Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2018

Notes:
Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, who retired from the Supreme Court on 7th July 2018, has been appointed the new chairperson of the National Green Tribunal (NGT). His tenure as NGT Chairperson has been specified as being for a period of 5 years from the date he assumes office, or till he reaches the age of 70 years, whichever is earlier. He will succeed Justice Jawad Rahim, who is the acting chairperson of NGT. The NGT was established on October 18, 2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources. The tribunal’s principal bench is located in New Delhi while its zonal benches are in Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai and its circuit benches are in Shimla, Shillong, Jodhpur and Kochi.

Notes:
India’s premier gymnast Dipa Karmakar from Tripura clinched gold with a score of 14.150 in the vault event of FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup at Mersin in Turkey on July 8, 2018. This is Dipa’s first medal in a World Challenge Cup. She had topped the qualification also with a score of 13.400. Dipa has also qualified in balance beam finals by finishing third in the qualification with a score of 11.850. She returned to action after nearly two years of lay-off due to Anetrior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury.

Notes:
Mundakkal Mathew Jacob (90), popularly known as M. M. Jacob, has passed away in Pala near Kottayam on July 9, 2018. He was the senior Congress leader and former Meghalaya Governor MM Jacob. Jacob, a former Union Minister, had also served as deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha in the 80s. Hailing from Ramapuram in the Kottayam district, Jacob had served as a general secretary and treasurer of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee and the Chairman of the Kerala State Seva Dal Board. He was also a member of the AICC for many years.

Notes:
The 6th edition of biennial World Cities Summit (WCS-2018) has started in Singapore with theme “Liveable & Sustainable Cities: Embracing the Future through Innovation and Collaboration” from July 8. The 2018 theme will explore how cities can be more liveable and resilient through better governance and planning, technology and social innovations, as well as collaborations with various stakeholders and with other cities. It is an exclusive platform for government leaders and industry experts to address sustainable city challenges, share integrated urban solutions and forge new partnerships. The key highlights of the Summit include the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize and the annual World Cities Summit Mayors Forum. The 5-day event is co-organised by the Centre for Liveable Cities and the Urban Redevelopment Authority. It is held in conjunction with the Singapore International Water Week, the CleanEnviro Summit Singapore, and the Singapore International Transport Congress and Exhibition.

Notes:
India’s ace squash player Dipika Pallikal has been appointed as Asia’s representative in the prestigious Athletes Advisory Commission of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF). The appointment was made by the CGF. The CGF Athletes Advisory Commission was proposed in August 2017 and had reached out to all 71 member Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) to nominate an athlete with the potential to serve the Athletes Commission. Each continent is represented by one athlete in CGFAAC. The Indian Olympic Association/CGA India had proposed the name of Commonwealth gold medallist Pallikal to represent Asia in the CGFAAC. The CGFAAC is the body that represents and speaks on behalf of all Commonwealth athletes. The CGFAAC currently comprises seven highly-accomplished Commonwealth athletes and medallists with significant previous Games and sports, civic and academic leadership experience.

Notes:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved Lining Project of Son Canal in Shahbad-Bhojpur region of Bihar, which would benefit the agriculture sector immensely in the region. The estimated cost of this project is USD $503 million out of which US $352 million is being provided by ADB. This project on completion will bring immense benefits to agriculture sector of Shahbad-Bhojpur region of Bihar.

Notes:
State-run telecom firm BSNL has become the India’s first Mobile operator to launch Internet Telephony Services. The facility will allow users to dial any telephone number in India through its mobile app. Now, BSNL Customers will be able to make calls using BSNL’s mobile app “Wings” to any phone number in the country and even from abroad. The app can be activated using internet anywhere in the world and calls can be made. The fee of Rs 1,099 includes unlimited calling within India. Before this, phone calls on mobile apps were possible within users of a particular app and not on telephone numbers. 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. The services will be activated from July 25 onwards.

Notes:
Dr. TCA Raghavan, a 1982 batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), has been appointed as Director General of Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) with effect from 24th July 2018. The post is equivalent to the rank of Secretary to the Government of India (GoI). Earlier, Dr. Raghavan has served as India’s High Commissioner to Islamabad and Singapore and has served in our missions at London, Thimphu and Kuwait.

Notes:
India has become the 69th shareholder of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). This move will enable Indian companies to undertake joint investments in regions in which the EBRD operates. Here, India takes a shareholding in the EBRD but it will not be a recipient of EBRD financing. London-headquartered EBRD is a multilateral development bank set up in 1991 after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It aims to promote private and entrepreneurial initiative in emerging Europe and invests in 38 emerging economies. The EBRD is also working closely with leading Indian organisations, such as FICCI, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), and the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

Notes:
Sprinter Hima Das has created history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a gold at the IAAF World Under- 20 Athletics Championships in Tempere, Finland on July 12, 2018. Das, who is from Dhing village in Assam’s Nagaon distrist, has clinched the top spot in the women’s 400 meters final race on the third day of the competitions. She clocked 51.46 seconds to win the gold. No woman before Das has won a gold medal in a World Championship at any level, be it youth, junior or senior. She is also the first Indian, men or women, to have won a gold in a track event at the world level.