Current Affairs Daily Updates - 11th July 2013

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Friends, here are the Important Current Affairs of 11th July 2013 (Thursday). Happy Reading :)

International Affairs

• Egypt's Prime Minister said today he does not rule out posts for the Muslim Brotherhood in his cabinet if candidates are qualified, even as police cracked down on ousted president Mohammed Morsi's Islamist group.
• North Korea has withdrawn an offer for talks on reunions of separated Korean families and resuming tours to a North Korean mountain resort.
• Heavy rain across China has left at least 28 people dead and 66 missing, officials reported Today, after landslides crushed homes, bridges collapsed, and dozens of villages were cut off.
• Nelson Mandela continues to respond to treatment but remains in a critical condition 34 days into his hospital stay, South Africa's presidency today.
• Gunmen overran an Iraqi army checkpoint and then shot up a trailer packed with policemen breaking their Ramzan fast, killing a total of 14 troops in the country's restive western Anbar province, authorities said today.
• State media in Myanmar say a court has sentenced seven Buddhists to between three and 15 years in jail for their role in a massacre at an Islamic boarding school that left dozens of students and teachers dead.
• A Moscow court convicted late investment fund lawyer Sergei Magnitsky on Thursday of tax evasion after Russia's first posthumous trial, a ruling that will further undermine President Vladimir Putin's reputation in the West.

National Affairs

• A person, who is in jail or in police custody, cannot contest election to legislative bodies, the Supreme Court has held, bringing to an end an era of undertrial politicians fighting polls from behind bars.
• Sri Lankan Buddhist pilgrims on Wednesday got the green signal to visit the Mahabodhi temple in India, four days after the government advised them to delay their departure to one of the Buddhism's holiest sites following a terror attack.
• India could prevent over nine million deaths due to cardiovascular disease over the next decade if it implements smoking bans and levy higher tobacco taxes, a new study has found.
• To carry out construction of three Regional Rapid Transit System corridors connecting Delhi with Panipat, Alwar and Meerut, the Union Cabinet today approved constitution of National Capital Region Transport Corporation Limited (NCRTC).
• After much delay in the wake of protests by anti-nuclear activists and villagers, the Kudankulam project is all set to take off.
• With no sign of relief from flood waters in Assam, the situation continued to remain critical as 27 more villages were submerged.
• Clearing the decks for attaining criticality for unit-1 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP), Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) today gave clearance for ‘First Approach to Criticality’ (FAC).
• The first-ever national aviation university in the country would come up at Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, Sonia Gandhi's Lok Sabha constituency, to impart complete training to pilots, cabin crew and aircraft engineers.
• The central government has accepted an Assam government proposal for a Metro rail project in Guwahati, chief minister Tarun Gogoi said today while interacting with the media.

Business and Economy

• Amidst the finance ministry raising prospects of forcing Reliance Industries to sell gas at old price of USD 4.2, oil minister M Veerapa Moily  said today there was no rethinking in the government on the decision to double gas rates from April 1, 2014.
• The US dollar edged up against the rupee at 59.67/68 per dollar and the Pound Sterling also finished sharply higher at Rs 90.26/28 per pound at the close of the Interbank Foreign Exchange Market (Forex).
• Japanese electronics major Panasonic has set a revenue target of $1.65 billion in India during this fiscal and will invest Rs 1,500 crore towards expansion in the next three years.
• France and Switzerland have signed an agreement on inheritance tax that Paris hopes will help it bring in more money. Under the agreement signed , inheritances would be taxed based on where the recipient resides, not where the deceased lived, as used to be the case.
• Tracking strong global cues, the BSE benchmark sensex on Thursday shot up by a whopping 382 points to close at near six-week highs led by a rally in bluechips, buoyed by US Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke's comments on continuing monetary stimulus.
• The Cabinet committee on economic affairs ( CCEA) today approved disinvestment of government stake in State Trading Corporation (STC) and ITDC, which would fetch around Rs 30 crore to the exchequer.
• Auto major Mahindra & Mahindra today said it will stop production at its automotive plants for up to eight days this month to cut output in the wake of low demand in the market.
• With India committed to make itself the manufacturing hub of the world, commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma has asked US corporates to look at India as a long term business and investment opportunity.

Sports

• England were 11 for two in their second innings, a deficit of 54 runs, at tea on the second day of the first Ashes Test against Australia at Trent Bridge.
• Australia's Ashton Agar played an extraordinary innings of 98 on his Test debut against England on Thursday, the highest ever score by a number 11 in a Test match.
• Sangakkara and Thirimanne revived the Sri Lankan innings by putting up a decent stand after they lost early wickets in the Celkon Mobile Cup final match at Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain.
• Noted coach Rajkumar Sharma, who played a pivotal role in shaping up Virat Kohli's career, feels that his ward's aggressive captaincy resembles a lot with Sourav Ganguly's methods but insisted that he should also learn the ropes from current skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
• Former Australia spinner Shane Warne will be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame on July 19 during the tea interval of the second Ashes Test between England and Australia at Lord's, ICC announced today.

Rose M