Current Affairs Update: 29th June 2017

Current Affairs Update: 29th June 2017

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New computer virus "GoldenEye or Petya" spreads from Ukraine to disrupt world business.

• A computer virus wreaked havoc on firms around the globe on Wednesday as it spread to more than 60 countries, disrupting ports from Mumbai to Los Angeles and halting work at a chocolate factory in Australia.
• Risk-modeling firm Cyence said economic losses from this week's attack and one last month from a virus dubbed WannaCry would likely total $8 billion. That estimate highlights the steep tolls businesses around the globe face from growth in cyber attacks that knock critical computer networks offline.
• "When systems are down and can't generate revenue, that really gets the attention of executives and board members," said George Kurtz, chief executive of security software maker CrowdStrike. "This has heightened awareness of the need for resiliency and better security in networks."
• The virus, which researchers are calling GoldenEye or Petya, began its spread on Tuesday in Ukraine. It infected machines of visitors to a local news site and computers downloading tainted updates of a popular tax accounting package, according to national police and cyber experts.

Election Commission to launch nationwide ‘Voter Registration Reminder’ on Facebook

• In order to reach out to maximum eligible voters, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is launching a ‘Special Drive to enrol left out electors, with a special focus on first time electors from 1st July, 2017, so as to move in the direction of Commission’s motto that ‘NO VOTER TO BE LEFT BEHIND’.
• The ECI is collaborating with Facebook to launch first Nationwide “Voter Registration Reminder” on 1st July, 2017.  
• With over 180 million people in India on Face book, the ‘Register Now’ button is designed to encourage Indian citizens to register themselves with the Election Commission of India. 
• On 1st July, a notification of the “voter registration reminder” will be sent to people on Facebook in India who are eligible to vote. The reminder will be sent out in 13 Indian languages – English, Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi, Bengali, Urdu, Assamese, Marathi and Oriya.

World's first ATM machine turns to gold on 50th birthday

• Five decades since it heralded a transformation in the way people obtained and used cash, the world's first ATM was turned into gold for celebrations of its fiftieth anniversary.
• The brainchild of Scottish inventor Shepherd-Barron, the first ATM (automated teller machine) was opened on June 27, 1967 at a branch of Barclays bank in Enfield, north London, the first of six cash dispensers commissioned by the bank.

'War room' set up to deal with GST crises

• Equipped with multiple phone lines and computer systems and manned by tech-savvy youngsters, a "mini war room" has been set up in the finance ministry to deal with crises related to the implementation of GST.
• Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) chief Vanaja N Sarna told PTI today that the unit will act as a quick resource centre for central and state government officials to address their queries on the historic tax reform scheduled to be implemented from July 1

Odisha to set up blood bank for cattle

• Odisha is all set to become the first state in the country to have a blood bank for the cattle.
• Stating this, the Vice-chancellor of the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) Surendra Nath Pasupalak said that the first of its kind blood bank would be established on the premises of OUAT at an estimated cost of Rs. 3.25 crore.
• Mr. Pasupalak said a proposal in this regard was earlier submitted to the National Agriculture Development Programme (NADP). After approval from the NADP, the OUAT is now awaiting approval from the state government.
• The project will have a 60:40 sharing between the Centre and the state government, the OUAT VC said.

China launches new class of naval destroyer

• China's military on Wednesday launched a new type of domestically-built destroyer, state media said, the latest addition to the country's rapidly expanding navy.
• The 10,000-tonne warship was launched at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, the official Xinhua news agency said, making it the first of the People's Liberation Army Navy's "new generation" destroyers.
• "It is equipped with new air defense, anti-missile, anti-ship and anti-submarine weapons," Xinhua said, without giving further details.
• The state-run Global Times newspaper said the ship was believed to be the first Type 055 destroyer, which is considered to be a successor class to the smaller Type 052D guided missile destroyers.
• China is still producing the latter and commissioned one, the Xining, in January.

Adi Godrej, Andrew Liveris bag USIBC Global Leadership Awards

• Godrej Group Chairman Adi Godrej and Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveries have been awarded the Global Leadership Awards of the US-India Business Council for their role in integrating India in the global supply chain.
• Liveris and Godrej were presented with the prestigious annual award yesterday at the USIBCs annual gala.
• Both were honored for creating inclusive business environments, integrating India in the global supply chain and advancing core values such as manufacturing, innovation and scale in tough market conditions, the USIBC said.
• USIBC president Mukesh Adhi credited the two industry leaders with making tremendous strides in their businesses.
• "They are indicative of the power of private enterprise in building strong ties between India and the US," said Aghi.

NPPA gets GST ready; releases ceiling price of 761 medicines

• Drug price regulator NPPA today announced provisional ceiling prices of 761 medicines, including anti-cancer, HIV, diabetes and antibiotic, with a majority being reduced ahead of the GST implementation. 
• The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) said however that the actual increase or decrease in prices after the rollout of new indirect tax regime is expected to be in be in the range of 2-3 per cent depending on states.
• "In order to facilitate smooth implementation of GST for companies, we have worked out the provisional ceiling prices of 761 formulations," NPPA Chairman Bhupendra Singh told PTI. 

Sharjah named World Book Capital for 2019 by Unesco

• It has become a major cultural hub, drawing in huge crowds to its literary festivals, and on Tuesday Sharjah achieved global recognition as it was named World Book Capital by Unesco.
• The accolade came amid efforts to encourage reading in the UAE and across the Middle East.
• "We are so proud to have been recognised on a global scale for literary excellence and having our name being put on the same platform with some of the world’s frontrunners in the world of books and reading," said Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, president of the Emirates Publishers Association and head of Sharjah’s World Book Capital Organising Committee.
• "This signals a fruition of the momentous project that was established four decades ago by the vision of Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah."
• Sharjah will be World Book Capital for 2019, following on from Athens next year. Other host cities include Montreal and Madrid, the first in 2001.
• With the slogan Read - You Are In Sharjah, the programme focuses on six themes: inclusivity, reading, heritage, outreach, publishing and children.

Hyderabad-Based Vineeth Bhatt Awarded 'Best Astrologer Of World'

• City-based astrologer and numerologist TS Vineeth Bhatt has been conferred with the 'Best astrologer of the world' award at the 'Russian-Indian economic dialogue' round-table meet held in Moscow on Friday. 
• The event was organized by Hyderabad-based man awarded 'best astrologer of world'. This article is published at 26 June 2017 09:53 from Hyderabad News Headlines, click on the read full article link below to see further details.

U'khand gets award of excellence at international meet

• Uttarakhand was conferred with the award of excellence at the 2nd Global Skill Development Summit held in Paris recently for innovations and extensive use of IT for skilling the state's youth. 
• Project Director of Uttarakhand Skill Development Committee Pankaj Kumar Pandey received the honour on behalf of the state on the concluding day of the event on June 23, an official release said here today.
• Speaking at the event held at the Indian embassy in Paris, Uttarakhand's Finance Minister Prakash Pant highlighted steps initiated by the state government to promote skill development in Uttarakhand. 

India, Netherlands sign three MoUs, Modi invites Dutch CEOs for investment

• Describing the Netherlands as India’s “natural partner” in its economic development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday invited Dutch companies to invest in the country which he said was the “land of opportunities”.
• Focusing on trade, technology and investment, Modi interacted with CEOs of major Dutch companies after holding bilateral talks with his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte.
• The two countries signed three MoUs in the fields of social security, water cooperation and cultural cooperation.
• During his interaction with top Dutch CEOs, Modi said the reforms introduced by his government seek to enhance ease of doing business and bring standards at par with global standards.

Lasith Malinga gets suspended ban for media comments

• Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga has received a suspended one-year ban after pleading guilty to comments he made to the media in breach of his contract, the country's cricket board has said.
• The 33-year-old's sanction will be suspended for six months and he would also lose 50 per cent of his match from the next one-day international he plays in case of a similar breach, Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement.
• After his return from the Champions Trophy, Malinga had twice breached the terms of his contract by making statements to the media without the prior written consent of the board's Chief Executive Officer, SLC had said while launching a disciplinary inquiry against the fast bowler.

Former Indian hockey captain Dhanraj Pillay to get Bharat Gaurav

• Former India hockey captain Dhanraj Pillay will be conferred East Bengal football club's highest honour -- Bharat Gaurav -- at its foundation day ceremony on August 1.
• "Pillay's contribution to Indian hockey is immense. We have chosen him for this year's Bharat Gaurav. The club is honoured and humbled that he has accepted our request and will be present here for the Foundation Day on August 1," club secretary Kalyan Majumdar said today.
• One of modern day Indian hockey's biggest stars Pillay has the distinction of representing India at four Olympics, World Cups, Champions Trophy and Asian Games in his career spanning over 15 years. He made 339 appearances for the national team and scored 170 goals.
• The East Bengal club has chosen former India footballers -- Syed Nayeemuddin and Subhas Bhowmick -- for the Lifetime Achievement Awards at the function.

6th Joint Trade Committee Meeting between India and Myanmar.

• The 6th India Myanmar Joint Trade Committee (JTC) Meeting co-chaired by Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Commerce & Industry from India and Dr. Than Myint, Union Commerce Minister from Myanmar was held on 27th June 2017 at New Delhi. 
• The Joint Trade Committee plays a key role in facilitating issues related to enhancement of the bilateral economic partnership between the two countries. 

Vidya Balan On Being Ambassador Of The Indian Film Festival Of Melbourne.

• The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM), which is supported by the Victorian Government, will run from August 10 to August 22 this year. This year the theme is diversity. Over 60 films from India, indie films and short films in 20 different languages will be screened - these films will be from India and the subcontinent.
• This year, Vidya Balan returns as the ambassador of the festival. Speaking about her association with the festival and the theme of diversity with a special focus on films by female directors, Vidya said, "I am excited by the number of female directors and writers who have their work showing at the Festival. 
• Over the past few years, a new generation of female Indian filmmakers has begun to shine on the global stage. To see women behind the camera and creating powerful pieces of art is reflective of the positive steps that the film industry in India and the subcontinent are taking."

Trump appoints Indian-American "Krishna R Urs" as US Ambassador to Peru

• President Donald Trump has appointed Indian-American Krishna R Urs as the new US Ambassador to Peru.
• A career service American diplomat since 1986, Urs is currently Charge d'Affaires of the US Embassy in Madrid, Spain, where he was also the Deputy Chief of Mission.
• During three decades of State Department service, Urs has specialised in economic issues and developed extensive policy experience in the Andean region of South America.
• He has served at seven US embassies as well in senior leadership positions in Washington, DC, a media release said.

India finish 2nd behind China with 8 medals overall, including 3 gold at ISSF Junior World Championship

• The Indian shooting squad on Tuesday finished a creditable second at the ISSF Junior World Championship with three gold, two silver and three bronze medals in Suhl, Germany.
• China topped the tally in the rifle/pistol tournament with 19 medals, including eight gold.
• India picked up a gold and silver in the team and individual sections of the 25m pistol junior men's event, as well as the team bronze in the 25m pistol junior women's event to shore up their tally on the fourth and final day of competitions.
• Anish Bhanwala won three medals, one of each colour, and his individual silver on the final day helped India win their third gold of the competition and his second personally.
• On day one, Anish had claimed gold in the 25m standard pistol men's event.
• On Monday, he teamed up with Anhad Jawanda and Shivam Shukla to total 1733 in the 25m pistol and win gold.
• The Koreans were a point behind India in winning silver, while China were a point behind the Koreans in bronze.