Latest Current Affairs – July 29 & 30 2018
1. Lok Sabha passes bill seeking death penalty in child rape cases
The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2018, which provides for stringent punishment including death penalty for those convicted of raping girls below the age of 12 years, was passed in Lok Sabha. The new provision also proposes that trials in courts for rape cases should be presided by a woman judge. The bill will now be sent to Rajya Sabha.
2. HSBC appoints IIM alumnus Surendra Rosha as India CEO
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) has announced the appointment of IIM Ahmedabad alumnus Surendra Rosha as CEO for HSBC India, subject to regulatory approvals. Rosha succeeds Jayant Rikhye, who is taking a leave of absence for medical reasons. Rosha, currently HSBC’s Head of Financial Institutions Group for Asia-Pacific, has 27 years of experience in financial services.
3. All Indian kids win gold at Int’l Physics Olympiad for 1st time
All the five participating students from India have won gold medals at the 49th International Physics Olympiad held in Portugal this year, in a first since India started competing in 1998. Of the 396 students participating from across the world, only 42 were awarded gold medals. The olympiad consists of theoretical and experimental exam which are of five-hour duration each.
4. Hamilton wins last Grand Prix race before F1 summer break
Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton won the last Grand Prix race before the Formula One’s summer break in Hungary. With nine races remaining in the season, Hamilton now holds a 24-point advantage at the top of the drivers’ championship. The other two spots on the podium were occupied by Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.
5. First Indian CWG javelin champ wins two gold medals in 11 days
Neeraj Chopra, who became the first Indian to win gold in javelin throw at Commonwealth Games in April this year, won gold at the Savo Games in Finland. The 20-year-old hurled the javelin to a distance of 85.69m to bag the gold medal. Chopra had earlier won gold at the Sotteville Athletics meet in France on July 17.
6. Thomas becomes 1st Welshman to win cycling’s Tour de France
Geraint Thomas became the first Welshman to win the Tour de France cycling race in Paris. The 32-year-old and his teammates enjoyed champagne while riding on their bikes during the 21st and final stage of the race in Paris. Notably, Thomas was a support rider in four of defending champion Chris Froome’s Tour de France wins.
7. Kapil Dev selected in Indian golf team for tournament in Japan
India’s 1983 Cricket World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev has been selected in the national golf team to take part in the 2018 Asia-Pacific Senior Amateur Championship, which will be held from October 17 to 19 in Japan. The 59-year-old qualified after finishing third in the All India Seniors Golf Championship that was held in Noida earlier in July.
8. PM Modi launches 81 projects worth ₹60,000 crore in UP
PM Narendra Modi launched 81 investment projects worth ₹60,000 crore in what he termed as a “record-breaking” event in Uttar Pradesh. While Reliance Jio Com and BSNL are investing ₹10,000 crore and ₹5,000 crore respectively for laying optical cable network in the state, Adani Power is investing ₹2,500 crore to lay the Ghatampur-Hapur transmission line, reports said.
9. Odisha CM Inaugurates Rs 300 Crore Irrigation Dam Project
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the Rs 300 crore Rukura Medium Irrigation Dam project in Sundargarh district. This project will irrigate 5,800 hectares of the agricultural field.
He stated that his promises to provide irrigation to an additional 10 lakh hectare of land ahead of 2014 elections, will be fulfilled by 2019.
10. IRDAI Forms Panel To Review 3rd Party Motor Cover Costs
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) constituted a 16-member committee to examine motor third party insurance pricing aspects and make recommendations on the premium rates for 2019-20.
IRDAI Member P.J. Joseph appointed as the Chairman of the committee. This is for the first time IRDAI has formed such a committee. The committee has also been tasked to revisit the classification of vehicles, in view of the development in the industry.
11. Threat by kala azar in Kozhikode’s Sooppikkada village, Kerala
Kozhikode’s Sooppikkada village, Kerala faces kala-azar or visceral leishmaniasis. Kala-azar is also known colloquially as black fever and Dumdum fever and is associated with high fatality.
Precautionary measures are being taken in the area by spraying with insecticides to kill the infected sandflies which spread the disease.
A rapid-response team has been set up, which involves local grama panchayat president, local medical officer, vet, forest officer and local Kundumbasree workers. An awareness session in the panchayat will be initiated on July 30.
12. Cricket Curry festival organised in Japan to promote cricket
International cricket’s governing body, ICC, organised the ‘Sano Cricket Curry Festival’ in the Japanese city of Sano to promote cricket in the nation.
A cricket match between the Japanese cricket team and an Indian team was held at the event. The festival also featured cultural events and food from cricket-playing nations like Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
13. AIIMS has developed a diagnostic test with high sensitivity and specificity for TB meningitis
A team led by Prof. Jaya Sivaswami Tyagi from the Department of Biotechnology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has developed the diagnostic test for TB meningitis with nearly 100% sensitivity and about 91% specificity. The diagnostic test is based on a derivative of a DNA aptamer that shows high binding affinity in the nanomolar range and high specificity to a TB antigen (HspX). The performance of the diagnostic test was evaluated in 87 cerebrospinal fluid samples obtained from paediatric subjects.
14. FSSAI sealed an edible oil manufacturing unit under the suspicion of adulteration
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) sealed an edible oil manufacturing unit near Kinathukkadavu in Coimbatore under the suspicion of adulteration.
The unit was sealed with 64,774 litres of edible oil worth Rs.70 lakh. Five samples of edible oils have been collected for analysis in the Government laboratory. The company manufactured edible oils in three types namely coconut oil, sunflower oil, and blended vegetable oil and selling them under six brand names.
15. Sourabh Verma won Russian Open Badminton Trophy
Ace Indian shuttler Sourabh Verma won the Russian Open Badminton trophy at Vladivostok. Sourabh won the Chinese Taipei Masters in 2016 and finished runners-up at Bitburger Open the same year. In Mixed Doubles, the pair of Rohan Kapoor and Kuhoo Garg lost in the Final against the Russian-Korean team of Vladimir Ivanov and Min Kyung Kim, 19-21, 17-21.
16. Bajrang Punia won second consecutive international gold at Yasar Dogu International
Bajrang Punia won his second consecutive international gold and Sandeep Tomar won a silver medal at the Yasar Dogu International in Istanbul, Turkey. Indian wrestlers returned with 10 medals, including seven by women, from the ranking event.
In the women’s competition, Pinki gold medallist in the 55kg category with her 6-3 win over Ukraine’s Olga Shnaider in the final. The Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik failed to reach the medal round in the 62-kilogram category.
17. India plans to buy missile shield from U.S. for USD 1 billion
India is aiming to buy an advanced air defence system from the U.S. to defend the National Capital Region (NCR) from aerial attacks like 9/11-type. The cost estimated for buying National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System-II (NASAMS-II) is $1 billion. The buying process has been initiated.
India is also planning to buy a very long range S-400 air defence systems from Russia. India is also developing an indigenous Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system. Phase-I of the BMD will be deployed soon.
18. Union Minister JP Nadda launches National Viral Hepatitis Control Program
To eradicate viral hepatitis by the year of 2030, Union Minister J P Nadda launches National Viral Hepatitis Control Program. He released the Operational Guidelines for National Viral Hepatitis Control Program, National Laboratory Guidelines for Viral Hepatitis Testing and National Guidelines for Diagnosis and Management of Viral Hepatitis.
The programme has been developed in association with all stakeholders who have worked at the grass-root level and has been launched in accordance with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), 2030.
19. India post joined hands to promote tiger reservation on Global Tiger Day
On Global Tiger Day, July 29, India post released a special cover in order to promote tiger reservation at Bandipur. In all, 6,500 covers have been printed and will be made available to the public at a cost of Rs. 25 each.
International Tiger Day is held annually on 29 July. It is an annual celebration to raise awareness for tiger conservation. It was created in 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit.
20. International Army Games 2018 declared open in Moscow
The International Army Games 2018 at Patriot Park in Moscow region was declared open by Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Indian teams are taking part in two major competitions– Tank Biathlon event at Alabino ranges and Moscow region and Elbrus Ring competition in Caucasus mountains.
The games are being held from July 28 to August 11 at 24 training grounds in seven countries namely Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, and Russia.
21. India into deep ocean exploration
India has allocated Rs.8,000 crore for a deep ocean exploration. This plan will extend for 5 years. The Union Earth Sciences Ministry revealed the blueprint of the ‘Deep Ocean Mission (DOM)’. The plan includes an offshore desalination plant based on tidal energy and developing a submersible vehicle that can go to a depth of at least 6,000 metres with three people on board.
Deep Ocean Mission will focus on advanced technologies that will be used for deep-sea mining, underwater vehicles, underwater robotics and ocean climate change advisory services.
