Current Affairs Daily Digest – June 18 2018
1. Ivan Duque to become youngest Colombian President
Ivan Duque was elected Colombia’s next President after promising to roll back a peace accord with the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) rebels. Duque, who will turn 42 just before taking office on August 8, will be Colombia’s youngest ever President. The 53-year-old conflict between the Colombian government and the rebels had ended in August last year.
2. Federer wins 98th singles title ahead of return to no.1 rank
Twenty-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer clinched his 98th career singles title by defeating Milos Raonic in the Stuttgart Open final. The 36-year-old has now won 18 singles titles on grass. Stuttgart Open was Federer’s first professional tournament in two and a half months, since Miami Open in March.
3. India and Nepal to have four new Air Gateways
India has agreed to open four new air entry points to Nepal in the eastern and western parts of the country. This aims at facilitating movement of international traffic. The four routes that India agreed to make two-way are
1) Kathmandu-Biratnagar-Dhaka,
2) Kathmandu-Janakpur-Kolkata
3) Kathmandu-Janakpur-Patna in the eastern part of Nepal and
4) Kathmandu-Mahendranagar-Delhi (L626) in the west.
4. India is planning to gift a Dornier aircraft to Seychelles
India plans to gift Seychelles a Dornier aircraft this month — second such aircraft that could be gifted to the Indian Ocean Region. An Indo-French-Seychelles trilateral cooperation may safeguard India’s strategic interests in the key Indian Ocean country amid China’s growing interests in the region.
5. ‘Scarface’ producer Martin Bregman dies
Martin Bregman, who produced Al Pacino-starrer cult hits “Scarface” and “Dog Day Afternoon”, has died. He was 92.
Bregman died of a cerebral hemorrhage. Bregman’s other major film titles include “The Bone Collector”, comedy film “Nothing to Lose” and “One Tough Cop”.
Born in 1926 in New York, Bregman started his showbiz journey as the business manager for Hollywood stars such as Barbra Streisand, Faye Dunaway, Bette Midler, Pacino and Woody Allen before turning to production with 1973 film “Serpico”.
6. Bangladesh appoints General Aziz Ahmed as army chief
Bangladesh has appointed Lieutenant General Aziz Ahmed as the country’s new army chief for a three-year tenure. Aziz Ahmed is currently serving as the military’s quarter master general. Previously he served as director general of paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB). He would succeed General Abu Belal Mohammad Shafiul Haque, who is set to retire on June 25.
7. COMCASA: US experts to discuss key military agreement with India
As part of preparations for the 2+2 dialogue between the foreign and defence ministers of India and the US in Washington, a team of specialists from the Pentagon will be meeting their counterparts on the Indian side in Delhi to negotiate the text of a “foundational” military communications agreement. The US officials will try and address Indian observations on the draft Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) submitted earlier.
COMCASA essentially provides a legal framework for the transfer of communication security equipment from the US to India that would facilitate “interoperability” between Indian and US forces — and potentially with other militaries that use US-origin systems for secure data links.
8. Russia successfully launches Glonass-M satellite using Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket
9. SAARC Development Fund to launch Social Enterprise Development Programme
Thimpu-based SAARC Development Fund will soon be launching a social enterprise development programme (SEDP) to fund 80 entities annually across the 8-member states including India. SDF was established by the Heads of the eight SAARC member states in April 2010 and its Governing Council comprises finance ministers of these eight countries. SDF has already committed USD 73.74 million for social window projects as of date out of which it has disbursed USD 47 million to the member states for social window projects. SDF is currently implementing 12 regional projects with more than 70 implementing and lead implementing agencies covering all the member countries under the social window funding.
10. Asia & Oceania region intergovernmental ministerial meet on anti-doping begins in Colombo
The annual Asia and Oceania region intergovernmental ministerial meeting on anti-doping began in Colombo with representatives from 29 countries including India attending. The 15th such annual gathering, is also being attended by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to discuss important anti-doping issues that will help in the fight for clean sport.
