Current Affairs 18 July,  2017 –   Nobel peace laureate Malala calls for state of emergency for education in Nigeria

NATIONAL

Tata Motors develops country’s first Biomethane bus:

    Tata Motors has developed country’s first Bio-CNG (bio-methane) bus which was unveiled recently at a bio-energy programme, ‘Urja Utsav’. The firm, which is India’s largest commercial vehicles manufacturer, said the bio-methane engines could be used in LCV, ICV and MCV buses.

    It was organised by the government, was attended by Minister of State (Independent) for Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan and MoS (Independent) for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines Piyush Goyal.

Kargil International Marathon concludes:

    The first ever Kargil International Marathon ‘Run for Sarhad’ concluded with more than 800 runners from all over the world participating in the event.

    The marathon started from Tourist Facilitation Centre (TFC) Kargil and concluded at the same venue covering Drass War Memorial, Kaksar Harka Bahadur and much more.

Kargil International Marathon held at: Jammu & Kashmir

President of India receives first copy of book ‘Future of Indian Universities: Comparative and International Perspectives’

    The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee received the first copy of the book ‘Future of Indian Universities: Comparative and International Perspectives’ from Nobel Laureate Professor Amartya Sen who formally released it at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

    It aims to provide international and comparative perspectives on higher education and highlights issues being faced by Indian Universities.

Minister of Railways Inaugurates Sindhudurg leg of the Science Express:

    The IX Phase of the prestigious Science Express exhibition train which is on a nationwide tour since 17 February 2017 reached Sindhudurg in Maharashtra i.e. 17 July 2017. This phase of train is being referred as ‘Science Express Climate Action Special (SECAS)’ highlighting the global challenge of climate change.

Punjab CM to launch Uber bike taxi scheme on July 24:

    Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh will be launching the first set of 100 Uber bike taxis, a new scheme aimed at generating jobs for the unemployed youth in the state on July 24.

Punjab

• Capital: Chandigarh
• Governor: V. P. Singh Badnore
• Chief Minister: Captain Amarinder Singh

INTERNATIONAL

Nobel peace laureate Malala calls for state of emergency for education in Nigeria:

    Nobel peace laureate Malala Yousafzai has called for a State Of Emergency for education in Nigeria. She visited the country and met some of the Chibok schoolgirls whose cause she championed.

    The 20-year-old global education campaigner made the suggestion at a meeting with Acting President Yemi Osinbajo at the presidential villa in Abuja. According to the UN children’s fund, UNICEF, Nigeria has some 10.5 million children out of school – the most in the world and 60 per cent of them are girls.

APPOINTMENTS

Parajuli to be Nepal’ new SC Chief Justice:

    The name of acting Chief Justice Gopal Prasad Parajuli was unanimously endorsed by the Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee (PHSC) for the post of Nepal’s Supreme Court Chief Justice.

    Nepal’s President Bidhya Devi Bhandari will now appoint him to the post, which he will continue to head till April 28 next year.

Nepal

• • Prime minister: Pushpa Kamal Dahal
  • Currency: Nepalese rupee
  • Capital: Kathmandu

Farooq Abdullah, PK Kunhalikutty take oath as Lok Sabha members:

    National Conference leader and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah and Indian Union Muslim League leader PK Kunhalikutty took oath as members of the Lok Sabha.

Smriti Irani Gets Additional Charge Of I&B After Venkaiah Naidu Resigns:

    Smriti Irani, Minister for Textiles, will hold an additional charge of the important Information and Broadcasting Ministry, the government has announced.

    Senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu resigned as Information and Broadcasting Minister after he was named as the government’s nominee for Vice President of India.

    Mr Naidu also resigned as Urban Development Minister and that ministry will now be led by Narendra Singh Tomar.

SPORTS

I H Manudev Wins National Masters Snooker Tournment Title:

    I H Manudev has won the first National Masters snooker tournament title in Chennai. Alok Kumar, a former national men’s champion, had been in fine form coming into the summit clash, but found Karnataka’s Manudev a tough proposition.

Indian judokas bag 3 medals in Asian Cadet Championships:

    India bagged three medals, including a gold in the just-concluded Asian Cadet Judo Championship in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

    Thangjam Tababi Devi of Manipur won the yellow metal for India in the girl’s below 44kg weight category, while Haryana’s Simran clinched a bronze in the girl’s below 40kg.

    11th Asian Cadet & 18th Asian Junior Judo Championships will be held from 12th to 16th July 2017 at Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Sung Hyun Park Wins U.S. Women’s Open, Edging an Amateur:

    Sung Hyun Park, a 23-year-old South Korean with a fluid swing and stalwart nerves, dropped a 20-foot putt on the 15th green and then a 6-footer on the 17th, capturing the United States Women’s Open with the decisive birdies.

OBITUARY

George Romero, Father of the Zombie Movie, Dies at 77:

    George A. Romero, a horror visionary who created the modern zombie genre with his 1968 cult film, “Night of the Living Dead,” which has influenced generations of horror enthusiasts, died in Toronto. He was 77.

Oscar-winning performer Martin Landau is no more:

    Veteran actor Martin Landau, whose versatile screen career stretched from the 1960s TV series Mission: Impossible to his Oscar-winning turn as Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood, has died at 89, his publicist said.