Latest Current Affairs – July 02 & 03 2018

1. Sri Lanka moves naval base to China-run Hambantota port

Sri Lanka is moving a naval base currently situated in the district of Galle to the Hambantota port which is built and controlled by China. This comes amid concerns by India and the US that China could use the port for military activities. Sri Lanka formally handed over the port to China in December last year.

2. Indian Army officer completes ‘world’s toughest triathlon’

Major General Vikram Dogra has become the first Indian Army officer to complete the Ironman Triathlon, considered the world’s toughest triathlon, in Austria. Ironman Triathlon comprises three consecutive events: a 3.8-km swim, 180-km cycling and 42.2-km marathon, to be completed within 17 hours. Major General Dogra completed the triathlon in 14 hours and 21 minutes to earn the ‘Ironman’ title.

3. Marwar Rajmata Krishna Kumari passes away aged 92

Rajmata of the erstwhile Marwar principality and former MP, Krishna Kumari passed away aged 92 in Jodhpur. She is survived by the erstwhile ruler of Marwar Gaj Singh and two daughters Chandresh Kumari and Shailesh Kumari. Born in a royal family in Gujarat, she had married Jodhpur’s then-ruler Hanwant Singh in 1943.

4. Former Navy chief Admiral JG Nadkarni passes away aged 86

Former Navy chief Admiral JG Nadkarni passed away at the age of 86 after battling thyroid cancer. He served as Chief of the Naval Staff from December 1, 1987 to November 30, 1990. “He participated in the Liberation of Goa and played a stellar role in the India-Pakistan War 1965 and in 1971,” Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tweeted.

5. UAE plans to tow icebergs from Antarctica for drinking water

The National Advisor Bureau Limited of the UAE has proposed to tow icebergs from Antarctica to use them as new sources of water in the Middle East. With an estimated cost of $50-60 million, the project will begin with the pilot phase in 2019. The company is also developing a technology to ensure that the ice doesn’t melt during transportation.

6. Delhi launches ‘Happiness Curriculum’ for govt schools

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and the Dalai Lama launched a ‘Happiness Curriculum’ for students studying in Class Nursery to Class 8 in government schools. The curriculum will include a 45-minute ‘Happiness’ class, which will include meditation, value education, and mental exercises. “Only India has the ability to combine modern education with ancient knowledge,” the Dalai Lama said.

7. Brazil become highest scoring team in FIFA World Cup history

Forward Neymar’s 51st-minute goal in FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match against Mexico helped Brazil surpass Germany’s tally of 226 goals to become the highest scoring team in the tournament history. Brazil, who won the match 2-0, have now scored 228 goals in 108 World Cup matches. As many as 79 Brazilian players have scored WC goals.

8. India’s seafood exports cross $7 billion for the first time

India’s seafood exports crossed $7-billion mark for the first time in 2017-18, with frozen shrimp and fish continuing to be the flagship export items. The exports fetched $7.08 billion compared to $5.77 billion in FY17. The US and South East Asia retained their positions as major import markets of India’s seafood products, with a share of 32.76% and 31.59% respectively.

9. I-T Dept launches ‘instant’ e-PAN based on Aadhaar

The Income Tax Department has launched an ‘instant’ Aadhaar-based PAN allotment service for individuals seeking the unique identification number for the first time. The PAN obtained by this mechanism will have the same name, gender, date of birth, and address present in the individual’s Aadhaar. This facility, which is free of cost, is available only for a limited period.

10. Andrés Manuel López Obrador elected Mexico’s President

Andrés Manuel López Obrador has been elected as Mexico’s President with over 53% of the vote, according to the country’s electoral commission. Obrador, who has won the presidency at the third attempt, promised to tackle violence and wipe out corruption. The 64-year-old former Mexico City mayor will formally take power on December 1.

11. Govt cancels export of goats to UAE after protests by Jains

Following protests by the members of the Jain community, the government has cancelled the export of sheep and goats to the UAE that was to begin from Nagpur airport. The project was aimed at increasing the income of farmers. A Jain organisation said there are several other options to increase farmers’ income rather than sending livestock to slaughterhouses.

12. Rajasthan started scheme to provide milk to 62 lakh school students

The Rajasthan government has launched a scheme to provide milk thrice a week to 62 lakh students in government schools and madrassas. While students till Class 5 will get 150 ml, students in Class 6-8 will get 200 ml. This scheme was launched by Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje during the launch of Annapurna Dudh Yojana, in Jaipur.

13. CCI provides approval for merging of Bharti Infratel and Indus Towers

Bharti Airtel-owned telecom tower company Bharti Infratel Limited got an approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to merge with Indus Towers Limited. As per the deal, Bharti Infratel will offer 1,565 shares for every one share of Indus Towers. Indus Towers Ltd is the largest tower company in India with around 27 per cent market share.

14. India to host 19th World Congress of Food Science and Technology

India will host the “International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) 2018” in Navi Mumbai from October 23-27, 2018. The focal theme for this 19th edition of the prestigious congress is 25 Billion Meals a Day by 2025 with Healthy, Nutritious, Safe and Diverse Foods. Union Minister of Food Processing Industries – Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

15. Himachal gets national award for best performance under PMSMA

For the performance under the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritav Abhiyan (PMSMA) in the country, Himachal Pradesh has been adjudged first among state. This award was conferred by Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda.

Himachal Pradesh government had launched PMSMA in August, 2016, and established around 495 clinics in which ante-natal check-ups were conducted by the doctors. Under PMSMA pregnant women are supposed to get antenatal check up on 9th of every month by a doctor.

16. Max Verstappen won the Austrian Grand Prix

Verstappen (20-year-old Dutch driver) won Red Bull’s home Austrian Grand Prix Formula One to claim his first win of the season. Kimi Raikkonen was a close second, with teammate Vettel third.

17. Indian American Seema Nanda named CEO of Committee of United States

The Democratic National Committee (DNC), the decision-making body of the Democratic Party in the US, has appointed Indian American Seema Nanda to serve as its new CEO.

Nanda is currently the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the largest human and civil rights organisation in the US. She replaces interim CEO Mary Beth Cahill, who took the helm of the DNC in February.

18. Vijay Srinivas appointed Director and GM of United India Insurance

City-based United India Insurance Company announced the appointment of K B Vijay Srinivas as its Director and General Manager with effect from July 1. Prior to taking up the new role, he was serving National Insurance Company Ltd as its Chief Marketing Officer and General Manager.

19. Janardan Singh Gehlot is elected as President of International Kabaddi Federation Chief

Janardan Singh Gehlot, an Indian sports administrator, was elected as the president of the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) for the next four years. The result was announced after the Annual General Congress (AGC) of the federation, conducted in Dubai, the UAE.

Observer and Director of International Affairs Olympic Council of Asia Vinod Tiwari was also present in the AGC of the IKF where 22 member countries participated.

20. Australia won Hockey Champions Trophy Final 2018, India finish Runners Up

India lost 1-3 to Australia in the final match of “Champions Trophy Hockey 2018” held in Breda, the Netherlands. India captain PR Sreejesh receives the award for the best goalkeeper of the tournament. The Netherlands beat Olympic champions Argentina 2-0 to win the bronze medal playoff.

21. Lee Chong Wei won Malaysian Open Badminton singles title

Malaysian veteran Lee Chong Wei has won the Malaysian Open Badminton singles title for a historic 12th time. In the final match, he defeated Japanese shuttler Kento Momota in straight games 21-17 23-21 in 71 minutes.

OTHER RESULTS

• Mixed doubles: Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong defeated Wang Yilyu-Huang Dongping.
• Women’s doubles: Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi defeated Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan.
• Women’s singles: Tai Tzu-ying defeated He Bingjiao.
• Men’s doubles: Takeshi Kamura-Keigo Sonoda defeated Hiroyuki Endo-Yuta Watanabe

21. Jharkhand to set up India’s first Khadi mall

While addressing the ‘Karigar Panchayat’ organized by the Khadi Board at the Tana Bhagat Indoor Stadium, Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das announced that, within 15 days, land in the Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) campus will be made available to the Khadi Board to develop the country’s first Khadi mall.

People in the Jharkhand villages are talented and so far 1.13 lakh artisans have been registered to be trained to make goods as per the needs of the market.

22. Japan to open an International Arbitration Centre in Tokyo (IACT) in September 2018

Japan will open an international arbitration body specializing in intellectual property in September 2018, the first one in Asia with an aim to resolve the growing number of patent disputes in the region within a period of one year.

The International Arbitration Centre in Tokyo (IACT) will resolve disputes not only to Japanese companies but also to non-Japanese companies if both parties agree.

23. Rahul Dravid becomes the fifth Indian cricketer to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame

Former Team India captain Rahul Dravid (45-year-old) has become the fifth Indian cricketer after Anil Kumble, Sunil Gavaskar, Bishan Singh Bedi and Kapil Dev to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.

He scored 24,208 runs in 509 international matches in his nearly 16-year-long playing career. Australia captain Ricky Ponting and retired England woman wicketkeeper-batter Claire Taylor are also inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.

24. India wins Kabaddi Masters Dubai 2018 Title

India thrashed Iran 44-26 to emerge champions of the six-nation Kabaddi Masters Dubai. The three-time world champions did not give Iran any ground to recover with captain Ajay Thakur (nine points) and youngster Monu Goyat (six) leading the raid charts. India’s defence was also excellent with Surjeet Singh returning with seven tackle points.