IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF JULY 9th and 10th, 201`7

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS JULY 9th and 10th, 2017

1. First Edition of WINGS 2017 – “Sab Uden, Sab Juden”- Expanding Regional Connectivity Hosted in New   Delhi 

i. The First edition of WINGS 2017 – “Sab Uden, Sab Juden”- Expanding Regional Connectivity was hosted in New Delhi by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The Plenary session was chaired by the Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju.

ii. This event brought together the key stakeholders of the Aviation Sector such as States, Tourism Departments, and Tour Operators as a Group representing airline consumers to facilitate interaction with various airlines, airport operators, cargo operators and other ecosystem players at a common forum.

2. First International Aviation Security seminar organized by National Security Guard in Haryana

i. The Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (I/C) Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy attended the second day of the first International Aviation Security Seminar in Manesar Haryana.

ii. National Security Guard (NSG) has organized the seminar, with the aim of bringing all major stakeholders under one roof and facilitate them sharing views/opinion, discussions, brainstorming with the matters concerning Aviation Security.

iii. Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy also hoisted the National Flag at NSG Campus, during the National Flag Foundation program. It is the India's 67th Flagpole and 26th highest Monumental Flagpole.

3. Nepal SBI launches first paperless Banking services sbiINTOUCH

i. Nepal SBI Bank, a subsidiary of the State Bank of India, launched its fully automatic digital banking services in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu. This is for the first time the State Bank of India has expanded the paperless banking system outside India.
ii. Digital banking provides various services including cash deposit, the opening of new accounts, distribution of debit card, ATM and online banking information on the touch of the

4. GMR gets Rs. 1,330 cr loan from Axis Bank for developing Mopa airport

i. GMR Goa International Airports Ltd, a subsidiary of GMR Airports Ltd, has executed a debt facility agreement for the development of Greenfield airport at Mopa.

ii. The entire debt of Rs. 1,330 crore was underwritten by Axis Bank on a long tenor door to door basis of 18 years on competitive terms.

5. India to import crude oil from US for first time

i. India, the world's third-largest oil importer, will import crude oil from the United States for the first time after Indian Oil Corp bought a cargo that will be delivered in October 2017.

ii. India is the latest Asian country to buy US crude after South Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, Australia and Taiwan as the countries seek to diversify oil imports from other regions after the OPEC cuts drove up prices of Middle East heavy-sour crude, or grades with a high sulphur content.

6. John Joseph to take charge as chief of GST intelligence agency

i. A key intelligence agency tasked with checking evasion of Goods and Services Tax (GST) has got its new chief. Senior bureaucrat John Joseph has been appointed Director General of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence (DG GSTI).

ii. The DG GSTI is the new name given to the Directorate General of Central Excise Intelligence (DGCEI), mandated to check service tax and central excise duty evasion.

7. Danfoss India conferred with Golden Peacock environment management award

i. Climate and energy efficiency solutions company Danfoss India has been conferred with the ‘Golden Peacock Award’ for Environment Management.
ii. The award was presented in Hyderabad during the 19th World Congress on Environment Management’ in the presence of Supreme Court Justice Kurien Joseph.

8. Atthaya Thitikul, 14, becomes youngest player to win on Ladies European Tour
i. Atthaya Thitikul, a 14-year-old amateur from Thailand has won on the Ladies European Tour, supplanting Lydia Ko as the youngest champion on the circuit. She clinched a two-stroke victory at the Ladies European Thailand Championship at Phoenix Country Club in Pattaya.

ii. New Zealander Ko held the previous record as the youngest winner on the tour, after claiming the 2013 New Zealand Open at the age of 15 years, nine months and 17 days.

9. Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas wins Austrian Grand Prix

i. Valtteri Bottas roared to the second victory of his career when he won the Austrian Grand Prix for Mercedes.

ii. Bottas finished ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo, who finished second and third respectively. Three-time Formula One champion, Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton finished fourth in the race.

10. Harinder Sandhu wins South Australian Open title

i. India’s Harinder Pal Sandhu beat Rhys Dowling of Australia in the final to lift South Australian Open squash title. He mounted a comeback to win it on extra points.

ii. The third game was a no-contest as the Indian, a former national champion, shut out Dowling’s challenge 11-4 to wrap up the victory. It was Sandhu’s eighth title at the PSA level and the third this season after winning two in Malaysia in the month of May.

11. India tops medal tally for first time in Asian Athletics Championships history

i. India has topped the medal tally for the first time in the history of Asian Athletics Championships. In a stunning show of dominance on the fourth and final day of competitions in Bhubaneshwar, India clinched five gold, 1 silver, and 3 bronze.

ii. With that, the hosts ended the championships on top with a haul of 29 medals which included 12 gold, 5 silver, and 12 bronze. India’s earlier best came way back in the 1985 Jakarta edition where they had won 22 medals. 

iii. India pushed China to the second spot (20 Medals). China ended this edition with a tally of 8 gold, 7 silver, 5 bronze. Kazakhstan finished third (8 Medals) with 4 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze while Iran ended on fourth with 4 gold and 1 bronze.

12. President launches 3 digital initiatives over e-education

i. President Pranab Mukherjee has launched digital initiatives - Swayam, Swayam Prabha and National Academic Depository - in New Delhi to push e-education in the country. The aim of the initiatives is to raise the Gross Enrollment Ratio in the higher education from 24.5 to 30 by 2020.

ii. Massive Open Online Courses, Swayam will host courses taught in classrooms from Class 9th to post-graduation, which can be accessed by anyone, anywhere at any time.
iii. Swayam Prabha is the platform of 32 DTH channels devoted to telecasting high-quality educational programmes 24X7 using GSAT-15 satellite.
iv. National Academic Depository will facilitate online verification of certificates. All the courses are interactive and available free of cost.

13. UNESCO declares Ahmedabad as world heritage city

i. Ahmedabad city has been declared as a World Heritage City at the 41st session of UNESCO's world heritage committee being held at Krakow in Poland. Nomination of Ahmedabad was supported by close to 20 countries, including Turkey, Lebanon, Tunisia, Portugal, Peru and Kazakhstan.

ii. Out of total 287 world heritage cities across the globe, there were only two cities in the Indian subcontinent- Bhaktpur in Nepal and Galle in Sri Lanka.