National News
1. Important Cabinet
Approvals: 1st August 2018
i. The Union Cabinet chaired
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the following set of
approvals. The important Cabinet Approvals are given as follows-
ii.
The Cabinet has approved-
1. Extension of Concessional Financing Scheme (CFS) to support Indian Entities bidding for strategically important infrastructure projects abroad.
Find The Complete Approvals Here
1. Extension of Concessional Financing Scheme (CFS) to support Indian Entities bidding for strategically important infrastructure projects abroad.
Find The Complete Approvals Here
2. 2-Day Indo-US
Military Cooperation Meeting Begins in New Delhi
i. A
two-day Indo-US Military Cooperation Meeting began in New Delhi as
a prelude to 2 plus 2 Dialogue between the two countries scheduled in September
2018. The meeting was co-chaired by Lt Gen Satish Dua, Chief of Integrated
Defence Staff to the chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) and Lt Gen
Bryan Fenton, Deputy Commander, Indo-Pacific Command.
ii.
External Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman would meet their US
counterparts in 2 plus 2 meeting in September in New Delhi. A first such
initiative between the two countries that will focus on strengthening defence
and strategic ties.
Static/Current Takeaways
Important for SBI PO/Clerk Exam 2018-
·
Donald
Trump is the 45th President of the USA.
·
Washington
DC is the capital city of USA.
3. IWAI Launches Dedicated Portal FOCAL For Cargo Owners And Shippers
i. The Inland Waterways
Authority of India (IWAI) has launched a dedicated portal to connect cargo owners and
shippers with real-time data on the availability of vessels.
ii. The portal has been
named as the Forum of Cargo Owners and Logistics Operators (FOCAL) and
it will facilitate responses from the logistics operators against the
requirement raised by cargo owners and vice-versa.
Static/Current Takeaways
Important for SBI PO/Clerk Exam 2018-
·
Nutan
Guha Biswas is the chairperson of IWAI.
4. NITI Aayog To Host Investors’ Conference For Development of Islands
i. NITI Aayog will host an
Investors’ Conference at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra for the Holistic Development of
Islands. The Conference will be inaugurated by Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI
Aayog. It will attract investment for the sustainable development of
eco-tourism projects in Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands.
ii. The 11 anchor tourism
projects are proposed to be implemented with private sector participation
under suitable risk-sharing model and through open-competitive
bidding.
Static/Current
Takeaways Important for SBI PO/Clerk Exam 2018-
·
NITI- National
Institution for Transforming India.
·
NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman- Rajiv Kumar, CEO- Amitabh
Kant.
5. Rajasthan 1st State to Implement Biofuel Policy
i.
Rajasthan has become the first State in the country to implement the national
policy on biofuels unveiled by the Centre this year. The desert State will lay
emphasis on increasing production of oilseeds and establish a Centre for
Excellence in Udaipur to promote research in the fields of alternative fuels
and energy resources.
ii. The policy on biofuels
seeks to help farmers dispose of their surplus stock in an economic manner and
reduce the country’s oil import dependence.
Static/Current Takeaways
Important for SBI PO/Clerk Exam 2018-
·
Rajasthan CM- Vasundhara Raje, Governor- Kalyan
Singh.
6.
India, Germany Sign Pact On Financial And Technical Cooperation
i. India and Germany have signed an
agreement on financial and technical cooperation focusing on
sustainable urban development and renewable energy. The
government-to-government Umbrella Agreement on Financial Cooperation and
Technical Co-operation 2017 is worth about 5,000 thousand crore
rupees.
ii. The agreement under the
Indo-German Bilateral Development Cooperation was signed between Joint
Secretary in the Finance Ministry, Sameer Kumar Khare, and German Ambassador to
India, Martin Ney, in New Delhi.
Static/Current Takeaways
Important for SBI PO/Clerk Exam 2018-
·
Germany Capital: Berlin, Currency: Euro, Chancellor: Angela
Merkel.
International News
7. France’s Parliament
Signed Into Law, Asylum and Immigration Bill
i.
France’s Parliament has
signed into law a controversial asylum and immigration bill. The
bill is designed to accelerate asylum procedures by cutting the maximum
processing time from the current 120 days to 90 days after entering
France.
ii. The text was adopted
on a final reading by 100 votes in favour to 25 against with 11 abstentions.
The Senate had rejected the bill, but the Lower House passed the text as President
Emmanuel Macron’s La Republique En Marche party holds a large majority,
even if the law has exposed divisions within his own camp.
Static/Current Takeaways
Important for SBI PO/Clerk Exam 2018-
·
France President: Emmanuel Macron, Capital: Paris, Prime
minister: Edouard Philippe, Currency: Euro, CFP
franc.
8. NDA
Act 2019 Passed, Capping US Aid To Pakistan To $150 million
i. The
United States Congress has passed the National Defense Authorisation Act-2019
(NDAA-19) which capped its security-related aid to Pakistan to
$150 million, significantly below the historic level of more than $ 1
billion to $750 million per year.
ii. This year’s defence
legislation removes certain conditions like action against Haqqani network or
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) as was the case in the past few years for disbursement of
US aid to Pakistan.
Awards
9. Indian-Origin
Mathematician Akshay Venkatesh Wins Prestigious Fields Medal
Akshay Venkatesh |
i. Akshay Venkatesh, a renowned
Indian-Australian mathematician, is one of four winners of mathematics’ prestigious
Fields medal, known as the Nobel prize for math. New Delhi-born
Venkatesh, 36, who is currently teaching at Stanford University, has won the
Fields Medal for his profound contributions to an exceptionally broad
range of subjects in mathematics.
ii. Each winner receives a
15,000 Canadian-dollar cash prize. The other three winners are: Caucher
Birkar, a Cambridge University professor of Iranian Kurdish
origin; Germany’s Peter Scholze, who teaches at the University of
Bonn and Alessio Figalli, an Italian mathematician at ETH
Zurich.
Static/Current Takeaways
Important for SBI PO/Clerk Exam 2018-
·
The
Fields medals are awarded every four years to the most promising mathematicians
under the age of 40.
·
The
prize was inaugurated in 1932 at the request of Canadian mathematician John
Charles Fields, who ran the 1924 Mathematics Congress in Toronto.
Sports News
10. Lewis Hamilton
Wins 6th Hungarian Formula 1 Grand Prix
i. Lewis Hamilton of
Mercedes won
the Hungarian Grand Prix for the 6th time, at the Hungaroring circuit, in
Hungary. This is the 67th career victory for Lewis Hamilton.
ii. Daniel Ricciardo was named
Driver of the Day by Formula One for finishing at fourth position after
starting from the 12th position. Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari finished second in
the race.
11.
World Junior Squash Championships 2018 Concludes in Chennai
i.
World Junior Squash Championships 2018 was held in Chennai, India. A
total of 171 players including 116 men and 55 women from 28 countries took part
in the World Junior Squash Championship. Cyrus Poncha was the tournament
director.
ii. The individuals event for men and women are held every year since 2009. The team event is biennial. Egypt national junior squash team defeated England 2-0 in the final and emerged as the 2018 World Junior Squash Champions. India finished in 11th position.
Find The Complete Table of Winners Here
ii. The individuals event for men and women are held every year since 2009. The team event is biennial. Egypt national junior squash team defeated England 2-0 in the final and emerged as the 2018 World Junior Squash Champions. India finished in 11th position.
Find The Complete Table of Winners Here