8th July 2018 Daily Current Affairs

International Current Affairs

• Prime Minister of Bhutan Tshering Tobgay is on a three-day visit to India.
• Aim of this visit : To discuss about economic cooperation and security ties.
• During this visit, he met PM Narendra Modi and discussed issues of mutual interest and enhancing special friendship between the two countries.
  
• The 2nd meeting of the Joint Working Group on Tourism Cooperation between India and Nepal was concluded in Kathmandu, Nepal. 
• Both sides agreed to jointly promote Buddhist and Ramayana circuits and Adventure tourism. 
• The meeting also decided to set up an industry-led India Nepal Tourism Forum.
• The United Kingdom has launched new visas that will be open to overseas scientists and researchers, including Indians, to encourage growth of the country's research sector. 
• This will enable them to work and train in the UK for maximum period of two years. 
• Thetford, a small town in the United Kingdom will be converted into a twin city of Amritsar in the memory of the last king of the Sikh Empire, Maharaja Duleep Singh. 
• US Secretary of State Mike Pompeotoday met with North Korean officials in Pyongyang to discuss Nuclear disarmament and improving bilateral relations. 
• The US delegation aims to persuade North Korea to follow through on promises made during a landmark summit between US President Donald Trump and Korean President Kim Jong Un in June.

National Current Affairs

• The Himachal Pradesh government has banned the use and sale of Thermocol Cutlery including cups, plates, glasses, spoons or any other item in the state. 
• The state government has set a deadline of three months for manufacturers to dispose of their stocks.
• The National Board of Wildlife has recommended that states use Section 144, which prohibits the assembly of four or more people, during wildlife emergencies. 
• The provision will be used to "prevent people gathering in large numbers, which aggravates wildlife emergency situations".
• Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh-led BJP government has defeated the no-confidence motion that the Congress moved against it in the state assembly.

Science & Technology

• Japanese city Tokyo unveiled the world’s first all-digital art museum. 
• This museum features around 50 kaleidoscopic installations triggered by motion sensors, which are projected across every surface of the 100,000-square-foot exhibit space with the help of lights. 
• Richard Branson-led commercial spaceflight Virgin Galactic has announced that it is going to launch its commercial space flights from Italy. 
• It has partnered with Italian Space Agency-owned company Altec and Sitael, Italy's private space company to develop a framework for how spaceflights will be conducted. 

Banking, Business & Economic Affairs

• Russia's Central Bank has announced that they will mint Commemorative Half-Rouble Coins if the host nation reaches the semi-finals stage of the FIFA World Cup 2018 tournament.
• The bank posted pictures of the proposed silver-coloured coins bearing the inscription 'FIFA 2018 Soccer World Cup in Russia'. 
• Important Note : Half-rouble coins do not exist in Russia.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the proposal to expand the scope of the Higher Education Funding Agency (HEFA) to mobilize Rs 1 lakh crore for research and academic infrastructure for higher education institutions by 2022.
• In a first, KendriyaVidyalayas /NavodayaVidyalayas will also get funding from HEFA. 
• IITs, NITs, IISERs and other Central universities as well as AIIMS and other medical colleges will also get funds from HEFA.
• The government has approved extension of recapitalization scheme for Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) for next three years up to 2019-20 with an aim to strengthen their lending capacity.
• Note : The recapitalization scheme started in 2010-11 and was extended twice in 2012-13 and 2015-16. The last extension was up to March, 2017.
• Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhiatoday announced that the GST Council is considering bringing petroleum products under Goods and Services Tax (GST).
• Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani today announced that Reliance is India’s largest payerof Goods and Services Tax (GST), Excise and Customs Duty, and Income Tax in the Private Sector.
• PM Narendra Modi today inaugurated 13 infrastructure projects worth ₹2,100 crore in Rajasthan. 
• These include water supply and sewerage projects in several cities like Sikar and Mount Abu, and an elevated road project in Ajmer.

Deaths

• Steve Ditko (90), the Marvel Comics artist who co-created the superhero Spider-Man, has passed away.
• Note : Ditko, along with writer Stan Lee, had introduced Spider-Man in an issue of Amazing Fantasy in 1962.

New Appointments

• The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting today appointed one of it's joint secretaries Manoj Kumar Pingua as the acting Managing Director of National Film Development Corporation (NFDC). 
• His appointment comes five months after previous MD Nina Lath Gupta was sacked. 
• Shareholders of Reliance Industries have approved giving Mukesh Ambani another five years as the Chairman and MD of the company. 
• Mukesh Ambani was made the Chairman of the company after the death of his father Dhirubhai Ambani in July 2002.
• Girish Pillai has taken over as the new Member Traffic, Railway Board.
• Prior to this, he was General Manager, West Central Railway, Jabalpur from September 1, 2016 to June 30, 2018.

Sports Current Affairs

• 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Bajrang Punia emerged champion at the Tbilisi Grand Prix in the 65kg category by defeating Iranian wrestler Mehran Nasiri in the final in Georgia. 
• England defeated Sweden in the quarters today to reach the FIFA World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1990. 
• Striker Rani Rampal is going to lead the 18-member Indian women’s hockey team at the Asian Games 2018 to be held in Indonesia from August 18 to September 2. 
• Goalkeeper Savita has been named as the vice captain of the team