Current Affairs Update - 23rd and 24th July 2017

Current Affairs Update - 23rd and 24th July 2017

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New Appointments

Sanjay Kothari Appointed Secretary To New President of India Ram Nath Kovind.

• Sanjay Kothari, chairman of the Public Enterprises Selection Board, has been appointed secretary and senior journalist Ashok Malik press secretary to President-elect Ram Nath Kovind.
• Senior Gujarat-cadre forest service officer Bharat Lal will be joint secretary to Mr Kovind, said an order issued today by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved these appointments for an initial period of two years, it said.
• Mr Kothari, a 1978-batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre, retired in June last year as DoPT secretary. He was in November 2016 appointed as the chief of the government's head-hunting agency, the PESB.
• Mr Kothari has served in various positions both at the Centre and state cadre.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay appointed Joint Secretary in PMO

• Baglay is a 1992 batch Indian Foreign Service officer. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved Baglay's appointment to the post for three years, an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training said.
• Senior diplomat and External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay was on Friday appointed as Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office. He has been appointed in place of Vinay Mohan Kwatra, who has been already named as India’s Ambassador to France.
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved Baglay’s appointment to the post for three years, an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said.
• The ACC has also approved that Kwatra and Baglay would work together in the PMO for an overlapping period of two weeks to facilitate smooth transition of work, it said.

IFS officer Raveesh Kumar to be next ministry of external affairs spokesperson

• Raveesh Kumar, a 1995-batch IFS officer who is currently posted in Frankfurt as Consul General of India, is understood to be the next spokesperson of the ministry of external affairs.
• Kumar will replace Gopal Baglay, who was on Friday appointed the joint secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office.
• The IFS officer started his career at the Indian Mission in Jakarta. It was followed by a stint in Thimphu and London.
• During his previous tenure in Delhi, he looked after the East Asia desk.

Lord Davies Appointed Chairman Of The UK India Business Council

• Lord Davies is set to replace The Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt as Chair of the UK India Business Council (UKIBC). He will take up this role from 1st September 2017, initially to serve a three-year term. Patricia Hewitt will be stepping down after 8 years in the role.
• On his appointment, Lord Davies said; “Businesses in both countries have always placed a high priority on the bilateral relationship. This relationship is now even more critical as Brexit becomes more of a reality. The UK India Business Council plays a vital and unique role, and we could and should be doing more to shape and drive a business-led agenda that benefits both countries. I am very excited to be helping the team meet this challenge.”

Hemang Amin appointed as the new chief operating officer of the Indian Premier League

• The BCCI has named Hemang Amin as the new chief operating officer of the Indian Premier League. Amin has been associated with the BCCI for the last seven years and has, more relevantly, played an active role in the "management and operations" of the IPL. Amin, who will continue to report to BCCI CEO Rahul Johri, has most recently served as the board's assistant general manager (finance, commercial and events).
• Amin's appointment comes after more than a year-and-a-half of the COO's office remaining vacant following the resignation of Sundar Raman. The appointment of a COO for the IPL is also one of the recommendations of the Lodha Committee that was approved by the Supreme Court.

Brenda Hale appointed as UK supreme court's first female president

• Brenda Hale has been appointed as the first female president of the UK supreme court.
• Lady Hale is a longstanding champion of diversity in the judiciary. She has previously said the court should be ashamed if it does not improve its record on the issue.
• Her appointment was announced on Friday and she will take up the role on 2 October, when she will be sworn in as president.
• She said: “It is a great honour and a challenge to be appointed to succeed Lord Neuberger. I look forward to building upon his pioneering achievements, including developing closer links with each part of the United Kingdom, for example by sitting outside London, and improving the ways in which we communicate our work to the public.

Banking/Economic Affairs

Finance minister Arun Jaitley introduces Bill to facilitate SBI’s merger with arms

• Finance minister Arun Jaitley on Friday introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha to repeal certain Acts, a move that was legally necessary in the wake of the merger of State Bank of India (SBI) with its subsidiary banks from April 1 this year.
• Finance minister Arun Jaitley on Friday introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha to repeal certain Acts, a move that was legally necessary in the wake of the merger of State Bank of India (SBI) with its subsidiary banks from April 1 this year. 
• The finance minister introduced the State Banks (Repeal and Amendment) Bill, 2017 to repeal the State Bank of India (Subsidiary Banks) Act, 1959 and the State Bank of Hyderabad Act, 1956. 
• In February, the Cabinet had also approved the merger of five associate banks with SBI, paving the way for the first such wide-scale consolidation exercise to create a banking behemoth. The merger of these subsidiaries —State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Hyderabad, State Bank of Travancore, State Bank of Mysore and State Bank of Patiala— with SBI became effective from April 1. 
• Even the Bhartiya Mahila Bank was also merged with SBI.The merger resulted in SBI’s customer base swelling to 37 crore, with a branch network of around 24,000 and nearly 59,000 ATMs across India. The merged entity started operation with a deposit base of more than Rs 26 lakh crore and loans level of Rs 18.50 lakh crore.

SBI and Carlyle to jointly acquire GE Capital's stake in SBI Card

• State Bank of India (SBI), the Carlyle Group and GE have announced that they have signed definitive agreements, whereby SBI and Carlyle Group will acquire GE Capital's entire stake in SBI Card, the second-largest credit card franchise in India.
• SBI Card is operated through two joint venture companies , SBI Cards & Payment Services and GE Capital Business Process Management Services, which issue credit cards and process card transactions in the Indian market.
• Following the transactions, SBI and Carlyle will own 74 percent and 26 percent respectively in each of the two entities.
• The transaction is expected to close by the fourth quarter of 2017, subject to regulatory approvals, according to Carlyle Group.
• Carlyle's equity for this transaction will come from an affiliated entity of Carlyle Asia Partners IV, Carlyle's fourth Asia buyout fund focusing on control and significant minority investments in well established companies across the Asia ex-Japan region.
• Currently, SBI holds 60 percent in SBI Cards & Payment Services and 40 percent in GE Capital Business Process Management.
• SBI had already announced its intent to raise its stake to 74 percent from 60 percent in the front -end entity and to 74 percent from 40 percent in the back -end entity.

Karnataka Bank Partnerships with PNB MetLife to provide insurance cover for borrowers by launching Met Loan and Life Suraksha (MLLS) Scheme

• Karnataka Bank, in association with its PNB MetLife, has launched Met Loan and Life Suraksha (MLLS), a single premium plan covering the loan liability of a customer.
• The bank has also introduced KBL MLLS, an app for its employees to instantly calculate the insurance cover and premium based on loan liability of the borrowers.
• Quoting Mahabaleshwara MS, MD and CEO, Karnataka Bank said in a press release here it has been in a partnership with MetLife for the last 15 years.
• Sameer Bansal, Director (Bancassurance) of PNB MetLife, said his company and Karnataka Bank have secured close to two lakh lives together. MLLS seeks to provide financial stability to the borrower’s family in unexpected circumstances, he said.

National Affairs

India provides Nepalese Rupees 66.44 million as financial aid to Nepal for school infrastructure

• India has extended Nepalese Rupees 66.44 million as financial assistance for the construction of school buildings in Nepal.
• Ambassador of India to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri on Saturday inaugurated one of the school buildings in Jogidaha, Udayapur and laid the foundation stone for the construction of campus building for Narad Aadarsha Education in Basaha.
• India has extended a total of Nepalese Rupees 66.44 million as financial assistance for construction of these buildings under its Small Development Programme Scheme, according to a press release issued by the Indian embassy here.
• The newly constructed building of Shree Janata Higher Secondary School consists of 12 classrooms along with toilets, a compound wall and furniture.
• The Ambassador also announced Mahatma Gandhi scholarship for two meritorious students of the school.

Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Vijay Goel flagged off 10th Slum Yuva Daud

• The Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports (I/C), Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Shri Vijay Goel addressing at the flag-off ceremony of the 10th Slum Yuva Daud, from Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, Khichripur to 9 Block, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Stadium, Trilokpuri, Delhi on July 22, 2017. 
• The Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and Shipping, Shri Nitin Gadkari and Shri Maheish Girri, MP are also seen.

MoS Home Kiren Rijiju inaugurates RIWATCH Museum in Arunachal Pradesh

• Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju inaugurated the Research Institution of World Ancient, Traditional, Culture & Heritage (RIWATCH) Museum at Roing in Arunachal Pradesh yesterday.
• Mr. Rijiju hoped that it will serve as a place of exchange of cultural values of various tribes of the state and the North East. The MoS also pressed for documentation and research to preserve age-old culture and traditions of the state and exhorted people to shoulder the responsibility to pass on traditional and cultural values to the next generation.
• State Art & Culture Minister, Mohesh Chai said that 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.
• 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 BRO.

International Affairs

UN selects Dubai as data hub for MENASA region

• "As the government entity tasked with ushering in an era of smart technology in the emirate, we were elated with the UN's decision to select Dubai as a regional hub for city data in the MENASA region," Director General of the Smart Dubai Office said
• The UN has selected Dubai as the data hub for the Middle East North Africa and South Asia (MENASA) region for the city’s integrated initiatives to mine and manage its data, according to a media report. The work is already under way to prepare Dubai as the regional city data hub.
• The designation will be part of a portfolio of local and regional data portals, analytics and reports to engage stakeholders and help accelerate progress. It will also serve as a dedicated platform for city-to-city learning and ‘solutions transfer’ across metropolitan, national and global contexts, Gulf News quoted the Government of Dubai Media Office as saying.

Defence & Railway

China in Baltic navy drill with Russia

• Three Chinese warships are in the Baltic to start China's first naval exercises with Russia in the region.
• The Chinese destroyer, frigate and supply ship will spend a week training with the Russian navy off Kaliningrad, a highly militarised Russian exclave.
• The destroyer called Hefei is a new Type 052D bristling with missiles.
• Russia is deploying two new corvettes, some other ships and military aircraft in the drills. Anti-submarine, anti-ship and rescue drills are planned.
• Chinese-Russian military drills have been held every year since 2012, but they are conducting them in the Baltic for the first time, closely watched by Nato.
• The Western alliance has boosted its forces in Poland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Nato accuses Russia of provocative military manoeuvres in the region.
• There is much anxiety in the three Baltic states - formerly part of the Soviet Union - because of Russia's role in the continuing conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata hands over 2nd LCU Mark IV vessel

• The L52 ship was handed over by Rear Admiral V K Saxena, IN (Retd) CMD, GRSE, to the Commanding Officer of the ship Cdr Kaushik Chatterjee. Brigadier S Y Deshmukh, Chief Staff Officer (Technical) of Andaman and Nicobar Command, carried out final inspection of the ship before the handing over.
• The second of the eight Mark IV LCU vessels, built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata, was formally handed over to the Indian Navy at a ceremony in Kolkata on Thursday.
• The L52 ship was handed over by Rear Admiral V K Saxena, IN (Retd) CMD, GRSE, to the Commanding Officer of the ship Cdr Kaushik Chatterjee. Brigadier S Y Deshmukh, Chief Staff Officer (Technical) of Andaman and Nicobar Command, carried out final inspection of the ship before the handing over.
• The LCU Mark IV ship is designed for multipurpose amphibious operations.

Science & Technology

Roscosmos’ Mayak Satellite to Become Third Brightest Object In Sky after Sun & Moon

• The night sky is going to welcome a new source of brightness as Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos is all set to launch an experimental Russian satellite which could be the third brightest object after the sun and the moon.
• Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos is all set to add a new feather to its cap by introducing universe’s third brightest object in the sky. Named as “Mayak,” the satellite is one of the 72 smallsats which were launched into space atop a Russian Soyuz rocket over this weekend. 
• As officially confirmed, the agency is gearing up for installing a highly influential and record-breaking tetrahedron-shaped solar reflector abroad its Mayak 3U-CubeSat which will make the satellite the third brightest object in the universe.

Summit /Conference / Events / Host

India to Host Global Conference on Cyber Space 2017 – World’s Largest Conference on Cyber Space 

• The GCCS is taking place  outside OECD nations for the first time
• The theme for the GCCS 2017 is ‘Cyber4All: An Inclusive, Sustainable, Developmental, Safe and Secure Cyberspace’
• The conference to take place on 23rd & 24th of November 2017 in New Delhi
• Shri Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India to Inaugurate the conference
• “India will be hosting the 5th Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS) in 2017, one of the world’s largest conference on Cyber Space and related issues” announced Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Hon’ble Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology and Law & Justice, in the presence of Shri P.P. Chaudhary, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology and Law & Justice after chairing a High-Level Organizing Committee meeting here today.

Kerala to host literary fest with tolerance as theme

• At a time when the country witnesses raging debate over intolerance, Kerala is getting ready to host a literary festival with tolerance as the core theme. 
• Creative writers, journalists, theatre and film personalities will deliberate on tolerance at the fifth edition of South India Writers Ensemble (SIWE), to be held at Chengannur, a sleepy town in coastal Alappuza district, from July 24. 
• Organised by People for Performing Arts and More, an art-cum-cultural outfit, the three-day annual literary gathering is aimed at bringing about an enriching interaction between writers from different languages and regions. 
• Noted Malayalam writer and director of the festival T R Rajeevan said every language has its own style of expression and the objective of SIWE is to explore the power of language and literature through the gathering of writers. 

Assam  will host the National Handloom Day celebrations on August 7.

• For the first time, the city will play host to the National Handloom Day celebrations on August 7, as the government looks to accord due recognition to the North East by showcasing its rich art and craft culture.
• The glittering ceremony will display handloom products crafted by artisans from the seven north eastern states through a fashion show and an exhibition.
• A film made by Umrao Jaan fame director Muzaffar Ali showing the distinct handloom products from the region bearing Geographical Indication status will also be screened at the event, in the presence of Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani and Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, among others.

Sports/Awards & Honours

Atletico de Kolkata renamed to Aamar, Tomar Kolkata (ATK)

• Indian Super League side Atletico de Kolkata has been renamed to 'Aamar, Tomar Kolkata' (ATK) after the team's partnership with Spanish football club Atletico Madrid ended. 
• The Spanish club, which had provided technical support to the Indian club, will be selling their stake in the club to the club's principal owner Sanjiv Goenka.

Obituary 

Freedom fighter and senior Congress leader Shivajirao Giridhar Patil passes away

• Shivajirao Giridhar Patil, worked as a minister in the cabinet led by late chief ministers Vasantrao Naik, Shankarrao Chavan and Vasantdada Patil. He was also was awarded the Padma Bhushan, in 2013.

Miscellaneous

The US is to ban its citizens from travelling to North Korea.

• State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement that the ban would be published next week in the Federal Register, to come into effect 30 days later.
• US officials linked the move to the death of jailed American student Otto Warmbier.
• Once the ban is in effect, US citizens will need special validation to travel to or within North Korea.

Source: The Hindu｜The Hindu Business Line｜TOI｜NDTV｜Inshorts｜New Indian Express｜Economics Time｜Live Mint｜India Today｜Hindustan Times｜Indian Express｜PIB｜Business Standard｜DNA India｜First Post｜Others National / International Official News Portal Only.