GK and Current Affairs Updates

India’s first e-court was opened at High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad on 17 July 2016. It was inaugurated by Supreme Court judge Justice Madan B Lokur who heads the e-Committee of the Supreme Court.

Hyderabad High Court is the common high court for the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
•    The purpose of e-court is to ensure speedy justice for the litigants. 
•    The e-Courts will ensure easy and better access to justice for public. 
•    It will also provide solution for large number of pending cases in the country. 
•    It will also make the work of judges, advocates and all those related with judiciary a lot more effective.
Besides the launch of e-court, SC judge Justice Madan B Lokur also announced that India’s first Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS) will be launched in High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad. The system will integrate the courts, police stations, prosecution, forensic science laboratories and jails.

A Canadian university in July 2016 said that it will conduct the world's first Zika vaccine test on humans. The vaccine that is under development will be tested on humans in the near future. Until now, vaccines have been tested on mice.

Kobinger, a doctor of microbiology and professor of medicine at the university, is overseeing the study.
•    The disease is caused by a virus transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes.
•    People with Zika virus disease can have symptoms including mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or headache. These symptoms normally last for 2-7 days.
•    There is scientific consensus that Zika virus is a cause of microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Links to other neurological complications are also being investigated.
•    The virus is capable of causing serious birth defects and has traveled quickly through Latin America.
•    There is no existing treatment or vaccine for it.

Nigerian journalist Didi Akinyelure on 19 July 2016 won the BBC World Service News Komla Dumor Award for 2016.
Akinyelure is the second recipient of the award, which was established to honour Ghanaian BBC World News presenter Komla Dumor.
The Award aims to celebrate African journalism and reward exceptional talent.
•    Akinyelure is a prime-time news anchor in Nigeria.
•    She presents business news for CNBC, which broadcasts across the continent.
•    She has been on the CNBC Africa team since 2013.
•    Prior to that, she worked in the asset management finance sector in Nigeria and in the UK.
•    As part of her award prize, she will start a three-month placement at the BBC in London in September 2016.
•    Komla Afeke Dumor was a Ghanaian journalist who worked for BBC World News.
•    He was the main presenter of BBC World News’ programme Focus on Africa.
•    He started as the morning show host for Joy FM in Accra, Ghana.
•    He was the 2003 winner of Journalist of the Year award given by the Ghana Journalists Association.

Odisha-born bureaucrat Guruprasad Mohapatra was on 15 July 2016 appointed as the Chairman of Airports Authority of India (AAI) with effect from 19 July 2016.Guruprasad Mohapatra is a 1986 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre.
•    Prior to the recent posting, he was posted as Joint Secretary in Union Ministry of Commerce.
•    Mohpatra also served the Sales Tax department as Special Commissioner (Enforcement), and as a Commissioner of Commercial Taxes and as the Commissioner of Transport.
•    He was the Joint MD of Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) during his service in Gujarat.
•    He had also served as Municipal Commissioner of Ahmedabad for over three years.
•    He started in the State Electricity Sector with the erstwhile Gujarat Electricity Board in 2002 and worked with various Electricity Companies such as GSEC and the distribution companies such as PGVCL, DGVCL & UGVCL.
•    He is an MA in Political Science, MPhil in Diplomacy (International Relation) and also an MBA degree holder.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on 18 July 2016 signed seven Unilateral Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) with Indian taxpayers. Some of the agreements also have a Rollback provision as well.

The 7 APAs pertain to various sectors of economy like banking, Information Technology and Automotives. The international transactions covered in these agreements include software development Services, IT enabled Services, Engineering Design Services & Business Support Services. 
•    The APA Scheme was introduced in the Income-tax Act in 2012 and the Rollback provisions were introduced in 2014. 
•    The scheme endeavours to provide certainty to taxpayers in the domain of transfer pricing by specifying the methods of pricing and setting the prices of international transactions in advance. 
•    Since its inception, the APA scheme has attracted tremendous interest and that has resulted in more than 700 applications (both unilateral and bilateral) having been filed in just four years. 

India’s first e-court was opened at High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad on 17 July 2016. It was inaugurated by Supreme Court judge Justice Madan B Lokur who heads the e-Committee of the Supreme Court.
Hyderabad High Court is the common high court for the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
•    The purpose of e-court is to ensure speedy justice for the litigants. 
•    The e-Courts will ensure easy and better access to justice for public. 
•    It will also provide solution for large number of pending cases in the country. 
•    It will also make the work of judges, advocates and all those related with judiciary a lot more effective.
Besides the launch of e-court, SC judge Justice Madan B Lokur also announced that India’s first Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS) will be launched in High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad. The system will integrate the courts, police stations, prosecution, forensic science laboratories and jails.

The Rajya Sabha on 18 July 2016 passed the Regional Centre for Biotechnology Bill, 2016. The Bill seeks to establish a Regional Centre for Biotechnology in Faridabad, Haryana. 

This will be an institution of education, training and research, under the auspices of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in the National Capital Region.
•    Disseminate knowledge by providing teaching and research facilities in biotechnology and related fields
•    Create a hub of biotechnology expertise
•    Facilitate transfer of technology and knowledge in the SAARC region and generally Asia.
•    Promote cooperation at the international level.

•    The centre, located in Faridabad in Haryana, will be a state of the art institute and a regional hub for interdisciplinary education, training and research in biotechnology.
•    The Regional centre will provide masters’ and doctoral degrees, and post-graduate diplomas in biotechnology and related subjects (eg. medical, agricultural and engineering sciences)
•    It will be responsible for instituting academic positions, like professorships, and appointing persons to such positions
•    It will be determining standards of admission to the Regional Centre
•    It will be fixing and receiving fees.

World Bank Group on 18 July 2016 appointed Paul Romer as World Bank Chief Economist with effect from September 2016. Romer is a widely respected economist and a successful entrepreneur.

•    Romer is currently a professor at New York University (NYU), Director of NYU’s Marron Institute of Urban Management, and a professor of economics in NYU's Stern School of Business. 
•    Earlier in his career, his research brought the economics of ideas into the analysis of economic growth.
•    His start-up company Aplia, focused on educational technology, signals the breadth of his intellectual and practical interests.
•    Before joining NYU, Romer taught at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. 
•    His earlier roles included professorships at the Universities of California Berkeley, Chicago and Rochester.
•    He is also a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The 2016 edition of the Annual World Snail Racing Championship was won by a snail named Herbie. Held at in Norfolk, UK, the 13-inch race was finished by the snail in 3 minutes, 25 seconds. Over 2,000 people attended the race which managed to raise around £3,000 for the Saint Andrew’s Church.

•    The 2016 championships were held on 16th July 2016 and this year's winner is a snail called Herbie 2 owned by 45-year-old Colin Voss from Histon in Cambridgeshire. 
•    Herbie 2 covered the 13 inch course in 3 mins 25 secs. 
•    Last year’s winner George who was due to defend his title died suddenly the day before the Championships.
•    The next Championships will be held on 15 July 2017 on the cricket field at Congham, Norfolk, UK
•    The World Snail Racing Championships are part of Congham, Fete which is help to raise money for the 13th century St Andrew's Church.

The Rajya Sabha on 19 July 2016 passed the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2012..The official amendment seeks to amend the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) (CLPR) Act, 1986 and allows children below the age of 14 years to work in select non-hazardous family enterprises.
•    It prohibits employment of children below 14 years in all occupation or processes except where the child helps his family after school, with the provision for imprisonment up to two years for any violation. It was made in light to the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.
•    It also adds a new category of persons called adolescent meaning children between 14 to 18 years of age and prohibits employment of adolescents in hazardous occupations as specified (mines, inflammable substance and hazardous processes).
•    It gives right to the Union Government to add or omit any hazardous occupation from the list included in the Bill.
•    It also enhances the punishment for employing any child in an occupation. It also includes penalty for employing an adolescent in a hazardous occupation.
•    The penalty for employing a child was increase to imprisonment between 6 months and two years or a fine of 20000 rupees to 50000 rupees or both. Earlier, the imprisonment term and penalty were from three months to one year and from 1000) rupees to 20000 rupees or both.
•    The penalty for employing an adolescent in hazardous occupation is imprisonment between 6 months and two years or a fine of 20000 rupees to 50000 rupees or both. 
•    The government may confer powers on a District Magistrate to ensure that the provisions of the law are properly carried out.
•    The Bill empowers the government to make periodic inspection of places at which employment of children and adolescents are prohibited.