VINTAGE

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF JULY  26^th , 2019

              IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF JULY 26^th,  2019

1.      Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be on a 3 day visit to Southeast African country Mozambique to further strengthen defence relations.

a.       During the visit, Mr Singh will hold talks with the President, Defence Minister, Foreign Minister and Interior Minister of Mozambique.

b.       3 MoUs and agreements will be signed in the fields of exclusive economic zone surveillance, sharing of white shipping information and hydrography.

c.       There will also be a ceremony of handing over two fast interceptor boats and 44 SUVs from India to Mozambique.

2.      The US Justice Department is set to resume the use of death penalty after 16 years. 

a.       The department has immediately scheduled executions of 5 death row federal inmates. 

b.       Note : US President Donald Trump has called for increasing the use of the death penalty for drug traffickers and mass shooters.

3.      The 20th Anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas is being celebrated across the country today. 

a.       The central theme of this year's celebrations is ‘Remember, Rejoice and Renew’.

b.       This day marks the victory of Indian armed forces in Operation Vijay in 1999, when they evicted the infiltrators backed by Pakistani army from high outposts in Kargil sector.

c.       The Kargil war was fought for more than 60 days and ended with India regaining control of all the previously held territory. 

d.       The victory of Tiger Hill was one of the crucial achievements in the 60- day long conflict.

e.       The celebrations of 20th Anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas began in Delhi on the 14th of this month.

f.        The Victory Flame traversed through 11 towns and cities and finally reached Dras. 

g.       At Drass, the victory flame was received from Major DP Singh and passed on to Param Veer Chakra awardee Yogendra Yadav and then to Army Chief Bipin Rawat to merge at Kargil War Memorial with eternal flame.

h.       Defence Minister of India : Rajnath Singh

4.      The Supreme Court today ordered cinema halls across the country to screen clips on prevention of child abuse and prosecution of crimes against children. 

a.       The court asked the Ministry of Women and Child Development to ensure suitable clips are screened. 

b.       The apex court also ordered TV channels to show these clips along with child helpline numbers.

5.      The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced the 2nd successful orbit-raising move of India's second Moon mission Chandrayaan-2.

a.       The 3,850-kg Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft is planned to undergo three more such orbit raises before attempting India's first soft Moon landing on September 7. 

b.       If successful, India will become the first in the world to land on Moon's south polar region.

6.      The Lok Sabha has passed The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2019.  

a.       This Bill seeks to amend the Companies Act, 2013.

b.       It aims to tighten Corporate Social Responsibility compliance, transfer certain responsibilities to National Company Law Tribunal and recatgorise certain offences as civil offences.

7.      The Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today held discussions with Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia Khalid Al-Falih to further enhance bilateral hydrocarbon cooperation.

a.       Both the Ministers discussed further enhancing India-Saudi Arabia hydrocarbon cooperation to become a strong pillar of the existing overall strategic partnership between the two countries. 

8.      Karnataka BJP President BS Yediyurappa took oath as the Chief Minister of Karnataka for the 4th time today. 

a.       This comes after the HD Kumaraswamy-led Congress-JD(S) coalition government collapsed after losing the confidence motion by six votes yesterday. 

9.      The International Cricket Council (ICC) has appointed Pakistan Cricket Board's Chairman Ehsan Mani as Chairperson of ICC's Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee (F&CA). 

10. World Championships bronze medallist Simranjit Kaur (60kg) and GeeBee Boxing silver medallist Dinesh Dagar (69kg) confirmed their places in finals of the 23rd President’s Cup in Indonesia today.

a.       Ankush Dahiya (64kg) and Ananta Pralhad Chopade (52kg) made it to semi-finals of the competition. 

b.       Neeraj Swami (49kg) has assured himself of a medal after making his way into the semifinals.

11. Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir (27) has announced his retirement from Test cricket, saying he wants to concentrate on white-ball cricket. 

a.       Amir, who was Pakistan's highest wicket-taker in the 2019 World Cup, represented his nation in 36 Tests and picked up 119 wickets. 

b.       He made his Test debut against Sri Lanka as a 17-year-old in 2009.

12. 5 wrestlers including Commonwealth Games gold medallist Bajrang Punia have been selected for the 2019 Senior Wrestling World Championships. 

a.       The tournament is the first phase to earn a spot in the 2020 Olympic Games. 

b.       Other wrestlers who were selected in their respective categories are Ravi Kumar (57 kg), Deepak Punia (86 kg), Mausam (97 kg) and Sumit (125 kg).