18th & 19th july 2014 - Daily Current GK

National Affairs

1. 45th Bank Nationalization Day observed on 19th July 2014.
2. Nation Remembers the revolutionary Mangal Pandey who sparked the sepoy mutiny of 1857 on his birth anniversary (19th July 2014).
3. The overall detection of HIV positive cases in Manipur rose from 25,919 in March 2007 to 40,855 in March 2012, indicating the serious magnitude in the state, according to a copy of the CAG report.

International Affairs

1. Bolivia passed a law authorizing children to work from age 10, saying the rule is necessary due to realities in the impoverished country where kids join the labor market prematurely.
2. A digital exhibition featuring the lives of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela as two of the greatest leaders of the past century has kicked off a month- long Indian festival at Johannesburg that will celebrate the strong bonds between India and South Africa.
3. The Supreme Court ordered setting up of a special court to exclusively hold trial of the coal blocks allocation scam and asked the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court to nominate a judge, who will deal with the cases arising out of the investigation conducted by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate.
4. Family members of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose have appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for solving the mystery behind the nationalist leader’s disappearance.
5. The negotiations between the P51 nations and Iran on the latter's nuclear programme failed to reach an agreement before the deadline of July 20 and agreed to extend the talks till November 24 for brokering an agreement.
6. UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon is visiting the Middle East to help mediate in the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.

Business and Economy

1. Finance Minister ArunJaitley presents Rs 36,776 crore Delhi budget; no new taxes proposed in the budget. 260 crore for power subsidy.
2. The Indian Government is going to set up a special fund of Rs 2,000 crore in the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for development of food parks in the country.
3. Pressing ahead with its policy to promote domestic military industry, the government on Saturday cleared procurement proposals worth over Rs 21,000 crore and also okayed a project for the production of transport aircraft which is open only to Indian private sector companies.
4. Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) controlled by India's richest man, Mukesh Ambani, on Saturday reported a 13.7 percent rise in first quarter consolidated net profit on the back of higher refining margin.

10:06 - By Unknown 0

17th july 2014 - Daily Current GK

National Affairs

1. The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission has approved a tariff hike of 8.32%. 
2. Children under 12 years of age will no longer be allowed to take part in formation of human pyramids during 'Dahi Handi' celebrations, which are integral part of Janmashtami festivities in Maharashtra.
3. The Central Government has advised the States and Union Territories to take up a large number of labour intensive works under MGNREGA keeping in view the anticipated drought like situation due to less than normal rainfall.

International Affairs

1. MH17, a Malaysian airline plane carrying 280 passengers and 15 crew flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was crashed in Ukraine.Ukrainian interior ministry official Anton Gerashchenko stated on Facebook that the airliner was "shot down with a Buk anti-aircraft system by terrorists", referring to militants seeking to unite eastern Ukraine with Russia.
2. European Union leaders ordered tougher sanctions against Russia because of its actions in Ukraine, asking the European Investment Bank to sign no new financing agreements with Moscow.
3. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange today lost a court bid to get an arrest warrant against him scrapped, leaving him marooned in the Ecuadoran embassy in London where he sought refuge more than two years ago.
4. A Dubai initiative to provide potable water to five million people facing shortages in Asia and Africa has raised nearly USD 50 million (36.89 million euros), local media reported today.
5. India and Brazil called for urgent progress in reforms of the UN Security Council, as they agreed to scale up bilateral ties and deepen cooperation.
6. The US and EU have slapped fresh sanctions on Russia, hitting its finance, military and energy sectors, with President Barack Obama saying the action was taken as Moscow continued its provocative and destabilising actions in Ukraine.
7. US Defence Secretary ChuckHagel to visit India next month to discuss bilateral defence and security ties with India.
8. Kerala-based magician Samraj selected for Merlin award instituted by New York-based International Magicians Society (IMS).

Business & Economy

1. RBI and Monetary Authority of Hong Kong ink MoU for exchange of supervisory information. With this, RBI has signed MoUs with 21 supervisors for supervisory co-operation.
2. Union Finance minister Arun Jaitley to present FY 2014-15 Budget for NCT Delhi in Parlmt tomorrow as Delhi Assembly is under suspended animation.

10:03 - By Unknown 0

16th july 2014 - Daily Current GK

National Affairs

• In a major victory for India, the BRICS on Tuesday night decided to establish the New Development Bank with an initial authorised capital of $100 billion for which the initial subscribed capital will be equally shared by the founding members. 1st President is from India, Headquarters in Shanghai, Africa Regional Center in SouthAfrica. Check complete details of New Development Bank from here. 
• Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday said her government would bring in legislation to put an end to the practice of denying entry to dhoti-clad people into clubs in the state.
• One third of the extreme poor global population reside in India which has also recorded the highest number of under-five deaths in the world, the latest UN Millennium Development Goals report has said.
• The Supreme Court today issued notice to all states and Union territories on a plea for legalizing passive euthanasia (mercy killing).
• SC appoints former Solicitor General T R Andhyarujina as amicus curiae (impartial adviser) to assist it in the case relating to legalizing euthanasia

International Affairs

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has favoured broadening of the strategic partnership with Russia in nuclear, defence and energy sectors and invited President Vladimir Putin to visit Kudankulam atomic power project during his trip in December for his annual summit.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Brazil and discussed various issues including the need to resolve the boundary question in an amicable manner.
• India and Brazil sign 3 agreements on Bilateral cooperation. Those are, 
• Environment
• Consular & Mobility issues
• Augmentation of Brazilian earth station
• India-Brazil sign an MoU on the Establishment of a consultation mechanism on consular and mobility issues
• Israel has stepped up its military offensive inGaza saying it has "no choice" asking thousands of Palestinians to leave their homes.
• The United States is looking forward to working on a strong bilateral relationship with the Indian armed forces, the Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby said today.
• US President Barack Obama has called German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss the current Ukraine situation and the progress made in negotiations with Iran and its nuclear program.

Business & Economy

• India's exports grew by 10.22 per cent to USD 26.4 billion in June this year while imports stood at USD 38.24 billion, up by 8.33 per cent, leaving a trade deficit of USD 11.76 billion, according to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry's data.
• With development of three gas finds in Reliance Industries' KG-D6 block held up due to a technical dispute, the Oil Ministry is seeking Cabinet nod to relax timelines to allow the firm retain and produce from the discoveries worth USD 1.45 billion.

Science & Technology

• A Mexican software company has managed to transmit audio, video and Internet across the spectrum of light emitted by LED lamps - at a data transfer rate of 10 gigabytes per second with a technology called Li-Fi or light fidelity.

Sports

• England seamer James Anderson has been charged by the International Cricket Council over an alleged confrontation with India’s Ravindra Jadeja during the drawn first Test at Nottingham’s Trent Bridge last week.

10:00 - By Unknown 0

Daily Current Affairs : 11th-15th July 2014

• World Population Day is being observed today, an annual event on 11 July to raise awareness of global population issues. Established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989, it was inspired by the interest in Five Billion Day on 11 July 1987 – approximately the date when the world’s population reached five billion. This year, the theme is “Investing in Young People.” 
• Delhi has become the world’s second most populous city in 2014 after Tokyo, more than doubling its population since 1990 to 25 million, according to a UN report.The 2014 revision of the World Urbanisation Prospects launched yesterday said that India is projected to add the highest number of people to its urban population by 2050, ahead of China.
• US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday and delivered US President Barack Obama’s invitation for him to visit Washington. Modi is scheduled to visit US in September for the UN General Assembly. The Prime Minister will also hold summit meeting with Obama to take the India-US relationship forward. 
• Grand old lady of Bollywood Zohra Sehgal passes away at 102. Family and friends bid farewell to veteran actress Zohra Sehgal, who was cremated in New Delhi on Friday. A Padma Shri awardee, she also received the Padma Vibhshan in 2010. 
• Mizoram Governor Vakkom Purushothaman resigned. The 86-year-old Congress veteran said that he sent his resignation to President Pranab Mukherjee this morning.
• Amul has inked an agreement with the Indian Olympic Association to sponsor the Indian contingent for the upcoming Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games to be held later this year in South Korea. Amul, which has recently started its ‘Eat Milk with Every Meal’ campaign, had also sponsored the Indian contingent for the London Olympics in 2012 and has been investing in football, cricket and Formula 1 in the past.
• India has inked a loan agreement with World Bank for an assistance of $153 million (about Rs 920 crore) for the Odisha Disaster Recovery Project. The objective of the project is to restore and improve housing and public services in targeted communities of Odisha, and increase the capacity of the state entities to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible crisis of emergency.
• Sim Bhullar become the first player of Indian origin to be a part of the National Basketball Association (NBA) after he signed a summer contract with the Sacramento Kings, a professional basketball team in the US.21-year-old Bhullar, who is 7.5 feet tall and weighs 360 pounds, is a centre from New Mexico State University. 
• Daily Current Affairs : 12th July 2014
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• Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to participate in VIth BRICS Summit in Fortaleza and Brasilia, Brazil from 14 to 16th of July. He will embark upon his important journey on 13th of July. This will be his first multi-lateral meeting with the heads of BRICS countries, the growing world economies such as Brazil, China, Russia and South Africa.
• Air India on Friday formally became a member of Star Alliance, a conglomeration of 26 overseas airlines. The biggest growth will come from Air India’s home market, which till now was served by 13 Star Alliance members flying to 10 destinations.
• World Cup champions to get $35 mn from FIFA. The winning federation, either Germany or Argentina, will receive $35 million from the ruling body FIFA, and the losers $25 million, FIFA said on Friday. There is also a financial incentive in the match for third place between hosts Brazil and the Netherlands on Saturday, with $22 million for third place and $20 million for the fourth. Overall FIFA is dishing out $358 million to the 32 teams who competed at the June 12-July 13 tournament.
• The Northeast has the potential to become the largest producer of organic foods in the world, Union minister Vijay Kumar Singh said on Saturday. VK Singh, the Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region said, “Potential in North East is very high as it is already an organic hub by default.” 
• Satish Upadhyay formally takes charge as Delhi BJP chief. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, who was appointed as the state party chief just before the Lok Sabha elections, handed over the charge of Delhi unit to Upadhyay at a function organised at Delhi BJP office in New Delhi. 
• IIP grows to 19-month high of 4.7% in May. Showing signs of recovery, industrial production grew at 19-month high of 4.7 percent in May due to improved performance of manufacturing, mining and power sectors and higher output of capital goods. The output, as measured by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), had contracted by 2.5 percent in the same month of last year.
• President Pranab Mukherjee has removed Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, Virendra Kataria from his post. Lt. General (Retd.) Ajay Kumar Singh, Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands will have additional charge of Puducherry. 
• Indian Navy will formally receive the first fully ingeniously built anti-submarine warfare (ASW), INS Kamorta, at Visakhapatnam on Saturday. The naval warship will be handed over to the Indian Navy by Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd. (GRSE) after a brief ceremony today. The first of the four such ships, INS Kamorta will be the first to integrate rocket launcher for anti-submarine warfare.
• Daily Current Affairs : 13th-14th July 2014
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• Germany lift FIFA World Cup 2014 title. Germany’s Mario Götze kicks in second half of extra time to win 1-0 against Argentina in final of the FIFA World Cup 2014. Germany is the first side from Europe to win a World Cup in the Americas, determined that a golden generation will finally get its reward after a string of near-misses. Messi was declared as the Player of the tournament and awarded Golden Ball.
• Union Government appointed 1980 batch IAS officer Shankar Aggarwal Secretary in the Ministry of Urban Development on Monday. The Uttar Pradesh cadre officer, Aggarwal was previously the Secretary, Union Ministry of Women & Child Development.
• New governors have been appointed in Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Gujarat and Nagaland. Ram Naik will be the new Governor of Uttar Pradesh. Balramji Dass Tandon, the Governor of Chhattisgarh. Keshari Nath Tripathi, former UP Assembly speaker, has been appointed as the Governor of West Bengal. Om Prakash Kohli, former Delhi BJP chief, will be the new Governor of Gujarat. Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya has been appointed as Nagaland Governor.The President has accepted the resignation of Vakkom Purushothaman, as Governor of Tripura and given additional charge to Mr. Acharya.
• Also Check ► Recently New Appointed Governors of UP, WB, Chhattisgarh Gujarat and Nagaland
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• Electric bus pilot project to be launched in Gujarat as part of efforts to ensure a cleaner and greener environment. Moving ahead, the state-run Gujarat Power Corporation Ltd (GPCL) has invited expression of interest from the potential companies interested in the project which has been flashed on its official Web site. The project is to be launched to reduce the carbon emission and to create an ecological equilibrium by using non-traditional fuel like electricity,” the officer said.
• India today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Sri Lanka for setting up of a Faculty of Agriculture and a Faculty of Engineering for the University of Jaffna at Kilinochchi. The MoU was signed by High Commissioner of India, Mr. Y.K. Sinha, and the Secretary to the Ministry of Higher Education, Dr. Sunil Jayantha Nawaratne, in the presence of Sri Lanka’s Minister of Higher Education, S.B. Dissanayake in Colombo.
• The government has slapped an additional penalty of USD 579 million on Reliance Industries for producing less than targeted natural gas from its KG-D6 block, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said. With this, the total penalty on RIL for missing the target in four fiscal years beginning 1st April 2010 now stands at a cumulative USD 2.376 billion, the Minister informed the Lok Sabha on Monday. 
• The 14th edition of Agri Intex 2014, an agricultural trade fair, is scheduled between July 18 and 21 at the Codissia Trade Fair complex here. The event, which is aimed at transforming Indian agriculture, is being jointly organised by the small industries association Codissia and the State farm university. Over 235 exhibitors have registered for participation, including exhibitors from Italy, Israel, Japan, China and Germany.
• Former Sri Lanka Skipper Mahela Jayawardene has announced his retirement from Test Cricket following the home series against South Africa and Pakistan this year. Sri Lanka Cricket Board said that Jayawardene, 37, has written a letter to the Chief Executive Officer Ashley De Silva, announcing his wish to retire from the longest version of the game. Jayawardene, who made his Test debut against India in 1997, played 145 Tests scoring 11,493 runs with 33 centuries and 48 fifties
• Inflation dipped to 5.43 per cent in June mainly on account of decline in prices of food items and vegetables with the exception of potato and onion after rising to a five-month high in May. It was at 5.16 per cent a year ago in June 2013.
• Indo-Russian joint venture firm BrahMos Aerospace today said it is developing a smaller version of the 290-km supersonic cruise missile for enabling its deployment on submarines and smaller fighter aircraft such as MiG 29K. Addressing a gathering while launching his book The Path Unexplored, BrahMos Aerospace chief A Sivathanu Pillai said the firm was preparing for the test-firing of the air-launched version of the missile by the end of this year.
• Legendary actor Dilip Kumar’s ancestral home has been declared as a national heritage and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has ordered authorities to acquire the dilapidated property, a move he hopes would bring Pakistan and India closer. 
• Daily Current Affairs : 15th July 2014
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• Environmentalist and social activist Chandi Prasad Bhatt has been awarded the prestigious Gandhi Peace prize for 2013. President Pranab Mukherjee presented the award to him at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday. The Gandhi Peace Prize is given to individuals and institutions for their contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods. 
• India has emerged as the world’s largest consumer of antibiotics followed by China and the US, according to a new study which quantifies the growing alarm surrounding antibiotic-resistance. The study quantifies the growing alarm surrounding antibiotic-resistant pathogens, and a loss of efficacy among antibiotics used to combat the most common illnesses. 
• BRICS nations, including India, today expressed commitment to refrain from taking any protectionist measures and improve policy coordination to enhance trade and investment. Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who is accompanying Prime Minister Narendra Modi, attended the meeting of Trade Ministers of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).
• Britain’s Foreign secretary William Hague has resigned as part of an anticipated reshuffle of the Conservative-led Government ahead of a general election next year.
• South African Nobel Prize-winning writer and anti-apartheid activist Nadine Gordimer, who became an icon through her unique insights into the country’s social agonies, has died at the age of 90. The writer, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1991, died peacefully in her sleep at her home in Johannesburg yesterday.
• The third oldest football tournament in the world, Durand Cup, will be held in Goa between October 28 and November 9 this year. A host of top clubs and military football teams will participate in the tournament. Durand Cup was first held in the year 1888.
• Visakhapatnam will be made the IT capital of Andhra Pradesh because of its immense potential, Minister for Information Technology Palle Raghunadha Reddy said here on Tuesday. The State Government would be announcing the new IT policy in 10 days. A single window clearance for investments would be set up in the State as part of the policy to promote IT industry.
• Typhoon Rammasun hits Philippines; to toss monsoon ‘low’ into Bay. Northwest Pacific typhoon Rammasun has barrelled into the Philippines this noon as a category-2 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of storm intensity. Rammasun is far from being finished as normally happens with a storm on making landfall; instead it will enter South China Sea and churn up into a stronger category-3 typhoon.
• Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has resigned. The country’s football federation has confirmed the news. Scolari, 65, was appointed the coach of the team in 2012. Brazil finished fourth at this year’s FIFA World Cup.

09:54 - By Unknown 0

Daily Current Affairs : 6th-10th July 2014

1. 6th BRICS Summit to be held in Fortaleza, Brazil from 15-17 July 2014. The 6th BRICS summit will be the sixth annual diplomatic meeting of the BRICS, a grouping of major emerging economies that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It will be hosted by Brazil, as the first host country of the current five-year summit cycle, the host city will be Fortaleza.
2. A panel headed by former Economic Advisor to Prime Minister, C Rangarajan sets poverty line at Rupees 32 per day in rural areas and Rupees 47 in Urban areas. The panel has dismissed the Tendulkar Committee report on estimating poverty, which had suggested persons spending below 33 Rupees per-day mark in Urban areas to be considered poor.
3. Governor of Gujarat, Kamla Beniwal was transferred and appointed as Governor of Mizoram for the remainder of her term.
4. Vakkom Purushothaman, the Mizoram Governor, transferred and appointed as Governor of Nagaland for the remainder of his term. Vakkom will continue to hold the additional charge of the office of the Governor of Tripura.
5. DY Patil, the Governor of Bihar assumed the additional charge of West Bengal as the acting Governor. Patil took over the charge of the office from MK Narayanan who resigned from the post on 30 June 2014, which was accepted by the President on 4 July 2014. Narayanan became the 24th Governor of West Bengal on 24 January 2010.
6. M S Mehta was appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Reliance Infrastructure on 7 July 2014. He took charge as CEO for a period of five years. He replaced Lalit Jalan, who held the post of CEO of Reliance Infrastructure for more than seven years.
7. National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the development of Small Farm Producers. The MoU seeks to bring the two institutions in close coordination for implementing schemes for promotion of Producer Organisations (POs).
8. United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, William Hague, will arrive in India on a two-day visit for the first time after the formation of the NDA government in the country. The visit will focus on key areas, including ways to enhance investment, defence and security ties between the two countries.
9. Petro Kvitova crushes Bouchard to win Wimbledon title. Petra Kvitova stormed to her second Wimbledon title in the shortest women’s final since 1983 as the Czech sixth seed crushed Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-0 on Saturday.
10. Novak Djokovic  defeated Roger Federer to win his second Men’s Wimbledon title and seventh career Grand Slam. The match went into the decider set and Djokovic shattered Federer’s dream of a record eighth grass court title, with score card reading 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 5-7, 6-4.
11. Novak Djokovic becomes world number one after Wimbledon victory. Serbian Djokovic has moved above Rafael Nadal of Spain to top the rankings by 460 points. Defeated finalist Roger Federer has skipped compatriot Stan Wawrinka to claim third.
12. Serena Williams of the United States has retained top spot in the latest world rankings released by the WTA Monday, while Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova moved up to fourth. Kvitova of the Czech Republic has gained two places from sixth but still trails Li Na (China) and Simona Halep (Romania) behind Williams, who is top with an advantage of 2,550 points.
13. Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) XI won the match played to celebrate 200 years of Lord’s Cricket Ground. Sachin Tendulkar-led MCC XI beat Shane Warne-led Rest of the World XI in Lord’s in London, UK.

Daily Current Affairs : 8th July 2014

1. Union Rail Budget 2014-15 was presented by the Union Railway Minister Sadanand Gowda on 8 July 2014. This is the first rail budget presented by any Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister and it is also Gowda’s first rail budget.
2. Union Rail Budget 2014-15: Highlights:
3. Railways to build FOB and escalators, toilets on all stations
4. Railways also proposes to set up Food Courts at major stations
5. RO drinking water facilities to be installed at stations
6. Separate housekeeping wing at 50 major stations
7. CCTV to monitor cleanliness activities
8. Mechanized laundry will be introduced
9. Dedicated freight corridor on Eastern and Western corridors
10. Tourist trains to be introduced to link all major places of tourist interests across the country
11. 4000 women constables to be recruited to ensure safety of women
12. 17000 Railway Protection Force (RPF) constables to provide safety to passengers
13. Setting up of Railway University for technical and non-technical study
14. Ultrasonic Broken Rail Detection System (UBRD) to detect problem in track
15. Proposal to start Bullet trains in Mumbai—Ahmedabad route
16. Diamond Quadrilateral project of high speed trains to connect all major metros
17. Efforts will be made to increase speed of trains to 160-200km/h on select sectors. The identified sectors are: Delhi-Agra; Delhi-Chandigarh; Delhi-Kanpur; Nagpur-Bilaspur; Mysore-Bengaluru-Chennai; Mumbai-Goa; Mumbai-Ahmedabad; Chennai-Hyderabad and Nagpur-Secunderabad.
18. E-ticketing system to be improved. Future e-ticketing to support 7200 tickets per minute & to allow 120000 simultaneous users
19. Wi-fi in A1 and A category stations and in select trains. Internet-based platform and unreserved tickets
20. Will develop 10 metro stations with state-of-the-art facilities• Outsourcing at 50 major stations; on board housekeeping to be extended to more trains; launching feedback service through IVRS on the quality
21. Hospital Management Information System to integrate all railway health units and hospitals
22. Special milk tanker trains to be introduced
23. Temperature-controlled storage for fruits and vegetable
24. setting up of Railway University for technical and non-technical subjects, tie-up with technical institutions
25. Paperless office of Indian railways in 5 years. Digital reservation charts at stations
26. Ready-to-eat meals to be introduced in phased manners
27. New trains in Rail Budget: 5 Jansadharan, 5 Premium, 6 AC, 27 express trains, 8 passenger, 5 DEMU & 2 MEMU services; 11 train extensions
28. Office-on-wheels: Internet and workstation facilities on select trains• Temperature-controlled storage for fruits and vegetable
29. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a 180 million dollars loan to help Nepal overcome its crippling power shortages and export surplus power to neighboring India. The loan will help Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) finance a substantial upgrade and expansion of transmission and distribution lines and sub-stations, allowing the transfer of up to 2,000 megawatts (MW) of power to main load centers in the Kathmandu Valley.
30. India successfully test-fired an advanced version of the 290-km range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from Chandipur-on-Sea off Odisha coast. It was test-fired from a mobile launcher from launch complex number three of the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Balasore.
31. About the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile: 
32. BrahMos supersonic cruise missile is capable of carrying a conventional warhead of 300 kilogram and operates on ‘Fire and Forget Principle’, adopting varieties of flights on its way to the target
33. BrahMos is the first supersonic cruise missile known to be in service
34. BrahMos with a top speed of Mach 2.8 is about three times faster than the US subsonic Tomahawk cruise missile
35. Indian tennis legend Vijay Amritraj on Monday announced the launch of Champions Tennis League (CTL) in India with an aim of taking the sport to new levels of awareness and popularity in the country. The CTL will feature six city based teams, who will play 13 matches over a 10-day period from November 17 to 26.
36. Granville Austin, the eminent scholar of the Indian Constitution died in Washington DC. He died at the age of 87. He described Indian Constitution as first and foremost a social document that embodied the objectives of a social revolution.
37. Alfredo Di Stefano, the legend of Real Madrid Football Club, died on 7 July 2014 at the General Universatario Gregorio Maranon Hospital in Madrid. He was 88. He died after suffering a heart attack. Stefano was a football player, who played for three different nations at international level but never appeared at the world cup. He played for Argentina, Colombia and Spain.
38. Eduard Shevardnadze, the former President of Georgia died on 7 July 2014. He died after prolong illness at the age of 86.  He became the second President of Georgia in 1992 after disintegration of Georgia from the erstwhile Soviet Union. He had succeeded Zviad Gamsakhurdia. He was toppled in November 2003 after the Rose Revolution led by Mikheil Saakashvili.
39. Australia leads the latest ICC test rankings followed by South Africa, England with India in the fourth place. Men in Blue played test cricket after a long gap in Bangladesh last month and the tour of England will provide them yet another opportunity to improve their ranking.
40. Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza has achieved a career-best rank of number five in the world as the new WTA Doubles chart was released yesterday. Sania has entered the top-five for the first time in her career.

Daily Current Affairs : 9th July 2014

1. Indian economy is likely to grow in the range of 5.4 to 5.9 per cent in 2014-15 overcoming the sub-5 per cent GDP growth of past two years, even as poor monsoon and disturbed external environment remain a cause for concern, says the Economic Survey.
2. ECONOMIC SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS 2013-14:
3. GDP growth seen at 5.4-5.9 pc in 2014/15
4. Growth rate of 7-8 pc can occur after 2015/16
5. CAD to be contained at 2.1 pc of GDP in 2014-15
6. Wholesale inflation expected to moderate by end-2014
7. Need DTC as clean modern replacement for existing I-T laws
8. RBI intervention in forex market behind accumulation of reserves “generally”
9. Rupee has stabilised, reflecting an overall sense of confidence in forex and capital markets
10. Capital controls under FEMA do not support rapidly globalising economy.
11. BJP leader Amit Shah and close aide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the party’s new President. He replaces the incumbent Rajnath Singh who became Home Minister after the party’s victory in the Lok Sabha polls.
12. Emma Watson, the British Actress was appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women. With this appointment, the accomplished actress and humanitarian Watson will work for empowerment of young women and also as an advocate for UN Women’s campaign in promoting gender equality.  
13. Justice Arun Mishra, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice Rohington F Nariman were appointed as Supreme Court judges on 7 July 2014. The three judges were administered the oath of office by Chief Justice of India, R M Lodha. Justice Mishra and Justice Goel were the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court and the Orissa High Court, respectively. Justice Nariman was a senior advocate at the Supreme Court and has been elevated from the advocates bar.
14. Germany handed hosts Brazil their biggest ever defeat, 7-1 to seal a shot at the Football World Cup for the fourth time. In the second semi-final, Argentina will clash with the Netherlands at Sao Paulo late tonight.

Daily Current Affairs : 10th July 2014

1. India’s economy is 10th biggest in terms of GDP according to World Bank. After growing at an average annual rate of just over 6 per cent from 1980 to 2010, India’s economy is now the 10th biggest in the world in terms of gross domestic product, according to the World Bank.
2. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday said the government will retain the fiscal deficit target for 2014-15 at 4.1 per cent of GDP and reduce it further to 3 per cent by 2016-17. Presenting his maiden Budget, the Minister said the prevailing economic situation presents a great challenge and there was a need to introduce fiscal prudence that will lead to fiscal consolidation and discipline.
3. Tax exemption limit raised to Rs 2.5 lakh. The proposal, according to an estimate, is likely to be benefit about 2 crore tax payers. Similarly, he raised tax exemption limit from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh in the case of senior citizens. Thus, tax on income from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh is retained at 10 per cent, up to Rs 10 lakh at 20 per cent and above 10 lakh at 30 per cent. 
4. Government on Thursday allocated Rs 2.29 lakh crore for the Defence Ministry in the Budget, marking an increase of around 12.5 per cent from the last fiscal as it raised the FDI limit in the defence sector up to 49 per cent from 26 per cent now.
5. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana to create awareness on women’s issues. For the safety and welfare of women, Rs 100 crores have been provided for Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana to generate awareness on the issues. An outlay of fifty crore rupees has been made for pilot testing of a scheme on safety for women on public road transport.
6. To clean up the Ganga, Rs 2037 crores has been provided for the Ganga conservation mission – Namami Ganga in the General Budget. Another Rs 100 crores has been provided for Ghat development and beautification at Kedarnath, Haridwar, Kanpur, Varanasi, Allahabad, Patna and Delhi.
7. Govt allocates Rs 500 crore for its ‘Digital India’ initiative to set up broadband network in villages and promote local manufacturing of hardware and Indian software products. Under the Digital India initiative, National Rural Internet and Technology Mission, the government will focus on setting up broadband in villages, promote local manufacturing of hardware and Indian software products, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday said while presenting the Budget for 2014-15.
8. India and United Kingdom decided to launch negotiations for civil nuclear cooperation. The decision was taken during the visit of UK foreign secretary of state William Hague to India.  He visited India on 7- 8 July 2014. The Union External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj and UK foreign secretary of state William Hague had discussions on variety of issues related to bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest. At present, the Bilateral trade between the UK and India stands at 15 billion US dollars. 
9. Typhoon Neoguri slammed into Japan’s southern main island early today after lashing the Okinawa island chain, with three people killed as powerful winds and torrential rains battered the country. The typhoon’s winds slowed somewhat overnight, with the storm packing gusts of up to 126 kilometres (78 miles) per hour as it moved east at 25 kilometres per hour.
10. Argentina defeated the Netherlands 4-2 on penalties on Wednesday to set up a third World Cup final against Germany.
11. FIFA suspended Nigeria from all international football competitions with immediate effect. Nigeria was suspended on account of government interference in running Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

09:53 - By Unknown 0

Daily Current Affairs : 1st – 5th July 2014

• Orkut, Google’s first social networking site, will cease to exist after September with the Internet giant deciding to shut down the service launched 10 years ago. Google said it will shut down Orkut, which is very popular in India and Brazil, on September 30. The service, however, did not do so well in other parts of the world and lost sheen to rivals like Facebook.
• India announced a new liberal visa policy for nationals of Afghanistsan on humanitarian grounds. The Policy was released by Union Home Ministry and will be effective from 1 July 2014. The new policy allows nationals of Afghanistan to stay in India on stay visa or resident permit for a period of two years at a time. Besides, Afghanistan nationals below 12 years or above 65 years are also granted exemption from police reporting.
• SBI launched six digital branches across the nation, as part of its programme to offer next generation banking solutions to the mobile and internet-savvy customer base. These branches are located in Mumbai, Bangalore,Chennai and Ahmedabad, besides Delhi. Named as sbiINTOUCH, these branches will have digital banking capabilities, which include instant account opening with personalised debit cards, instant loan approvals for education, car and home and remote expert advisors available via video links. The new branches are equipped with interactive wall and table displays and multi-function kiosks.
• IDBI Bank introduced mobile banking service for its customers. This facility enables the customer to meet all banking needs such as fund transfer, bill payments, visa money transfer, DTH/ mobile recharge and much more from any destination.
• The United States on 30 June 2014 named a mountain in Antarctica as Mt. Sinha to honour an eminent Indian-American scientist, Akhouri Sinha. The mountain was named in recognition of Sinha’s work done as an explorer in 1971-72. Sinha’s pioneering biological research expedition has provided critical data about animal populations in Antarctica.
• Sri Lanka and Seychelles signed 6 agreements of bilateral importance. The agreements were signed during the visit of Sri Lankan President to Seychelles. The six agreements were signed between Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and President of Seychelles, James Michael in the capital, Victoria.
• Twitter is fattening its mobile ad portfolio by agreeing to acquire TapCommerce, a company that specialises in targeting app consumers, the latter has said. Based in New York, San Francisco and London, TapCommerce specialises in targeting consumers who have downloaded an app and trying to entice them to come back to it. The firm says it is present on 50,000 apps.
• Former Haitian president Leslie Francois Manigat on 27 June 2014 died at the age of 83. He was elected as the President of Haiti in January 1988 but was overthrown by General Henri Namphy in June 1988. He led the centre-left Assembly of Progressive National Democrats party (RNDP) that was founded in the late 1970s.

Daily Current Affairs : 2nd July 2014

• Jitu Rai is the world’s No 1 air pistol shooter after winning three medals in the ISSF World Cups in Munich and Slovenia recently. The 27-year-old army man from Lucknow is the seventh Indian shooter to have achieved this feat.
• Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan along with Human Resources Development Minister Smriti Irani today inaugurated a First Aid Post at Shastri Bhawan in the National Capital. This unit will provide first aid services like blood pressure monitoring, dressing and other referral services to about 15000 employees of various Ministries posted at Shastri Bhawan and other nearby Government offices.
• Bank of Maharashtra was conferred “Best Bank – Public Sector” award in BFSI Awards-2014 by World HRD Congress in recognition of its performance in Banking category.The award focuses on the best practices of the BFSI Industry based on the Strategy, Security, Customer Service and the Future Technology Challenges and Innovations. Apart from Best Bank-Public Sector award, the bank has also won 4 other awards — Bank with Most Admired Services; Bank with Best Customer Orientation; Bank with Best Technology Orientation; and Corporate Communication Award.
• Kerala Government has appointed senior IAS officer A P M Mohammed Hanish as Nodal Officer for the matches likely to beld in Kochi during the 2017 FIFA under-17 world cup football.
• Business house Monnet Ispat head Sandeep Jajodia is all set to become the president of AIBA-approved Boxing India in its election to be held in Mumbai on July 9, according to a senior official of the group.
• There has been a sharp increase in the incidence of cyber crimes in the country. The number of cases registered in 2013 under the IT Act has gone up by 52 per cent at 4,192 as against 2,761 in the previous year. Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh (undivided) have topped the list with 681 and 635 persons.
• France announced to provide one billion Euros (8200 crore rupees) line of credit over a three years period to India. The announcement was made by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius who is on a visit to India. The line of credit will help India take initiative in the climate control area and enable India to work closely with France on the issue of climate change.
• World Bank Group grants $150,000 grant to GNRC(Guwahati Neurological Research Centre). WBG, through its India Development Marketplace (IDM) initiative, chose to present this grant during a conference and workshop on development marketplace in Guwahati, according to a statement by the WBG. 
• Using ATMs outside the home branch network may cost you. RBI is in the process of deciding if banks can charge a fee for using automated teller machines (ATMs) to withdraw money outside the home bank ATM network. Home bank network means ATMs of the bank in which you have an account. The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) has suggested to the RBI that customers who withdraw money from other banks ATMs should be charged.
• France’s former President Nicolas Sarkozy has been charged with corruption and influence peddling. This was stated by French prosecutors in a statement today. The decision came after Sarkozy was questioned for 15 hours, marking the first time a French ex-head of state had been taken into custody in a criminal investigation. 

Daily Current Affairs : 3rd July 2014

• Michelle Howard became the first female four-star admiral in US Navy. She is the first women admiral in 236 year old history of US Navy. Vice-Admiral Michelle was promoted to the highest rank of four-star admiral at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial in US on 1 July 2014. The Promotion ceremony was presided over by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus.
• India became the first country to ratify the Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate access to published works for persons who are blind and visually impaired. Dilip Sinha, the Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, handed over the Instrument of Ratification to Francis Gurry, Director General, WIPO. The instrument was handed over at a ceremony held during the 28th Session of SCCR (Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights) in WIPO Headquarters.
• Sardar Singh to Captain India in Commonwealth Games. There were few surprises as Hockey India (HI) selected a 16-member side, led by Sardar Singh, for the 2014 Commonwealth Games that would be held in Glasgow, July 23-Aug 3. Most the players of the squad, that finished ninth in the Hockey World Cup, barring goalkeeper Harjot Singh, midfielders S.K Uthappa, Jasjit Singh and forward Mandeep Singh.
• First Citizen: Pranab Mukherjee in Rashtrapati Bhavan: published by The Week Magazine.A coffee-table book titled First Citizen: Pranab Mukherjee in Rashtrapati Bhavan was released on 2 July 2014 at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. The book’s first copy was received by Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India. The book has been published by The Week Magazine and was released by Dr. Karan Singh in the presence of Pranab Mukherjee and Philip Mathew, the Managing Editor of The Week. 
• PM Narender Modi met Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. With the government using social media like never before, PM Modi told Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg that direct communication with people is critical for governance. Modi, describing himself as an avid user of social media, said on his page that “a platform such as Facebook can be used for governance and better interaction between the people and governments. Sandberg is on her first visit to India after becoming COO of the world’s most popular social networking site.
• Asian Development Bank has made financial commitment of USD 350 million in loan and equity investment for two energy projects in India.
• CARE Ratings has placed rating for Dhanlaxmi Bank’s tier II bonds under “credit watch” after private sector lender reported loss of Rs 252 crore for financial year 2013-14. Its capital adequacy (under Basel III) stood at 8.67%, below minimum regulatory requirement of 9% at end of March 2014. These factors would trigger the lock-in clause pertaining to the Upper Tier II Bond.
• An Indian Passenger Semi-Bullet Train Sets New National Speed Record of 160 kilometres an hour (100 miles an hour) on Thursday during a test between the capital and the Taj Mahal city of Agra.The introduction of high-speed links and bullet trains were one of the key poll campaign promises of India’s new right-wing prime minister, Narendra Modi, who won elections in May. Despite setting a new record, the train is still some way from the Japanese “Shinkansen” admired by Modi which reach speeds of 320 kilometres an hour.
• SBI to open 5K new ATMs with an aim to curb the financial burden. The move is aimed at helping improve the debit cards-to-ATMs ratio for the bank and may also possibly help it save money expended on ATM interchange fees.

Daily Current Affairs : 4th July 2014

• President Pranab Mukherjee becomes first serving President of India to join Twitter. President joined on Twitter with @RashtrapatiBhvn (https://twitter.com/RashtrapatiBhvn). The account is the official Twitter account of Rashtrapati Bhavan and is run by President’s Secretariat and tweets from the President Pranab Mukherjee are signed. PM Modi also has an account on twitter with the handle @narendramodi and former President Abdul Kalam with the handle @apj_abdul_kalam.
• Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson, a onetime aide to British Prime Minister David Cameron, has been sentenced to 18 months in jail for participating in a conspiracy to hack the phones of celebrities, politicians and crime victims.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) restored the limit of Overseas Direct Investment (ODI) by an Indian company under the automatic route of Foreign Exchange Management Act, 2004. With this decision now an Indian company can undertake financial commitment or invest up to 400 percent of the net worth in all its Joint Ventures (JVs) and/or Wholly Owned Subsidiaries (WOSs) abroad.
• Ram Naresh Yadav was sworn-in as Governor of Chhattisgarh at Raj Bhawan, Raipur on 2 July 2014. Ram Naresh Yadav, Governor of Madhya Pradesh, has been given the additional charge of Chhattisgarh. He was administered oath of secrecy by the Chief Jusitce Yatindra Singh of Bilaspur High Court, Chhattisgarh.Ram replaced Shekhar Dutt, who resigned as the Governor of Chhattisgarh on 18 June 2014.
• Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Minister Prof G L Peiris will be visiting India next week to hold talks with Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj on key issues, including the welfare of Tamil community in Sri Lanka and the resolution of the fishermen issues.
• Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner and American World War II veteran who survived two years as a prisoner of war, has died at the age of 97. He died peacefully on Wednesday after a 40-day battle with pneumonia. Zamperini’s life was the subject of the 2010 book Unbroken and an upcoming film adaption to be released this year.

Daily Current Affairs : 5th July 2014

• Four Indian-Americans were among 40 people who were honoured for their contributions to the US in the annual great immigrants tribute in New York on the country’s Independence day. Microsoft Corp chief executive Satya Nadella, comedian and actor Aasif Mandvi, Carnegie Mellon University president Subra Suresh and former president of the University of West Georgia, Beheruz Sethna were honoured along with 36 others, the Wall Street Journal reported.
• Goa Governor B V Wanchoo on Friday resigned as Governor of Goa as government went about finalizing its plans for replacing the Governors appointed during the previous UPA regime. 63-year-old Wanchoo sent his resignation after he received a call from Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami on Friday morning asking him to resign.
• The National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) and the Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly implement schemes for the promotion of farm producer organisations (FPOs). Under the deal, Nabard will leverage the benefits of the equity grant and credit guarantee fund for FPOs set up by SFAC to ensure that finance for producer companies flows smoothly, an Agriculture Ministry release said.
• Indian nurses freed from Iraq return to Kochi. Air India special aircraft, AI 160, ferrying them along with the remaining 137 evacuees made a smooth touchdown at 11.52 a.m. as a motley crowd of relatives, friends, officials, and the media gathered outside the international terminal.
• Senegal President Macky Sall has sacked Prime Minister Ms Aminata Toure after her ruling party was beaten in local elections. 51-year-old Ms. Toure, heading the Alliance for the Republic, APR, was named Prime Minister last year and replaced incumbent Abdoul Mbaye in September.
• Germany beat France 1-0, reach fourth successive semifinal. Mats Hummels’ first half header proved decisive as Germany marched into the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup for a record fourth time in a row with a 1-0 win over fellow European giants France in Rio De Janeiro on Friday.
• A sensational David Luiz free kick took Brazil into the World Cup semi-finals with a 2-1 victory over Colombia but the tournament hosts saw star striker Neymar carried off in agony. Brazil’s captain Thiago Silva will also be suspended for Tuesday’s semi-final against Germany after he followed up his first World Cup goal with his second yellow card of the tournament.

09:51 - By Unknown 0