DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: AUGUST 7, 2018

Daily Current Affairs (August 7, 2018) like many other sections is inevitable and this also helps to score in the Banking awareness , Static GK and Financial Awareness sections. Remember, Banking Awareness and Static Awareness Questions are asked from the General Awareness section. This will also help you to ride your preparations for the forthcoming exams.

NATIONAL

Parliament passes Criminal Law Amendment Bill

The Parliament has passed the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2018 which ensures stringent punishment for those convicted of raping girls below 12 years of age.

The bill was passed in the Lok Sabha last month and now it was unanimously passed in Rajya Sabha by voice vote.

The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2018 stipulates a minimum jail term of 20 years which may go up to life in prison or death sentence, for the rape of a girl under 12 years. While perpetrators involved in the gangrape of a girl below 12 years of age will get life imprisonment or death.

In case of rape of a girl below 16 years, the minimum punishment has been increased from 10 to 20 years and it is extendable to life imprisonment. The punishment for the gang-rape of a girl below 16 years of age will invariably be imprisonment for the rest of the life of the convict.

Two committees constituted to monitor illegal immigrants : Manipur Govt

The Manipur government has constituted two separate committees, state and district level, to monitor the entry or presence of “illegal immigrants” in the state post publication of the final draft of NRC in Assam.

The committees will initiate steps for checking and verification accordingly with immediate effect.

In relation with Assam’s NRC list, Manipur government is inquiring about influx of illegal immigrants from Assam and neighbouring states.The NRC draft features the names, addresses, and photographs of all Indian citizens, who have been residing in the northeastern state before March 25, 1971.

World’s first thermal battery plant to be inaugurated in Andhra Pradesh

The world’s first-ever facility to create thermal batteries will be inaugurated in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh. The Thermal batteries will be manufactured by Bharat Energy Storage Technology Private Limited (BEST).

These batteries are based on alternative sources of energy production, and their presence is expected to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. Energy can be stored in it that can power telecommunications, commercial enterprises, electric vehicles as well as charging systems.

The plant could provide an initial capacity of 1000MW and in its first phase, it will produce batteries for telecom, mini/microgrids, and electric buses, that are expected to run for up to 800 kms on a single charge.

Nitish Kumar launches ‘Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana’

The Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has launched the ‘Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana’.

It is an ambitious scheme which promises to provide Rs 54,100 from the birth of a girl child till she graduates. The ambitious ‘Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana’ will be run by three departments — education, health and social welfare.

The chief minister also made several other announcements like increasing the amount under the ‘Bicycle Yojna’ from Rs 2500 to Rs 3000. He also announced doubling the amount for purchase of sanitary napkin to Rs 300 from existing Rs 150 under the ‘Kishori Swasthya Yojna.’

NITI Aayog Identified 117 Districts As Aspirational Districts For RUSA Scheme

NITI Aayog has identified 117 districts as ‘Aspirational Districts’. These districts have been selected on the basis of composite index.

During the second phase of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), central assistance is provided for opening of new Model Degree Colleges(MDCs) in  ‘Aspirational Districts’ identified by NITI Aayog and in unserved & underserved districts in North Eastern and Himalayan States.

ISRO postpones launch of Chandrayaan-2 mission

India’s ambitious mission to the moon is postponed once again with a possible lift-off only in 2019.

The Chandrayan-2 mission was earlier planned for October 2018 and is now rescheduled because of technical glitches. This delay may now give Israel an opportunity to edge past India with its moon landing.

Israel through a non-profit company called SpaceIL seeks to launch its moon probe, Sparrow, in December this year.  The Israel mission will be using the American Falcon-9 rocket hoping to soft land on the moon on February 13, 2019.

Till date Russia, the US and China have successfully soft landed on the lunar surface.

President gives assent to Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2018

The Fugitive Economic Offenders’ Act, 2018, has got the nod from the President.

It will prevent fugitive economic offenders from evading the legal process in India and fleeing the country.

A fugitive economic offender is any individual against whom warrants for arrest are issued for his involvement in select economic offences, involving an amount of at least Rs 100 crore or more, and has left India so as to avoid criminal prosecution.

The new law allows the designated special court to declare a person as a fugitive economic offender and to confiscate his property, including ‘benami’ ones.

International Conference on ‘Sustainable Growth through Material Recycling’

NITI Aayog’s International Conference on “Sustainable Growth through Material Recycling: Policy Prescriptions” was inaugurated by the Union Minister of Road Transport, Highways & Ganga Rejuvenation, Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi.

Renowned experts from all over the world in material recycling took part in the deliberations at the conference.

It is expected that the deliberations at the conference will provide inputs for the policy formulation on various aspects related to material recycling.

INTERNATIONAL

UK announces new organ donation plan to address Indian-origin shortages

The U.K. government has announced new plans to change the law for organ and tissue donation to address the urgent need for organs within Indian-origin communities in India.

The proposed new system of consent for organ and tissue donation is expected to come into effect in England in 2020. It will be implemented as a part of the drive to help black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people desperately waiting for a life-saving transplant.

Under the new presumed consent system, those who do not want to donate their organs will be able to record their decision on the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) Organ Donor Register (ODR).

Maitree 2018: India, Thailand joint military exercise held in Thailand

The Maitree exercise is a joint military exercise between Indian Army and Royal Thai Army which will be conducted from 06 to 19 August 2018 in Thailand.

The exercise will emphasize to sharpen the tactical and technical skills in joint counter

insurgency and counter terrorist operations in rural and urban scenario under UN mandate.

Thailand

Capital: Bangkok

Currency: Thai baht

China successfully tests first hypersonic aircraft: Xingkong-2 or Starry Sky-2

China has successfully tested its first cutting-edge hypersonic aircraft which could carry nuclear warheads and penetrate any current generation anti-missile defence systems. The Xingkong-2 or Starry Sky-2, was launched in a target range located in Northwest China, the state-run China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA).

The flight vehicle reached 30 kms in altitude at Mach 5.5. The hypersonic aircraft was designed by the CAAA in collaboration with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

BANKING AND ECONOMY

India imposes safeguard duty on solar cells imports from China, Malaysia

India has imposed safeguard duty on solar cells imports from China and Malaysia for two years to protect domestic players from steep rise in the inbound shipments of the product.

This comes following recommendations by the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), under the commerce ministry.

India is targeting to 100 gigawatt (GW) solar capacity by 2022. The Solar cells are the electrical devices that convert sunlight directly into electricity, are imported primarily from China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS

Indra Nooyi steps down as Pepsi CEO

Indra Nooyi, who was the chief executive officer of PepsiCo Inc for the past 12 years, has decided step down from the position.

PepsiCo veteran Ramon Laguarta will replace Indra Nooyi as CEO. Nooyi will continue as the chairman of the board till early next year.

PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Purchase, New York.

Ajay Data: First Indian to get elected as ICANN ccNSO council member

Ajay Data, Founder and CEO of Data XGen Plus, has become the first Indian to be appointed a member of the Country Code Names Supporting Organisation (ccNSO).
The ccNSO of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is a policy-development body for global issues regarding country code top-level domains (ccTLD) within the ICANN structure.

Ajay Data will take up the position at ICANN’s 63rd Annual General Meeting in Barcelona, Spain, in October. He will be the custodian of Asia, Australia and Pacific Islands as a member of ccNSO.

SPORTS

Table Tennis: Swastika Ghosh wins bronze in Hong Kong Open

The Young paddler Swastika Ghosh claimed a bronze medal in the junior girls’ doubles along with Singapore’s Jingyi Zhou in the 2018 Hang Seng Hong Kong Junior and Cadet Open.

The pair defeated their Taipei opponents Pei-Ling Su and Yu-Chin Tsai.

Football: Indian U-20 team defeat Argentina in Cotif Cup in Spain

The Indian Under-20 football team created history last night when they defeated Argentina, 2-1 in their final match of the Cotif Cup in Valencia, Spain.

Deepak Tangri (4th minute) and Anwar Ali (68’) scored India’s two goals. India U20 team picked up one of their most memorable football triumphs.

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