VINTAGE

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF JULY 22^nd, 2018

                           IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF JULY 22^nd, 2018

1.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a 5 day visit to Rwanda, Uganda and South Africa from 23rd of this month.

a.   In the first leg of his visit, Modi will reach Rwanda on the 23rd for a two day visit.

b.   India will extend two lines of credit of USD 100ml each for agricultural sector and industrial sector. 

c.   India will also give 200 cows to Rwanda during the visit as part of an initiative to foster brotherhood and prosperity.

d.   The Prime Minister will depart from Rwanda to Uganda on the 24th where he will call on the President. 

e.   He will have delegation level talks and will address Indian community and the parliament of Uganda. 

f.    Two lines of credit worth USD 164ml will be extended to Uganda during the visit.

g.   In the last leg of his visit, Modi will reach South Africa on the 25th to attend the 10th BRICS summit at Johannesburg. 

h.   He will meet South African President.

i.     Inclusive growth, global governance, health and vaccines, peace keeping, and sustainable development will be core agenda during the BRICS summit.  

2.  Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are going to meet on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg next week.

a.   During this meet, both leaders will discuss the US’ trade war and its protectionist trade policy.

3.  The 8th BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting was held at Durban, South Africa.

a.   Indian delegation was led by J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare.

b.   In this meeting, he stated that India is committed to eliminating TB by 2025.

c.   He also highlighted the accomplishments of India in the health sector.

4.  Japan's parliament today passed a controversial law to legalise casino gambling paving way for up to three casino resorts to open. 

a.   The law limits Japanese citizens to three casino visits per week and 10 per month out of concerns about gambling addiction. 

b.   Further, admission will be free for foreigners while local residents will be charged a fee.

5.  London has launched the 'Walking Action Plan' in a bid to make London the 'world's most walkable city'. 

a.   The plan includes introducing new traffic signal technology to make it easier and safer to cross roads, among other provisions.

b.   The move is aimed at reducing air pollution and improving health of the people by making streets more pedestrian-friendly. 

    6.  The Bihar government is going to grant reservation in promotions to employees belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC) / Scheduled Tribes (ST) categories. 

a.   The decision was based on the advice of the Union Personnel and Training Department after a Supreme Court order directing the same.

7.  Authorities are planning to build a 4.5-km long, 10-storey high 'skyscraper bridge' by mid-2022 to connect Worli to Sewri in Mumbai. 

a.   Five agencies will be involved in the planning and execution of the project, which will cost around ₹1,500 crore. 

 8.  Elon Musk-led space startup SpaceX today launched the Telstar 19 Vantage satellitethrough it's Falcon 9 rocket.

a.   Weighing over 7,000 kg, this is the world's heaviest commercial communications satellite .

  9.  Japanese screenwriter, director and producer Shinobu Hashimoto (100), who wrote some of Akira Kurosawa’s most famous films including Rashomon (1950), Ikiru (1952) and Seven Samurai (1954) passed away.

  10.              The Goods and Services Tax Council has cut GST tax rates for 88 items including refrigerators, water coolers, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, small-screen TVs.

a.   The GST of these items have been shifted from 28% to 18% slab. 

b.   Further, footwear costing up to ₹1,000 will now attract 5% GST, up from ₹500 earlier.

c.   The Council has also brought video games from 28% to 18% GST slab rate.

d.   The GST rate on lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles and mobile phones has been reduced from 28% to 18%.

e.   The council has also reduced the tax rate on ethanol used to blend petrol and diesel to 5% from 18%. 

f.    Furthermore, the GST on e-books has been reduced from 18% to 5% as a "green initiative."

g.   Sanitary napkins, rakhis, and idols made of stone, marble, and wood have been exempted from GST. 

h.   The GST on the supply of services by an old age home has been exempted which was 18% earlier. 

11. The government today indicated that 25% of the ATMs run by state-owned banks may be vulnerable to fraud as they are running on outdated software.

a.   The government also informed the Parliament that the total number of functional ATMs constitutes nearly 89% of the total ATMs.

  12.              Senior advocate D C Raina has been appointed as Advocate General of Jammu and Kashmir.

  13.              Indian badminton player Lakshaya Sen bagged the Gold medal by defeating Indonesia’s top-seeded Kunlavut Vitidsaran in the final match of the Badminton Asia Junior Championship in Jakarta today.

14. India's  Muhammad Anas Yahiya won Gold medal at 400-meter race event in Czech Republic.

a.   He completed the race in 45.24 seconds to break his own national record (45.31 sec) for the second time.