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| Current Affairs |
Dear Readers,
Welcome to Mentor for Bank Exams. Here I am
posting Daily Current affairs News
Updates about the National and International events were listed here.
Candidates those who are preparing for IBPS/SBI/PO/Clerk exam and all other
competitive exams can use this. Kindly make use of these!!!
APPOINTMENTS
1) Tokyo elects Yuriko Koike as first
female governor
Former Defence Minister Yuriko
Koike has been elected governor of Tokyo, the first woman to lead Japan's
capital.
Ms Koike, running as an
independent candidate, received more than 2.9 million votes in Sunday's
election, beating her opponents by a wide margin.
One of her key challenges will be
curbing the financial problems plaguing Tokyo's preparations to host the 2020
Olympic Games.
2) Anant Maheshwari named Microsoft India chief
Anant Maheshwari will succeed
Bhaskar Pramanik as the head of Microsoft in India. He will join the IT
products and services major on September 1 as President and will take over the
operations of the company with effect from January 1, 2017.
Pramanik, who led the firm for
about five years, will retire next March.
Prior to this appointment,
Maheshwari was President of Honeywell in India, taking care of its Aerospace,
Automation and Control Solutions, the company’s Performance Materials division
and its Technologies business.
3) Kedar Upadhye appointed Cipla global CFO
Cipla has appointed Kedar Upadhye
as its global chief financial officer (CFO) effective today.
Until recently, Kedar was
Vice-President, Global Generics Finance, and Head of Investor Relations in Dr
Reddy’s Laboratories, Cipla said in a statement.
Prior to Dr Reddy’s, he has worked
with Pepsi India and Thermax Group, it added.
4) Dilip Rath
takes charge as interim chairman of NDDB
After T Nanda Kumar quit as
chairman of the Anand-headquartered National Dairy Development Board (NDDB),
managing director of the organisation Dilip Rath, who is an erstwhile joint
secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry, GoI took over as chairman from
Monday, August 1 until the appointment of a regular incumbent.
The Department of Personnel and
Training (DoPT), Govt of India has given Rath additional charge of the post
until the appointment of a regular incumbent.
Nanda Kumar had put in his resignation
on June 29, which was accepted by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet on
Wednesday, July 27, and he is to be relieved from duty from August 1.
5) Dilip Rath
assumes additional charge as NDDB chairman
Dilip Rath, took over as the
chairman of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Monday, after the
department of personnel and training (DoPT), Government of India gave him the
additional charge of the post until the appointment of a regular incumbent.
The chairman’s post fell vacant
last week after T Nandakumar resigned before his five-year term ended.
Rath is currently the managing
director of NDDB, an organisation he joined in 2011 after taking premature retirement
from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).
Holding a MA degree in economics
from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Rath went on to complete MSc from the
London School of Economics.
6) New Chief
Justice of Patna High Court sworn in
Justice Iqbal Ahmed Ansari was on
Monday sworn in as the Chief Justice of Patna High Court by Bihar Governor
Ramnath Kovind at a function herein Raj Bhawan.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his
Deputy Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council
Sushil Kumar Modi, Speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Council Chairman Awadhesh
Narain Singh and others were present at the occasion.
Bihar’s Advocate General Ram
Balak Mahto, Principal Additional Advocate General Lalit Kishore and a host of
senior advocates and government lawyers also attended the programme.
7) Anandiben
Patel resigns as Gujarat chief minister
The chief minister of Gujarat and
a long-time confidante of Prime Minister Narendra Modi resigned on Monday, as
protests by the low-caste Dalit community threatened to hurt the standing of
the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Anandiben Patel, who served as
the state's first woman chief minister, posted the resignation letter on her
Facebook page. She said the decision was driven by the fact that she was almost
75 years old, the age at which Modi expects ministers to retire.
Modi appointed Patel as his
successor in Gujarat, his home state, in 2014. He had run the state for 13
years - an era of rapid industrial growth that his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
successfully pitched to voters as a "model" to bring prosperity to
India's 1.3 billion people.
8) Darren
Lehmann handed two-year extension as Australia coach
Darren Lehmann will continue as
head coach of Australia until October 2019, after receiving a two-year contract
extension. The 46-year-old's contract was due to expire in June 2017, but has
now been extended to cover home and away Ashes series and the 50-over World Cup
in 2019.
The extension was long rumoured
with many in Australian cricket circles believing Justin Langer, Western
Australia's coach, being the hot favourite to succeed Lehmann in 2019. Langer
was Australia's interim coach in the Caribbean during the tri-series in June
when Lehmann rested.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1) Teen Choice
Awards 2016: Winners
The 2016 Teen Choice Awards was
broadcast live from The Forum in Los Angeles last night, and there are a slew
of big winners from the show hosted by John Cena and Victoria Justice.
The night's career award went to
Justin Timberlake, while movies like "Deadpool,"
"Divergent" and others also received honours. Not to be left out were
the awards for fashion and social media. It was a big night!
BANKING NEWS
1) ICICI Bank,
Apollo to set up asset reconstruction firm
ICICI Bank and
Apollo India Credit Opportunity Management have signed an MoU to set up an
asset reconstruction company (ARC), the lender said.
ICICI Bank
will pick up 30 per cent in the ARC. Current rules do not allow more than 50
per cent FDI by an entity in an ARC.
As the Centre
is considering an increase in the cap to 100 per cent, Apollo will hold 70 per
cent if the proposal goes through.
Otherwise,
Apollo will have 50 per cent stake, with a third partner holding the remaining
stake, sources said.
2) ICICI Bank
reduces MCLR by 0.05%
Country's largest private sector
lender ICICI Bank today announced a 0.05% reduction in its marginal cost of
funds based lending rate (MCLR).
The overnight MCLR will be 8.90%
under the revised rate structure which is effective from today, sources said.
The one-year MCLR, to which the
home loans are linked, has moved down to 9.10%, they said, adding that the
reductions are across tenors.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
introduced the MCLR from April 1 this year for faster transmission of its
policy actions into actual lending rates by the banks.
Lenders are given the leeway to
review their MCLR once in a month and it is the hope of the RBI that the
competition will help them act faster.
3) ICICI, Axis
bank join Swift’s global payments initiative
SWIFT announced that ICICI Bank
and AXIS Bank are the first Indian banks to sign up for its global payments
innovation initiative.
Both banks will be joining forces
with more than 70 other leading banks globally. The initiative aims to enhance
cross-border payments by leveraging SWIFT’s proven messaging platform and
global reach.
In its first phase, the
initiative will focus on business-to-business payments. Designed to help
corporates grow their international business, improve supplier relationships,
and achieve greater treasury efficiencies; the new service will enable
corporates to receive an enhanced payments service directly from their banks
4) Exim raises $1bn bonds at
lowest yield since 2000
Export Import Bank of India (Exim
Bank) has raised $1 billion by floating 10-year bonds offering a coupon of
3.375%, marking a revival in appetite for Indian debt.
Exim Bank said that the yield on
the bond is the lowest on a $500-million-plus bond since 2000.
In the last fortnight, Adani
Transmission raised $500 million and pharma firm Glenmark mopped up $200
million.
Earlier in July, mortgage giant
HDFC and the region's multilateral financial — Asian Development Bank, raised
Rs 3,000 crore and Rs 500 crore, respectively, from international investors by
floating rupee-denominated debt.
5) World Bank
gives $100 million for Sri Lanka's economic reforms
The World Bank has approved a
$100 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA) to
support the Sri Lanka's economic reforms programme, officials said on Monday.
"Sri Lanka has been making
steady progress on economic reforms, with the government aiming to create one
million new jobs through a reform package focused on improving the country's
competitiveness, transparency and macroeconomic stability," the report
quoted a statement by the World Bank as saying.
A World Bank study, the
Systematic Country Diagnostic, has highlighted the need for Sri Lanka to move
from "a largely inward looking and public sector driven economy" to
one that can unleash the potential of the private sector.
6) Exim Bank
raises $1 billion from overseas bonds
Export-Import Bank of India (Exim
Bank) on Sunday announced raising of $1 billion (about Rs 6,700 crore) by
selling bonds to overseas investors.
Initially announced for $500
million, the issue was upsized to $1 billion based on strong demand from the
investors, Exim Bank said in a statement.
The issue attracted a total order
book in excess of $2.50 billion from over 157 investors. This was the largest
issuance ever for Exim Bank and also the largest single tranche issuance out of
India in 2016, it claimed.
BUSINESS/ECONOMY
1) IRCTC's app
ties-up exclusively with Mobikwik for e-cash payments
Mobile payments company MobiKwik
and Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) have announced an
exclusive partnership, wherein MobiKwik will power e-cash payments on IRCTC's
e-catering app, Food on Track.
The app allows passengers to book
and get food from their preferred restaurants, delivered right at their train
coaches. MobiKwik is also powering payments for IRCTC Connect, which allows
users to book train tickets instantly.
2) Finance
Minister calls for more FDI
Union Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley, has called for more Foreign Direct Investment and emphasized on stable
and credible tax system.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has
said there is a need to attract more global investments to India.
Delivering 1st memorial lecture
at Dr A P J Abdul Kalam Memorial Lecture in New Delhi yesterday, Jaitley said,
investments will help India build good business environment.
3) NRIs/PIOs
can now send funds online for Modi govt's flagship schemes like Swachch Bharat,
Clean Ganga
NRIs and Persons of Indian
Origion (PIOs) will now be able to make monetary contributions online for
government's flagship programmes 'Swachch Bharat' and Clean Ganga among other
social sector projects, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announced in
Tuesday.
Swaraj said this while chairing a
meeting of the India Development Foundation of Overseas Indians (IDF-OI), a
not-for-profit trust established by government of India with an aim to
supplement country's social development efforts.
4) SEBI’s first phase of new enterprise portal goes live
Markets regulator Securities and
Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has initiated the first phase of its new
enterprise portal to facilitate accurate and timely dissemination of
information to the watchdog’s internal and external stakeholders.
The new portal, which would
replace the regulator’s existing portal in a phased manner, went live on July
29 and is being developed by IT major Tech Mahindra.
The first phase of the project
provides the employees of the SEBI and some of its market intermediaries with
an interactive portal.
5) IRB Infra
bags Rs 2,100-crore Rajasthan-Gujarat NHAI project
Toll road firm IRB Infrastructure
Developers has received a contract worth Rs 2,100 crore from the National
Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for a six-lane project in Rajasthan and
Gujarat.
In a company released statement,
IRB said that it has emerged as a preferred bidder for the six-lane project
from Udaipur to Rajasthan/ Gujarat border on section of NH-8 in Rajasthan and
Gujarat.
BOOKS AND AUTHORS
1) India
Rising: Fresh Hope, New Fears authored by Ravi Velloor
A book titled India Rising: Fresh
Hope, New Fears by Ravi Velloor chronicles India's journey in the decade before
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rise.
The book was released in April
2016 by Singapore Emeritus Senior Minister (ESM) Goh Chok Tong.
The book captures the significant
events of the years under former India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and
examines how the country dealt with those issues.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
1) US skydiver jumps without
parachute into net from 25,000ft
American Luke Aikins has become
the first person to jump from 25,000 ft (7,620m) without a parachute, landing
safely in a net.
Mr Aikins - who has more than
18,000 jumps under his belt - fell dead centre into the 100x100ft net in Simi
Valley, southern California.
During the two-minute fall aired
live on Fox television, the 42-year-old reached the speed of 120mph (193km/h).
To loud cheers, he climbed out of
the net and hugged his wife and young son.
2) Rare
3,000-year-old tree found in China
A rare yew tree whose extract is
used to treat cancer and is believed to be about 3,000 years old has been
discovered in China, authorities said on Sunday.
The living tree is located in
Huanggou Forest, in northeast China’s Jilin Province.
It is more than 40 metres tall
and has a diameter of 1.68 metres, said Yang Yongsheng, head of the forest
administration.
According to the provincial
forestry department, it is the oldest — believed to be about 3,000 years old —
and the best-preserved Chinese yew in Jilin.
NATIONAL NEWS
1) Andhra
Pradesh, Japan agriculture ministry ink pact to develop food value chain
The Andhra Pradesh government on 30
July 2016 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Japan to develop a food
value chain in the state.
Under the MoU, Japan's Ministry of
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) will encourage direct investments by
Japanese companies in the fields of agriculture and food-related industry in Andhra
Pradesh.
Along with developing a food value
chain, it will also establish food industrial parks and develop cold chains.
2) Suresh
Prabhu to flag off Delhi-Agartala broad gauge train service today
Union Railway Minister Suresh
Prabhu will flag off the maiden broad gauge train service from Agartala to
Delhi today.
The 'Tripura Sundari Express'
will run weekly between Agartala and Anand Vihar in New Delhi.
It will have commercial stoppages
at 16 stations and cover a distance of 2461 kms in 46 hrs. 50 minutes.
The train will leave Agartala for
New Delhi every Thursday and will leave New Delhi for the return journey every
Monday.
The Railway Minister will also
lay the foundation stone of the Agartala-Akhaura International Rail link
Project with Bangladesh Railway Minister Md. Mazibul Hoque.
3) Resolution
for renaming of Madras High Court passed
Even as a Bill introduced by the
Union Law Ministry to rename the Madras High Court as the High Court of Chennai
awaits Parliamentary nod, the State Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a
resolution on Monday urging the Centre to rename it as the High Court of Tamil
Nadu.
Moving the resolution in the
House, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said that the High Court was located in the
city of Chennai but has jurisdiction over the whole State of Tamil Nadu.
4) NTPC commissions NP Kunta power
project
NTPC Ltd has commissioned a 50 MW
(1X50 MW) capacity solar photovoltaic power project of NP Kunta Ultra Mega
Solar Power Project Stage-I at Anantapuramu in Andhra Pradesh on July 29.
With this, the installed capacity
of NP Kunta Ultra Mega Solar Power Project Stage-I coming up at at Anantapuramu
has touched 250 MW and that of NTPC Group now stands at 47,228 MW.
5) Centre
relaxes norms for foreign tourists visiting Ladakh
The Centre has decided to relax
the requirement of a Protected Area Permit for foreigners visiting various parts
of Ladakh including the Nubra valley, Jammu and Kashmir government said on
Sunday.
The notification has been issued
by the Ministry of Home Affairs in this regard.
J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti
has directed the Tourism Department to expedite necessary approvals and
initiate work on various tourism infrastructure projects for which DPRs have
already been submitted for approval of the central government.
6) HRD Minister
inaugurates IIT Goa Campus
Union Minister of Human Resource
Development Shri Prakash Javdekar inaugurated Indian Institute of Technology,
Goa on Saturday, July 30th.
He also laid the foundation stone
for IIT Goa Students’ Hostel. The newly set up IIT Goa shall function from
temporary campus at Goa Engineering College, Farmagudi and will be mentored by
IIT Mumbai.
Speaking on the occasion Union
HRD Minister stated that IITs are recognised world over as premier institutes
of academic excellence.
He also stated that the Ministry
is working towards increasing the perception of IITs so that IITs are ranked
top in world rankings.
7) Kudankulam
plant is safest in the world, says Russian official
The two units of India's
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP), which is being implemented with strong
safety enhancement requirement, can withstand an energy accident like the
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster of 2011 in Japan, a Russian nuclear industry
official has said.
In an interview to The Hindu,
Vladimir Angelov, director of projects for the ASE group of companies in India,
said, "We analysed the basic technical design of Units 1 and 2 in terms of
the lessons from Fukushima. We came to the conclusion that they would have
withstood a Fukushima-like incident."
SPORTS NEWS
1) India to host
Kabaddi World Cup in October
India will host 12 teams in the
Kabaddi World Cup scheduled to take place in October, the International Kabaddi
Federation (IKF) announced on Sunday.
The United States, Canada, UK,
Australia, Iran, Poland, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Korea, Japan and Kenya, apart
from hosts India, are set to take part in the competition for the top honours.
Kabaddi became a part of Asian
Games in the year 1990 and India has won all the gold medals since then.
2) Patna Pirates crowned Season 4
Champions of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi
Season 4 of Star Sports Pro
Kabaddi ended on a high note at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium with reigning
champions Patna Pirates recording a 37-29 victory over the formidable Jaipur
Pink Panthers in the finale.
It was a closely contested 40
minutes of perhaps the finest kabaddi game of the season, as both teams battled
for supremacy. Dharmaraj Cheralathan captain of the Patna Pirates, hoisted up
the golden trophy amidst spectacular scenes of celebration.
It was Patna’s aggression versus
Jaipur’s tactics and in the end, it was Patna Pirates who stamped their
authority and emerged as champions of the League, claiming their second trophy.
3) Lewis
Hamilton wins German Grand Prix to maintain F1 championship lead
Lewis Hamilton dominated the
German Grand Prix to move into a 19-point lead in the championship over
Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.
Hamilton shot into the lead at
the start from second on the grid as Rosberg slipped to fourth, where he
finished after a difficult afternoon.
Rosberg was penalised for forcing
Red Bull's Max Verstappen off the track.
The German finished behind Red
Bull's Daniel Ricciardo and Verstappen after being unable to make up the lost
time.
4) Novak
Djokovic wins fourth Rogers Cup championship
Moments after closing out his
straight-sets win over Kei Nishikori, newly-crowned Rogers Cup champ Novak
Djokovic saluted fans at the Aviva Centre and tossed his sweaty wristbands into
the crowd.
Then the 29-year-old Serbian
tennis star entered the stands to hug his coaches and his doubles partner,
Nenad Zimonjic.
Minutes later in the trophy ceremony
he asked the fans who stuck around to hug the person next to them. Only a
handful joined the bonding exercise, but Djokovic wheeled to his left and
wrapped the on-court public address announcer in a bear hug.
5) Simona Halep
defeats Madison Keys to win Rogers Cup women’s title
The large contingent of
red-and-yellow-clad Romanian fans at Uniprix Stadium got what they came for: a
convincing victory by Simona Halep in the final of the women’s Rogers Cup.
A roar went up and flags were
waving as Halep defeated error-prone American Madison Keys 7-6 (2), 6-3 to
claim the title in Canada on her second try, one year after heat stroke forced
her to retire from the championship match.
6) Ashwin
equals Anil Kumble, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar's record
Indian off-spinner Ravichandran
Ashwin continued his supreme form with the ball, as he claimed yet another
five-wicket haul against West Indies and equalled the feat achieved by
legendary Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Anil Kumble.
With his 18th five-for in 34 Test
matches, the off-spinner also earned the distinction of becoming only the third
Indian bowler to have five-wicket innings hauls in three consecutive Test
matches after spinners Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and current coach Anil Kumble.
