IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF JULY 15th,
2018
1.
(15th July) is World Youth Skills Day.
a. This is
for the second time the world is celebrating this day.
b. This
day was first observed by the United Nations General Assembly on 15th July
2015.
c. Aim of
this day : To create awareness about the importance of investing in youth
skills development.
d. Theme
of World Youth Skills Day 2018 : ‘Improving the
image of TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training)’.
2.
Home Minister Rajnath
Singh along with his Bangladeshi counterpart Asaduzzaman
Khan Kamal today inaugurated India's largest
visa centre in the world in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka.
a. It will
replace India's four other visa application centres in Bangladesh in two
phases.
3.
The 1st-ever land-based
communication link between China and Pakistan was
inaugurated today.
a. The
Pakistan-China Optical Fibre Cable project includes an 820-kilometre underground
cable that starts from Pakistan's Rawalpindi and ends at Khunjerab bordering
China and connects with optical fibre in the Chinese side.
4.
The UN Security Council today adopted Resolution
2428 a resolution to impose an Arms embargo (an
official ban on trade or other commercial activity) on South
Sudan.
a. This
resolution won nine votes in favor, the minimum requirement for adoption.
b. It
renews a travel ban and asset freeze against designated individuals and
entities till May 31, 2019.
c. It also
renews the mandate of the Panel of Experts, who assist the work of the
sanctions committee, until July 1, 2019.
5.
Union Ministry of Drinking Water and
Sanitation (MDWS) has launched Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2018 (SSG
2018) in New Delhi.
a. Swachh
Survekshan is a rural cleanliness survey to rank all states
and districts on basis of qualitative and quantitative evaluation.
b. Objective
of SSG 2018 : To undertake ranking of states and districts on basis of their
performance attained on key quantitative and qualitative Swachh Bharat
Mission-Grameen (SBM-G) parameters.
6.
For the first time in history, the Lord
Venkateswara temple in Tirumala will be shut
from August 11 to 16 to take up the cleansing of the entire temple
complex.
7.
Madras High Court has ruled that mentioning father's
name in birth certificates is optional.
8.
President Ram Nath Kovind has nominated Sonal
Mansingh (classical dancer), Ram Shakal (farmer
leader and former MP), Rakesh Sinha (writer ) and Raghunath
Mohapatra (sculptor) to the Rajya Sabha.
a. The
nominations come after the retirement of four members including Sachin
Tendulkar, actress Rekha and businesswoman Anu Aga.
b. Note : The
President has the power to nominate 12 MPs to the Upper House.
9.
Swati B Baruah today
became the first transgender judge in Assam, after she
was appointed to mediate cases in a Lok Adalat.
a. Important
Points Note :
i. With
this, Assam became the third Indian state to have a transgender judge.
ii. Joyita
Mondal from West Bengal is India’s first transgender Judge.
10.
Six-time English champions Chelsea have
appointed former international banker Maurizio Sarri as
their new manager.
11.
United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio
Guterres has established first-of-its-kind Panel on Digital
Cooperation aimed at addressing concerns of cybersecurity
threats and rise in hate speech.
a. It will
map trends in digital technologies, identify gaps and opportunities and outline
proposals for strengthening international cooperation.
b. The
panel will also focus on cyber-bullying, abuse rise, fake news, cyber crime and
security aspects.
c. The
high-level panel on digital cooperation will be co-chaired by US
philanthropist Melinda Gates and China-based Alibaba
founder Jack Ma.
d. Senior
Indian diplomat Amandeep Singh Gill along with former
diplomat Jovan Kurbalija will be executive directors of
panel’s secretariat.
12.
The Union Government constituted a high-level
task force to identify various items and policy interventions to
reduce dependence on imports.
a. It will
suggest ways to cut import of those items which can be manufactured or explored
in the country.
b. Head of
this Task force : PK Sinha (Cabinet Secretary)
13.
South Africa has
unveiled the 64-dish MeerKAT radio telescope, slated to be
the world's largest and most powerful telescope on its
completion in 2030.
a. Built
for $330 million, MeerKAT will be integrated into an array of
3,000 dishes spread in a square-kilometre area.
b. It is
said to have 50 times better resolution than NASA's Hubble Space Telescope when
fully operational.
14.
The 1st cruise service
between Mumbai and Goa will
begin from August 1, Road Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin
Gadkari announced today.
a. Aimed
at boosting tourism, the cruise will have a capacity of 500 passengers and will
include tickets under six categories, starting from ₹7,500.
15.
Andhra Bank has
filed a bankruptcy petition against apparel retailer Provogue
India at the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for non-payment of
dues.
a. A group
of lenders led by Andhra Bank acquired a 51% stake in Provogue India by
swapping debt into equity in 2016.
16.
Former world number one Angelique
Kerber today defeated seven-time champion Serena Williams in
the women's singles final to clinch her
first-ever Wimbledon title.
17.
Indian sprinter Hima Das,
who bagged a gold medal at the IAAF World Under-20 Athletics Championships
recently, has been ensured support by the government till the Tokyo
2020 Olympics.
a. Before
her gold medal-winning performance, Hima, who is part of the Target Olympic
Podium Scheme, was supposed to be funded by the government only until the
upcoming 2018 Asian Games.
18.
Belgium defeated
England in the third-place playoff today to finish third at the 2018
FIFA World Cup.
19.
Former captain MS Dhoni has
become the first-ever Indian wicketkeeper to take 300 catches in
ODI cricket, achieving the feat against England in the second ODI today.
a. With
this, he became the only wicketkeeper to take 300-plus catches and 100-plus
stumpings in ODIs.
b. Note :
Former Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist holds the record for taking most ODI
catches (417) as wicketkeeper.
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