Daily updates 11 July 2019

National News

1. “Operation Thirst”  launched by RPF

i. RPF launched “Operation Thirst” to crack down selling of unauthorised Packaged Drinking Water in the railway premises. During the operation, 1371 persons were arrested for selling of packaged drinking water of unauthorised brands.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI PO/Clerk Mains:

•  Union Minister for Railways: Piyush Goyal.

2. Government waives duty on products imported for nuclear plants

i. GoI has waived off basic customs duty (BCD) on products imported for nuclear plants. “All goods for use in generation of nuclear power” and “all forms of uranium ores and concentrates for generation of nuclear power” will now have to pay no basic customs duty.

International News

3. Ukraine inaugurates world's largest Metal Dome

i. Ukraine has inaugurated the world's largest movable metal dome encasing the destroyed reactor at the infamous Chernobyl plant. It is a 108-meter high dome which weighs 36,000 tonnes.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For EPFO/LIC ADO Mains:

• Capital of Ukraine: Kyiv; Currency of Ukraine: Ukrainian Hryvnia.

Agreements

4. Defence Ministry signs MoU with IPFC and NRDC

i. Defence Ministry has signed an MOU with the Intellectual Property Facilitation Cell and National Research Development Corporation in connection to the mission Raksha Gyan Shakti.
ii. The MoU will bridge the capacity shortfall and provide a major fillip to the ongoing efforts of the Defence Ministry towards promoting a culture of Innovation and Intellectual Property Rights in the Defence industry.
iii. The aim of Raksha Gyan Shakti is to inculcate Intellectual Property culture in Indian defence manufacturing ecosystem.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For EPFO/LIC ADO Mains:

• Union Defence Minister of India: Rajnath Singh.

5. Prasar Bharati and IIT Kanpur signs MoU for research collaboration

i. Prasar Bharati and IIT Kanpur signed an MoU for research collaboration in newly emerging technologies and broadcasting-related areas in New Delhi. 
ii. The move is likely to boost research activities in the broadcasting field.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For ESIC:

• CEO of Prasar Bharati:  Shashi Shekhar Vempati; Prasar Bharati HQ: New Delhi.
• Established in: 23 Nov1997.

State News

6. MP Govt announces cow welfare fund, hikes Haj committee grant

i. Highlights of the state budget presented by Madhya Pradesh government:

• Allocation of Rs 8,000 crore has been made to waive loans of 20 lakh farmers of the state.
• The grants for the Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board and the Haj committee have been hiked.
• A grant of Rs 132 crore has been proposed for the welfare of cows.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Mains:

• Madhya Pradesh CM: Kamal Nath, Governor: Anandiben Patel.

Economy and Business News

7. ICSI launches UDIN to improve corporate governance

i. The Institute of Company Secretaries of India has rolled out an initiative a Unique Document Identification Number to pursue heightened sense of self-governance and strengthen the practising side of company secretaries. 
ii. UDIN will provide ease of maintaining register of attestation and certification services. The ICSI functions under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI PO/Clerk Mains:

• Union Minister of Corporate Affairs: Nirmala Sitharaman.

8. RBI panel moots changes in timings for foreign exchange market

i. Internal committee of the RBI has suggested that the foreign exchange market could function from 9 am to 9 pm. At present, the currency market works from 9 am to 5 pm. The panel suggested call money market timings could be extended till 6 pm instead of the 5 pm now.
ii. The extension of market timings is expected to provide benefits such as better pricing of post market hours information/data, improved onshore price discovery and a possible shift of offshore volumes to onshore.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For ESIC:

• RBI 25th Governor: Shaktikant Das; Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.

Appointments

9. MN Rao appointed DG of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guard

i. The Central government appointed M Nageswar Rao, as the Director General of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guard. Rao will replace former CBI Chief Alok Verma.

10. LinkedIn appoints Ashutosh Gupta as country manager for India

i. LinkedIn has appointed Ashutosh Gupta as the new country manager for India operations. Gupta will replace Mahesh Narayanan, who was the country manager for India for period from January-June 2019.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For ESIC:

• LinkedIn’s CEO: Jeff Weiner; HQ: California, United States.    

Summits & Conferences

11. 36th Meeting of the Central Apprenticeship Council (CAC)

i. The Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship organised the 36th meeting of the Central Apprenticeship Council (CAC) in New Delhi. 
ii. The 36th CAC meet under the chairmanship of Minister of MSDE, aims to meet the aspirations of the Indian youth who strive to gain on-the-job training and secure better opportunities for employment.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For ESIC:

• Minister of Skill development and Entrepreneurship: Mahendra Nath Pandey.

12. 14th conference of Parties to be hosted by India

i. India will host the 14th conference of the parties from September 02 to 13 in Greater Noida. 197 countries are expected to participate in the conference.
ii. Three crucial issues in this conference are desertification, land degradation and drought. 

Static/Current Takeaways Important For EPFO/LIC ADO Mains:

• Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change: Prakash Javadekar.

13. India-Myanmar: Exchange crucial information on drug trafficking

i. 4th Director General level talks between Narcotics Control Bureau (India) and Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (Myanmar) was held in New Delhi. 
ii. India and Myanmar have resolved to exchange crucial information relating to drug trafficking and precursors.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI PO/Clerk Mains:

• Capital of Myanmar: Naypyitaw; Currency of Myanmar: Burmese Kyat.

Sports

14. Fergus Kavanagh to conduct camp for Indian hockey defenders

i. Fergus Kavanagh has been roped in to conduct a 7 day camp with Indian defenders at the Sports Authority of India Centre in Bengaluru. 
ii. He will be working closely with 14 Indian defenders identified by Hockey India.
iii. Kavanagh was part of the Australian dream team that won the 2010 World Cup in New Delhi and the 2014 World Cup in The Hague.

15. Gold medals for India in Commonwealth Championships

i. Rakhi Halder and Davinder Kaur has won a gold medal each in the senior women’s section of weightlifting in the Commonwealth Championships.
ii. Davinder Kaur has won the gold medal in women’s 59kg event. While Rakhi Halder has won the gold medal in the 64kg category. The Championship is taking place in Apia, Samoa.

Important Days

16. World Population Day: 11 July

i. The United Nations observes 11 July every year as World Population Day. This year's World Population Day calls for global attention to the unfinished business of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For SBI PO/Clerk Mains:

• United Nations Headquarters: New York, USA; Founded: 24 October 1945.
• Antonio Guterres is the Secretary General of the United Nations.

Miscellaneous

17. Taylor Swift Topped 100 highest-paid Forbes Celebrity list

i. Singer Taylor Swift has topped the Forbes' Celebrity 100 list and emerged as the highest-paid celebrity with her 2019 estimated earnings of over USD 185 million. 
ii. Taylor Swift replaced Kylie Jenner. Jenner is now 2nd in the list.
iii. India's Akshay kumar is placed 33rd in the list.

18. Isha Kanth bags ICJ internship programme

i. Indian girl, Isha Kanth is one of the two persons in the world to have bagged an internship programme at the International Court of Justice.
ii. She has earlier worked in rural Bihar spreading awareness on the right to education and women empowerment among children belonging to the marginalised sections.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Mains:

• Headquarters: The Hague (Netherlands); Established: June 1945.
• President: Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf (Somalia).

Obituaries

19. Brazilian bossa nova pioneer Joao Gilberto passes away

i. The legendary Brazilian musician and songwriter Joao Gilberto passed away. He was the pioneer of the lilting, melodious and famous music known as Bossa Nova.