13-14 JULY 2016
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba commissions Marine Commandos’ base INS Karna
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba on 12 July 2016 commissioned INS Karna in Vishakhapatnam.
INS Karma is a dedicated base for Marine Commandos (MARCOS), which is a Special Operation Forces of Indian Navy.
INS Karna is located on the premises of INS Kalinga near Bhimili.
Captain Varun Singh will be the Commanding Officer of INS Karna.
About MARCOS
•The Marine Commandos is the Special Forces Unit of the Indian Navy.
•It was raised in February 1987 as the Indian Marine Special Force (IMSF).
•It is capable of operating in all three dimensions, at sea, in air and on land.
•It was created for conducting special operations such as Amphibious warfare, Close Quarter Combat Counter-terrorism, Special reconnaissance, Hostage rescue, Foreign internal defence, etc.
•The unit is specially organised, trained and equipped for the conduct of special operations in a maritime environment.
•They are specialised in maritime operations in Jammu and Kashmir through the Jhelum River and Wular Lake.
India and Bangladesh sign deal for construction of coal fired power plant
India and Bangladesh on 12 July 2016 signed a landmark deal for the construction of Rampal Power Station, a 1320 megawatt coal fired power plant.
The Rampal Power Station is the biggest project under bilateral cooperation.
Key highlights of the agreement
•The Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Limited(BIFPCL), the joint venture enterprise, signed the deal with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL).
•BHEL was chosen under an open international tender for constructing the super thermal plant at Bangladesh's southwestern Rampal near the Sundarbans.
•India's Exim Bank will provide 1.49 billion US dollars for the project.
•The project is scheduled to start generating power in 2019.
About Rampal Power Station
•The Rampal Power Station is a proposed 1320 megawatt coal-fired power station at Rampal Upazila of Bagerhat District in Khulna, Bangladesh.
•It is a joint partnership between India's state owned National Thermal Power Corporation and Bangladesh Power Development Board.
•The project is also known as Maitree Super Thermal Power Project.
•The proposed project will be constructed on an area of over 1834 acres of land.
•It is situated 14 kilometres north of the world's largest mangrove forest Sundarbans, which is a UNESCO world heritage site.
•The project will be Bangladesh’s largest power plant.
SBI inks MoU with IIT Bombay to promote fintech start-ups
State Bank of India (SBI) in the second week of July 2016 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE).
The MoU was signed to promote innovation by start-ups in the financial sector.
The deal also aims to help evaluate start-ups operating out of SINE or those being promoted by SINE for early stage funding within the bank’s norms.
SINE is IIT Bombay’s technology business incubator.
Key highlights of the MoU
•Both the parties will identify FinTech start-ups that have products or applications to cater to the financial sector and can help SBI explore opportunities to enhance the synergy for their banking services.
•SBI will provide a platform for testing/piloting such products/applications.
•SBI will also check for any specific business linkages.
•SBI will interact with the entrepreneurial and research community at IIT Bombay, including e- cell, Desai Centre, startups of SINE. The interaction will be done to get a better idea of the latest research being done, innovations and also conduct knowledge sessions for mutual benefit.
•If SBI decides to infuse funds in the startups, SINE may help the bank do initial screening for technical competency, impact of innovation etc.
•If SBI decides to infuse funds in any of the start-ups at SINE, the funding model will be considered on case to case and merit basis.
Ringside With Vijender authored by Rudraneil Sengupta released
Ringside With Vijender: Rudraneil Sengupta
The book titled Ringside With Vijender authored by Rudraneil Sengupta released on 8 July 2016.
The book, published by Juggernaut Books, throws light on the Beijing Olympics bronze medallist boxer Vijender Singh's life post his transition to the world of pro boxing.
The book also deals with the boxer’s sudden decision to turn pro just an year ahead of the Rio Olympics. It also offers an insight into his struggles, changes in his boxing style, training and his personal life.
About Vijender Singh
•Vijender Singh is an Indian professional boxer.
•He practised boxing at the Bhiwani Boxing Club.
•He was coached by the Indian Boxing Coach Gurbaksh Singh Sandhu.
•At the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, he won the bronze.
•At the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, he won bronze medal by defeating Carlos Gongora of Ecuador. It was the first ever Olympic medal for an Indian boxer.
•In 2009, he participated at the World Amateur Boxing Championships where he won the bronze medal.
•On 29 June 2015, he bid adieu to his amateur career by turning professional as he signed a multi-year agreement with Queensberry Promotions through IOS Sports and Entertainment.
•His decision to turn pro ruled him out of 2016 Olympics as he no longer remains eligible as an amateur.
Who is Rudraneil Sengupta?
•Rudraneil Sengupta is the deputy editor of Lounge, the weekly feature magazine of Mint.
•He spent many hours and days with Vijender in England for writing the book.
•In 2008, he was awarded the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism for a documentary on river rafting in India.
•In 2015, he won the Society of Publishers or Asia (SOPA) award for excellence in reporting on human rights issues.
Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of The Philippines on South China Sea
The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on 12 July 2016 ruled in favor of the Philippines in a maritime dispute on South China Sea. The tribunal concluded that China do not have legal basis to claim historic rights to the bulk of the Sea.
Rulings and Finding of the tribunal
• The tribunal gave a ruling that China does not has the right to resources within its nine-dash line which extends hundreds of miles to the south and east of its island province of Hainan and covers some 90 percent of the disputed waters.
• The tribunal also found that none of the sea features claimed by China were capable of generating what's called an exclusive economic zone which gives country maritime rights to resources such as fish and oil and gas within 200 nautical miles of that land mass.
• It found that they were rocks or low-tide elevations such as reefs, rather than islands.
• The tribunal found that some of China’s activities in the region were in breach of the Philippines' sovereign rights.
• Tribunal in its ruling also stated that China had violated those rights by interfering in fishing and oil exploration, constructing artificial islands and failing to stop Chinese fisherman from fishing the zone.
• It found that China had caused severe harm to coral around the site of its artificial islands. It had also violated its obligation to preserve and protect fragile ecosystems.
• Chinese fisherman had also killed endangered sea turtles and giant clams on a substantial scale that too with the knowledge of China.
• The tribunal said it "lacked the jurisdiction to consider the implications of a stand-off" between the Chinese and Philippines military, specifically at Second Thomas Shoal, and said any resolution of the dispute was "excluded from compulsory settlement."
• The tribunal did not order China to take any particular steps to remedy the situation, dismantle construction on the islands or provide reparations to the Philippines.
Effects of the Ruling
• The ruling doesn't just affect China and the Philippines, but other countries that have competing claims with the nation over large areas of the sea.
• Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia have also taken exception to China's growing presence in the region and could now be emboldened to take further action.
• While the ruling in The Hague is regarded as legally binding, there is no mechanism to enforce it.
Background
• The Philippines and China have longtime maritime dispute as China claims of sovereignty over large swaths of the South China Sea, and Manila took its fight to the court in 2013.
• It increased the tensions as China reclaimed the land in massive dredging operations, turning sandbars into islands equipped with airfields, ports and lighthouses.
• China refused to participate in the case, which marks the first time an international court has ruled on the region's mess of overlapping claims.
Forbes released the list of World's Highest-Paid Celebrities of 2016
Forbes on 11 July 2016 released the list of world's highest-paid celebrities of 2016. The list is also termed as Celebrity 100.
The key factors that are taken into account to rank the celebrities include income, Google hits, fan base, press clips and magazine covers.
The list, which ranks 100 celebrities from all over the globe, was topped by Taylor Swift with earnings of 170 million US dollars.
Music band One Direction grabbed the second position with earnings of 110 million US dollars. Author James Patterson was ranked third with earnings of 95 million US dollars.
In 2015, the list was topped by boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
Top 10 celebrities in the list are:
|
Rank |
Celebrity Name |
Earning |
|
1 |
Taylor Swift |
170 Million US dollar |
|
2 |
One Direction |
110 Million US dollar |
|
3 |
James Patterson |
95 Million US dollar |
|
4 |
Dr. Phil McGraw |
88 Million US dollar |
|
4 |
Cristiano Ronaldo |
88 Million US dollar |
|
6 |
Kevin Hart |
87.5 Million US dollar |
|
7 |
Howard Stern |
85 Million US dollar |
|
8 |
Lionel Messi |
81.5 Million US dollar |
|
9 |
Adele |
80.5 Million US dollar |
|
10 |
Rush Limbaugh |
79 Million US dollar |
Indian celebrities in the list
Forbes’ Celeb 100 list also included the name of two Bollywood actors. They are Shahrukh Khan and Akshay Kumar.
Shahrukh Khan was ranked 86th in the list with earnings of 33 million US dollars. Akshay Kumar grabbed the 94th spot in the list with earnings of 31.5 million US dollars.
ICC releases Test, ODI, and T20I Rankings
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on 12 July 2016 released the official ICC men’s Team Rankings from Test, One Day International (ODI) and T20I cricket.
India held the second position in the latest ICC Test rankings with 112 rating points followed by Pakistan and England. Australia leads the Test rankings with 118 rating.
Top 3 teams in ICC Test Rankings
|
Rank |
Team |
Matches |
Points |
Rating |
|
1 |
Australia |
32 |
3765 |
118 |
|
2 |
India |
20 |
2238 |
112 |
|
3 |
Pakistan |
20 |
2227 |
111 |
Top 3 teams in ICC ODI Rankings
|
Rank |
Team |
Matches |
Points |
Rating |
|
1 |
Australia |
40 |
4916 |
123 |
|
2 |
New Zealand |
41 |
4631 |
113 |
|
3 |
India |
48 |
5278 |
110 |
Top 3 teams in ICC T20 Rankings
|
Rank |
Team |
Matches |
Points |
Rating |
|
1 |
New Zealand |
20 |
2635 |
132 |
|
2 |
India |
25 |
3212 |
128 |
|
3 |
West Indies |
18 |
2192 |
122 |
Top 4 teams in Women’s Rankings
|
Rank |
Team |
Matches |
Points |
Rating |
|
1 |
Australia Women |
59 |
7524 |
128 |
|
2 |
England Women |
55 |
6829 |
124 |
|
3 |
New Zealand Women |
56 |
6424 |
115 |
|
4 |
India Women |
45 |
4827 |
107 |
Kendrapara sheep gets registered breed status
The National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) in the first week of July 2016 formally accorded registered breed status on Kendrapara sheep.
As per the research of the Fisheries and Animal Resources Development (FARD) Department and researchers of Odisha Livestock Resources Development Society and College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry of OUAT, the Kendrapara sheep carries a rare gene mutation during a year-long research.
The genetically rare status will help to boost conservation effort to protect the sheep. Earlier, Odisha’s two buffalo and four cattle breeds were also registered at national level by NBAGR.
About Kendrapara sheep
•Kendrapara sheep is an indigenous variety mainly found in Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts of Odisha.
•The Kendrapara breed was identified as the second in India and sixth in the world to carry FecB mutation generesponsible for multiple births such as twins and triplets.
•The research had recorded more than 80 per cent multiple births, 71 per cent twinning, nine per cent triplet and one per cent quadruplets in a period of 12 months.
•It is the 42nd sheep breed to have been registered in India.
•There are around 123000 Kendrapara sheep heads enumerated in Odisha.
•They are usually called 'deshi'sheep.
•It is breed is of medium stature compact meat type docile animal with very coarse and little-curled hair as body coat.
•The average body weight of the sheep is 18 kg at one year of age and 28 kg at adult stage without any supplementation of feed except grazing.
14 July
Historian William H McNeill passed away
William H McNeill, the prize-winning scholar, passed away on 8 July 2016 in Connecticut, United States. He was 98.
McNeill was mostly renowned for his writings on Western civilization.
About William H McNeill
•William McNeill obtained a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Chicago in 1938. He obtained Master of Arts in 1939.
•He obtained his PhD at Cornell University in 1947. In the same year, he began teaching at the University of Chicago, which became his home throughout his professional career.
•His most popular work is The Rise of the West: A History of the Human Community. The book explored world history in terms of the effect of different old world civilizations on one another. The book had a major impact on historical theory.
•Rise of the West won the 1964 U.S. National Book Award in History and Biography.
•In 1976, he wrote Plagues and Peoples, an important early contribution to the impact of disease on human history.
•He was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama on 25 February 2010.
Operation ‘Sankat Mochan’ launched to evacuate Indian citizens from South Sudan
Operation ‘Sankat Mochan’: Indian Air Force to airlift 600 Indians from war-torn South Sudan
Union Government on 13 July 2016 started the operation 'Sankat Mochan' to evacuate its citizens stranded in South Sudan's capital Juba. Two C-17 military transport aircrafts have been pressed in service to make the evacuation.
The operation being undertaken by Indian Air Force (IAF) will be headed by Minister of State for External Affairs General (Retd.) VK Singh.
The Indian Ambassador in South Sudan Srikumar Menon and his team is organising this operation on the ground. Indian Embassy in Juba in an advisory had communicated that all the stranded Indian citizens should get in touch immediately with the embassy to avail the facility.
Flight route of evacuation
The evacuation flight route will be Juba-Kampala-Trivandrum- Delhi. Passengers willing to de-board at Trivandrum will be allowed to do so.
IDFC Bank acquires micro lender Grama Vidiyal
IDFC Bank on 12 July 2016 signed a share purchase agreement to completely acquire South India-based lender Grama Vidiyal Micro Finance Ltd. for an undisclosed amount.
Grama Vidiyal will act as a dedicated Business Correspondent of IDFC Bank, and will help deepen reach and widen the delivery mechanism for banking services.
It is a first-of-its-kind transaction, where a bank has taken over a microfinance institution and made it a subsidiary.
About IDFC Bank
•IDFC Bank Ltd. is an Indian banking company.
•It is headquartered in Mumbai.
•The bank started operations on 1 October 2015.
•It received a universal banking licence from the Reserve Bank of India in July 2015.
About Grama Vidiyal
•Grama Vidiyal is a microfinance institution.
•It operates in the Tamil Nadu area of South India.
•Since 1993, it has provided small loans to women without access to formal credit and who typically have daily incomes of less than 80 rupees per day.
•In 2007, Grama Vidiyal transformed from a charitable trust to a regulated Non-Bank Financial Company (NBFC).
Ashok Patnaik appointed as CEO of NATGRID
The Union Government on 13 July 2016 appointed Ashok Patnaik as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), one of the most ambitious intelligence projects that failed to take off during United Progressive Alliance (UPA) rule.
Patnaik is currently serving as Additional Director in the Intelligence Bureau and he will continue to hold this post till his superannuation in 2018.
Patnaik is a 1983-batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre.
About National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID)
• The NATGRID is a centralised agency which stores sensitive personal information on citizens from almost two dozen agencies to be made available for counter-terror investigations.
• There are around 70 personnel, drawn from both the government and private sectors, in the NATGRID.
• The project will run in different phases and will connect data providing organisations and users.
• In the first phase, 10 user agencies and 21 service providers will be connected, while in later phases about 950 additional organisations will be connected followed by over 1000 organisations in future.
Union Cabinet approves revival of defunct Fertilizer Units in Gorakhpur, Sindri and Barauni
The Union Cabinet on 13 July 2016 approved the revival of defunct Fertilizer Units in Gorakhpur, Sindri and Barauni. The units to be revived includes
• Sindri (Jharkhand) and Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh) of Fertilizer Corporation India Limited (FCIL)
• Barauni (Bihar) unit of Hindustan Fertilizers Corporation Limited (HFCL)
How revival will be helpful?
• The setting up of new units at Sindri, Gorakhpur and Barauni will help in meeting the growing demand of urea of Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand.
• It will also ease the pressure on railway and road infrastructure due to long distance transportation of urea from Western and Central Regions and thereby saving in subsidy on freight.
• It will also accelerate the economic development of the region. Apart from growth of regional economy, this unit will create opportunities for 1200 direct and 4500 indirect employments.
Process of their revival
These three fertilizer units would be revived by means of Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of Public Sector Units (PSUs) namely, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Coal India Limited (CIL), Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) and FCIL/HFCL, through ‘nomination route’.
Besides, the GAIL (India) Limited has planned to lay a gas pipeline from Jagdishpur to Haldia. These units will serve as anchor customer for this pipeline and ensure its viability. Commissioning Jagdishpur-Haldia gas pipeline (JHPL) is important for development of critical infrastructure in Eastern India and will have multiplier effect on economic growth of the region.
Background
These units were lying defunct since their closure during 1990-2002. Therefore, the units and other associated facilities were lying unutilized. There is no functional urea unit in the Eastern part of the country except two small units at Namrup (Assam).
Earlier in 2015, Government had approved revival of these three units through ‘bidding route’. However, the bidding process could not be carried forward due to receipt of only one application each against ‘Request for Qualifications’ (RFQs) for revival of Gorakhpur and Sindri units of FCIL.
The annual consumption of urea in the country is approx. 320 LMT, out of which 245 LMT is produced indigenously and rest is imported. To enhance the production of urea indigenously, government earlier also approved the revival of Talcher (Odisha) & Ramagundam (Telangana) units of FCIL by PSUs through ‘nomination route’.
Theresa May appointed Prime Minister of United Kingdom
Queen Elizabeth-II appointed Theresa May as the 76th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK) on 13 June 2016. She was appointed as prime minister following her election as the leader of Britain's ruling Conservative Party.
With this appointment, she became the second women to assume the office of Prime Minister of the UK. The first women prime minister was Margaret Thatcher who was in the office of PM from 1979 to 1990.
She succeeded David Cameron who resigned from the post on the same day following Brexit vote. Cameron tendered his resignation to the Queen. Britons on 22 June 2016 voted to exit the European Union.
The two ladies who were in race to succeed David Cameron were Theresa May and Andrea Leadsom. Andrea Leadsom withdrew from the race on 11 July 2016, citing overwhelming support for May among Conservative MPs.
Few appointments to May’s cabinet include
• Foreign Secretary: Boris Johnson, the former London Mayor and key Brexit campaigner
• Chancellor of the Exchequer (in charge of financial policy): Phillip Hammond, foreign secretary (since July 2014)
• Home Secretary: Amber Rudd, former Energy and Climate Change secretary (since May 2015)
• Secretary of State for European Union Relations (the new so-called Minister for Brexit): David Davis
• Secretary of State for International Trade: Liam Fox, former Defence secretary (between 2010 and 2011)