Important Current Affairs 13th July 2017

Important Current Affairs 13th July 2017

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Current Affairs 13th July 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

DIPP to set up India’s first TISC in Punjab

The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, signed an Institutional agreement with the Punjab State Council of Science and Technology in New Delhi today to establish India’s first Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) at Patent Information Centre, Punjab, under the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) TISC program.
●    The objective of the TISC is to stimulate a dynamic, vibrant and balanced Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) system in India to foster creativity and innovation, thereby promoting entrepreneurship and enhancing social, economic and cultural development by establishing a network of TISCs in India.
●    WIPO’s Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) program provides innovators in developing countries with access to locally based, high quality technology information and related services, helping them to exploit their innovative potential and to create, protect, and manage their Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs).

Medical officers in paramilitary forces to retire at 65 instead of 60 years

The retirement age of medical officers working in central armed police forces like the CRPF and BSF has been enhanced from 60 to 65 years, an official statement said on Wednesday.
●    The decision was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here.
●    The cabinet has given its ex-post facto approval for enhancement of the age of superannuation in respect of general duty medical officers of central armed police forces and Assam Rifles from 60 to 65 years, an official statement said.
●    The retirement age of specialist medical officers of central armed police forces and Assam Rifles has also been enhanced from 60 to 65 years.
●    The move will help in retention of officers in specialist and general duty medical cadre and thereby help in better patient care, proper academic activities in medical colleges as also in effective implementation of national health programmes for delivery of health care services, the statement said.
The central police forces are: Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF-India), National Security Guards (NSG) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).

Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu Inaugurates Indian Railways Round Table Conference on New Alternatives in Wagon Design: Reaching out to Customers

Minister of State for Railways & Minister of State for Communications (Independent Charge) Shri Manoj Sinha and Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain were specially present to grace the occasion. 
●    Member Rolling Stock Railway Board Shri Ravindra Gupta, other Railway Board Members and senior officials were also be present on the occasion.
●    Speaking on the occasion, Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu said Indian Railways is trying to get back its modal share in freight segment.  
●    Indian Railways new Freight policy has rationalised tariffs. Indian Railways is trying to work on partnership with its freight customers. 
●    The new alternative wagon design is another step towards it. New Wagon Design as per the need of customers is a win win situation for both, customers & railways. 
●    Customers can modify / alter the wagons as per the need & railways freight share can increase substantially. 
●    Commodity basket of Indian Railways has also been diversified. It is our effort to capture the unexplored segment of agriculture & fisheries to increase freight traffic.

NGT declares 100m area from edge of Ganga as No-development Zone

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on 13 July 2017 passed a few directions to rejuvenate the Ganga river and declared 100 metres from the edge of the Ganga river between Haridwar and Unnao as “No-Development Zone”.
●    The directions were passed by a NGT bench headed by NGT chairperson Swatanter Kumar.
●    It declared ‘No-Development Zone’ along an area of 100 metres from the edge of the river and directed that this zone must be turned into green belts.
●    The environment compensation of Rs 50000 will be imposed on anyone who dumps waste in the Ganga river.

Current Affairs 13th July 2017: SPACE SCIENCE

ISRO develops ship borne transportable antenna terminal

Space agency ISRO’s Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network ‘ISTRAC’ has designed and developed a Ship Borne Transportable (SBT) Antenna Terminal to meet the launch vehicle telemetry tracking and command requirements. 
●    The 4.6 meter Ship Borne Antenna System has been built indigenously, fulfilling all specifications and has established in-house capability for meeting future requirements, the space agency said. 
●    It has also improved the operational reliability due to in-house know-how of the system engineering, besides reducing the cost considerably, it added.
●    The city-based ISTRAC provides tracking support for all satellite and launch vehicle missions of ISRO and also provides space operations support for Deep Space Missions.
 

Current Affairs 13th July 2017: INTERNATIONAL RELATION

India grants Rupees 3.2 crore aid to Philippines to fight ISIS

India in July 2017 granted USD 500000 to the Philippines for the rehabilitation and relief efforts in war-torn Marawi City.
●    India announced the “immediate assistance” on 11 July 2017 on the Facebook account of its embassy in Manila.
●    It is the first time that India is sending financial aid to another country affected by terrorism.
●    As per the embassy, Sushma Swaraj offered the assistance to the Philippines during her conversation with Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano on 6 July 2017.
●    India’s assistance is a part of the Union Government’s Act East policy and comes at a time when the Philippines is getting ready to host India-Asean foreign ministers meeting in Manila in August 2017.
●    The Philippines is the only Southeast Asian nation where ISIS has established its presence.

Current Affairs 13th July 2017: SPORTS

Mithali Raj becomes first player to score 6000 runs in women’s ODI cricket

India captain Mithali Raj scripted history on 12 July 2017 as she became the only female cricketer to surpass the 6000 run mark in One-Day Internationals (ODI).
●    Mithali overtook Charlotte Edwards (5992) after scoring her 34th run against Australia in Bristol. The 34-year-old reached the landmark in her 183rd ODI, taking 164 innings - 16 less than Edwards.
●    Born on 3 December 1982, Mithali Raj is the captain of the Indian Women's cricket team in Test's and ODI.
●    She is the first player to score 7 consecutive 50s in ODIs.
●    She has played both Test and ODI cricket for India's women's cricket team.
●    She made her ODI debut in 1999 against Ireland at Milton Keynes and scored unbeaten 114 runs.
●    She made her Test debut in the 2001-02 season against South Africa at Lucknow

Current Affairs 13th July 2017: GLOBAL NEWS

Former Brazil president Lula da Silva gets nearly 10 years in jail for graft

Brazil’s former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison for graft in a stark fall from grace for the iconic leftist leader.
●    Lula, who ruled Brazil from 2003-2010, was convicted and handed a 9.5-year prison term on Wednesday for accepting a luxury seaside apartment and $1.1 million, the latest twist in a giant corruption probe engulfing Latin America’s largest economy.
●    But anti-corruption judge Sergio Moro said the 71-year-old Lula would remain free pending an appeal -- something his lawyers immediately said they would lodge.
●    The conviction nevertheless landed a heavy blow on the prospect of Lula making a political comeback in presidential elections due in October next year.
●    The verdict also sent a dramatic message to much of Brazil’s political class that they, too, risked falling afoul of the anti-graft drive.
●    Even the current president, Michel Temer, has been charged with taking bribes and several of his ministers have resigned after corruption claims were made.