General Studies & Current Affairs for Bank, SSC, CLAT, Civil Services and other Competitive Exams

National News 1. M. Venkaiah Naidu Becomes 1st Chairman of Rajya Sabha To Sign MOU   i. Rajya Sabha  has, for the first time in 76 ye...

Current Affairs 11th July 2018


National News
1. M. Venkaiah Naidu Becomes 1st Chairman of Rajya Sabha To Sign MOU  
i. Rajya Sabha has, for the first time in 76 years since it came into being, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a foreign counterpart for promoting inter-parliamentary dialogue.
ii. Venkaiah Naidu has become the first Chairman of Rajya Sabha to sign such an agreement when he inked an MOU with the visiting President of the Senate of the Republic of Rwanda, Bernard Makuza. 
Static/Current Takeaways Important for SBI PO/Clerk Exam 2018- 
·                     Rwanda Capital: Kigali, Currency: Rwandan franc.
2. India-Korea Technology Exchange Centre Inaugurated
i. The India-Korea Technology Exchange Centre was inaugurated by the Minister of State (I/C) MSME Giriraj Singh and Minister of SMEs and Start-ups of Republic of Korea, Hong Jong- hak in New Delhi. 
ii. The purpose of the Technology Exchange Centre is to create a platform for micro, small and medium enterprises of India and Korea.
iii. An MoU was signed between the Small Business Corporation (SBC) of Korea and the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) for cooperation in the field of MSME Sector. 
Static/Current Takeaways Important for SBI PO/Clerk Exam 2018-
·                     South Korea Capital- Seoul, Currency- South Korean won

3. Microsoft and Rajasthan Sign MoU for Free Digital Training To College Students 
i. Microsoft has signed an MoU with the Rajasthan government to provide free digital training to 9,500 college students in one year. The initiative was taken for the enhancement of digital learning and capacity building of college students in the state.
ii. Microsoft will also train educators from government colleges through the Microsoft Innovative Educator Programme, building capacity for innovative use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the classroom.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for SBI PO/Clerk Exam 2018-
·                     Microsoft Corporation is an America Based technology company.
·                     CEO- Satya Nadella, Headquarters- Washington DC.

4. Indian Satyarup Siddhanta Scales World's Highest Volcano 
 Satyarup Siddhanta
 i. Satyarup Siddhanta has become the second Indian mountaineer after Malli Mastan Babu to climb Mt Ojos del Salado, the highest volcano in the world. 
ii. Ojos del Salado is a stratovolcano (a volcano built up of alternate layers of lava and ash) in the Andes on the Argentina-Chile border and the highest active volcano in the world at 6,893 metres (22,615 ft). 
5. India’s 1st Private UAV Factory To Come Up In Kota 
i. India’s first private sector unit for manufacturing Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV) and light bulletproof vehicles (LBPV) will be set up by DCM Shriram Industries Group on the campus of Shriram Rayons in Kota, Rajasthan. 
ii. The new defence unit of Shriram Rayons in Kota is being set up under ‘Make in India’ initiative of the union government. 

Static/Current Takeaways Important for SBI PO/Clerk Exam 2018-
·                     General Bipin Rawat is the present and 27th Chief of Army Staff of Indian Army. 

6. BSNL Launches India’s 1st Internet Telephony Service To Enable Making Calls Without SIM 
i. State-run telecom firm Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) unveiled the country’s first internet telephony service that will allow users to dial any telephone number in India through its mobile app. 
ii. Now BSNL customers will be able to make calls using the company’s mobile app “Wings” to any phone number in the country. Using this service, BSNL customers will be able to make calls on any network in the country even by using BSNL wi-fi or any other service provider. 

International News
7. World Population Day: 11 July 
i. World Population Day was established by the then-governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989. 
ii. The theme of WPD 2018 is 'Family Planning is a Human Right'. This day seeks to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues. 

Static/Current Takeaways Important for SBI PO/Clerk Exam 2018- 
·                     Antonio Guterres is the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
·                     The UN Headquarters in New York, United States.

Ranks and Reports
8. Global Innovation Index: Switzerland Tops, India Ranks 57th 
i. The Global Innovation Index (GII) has ranked India as the 57th most innovative nation in the world. The country has improved its ranking from 60th position in 2017. India has been improving steadily since it was ranked 81st in 2015.
ii. The GII is being developed jointly by Cornell University, the Paris-based business school Insead and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in Geneva. GII ranks 126 economies based on 80 indicators. The Top 3 Countries in Global Innovation Index are: 
1. Switzerland, 
2. The Netherlands, 
3. Sweden. 

9. Andhra Pradesh Tops Ease Of Doing Business Rankings 
i. For the second year in a row, Andhra Pradesh has been ranked as the easiest Indian state to do business in, according to a survey. The Chandrababu Naidu-led state took the pole position in the rankings for Ease of Doing Business that was released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Delhi.
ii. Telangana came second followed by Haryana, Jharkhand and Gujarat. The north-eastern state of Meghalaya was ranked lowest at 36th. 
10. India Becomes World’s 6th Largest Economy: World Bank
i. India has become the world's sixth-biggest economy, pushing France into seventh place, according to updated World Bank figures for 2017. 
ii. India's gross domestic product (GDP) amounted to $2.597 trillion at the end of 2017, against $2.582 trillion for France. The world's top 3 economies are:
1. The United States, 
2. China, 
3. Japan. 

Appointments/Resignations
11. T Latha Appointed New MD & CEO of Dhanlaxmi Bank 
i. Dhanlaxmi Bank Limited has appointed T Latha as the Managing Director & CEO. She has taken over from G Sreeram, who has retired from the office on completion of his tenure.
ii. Latha has 35 years of banking experience with Punjab National Bank across a host of roles and responsibilities. 
Static/Current Takeaways Important for SBI PO/Clerk Exam 2018-
·                     Dhanlaxmi Bank Headquarters in Thrissur, Kerala.

12. Tushar Arothe Resigns As India Women's Cricket Coach 
i. India Women's Cricket Team Coach Tushar Arothe has stepped down from the role citing personal reasons, as per the announcement by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
ii. Under his stint, the team reached the final of the ICC Women's World Cup in 2017. 
Miscellaneous News
13. YouTube Announces $25 million Investment to Fight Fake News 
i. Video sharing platform YouTube has announced the investment of $25 million to counter the spread of fake news on its platform.
ii. The investment is part of the $300 million Google News Initiative which was launched in March 2018.