7th July 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

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International Affairs

• Today (7th July) is Global Forgiveness Day.
• This day was created in 1994 by the Christian Embassy of Christ's Ambassadors.
• Note : There is already a Forgiveness Day in August (which is observed on 1st sunday in August each year), founded by the Worldwide Forgiveness Alliance, but the Global Forgiveness Day is different. This was founded by CECA (Christian Embassy of Christ’s Ambassadors).
• Today is World Chocolate Day.
• This day marks 466 years since chocolate was introduced to Europe.
• India was placed at 91st position in the recently released 2016 Networked Readiness Index (NRI) by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF). 
• Important Points to Note about NRI :
• This index was released as the part of the WEF’s Global Information Technology Report. 
• It measures countries’ success in creating the necessary conditions for a transition to a digitised economy and society. 
• PM Narendra Modi is on a 4 nation tour of African countries. 
• He arrived in Mozambique for the first leg of this visit.

National Affairs

• Eid-ul-Fitr is being celebrated across the country with enthusiasm.
  
• Kerala Tourism has identified 17 new locations to develop as tourist destinations under the Kerala Destination Scheme, in addition to the 52 already being developed. 
• The locations are in Chowwara, Ernakulam, Malappuram, Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam. 
• Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti today launched 231 projects under the 'Namami Gange' programme which is aimed at cleaning the river. 
• The projects were launched at various locations across seven states– Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Delhi, and Haryana. 
• Note : The government had sanctioned around ₹20,000 crore over five years for the initiative in the 2014-15 budget.
• The Tripura government has revised the teacher’s recruitment rules making it mandatory for candidates appearing in the Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET) to secure 50% marks. 
• Under the revised rules, candidates with an English medium background would get preference during the selection process. 
• Under the Centre’s ‘Ujala Scheme’, the Goa government will distribute 15 lakh free LED bulbs to 4.89 lakh consumers between July 8 and 17.  

Places in News

• The Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon and photographer Aditya Arya are set to launch the world's largest camera museum in Gurgaon​ on August 19, World Photography Day. 
• 'The Museo Camera – Centre of Photography' will showcase almost 700 cameras curated by Arya. The museum will also display around 800 original patents of cameras dating back to the 1800s.

MOUs & Agreements

• India and Mozambique today signed 3 Memoranda of Understandings (MoUs).
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi witnessed the signing of these agreements.
• The three  MOUs are,
• Reduction of drug trafficking and psychotropic substances and related materials, 
• Cooperation in the field of youth affairs and sports,
• Long term agreement for purchase of pulses

Recent Committees in News

• The Union Finance Ministry has constituted 4 Member Committee to examine the feasibility and desirability of having a new financial year.
• The committee has been tasked to examine the merits and demerits of various dates for the commencement of the financial year including the existing date (April to March) by taking into account the various relevant factors.
• Head : Dr. Shankar Acharya (former Chief Economic Adviser)
• Members
• PV Rajaraman (former Finance Secretary, Tamil Nadu),
• KM Chandrasekhar (former Cabinet Secretary)
• Dr. Rajiv Kumar (Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy Research)

Business & Economy

• Credit rating agency Standard & Poor's has today announced that the Macroeconomic situation is more secure in India and Japan compared to the other economies in the Asia-Pacific region due to their "strong policy decisions". 
• Further, the report said the region has been able to absorb the "first wave of volatility" after Brexit and Asia-Pacific's economic picture has "brightened" except for China.
• India has been ranked as the world's fourth largest mobile app economy in a report by analytics firm App Annie. 
• China, United States and Brazil were ranked first, second and third respectively. 

Science & Technology

• China inducted its largest indigenously-built transport aircraft named as Y-20, marking a crucial step in its Air Force history for improving its strategic power projection capability. 
• It is also considered as a breakthrough for Chinese defence sector especially in military aviation technology which will allow the world’s largest force to transport cargo and troops over long distances in diverse weather conditions.

New Appointments

• R Thiruppathi Venkatasamy was appointed as the Accountant General of Economic and Revenue Sector Audit of Tamil Nadu.
• 1982 batch IAS officer Deepak Singhal was today appointed as the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh.

Awards & Honors

• After investing in 14 startups this year, Ratan Tata has topped the list of active angel investors in 2016, compiled by VCCEdge. 
• Artha India Ventures Managing Partner Anirudh A Damani and Aarin Capital Chairman TV Mohandas Pai were ranked second and third respectively. 

Sports

• Seventeen-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer surpassed Martina Navratilova’s record for the most number of wins in Grand Slam singles matches, after beating Marin Cilic in Wimbledon quarter-final today. 
• This was Federer’s 307th win in Grand Slam singles, and his 84th victory at Wimbledon, equalling Jimmy Connor for the most number of wins at Wimbledon in the Open Era.
• Argentina national football team coach Gerardo Martino submitted his resignation from the post today, citing lack of support from the Argentina Football Association in preparing an 18-man squad for the Olympic Games.

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