Current Affairs Update – 17-18th July, 2016

Hello and welcome to exampundit . Here are the important Current Affairs of 17th and 18th of July, 2016. These are important for the upcoming SBI PO Mains and UBI PO PGDBF Exams 2016.

Current Affairs at a Glance – 17-18th July, 2016
  1. The ruins of ancient Nalanda
    Mahavihara
    known as old Nalanda
    University of Bihar on 15 July 2016 got inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
  2. The Ministry of Railways on 17
    July 2016 developed the TRI-NETRA system on locomotives for enhancing the vision
    of Locomotive Pilots in inclement weather
    . TRI-NETRA stands for
    Terrain imaging for diesel dRivers INfra-red, Enhanced opTical &Radar
    Assisted system.
  3. Yatra Online, Inc. and Terrapin 3
    Acquisition Corporation
    on 14
    July 2016 entered into a definitive merger agreement. The transaction values
    Yatra at an enterprise value of 218 million dollars (1458 crore rupees).
  4. Pema Khandu was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Arunachal
    Pradesh
    at Raj Bhawan in Itanagar on 17 July 2016.
  5. The United Nations Educational, Scientific
    and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
    on
    17 July 2016 listed Franco-Swiss architect Le Corbusier’s works among its World
    Heritage Sites
    . The listed works include Chandigarh’s Complexe du Capitole,
    Khangchendzonga National Park and Mount Khangchendzonga. It is the first
    time that any country got three sites inscribed in the Word Heritage List at a
    single session of the committee meeting
    .
  6. Vijender Singh, the boxing star
    from India, on 16 July 2016 clinched the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title
    at the Thyagraj Stadium, New Delhi. To win the title, the six-footer from
    Haryana defeated former WBC European champion Kerry Hope.
  7. Turkish musician Kudsi Erguner was on 10 July 2106 appointed as the UNESCO Artist
    for Peace
    by the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova.
  8. The Union Minister of Electronics
    and Information Technology and Law & Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad on 15 July
    2016 launched Transforming India website
    www.transformingindia.mygov.in
    .
  9. Dipika Pallikal Karthik, Saurav Ghosal clinches 73rd Senior National Squash Championship.
  10. Nelson Mandela International Day was observed across the world on 18 July 2016 to honour the Nobel Peace Prize laureate
    Nelson Mandela (1918-2013).
  11. SpaceX on 18 July 2016 launched
    its unmanned Dragon
    cargo capsule to the International Space Station
    , carrying a key
    piece of equipment that was lost in 2015 due to rocket explosion. The launch to
    the ISS is a resupply mission for NASA.
Finance/Banking/Industry –
Terrapin 3 Acquisition Corporation acquires Yatra Online for $218 mn

  • Yatra Online, Inc. and Terrapin 3
    Acquisition Corporation on 14 July 2016 entered into a definitive merger
    agreement. The transaction values Yatra at an enterprise value of 218 million
    dollars (1458 crore rupees).
  • Yatra in its statement said that
    it intends to be listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol
    “YTRA” following completion of the transaction.
  • The combined company will
    continue to be led by Yatra’s experienced management team under the leadership
    of chief executive and co-founder Dhruv Shringi.
India –
TRI-NETRA System developed for enhancing the vision of Locomotive
Pilots in inclement weather

  • The Ministry of Railways on 17
    July 2016 developed the TRI-NETRA system on locomotives for enhancing the
    vision of Locomotive Pilots in inclement weather. TRI-NETRA stands for Terrain
    imaging for diesel dRivers INfra-red, Enhanced opTical &Radar Assisted
    system.
  • TRI-NETRA system is be made up of
    high-resolution optical video camera, high sensitivity infra-red video camera
    and additionally a radar-based terrain mapping system. These three components
    of the system act as three eyes (Tri-Netra) of the Locomotive Pilot.
Highlights of the TRI-NETRA system

  • TRI-NETRA is designed to see the
    terrain ahead of the running locomotive during inclement weather by combining
    the images captured by the three sub-systems.
  • It will create a composite video
    image which shall be displayed in front of the Loco Pilot on a computer
    monitor.
  • It will give the locomotive pilot
    a clear view of the track ahead in bad visibility conditions so that he can
    apply brakes well in time.
  • It will also map the terrain
    ahead so that the driver knows when he is approaching a station or a signal.
Union Government launches Transforming India Website

  • The Union Minister of Electronics
    and Information Technology and Law & Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad on 15 July
    2016 launched Transforming India website www.transformingindia.mygov.in.
  • Transforming India website is a
    repository for sharing the impact of various governance initiatives with
    citizens in real-time.
Highlights of the website

  • It provides information in a
    user-friendly format enabling citizens to view the content in the form of
    Infographics, e-books, performance dashboard, videos, daily news corner, etc.
  • It facilitates two-way
    communication between the government and citizens.
  • It is also a social platform on
    which users can share their opinions about various initiatives of the
    government.
  • It acts as a repository of major
    policies and decisions and provides a central platform to citizens for sharing
    of transformational changes that they see around themselves.
Nalanda Mahavihara inscribed as 33rd World Heritage Site in India

  • The ruins of ancient Nalanda
    Mahavihara known as old Nalanda University of Bihar on 15 July 2016 got
    inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
  • With this, Nalanda University
    ruins became the second World Heritage Site in Bihar after Bodhgaya’s Mahabodhi
    temple and 33rd such site in India.
  • The ruins comprise the
    archaeological remains of monastic and scholastic institutions dating from the
    3rd century BC to the 13th century AD.
  • The ruins have large number of
    remains of stupas, shrines and viharas and important art works in stucco, stone
    and metal.
  • Listing into UNESCO’s heritage
    site list will help in conserving and protecting the site in a better way with
    increased funds and many more way.
Three Indian sites listed among UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites

  • The United Nations Educational,
    Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on 17 July 2016 listed
    Franco-Swiss architect Le Corbusier’s works among its World Heritage Sites.
  • The listed works include
    Chandigarh’s Complexe du Capitole, Khangchendzonga National Park and Mount
    Khangchendzonga.
  • It is the first time that any
    country got three sites inscribed in the Word Heritage List at a single session
    of the committee meeting.
  • The chosen works of Le Corbusier
    depict his contributions to the Modern Movement that emerged after World War I.
    His works emphasize on functionality, bold lines and materials such as
    concrete, iron and glass.
Three Indian sites listed in the
World Heritage Sites are:
Complexe du Capitole, Chandigarh

  • The site comprises three
    buildings, i.e., Legislative Assembly, Secretariat and High Court.
  • Following the independence of
    India, the divided Punjab required a new capital as Lahore was now in Pakistan.
    Therefore, Le Corbusier was commissioned by first Prime Minister of India,
    Jawaharlal Nehru to build a new city of Chandigarh as the capital of Punjab.
  • The brief for the design was a
    city unfettered by the traditions of the past, a symbol of the nation’s faith
    in the future.
  • Later, Corbusier and his team
    constructed large assembly and high court building, and also the major
    buildings in the city.
  • At present, many of the buildings
    are considered modernist masterpieces.
Khangchendzonga National Park and Mount Khangchendzonga:

  • The park is located at the heart
    of the Himalayan range in Sikkim.
  • It includes a unique diversity of
    plains, valleys, lakes, glaciers and snow-capped mountains covered with ancient
    forests, including the world’s third highest peak, Mount Khangchendzonga.
  • It is the first ‘Mixed Heritage’
    site of India.
  • Besides these, Antigua Naval
    Dockyard and Related Archaeological Sites (Antigua and Barbuda) and Pampulha
    Modern Ensemble (Brazil) were also included in the list.
Appointments –
Pema Khandu sworn-in as Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister

  • Pema Khandu was sworn-in as the
    Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh at Raj Bhawan in Itanagar on 17 July 2016.
    Governor Tataghata Roy administered the Oath of Office and Secrecy to him.
  • Chowna Mein was also sworn-in as
    the Deputy Chief Minister.
  • With this, Khandu, 37, also
    became the youngest chief minister of the country. He has replaced Nabam Tuki,
    who resigned from the post after stepping down as leader of the Congress
    Legislature Party (CLP) on 16 July 2016. 
  • Tuki also proposed Khandu’s name as
    the next CLP leader and the new Chief Minister of the state. His proposal was
    unanimously accepted by all the 43 members present in the CLP meeting.
Guruprasad Mohapatra appointed as Chairman of Airports Authority of
India

  • 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.
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Sports –
Vijender Singh defeats Kerry Hope to clinch WBO Asia Pacific Super
Middleweight title

  • Vijender Singh, the boxing star
    from India, on 16 July 2016 clinched the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight
    title at the Thyagraj Stadium, New Delhi. To win the title, the six-footer from
    Haryana defeated former WBC European champion Kerry Hope.
  • Virender, 30, took all 10 rounds
    to dismantle the 34-year-old Australian Hope and record his seventh straight
    win in the circuit. He scored 98-92, 98-92, 100-90 to be the unanimous winner.
  • With this, Singh also became the
    country’s first-ever professional boxing title holder. The win also helped him
    to climb to 15th in the world in his category.
Soohorang, Bandabi mascots for Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics

  • A white tiger named ‘Soohorang’
    and an Asian black bear called ‘Bandabi’ were unveiled on Monday as the two
    mascots for the 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Pyeongchang scheduled to
    begin from February 9 to 25.
  • “Soohorang and Bandabi will be
    your good friends and promote the Pyeongchang Olympic Games to the whole
    world,” Lee hee-beom, president of the Games organising committee, told
    students during a ceremony at Hoeng Gye elementary school in Pyeongchang.
  • Derived from Korean words,
    Soohorang is made of two words – ‘protection’ (Sooho) and ‘tiger’ (ho-rang-i).
  • The white tiger is considered a
    sacred guardian animal in South Korea, with some locals considering the Korean
    peninsula to be tiger-shaped.
  • The 1988 Seoul Olympics also
    featured a tiger mascot.
  • The Paralympic Games mascot
    “Bandabi” represents courage and strong willpower, organisers said.
Dipika Pallikal Karthik, Saurav Ghosal clinches 73rd Senior National
Squash Championship

  • The 73rd Senior National Squash
    Championship held from 12 July – 17 July 2016 concluded in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Women: Final Result

  • Dipika Pallikal Karthik (World
    no. 19) dethroned defending champion Joshna Chinappa 4-11 11-6 11-2 11-8 to regain
    the women’s title. Dipika was playing in the nationals after a five-year gap
    when she won in 2011.
Men: Final Result

  • Top seed Saurav Ghosal defeated
    fourth seed Harinderpal Singh Sandhu 11-7 7-11 3-11 11-8 14-12 in five
    hard-fought games to claim the title.
  • With this win, Ghosal also
    created a history of winning the title for the 11th time and went ahead of RK
    Narpat Singh’s feat of 10 titles, won from 1946 to 1955.
Awards & Honors –
Turkish musician Kudsi Erguner named UNESCO Artist for Peace

  • Turkish musician Kudsi Erguner
    was on 10 July 2106 appointed as the UNESCO Artist for Peace by the
    Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova.
  • Erguner was appointed for the
    post at a ceremony held at the Congress Center in Istanbul (Turkey) after the
    opening ceremony of the 40th session of the World Heritage Committee, which
    ends on 20 July 2016.
World –
SpaceX launched unmanned Dragon cargo capsule to International space
station

  • SpaceX on 18 July 2016 launched
    its unmanned Dragon cargo capsule to the International Space Station, carrying
    a key piece of equipment that was lost in 2015 due to rocket explosion. The
    launch to the ISS is a resupply mission for NASA.
  • Dragon spaceship was packed with
    nearly 23000 kilograms of gear, including science experiments and equipment for
    the astronauts living in space.
  • After blasting off from Cape
    Canaveral, Florida, the rocket separated after sending the cargo to orbit. Then
    the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket landed back on the solid ground in Cape
    Canaveral at the NASA facility.
  • As per the plan, the Dragon is
    expected to arrive at the space station early 20 July 2016.
  • With this, SpaceX now has five
    successful rocket landings to its name. The first occurred in December 2015,
    when a Falcon 9 first stage came back to Cape Canaveral during a commercial
    satellite launch. The other three successful launches happened in April (one)
    and May (two), these launches were featured with sea landings, on a robotic
    ship named Of Course I Still Love You.
Days –
Nelson Mandela International Day 2016 observed

  • Nelson Mandela International Day
    was observed across the world on 18 July 2016 to honour the Nobel Peace Prize
    laureate Nelson Mandela (1918-2013).
  • The day is aimed at inspiring
    individuals to take action to help change the world for the better.
  • The Day was celebrated for the
    first time on 18 July 2010 as per a UN General Assembly resolution of November
    2009.

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