Important Current Affairs 21st July 2016

Axis Bank Inaugurates all Women Branch

1. Private lender Axis Bank has inaugurated an all women branch in Kolkata.
2. The branch was inaugurated at Lake Gardens by the renowned film actress Rituparna Sengupta.
3. This is the bank’s first such branch here in the State.
4. The specialized branch will offer all banking & financial transaction services to all customers.
5. It will help increase the participation of this segment in the banking industry.

SBI Launches JV with Brookfield AMC

1. SBI has signed an agreement with Brookfield Asset Management Inc to form a joint venture which will invest in stressed assets.
2. Brookfield will commit about ₹7,000 cr & SBI  will contribute up to 5% of total investments into stressed assets.
3. It will enable the banks to find alternate solution for resolution of stressed assets.
4. Brookfield has an over 100-year history of owning  & operating assets.

Railways, SBI Sign MoU

1. Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corp (IRCTC) & SBI have signed a MoU to work out a detailed plan for promotion of rail ticketing activities,
2. It includes internet ticketing & unreserved ticketing system.
3. They will jointly explore areas of cooperation& draw up a detailed plan for promotion of rail ticketing activities.
4. MoU was signed by IRCTC CMD A K Manocha & Arundhati Bhattacharya, CMD, SBI.

Sagarmala Development Company Gets Nod

1. The Union Cabinet has approved the incorporation of Sagarmala Development Company (SDC) under the Companies Act, 2013.
2. It will be set up with an initial authorised share capital of ₹1,000 crore.
3. SDC will be under the administrative control of the Ministry of Shipping.
4. The prime objective of the Sagarmala project is to modernize India’s Ports so that port-led development can be augmented.

IMF Cuts Global Growth Forecasts

1. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised downward its global economic growth forecast after the British people voted to leave the European Union.
2. The world economy will expand by 3.4% in 2017,down 0.1% point from April report.
3. The UK growth projection was downgrade by 0.9 point to 1.3%.
4.  Global growth could be capped at 2.8%,if negotiations between Britain & the EU don’t go smoothly.

Govt to Introduce Changes to Benami Bill

1. The Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to introduce amendments to the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Bill, 2015 in Parliament.
2. The legislation is intended to effectively prohibit benami transactions and consequently prevent circumvention of law through unfair practices.
3. The Cabinet also cleared introduction of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2016 in Parliament.

Famous Director Garry Marshall Dies

1. Famed director and producer Garry Marshall has passed away.
2. The Hollywood legend directed, produced and starred in films and TV shows since the late 1950’s.
3. He created some of the most popular 1970’s TV shows including Mork and Mindy & Happy Days.
4. He directed 18 films, including big screen hits like Beaches,Overboard, Runaway Bride,Valentine’s Day & 1990’s Pretty Woman.

Hockey Legend Shahid Passes Away

1. Noted Indian hockey player Mohammed Shahid passed away.
2. He was a member of the V Baskaran-led Indian team that won a Gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
3. He was known for his dribbling skills &  was considered one of India’s greatest hockey players.
4. He had recieved the Arjuna Award in 1981 & was honoured with Padma Shri in 1986.

IOC Postpones Decision of ban on Russia

1. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has postponed a decision on whether Russia should be banned from Rio Olympics.
2. The members of the IOC Board held a teleconference following the World Anti-Doping Agency’s report on Russia’s state-sponsored doping.
3. The decision was deferred until the Court of Arbitration for Sports rules on the participation of Russia athletes in international events.

Khandu Govt in A.P Passes Floor Test

1. Arunachal Pradesh, CM Pema Khandu has proved his majority during the floor test in the Assembly by voice vote.
2. The Assembly also elected Tsering Norbu Thongdok as the new speaker of the House unopposed.
3. In the 60 member house,CM Khandu has the support of 47 MLAs, including the two independents.
4. Khandu was sworn in as the 9th Chief Minister on17 July after months of political turmoil in the state.

Cabinet Approves ASA with Mozambique

1. The Union Cabinet has approved signing of an Air Services Agreement (ASA) between India and Mozambique.
2. It will promote air connectivity between the two countries.
3. Presently there is no such agreement between India and Mozambique.
4. The agreement will  allow designated airlines of either countries to have fair & equal opportunity to operate the agreed services on specified routes,

Cabinet Okays Ghatampur Thermal Project

1. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has granted its approval to set up a 1,980 MW thermal power project at Ghatampur in Uttar Pradesh.
2. The estimated cost of the project will be Rs 17,237.80 crore .
3. Project of 1980 Mega Watt capacity will be set up through Joint Venture by Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited & Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited.

Cabinet Okays Setting Up Of AIIMS In UP

1. The government has given its nod to the establishment of a new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh.
2. It aims at providing super-specialty health care to people & creating a large pool of doctors.
3. The was under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana at an estimated cost of Rs. 1,011 crore.
4. This institute will also conduct research on regional diseases

Saraswati River all set to Come Alive

1. The lost Saraswati river is all set to come back alive later this month.
2. The government of Haryana is preparing to release water into what is widely believed to be the route of the Vedic era river.
3. The water is expected to flow through Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra & Kaithal districts.
4. The government is also planning to build a dam at Adi Badri, where the lost river is believed to have originated.

Panchayats to be Connected Through OFC

1. All Gram Panchayats in the country will be connected through Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) to by December 2018..
2. The National Optical Fibre Network project renamed as BharatNet aims to establish a network infrastructure by connecting all 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats through OFC.
3. This will be done by using an optimal mix of underground fibre, fibre overpower lines, radio & satellite media.

France Extends Emergency by Six Months

1. France’s National Assembly has voted to extend the state of emergency for six months.
2. The extension agreed would take the state of emergency until the end of January 2017.
3. The move follows last week’s attack in Nice in which 84 people were killed.
4. The emergency measures give the police extra powers to carry out searches and to place people under house arrest.

Canada To Hold Zika Vaccine Test

1. Researchers from Laval University based in Quebec City, Canada are going to conduct the world’s first Zika vaccine test on humans.
2. Until now, vaccines have been tested on mice.
3. Zika virus is transmitted primarily by mosquitoes & there is no existing treatment or vaccine for it.
4. The virus is capable of causing serious birth defects & has traveled quickly through Latin America.

Turkey Declare 3 month Emergency

1. Turkey, the President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a three-month state of emergency after a failed military coup.
2. The measure was being taken to counter threats to Turkish democracy.
3. Turkey had imposed martial law-like emergency rule in the southeast of Turkey in 1987.
4. It allow the officials to set curfews, issue search and arrest warrants and restrict gatherings.

Facebook Messenger Hits 1 Billion Users

1. Facebook Messenger has reached one billion monthly users making it one of the most popular apps in the world.
2. The milestone takes place two years after the social-networking giant separated the mobile chat tool from its main social-networking site .
3. FB Messenger now in the top three most popular apps in the world along with Facebook & WhatsApp,
4. Facebook hit the 1 billion users mark in 2012.

Nigeria Akinyelure Win Komla Dumor Award

1. Nigerian journalist Didi Akinyelure has won the second BBC World News Komla Dumor Award.
2. She is a prime-time news anchor in Nigeria & presents business news for CNBC which broadcasts across the African continent.
3. The award, established in honour of Komla Dumor, a presenter for BBC World News who died aged 41 in 2014.
4. The award seeks to celebrate African journalism & reward exceptional talent.