IMPORTANT
CURRENT AFFAIRS OF JULY 19th, 2018
1.
For the first time, the Indian Air
Force is going to participate in Exercise Pitch
Black, a three-week multinational warfare exercise hosted by the Royal
Australian Air Force.
a. The
exercise will involve over 100 aircrafts from around the
globe.
b. The IAF
contingent will consist of 145 air-warriors including a Garud commando team and
four Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter planes.
2.
Union home minister Rajnath
Singh was on a 3-day visit to Bangladesh.
a. During
this visit he met his Bangladeshi counterpart Asaduzzaman
Khan and held discussions on various issues including
anti-terror co-operation, attempts by terror groups to radicalise youths and
Rohingya refugees.
b. He also
signed Revised Travel Agreement (RTA - 2018) with Bangladesh
to ease visa restrictions for citizens from the neighbouring country.
c. Under
this agreement, freedom fighters and elderly Bangladeshi nationals will get
five-year multiple visa from India.
3.
Israel’s Parliament today
approved a controversial piece of legislation that defines the country as
the nation-state of the Jewish people.
a. Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called
the legislation’s passage a “historic moment in the history of Zionism and the
history of the state of Israel.”
4.
The Spanish government is
going to introduce a legislation to criminalise sex without consent.
a. The
legislation, under which consent would have to be explicit, states that
"yes means yes" and anything else, including silence, means no.
5.
The Turkish government has
ended the nationwide state of emergency imposed following a
failed coup attempt in July 2016 that killed over 250 people and wounded nearly
2,200.
6.
Under the state of emergency, Turkey dismissed
over 1.5 lakh civil servants and charged 77,000 people suspected of links to
US-based cleric Fethullah Gülen, who Turkey blames for the
failed coup attempt.
7.
Iceland was
elected to take up the seat left vacant at the United Nations Human
Rights Council after the United States quit the body over what it
charges was anti-Israel bias.
8.
Hungary will
withdraw from the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular
Migration agreement which will be adopted in December,.
a. The
Hungarian government which has opposed migration, argued that the UN agreement
could aid the flow of migrants to Europe and force countries to shelter
them.
b. Note : The
US withdrew from the pact last year.
9.
The UK has topped 2018
'Soft Power 30' index, an annual Global Ranking of Nations' Soft
Power which does not feature India.
a. France
stood at the 2nd spot followed by Germany and US in the 3rd and 4th spots
respectively.
10.
India and Sri
Lanka signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a Sanitation
Sector Project under which 3400 toilets would be constructed
in Batticaloa District of Sri Lanka.
a. This
project is part of Government of India’s continued efforts to assist and
cooperate with Government of Sri Lanka in people-oriented development
projects.
b. Note :
India’s overall commitment of development assistance to Sri Lanka stands at a
total of around US$ 2.9 billion, out of which US$ 545 million is pure grant
assistance.
11.
The heritage city of Udaipur has
been ranked 3rd among a list of 15 best cities in the world by
Travel + Leisure.
a. The
first two cities on the list are San Miguel de Allende and Oaxaca,
both in Mexico.
12.
The Union Minister Jitendra Singh today
announced that 21 Nuclear Reactors with a total installed
capacity of 15,700 megawatt are currently under
construction.
a. Currently,
there are nine nuclear power reactors at various stages of construction which
are expected to be completed by 2024-25.
13.
World's richest person Jeff Bezos-founded
aerospace startup Blue Origin successfully launched its space
capsule, New Shepard, breaking its own record of highest-ever
test flight at nearly 120 km.
a. The
launch lasted around two and half minutes with the capsule hitting a maximum
speed of 3,598 kmph.
14.
The Indian Space Research Organization
(ISRO) has roped in three partners to help it assemble 27
satellites at a quick pace over the next three years.
a. ISRO's
nodal satellites division URSC (U.R. Rao Satellite Centre) signed separate
three-year contracts with Alpha Design Technologies P Ltd and
its six consortium members; with defense public enterprise Bharat
Electronics Ltd; and with Tata Advanced Systems Ltd,
Hyderabad.
b. Each
partner will work with the URSC to produce three small to medium satellites
each year, or a total of 27 spacecraft by July 2021.
15.
Former Director General of Civil Aviation
(DGCA) Kanu Gohain (68) passed away.
a. Gohain,
who was the last technocrat to head the Directorate General of Civil Aviation
(DGCA), retired from services in 2008.
b. After
retirement, he became a director on the board of Indamer, an MRO company.
16.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) today
announced that it is going to issue new ₹100
denomination banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi (New)
Series with lavender colour.
a. The new
denomination has the motif of Gujarat's archaeological site 'Rani ki vav'
on the reverse, depicting the country’s cultural heritage.
b. Dimension
of the new banknote will be 66 mm × 142 mm.
17.
Iran is planning to jointly
manufacture Defence Equipment with Pakistan and
present them as a joint achievement of Muslim nations.
a. This
announcement came in line with a meeting between Chairman of the Chiefs
of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri and Pakistani
President Mamnoon Hussain.
18.
Indian track and field athlete Neeraj
Chopra has won Gold medal at Sotteville
Athletics meet in France today.
a. Note : He
had become the first Indian to win gold in javelin throw at
Commonwealth Games in April this year.
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