladies' invitation doubles: Martina Navratilova / Tunisia Selima Sfar

Gentlemen's invitation doubles: Greg Rusedski / France Fabrice Santoro

Wheelchair women's singles: Jiske Griffioen

Wheelchair men's singles: Gordon Reid

Wheelchair women's doubles: Yui Kamiji / United Kingdom Jordanne Whiley

Wheelchair men's doubles: Alfie Hewett / United Kingdom Gordon Reid

15) ICC releases Test, ODI, and T20 rankings

a) The International Cricket Council (ICC) has released the latest Test, ODI and T20 rankings. Australia tops the Test rankings list with a rating of 118 for 32 matches. India comes second in the list with 112 for 20 matches. Pakistan, England and New Zealand are place third, fourth and fifth respectively.

b) Australia also topped the ODI list with a rating of 123 for 42 matches. It was followed by New Zealand (113), India (110), South Africa (110), England (106).

c) In T20 rankings, New Zealand topped the list with a rating of 132 for 20 matches. It was followed by India (128), West Indies (122), South Africa (119) and England (116).

d) Australian captain Steven Smith was ranked first among Test batsmen with 925 ratings. Pakistan's Yasir Shah topped the list among Test bowlers with 878 points.

e) AB de Villiers topped the ODI batsmen list with 887 points. India's Virat Kohli came a close second with 813 points while compatriots Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan took the sixth and eighth places with 750 and 737 points respectively. West Indies' Sunil Naraine has been ranked the best ODI bowler with 759 points.

f) Among best T20 batsmen and bowlers were Virat Kohli (837) and West Indies' Samuel Badree (790) respectively.

16) Utpal Bora appointed as Chairman of Oil India

a) Utpal Bora has been appointed as the full time Chairman of Oil India. The appointment was recommended by a three-member search-cum-selection committee headed by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha.

b) D Rajkumar has also been appointed as the Head to Oil India. His appointment will be effective from 1 October 2016 after retirement of BPCL's current chief S Varadarajan in September 2016.

[mahalakshmi.s]

Daily Current Affairs - 19th July, Tuesday

1. Vijender clinches WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight championship

a) Indian boxer Vijender Singh has won the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight championship defeating Australia's Kerry Hope, the former world number four.

b) With this, Vijender climbed to 15th place in the world in his category. Meanwhile, British Asian boxer Sanjeev Sahota, won against Vikas Lohan. In the Lightweight category, Kuldeep Dhanda of India beat Thailand's Vichayan Khamon.

c) A much-superior Siddhartha Verma pinned down Dilbagh Thakran to lift the IBC Super Welterweight Championship Title fight and become the country's first-ever professional boxing title holder.

2. International court rules in favour of Philippines in South China Sea matter

a) The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague has ruled in support of the Philippines in a maritime dispute, ruling that China has no legal basis to claim historic rights to the bulk of the South China Sea.

b) Though the decision has been rejected by Chinese President Xi Jinping, it is likely to have long-lasting implications for the resource-rich region, which sees $5 trillion worth of shipborne trade pass through annually.

c) Besides China and Philippines, the ruling affects other countries having competing claims with the nation over large areas of the sea. This includes Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia, among others that have voiced concerns against China's dominance in the region.

d) As a result of China refusing to abide by the court ruling, the Philippines has refused a Chinese proposal to start bilateral talks.

3. Kudankulam power project's second unit attains criticality

a) Kudankulam nuclear power project's second unit of 1,000 MW has attained first criticality. It is the 22nd nuclear power reactor in India and second pressurised water reactor belonging to the light water reactor category.

b) Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) has said after the reactor begins to generate 400 MW of power within 45 days from the date of criticality, it is likely to be connected to the grid.

c) Generation of power will be raised to 500 MW, 750 MW, 900 MW and 1,000 MW in stages. With the addition of 1,000 MW from the Kudankulam's unit 2 to the southern grid, the installed capacity of nuclear power will increase to 6,780 MW from the present 5,780 MW.

d) The Kudankulam's first unit of 1,000 MW, after attaining criticality in July 13, 2013, was synchronised with the southern grid in October the same year. It has generated 5,777 million units of power till May 2016.

4. Nelson Mandela Day 2016 observed

a) The Nelson Mandela Day 2016 was observed on July 18 in order to pay a tribute to the Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

b) The day is being observed as an international occasion in order to inspire people to contribute toward some common good. It recognises the former South African President's efforts for peace and freedom.

c) The Day was celebrated for the first time on 18 July 2010 as per a UN General Assembly resolution of November 2009.

5. Dipika Pallikal Karthik, Saurav Ghosal win 73rd Senior National Squash Championship

a) Dipika Pallikal Karthik (world no. 19) overwhelmed defending champion Joshna Chinappa 4-11 11-6 11-2 11-8 to regain the women's title at the 73rd Senior National Squash Championship, which was held in Maharashtra.

b) Among men, top seed Saurav Ghosal defeated fourth seed Harinderpal Singh Sandhu 11-7 7-11 3-11 11-8 14-12 to win the title. With this, he made history by winning the title for the 11th time and went ahead of RK Narpat Singh's feat of 10 titles, won from 1946 to 1955.

6. MP becomes first state to get 'Happiness Department'

a)  Madhya Pradesh has become India's first state to establish Happiness Department, which, in Chief Minister Shivraj Singh's words, will aim to ensure "happiness in the lives of common people".

b) he said that besides basic necessities of life, people need something more to be happy in life. He stressed that this cannot be achieved by materialistic possessions, but by spreading positivity in people's lives.

7. Lewis Hamilton wins his fourth British Grand Prix

a) Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has won fourth British Grand Prix of his career. Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Mercedes' Nico Rosberg came second and third respectively.

b) Hamilton's record of four British Grand Prix is the same as Nigel Mansell.

8. CBDT inks 7 Unilateral APAs with Indian taxpayers

a) The Central Bureau of Direct Taxes has signed seven Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) with Indian taxpayers. The APAs also have a rollback provision.

b) The APAs pertain to various sectors like banking, IT and automotives, etc. The international transactions covered in the agreements include software development services, IT-enabled services, engineering design services and business support services.

c) With this, the total number of APAs the CBDT has signed is 77. This includes 3 bilateral APAs and 74 Unilateral APAs. In the current financial year, a total of 13 Unilateral APAs have been entered into so far.

9. Legendary singer Mubarak Begum passes away

a) Renowned ghazal singer Mubarak Begum has passed away at the age of 80. She lent voice to scores of Bollywood ghazals and duets. She sang in both Hindi and Urdu.

b) Begum worked with many celebrated music directors like S D Burman, Shankar Jaikishan and Khayyam, etc. She is known for hits like "Kabhi tanhaiyon mein hamari yaad ayegi", Mohe Aane Lagi Angray.

10. Paul Romer appointed as World Bank Chief Economist

a) The World Bank Group has appointed Paul Romer as Chief Economist with effect from September 2016.

b) Widely respected as an economist and entrepreneur, Romer will join the Group at a time when development is undergoing see-saw changes due to rapid technological change, globalisation, and demography.

c) He is presently a professor at New York University (NYU), Director of NYU's Marron Institute of Urban Management, and a professor of economics in NYU's Stern School of Business.

d) Earlier, Romer taught at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. He was also a professor at the Universities of California Berkeley, Chicago and Rochester.

11. Netherlands-UP inks pact to set up skill development centre for farmers

a) The Netherlands and Uttar Pradesh signed an MoU to establish a skill development centre to help farmers.

b) The MoU is to ensure that farmers receive information on food processing along with use of modern techniques to boost production of sugarcane, potato, dairy development and flowers.

c) Besides, under this agreement, the Dutch government would help the state in solid waste management, urban development and infrastructure. It would help in cleaning the Yamuna in Agra.

d) Besides, the Netherlands would also provide assistance in land reclamation of 1500 acres in the Ganga basin in Kanpur and development of cultural heritage.

12. Dabur signs MoU with DRDO to promote cultivation of rare medicinal plants

a) Dabur India has signed an MoU with the Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) Defense Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR), The agreement is to promote sustainable cultivation of rare medicinal plants Ladakh.

b) Highlights of the agreement:
- Dabur and DIHAR will educate farmers in the Leh-Ladakh about high-altitude medicinal plant species

- Farmers will be given free saplings of rare medicinal plants and herbs

- The initiative will focus on the creation of a self-sustainable system by formation of a value chain for targeted endangered species.

- It will ensure biodiversity conservation and focus on sustainable management of bio-resources by implementing scientific agronomy practices.

13. Turkish musician Kudsi Erguner named UNESCO Artist for Peace

a) Turkish musician Kudsi Erguner has been named UNESCO Artist for Peace. His responsibility as a holder of this post is to work to revive the forgotten musical heritage.

b) He has been given the honour in recognition of his efforts to spread the universal values of music, which is essential to bring diverse cultures together. Also, for his support for the International Decade of the Rapprochement of Cultures.

c) Born in 1952, Erguner is a musician, a best-known player of the Turkish ney (reed flute), composer, musicologist, teacher, author and translator.

14. Margaret Alva's book Courage & Commitment: An Autobiography released

a) Congress leader Margaret Alva has published her autobiography titled Courage & Commitment: An Autobiography.

b) The book maps the author's 44-year political career under four Prime Ministers, namely Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, PV Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh. It also sheds light on her transition from a politician to Governor

[maniza.siddique]

1) NITI Aayog, Intel India join hands to start Atal Tinkering Lab initiative

a) NITI Aayog has signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) with Intel India to start the Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL) initiative as a part of its flagship programme the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM).

b) The SoI includes creation of 10 laboratories, which aim to foster curiosity, creativity and imagination in youth; teaching skills such as computational thinking, adaptive learning, physical computing; and developing a design mindset among students. It intends to build relevant skill set among youngsters and provide access to technology to help create solutions for social impact.

c) Intel will support Niti Aayog in building capacities of mentors and developing linkages with maker ecosystem for quality improvement of projects made by youth, facilitating ideation, design thinking and prototyping workshops through industry experts and co-lead an innovation festival which reaches out to 5,00,000 young innovators.

2) Nigeria's Didi Akinyelure wins BBC World News Komla Dumor Award

a) Nigerian journalist Didi Akinyelure has won the BBC World Service News Komla Dumor Award for 2016. She is the second recipient of this award which was established to honour Ghanaian BBC World News presenter Komla Dumor.

b) This honour intends to appreciate outstanding talent and to celebrate African journalism. The first Komla Dumor Award was won by Ugandan news anchor Nancy Kacungira.

3) Amitav Ghosh's The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable released

a) The book titled The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable authored by Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh has been released.

b) The book addresses the challenges of representing the complexity of climate change in literature and the responsibility of writers to document the extreme reality humans are now witnessing. He examines the inability at the level of literature, history and politics to grasp the scale and violence of climate change.

c) Amitav Ghosh is an awar-winning novelist. Best of his works include The Calcutta Chromosome, The Glass Palace, The Hungry Tide and the Ibis Trilogy: Sea of Poppies, River of Smoke and Flood of Fire.

4) Rohit Khandelwal becomes first Indian to win Mister World title

a) Rohit Khandelwal has become the first Indian (as well as Asian) to clinch the Mister World title. The grand finale of Mr. World 2016 was held at the Southport Theatre & Convention Centre in Southport, U.K.

b) Puerto Rico's Fernando Alberto Alvarez Soto was named the first runner-up and Aldo Esparza Ramirez of Mexico was named the second runner-up.

c) Former Mr World Nicklas Pedersen passed on the title to him. Khandelwal

also won a cash prize of $50000.

5) Steve Elworthy appointed MD of 2019 World Cup

a) Steve Elworthy has been appointed as Managing Director of the ICC Cricket World Cup, which will be held in England and Wales in 2019.

b) Elworthy has previously been Tournament Director for three different ICC global events: the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013 and the ICC World T20 tournament in 2009, which were staged in England and Wales, as well as the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 tournament in South Africa in 2007.

c) A former South African fast bowler who played four Tests and 39 ODIs and also featured in the Commonwealth Games 1998 and the ICC Cricket World Cup 1999, he will be responsible for all aspects of the tournament including marketing, logistics, cricket operations, volunteering and security.

6) Coca-Cola appoints Sarvita Sethi as VP (Finance) for India and South West Asia

a) Coca-Cola has announced the appointment of Sarvita Sethi as vice-president - finance - for India and South West Asia. She replaces Sanjeev Kumar, who has taken charge as director - finance, Coca-Cola West Africa.

b) Previously, Sethi served as the commercial finance director for the Coca-Cola Central and Southern (CSE) Business based in Athens.

7) Country's first e-court opened at Hyderabad High Court

a) India's first e-court has opened at the High Court of Judicature in Hyderabad, the common high court for the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

b) Besides, SC judge Justice Madan B Lokur has also announced the launch of India's first Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS) in the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad. This system will integrate the courts, police stations, prosecution, forensic science laboratories and jails.

8) Malcolm Turnbull sworn in as Australia's PM for another term

a) Malcolm Turnbull was recently sworn in for another term as Australia's prime minister after a narrow election victory with budget repair and a public vote on same sex marriage among his top priorities.

b) The multi-millionaire former banker's Liberal/National coalition is holding 76 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives.

[maniza.siddique]

Daily Current Affairs - 21st July, 2016, Thursday

1) Kerala Assembly passes Legislative Assembly (Removal of Disqualifications) Amendment Bill 2016

a) Kerala Assembly has passed the Legislative Assembly (Removal of Disqualifications) Amendment Bill, paving way for the appointment of CPI-M veteran V S Achuthanandan as Chairman of the proposed Fourth Administrative Reforms Commission.

b) The bill seeks to amend the Section 2 of the 1951 Act by adding sub-section 2 which says that "No person shall be disqualified from being the member of legislative assembly (MLA) on the grounds that he or she holds the office of profit in term of being the Chairman of the Administrative Reforms Commission."

c) The section 2 in the 1951 Act was added to give effect to the sub-clause (angel) of clause (1) of Article 191 of the Constitution. The Article says that an MLA shall be disqualified if he or she holds any office of profit under the Union Government or any of the state governments, other than an office declared by law.

2) Chennai's Advay Ramesh wins Google Community Impact Award from Asia

a) Google India has announced the results of Google Community Impact Award from Asia which is a part of Google Science Fair 2016. Advay Ramesh, a 14-year-old student from Chennai, has created a device that enhances fishermen's safety and productivity.

c) Advay's project titled 'FishErmen Lifeline Terminal (FELT)' won him $10,000 in funding and a year-long mentorship from Scientific American. The project looks at how to enhance fishermen safety and productivity using GPS (Global Positioning Services).

d) Google Community Impact Award received projects from over 107 countries. The award recognises projects that make a difference in community by addressing an environmental, health or resources challenge.

d) Ramesh, a Class 10 student from Chennai's National Public School, is also among 20 finalists shortlisted to compete for a $50,000 scholarship from Google.

3) Quarter of a million children severely malnourished in Borno state, Nigeria: UNICEF

a) As per the recently released report by UNICEF, almost a quarter of a million children in parts of Borno state, North-East Nigeria, are suffering from severe malnutrition and risk death. The humanitarian crisis is caused due to Boko Haram that is controlling the state since 2013.

b) UNICEF said that out of the 244,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Borno this year, around one in five will die if they do not receive treatment. Also, the agency stated that there had been a large rise in the number of children suffering from this condition in Borno state, from 35,000 in 2013 and 57,500 in 2014.

c) UNICEF is working with partners to screen and treat children for malnutrition and improve access to water and sanitation. UNICEF's humanitarian response also includes providing medical care, immunization, education and psychological support to the children affected by the violence.

4) Parliament passes Regional Centre for Biotechnology Bill, 2016

a) The Regional Centre for Biotechnology Bill, 2016 seeking to establish a Regional Centre for Biotechnology in Faridabad, Haryana has been passed by the Rajya Sabha.

b) The bill provides for establishing a regional biotechnology centre that will work on education, training and research, under the auspices of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in the National Capital Region and declare it to be an institution of national importance said an official statement.

c) This will help to create a hub of Biotechnology expertise and will facilitate transfer of technology and knowledge in the SAARC region and generally Asia. It also intends to promote cooperation at the international level.

5) Softbank to acquire ARM Holdings for $32 billion

a) Japan's Softbank on 18 July 2016 agreed to acquire ARM Holdings, the U.K. based semiconductor firm, in a deal worth more than 32 billion US dollar. The deal is the first major cross-border transaction in Britain since it voted to exit the European Union in June 2016.

b) As part of its bid to bolster its presence in the growing internet of things (IoT) sector, Softbank will pay about 22.50 US dollar per share for ARM.

6) Union Cabinet approves establishment of All India Institutes of Medical Sciences at Gorakhpur

a) Centre has approved the establishment of All India Institutes of Medical Sciences at Gorakhpur under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).

b) The cost of the project for establishment of the new AIIMS in Gorakhpur shall be Rs 1011 crore. This recurring expenditure will be met by the respective new AIIMS from their annual budgets through Grant-in-Aid to them from Plan Budget Head of PMSSY of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

c) The institution shall have a hospital with capacity of 750 beds which will include Emergency/Trauma Beds, AYUSH Beds, Private Beds and ICU Speciality & Super Speciality beds. In addition, there will be an Administration Block, AYUSH Block, Auditorium, Night Shelter, Hostels and residential facilities.

d) The establishment of new AIIMS will serve the dual purpose of providing super specialty healthcare to the population while creating a large pool of doctors and other health workers in this region that can be available for primary and secondary level institutions/facilities being created under National Health Mission (NHM). This institute will also conduct research on prevalent regional diseases and other health issues and provide for better control and cure of such diseases.

7) SC approves Lodha panel recommendations for cricket reforms

a) The Supreme Court has upheld nearly all recommendations of the R.M. Lodha Committee to revamp the cricket administration.

b) The cricket administration maintained an aggressive stance throughout this process. However, the SC has advised it to work toward effecting long-term reforms that would benefit the game.

c) The SC approved the panel's restrictions like 'One State, One Vote' or setting an age limit for cricket administrators (at 70) or keeping government ministers and bureaucrats out or including a representative of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) office and even the basis for disqualification, which includes relinquishing of position when an office-bearer becomes a government minister.

d) The SC judgement has also approved the overhaul of the existing BCCI Committees on the basis that they do not have clearly defined terms of reference.

8) Odisha govt. to celebrate bicentenary of 1817 Paika revolt

a) The Odisha government has decided to celebrate the bicentenary (200 years) of the 1817 Paika revolt against the British Empire in 2016. For this, the state will organise a series of events in Odisha and at national level.

b) Given below are some of the measures to be taken:

. An Amar Jyoti Pillar will be installed at Barunei hills, the place from where the rebellion began.

. The Paika revolt will be documented by bringing historical facts to the fore.

. Khurda fort will be conserved and protected and a road leading to it will be developed by the state government.

c) The Paika revolt is considered the first war of Indian independence by many. Paikas (a martial race) first raised the banner of revolt against the British Raj on March 29, 1817 at Barunei near Khurda. They organised the rebellion due to social, economic and political reasons.

9) Russian PM suspends sports ministry official named in doping report

a) Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has suspended Deputy Sports Minister Yury Nagornykh, whose named recently cropped up in a report on the doping of Russian athletes at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

b) The investigation was led by Canadian sports lawyer Richard McLaren, who was present on the independent commission that exposed doping and corruption in Russian track and field in 2015.

c) The report stated that Nagornykh had been advised of every positive test across all sports from 2011 onward and decided "who would benefit from a cover-up and who would not be protected.

10) Cabinet approves amendments to the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill, 2015

a) The Cabinet has approved amendments to the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill, 2015 to strengthen the bill as regards legal and administrative procedure.

b) The law also aims to prohibit benami transactions and subsequently prevent evasion of law through unfair practices.

c) It enables the government to seize benami property by adhering to procedure and promote equality.

11) CCEA approves Rs1799 cr investment to augment Cochin Shipyard capability

a) The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved construction of a new dry dock within the existing premises of Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) at an estimated cost of Rs 1799 crore to enhance shipbuilding and repair capacity of India.

b) The augmentation will enable Cochin Shipyard to utilise the market potential of building specialised and technologically-advanced vessels such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels, indigenous higher capacity aircraft carriers, jack up rigs, drill ships, large dredgers and repairing of offshore platforms and larger vessels.

[ashishjpr (ashish mittal)]

I found a single link for all current affairs from Last year. Very precise and important points highlighted.

http://sehpaathi.in/current-affairs

[kuntalb02 (Enthusiastic Banerjee)]

Anyone has oliveboard coupon code?Please share.

[maniza.siddique]

Daily Current Affairs - 22nd and 23rd July, 2016, Friday and Saturday

1) 2016 Fortune 500 list released: India's India Oil Corporation ranked at 161st

a) The 2016 Fortune Global 500 list of the world's biggest firms was released on 21 July 2016. Seven Indian companies were featured in the list with Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) ranking highest at 161st rank with revenues worth 54.7 billion US dollars.

b) The overall list was topped by retail giant Walmart with revenue of 482.130 million US dollars.

c) ONGC has been been replaced by gems and jewellery firm Rajesh Exports, which makes its Fortune 500 debut this year at 423rd position.

2) Former French cyclist Dominique Arnaud passes away

a) Former French cyclist Dominique Arnaud passed away at the age of 60 due to cancer.

b) Arnaud took part on 11 occasions in the Tour de France and won three stages of the Vuelta a Espana, reports Efe.

c) He also won the Tour du Limousin in 1983, which is a 4-day road bicycle race held annually in Limousin, France.

3) Union Cabinet approves Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016

a) The Union Cabinet has approved The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016 to protect transgenders from discrimination.

b) The bill will benefit a large number of transgender persons, mitigate the stigma, discrimination and abuse against this marginalized section and bring them into the mainstream of society.

c) The Bill will make all the stakeholders responsive and accountable for upholding the principles underlying the Bill. It will bring greater accountability on the part of the Central Government and Slate Governments/Union Territories Administrations for issues concerning Transgender persons.

4) Union Cabinet approves signing of Air Services Agreement between India and Mozambique

a) The Union Cabinet has recently approved signing of the Air Services agreement between India and Mozambique. Presently there is no Air Services Agreement between India and Mozambique.

b) Under the agreement, airlines of the two countries will be allowed to set up offices in each other's country for the purpose of promotion and sale of air services. The airlines of India and Mozambique can operate to multiple destinations in the other countries, an official statement said.

c) The two countries also signed an MoU on the prevention of illicit drug trafficking and precursor chemicals that are used to make narcotic substances.

5) ECI launched National Electoral Roll Purification 2016

a) The Election Commission of India (ECI) on 20 July 2016 has launched the National Electoral Roll Purification (NERP) 2016 programme across the country. "No voter to be left behind"is the motto of ECI for year 2016.

b) The programme will continue till August 31, 2016 and will ensure enrolment of all eligible citizens and removal of repeated and multiple entries; entries of dead, shifted and absent voters, correction of errors in EPIC and removal of other data errors.

c) An award has also been instituted for 100 % achievers at BLO, ERO and DEO levels in three categories of authentication, correction and deletion of DSEs/REs may be incorporated in the State Award.

6) Genes of 6000-year-old barley grains sequenced for first time

a) Scientists have successfully reconstructed the genome of barley grain dating 6000 years ago. With this, it has become the oldest plant genome to be reconstructed to date.

b) Age of the seeds were determined by subjecting one group to radiocarbon dating while extracting the DNA from the other. The ancient DNA functions like a time capsule, allowing researchers to study the domestication of crops at specific times in history.

c) Before this, only prehistoric corn was genetically reconstructed. The findings were published in the journal Nature Genetics on 18 July 2016.

7) Union Cabinet approves incorporation of Sagarmala Development Company

a) Union Cabinet has approved incorporation of Sagarmala Development Company under the Companies Act, 2013, with an initial authorised share capital of Rs 1,000 crore and a subscribed share capital of Rs 90 crore.

b) The prime objective of Sagarmala project is to promote port-led direct and indirect development and to provide infrastructure to transport goods to and from ports quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively.

c) Implementation of the identified projects will be done mainly through private or PPP mode. It will provide equity support for the project Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) set up by the Ports/State/Central Ministries window.

8) CCEA approves Ghatampur Thermal Power Project in Uttar Pradesh

a) The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the installation of Ghatampur Thermal Power Project (GTPS) of 1980 MW capacity through a Joint Venture Company.

b) The project will be implemented at an estimated cost of 17237.8 crore rupees. The commissioning of Unit I, II and III will be 52 months, 58 months and 64 months respectively from starting date.

c) The benefits of this generation will be available in the 13th Five Year Plan. The energy generated by the GTPS (about 14,000 MU/annum) will mainly be supplied to Uttar Pradesh said an official statement.

9) Facebook's Aquila Internet drone completes first test flight

a) Facebook Inc on 22 July 2016 announced the successful completion of test flight of a solar-powered drone named Aquila. The social media giant believes that Aquila will help to extend Internet connectivity to every corner of the planet.

b) Facebook has been working on the project as part of the many connectivity initiatives under Internet.org. Aquila is very similar to Google's project Lion, which plans to use high flying balloons to beam internet signals down to remote areas.

c) Aquila's wingspan is bigger than that of a Boeing 737, and its wings and frame are made of carbon fiber. It is solar-powered, so it runs on solar energy during the day and battery power at night. The batteries can last for up to 13 or 14 hours.

10) Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveils foundation stone for revival of fertilizer unit at Gorakhpur

a) India's PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the revival of a sick fertiliser plant here with an investment of Rs 6,000 crore.

b) This centre will create up to 4,000 jobs and ensure adequate supply of nutrients to farmers of Uttar Pradesh.

c) The gas-based urea plant of the state-run Fertiliser Corporation India Ltd (FCIL) will be revived by an equal joint venture company between Coal India Ltd (CIL) and NTPC.

11) Turkey declares three-month state of emergency after a failed military coup

a) A three month state emergency was recently declared in Turkey by it's president following a botched coup attempt in the country.

b) This measure was taken by the Turkish Prime Minister to maintain the democracy in Turkey.

c) Since loyalist security forces and protesters quashed the rebellion, nearly 10,000 people who have been rounded up for security measures.

[omidichwalkar (Onkar Dichwalkar)]

Daily Current Affairs - 24th and 25th July, 2016, Sunday and Monday

1. Annual electronic music festival Tomorrowland begins in Belgium

a) One of the biggest electronic music festival 'Tomorrowland' has begun in Boom, Belgium.

b) In 2016, the tomorrowland festival marks it's 10th edition.

c) By the time, tomorrowland has won the International Dance Music Award, DJ Magazines inaugural award & Red Bull Elektropedia.

2. Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival 2016 begins in Guwahati

a) To pay homage to the North East India's culture, the fourth edition of the Brahmaputra valley Film festival has begun.

b) Six short films and six full-length films from northeast states like Manipur, Assam, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh will be presented at the three-day fest, organised by Tattva Creations.

c) The core objective of this festival is to bring filmmakers of this region under one roof. There will be special sessions with Bollywood filmmakers Prakash Jha and Imtiaz Ali.

3. Modern Indian artist Syed Haider Raza dies

a) the last surviving member of the six modern artists who founded the influential Bombay Progressive Artists Group in 1947, Syed Haider Raza has recently passed away.

b) His works are mainly abstracts in oil or acrylic. His painting named Saurashtra was sold for 16.42 crores and he became one of the India's priciest modern artist.

c) He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1981 and with Padma Bhushan in 2007. He was awarded with Padma Vibhushan in 2013.

d) On 14 July 2015, he was conferred with the highest French civilian honour, the Commandeur de la Legion d'honneur (Legion of Honour).

4. Madhav Chitale committee constituted to prepare Guidelines for Desiltation of River Ganga

a) A committee was recently constituted by the water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation ministry to prepare guidelines for distillation of Ganga river from Bhimgauda (Uttarakhand) to Farakka (West Bengal).

b) The committee will be headed by Madhav Chitale, member of National Ganga River Basin Authority. The tenure of this committee is of 3 months.

c) The other members of the committee are Shashi Shekhar secretary water resources ministry , Ajay Narayan Jha ,secretary, environment minister and Mukesh Sinha, director, central water and power research station-Pune.

d) The committee will also establish difference between desilting and sand mining and also to establish need for desilting for ecology and e-flow of the river Ganga.

5. Neeraj Chopra becomes first Indian to win gold in World Athletics championships

a) India's Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has won gold medal in the IAAF world under 20 championship in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

b) Neeraj has set a new world record in under 20 category by throwing the javelin 86.48m far.

c) it is country's first ever gold medal in any World Athletics championship. South African Johan Grobler with 80.59m took the silver and Anderson Peters with 79.65m of Granada the bronze.

6. Feliciano Lopez wins 2016 Swiss Open Gstaad

a) By defeating Netherland's Robin Haase, veteran Spanish tennis player Feliciano Lopez has bagged the 2016 Swiss Open Gstaad.

b) He defeated Robin Haase by 6-4, 7-5. It is his first title on clay and overall fifth title.

c) Lopez has previously won 2004 Vienna Open, 2010 Johannesburg Open & Eastbourne open in 2013 & 14.

7. Bappi Lahiri conferred Mahanayak Samman of West Bengal

a) Popular musician & singer Bappi Lahiri was recently conferred with West Bengal's Mahanayak Samman award by state CM Mamata Banerjee.

b) He was awarded for his outstanding performances over the years.

c) The Mahanayak Samman awards were instituted in 2012 in the memory of Bengali matinee idol Uttam Kumar who is revered in this part of India as "Mahanayak (Great hero)".

8. A Kanyakumari, first female violinist to receive Sangita Kalanidhi award

a) Renowned violinist A Kanyakumari has conferred with 2016 Sangita Kalanidhi award. With this award, she has become first female violinist to receive this award.

b) She will preside over the 90th annual conference of the Academy to be held between 15 December 2016 and 1 January 2017.

c) The Rudrapatnam brothers R N Thyagarajan & R N Tharanathan have received the Sangita Kala Acharya Awards.

d) A Kanyakumari is the exponent of Carnatic music who has created seven ragas under the title Saptadri, seven names of Lord Venkateswara of Tirupati.

9. Nepal PM KP Oli resigns ahead of a no-confidence vote

a) Ahead of non confidence vote in nepal's parliament, Nepal's prime minister K P Oli has resigned from his office.

b) K P Oli was heading Nepal's 8th government currently. The country will again face political turmoil with his resignation.

c) He became prime minister of Nepal in October 2015, has been facing a no-trust motion after the Maoists withdrew support from the coalition government.

10. Scientists decide to launch field trials of oil-degrading bacteria in Kochi

a) To launch field trials for three new strains of oil degrading bacteria in Kochi, The Malabar Botanical Garden and Institute of Plant Sciences, Kozhikode, and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) have joined hands.

b) these bacteria will help the bio remediation techniques used for the cleaning of petroleum pollutants from the environment.

c) The three new strains including two species of Burkholderia and one species of Pseudomonas have been sequenced and submitted to the Genbank database on organisms.

11. India's first water metro launched in Kochi

a) The Kochi water Metro project was recently launched in kerala. It is India's first ever metro project.

b) the German development bank Kreditanstalt fr Wiederaufbau (KfW) is funding for this project.

c) This metro will link various islands on mainland with it's 78 modern boats.

12. Ganesh Singh appointed Head of Joint Parliamentary Committee for Land Acquisition Bill 

a) BJP member Ganesh Singh is recently appointed a new chairperson of the joint committee of parliament examining the contentious land bill.

b) Singh will replace S S Ahluwalia who became minister of state for parliamentary affairs.

13. Lok Sabha passes Bill to establish new NIT in Andhra Pradesh

a) Lok Sabha has recently passed the National Institute of Technology, Science, Education and Research (Amendment) (NITSER) Bill, 2016 to establish a National Institute of Technology in Andhra Pradesh with effect from August 2015.

b) The bill provides a NIT for the Andhra Pradesh after after its bifurcation as the existing NIT went to Telangana.

c) The Bill amends the NITSER Act 2007 so as to establish an additional NIT in Andhra Pradesh.

[nikhiladalli_pgy_user]

E-court or paper less court is introduced in which city high court?

[maniza.siddique]

Daily Current Affairs - 26th and 27th July, 2016, Tuesday and Wednesday

1) Kerala Tourism wins gold at PATA Awards

a) Kerala Tourism has bagged a gold medal at the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) awards for its trend-setting marketing initiatives that have boosted the tourism in the state.

b) The two gold gongs for 'Marketing Media' are in the categories of 'Travel Advertisement Broadcast Media' and 'e-Newsletter', which were clinched by the successful 'Visit Kerala' television commercial campaign and the popular Kerala Tourism E-Newsletter, respectively.

2) Virat Kohli becomes first Indian captain to score double century outside India

a) Indian Test team captain Virat Kohli has become the first Indian captain to score a double century outside India. He scored 200 runs against West Indies on day-two of the first Test at the Sir Vivian Richards stadium.

b) With this, Kohli becomes the fifth Indian captain to score a double century in a Test match after Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi (2013 vs England), Sunil Gavaskar (205 vs West Indies), Sachin Tendulkar (217 vs New Zealand) and MS Dhoni (224 vs Australia).

c) Kohli also enters the elite list of visiting captains with highest scores in West Indies - a list that includes the likes Sir Leonard Hutton, Steve Waugh, Andrew Strauss and Ricky Ponting.

3) Buddha Rashmi Mani appointed as Director General of National Museum

a) Renowned archaeologist Buddha Rashmi Mani has been appointed as the Director General of National Museum for a period of three years or till he attains the age of 70 years.

b) The National Museum holds objects and artefacts dating back 5,000 years. Last year, Venu Vasudevan, a 1990-batch IAS officer from Kerala, was removed from the post of Director General and was transferred to the sports ministry.

4) Odisha announces Rs 60 lakh special incentive for Rio Olympic qualifiers

a) Six sportspersons from Odisha who are to represent India in the Rio Olympics 2016 will be honoured with a cash prize Rs 10 lakh each as a special incentive as declared by the CM Naveen Patnaik.

b) The list includes six sportspersons namely sprinters Dutee Chand and Srabani Nanda and four hockey players Deep Grace Ekka, Namita Toppo, Lilima Minz and Sunita Lakra.

c) Besides, Patnaik also directed the sports department to increase the cash awards for Olympic qualified sportspersons. He directed that the cash awards be increased to 5 lakh rupees for both group and individual events. Earlier, it was 50000 rupees for group event and one lakh rupees for individual event.

5) Flipkart acquires online fashion portal Jabong

a) Leading e-commerce giant Flipkart has acquired fashion platform Jabong through its unit Myntra for a sum of $70million. This acquisition will strengthen Flipkart Group's position in Fashion and Lifestyle segment to compete with Amazon Fashion in India.

b) Jabong reported an operating loss of Rs.426 crore in FY15, slightly lower than in FY14. The revenue growth in FY15 inched up by just 7 per cent to Rs 866 crore from Rs 811 crore in the previous year.

c) In 2014, Amazon reportedly wanted to acquire Jabong but it couldn't due to the price tag that was a steep 1.2 billion US dollars.

6) Former diplomat Arundhati Ghose passes away

a) Former diplomat Arundhati Ghose has passed away at the age of 76.

b) Ghosh had served in a number of positions, including in Indian missions in Austria, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, South Korea and Egypt. She was also the first Indian Permanent Representative in the United Nations offices in Geneva.

c) Ghose was also a member of the UN Secretary General's Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters from 1998 to 2001. She was also a member of Task Force on Non-proliferation and Disarmament set up by the Ministry of External Affairs in 2007.

7) Brazilian scientists discover another type of Zika-transmitting mosquito

a) Researchers from Brazil have discovered a different type of Zika transmitting mosquito named 'Culex quinquefasciatus' unlike the Aedes aegyptii species responsible for the transfer of Zika virus.

b) The current study is significant as the control measures of the vectors are different.

c) Brazil is currently in a state of health emergency due to the increase in detected microcephaly cases in newborns, attributed to the Zika virus, even though the link between the disease and the virus is yet to be scientifically confirmed.

8) World Health Organisation declares Brazil free of measles

a) The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared Brazil free of measles, after no case of the disease was registered in the year 2015. In the coming months, the WHO will issue a certification for the eradication of measles to Brazil.

b) The WHO had worked alongside the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) to eradicate the disease, with a joint investment of 335000 US dollar going towards measles control.The health agency also hired 165 dedicated nursing staff in Brazil.

c) Measles can be transmitted orally, through mucus or saliva and mainly affects children. It can be spread rapidly through the air due to sneezing or a cough, and the first symptoms appear after 10 days with red spots on the skin.

9) Sanjiv Puri appointed as Chief Operating Officer of ITC Ltd

a) The board of ITC Ltd. has re-designated Executive Director Sanjiv Puri as the Chief Operating Officer of the company with immediate effect.

b) He was earlier appointed as the additional executive director in the company. He will be replacing the current chairman of ITC Ltd. YC Deveshwar.

10) Haryana notifies Freight Assistance Scheme for exporting MSMEs

a) The freight assistance scheme was recently launched by Haryana government to export Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) located anywhere in the State.

b) The decision was taken to reduce the cost MSMEs were bearing due to large distances from the sea ports.

11) CSIR-CMERI develops Solar Power Tree for generation of electricity

a) Union minister for science & Technology and Earth Sciences Dr. Harsh Vardhan has launched the Solar Power tree in nEW dELHI.

b) this tree is developed by the CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-CMERI), a constituent laboratory of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

c) Using an innovative vertical arrangement of solar cells, this solar power tree uses solar energy to produce electrical energy.

d) The Solar Power Tree will be developed in a rotatable module, which will have a motorized mechanism to align itself with the movement of the Sun during the day.

12) Tetsuya Takano resigns as Chairman of Ricoh India Ltd

a) Tetsuya Takano on 25 July 2016 has resigned from the post of Chairman and Director of Ricoh India Ltd. Ian Peter Winham will succeed him with immediate effect.

b) Winham joined the Ricoh Group in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) in 2002 as CFO and was appointed Executive Vice President, CIO and CFO of Ricoh Europe in 2007.

13) Wrestler Narsingh Yadav fails Dope Test

a) The olympic participation of India's veteran wrestler Narsingh Yadav is in serious doubt as he was recently failed in a dope test.

b) On the basis of Narsingh bagging the 74 kg Olympic quota berth with a World Championships bronze last year, the WFI had named him to represent India at the Rio Games.

14) Bezwada Wilson, Thodur Madabusi Krishna win Ramon Magsaysay Award 2016

a) The prestigious Ramon Magsaysay 2016 award will be conferred on social activist Bezwada Wilson & musician Thodur Madabusi Krishna.

b) Mr. Wilson is well known for his work for the Safai Karmachari Andolan. He was recognized for asserting the inalienable right to a life of human dignity.

c) TM Krishna, Carnatic music vocalist was awarded with this award for ensuring social inclusiveness in culture.

[bitskul2009 (Kilo Byte)]

good morning fellow.

follow this thread for high level puzzle. (ibps po / sbi po)

http://www.pagalguy.com/discussions/puzzles-for-po-45289527

[maniza.siddique]

Daily Current Affairs - 28th and 29th July, 2016, Thursday and Friday

1) East Bengal to honour Milkha Singh with Bharat Gaurav 1Award

a) East Bengal will confer its Bharat Gaurav Award (Pride of India) upon the Legendary athlete Milkha Singh.

b) He will be honoured with the prestigious award on the East Bengal Foundation Day (1 August 2016). Along with the award, a cheque of 2 lakh rupees will also be presented to him.

c) Special awards along with a cash prize of Rs.1 lakh each will be given to East Bengal greats Shyam Thapa and Shyamal Ghosh. The trophy for the best footballer of the year will be given to South Korean midfielder Do Dong Hyun who will also receive Rs.50,000.

2) World Hepatitis Day 2016 observed with theme Elimination

a) World Hepatitis Day was observed worldwide on 28th July 2016. The theme for this year is 'Elimination'.

b) The theme for the 2016 focuses on elimination of hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. The theme can be easily adapted for local use to achieve elimination, greater awareness, increased diagnosis and key interventions including universal vaccination, blood and injection safety etc.

c) To elevate the theme of elimination NOhep, a global elimination movement, will be launched to bring people together and provide a platform for people to speak out, be engaged and take action to ensure global commitments are met and viral hepatitis is eliminated by 2030.

3) India's CSIR ranked World's 12th Best Government Institute

a) The Council of Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR) has secured 12th position among the best government institutions in the world, as per the prestigious Scimago Institutions Rankings.

b) Out of 746 institutions, France's National Centre for Scientific Research was ranked first followed by Chinese Academy of Science, China. The institutes were ranked on the basis of research performance, innovation and social impact.

c) CSIR had improved its position among government institutes after being at 14th spot for three consecutive years as per an official statement. Also the overall global ranking of CSIR has improved from 110 to 99th position.

4) Lok Sabha passes Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2016

a) The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2016 to amend the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) (CLPR) Act, 1986 has been approved by the Lok Sabha.

b) The bill seeks to prohibit the employment of children below 14 in all occupations and enterprises, except those run by his or her own family. The bill seeks to make child labour a cognizable offence attracting a jail term of up to three years and penalty up to fifty thousand rupees.

c) Children below 14 will be allowed to work only in family enterprises, that too after school hours. The bill also defines children between 14 to 18 years as adolescents and bars their employment in any hazardous occupations.

d) The bill aims to restrict the employment of children below 14 years in factories and establishments.

5) India's first green rail corridor launched between Rameswaram and Manamadurai stretch

a) The nation's first Green Rail Corridor, a 114-km long Rameswaram-Manamadurai stretch in Tamil Nadu which ensures zero toilet discharge on rail tracks, was inaugurated recently by Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu.

b) Trains in the section have been equipped with bio-toilets ensuring zero discharge of human waste on the rail tracks. A total of 35,104 bio-toilets had been provided initially, 7,000 more new bio-toilets have been made operational now.

c) Besides, Railway Minister Prabhu also inaugurated high speed upgraded Wi-Fi facility, set up in association with Google, at Chennai Central Railway Station and a similar facility at Tiruchirappalli through video conferencing.

He also launched a traditional medicine centre under Ayush at Perambur Railway Hospital.

6) India, US discover major Natural Gas Reserve in Indian Ocean

a) Scientists from India, the United States and Japan have struck upon a large natural gas deposit in the Bay of Bengal, the first potentially producible discovery of its kind in the Indian Ocean.

b) The Indian National Gas Hydrate Program Expedition 02 is the second joint exploration for gas hydrate potential in the Indian Ocean. It focused on the exploration and discovery of highly concentrated gas hydrate occurrences in sand reservoirs.

c) The gas hydrate is located in coarse-grained sand-rich depositional systems in the Krishna-Godavari Basin. A total of 42 holes were completed in 147 days at water depths ranging from 1519 to 2815 meters with sub-seafloor completion depths ranging from 239 to 567 meters below the seafloor.

7) Union Cabinet approves setting up of AIIMS in Bhatinda

a) Centre has approved the setting up of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Punjab's Bhatinda district.

b) The institution shall have a hospital with capacity of 750 beds which will include emergency/trauma Beds and AYUSH Beds, private beds and ICU Speciality and Super Speciality beds.

c) In addition, there will be an administration block, AYUSH block, auditorium, night shelter, hostels and residential facilities. The project will be completed in a period of 48 months and cost of the project will be Rs. 925 crore.

8) India becomes first contributor to UN Trust Fund for sexual abuse victims

a) India has contributed $1,00,000 to a trust fund set up for victims of sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeepers, becoming the first country to make a contribution to the fund.

b) India has historically been one of the largest troop-contributing countries in peacekeeping operations and is currently ranked as the second largest contributor of military and police personnel.

9) Parveen Rana to replace Narsingh Yadav for Rio Olympics

a) Indian wrestler Parveen Rana will soon replace veteran wrestler Narsingh Yadav in the Olympic squad.

b) Rana has been nominated by Wrestling Federation of India for the 74kg freestyle quota place after Narsingh tested positive for a banned steroid.

10) Union Government approves 1601 crore rupees for Himayat programme in J&K

a) Centre has approved Rs 1601 crore for Jammu and Kashmir under skill development initiative Himayat to train 1.24 lakh local youths in vocational courses.

b) Under the reanimated Himayat programme, 1.24 lakh youths from both the rural and urban areas of the state would be imparted training in various job-intensive vocational courses over the next three years.

c) PIA would be selected by State Level Project Appraisal Committee in which experts from National Institute of Rural Development and DDU-GYK will participate along with the officers of the state government.

d) The state is establishing Himayat Mission Management Unit at the state level within one month whereas the JKSRLM will oversee the overall implementation of the program in the state.

11) International Tiger Day observed

a) International Tiger Day is held annually on July 29 to give worldwide attention to the reservation of tigers. It is both an awareness day as a celebration.

b) The goal of the day is to promote a global system for protecting the natural habitats of tigers and to raise public awareness and support for tiger conservation issues.

c) It was founded in 2010 at the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit, with the aim to double the big cat population by 2022.

[hindigk2016 (Seema Charan)]

केंद्र सरकार द्वारा जम्मू कश्मीर में कौशल विकास पहल हेतु किस नई योजना को आर्थिक मंजूरी दी गई है

• कश्मीरी विकास
• कश्मीरी युवा
• हिमायत
• कश्मीरी कौशल

[maniza.siddique]

Daily Current Affairs - 30th and 31st July, 2016, Saturday and Sunday

1) Second phase of the Feed the Future-India Triangular Training Programme launched

a) Second phase of the Feed the Future-India Triangular Training Programme was launched on 25 July 2016 in New Delhi by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and the U.S Agency for International Development (USAID).

b) The programme will provide specialized agriculture training to 1500 agricultural professional across Africa and Asia in following countries: Afghanistan, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Mongolia, Vietnam, Kenya, Malawi, Liberia, Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Tanzania, Sudan, Botswana and Ethiopia.

c) Under this 32 Training programme of 15 day-duration will be conducted in India and 12 Training programs of 10 days duration will be conducted in selected African and Asian Countries during 2016-20.

2) Solar Impulse 2 completes first round-the-world journey

a) The world's first round the world solar powered flight created history as it landed in Abu Dhabi after travelling an epic 25,000-mile (40,000-kilometer) journey that began more than a year ago.

b) Since its March 2015 take off, the Swiss-engineered Solar Impulse 2 has made 16 stops across the world without using a drop of fuel to demonstrate that using the plane's clean technologies on the ground can halve the world's energy consumption, save natural resources and improve quality of life. The aircraft has racked up 558 hours of flight time.

c) The aircraft is uniquely powered by 17,248 solar cells that transfer energy to four electrical motors that power the plane's propellers. It runs on four lithium polymer batteries at night. The plane's wingspan stretches 236 feet (72 meters) to catch the sun's energy.

3) International Day of Friendship 2016 observed globally

a) The International Day of Friendship was on 30 July 2016 observed worldwide. The Day is aimed at supporting the goals and objectives of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace and the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World (2001-2010).

b) On this day, UN encourages governments, international organizations and civil society groups to hold events, activities and initiatives that contribute to the efforts of the international community towards promoting a dialogue among civilizations, solidarity, mutual understanding and reconciliation.

c) The International Day of Friendship was proclaimed in 2011 by the UN General Assembly with the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.

4) Father of Hybrid Sorghum Neelamraju Ganga Prasada Rao passes away

a) Noted agricultural scientist Neelamraju Ganga Prasada Rao, passed away in Hyderabad recently at the age of 89 years.

b) He was well-known for basic and applied research in breeding and agronomy of several dryland crops especially towards sorghum improvement, hence also earned the title of 'Father of Hybrid Sorghum' in India.

c) Dr. Rao was awarded the C Subramaniam Gold Medal (1966) for the development of the first Sorghum Hybrid; SS Bhatnagar Prize for Biological Sciences (1967); Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award for Plant Breeding (1974); and VASWIK Award for Agricultural Sciences (1979). A.P. government bestowed the Atma Gaurav Award (2003), and the Distinguished Agricultural Scientist Award (2008).

5) European Commission appoints Michel Barnier as Chief Brexit Negotiator

a) Michel Barnier is appointed as the Chief Brexit negotiator by European Union's executive.

b) Didier Seeuws, a Belgian diplomat was appointed as the head of a Brexit task force by the European Council.

c) Michel Barnier is a well known politician of the French union for a popular movement and vice president of the European People's party.

6) James Alan McPherson, first black writer to win Pulitzer Prize in fiction, dies

a) First black writer to win the Pulitzer Prize in fiction, James Alan McPherson has recently passed away in Iowa city.

b) He received Pulitzer prize for his story collection 'Elbow Room'. He was a long time faculty member at the University of Iowa's Writers' Workshop.

c) His other works included the story collection "Hue and Cry" and the memoir "Crabcakes." In 1981, McPherson was named a MacArthur fellow.

7) United Nations World Day against Trafficking in Persons 2016 observed

a) On 30th July, 2016 world has observed the United Nations World Day against Trafficking in Persons 2016.

b) To raise of the issue of victims of human trafficking, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launched the campaign #igivehope.

c) The core objective of this day is to raise awareness of the plight human trafficking victims, and promoting and protecting their rights.

8) IOC to launch Olympic Channel on August 21

a) The Olympic Channel is set to start to broadcast the Olympics 2016.

b) The new streaming service will be available worldwide through a mobile app for both Android and iOS devices, and at olympicchannel.com.

c) The Olympic Channel will provide original programming, live sports, new and highlights year round. Programming will consist of both short- and long-form content, focusing on international athletes.

[deizi (Daisy)]

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the ____ book in the Harry Potter series.
 

• 10th
• 8th
• 7th
• 9th

[Priyank.Pamkar]

National Handloom day is celebrated on

• January 26
• August 10
• August 7
• August 15

[Priyank.Pamkar]

PM Modi launched Mission Bhagiratha in which State

• Gujarat
• Uttarakhand
• West Bengal
• Telangana