Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2017

Notes:
Two Indian-Americans, Adobe Chief Shantanu Narayen and former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy will be honoured with the prestigious 2017 Great Immigrants: The Pride of America” award on US’s Independence Day on July 4, 2017. They are among 38 immigrants to be honoured this year for their role in helping advance the country’s society, culture and economy. Among other honorees include Canadian-origin social entrepreneur Jeff Skoll, who has been awarded the 2017 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, PayPal cofounder of Ukrainian origin Max Levchin, Iranian-origin philanthropist and entrepreneur Hushang Ansary.

Notes:
Vijay Gokhale, a 1981 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, has been appointed as the new Secretary (Economic Relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Currently, he is Indian Ambassador to China. Beside this, Gokhale has served as Ambassador of India to Germany and also in Indian missions in Hong Kong, Hanoi, Beijing and New York.

Notes:
Minaketan Das (56), the noted Odia actor, has passed away in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The actor was well-known in the state’s film and television industry for his negative roles. Das was known for his acting in a number of Odia films including Balunga Toka, Jianta Bhuta and Most Wanted.

Notes:
Simone Veil (89), the iconic European feminist politician, has passed away on June 30, 2017 in Paris, France. Veil played a leading role in legalizing contraception and abortion in France. She was the first female President of the European parliament since the Parliament was created in 1952.

Notes:
The 41st session of UNESCO World Heritage Committee has started in Krakow, Poland from July 2 to 12, 2017. During the session, the Committee will notably consider requests for the inscription of new sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List and examine the state of conservation of sites already inscribed on the List as well as many other issues concerning the implementation of the World Heritage Convention. The World Heritage Committee consists of representatives from 21 of the States Parties to the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, elected by the General Assembly of States Parties to the Convention.

Notes:
Germany has won the 10th edition of FIFA Confederation Cup Football-2017 title by defeating Copa America Champion Chile by 1-0 goals in the final at St Petersburg, Russia. With this, Germany has won the title for the first time after Lars Stindl scored the only goal in the 20th minute when Chile midfielder Marcelo Diaz gave the ball away on the edge of his own area.

Notes:
Mahesh Muralidhar Bhagwat, an IPS officer from Telangana, has been bestowed with the 2017 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report Heroes Award by the Unites States Department of State for his vital role in elevating human trafficking as a government priority and his innovative approach to investigating cases and dismantling trafficking operations. Currently, he is serving as the first Commissioner of Police of Rachakonda.

Notes:
According to RBI’s Financial Stability Report (FSR) June 2017, India’s economic growth rate has forecasted at 7.3% in terms of Gross Value Added (GVA) in the current fiscal year FY 2017-18. The report projected CPI inflation to be in the range of 2-3.5% in the first half of the year and 3.5-4.5% in the second half. It stated that Retail inflation, excluding food and fuel that remained sticky during H2 of FY17 at around 4.9%, dipped to 4.3% in April and 4.2% in May 2017, largely reflecting the impact of decline in global crude oil prices on transport and communication and moderate price pressures in services. The FSR reflects the overall assessment on the stability of India’s financial system and its resilience to risks emanating from global and domestic factors.

Notes:
The National Multi Commodity Exchange (NMCE) will merge with Indian Commodity Exchange (ICEX) to create India’s third largest commodities exchange. The merger, which is subject to regulatory approval, is expected to be completed by December 2017. ICEX’s shareholders will hold a 62.8% stake in the merged entity while the balance will be held by shareholders of NMCE. The proposed merger will offer a range of contracts including bullion, oil, rubber and other agri-commodities. The exchange will also offer the world’s first diamond futures contract, which has already received “in-principle” approval from the regulator. The NMCE is the India’s first demutualised online national multi-commodities exchange.

Notes:
Pinarayi Vijayan, the Chief Minister of Kerala, has launched G-Ride, a digital ride sharing app for techies. The app is specially designed and deployed for the IT industry by the Group of Technology Companies (Gtech), the industry body of IT companies in the state. The G-Ride app automatically matches co-workers and neighbours and help them travel together to work. It is available in Android and iOS versions.