649compendium July2017

Compendium- July, 2017
National
International
Economics & Financial Awareness
Defence & Security - National/International
Appointments-National/International
Person Resigned/Retired
Sports
Honours / Awards
Obituaries
Important Days
Foreign Visits / Foreign Visitors

National
“National Biopharma Mission”: To aim at accelerating bio-pharmaceutical development

 The Union Government has launched the ‘National Biopharma Mission’ for bio -
pharmaceutical development in India.
 The name of a new ambitious programme
Innovate in India (i3) launched under the mission
that aspires to create an enabling ecosystem to
promote entrepreneurship and indigenous
manufacturing in the sector.
 The National Biopharma Mission was launched
on 30 June 2017 by Science and Technology
Minister Harsh Vardhan in New Delhi.
 It is expected to bring together expertise from
national and international corridors to provide strategic guidance and direction to move
promising solutions through the product development value chain.
 On the other a new programme named “Innovate in India (i3)” was launched under this
mission that is expected to witness an investment of US$ 250 million with US$ 125 million
as a loan from World Bank.
'Delhi Dialogue' Meet to be attend by Top ASEAN leaders on July 4

 Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam Pham Binh Minh and Singapore's Senior Minister of
State for Defence and Foreign Affairs Maliki Bin Osman will be among the leaders will
attend the 9th India-ASEAN ministerial dialogue on July 4,2017.
 The aim is to intensify and broaden political, strategic and economic cooperation in the
region.
 The congregation is known as 'Delhi Dialogue'.
 The conference has emerged as an important forum at which political leaders, policy
makers, researchers, academicians, business leaders and media persons converge for
brainstorming on a range of issues pertaining to ASEAN-India relations.
 Coming in the backdrop of evolving security and economic scenario in the region,
 The meet will also provide an opportunity to leaders to explore ways to boost cooperation
in these key areas and also in the field of connectivity and tourism.
 Relationship with the ASEAN grouping is one of the cornerstones of India's foreign policy
and Act East policy.
 It has deepened across the three pillars of politico- security, economic and socio-cultural
cooperation.
 ASEAN-India dialogue relations have grown rapidly from a sectoral dialogue partnership in
1992 to a full dialogue partnership in December 1995.
 The relationship was further elevated with the convening of the ASEAN-India Summit in
2002 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Since then the ASEAN-India Summit has been held
annually.
 The leaders are also expected to have bilateral meetings with the leadership here.
 Apart from Singapore and Vietnam, the other ASEAN countries are Brunei Darussalam,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand.
New Israeli Chrysanthemum flower named after PM Narendra Modi

 A newly discovered fast-growing Israeli flower was named after Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, as a special gesture to mark the first visit of an Indian PM to Israel.
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 PM Modi was greeted by Benjamin Netanyahu along with the top tier of Israel's leadership -
known as segel aleph - an honour given to only a few
leaders.
 Commemorating Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
visit, Danziger Flower Farm names the flower
Crysanthumun as 'Modi.', on the name of Prime
Minister.
 The Danziger flower farm is one of Israel's leading
floriculture companies with approximately 80,000
square meters of state-of-the-art greenhouses specialising in reproduction of plants.
 The farm was founded in 1953 and it is located in Moshav Mishmar Hashiva, about 56 km
from Jerusalem, in central Israel.
Udaipur to be India's first ever Bird-Park

 Lake City, Udaipur will soon have a bird-park which to be first ever in the country.
 The bird-park will be a sight for the tourists to rejoice
the pleasant sight and twittering of birds in natural
environment.
 The park for the avian species will be set-up in the
Gulab Bagh, a popular tourist spot in the city. As many
as 11 bird cages will be made in 5.11 hectare land of
Gulab Bagh.
 Out of these, tenders for 5 cages will be made open on
14th July.
 The estimated budget for these cages is 3.5 crore
rupees.
 The foundation of this bird park was laid on February
26, 2016
 Now the Forest department has assigned this project to Rajasthan State Road Development
Corporation who appointed Mumbai's Green Pro India consultant company to start the long
awaited work of this bird park
 Green Pro India has submitted a project report which states the placement of bird cages
 Bird cages will flaunt Macaw, Cockatoo, Parrot, Aquatic birds, Shikra, Vulture, Hawk, Cock,
Sparrow, Passerine, Emu, Hornbill and Myna.
Foundation stone of country’s biggest Global Skill Park laid in Bhopal

 The foundation stone of the country’s biggest Global Skill Park was laid
in Bhopal jointly by Union Minister of State for Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship Rajeev Pratap Rudi and Madhya Pradesh Chief
Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
 The park will come up on 37 acre land allotted in Narela Shankari area
of Bhopal. It will be established with the support of Singapore’s
Institute of Technical Education and Education Services (ITEES).
President promulgated the ordinance legalizing the traditional buffalo-race sport of

‘Kambala’
 President Pranab Mukherjee on 3 July 2017 promulgated the ordinance legalizing the
traditional buffalo-race sport of ‘Kambala’.
 Kambala is a folk sport, held traditionally under the auspices of local landlords and
households in coastal Karnataka.
 The sport generally starts in November and lasts until March.
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 In November 2016, the Karnataka High Court had banned the sport through an interim
order.
 The petition seeking the ban was filed by the People for Ethical
Treatment of Animals (PETA) as it felt this sport reflects
cruelty towards animals.
 But the Karnataka Govt. passed an amendment bill in the state
Assembly to legalise this sport after huge protests.
 Now the President has promulgated the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Ordinance, 2017, thus making Kambala legal in
Karnataka.
Ahmedabad becomes India’s first World Heritage City

 The Walled City of Ahmedabad has been declared India’s first World Heritage City.
 The city was founded by Sultan Ahmed Shah in the 15th century.
 The World Heritage Committee (WHC) of UNESCO
made the announcement following a meeting in
Poland’s Krakwo.
 The 5.5 km walled city area with an approximate
population of four lakh, living in century old wooden
residences in around 600 pols or neighbourhoods, is
regarded as a living heritage.
 The UNESCO had preferred Ahmedabad over Delhi
and Mumbai.
 It has now joined the privileged club of heritage cities like Paris, Cairo, Edinburg and two
cities in the subcontinent, Bhaktpur in Nepal and Galle in Sri Lanka.
 The walled city of Ahmedabad on the eastern banks of Sabarmati river presents a rich
architectural heritage from the sultanate period, notably the Bhadra citadel, the walls and
gates of the Fort city and numerous mosques and tombs, as well as important Hindu and
Jain temples of later periods.
 There are 2600 heritage sites and over two dozen ASI protected monuments and sites in
the walled city.
 The city had figured in UNESCO’s tentative list in 2011.
 The civic body and the State authorities expect a huge boost to tourism after the UNESCO’s
declaration.
India to invite heads of 10 ASEAN nations for Republic Day celebrations

 India will invite the heads of state or government of all 10 AEAN nations for the Republic
Day parade and celebrations next year.
 ASEAN is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations,
and has as members Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia,
Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand and Vietnam.
 Republic Day 2018 will be the first time ever that so
many leaders will together be chief guests at the
parade which showcases India's military might.
 Since it renamed 'Look East' as 'Act East' in 2014, the NDA government has sought a more
"dynamic" and "action-oriented" approach in its relations with not just ASEAN, but also the
wider Asia-Pacific, with emphasis on Japan.
 However, ASEAN continues to be the central pillar of 'Act East', and the special summit next
year in January is expected to further underscore the point.
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 India and ASEAN are marking 25 years of dialogue partnership, 15 years of summit-level
interaction, and five years of strategic partnership, through a wide range of activities, both
in India and through Indian missions in Asean member-states, including a commemorative
summit on the theme, 'Shared Values, Common Destiny' .
 It is also significant that Singapore and Vietnam have been exhorting India to increase its
profile in the region.
 China's increasing assertiveness, some would say belligerence, in the way it has handled
maritime territorial disputes, particularly in the South China Sea, continues to spark fear
and insecurity in the region.
 At least 4 Asean countries - Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei — are directly
party to disputes involving Beijing in the South China Sea. Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong is
likely to attend the function.
Ghaziabad is the most polluted city in India

 The Central Pollution Control Board of India has announced the list of the most polluted
cities in the country. Ghaziabad has topped the list as the most
polluted city while the national capital, Delhi, is at number 4.
 The National Green Tribunal has directed UP Pollution Control
Board (UPPCB) to initiate an action against polluting
industries in Ghaziabad and adjoining areas after a plea
alleged that toxic discharge from these units was causing air
and water pollution.
 A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar directed UPPCB to conduct
inspection of these units and submit a compliance report.
 All about the Central Pollution Control Board of India's list:
 CPCB has revealed that the Particulate Matter 10 has steadily increased in 94 cities in the
country.
 The survey also revealed that Nitrogen Dioxide levels in the cities have increased at
alarming rates.
 Delhi has the maximum level of nitrogen dioxide.
 The report was compiled after surveying the pollution level for three consecutive levels.
 To combat the increasing pollution levels in the country, the board has made a 42 step
action plan.
 The plan includes checking vehicular pollution, implementation of BS-6 from April 1, 2020,
curbing of dust on roads, ban on diesel vehicles and afforestation.
 Most 10 polluted cities in India:
1. Ghaziabad
2. Allahabad
3. Bareilly
4. Delhi
5. Kanpur
6. Ferozabad
7. Agra
8. Alwar
9. Gajrola
10. Jaipur
India imports crude oil for the first-time ever from United States
 India will import crude oil for the first-time ever from United States America.
 Presently, India, the world’s third-largest oil importer.
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 For this purchase, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) bought a cargo that will be delivered in
October 2017.
 Indian Oil will import 1.6 million barrels of US Mars crude, a heavy, high-sulphur grade, and
400,000 barrels of Western Canadian Select that will be delivered onboard a very large
crude carrier.
 The purchase comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s
visit to the US in June 2017 when President Donald Trump
said his country looked forward to exporting more energy
products to India.
 India is the latest Asian country to buy US crude after South
Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, Australia and Taiwan as the
countries seek to diversify oil imports from other regions
after the OPEC cuts drove up prices of Middle East heavy-sour
crude, or grades with a high sulphur content.
India to become largest milk producer in 2026: UN and OECD

 According to the UN and OECD, India will be the world’s
largest milk producer by 2026 and will account for the
biggest increase in wheat production globally.
 In 2026, India will be the world’s largest milk producer,
with an output one-third above that of the second largest
producer, the European Union.
 India’s population will grow from 1.3 billion to 1.5 billion,
an increase of almost 150 million.
 India will overtake China and is projected to be the most
populous country in the world by 2026.
 Global production of wheat is projected to increase by 11 % over the outlook period of
2017-2026, while the wheat area increases by only 1.8 %.
 Major production gains are projected for India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam
with yields in these countries are expected to increase by over 15 %.
 According to the OECD-FAO, Agricultural Outlook 2017-2026 ,the world’s population will
increase from 7.3 to 8.2 billion over the course of the next decade with India and Sub-
Saharan Africa accounting for 56 %of total population growth.
Karnataka may have a separate State flag soon

 The Indian state Karnataka is soon planning their own flag.
 The state government of Karnataka has constituted a nine-member committee to study the
possibility of designing a separate state flag.
 This will provide the state with a statutory standing.
 A report shall soon be submitted to the state government
after looking into required possibilities.
 It will be headed by Principal Secretary, Department of
Kannada and Culture.
 The committee was constituted following representation of
social activists from the state of Karnataka
 The activists urged the government to design a separate flag for Kannada 'naadu' and
accord statutory standing for it
 There is no prohibition in the Constitution for the State to have its own flag
 There is no separate central or state law dealing with issue, so legally any state flag is not
unauthorised
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 Jammu and Kashmir is only state having separate flag of its own due to special status
granted by Article 370 of the Constitution
 At present, the national flag code specifically authorises use of other flags subject to the
regulation by the court
 It does not mention anything about separate state flag, just the manner in which the other
flag is hoisted should not dishonour the national flag
 It should always be hoisted below the national flag.
Maharashtra first state to have law against social boycott

 Maharashtra has become the first state in India to bring a law making social boycott a
crime.
 The movement, initiated by late Narendra Dabholkar, gained momentum after he was shot
dead and the Maharashtra legislature passed the law unanimously in 2016.
 The President of India giving assent to the Maharashtra Prohibition of People from Social
Boycott (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2016.
 The President gave the assent on June 20, 2017.
 The new law proposes action against extra-judicial bodies like jat (caste) and community
panchayats, and prescribes a maximum punishment of three years in jail.
 As per the law, the offence of imposing social boycott will attract a maximum punishment of
3 years in prison or a fine up to Rs 1 lakh or both.
 The abetment of the offence also attracts the same punishment and fine.
SDG Index places India on lowly 116th position

 India has been placed at a low 116 rank out
of 157 nations on the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDG) Index.
 Sweden has topped the SDG Index 2017 with
a score of 85.6.
 The SDG Index and Dashboards Report is
produced by the Sustainable Development
Solutions Network (SDSN) and the
Bertelsmann Stiftung.
 The SDG index ranks countries on the basis
of their performance across 17 sustainable
goals.
 India has been ranked at 116th position with a score of 58.1, in the index.
 It is behind countries such as Nepal, Iran, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and China. Pakistan is ranked at
number 122.
 The United States ranks 42nd on the Index, while Russia and China rank 62nd and 71st
respectively.
 The rankings show that the countries which have topped the index are not the biggest
economies but are comparably small, developed economies
 According to Bertelsmann Stiftung chairman and CEO Aart De Geus, the report's findings
show that politicians, businesses and society altogether must urgently intensify their efforts
and commit themselves to this agenda.
 The SDG Index and Dashboard collect available data for 157 countries to assess where each
country stands in 2017 with regard to achieving the SDGs.
Top 10 countries with their scores:
 No.1. Sweden (85.6 score)
 No.2. Denmark (84.2 score)
 No.3. Finland (84 score)
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 No.4. Norway (83.9 score)

 No.5. Czech Republic (81.9 score)
 No.6. Germany (81.7 score)
 No.7. Austria (81.4 score)
 No.8. Switzerland (81.2 score)
 No9. Slovenia (80.5 score)
 No.10. France (80.3 score)
Indian Railways launches India's first solar powered train

 The Indian Railways has introduced an environment friendly train.
 The 1600 HHP solar DEMU train is a great step towards a clean
and green future and will have a positive financial impact too.
 The train will be operational from July 15, 2017.
 This will result in a a massive reduction in carbon dioxide emission
per coach per annum -- about 9 tonnes
 An annual diesel fuel saving of Rs 2 lakh per coach per annum is
expected with total annual savings amounting to Rs 672 crore
 The success of the train will ensure more such initiatives by the India Railways as they are
looking for ways to convert solar energy into liquid fuel
 The train will be stationed at platform number 1 of Safdarjung Railway station in New Delhi
 The train will travel from Sarai Rohilla station in Delhi to Garhi Harsaru Junction, Farukh
Nagar in Haryana
 There are 16 solar panels of 300 watt capacity each in a coach
 The energy generated through the panel will be stored in batteries and can be used during
night as well
 The two passenger coaches which do not have solar panel will operate on diesel
 The train has two parallel power sources -- solar power and diesel. In case of failure of
either, it can switch the power modes
 The life span of solar panels is 25 years and they will be monitored on a regular basis.
President inaugurates Bicentenary Celebration of Paika Rebellion

 President Pranab Mukharjee inaugurated the bicentenary (200th)
celebration of Paika Rebellion (1817) of Odisha organised by the Union
Ministry of Culture in New Delhi.
 Paika rebellion predates the 1857 Revolt i.e. first war of independence.
Many scholars, researchers and historians have opined that the Paika
Rebellion of 1817 was India’s first organized armed rebellion against
British Raj (then British East India Company rule).
Raipur Airport airport topped in the 2017 Customer Satisfaction Survey : AAI
 Chhattisgarh capital Raipur’s Swami Vivekananda Airport was once again ranked first in
Customer Satisfaction among 49 airports in the
country.
 The survey for 2017 was conducted by an independent
agency commissioned by the AAI. Raipur airport had
topped the previous survey also.
 Raipur Airport achieved 4.84 score in a five point scale
index in latest CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index)
survey conducted by an independent agency for the period of Jan- June 2017 followed by
Udaipur, Amritsar and Dehradun airports which scored 4.75, 4.74 and 4.73 respectively.
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 The said survey covered wide range of parameters like transportation, parking, passenger
facilities and cleanliness etc.
 Raipur airport was named after Swami Vivekananda in 2012 and in the same year its
integrated terminal building was inaugurated.
 It is the main airport of Chhattisgarh state.
India’s first bio-methane bus launched by Tata Motors

 Tata Motors has developed India's first bio-methane bus - imagine a bus that runs on food
waste.
 Bio-methane is produced out of bio-degradable
materials like kitchen waste.
 Tata Motors has not yet announced price of the new
bio-methane (or bio-CNG) bus.
 According to Tata Motors, the use of Bio-CNG will help
in smart cities of the future - with the bus providing an
effective solution for wet garbage management.
 India's first bio-methane bus that comes at a time when globally the use of clean energy is
under focus.
 Tata Motors has introduced technologies in CNG engines like long life spark plugs,
sequential gas injection technology, plug type coils, skip fire and longer oil drain intervals.
India, China and Pakistan accounting for 95% of HIV infections: UN report
 According to a UN report ,India, China and Pakistan are among the 10 countries that
accounted for more than 95 % of all new HIV
infections in the Asia and the Pacific region in 2016.
 The report by the Joint UN Programme on
HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS, 'Ending AIDS: Progress towards
the 90-90-90 targets', gives a comprehensive
analysis of the 2014 targets to accelerate progress
so that by 2020.
 90 % of all HIV-infected people know their status,
90 % of all HIV-diagnosed people are accessing
antiretroviral therapy (ART) and 90 %of those
taking ART are virally suppressed.
 It said scales have tipped for the first time in the
fight against AIDS as more than half of all people living with the HIV virus now have access
to treatment, while AIDS-related deaths have nearly halved since 2005.
 In the Asia and the Pacific region, the majority of new infections are occurring in 10
countries led by India, China, Indonesia, Pakistan, Vietmnam, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea,
the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia.
 These 10 countries together accounted for more than 95 %of all new HIV infections in the
region in 2016.
 Last year, 19.5 million of the 36.7 million people living with HIV globally had access to
treatment and AIDS-related deaths have fallen from 1.9 million in 2005 to one million.
 By the 2015, target of 15 million people on treatment and track to double that number to
30 million and meet the 2020 target.
Delhi Metro becomes world’s first completely ‘green’ Metro system

 The Delhi Metro Railway Corporation (DMRC) has become the world’s first completely
‘green’ Metro system for adhering to green building norms for its residential colonies.
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 In this regard, Delhi Metro has secured the platinum rating for adherence to green building
norms for its 10 residential colonies from the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).
Global Conference on Cyber Space -2017 to be held in India on Nov 23

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the global conference on cyber space (GCSS)
on November 23, to be held for the first time in India.
 Over 2,000 delegates from 100 countries and there will be about 50 ministerial level
delegations to be participate.
 Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Infosys co-
founders Nandan Nilekani and N Narayanmurthy, along with global digital companies for
participation in the conference.
 The UK had hosted the first GCCS in 2011 followed by Budapest in 2012.
 South Korea hosted the event in 2013 and the Netherlands in 2015.
 The theme of this conference in a way reflects the changing architecture of India in the
digital space.
 The government will soon launch a new programme for digital literacy of 6 crore people.
 The conference will also focus on making cyber space more secure and bringing in digital
democracy.
 The government will also set up an exhibition of digital firms.
 The overall goal of GCCS - 2017 is to promote an inclusive cyber space with focus on
policies and frameworks for inclusivity, sustainability and development among others.
Government to launch Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana (AGEY)

 The Union Ministry of Rural Development will launch Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana
(AGEY).
 It is a sub-scheme under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana
– National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).
 AGEY aims to provide an alternative source of
livelihood to members of Self Help Groups (SHGs) by
facilitating them to operate public transport services
in backward rural areas.
 It was launched as NRLM in 2011 but was succeeded
by Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana in 2016. The scheme
aims at promoting self-employment and organization
of rural poor.
 The basic idea behind this programme is to organize the poor into SHG (Self Help Groups)
groups and make them capable for self-employment.
 It has a special focus on women empowerment including a dedicated component for
promoting farm and non-farm based livelihoods for women farmers in rural areas.
Kiren Rijiju inaugurates RIWATCH Museum and Chimari Bridge

 Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju has inaugurated the Research Institution of
World Ancient, Traditional, Culture & Heritage (RIWATCH) Museum at Roing in Arunachal
Pradesh.
 Later, on the sideline of his visit to Roing, Rijiju also inaugurated the 235-meter long
Chimari Bridge, which would serve as a life line between the National Highway 52 of Roing-
Tezu.
 The bridge has been constructed by Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
 According to UNESCO report there are 32 languages in Arunachal Pradesh that are on the
verge of extinction and the state government is initiating programmes and policies to find
out and to revive those minor and major tribal languages.
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India is world’s third-biggest beef exporter: OECD-FAO report

 According to recently released OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2017-2026 report, India is
the world’s third-biggest exporter of beef. Brazil was ranked as the world’s top beef
exporter followed by Australia.
 The report was released jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the
Organisation for Economic Cooperation (OECD).
Key Highlights of Report
 India exported 1.56 million tonnes of beef in 2016. It is expected to maintain its position as
the third-largest beef exporter, accounting for 16% of global exports in
2026 by exporting 1.93 tonnes that year. India imported 363,000
tonnes of beef in 2016 and the amount was projected to stay the same
over the decade.
 The type of beef exported was not specified, but the exported meat
appears to be mostly from buffaloes as the report has specified the
animal for imports by Myanmar from India. It needs to be clarified
whether the report classifies even buffalo meat as beef.
 The total world beef exports was 10.95 million tonnes in 2016 and it is expected to increase
to 12.43 million tonnes by 2026. Till 2015, India was the world’s largest exporter of beef
and had extended its lead over the next highest exporter, Brazil.
52-year-old Punjab woman becomes Uber's first female bike taxi driver
 A 52-year-old grandmother from Punjab has
proved that age is just a number!
 Paramjeet Kaur hailing from Mohali is among the
bike taxi riders who ferry passengers for Uber.
 With 100 other bike taxi riders, Kaur functions as
part of the Punjab government's 'Apni Gaddi, Apna
Rozgar' program.
 The bike taxi initiative was launched at the Indian
School of Business in collaboration with
UberMOTO.
 The venture has been introduced in Mohali, Kharar, and Zirakpur.
 The women are facilitated with permits along with mobile phones to deliver the service
smoothly.
 Kaur who lost her husband at a young age had to struggle throughout her life to rear her
kids. Paramjeet has been riding a scooter for the past 10 years.
 She has been trained well by the company expert to fit the role.
FSSAI bans stapler pins in tea bags from January 2018

 The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has banned the use of stapler
pins in tea bags from January 2018.
 FSSAI ban order issued under Section (15) FSS Act, 2006 has
reasoned that any loose staple pin consumed with tea
inadvertently may cause serious health hazard.
 Currently, tea bags are either stapled or knotted.
 According to industry estimates, the tea bag segment
contributes 3-4 per cent by value of total tea sales but it is
one of the fastest growing segments at 50-60 per cent year-on-year.
 The FSSAI order is directed at the concerned food business operators to discontinue the
manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import of stapled tea bags by January 1, 2018.
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 The order also directs the food safety commissioners to take action to prevent the use if
unsafe packaging materials by companies and take up measures for enforcement of its
order.
Maneka Gandhi recommends legalising marijuana for medical purposes

 Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi has recommended
legalising marijuana for medical purposes.
 She made the remarks during a meeting with a group of ministers to examine the draft
cabinet note on the National Drug Demand Reduction Policy.
 Many developed countries such as USA, Canada and Australia have legalised marijuana for
medical purpose.
 The meeting has approved the draft policy.
 This is not the first time when an Indian politician has recommended legalising cannabis in
the country.
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi had directed the GoM to analyse the draft policy for drug
demand reduction that seeks to address the problem of drug and substance abuse in the
country.
Haryana government bans use of liquid nitrogen in food and drink

 The Haryana food and drugs administration department has banned
flushing/mixing of liquid nitrogen with any drink or food article. The
ban was imposed under section 34 of the Food Safety and Standards Act
(FSS), 2006.
 The ban comes after a cocktail accident (due mixing of liquid nitrogen in
cocktail) at Gurgaon pub in April 2016 that burnt a hole in a man’s
stomach.
 Under this ban, any eatery found using liquid nitrogen with any drink or food will be
booked under section 34 (i) and (ii) of the FSS Act, 2006. The eatery may also face closure
and/or a penalty.
GK Gandhi named as the joint Vice-Presidential candidate of 18 opposition parties

 Gopal Krishna Gandhi is the United Progressive Alliance nominee
for Vice President of India 2017 elections.
 He was named as the joint Vice-Presidential candidate of 18
opposition parties.
 The Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’ Brien proposed his name
which was thereafter unanimously accepted by representatives
of other political parties.
 Gopal Krishna Gandhi is the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi as well
as C. Rajgoplachari, first Governor General of India.
M. Venkaiah Naidu nominated as the Vice-President of India for NDA

 Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Urban
Development Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu (M. Venkaiah
Naidu) was on 17 July 2017 announced as the official
candidate of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA)
for the upcoming election of the Vice-President of India.
 Venkaiah Naidu’s candidature was made by BJP president
Amit Shah, his name was endorsed by all the parties within
the NDA. Naidu resigned from the Cabinet on the same day.
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 The election for Vice-President of India will be held on 5 August 2017.

 Earlier the opposition parties had nominated former West Bengal Chief Minister and
Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Gopal Krishna Gandhi as their candidate.
 Later on 18 July 2017 Smriti Irani, Minister for Textiles, was assigned the additional charge
of the important Information and Broadcasting Ministry, while Narendra Singh Tomar, who
is holding numerous portfolios including Rural Development and Mines, was given Urban
Development Ministry as additional charge. Venkaiah Naidu was holding these ministries.
India to host 8th International Theatre Olympics in 2018

 India for the first time will host 8th International Theatre Olympics, the
greatest carnival of theatre in the world in 2018. The 51-day carnival of
theatre will begin on February 17, 2018.
 The mega international event will be organised by the National School
of Drama (NSD) in coordination with the Union Culture Ministry.
 The 2018 Theatre Olympics will showcase best of the theatre
productions from around the world. Besides, it will provide India an
opportunity to showcase the richness and diversity of its culture to the
world. It will host about 500 shows from across the world in 15 different cities across India
including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Chennai.
Union Cabinet approves establishment of International Rice Research Institute in Varanasi

 The Union Cabinet has approved establishment of International Rice Research Institute
(IRRI) set up a regional centre International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), a global rice
research institute.
 It will be named as IRRI South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC) and will be set up at campus of
National Seed Research and Training Centre (NSRTC) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
 Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi launches Jiyo Parsi Publicity Phase-2 in Mumbai. While launching the
Phase-2, Naqvi said that Parsi community has immense contribution in nation building and
Parsi community has been a “role model” for other communities for its culture and
traditions. The Parsi community has given so many great people who have been “architects
of nation building”.
 Union Government launches Sagar Vani to alert coastal community. This Integrated
Information Dissemination System (IDS) was developed by ESSO-Indian National Centre for
Ocean Information Services (INCOIS).
 Lok Sabha passes Companies Act (Amendment) Bill, 2016. It amends provisions related to
the composition of the Selection Committee of the National Companies Law Tribunal and
the National Companies Law Appellate Tribunal.
 National Centre for Seismology launches app India Quake for Earthquake Parameter
Dissemination. The minister launched the application on the occasion of Foundation Day of
Ministry of Earth Sciences in New Delhi.
 No immediate arrest under dowry harassment law: Supreme Court. The court held that
arrests in dowry harassment cases, where the maximum punishment is up to 7 years in jail,
cannot be made on a belief that the accused may have committed the offence.
 Parliament passes Collection of Statistics (Amendment) Bill, 2017. A bill empowering the
Centre to collect statistical data from Jammu and Kashmir was passed by the Parliament
after it received a go ahead in the Rajya Sabha on 26 July 2017.
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 Right to Education is Right to Quality Education: Supreme Court. The court held that
appointment of Shiksha Mitras was not as per qualification prescribed for a teacher and
they could not be regularized as teachers.
 Rajya Sabha passes Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Bill, 2017.
The Bill provides for prioritization of maritime claims and maritime liens while providing
protection to owners, charterers, operators, crew members and seafarers at the same time.
 Union Government launches mobile app Aarambh for road maintenance. Aarambh is a
mobile phone based app for performance based maintenance contracting and community
contracting for maintenance of rural roads.
 Union Government launches SHe-box portal for sexual harassment complaints. The Union
Ministry of Women and Child Development in October 2016 announced to launch an online
portal for sexual harassment cases after the ministry received complaints from women
employees in various ministries.
 Environment Ministry Approves Projects for Climate Change Adaptation in Three States.
The National Steering Committee on Climate Change has approved three Detailed Project
Reports submitted by the Governments of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Sikkim for funding under
the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change.
 Lok Sabha clears Indian Institute of Information Technology Public Private Partnership Bill
2017. The proposed Bill grants statutory status to the fifteen Indian Institutes of
Information Technology in Public Private Partnership and declares them as Institutions of
National Importance.
 UIDAI launches mAadhaar app for syncing Aadhaar data on mobile phone. Once you
register in mAadhar app, your Aadhaar card profile including phone number, address and
other details get stored on the app.
 SC says Right to Privacy cannot be absolute right, State may have some power to put
reasonable restriction on it. Terming ‘right to privacy’ as “amorphous”, the Supreme Court
held that privacy is not absolute and cannot prevent the state from making laws imposing
reasonable restrictions on citizens.
 Nine-judge bench to decide whether privacy is a fundamental right. The formation of the
nine-judge Bench seeks to bring an end to contradictory judicial pronouncements of the
past on the issue of the right to privacy.
 Supreme Court allows Union Government to replace MCI oversight committee. MCI
oversight committee was set up by the Supreme Court on 2 May 2016 for a term of one year
or till a suitable mechanism was brought in by the government to substitute it.
 PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate APJ Abdul Kalam's memorial. Prime Minister Narendra
Modi would be inaugurating a memorial for former Indian President A P J Abdul Kalam at
his birthplace, Peikarumbu near Rameswaram on 27 July 2017.
 Right of Children to Free & Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill scheduled for
consideration in Lok Sabha. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education
(Amendment) Bill, 2017 is scheduled to be brought up for consideration and passage in the
Lok Sabha on 18 July 2017.
 Railways Ministry launches RailCloud Project, NIVARAN-Grievance Portal and CTSE
Scheme. RailCloud is another step towards the Digitization of Railways with an aim of
single digital platform for Indian Railways.
 President Pranab Mukherjee launches digital initiatives to promote e-education. These
digital initiatives were launched under the National Mission on Education through ICT
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(NMEICT) with an aim to help all in adopting the digital way to improve the quality of
teaching.
 Union Government proposes scheme to open residential schools for SC girls. 70 percent of
the seats in these schools, which will have classes from VI to XII, will be reserved for SC
girls and the remaining for those from BPL families in other categories.
 Jobs, Admissions secured under reserved category using forged caste certificates cannot be
held valid: SC. A bench, headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar, did not concur with the findings
of the Bombay High Court that if a person continues in service for a long period of time and
the certificate is found to be fake at a later stage, then he or she may be allowed to continue
in the service.
 Union Government launches student-scientist connect programme JIGYASA. In this regard,
a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Union Ministry of Science & Technology
and Union Ministry of Human Resource Development.
 India declares itself free from Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 and H5N8. Avian
influenza is a highly contagious viral disease that affects species of food producing birds
like chickens, turkeys, quails, guinea fowl as well as pet birds and wild birds.
 PM Modi pays homage to veteran leader Babu Jagjivan Ram on his death anniversary.
Veteran Leader, Jagjivan Ram, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, Dalit Icon, Congress Leader,
Indira Gandhi, Emergency Period
 EPFO inks agreement with 5 banks to collect PF dues. Before, only State Bank of India was
authorised to collect contributions from employers and make payment to employees.
 Law Commission recommends compulsory registration of marriages, defaulters to be fined.
The Law commission of India recommended the compulsory registration of marriage in its
270th Report called ‘Compulsory Registration of Marriages’ submitted to the Government.
15 |
International
12th G-20 summit-2017, Hamburg, Germany
G-20 leaders adopt Hamburg Action Plan

 The 12th G-20 summit concluded in Germany’s Hamburg
city with adaptation of Hamburg Action Plan. It sets out the
group’s strategy for achieving strong, sustainable, balanced
and inclusive growth.
 The action plan aims to address major global challenges,
including climate change, harnessing digitalisation, and to
contribute to prosperity and well-being.
Key Highlights of Hamburg Action Plan
 Tackle common challenges: G20 members resolved to
tackle common challenges to the global community,
including terrorism, displacement, hunger, poverty and
health threats, job creation, climate change, energy security and inequality including gender
inequality, as a basis for sustainable development and stability.
 Trade and globalisation: They stressed on the importance of harnessing the benefits of
globalisation, reaffirm the importance of transparency for predictable and mutually
beneficial trade relations. They also underlined importance to boost employment by
improving sustainable global supply chains, as an important source of job creation and
balanced economic growth.
 Continue to use all policy tools: G20 members will use all policy tools such as monetary,
fiscal and structural- individually and collectively to achieve the goal of strong, sustainable,
balanced and inclusive growth, while enhancing economic and financial resilience.
 Paris Agreement: They agreed that the 2015 Paris Agreement is irreversible and
reiterated the importance of fulfilment of the UNFCCC commitments by developed
countries in providing means of implementation including financial resources to assist
developing countries with respect to both mitigation and adaptation actions.
 Sustainable livelihoods: G-20 members are committed to increase innovation on
sustainable and clean energies and energy efficiency, work towards low greenhouse-gas
emission energy systems and harness digitalisation to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development.
 Global Health systems: G-20 members called for strengthening health systems and
safeguarding against health crises. The leaders called on the UN to keep global health high
on the political agenda and strive for cooperative action to strengthen health systems
worldwide, including through developing the health workforce. The leaders also stressed
on combatting Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR), which is a growing threat to public health
and economic growth.
About Group of Twenty (G20)
 The G20 is the premier forum for its members’ international economic cooperation and
decision-making. It is deliberating on global economic issues and other important
development challenges.
 It was started in 1999 as a meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in the
aftermath of the Southeast Asian (Tiger economies) financial crisis. In 2008, the first G20
Leaders’ Summit was held in Washington DC, US. Since them the group had played a key
role in responding to the global financial crisis.
 Its members include 19 countries India, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, France,
Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Turkey, South
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Africa, UK, US and European Union (EU). They collectively represent 85% of global GDP,
80% of international trade, 65% of world’s population.
World’s longest 100Gbps submarine cable system launched by Reliance Jio

 Indian private telecom company Reliance Jio Infocomm has launched the Asia-Africa-
Europe (AAE-1) submarine cable system.
 It become world’s longest 100Gbps technology-based
submarine system.
 It stretches for over 25,000km from Marseille, France
to Hong Kong.
 It will have 21 cable landings across Asia and Europe.
Using it, Jio will continue to offer its customers the
most exceptional high speed internet and digital
service experience.
 The AAE-1 project is a combination of leading telecom service providers from Europe, the
Middle East and Asia.
 It will seamlessly link with other cable systems and fibre networks to deliver direct access
to all global markets.
 It will feature diversified Points of Presence (PoP) in Asia (Hong Kong and Singapore), with
three onward connectivity options in Europe (France, Italy and Greece).
 The cable system will pass through critical hubs, serving the demand for video centric data
bandwidth that supports all types of communications, applications and content within
India and beyond.
 The advanced design and route of AAE-1 system will offer one of the lowest latency routes
between Hong Kong, India, Middle East and Europe. Using it, Reliance Jio will provide the
Network Operations & Management for AAE-1 Cable System.
 Its Network Operations Center (NOC) will use a state of the art facility in Navi Mumbai.
WHO declares end of Ebola outbreak in Congo

 The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the end of the most recent outbreak of
Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
 The announcement comes 42 days after the last confirmed Ebola
patient in the affected Bas-Uele province of DRC tested negative for
the disease for the second time.
 It was DRC’s eighth outbreak of EVD since the discovery of the virus in
the country in 1976.
 It killed four of the eight people infected in the central African country.
 The recent outbreak in DRC is not connected to the 2014 deadly Ebola
outbreak that had worst hit Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and killed more than 11,300
dead, highest ever since its discovery of virus.
 This outbreak was declared finished in 2016. About Ebola virus disease (EVD) Ebola virus
disease (EVD) is a viral hemorrhagic fever of humans and other primates caused by ebola
viruses.
 It was first identified in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in a village near
the Ebola River, from which it takes its name.
 However, a range of potential treatments including immune therapies, blood products and
drug therapies are currently being evaluated.
 An experimental Ebola vaccine rVSV-ZEBOV is proved to highly protective against the
deadly virus in a major trial in Guinea conducted in 2015.
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Canada celebrates its 150th anniversary as a Confederation country on 1 July 2017

 Canada marked its 150th anniversary as a country on 1 July 2017.
 The country became a Confederation on 1 July 1867 after the British North America Act
became effective on this day.
 With this the colonies of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia joined to form
the semi-autonomous federal Dominion of Canada, also called the Confederation of Canada.
 However, the country did not gain total independence from the United Kingdom.
 It achieved near-total independence in 1931 with the Statute of Westminster 1931.
 But the Constitution Act of 1982 removed the last remaining ties of legal dependence on the
British Parliament, giving the country full sovereignty.
 But 1 July 1867 is observed as the day of formation of Canada as a country and on 1 July
2017 the country celebrated its 150th anniversary with much fanfare.
 The biggest bash was at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, where thousands of people joined the
celebrations.
 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau led the nation in celebrating this historic occasion.
Germany Parliament passed the same-sex marriage bill

 European country Germany’s Parliament on 7 July 2017 passed the same-sex marriage bill,
thus bringing the country in line with many of its
Western peers.
 German Parliament’s Upper House on 7 July 2017
gave green signal to same sex marriage bill that was
earlier passed by the Lower House during June 2017.
 The bill will now head to the desk of the country’s
President.
 Earlier, on 30 June 2017 the lower house had voted in
favour of legalizing same-sex marriage after a short
but emotional debate.
 Though Chancellor Angela Merkel voted against the measure, she paved the way for its
passage by freeing other members of her party to vote their “conscience.” 393 German
lawmakers voted in favour of “marriage for everybody” and 226 against, with four
abstentions.
 Germany has allowed same-sex couples to enter civil partnerships since 2001, but has not
granted them full marital rights, which include the possibility to jointly adopt children. I
 t will now join European countries such as Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland,
Norway, Spain, Sweden and the UK who have legalized same sex marriages.
Canadian baby becomes world's first with genderless ID card

 Canadian officials have issued a baby named Searyl Alti a health card without a gender
marker.
 The health card has a 'U' in the space for 'sex', which could stand for
'unassigned' or 'undetermined'. However, officials refused to issue a
birth certificate without a gender.
 Kori Doty, a non-binary transgender person who identifies as neither
male nor female, gave birth to Searyl Alti in November and has been
struggling to keep the eight-month-old baby's gender off all British
Columbia government records.
 The child's identification card is thought to be the first government ID to be issued that
does not designate either male or female on the card.
 The card was issued by British Columbia, but Alberta and Ontario are also considering
offering the option on government documents.
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Smallest-ever star in universe discovered by scientists

 Scientists from University of Cambridge have discovered the smallest known star in the
universe.
 It is slightly larger than Saturn in size which may possibly have Earth-sized planets with
liquid water in its orbit.
 It has just enough mass to enable the fusion of
hydrogen nuclei into helium.
 Researchers from University of Cambridge in the UK
identified the star located about six hundred light
years away, called EBLM J0555-57Ab as it passed in
front of its much larger companion.
 This star is smaller, and likely colder than many of the
gas giant exoplanets that have so far been identified.
 The star has a mass comparable to the current estimate for TRAPPIST-1, but has a radius
that is nearly 30 % smaller.
World’s first wind farm being built off Scotland coast

 The world’s first full-scale floating wind farm is being built off the coast of Scotland in the
North Sea. The wind farm, known as Hywind is a trial
project which aims to bring power to 20,000 homes.
 The floating wind farm technology will allow wind power to
be harvested in waters that are too deep for the existing
bottom-standing turbines particularly installed in shallow
waters.
 The construction of world's first floating wind farm has
begun, around 24 km off the coast of north-east Scotland.
 This revolutionary tech development project will demonstrate workability of floating wind
farm technology in open sea conditions and also help to bring costs down.
"What Happened", a book by Hillary Clinton to be publish in September

 Hillary Clinton is going to launch her new book “What Happened” and promises
unprecedented candour as she remembers her stunning defeat last year
to U.S. President Donald Trump.
 The book is to be publish by Simon & Schuster.
 Ms. Clinton’s book will be a highly personal work that also is a
“cautionary tale” about Russian interference in last year’s election and its
threat to democracy.
 The title of Hillary Clinton's memoir on her failed 2016 campaign for the
White House has at long last finally been revealed, ending the suspense
for left-wing policy wonks.
 The book will, as previously reported, dig into allegations of Russian meddling in the
election as well as her own missteps and the role of sexism in the campaign.
 She also wrote It Takes a Village - And Other Lessons Children Teach Us when she was U.S.
First Lady.
 Ms. Clinton’s upcoming memoir isn’t the first political book to be called What Happened.
Scott McClellan, a former White House press secretary during the George W. Bush
administration, released a book with the same title in 2008.
 Mr. McClellan’s memoir was an unexpectedly critical take on his former boss that became a
bestseller.
19 |
Venezuela Election: President Nicolas Maduro claims vote win, opposition vows protests
 Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claimed victory
in an internationally criticized election for an
assembly to rewrite the constitution.
 The opposition cried fraud and vowed to keep
protesting despite a deadly crackdown.
 Ten people were killed in a wave of bloodshed that
swept Venezuela as Maduro defied an opposition
boycott and international condemnation - including
the threat of new US sanctions - to hold elections for a powerful new "Constituent
Assembly."
 Protesters attacked polling stations and barricaded streets around the country, drawing a
bloody response from security forces, who opened fire with live ammunition in some cases.
 It is the biggest vote the revolution has ever scored in its 18-year history.
 Members of the new assembly will include his wife Cilia Flores, his pugnacious right-hand
man Diosdado Cabello, and other staunch allies.
 According to polling firm Datanalisis, more than 70 % of Venezuelans oppose the idea of the
new assembly and 80 % reject Maduro, whose term is meant to end in 2019.
 Venezuelans also protested in Miami, Madrid and various Latin American cities.
 The number of Venezuelans living abroad has soared as the once-booming oil producer has
descended into a devastating economic crisis marked by shortages, runaway inflation, riots
and looting.
 China makes historic breakthrough, produces natural gas from flammable ice. China
successfully produced natural gas from methane hydrate, also known as ‘flammable ice’, in
an experimental project conducted in the South China Sea.
 India, Pakistan to hold talks on hydropower projects under Indus Waters Treaty. The Indus
system of rivers comprises three western rivers — the Indus, the Jhelum and Chenab —
and three eastern rivers — the Sutlej, the Beas and the Ravi.
 Four Arab States ready for dialogue with Qatar. Four Arab countries including Saudi Arabia,
UAE, Egypt and Bahrain announce their willingness to start a dialogue with Qatar if it
agrees to show a willingness to stop funding terrorism.
 Russia asks 755 US diplomats to leave country following American sanctions. Putin's
statement follows US Senate's approval of a bill to toughen sanctions on Russia for allegedly
meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and for its annexation of Crimea in 2014.
 Trump administration urges NSG members to support India's application. Donald Trump’s
administration has re-affirmed support to India’s bid to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group
and has urged other members of the elite grouping as well to support its claim.
 Iran successfully launches rocket designed to carry satellites. Iran has successfully launched
its most advanced satellite-carrying rocket called ‘Simorgh’ into space. The development
marks a significant step forward for the Islamic Republic's young space program.
 Bolivian President declares ‘Total Independence’ from World Bank and IMF. The socialist
leader published his comments following a meeting with his peers at a gathering in
Argentina of the Mercosur, a sub-regional economic bloc.
 Trump bans Transgender individuals from serving in US Military. Donald Trump has
revoked former President Barack Obama’s policy on creating a more inclusive military by
barring transgender people from serving in US military.
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 Zimbabwe's Parliament passes bill, giving sweeping powers to President. Zimbabwe's

Parliament has passed a bill amending the constitution to give the President sweeping
powers to appoint the country's top judges without consulting any other institution.
 UAE and Jordan stress importance of immediate re-opening of Al Aqsa Mosque for
worshippers. Israel and Palestinians are close to a showdown over Tel Aviv’s decision to
install metal detectors at the entrance of the Mosque.
 Qatar issues decree to amend law on combating terrorism. Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin
Hamad Al Thani, has issued a decree amending some provisions of its anti-terror law. The
decree includes the definition of terms including terrorist, terrorist acts and financing of
terrorism.
 Indonesia bans Islamic organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir. It is the first time in the reform era that
the government had disbanded an organisation without due process of law.
 French Senate approves controversial anti-terror bill. The Bill will now be sent to the lower
house of the National Assembly for a vote in October 2017.
 New plastic £10 note featuring this legendary author unveiled in UK. The Bank of England
has unveiled a new 10-pound plastic note featuring a portrait of Jane Austen, British
novelist at the Winchester Cathedral, the place where she was buried.
 US imposes new sanctions on Iran over missile tests. In a statement issued by the U.S.
Department of the Treasury on 18 July 2017, it stated that it was targeting 16 entities and
individuals for "engaging in support of illicit Iranian actors or transnational criminal
activity."
 Living conditions in Gaza more wretched over past decade: United Nations. The report,
compiled by the UN country team in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, took stock of some
key indicators identified in an earlier 2012 UN report that predicted Gaza would become
“unlivable” by 2020 unless underlying trends were reversed.
 In a first, Israel transfers authority for West Bank Electrical Substation to Palestinians. As
per the agreement, the Palestinian National Authority will pay around USD 47 million to the
Israeli Electric Corporation annually, in order to increase the supply of the new power plant
by 60 Megawatts in full operation.
 Gelati Monastery of Georgia removed from UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger. The
new boundaries bar Bagrati Cathedral, which underwent major reconstruction that was
unsafe to its integrity and authenticity.
 Okinoshima, Japan’s men-only island, gains UNESCO World Heritage tag. Japan’s
Okinoshima, a men-only island where women are banned from the visit and male visitors
must bathe naked for visiting the shrine, has been declared as UNESCO’s World Heritage
Site.
 UNESCO's World Heritage List: New sites added in the list. The 41st session of the World
Heritage Committee was chaired by Jacek Purchla, Founder and Director of the
International Cultural Centre in Krakow.
 Cambodia’s Sambor Prei Kuk temple zone gets UNESCO World Heritage Status. The
complex dates back to the Pre-Angkorian Chenla Kingdom (late 6th to 9th century), which
was established by King Isanavarman I as central royal sanctuary and capital.
 Place that found mentions in Wordsworth's poems is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Lake District was praised by the committee for the inspiration that its natural beauty
has provided for generations of writers, like poet William Wordsworth, who described the
lakes as "the loveliest spot man hath found".
21 |
 Iraq announces victory over Islamic State in Mosul. The Battle of Mosul, a military offensive
to retake the city begun in October 2016, is the largest deployment of Iraqi forces since the
2003 invasion by U.S. and coalition forces.
 Brazil's Valongo Wharf Archaeological Site added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Valongo
Wharf Archaeological Site is located in central Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and encompasses the
whole of Jornal do Comercio Square.
 122 countries adopted global treaty banning nuclear weapons. Elayne Whyte Gomez,
president of the UN conference who has been negotiating for this legally binding treaty,
announced the results of the "historic" vote - 122 nations in favour, the Netherlands
opposed, and Singapore abstaining.
 PM Modi raises issues of terrorism, climate change at BRICS Leaders' Informal Meeting in
Hamburg. Referring to reforms in India, including the recent introduction of GST, PM Modi
stated that it was necessary to work together for sustained global economic recovery.
 UNESCO declares West Bank city of Hebron as World Heritage Site in Danger. Earlier in July
2017, the World Heritage Committee passed a resolution denying Israeli claims to the Old
City of Jerusalem.
 Italy passes bill making ‘Torture’ crime under national law. Italy has finally passed a bill
making torture a crime under national law, after years of parliamentary back-and-forth.
 French PM Edouard Philippe wins overwhelming majority in Parliament. French Prime
Minister Edouard Philippe has won an overwhelming majority in the National Assembly. He
won the confidence vote by 370-67.
 Former French judge Catherine Marchi-Uhel to lead UN Syria war crimes probe. She
worked as a senior legal officer at the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and
worked in legal positions at the French foreign ministry.
 President Bashar Assad appears on Syrian Lira for first time. The Syrian Central Bank has
put into circulation a new 2,000 Syrian Lira ($3.9) banknote with the face of country’s
current President Bashar Assad.
 India asserts that admission by Syed Salahuddin is another proof of Pakistan's policy of
cross-border terrorism. During an interview on Jirga, Salahuddin claimed that Kashmiri
militants have launched many operations against Indian forces in the State and have the
ability to hit targets anywhere in India at any time.
 999: The world's oldest emergency services phone number marks 80th anniversary. In the
early days of its launch, just 24 staff in the old Victoria Embankment headquarters of the
Metropolitan Police dealt with around hundred calls a day.
 Germany to impose €50 million fine on Facebook and Twitter over hate speech. Germany
has passed a controversial law under which it would fine social media websites such as
Facebook and Google if they fail to remove hate speech or unlawful content within 24
hours.
 China unearths the oldest mummy on Silk Road. China has unearthed the mummified
remains of a middle-aged man on a less frequented section of the ancient Silk Road on the
edge of China's Qinghai-Tibet plateau.
22 |
Economics & Financial Awareness
NMCE and ICEX merger to create India's third biggest commodity exchange
 To create India’s third-largest commodities exchange, the National Multi Commodity
Exchange (NMCE) will merge with Indian Commodity
Exchange (ICEX) .
 This is the first merger deal in the commodity
exchange space and the merged entity will offer the
world's first diamond futures contract along with a
wide range of contracts, including bullion, oil, rubber
and other agri-commodities.
 Reliance Capital is the largest investor in ICEX and will
continue to be the largest shareholder post merger,
along with others.
 The merged entity will offer the world's first diamond futures contract along with a wide
range of contracts, including bullion, oil, rubber and other agri-commodities.
 As per the agreed swap ratio, post merger ICEX shareholders will hold 62.8 % stake and
NMCE's will hold 37.2 % in ICEX.
 The merger has been approved by the boards of both exchanges and is expected to be
completed by December 2017, subject to regulatory approvals.
 The merger will result in greater financial strength, consolidation of clients and members,
enhanced product basket and higher operational synergies, helping ICEX further strengthen
its position in the fast-growing commodity derivatives market in India.
 The merged entity will have prominent shareholders from both exchanges including MMTC,
Indian Potash, Krishak Bharti Cooperative (Kribhco), IDFC Bank, Indiabulls Housing
Finance, Reliance Capital, Bajaj Holdings, Central Warehousing Corporation, Punjab
National Bank and Gujarat Agro Industries.
 The large base of warehousing facilities of CWC with storage capacity of 9.89 million tonnes
will become available to the combined entity pan-India.
 It will help generate more liquidity due to wider participation of the larger base of active
members of the combined entity.
ITC Limited became the fourth Indian company to cross market capitalization of Rs. 4
trillion
 Tobacco Company ITC Limited become the fourth Indian company to cross market
capitalization of Rs. 4 trillion conglomerate with major stake in Indian cigarette industry on
3 July 2017.
 Its former name was Indian Tobacco Company.
 This happened as investors continued to buy the stock after the government notified that
cigarettes will be exempted of additional excise duty under the goods and services tax
(GST) regime.
 Earlier, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) and HDFC Bank Ltd
have achieved this milestone.
 Currently, TCS is the India’s most valued company with market capitalization of Rs4.64
trillion, followed by RIL and HDFC Bank at Rs4.47 trillion and Rs. 4.25 trillion, respectively.
Jyoti Structures Ltd became the first case to be admitted for bankruptcy proceedings under
India’s new insolvency code
 Jyoti Structures Ltd entity became the first case to be admitted for bankruptcy proceedings
under India’s new insolvency code.
23 |
 The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved bankruptcy proceedings for the
power infrastructure company.
 Now, it became the first entity among the 12 cases referred by the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under India’s new Insolvency and
Bankruptcy Code (IBC).
 Jyoti Structures was one of the power sector firms hit by a lack
of fuel linkages or trouble in completing land
acquisition.
 The tribunal’s order came on an insolvency application filed during June 2017 by the
company’s lead lender State Bank of India (SBI). According to NCLT filings, the company
has total debt of Rs. 7,000 crore.
 Earlier, on 13 June 2017 the RBI had directed banks to refer 12 troubled companies with a
combined debt of close to Rs. 2.5 trillion to the NCLT.
Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY) for senior citizens launched
 Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY) is the name of the new ambitious pension
scheme for senior citizens that was launched by Union
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 21 July 2017.
 The main feature of this scheme is that it promises an
assured return of 8%.
 The scheme was announced in the 2017-18 Union Budget.
 State-run Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India has
been given the mandate to operate the scheme and the
scheme is open to people aged 60 years and above.
 Enrolment under the scheme cane be made till 3 May 2018.
 Minimum and maximum purchase prices for the pension scheme are Rs.1,50,000 and Rs.
7,50,000 respectively.
 If a senior citizen is in a liquidity crunch, loans up to 75% of the purchase price after three
policy years can be availed.
 The interest payments will be adjusted against pension installments while the loan amount
will be recovered form claim proceeds.
 PMVVY is exempt from the Goods & Services Tax (GST)
J&K became the last state to adopt a resolution to implement the GST
 The Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) legislative assembly on 5
July 2017 adopted the resolution to implement the
Goods and Services Tax (GST) in the state.
 Now, it is paving the way towards a truly “one India,
one tax system.
 The resolution was moved by state finance minister
Haseeb Drabu and passed by voice vote despite
resistance from the opposition.
 Thus, J&K became the last state to adopt GST which was rolled-out nationwide on 1 July
2017.
Aaykar Setu: Government launches new tax payer service module

 The Union Finance Ministry has launched Aaykar Setu, a new tax payer service module.
 The new e-initiative literally means taxpayer’s bridge and will be available in android
phones.
 It compiles various tax tools, dynamic updates, live chat facility and important links to
various processes within the Income Tax Department (ITD) in a single module.
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 Aaykar Setu has been launched in mobile responsive android application and also in
desktop version to enhance mobile access as well as
desktop access.
 This e-initiative aims provide better taxpayer services
and also help in reducing the direct physical interface
between assesses and tax assessing authorities.
 It will allow IDT to directly communicate with the
taxpayers on a range of multiple informative and
useful tax services.
 The tax payers will also be able to receive regular
updates regarding important tax dates, forms and notifications on mobile numbers
registered with the ITD.
 The mobile app will allow entities track TDS, pay taxes and apply for permanent account
number (PAN).
 It will also help people link their 12-digit biometric identifier Aadhaar with PAN card.
 To avail this service, all taxpayers will have to register their mobile numbers in the Aaykar
Setu module in order to receive such SMS alerts.
ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Co. agreed to take over the Sahara India Life Insurance Co.
Ltd
 ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Co., the general
insurance entity has agreed to take over the life
insurance business of Sahara India Life Insurance Co.
Ltd, which was effectively wound up by the IRDAI
during June 2017.
 The Life Insurance Co. will acquire the life insurance
business of Sahara India Life Insurance Co. Ltd. This
was announced on 4 July 2017.
 The administration of Sahara India Life, a subsidiary of
Sahara Group, was taken over by India’s insurance
regulator – the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) on 12
June 2017, as it had pointed out three major infractions at Sahara Life. On 23 June, IRDAI
asked the company to stop issuing new policies, the first time in its 18-year history that the
regulator had taken such a step.
 Subsequently, IRDAI offered six insurers – Life Insurance Corporation of India, ICICI
Prudential Life, HDFC Standard Life Insurance Co. Ltd, Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Co. Ltd,
Kotak Mahindra Old Mutual Life Insurance Co. Ltd and SBI Life Insurance Co. Ltd – a chance
to take over Sahara Life’s insurance business.
RIL became the second Indian company to cross Rs. 5 trillion market capitalization
 Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) became the second Indian company to cross Rs. 5 trillion
market capitalisation after the nation’s biggest software major, Tata Consultancy Services
Ltd (TCS).
 RIL stock has been performing well since 1 April 2017 when the company ended its free
internet service and started charging its Reliance Jio clients.
 TCS is the first company to have achieved this milestone and the last time it was seen above
Rs. 5 trillion was on 7 June 2017.
 This also means that RIL has become the most valuable corporate entity at present.
25 |
NSE Nifty landmark level 10,000 points

 On 25 July 2017 the National Stock Exchange of India’s benchmark Nifty 50 index opened
above 10,000 points, the first time it breached that mark.
 The climb from 9,000 to 10,000 took 875 days.
 It is worth mentioning that Nifty had crossed the 1,000 point
mark on 3 November 1995 and had taken 2985 days to cross
2,000 points mark (on 9 Jan 2004).
 But it took just 35 days (on 1 November 2007) to cross 6,000
point mark after the index crossed the 5,000 point mark on
27 September 2007.
 The rise in Indian equities has been fuelled by consistent
buying from domestic and foreign institutions. So far this year, local mutual funds and
insurance companies have bought Rs. 24,000 crore worth of stocks, while foreign funds
have purchased around $8.5 billion.
 GST Council panel to select National Anti-profiteering Authority. The selection committee
will be chaired by Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha.
 GST rollout: India launches historic indirect tax regime GST after 17 years of debate. With
effect from 1 July 2017, GST is expected to completely transform the Indirect Taxation
landscape in the country involving both the Central and State levies.
26 |
Defence & Security - National/International
Global Cyber security Index (GCI) 2017: India ranks 23rd in second
 According to the second Global Cyber security Index (GCI), India ranked at a high 23rd
position out of 165 nations.
 Singapore has topped the Global
Cybersecurity Index 2017.
 The Index measures the commitment of
nations across the world to cyber security.
 The GCI was released by the UN
telecommunications agency International
Telecommunication Union (ITU).
 According to ITU only about half of all
countries have a cyber security strategy or
are in the process of developing one and
urged more countries to consider national policies to protect against cybercrime.
 India is ranked 23rd on the index with a score of 0.683 and has been listed in the
"maturing" category.
 The maturing category refers to 77 countries that have developed complex commitments to
cyber security and engage in cyber security programmes and initiatives.
 Singapore has topped the index with a 0.925 score.
Top 10 countries that have topped GCI:
1. Singapore
2. United States
3. Malaysia
4. Oman
5. Estonia
6. Mauritius
7. Australia
8. Georgia
9. France
10. Canada
India become 3rd largest terror target after Iraq and Afghanistan
 India has displaced Pakistan on a list of countries facing
terror attacks in 2016, with higher fatalities and injuries than
its restive neighbour.
 The data, analysed by a national consortium for the study of
terrorism and responses to terrorism, contracted with the US
state department.
 Now, India is third after Iraq and Afghanistan in terms of
terror attacks. Pakistan had held the position earlier.
 Out of 11,072 terror attacks in 2016 worldwide, India bore the brunt of 927, 16% more
than 2015 (798).
 The number of deaths in India also rose 17% from 289 in 2015 to 337 last year while the
number of injured increased from 500 in 2015 to 636 last year.
 On the other hand, the number of terror attacks in Pakistan reduced by 27% to 734 in 2016
from 1,010 in 2015.
 However, a crucial difference needs to be noted while comparing India and Pakistan and
the incidence of terror.
27 |
 Pakistan is largely the victim of terrorist groups it has harboured and raised since the
Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and its extremist seminaries attract terror recruits from
around the world. India, on the other hand, has to deal with terror groups operating from
safe havens in Pakistan and a clear upsurge in attacks in Jammu & Kashmir directed from
across the border in 2016.
 There were 45 terror groups listed by US in its 2015 report.
 The US has identified 334 groups and organisations behind terror attacks in 2016
worldwide, while there were 288 such groups active in 2015.
 It says that number of total attacks worldwide in 2016 reduced by 9% (11,072) against
12,121 in 2015 and total deaths worldwide also reduced by 13% in 2016 (25,621) as
compared to 2015 (29,424).
 Around 55% of all attacks took place in Iraq, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and the
Philippines out of 104 affected countries, while 75% of all deaths due to terror attacks
occurred in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Nigeria and Pakistan.
Tri-nation Malabar naval exercise begins

 The exercise by US, Japanese and Indian navies is taking
place amid the military standoff between armies of the
India and China in the Sikkim sector
 The US, Japanese and Indian navies began the Malabar
Naval Exercise-2017 aimed at achieving deeper military
ties between the three nations.
 Taking part in the trilateral naval exercise in the Bay of
Bengal would be US Ship Nimitz (CVN68), guided missile
cruise USS Princeton (CG59), guided missile destroyers
USS Howard (DDG83), USS Shoup (DDG86) and USS Kidd
(DDG100), a Poseidon P-8A aircraft as well as a Los Angeles fast-attack submarine.
 Besides, Japan Maritime Self Defence Force ships JS Izumo (DDH 183), JS Sazanami (DD1
13) along with Indian Naval Ship Jalashwa and INS Vikramaditya would participate in the
joint Naval exercise.
 Malabar exercise was originally started in 1992 as a bilateral exercise between India and
the United States. Japan became a permanent partner in 2015.
 Past non-permanent participants are Australia and Singapore.
 The Malabar exercise is taking place amid the military standoff between armies of the India
and China in the Sikkim sector and Beijing ramping up its Baval presence in South China
sea.
USS Gerald Ford: The giant naval aircraft carrier commissioned into the US Navy
 USS Gerald Ford is the name of the next-generation naval aircraft carrier that cost $12.9
billion and is the most expensive naval carrier till date.
 It was commissioned into the US Navy by President
Donald Trump at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia on 22
July 2017.
 The giant ship has been named after Gerald Ford, the
38th President of the United States.
 It is 337m (1106 ft.) in length and incorporates
advanced technology and operational systems that
will allow aircraft take off and land more quickly, with
a smaller crew and improved chances of survival
against attack.
 It is capable of launching 220 airstrikes a day, i.e., one every six minutes.
28 |
 The ship’s ability to launch so many airstrikes is thanks to electromagnetic force, which
propels the jets forward at incredible speeds.
US Navy tests world's first drone-killing laser weapon

 US Navy has successfully tested the world's first drone-killing Laser Weapon Systems
(LaWS).
 The US$ 40 million system was tested on board the
USS Ponce amphibious transport ship.
 The test was conducted in the Persian Gulf and
according to media reports, the weapon might be
brought into use in combats by the year 2020.
 LaWS is capable of blasting targets with 30 Kw of
power
 It is a very versatile weapon; it can be used against a
variety of targets
 It moves at the speed of the light, which is 50,000 times the speed of an incoming
intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
 LaWS only requires electricity to operate, which it generates on its own with the help of its
generator and requires only three people to operate it
 The cost per use is as low as USD 1 per shot.
 The primary function of the laser the laser is to disable or destroy aircraft and small boats.
Sri Lanka and China sign $1.1 billion Hambantota port deal
 Sri Lanka has signed a $1.1 billion deal to sell a 70% stake of the strategic Hambantota port
to China, amid concerns over the massive debt the island nation incurred in building the
port.
 The deal had been delayed by several months over
concerns that the deep-sea port could be used by the
Chinese Navy.
 Cash-rich China has invested millions of dollars in Sri
Lanka’s infrastructure since the end of a brutal civil war in
2009.
 As part of the deal, the stake in the loss-making port has
been sold to China’s state-run conglomerate China
Merchant Port Holdings (CMPort).
 Sri Lanka’s Minister of Ports and Shipping Mahinda Samarasinghe and China’s envoy to
Colombo Yi Xianliang were present when the Concession Agreement was signed.
 Under the 99-year lease agreement, CM Port is to invest up to $1.1 billion in the port and
marine-related activities. The deal may raise security concerns in India.
 The accumulated loss from the port was more than $300 million and the money realised
from deal will set off the debts owed to China.
 Sri Lanka’s Cabinet on July 25 approved the transfer of stake in the port to the Chinese firm,
tweaking the deal after the initial agreement sparked protests in the country.
Muntra: India’s first unmanned tank rolled out by DRDO

 The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has
rolled out Muntra, India’s first unmanned, remotely operated tank at its
Chennai lab.
 It has been launched in three variants Muntra-S, Muntra-M and
Muntra-N for surveillance, mine detection and reconnaissance in areas
with nuclear and biological threats. It is also likely to be used in Naxal-hit areas.
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Key Facts
 Muntra-S is the country’s first tracked unmanned ground vehicle (tank) developed for
unmanned surveillance missions. Muntra-M is for detecting mines and Muntra-N is for
operation in areas where there is nuclear radiation or biological weapon risk.
 The Muntra variants have surveillance radar, an integrated camera along with laser range
finder which can be used to spy on ground target 15km away – heavy vehicles or crawling
men. This unmanned, remotely tele-operated tank has been successfully tested and
validated at Mahajan field firing range in Rajasthan under dusty desert conditions.
Reliance Defence launches first two Navy ships Shachi and Shruti
 Reliance Defence and Engineering Limited (RDEL) launched the first two Naval Offshore
Patrol Vessels (NOPVs) — Shachi and Shruti at their shipyard in Pipavav, Gujarat.
 These two NOPVs are the first warships to be launched by a private sector shipyard in
India. These ships are part of a five-ships being constructed for the Indian Navy under
the P-21 project.
India, Japan civil nuclear deal comes into force

 The landmark India-Japan civil nuclear agreement came into force. In this regard, Foreign
Secretary S. Jaishankar exchanged the diplomatic notes with the Japanese envoy to India to
formalise the completion of the process.
 The deal would enable Japan to export nuclear power plant technology as well as provide
finance for nuclear power plants in India. It will also assist India in nuclear waste
management and could undertake joint manufacture of nuclear power plant components
under the Make in India initiative.
Indian Navy’s second LCU Mark IV L52 ship launched by GRSE

 Indian Navy’s second LCU (landing craft utility) Mark IV L52 ship built
by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata,
was formally launched in Kolkata, West Bengal.
 The LCU Mark-IV vessels are designed for multipurpose amphibious
operations jointly carried out Indian Navy and Indian Army to ensure
maritime security of Andamans and Lakshadweep islands. LCU L52 ship
is the second in series of the eight Mark IV LCU vessels built by GRSE for
Navy. The first ship of the series was commissioned in 2016.
 US tests missile-defence system after North Korea missile launch. THAAD is a ground-based
missile defence system designed to shoot down short, medium and intermediate-range
ballistic missiles.
 The security cover provided by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at the Delhi airport
has been adjudged the best airport security by the World Quality Congress (WQC). The
award will be given to the CISF at WQC annual event at Taj Lands End in Mumbai on July 6.
The CISF has been providing services to the quality levels of organisations like Infosys,
Wipro, SBI, L&T, Pfizer, ICICI Bank etc.
30 |
Appointments-National/International
Ram Nath Kovind elected India's 14th President

 National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Ram
Nath Kovind elected India's 14th President.
 He defeated former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar
in the presidential polls by a huge margin of votes.
 Kovind secured a total of 2,930 votes, carrying a value
of 7,00,244, while the former speaker got 1,844 votes
with a value of 3,67,314 in a straight fight.
 A total of 771 members of Parliament and 4,109
legislators were eligible to cast votes.
 Kovind got 65.65 %of the total valid vote value of
10,69,358, Meira Kumar got 34.35 %.
 The 71 year old Kovind will be only the second Dalit to occupy the highest constitutional
position after K.R. Narayanan.
Ram Nath Kovind
 Mr Kovind was born on 1st October 1945 in Paraukh village in the Kanpur Dehat district,
Uttar Pradesh. He had completed graduation in law from a Kanpur college. Before starting
his career as a lawyer, he cleared the civil services examination but did not join as he was
selected for an allied.
 He had joined the BJP in 1991. He was President of the BJP Dalit Morcha between 1998 and
2002. He also served as Member of Rajya Sabha from 1994 to 2006. Prior to getting elected
as President, Mr. Kovind had served as the 35th Governor of Bihar.
President of India
 President of India is top constitutional post as he is head of the Indian state, first citizen of
India and supreme commander of the Indian armed forces.
 He is elected indirectly for a term of 5 years by an electoral college consisting of elected
members of parliament (MPs from Lok Sabha as well as Rajya Sabha) and elected members
of State legislative members, including that if NCT of Delhi and Pondicherry.
 He is eligible to re-elect for the same office for unlimited times
Achal Kumar Joti appointed as next CEC

 Achal Kumar Joti appointed as the next Chief Election Commissioner.
 He will succeed Nasim Zaidi, the 20th CEC on April 19, 2015, will retire on July 6.
 The 64 year old Achal Kumar Joti, a retired 1975-
batch IAS officer belonging to the Gujarat Cadre.
 He retired from active service in January 2013
 He has served as former chief secretary of Gujarat
and was appointed as the Election Commissioner on
May 7, 2015 in the three-member body.
 Joti, who will be the 21st CEC, has also served as the
Gujarat vigilance commissioner and worked in
various capacities in the state, including as the chairman of the Kandla Port Trust between
1999 and 2004 and the managing director of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd
(SSNNL).
 He was also the secretary in the industry, revenue and water supply departments in the
state.He will have a tenure of one year.
 A CEC or an EC can have a tenure of six years or hold office till the age of 65 years,
whichever is earlier.
31 |
Sanjay Kumar appointed new NDRF Chief

 Senior IPS officer Sanjay Kumar was appointed as Director General (DG) of National
Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
 He will succeed R K Pachnanda who was has taken charge
as DG the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
 Sanjay Kumar is a 1985-batch Indian Police Service (IPS)
officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre. Prior to this
appointment, he was director general of police (DGP) in
Himachal Pradesh.
 NDRF is India’s elite disaster mitigation combat force
established under The Disaster Management Act, 2005.
 It was established in 2006 and is headquartered in New Delhi.
 It functions under Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
 It is mandated to undertake special disaster response, relief, rescue operations and combat
roles independently in the case of an event of any disaster (natural or man-made), accident
or emergency.
 It also assists local authorities in launching a quick rescue and response operation to save
life and property.
 It is assisted by 12 battalions with strength of over 13,000 personnel positioned in various
states of country.
Ravi Shastri was named of the Indian cricket team new coach
 Ravi Shastri has been appointed as the head coach of Indian National Cricket Team till 2019
World Cup.
 The post was lying vacant since Anil Kumble
resigned from the position.
 The BCCI also appointed Zaheer Khan as the bowling
consultant and Rahul Dravid as the batting
consultant for India's overseas Test series.
 Zaheer Khan has been named bowling consultant for
the same tenure, while Rahul Dravid will be India's
batting consultant for overseas Test series.
 The confirmation came after the CoA impressed
upon the BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC),
comprising Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendullkar and VVS Laxman, the urgent need to end the
uncertainty over the next India coach.
 The vacancy arose because Anil Kumble resigned after the Champions Trophy in June,
stating that his partnership with India captain Virat Kohli had become "untenable".
 India went to the West Indies to play a limited-overs series without a head coach.
 Shastri had applied for the role in 2016 as well, and was disappointed to lose out to
Kumble, because India had done well during his tenure as director.
 Zaheer, a former India fast bowler, has no formal coaching experience but he has been part
of the Delhi Daredevils thinktank in recent IPL seasons.
 Dravid recently gave up his position as the Daredevils mentor, after accepting a two-year
contract to coach the India A and Under-19 teams.
UK's first woman Sikh MP Preet Kaur Gill elected to key Parliament panel
 Britain's first woman Sikh MP Preet Kaur Gill has been elected to an influential cross-party
panel in the UK Parliament that examines the workings of the Home Office.
32 |
 Gill has won the Edgbaston seat for the Labour

party in the June 8 snap general election.
 She was elected to the Home Affairs Select
Committee in the UK Parliament.
 The 44 year-old Preet Kaur Gill will join 10 other
British MPs on the committee.
 The House of Commons Home Affairs Select
Committee was chaired by Keith Vaz, Britain's
longest-serving Indian-origin MP, until he stepped
down from the post last year.
 Its newly-elected chair is Labour party MP Yvette
Cooper, elected unopposed to the post last week.
 The Committee chooses its own subjects of inquiry and seeks written and oral evidence
from a wide range of relevant groups and individuals.
 At the end of an inquiry, the committee often produces a report setting out its findings and
making recommendations to the UK government.
Brenda Hale to be First Woman President of UK SC

 The UK government has appointed 72-year-old
Brenda Marjorie Hale as the first female president of
the Supreme Court, the head of the highest court in
the country.
 Hale will take charge as the head of Britain’s top
judging panel in September following the retirement
of current President, Lord Neuberger.
 She has served as Neuberger’s deputy since 2013.
 Three new justices have also been appointed to the
Supreme Court – Lady Justice Black, Lord Justice Lloyd Jones and Lord Justice Brigg.
 They will take up the role when Lady Hale is sworn in officially as President on 2nd
October.
Chief Justice of India JS Khehar has named Justice Dipak Misra as next CJI
 The incumbent CJ JS Khehar has named Justice Dipak Misra as the next Chief Justice of
India.
 According to laid down procedure, the law minster
writes to the CJI seeking his recommendation on who
should succeed him.
 Justice Khehar retires on August 27,2017.
 The memorandum of procedure, a document which
guides appointment, transfer and elevation of judges
of the Supreme Court and the 24 high courts, states
that appointment to the office of the Chief Justice of
India should be of the senior most judge of the
Supreme Court considered fit to hold the office.
 The 63 year old Justice Mishra is the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court after Justice
Khehar.
 Justice Misra will retire on October 2, 2018.
33 |
Nitish Kumar again sworn in Bihar chief minister, BJP's Sushil Modi is deputy CM
 Nitish Kumar once again became chief minister of Bihar after he was sworn in this time
with the support of the BJP and the NDA.
 BJP's Sushil Modi sworn in as deputy chief minister of
Bihar.
 Soon after Nitish's resignation was accepted by Bihar
governor Keshri Nath Tripathi, Sushil Modi submitted
a letter to Tripathi pledging the support of 132 MLAs
for Nitish to form the next government.
 Nitish has to prove his majority in the state Assembly
within two days of being sworn in.
 The JD(U), BJP, their allies and supporting independent MLAs together account for 132
seats in the 243-member Bihar Assembly, 10 more than the magic figure of 122.
 The RJD has 81 MLAs, and even if the Congress with 27 MLAs and the CPI-ML with 3 decide
to back Tejashwi, their number would add up to just 110.
PV Sindhu appointed Group-I officer as deputy collector in Andhra Pradesh

 Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu has been appointed a Group-I officer in Andhra
Pradesh.
 Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu handed over the
government order to the Rio Olympics silver.
 She was appointed the deputy collector.
 Chandrababu Naidu had promised a Group-I post to
Sindhu when she won the silver medal in Olympics.
 The 21-year-old shuttler has been working with
Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) since 2013 and is
currently an assistant manager (sports) at its
Hyderabad office.
 Although Sindhu had missed out on gold in Rio de Janeiro, she scripted history by becoming
the first Indian woman athlete ever to win silver at the Olympics.
 She also became the fifth Indian woman to clinch a medal in Olympics history after Karnam
Malleswari, Mary Kom, Saina Nehwal and Sakshi Malik.
 Earlier, the Telangana government had felicitated Sindhu with Rs 5 crore cash reward, a
residential plot in Hyderabad, while the Andhra government had presented her a cash
award worth Rs 3 crore.
Gopal Baglay appointed Joint Secretary in PMO

 The government of India has appointed senior
diplomat Gopal Baglay, spokesperson of the Ministry
of External Affairs (EAM), as Joint Secretary in the
Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
 Mr Baglay is a 1992 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
officer.
 He will replace Vinay Mohan Kwatra, who has been
appointed as India’s Ambassador to Paris.
 The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) is
headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
 The ACC also empanelled Mr Baglay to hold the Joint Secretary level position in the Central
government.
34 |
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi made interim PM of Pakistan

 Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has been made the interim Prime
Minister of Pakistan by the Pakistan Muslim League-
Nawaz (PML-N).
 He will hold the post for 45 days.
 He held the portfolio of Petroleum and Natural Resources,
 The ruling party of deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
has choose the next prime minister, a day after Pakistan’s
Supreme Court removed Mr. Sharif the Premier from office
after finding that he and his family concealed their assets.
Subhash Garg takes charge as secretary of Department of Economic Affairs

 Senior bureaucrat Subhash Chandra Garg assumed charge as secretary of the Department
of Economic Affairs (DEA) in the finance ministry.
 He is a 1983 batch IAS officer, from the Rajasthan cadre.
 Garg was World Bank executive director for Bangladesh,
Bhutan, India and Sri Lanka prior to this appointment.
 He succeeds Shaktikanta Das, who retired after an extended
tenure on May 31.
 Corporate Affairs Secretary Tapan Ray was given additional
charge of DEA secretary after Das’ exit. Garg assumed charge as
full-time secretary, an official statement said here.
 Garg has also worked at the Cabinet Secretariat where he held
the position of joint secretary and additional secretary from February 2012 to December
2013.
Justice Vikramajit Sen appointed new BCCC chairperson

 The Board of Directors of Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) appointed former Supreme
Court judge, Justice Vikramajit Sen, as the new chairperson of
Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC).
 BCCC is an independent self-regulatory body set up by the
Foundation in June 2011.
 The purpose of set up BCCC is to examine content-related
complaints relating to all non-news general entertainment
channels in India.
 Justice Sen succeeds former Punjab and Haryana high court
Chief Justice, Justice Mukul Mudgal, whose three-year term as BCCC Chairperson came to an
end.
 A delegation of the IBF Board, led by the Foundation's President Punit Goenka and
comprising its directors Aroon Purie, Rajat Sharma, Uday Shankar and I Venkat, met Justice
Sen and invited him to chair the BCCC for the next three years.
Lilly Singh appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador

 Indian-origin Canadian YouTube sensation, comedian and author, Lilly Singh was
appointed UNICEF `s Goodwill Ambassador at a special event.
 On the digital platform, the 28-year-old is known as `Superwoman`.
 Lilly travelled with UNICEF to Madhya Pradesh, where she met children and adolescents
growing up in challenging circumstances such as extreme poverty, but have been able to
bring positive changes to their lives.
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 In her role as a Goodwill Ambassador, Lilly will use her unique digital presence to engage
children and youth and empower them to speak out about the
challenges they face.
 Lilly has gained a huge fan base of over 11 million YouTube
subscribers.
 This year, she released her international and New York Times
bestselling book "How To Be A Bawse: A Guide to Conquering
Life", and was also recently cast in HBO`s film adaptation of
Ray Bradbury`s "Fahrenheit 451".
 In June, Lilly was ranked number one on Forbes Magazine`s
Top Influencers List in the entertainment category.
 List of other UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors:
 footballer David Beckham; actors Orlando Bloom, Jackie Chan, Danny Glover, Liam Neeson,
Priyanka Chopra; Syrian activist Muzoon Almellehan; and pop singers Ricky Martin and
Shakira.
Smriti Irani gets I&B ministry, NS Tomar given urban development ministry
 PM Modi made Smriti Irani information and
broadcasting minister and Narendra Singh Tomar
housing and urban development minister after the
resignation of Union minister Venkaiah Naidu.
 Irani is already Union textiles minister.
 She will get additional charge of information and
broadcasting.
 Tomar, who's already rural development minister also
gets urban development as an additional charge.
 The ministries of defence and environment are already being handled by finance minister
Arun Jaitley and science and technology minister Harsh Vardhan as their additional
responsibilities.
TR Zeliang sworn in as 19th Chief Minister of Nagaland

 Senior Naga People’s Front (NPF) legislator TR Zeliang (65) was sworn in as the 19th chief
minister of Nagaland. He was administered oath to office and secrecy
by Governor P.B. Acharya.
 Earlier Governor had dismissed the Shurhozelie Liezietsu government
under Clause (I) of Article 164 of the Constitution after he failed to
prove majority on the floor of the Assembly. Prior to it, Zeliang had
staked claim to form government in Nagaland with a majority support
of 47 members in the 60 member Legislative Assembly.
 TR Zeliang will now have to prove his majority on the floor of the House. This is his second
stint as chief minister in a little more than three years.
Carrie Lam sworn in as first female Chief Executive of Hong Kong

 Carrie Lam was sworn in as the first female Chief Executive (CE) of the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region (HKSAR), an autonomous territory of China on
the Pearl River Delta.
 The CE of Hong Kong is the head and representative of the Hong Kong
and also head of the Government of Hong Kong.
 Carrie Lam took her oath to office before Chines President Xi Jinping on
the occasion marking 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China
from Britain. She is fifth CE of Hong Kong since it became part of China
36 |
in 1997.
 Prior to getting electing as CE, she was the Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong
SAR Government (from 2012 to 2017), the senior most rank of principal officials of Hong
Kong.
 Sanjay Kothari appointed as Secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind. National Democratic
Alliance (NDA) candidate Kovind was on 20 July 2017 elected as the President of India,
defeating his United Progressive Alliance (UPA) rival Meira Kumar in a straight fight.
 Lord Mervyn Davies appointed as Chair of UK India Business Council. Lord Davies is a
Partner and the Chairman of Corsair Capital, a private equity firm specialising in financial
services.
 Swami Smarananandaji Maharaj elected as President of Ramakrishna Math. Ramakrishna
Math and Ramakrishna Mission are twin organizations which form the core of a worldwide
spiritual movement Ramakrishna Movement or Vedanta Movement.
 Farooq Abdullah, PK Kunhalikutty take oath as Member of Lok Sabha. Abdullah was elected
to the lower house of Parliament after defeating his Peoples Democratic Party rival Nazir
Ahmed Khan by over 10000 votes.
 Saima Wazed Hossain appointed as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Autism in South Asia. In
the last one year while championing for the cause of autism for WHO, Hossain facilitated
the 'Thimphu Declaration' on autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
 Sanjiv Goenka renominated as the Chairman of IIT Kharagpur. Goenka was nominated by
the President, Pranab Mukherjee, in his capacity as Visitor of the Institute.
 Former French judge Catherine Marchi-Uhel to lead UN Syria war crimes probe. She
worked as a senior legal officer at the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and
worked in legal positions at the French foreign ministry.
 RK Pachnanda took over as Director-General of Indo-Tibetan Border Police. Pachnanda
owns the rare distinction of serving in all the major central paramilitary forces and
organisations including the CRPF, the CISF.
 KK Venugopal appointed as Attorney General of India. Venugopal will succeed Mukul
Rohatgi, who chose to return to private practice after a three-year term as the Attorney
General of India, country's top law position.
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Person Resigned/Retired
Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif barred from holding public office for life
 Judges rule that the Prime Minister was dishonest to Parliament and courts and could not
be deemed fit for his office.
 The Supreme Court of Pakistan has disqualified Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif from holding office for life in an
alleged against the Panamagate case.
 This was stated by Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf.
 Mr. Sharif resigned following the judgment despite
having reservations on the verdict.
 After the judgment of SC, the Pakistan Cabinet stands
dissolved.
 It was a majority 5-0 decision by a Bench of the court
headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and comprising
Justices Ejaz Afzal, Gulzar Ahmed, Azmat Saeed and Ejazul Ahsan.
 The judges ruled that the Prime Minister was dishonest to Parliament and courts and could
not be deemed fit for his office.
 Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was also disqualified by the court
 The judges ruled on a petition from Opposition leader Imran Khan.
 Earlier,on April 20, two judges declared that Mr. Sharif was not truthful.
 The court has recommended that all material collected by the Joint Investigation Team
would be sent to an accountability court within six weeks.
 The cases would be opened against Mr. Sharif and his children, Maryam, Hassan and
Hussain Nawaz, and son-in-law Captain Safdar.
 A judgment should be announced within 30 days.
 This is the third time Mr. Sharif has been unable to complete his term in the chief
executive's office. He was dismissed on July 18, 1993 and overthrown the second time on
October 12, 1999 in a military coup.
38 |
Sports
Wimbledon Open- 2017

 Wimbledon Championships, 2017, ITF’s third grand slam tennis tournament held from July 3 -
16 in the All England Lawn Tennis, Club, London (U.K.).
Competition Results-
Men’s singles
 Winner-Roger Federer (Switzerland)
 Runner up- Marin Cilic (Croatia)
Women’s singles
 Winner-Garbine Muguruza (Spain)
 Runner up-Venus Williams (United States)
Men’s doubles
 Winner-Lukasz Kubot (Poland) and Marcelo Melo (Brazil)
 Runners up- Oliver Marach (Austria) and Mate Pakic (Croatia)
Women’s doubles
 Winner-Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina (both Russia)
 Runner up-chanhao-ching (Chineseype) and Monica Nikulescu (Romania)
Mixed Doubles
 Winner-Jamie Murray (UK) and Martina Hingis (Switzerland)
 Runner-up-Henri Kontinen (Finland) and Heather Watson (UK)
Confederations Cup football -2017: Germany beat Chile to lift the title
 Germany added another feather on her head as it won the
2017 Confederations Cup title by defeating Chile by 1-0 in the
finals on 2 July 2017.
 The final was played in St. Petersburg (Russia) and the win
gave Germany it’s first-ever Confederations Cup title.
 Germany was former FIFA World Cup champions last year.
 The lone goal of the match was scored by Germany’s Lars Stindl in the 20th minute, thanks
to a mistake by Marcelo Diaz. It is worth mentioning that Germany has had also won the
European Under-21 Championship in Poland on 30 June 2017.
 Confederations Cup is a quadrennial international men’s football tournament organised by
FIFA. It is contested by the holders of each of the six regional championships, along with the
current FIFA World Cup holder and the host nation, bringing the number of teams up to
eight.
Manpreet Kaur and Govindan Laxman wins Gold in Asian Athletics Championships 2017
 India's Manpreet Kaur and Govindan Laxman has managed to win gold medals on the
opening day of Asian Athletics Championships held at Kalinga Stadium of Bhubaneshwar.
 Manpreet Kaur threw 18.28m to win a gold medal in the women’s shotput event.
 Her best was record breaking throw of 18.86m at the Asian Grand Prix in China earlier this
year.
 Vikas Gowda, though failed to defend his title in the men’s discus throw has managed to win
a bronze medal in the men’s discus throw with an effort of 60.81m.
39 |
 The 2017 Asian Athletics Championship is the 22nd edition and will be held from 6 July to 9
July 2017 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar.
 Around 800 athletes from around 45 countries are participating in the event.
 Bhubaneshwar is the third Indian city to host this event after New Delhi (1989) and Pune
(2013).
 Mascot Olly, the Olive Ridley sea turtle has been chosen as the mascot for the
championship.
South African woman cricketer Dane Van Niekerk made world record
 South African woman cricketer Dane Van Niekerk created a unique record of taking four
wickets while conceding no runs in a match against the
West Indies in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017.
 Dane Van Niekerk, the captain of South African women’s
cricket team took four wickets and conceded no runs in
her spell of 3.2 overs against the West Indies.
 It was thus the first time ever that a bowler has ended
with figures of 4/0.
 West Indies team was bundled out for just 48 runs in the
stipulated 50 overs. South Africa managed to chase down
their target in just over six overs.
 It was the best bowling figure by any cricketer, man or woman. She surpassed Australian
great Richie Benaud’s stats of 3/0 that was established more than half a century ago.
Valtteri Bottas won the Austrian F1 Grand Prix title for 2017
 Valtteri Bottas of Finland won the Austrian F1 Grand Prix title for 2017 on 9 July 2017.
 Finnish F1 driver Valtteri Bottas enjoyed a dominant
victory at the Austrian Grand Prix as he easily warded-
off a challenge from his Mercedes teammate and
former champion Lewis Hamilton (Britain) who
finished at fourth place.
 Hamilton’s title rival and drivers’ championship leader
Sebastian Vettel (Germany) finished second while
Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo finished third for his
Red Bull team.
 Former champion Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari team has
now extended his lead over Hamilton by 20 points.
 Segio Perez (Mexico) and Esteban Ocon (France) finished the race at sixth and seventh
place respectively and thus garner 10 points for Force India team.
India’s Sundar Singh Gurjar wins gold medal at World Para Athletics
 India’s Sundar Singh Gurjar (21) won gold medal in the
men’s javelin throw event at World Para Athletics
Championships held in London, United Kingdom.
 In the F46 category, Sundar recorded his personal best effort
of 60.36m ahead of Dinesh Priyantha Herath (Sri Lanka)
who emerged second with 57.93m, followed by defending
champion Guo Chunliang (China) with 56.14m. Sundar Singh
Gurjar Sundar Singh Gurjar hails from the Karauli district in
Rajasthan.
 Till November 2015, he was competing in General Category.
40 |
 But he had lost his left hand in an accident. After accident, he started participating in para-
athlete competitions.
US Open tennis tournament to top 50-million Dollars in prize money

 This year`s U.S. Open will become the first tennis tournament
to top $50 million in prize money.
 According to the United States Tennis Association (USTA), it
will nine percent increase in the total purse.
 Winners of the men`s and women`s singles titles will each
earn $3.7 million, while runners-up will pocket $1.825
million from the $50.4 million total pot.
 The men’s and women’s doubles champion teams will each
earn $675,000, also the highest in U.S. Open history.
 The qualifying tournament for the season`s final grand slam
will offer more than $2.9 million in prize money, a 49.2
%increase from 2016.
 In addition to unprecedented prize money increases, players also will see a host of new
amenities at this year’s tournament including upgrades to player dining, a more generous
meal allowance, upgrades to all player workout facilities, and additional quiet room space.
 The U.S. Open runs from Aug. 28 to Sept. 10 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at
Flushing Meadows, New York.
World Para Athletics: Karamjyoti Dala wins bronze medal in discus-throw

 India’s Karamjyoti Dalal has won bronze medal at the World Para Athletics Championships
2017 in the discus-throw.
 In the women’s F55 category of discus-throw, she managed a
throw of 19.02 m.
 Earlier, Sundar Singh Gurjar had opened India’s account at
the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships by winning
gold medal in the men’s javelin throw event.
 Later, Amit Saroha won silver medal in the club throw event
in the F-51 category.
 Karamjyoti Dala Karamjyoti Dala was originally a part of the national Kabaddi setup.
 But she had to give up the sport after she took a fall from her terrace, that resulted in her
losing her motor sensations for a year.
 But she took up discus throw in 2014.
 Since then her performance has gone from being unranked in the top-10 in the world.
 Currently she is ranked World No.8. She had secured a fourth-place finish at the IPC Para-
athletics championships in 2015.
 She had won two bronze medals at the 2014 Asian Games held in Beijing, China.
 The World Para Athletics Championships are a biennial Paralympic athletics event
organized by World Para Athletics, a subcommittee of the International Paralympic
Committee (IPC).
 The first IPC Athletics World Championships were held in Berlin, Germany in 1994.
England wins 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup

 England’s women’s cricket team won 2017 ICC World Cup title by
defeating India by 9 runs at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. It was
England’s fourth Women’s World Cup title. Besides the inaugural edition in
1973, England had won the World Cup in 1993 and 2009 as well.
 In this edition of World Cup, Tammy Beaumont of England was awarded
41 |
Player of the Series title. She had made most runs (410) in the tournament. Dane van
Niekerk of South Africa took most wickets (15) in the tournament.
 The 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup was the eleventh edition of the Cup since 1973, and
the third to be held in England after 1973 and 1993 tournaments. Notably, it was India’s
second appearance in the Women’s World Cup final, having lost to Australia in 2005.
Women’s World Cup: India's Mithali Raj made world record, become highest runner
 India’s Mithali Raj become the highest run-scorer in women’s one-day internationals when
she played against Australia in the ICC Women’s
World Cup, in Bristol ,England.
 Mithali made 69 runs from 114 balls. It was her 49th
ODI half-century.
 The highlight of the Indian innings was Mithali
surpassing former England captain Charlotte Edwards’
aggregate of 5992 runs to become the highest run-
getter in the history of women’s ODIs.
 She also became the first bats woman to reach the individual milestone of 6000 runs.
 The only time she tried chancing her arms was when she lofted Beans for a six to complete
6000 runs.
H.S. Prannoy won the men’s singles title of US Open Grand Prix Badminton Gold
 Indian badminton player H.S. Prannoy clinched the
third grand prix gold title of his career by defeating
country-mate Parupalli Kashyap in the final of the US
Open Grand Prix Badminton Gold on 23 July 2017. He
defeated Kashyap in three games by 21-15, 20-22, 21-
12.
 On their way to the final, Prannoy had notched up a
21-14, 21-19 win over Vietnam’s Tien Minh Nguyen in
the first semi-final while Kashyap on the other hand, earned a hard-fought 15-21, 21-15,
21-16 win over South Korean Kwang Hee Heo in the second semifinal.
 This was Kashyap’s first major final in 21 months.
India finishes 7th in Youth Commonwealth Games with 11 medals

 The Indian contingent finished an impressive seventh in the recently-
concluded 6th Youth Commonwealth Games at the Bahamas with a
total tally of 11 medals including for four gold, one silver and six
bronze medals.
 England topped the medal list with a total of 51 medals including 23
gold, 16 silver and 12 bronze.
 Australia at the second position with a tally of 39 medals that
includes 14 gold, 14 silver and 11 bronze.
 The other countries to finish ahead of India include New Zealand,
Scotland, South Africa and Singapore.
 Sebastian Vettel wins 2017 Hungarian Formula One Grand Prix. The 2017 Hungarian
Formula One Grand Prix was the eleventh round of the 2017 Formula One season and the
32nd running of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
 2017 FIBA Women's Asia Cup: India beat Kazakhstan to clinch Division B crown. On the
other hand, Japan defeated Australia 74-73 in the Division A summit clash.
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 Jhulan Goswami and Subrata Bhattacharya felicitated by Mohun Bagan. Debabrata Das was
honoured with the Best Cricket Player of the Year award.
 Kylie Masse wins 100m backstroke world gold in record time. Canada’s Kylie Masse of
Canada stormed to women's 100m backstroke gold in a new world-record time at the
World Aquatics Championships in Budapest.
 Mithali Raj named Captain of ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 team. She was at her best in the
quarter-final against New Zealand in Derby when she scored 109 to enter into the
semifinals with a 186-run victory.
 HS Prannoy beats Parupalli Kashyap to lift 2017 US Open Grand Prix Gold badminton title.
In the women’s singles category of the tournament, Aya Ohori of Japan won the final by
defeating Michelle Li of Canada.
 Harampreet’s unbeaten 171 helped India to dethrone Australia in ICC Women's World Cup.
Harmanpreet took just 26 balls to move from her half-century to a century. She used just 18
more deliveries to bring up her 150 from 100.
 Bharat Arun appointed as Team India’s new bowling coach. Bharat Arun was appointed as
the new bowling coach of Team India by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on
18 July 2017.
 Kazan and Budapest to host 2022, 2024 FINA Short Course World Swimming
Championships. On the other hand, the Chinese city of Hangzhou is set to host the Short
Course Swimming Championships in 2018, while Abu Dhabi will be the venue in 2020.
 Mithali Raj shatters record; becomes first player to score 6000 runs in women’s ODI cricket.
Mithali overtook Charlotte Edwards (5992) after scoring her 34th run against Australia in
Bristol. The 34-year-old reached the landmark in her 183rd ODI, taking 164 innings - 16
less than Edwards.
 Afghanistan batsman Shafiqullah Shafaq scores double century in T20 game. Shafaq
smashed a laudable 214 innings off just 71 balls including 21 sixes and 16 fours in the
Paragon Nangarhar Champion Trophy Twenty20, a local tournament of Afghanistan.
 2017 Asian Athletics Championships: India creates history, tops medal tally. India showed
its best performance ever in the Asian Athletics Championships, clinching a total of 29
medals, including 12 golds.
 Google Doodle Celebrates 140 years of Wimbledon Championship. Google has rolled out a
new doodle commemorating the 140th anniversary of the world’s oldest tennis
tournament, Wimbledon Championship.
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Honours / Awards
Ramon Magsaysay Award-2017

 Ramon Magsaysay Award Ramon Magsaysay Award is Asia’s highest honour and is often
regarded as the region’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize.
 The Ramon Magsaysay award was established in April, 1957. This award was created to
commemorate Ramon Magsaysay, the late president of Philippines.
 The Award is presented in formal ceremonies in Manila, Philippines on August 31st, the birth
anniversary of the much-esteemed Philippines President whose ideals inspired the Award’s
creation.
Awardees-2017
 Gethsie Shanmugam (Sri Lanka): Rebuilding lives from the psychosocial wounds of war and
violence.
 Yoshiaki Ishizawa (Japan): Restoring Cambodia's treasured gift to world culture.
 Lilia de Lima (Philippines): Harnessing sustained, non-stop and credible public service.
 Abdon Nababan (Indonesia): Giving compelling face and voice to Adat communities and
their rights.
 Tony Tay (Singapore): Mobilizing collective goodwill to address hidden hunger.
 Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) (Philippines): Empowering
communities for development action through theater arts.
IPS officer Mahesh Bhagwat conferred 2017 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report Heroes
Award
 IPS officer from Telangana, Mahesh Muralidhar Bhagwat was conferred with the 2017
Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report Heroes Award.
 The award is given by the Unites States Department of
State.
 He is third IPS officer to get this honour.
 He was awarded for his vital role in elevating human
trafficking as a government priority and his innovative
approach to investigating cases and dismantling human
trafficking operations.
 Currently, Mahesh Bhagwat is Police Commissioner of
Rachakonda, one of the three Police Commissionerates located in Hyderabad.
 He was central figure in anti-trafficking operations that have removed hundreds of victims
from situations of trafficking, and with the help of other government departments and civil
society organisations, ensured their placement in rehabilitation programmes.
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The International Indian Film Academy Awards - 2017 has been conferred in New York City
 The 18th International Indian Film Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the
International Indian Film Academy honouring the best Hindi films of 2016, occurred in East
Rutherford, New Jersey on 14–15 July 2017.
 Neerja got the best film and Alia Bhatt, Shahid Kapoor
won Best Actors for Udta Punjab.
 The Bollywood biggies gathered under one roof to
congratulate the most deserving nominations. For the
first time in eighteen years.
 This year, the star-studded event happened at MetLife
Stadium in New York.
 The 2017 IIFA Awards, officially known as the 18th
International Indian Film Academy Awards
ceremony, presented by the International Indian Film
Academy honouring the best Hindi films of 2016, occurred in East Rutherford, New Jersey
on 14–15 July 2017.
 Site : Metlife Stadium , East Rutherford, NJ, USA
 Hosted by :Karan Johar & Saif Ali Khan
IIFA 2017 full list of winners:
 Best Film : Neerja
 Best Actor Male: Shahid Kapoor for Udta Punjab.
 Best Actor Female: Alia Bhatt for Udta Punjab.
 Best Director: Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury for Pink.
 Best Supporting Role-Male: Anupam Kher for M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story.
 Best Supporting-Female: Shabana Azmi for Neerja.
 LK Advani receives Lifetime Achievement Award for contributions in Lok Sabha. The
awardees were selected by a jury headed by former Lok Sabha Speaker Shivraj Patil.
 IROAF wins Golden Peacock Award for Eco Innovation for the year 2017. This innovation is
expected to reduce emissions by bringing down NOx by 16 per cent, CO2 by 6 per cent and
Particulate Matter by 18 per cent.
 A R Rahman shortlisted for World Soundtrack Award - Public Choice. The music maestro
was shortlisted for the development of the music for the British-Indian historical film
Viceroy’s House that was directed by British filmmaker of Indian origin Gurinder Chadha.
 The Energy Resources Institute ranks second among world's climate think tanks. The
institute was ranked number two under the category 2016 Top Climate Think Tanks in the
Rest of the World-Absolute Global Rankings during ICCG’s 23rd annual conference of the
European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists.
 Indian-Americans Shantanu Narayen and Vivek Murthy to be honoured with Great
Immigrants Award. Among other honourees include Canadian-origin social entrepreneur
Jeff Skoll, who has been awarded the 2017 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, PayPal
cofounder of Ukrainian origin Max Levchin, Iranian-origin philanthropist and entrepreneur
Hushang Ansary.
 Writer Preeti Shenoy bags Indian of the Year Award. Shenoy was awarded by Brands
Academy, one of the most reputed branding companies in India.
45 |
Obituaries
Grand old man of Indian space programme Prof. U.R. Rao passed away
 Prof. Udupi Ramachandra Rao (U.R. Rao) was the fourth Chairman of Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) and headed it during its critical formative years
between 1984 and 1994.
 Prof. U.R. Rao, often called the grand old man of Indian space
programme.
 He was involved in all ISRO missions till date in one capacity or the
other.
 ISRO credits him with establishing the development of indigenous
satellite technology, giving thrust to early rocket development efforts
with the ASLV and the PSLV.
 He initiated the development of the medium powered GSLV rocket for
two-tonne spacecraft in 1991.
 It was during his time that India was denied the Russian cryogenic technology for the
GSLV’s upper third stage.
 He is the only Indian to date to have been inducted into the Satellite Hall of Fame,
Washington, in 2013 by the Society of Satellite Professionals International.
 He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1976 and the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest
civilian honour, this year (2017).
Renowned academic Professor Yash Pal dies at 90

 Renowned physicist, academic and higher education reformer Professor Yash Pal passed
away in Noida at the age of 90.
 Yash Pal was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2013.
 The highly-regarded academic began his career at Mumbai's Tata
Institute of Fundamental Research. He was a member of the 'cosmic
rays group'.
 He then attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for his
PhD, after which he returned to the Tata Institute, where he
remained until 1983.
 Yash Pal was appointed by the government to several school and
higher education reform committees.
 When the National Council of Educational Research and Training
began work on the National Curriculum Framework, Yash Pal was roped in to chair its
steering committee.
 In 2009, the human resources development ministry set up a committee on higher
education - that came to be called the Yash Pal Committee - which Yash Pal chaired, to look
into reforming higher education in the country.
 In 2009, he received the Kalinga Prize, awarded by UNESCO for the popularisation of
science.
China’s Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo passes away

 China’s most famous political prisoner, the Nobel laureate and
democracy icon Liu Xiaobo passed away in custody following a battle
with cancer. He was 61.
 Liu was awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize for his long and non-
violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China.
 Liu is the third person to have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
46 |
while in prison or detention, after Germany’s Carl von Ossietzky (1935) and Burma’s Aung
San Suu Kyi (1991).
 He was also the second Nobel Peace laureate died in custody (first being Ossietzky who
died in a Nazi concentration camp).
Lizbeth Portillo Rodriguez, the Famous mexican model shot dead

 Lizbeth Portillo Rodriguez a 24 year old Mexican model, was shot
dead in a butcher shop in the colony of Zootecnia.
 At the time of the incident, Lizbeth was in her father’s butchery
and grocery shop.
 A man walked in with a gun and shot the victim.
 Later, the accused fled with his accomplices in a white
Volkswagen Bora.
 The police have not yet arrested anyone till now and all that is known is 14 bullets were
fired at the victim and the murder clearly does not look like a case of robbery.
 Lizbeth is a nurse and model by profession.
 She is best remembered for her role in the music video ‘A Leguas Se Nota’ by the musical
group Herencia Mtz.
Bhiku Daji Bhilare, Man who ‘saved’ Gandhi in 1944 dies at 98

 Veteran freedom fighter Bhiku Daji Bhilare, popularly referred to as Bhilare Guruji passed
away in Bhilar near the hill station at the age of 98.
 He was credited in certain accounts with having saved Mahatma
Gandhi from an attempt on his life by Nathuram Godse in Panchgani
in 1944.
 The commission of Supreme Court judge J K Kapur was set up on
March 22, 1965 to probe the conspiracy behind Gandhi's
assassination.
 According to records, Godse was overpowered by Bhilare during an
attack on Gandhi in 1944.
 Shortly after his release from the Aga Khan Palace where he was
incarcerated in 1944, Gandhi contracted malaria and had gone to Panchgani to take rest on
his doctor's advice.
 It also finds mention in a book written by another Gandhian, Chunilal Vaidya, Mehta.
Dhrupad maestro Ustad Sayeeduddin Dagar dies aged 78

 Ustad Hussain Sayeeduddin Dagar, maestro and custodian of the venerable Dhrupad
tradition of Hindustani classical music and a member of the eminent Dagar family, passed
away aged 78 in Pune after a brief illness.
 He was known affectionately to his legions of disciples and admirers as ‘Saeed Bhai’.
 He was born in Alwar in Rajasthan in 1939.
 He was the youngest among the eight famous Dagar brothers - all exponents of the ancient,
complex and elaborate Dhrupad tradition.
 Renowned forensic expert, Pakkiriswamy Chandra Sekharan died, He was 83. He helped
investigators crack the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case and played a seminal role in getting
back the stolen 1,500-year-old Pathur Nataraja idol from the U.K.
 South African jazz musician Ray Phiri died of cancer at the age of 70. Ray Phiri, a South
African jazz musician who founded the band Stimela and became internationally known
while performing on Paul Simon’s Graceland tour.
47 |
 N Dharam Singh, former Chief Minister of Karnataka, passes away. Singh had served as the
17th Chief Minister of Karnataka. He headed the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition
government from May 2004 to February 2006.
 Senior Congress Leader and Freedom Fighter Shivajirao Giridhar Patil passes away. Senior
Congress leader, social activist and father of late veteran actress Smita Patil passed away in
Mumbai at the age of 92. He is survived by two daughters and actor grandson, Prateik
Babbar.
 Martin Landau, the actor who won Oscar for ‘Ed Wood,’ is no more. Mission: Impossible,
which also starred Landau's wife, Barbara Bain, became an immediate hit upon its debut in
1966 and remained on the air until 1973.
 Maryam Mirzakhani, Fields Medal winner, passes away. The Tehran-born Mirzakhani is the
first and to-date only female winner of the Fields Medal since its inception in 1936.
 Former Sikkim CM Nar Bahadur Bhandari passes away. In 1984, Bhandari briefly served
the country as Member of Parliament from Sikkim constituency in the 8th Lok Sabha as an
independent candidate.
 Former Indian Ambassador to the US Naresh Chandra passes away. He was also an Adviser
to the Governor of Jammu & Kashmir in 1986 for a period of 8 months.
48 |
Important Days
 July 11 : World Population Day

 Theme of 2017: Family Planning: Empowering People, Developing Nations
 July 12 : World Malala Day
 Theme of 2017: No Theme
 July 15 : World Youth Skills Day
 Theme of 2017: Skills for All
 July 17 : World Day for International Justice
 Theme of 2017: Preventing conflict and sustaining peace through decent work
 July 18 : Nelson Mandela Day
 July 26 : Kargil Vijay Diwas
 July 29 : International Tiger Day
 Theme of 2017: Fresh Ecology For Tigers’ Protection
Foreign Visits / Foreign Visitors
 Visit of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to Germany in between July 6-8, 2017.
 Visit of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to Israel in between July 4-6, 2017.
Source of Information
 http://pib.nic.in
 http://india.gov.in
 http://www.ibef.org
 http://thehindu.com
 http://jagranjosh.com
 http://gktoday.in
49 |
Answer Key
MCQs on June-2017 Current Affairs
1-A 2-C 3-B 4-D 5-C 6-A 7-B 8-A 9-A 10-B
11-A 12-D 13-B 14-B 15-A 16-A 17-B 18-B 19-A 20-D
21-B 22-C 23-B 24-D 25-B 26-B 27-C 28-C 29-D 30-B
31-C 32-B 33-B 34-B 35-A 36-A 37-C 38-C 39-B 40-A
41-C 42-C 43-C 44-B 45-A 46-B 47-B 48-C 49-A 50-C
51-B 52-C 53-A 54-C 55-B 56-B 57-A 58-C 59-C 60-C
61-A 62-B 63-D 64-B 65-C 66-B 67-D 68-C 69-D 70-D
71-D 72-D 73-B 74-A 75-C 76-C 77-B 78-B 79-B 80-A
81-A 82-B 83-C 84-A 85-D 86-A 87-C 88-B 89-C 90-D
91-C 92-C 93-B 94-A 95-B 96-A 97-B 98-D 99-B 100-D
101-C 102-C 103-D 104-B 105-B 106-B 107-C 108-B 109-A 110-C
111-B 112-B 113-D 114-B 115-B 116-C 117-C 118-B 119-A 120-C
121-C 122-B 123-A 124-B 125-A 126-A 127-A 128-D 129-B 130-C
50 |

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649compendium July2017

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Compendium- July, 2017

Economics & Financial Awareness

Defence & Security - National/International

Foreign Visits / Foreign Visitors

“National Biopharma Mission”: To aim at accelerating bio-pharmaceutical development

'Delhi Dialogue' Meet to be attend by Top ASEAN leaders on July 4

New Israeli Chrysanthemum flower named after PM Narendra Modi

Udaipur to be India's first ever Bird-Park

Foundation stone of country’s biggest Global Skill Park laid in Bhopal

President promulgated the ordinance legalizing the traditional buffalo-race sport of

Ahmedabad becomes India’s first World Heritage City

India to invite heads of 10 ASEAN nations for Republic Day celebrations

Ghaziabad is the most polluted city in India

India to become largest milk producer in 2026: UN and OECD

Karnataka may have a separate State flag soon

Maharashtra first state to have law against social boycott

SDG Index places India on lowly 116th position

 No.4. Norway (83.9 score)

Indian Railways launches India's first solar powered train

President inaugurates Bicentenary Celebration of Paika Rebellion

India’s first bio-methane bus launched by Tata Motors

Delhi Metro becomes world’s first completely ‘green’ Metro system

Global Conference on Cyber Space -2017 to be held in India on Nov 23

Government to launch Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana (AGEY)

Kiren Rijiju inaugurates RIWATCH Museum and Chimari Bridge

India is world’s third-biggest beef exporter: OECD-FAO report

FSSAI bans stapler pins in tea bags from January 2018

Maneka Gandhi recommends legalising marijuana for medical purposes

Haryana government bans use of liquid nitrogen in food and drink

GK Gandhi named as the joint Vice-Presidential candidate of 18 opposition parties

M. Venkaiah Naidu nominated as the Vice-President of India for NDA

 The election for Vice-President of India will be held on 5 August 2017.

India to host 8th International Theatre Olympics in 2018

Union Cabinet approves establishment of International Rice Research Institute in Varanasi

12th G-20 summit-2017, Hamburg, Germany

G-20 leaders adopt Hamburg Action Plan

World’s longest 100Gbps submarine cable system launched by Reliance Jio

WHO declares end of Ebola outbreak in Congo

Canada celebrates its 150th anniversary as a Confederation country on 1 July 2017

Germany Parliament passed the same-sex marriage bill

Canadian baby becomes world's first with genderless ID card

Smallest-ever star in universe discovered by scientists

World’s first wind farm being built off Scotland coast

"What Happened", a book by Hillary Clinton to be publish in September

 Zimbabwe's Parliament passes bill, giving sweeping powers to President. Zimbabwe's

Economics & Financial Awareness

Aaykar Setu: Government launches new tax payer service module

NSE Nifty landmark level 10,000 points

Defence & Security - National/International

Tri-nation Malabar naval exercise begins

US Navy tests world's first drone-killing laser weapon

Muntra: India’s first unmanned tank rolled out by DRDO

India, Japan civil nuclear deal comes into force

Indian Navy’s second LCU Mark IV L52 ship launched by GRSE

Ram Nath Kovind elected India's 14th President

Achal Kumar Joti appointed as next CEC

Sanjay Kumar appointed new NDRF Chief

 Gill has won the Edgbaston seat for the Labour

Brenda Hale to be First Woman President of UK SC

PV Sindhu appointed Group-I officer as deputy collector in Andhra Pradesh

Gopal Baglay appointed Joint Secretary in PMO

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi made interim PM of Pakistan

Subhash Garg takes charge as secretary of Department of Economic Affairs