29 July 2017 - Current Affairs

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi declared as interim Pakistan Prime Minister





  • Pakistan’s Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources ‘Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’ has been declared as 'interim Prime Minister' of Pakistan.
  • The decision was made by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during an informal consultative meeting of the party.
  • Earlier, Nawaz Sharif has resigned from Pakistan’s Prime Minister post after the Supreme Court of the country disqualified him in the Panama Papers case.
  • The Supreme Court (SC) also ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to file a reference in an accountability court in six weeks and the case must be completed within six months
  • The Panama Papers are 11.5 million leaked documents that detail financial and attorney–client information for more than 214,488 offshore entities.
  • The documents contain personal financial information about wealthy individuals and public officials that had previously been kept private.

PV Sindhu appointed Group-I officer in Andhra Pradesh


  • Andhra Pradesh Chief minister ‘N Chandrababu Naidu’ handed over the offer letter to the Rio Olympics silver medallist ‘P V Sindhu’ (21-year) as a Group-I officer.
  • Earlier, Chandrababu Naidu had promised a Group-I post to Sindhu when she won the silver medal in Olympics.
  • Since 2013, She has been working with Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and is currently an assistant manager (sports) at its Hyderabad office.
  • In Olympics history, Sindhu has become the fifth Indian woman (Karnam Malleswari, Mary Kom, Saina Nehwal and Sakshi Malik) to clinch a medal.


29th July: International Tiger Day


  • International Tiger Day is observed globally on 29th July to raise awareness for tiger conservation.
  • The goal of the day is to promote a global system for protecting the natural habitats of tigers and to raise public awareness and support for tiger conservation issues.
  • According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), only 3,890 tigers are left in the world.
  • In 2010, 29th July was decided to be celebrated as Tiger day during the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit.


Scientists develop new software that can create 3D models from 2D photographs


  • Scientists have developed new Artificial intelligence (AI) software called 'SurfNet', to create three dimensional (3D) models from 2D photographs.
  • It will give them the ability to understand the 3D environment around them using standard 2D cameras.
  • SurfNet software can be used in object recognition, robotics, and even self-driving cars.
  • Artificial intelligence is the branch of computer science concerned with making computers behave like humans.


Building block for 'Vinyl Life' found on Saturn's moon Titan


  • An important building block of life has been discovered in the hazy upper atmosphere of Saturn’s largest moon ‘Titan’.
  • Using data from the Cassini mission, scientists identified negatively charged molecules called ‘carbon chain anions’ in the atmosphere of Titan.
  • These linear molecules are understood to be building blocks towards more complex molecules, and may have acted as the basis for the earliest forms of life on Earth.

Note: The discovery of the carbon chain anions is surprising because they are highly reactive and should not last long in Titan’s atmosphere before combining with other materials.

J&K approves creation of Law Commission


  • The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has approved setting up of the maiden Law Commission in the state.
  • The Commission will identify laws which have become obsolete over a period of time and need to be repealed, amended or updated.
  • The Commission will also consider and convey to the state government its views on any subject relating to law and judicial administration that may be specifically referred to it by the government.


Govt. collected more than Rs. 2.35 lakh crore as cesses in 2016-17


  • According to the minister of State for Finance Santosh Kumar Gangwar, the union government has collected more than two lakhs thirty-five crore rupees last fiscal by way of a host of cesses (including education, Swachh Bharat, and Krishi Kalyan).
  • The total revenue generated from cesses and surcharges under direct tax was around Rs. 47,000 crores.
  • In 2016-17, the amount generated from the cesses and surcharges under the indirect tax category stood at around one lakh 88,000 crore rupees.


India's Foreign Exchange Reserves touch record high of USD 391.33 bn


  • According to Reserve Bank of India data, the Country’s Foreign Exchange Reserves touched a new record high of USD 391 point 33 billion aided by the increase in foreign Currency Assets (FCAs).
  • Gold reserves remained unchanged at USD 20.35 billion.
  • The special drawing rights with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) went up by USD 12.1 million to USD 1.491 billion.
  • Country's reserve position with the IMF too increased by USD 19 million to USD 2.341 billion.


NPCI gets RBI nod to operate Bharat Bill Payment System


  • The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has received final approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to function as the Bharat Bill Payment Central Unit (BBPCU) and operate Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS).
  • The total number of Bharat Bill Payment Operating Units certified by NPCI now stands at twenty-four.
  • The certified units include 10 private sector banks, five cooperative banks, three public sector banks and six non-bank biller aggregators.
  • Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) is an integrated bill payment system offering interoperable and accessible bill payment service to customers through a network of agents.


Subrata Bhattacharya felicitated by Mohun Bagan Ratna Award 2017


  • Mohun Bagan has conferred Subrata Bhattacharya (former club captain and coach) with the prestigious Mohun Bagan Ratna Award 2017 at the club's annual day program in Kolkata.
  • Former club striker Balwant Singh has been awarded the Best Football Player of the Year prize.
  • Debabrata Das was honored with the Best Cricket Player of the Year award.

Note:
  • Special Award: Jhulan Goswami
  • Best Youth Football Player: Deep Saha
  • Special Award: Lili Das for Athletics
  • Lifetime Achievement Award: Shyam Sundar Mitra

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