Current Affairs 2nd August 2016

National News:

• Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel has submitted her resignation after a week of protests across the state following the assault on four Dalits by a so-called cow vigilante group
• NRIs and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) will now be able to make monetary contributions online for government’s flagship programmes ‘Swachch Bharat’ and Clean Ganga among other social sector projects, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announced
• Union Minister of Human Resource Development Shri Prakash Javdekar inaugurated Indian Institute of Technology, Goa on Saturday, July 30th
• The Centre has decided to relax the requirement of a Protected Area Permit for foreigners visiting various parts of Ladakh including the Nubra valley, Jammu and Kashmir government said
• After numerous protests and fears in a post-Fukushima world, the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) attained criticality last month
• Tripura Sundari Express ready to leave Agartala on its maiden journey to Anand Vihar (Delhi) on Sunday. The train was flagged off by Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu

International News :

• International Organisation for Migration becomes part of UN
•  A rare yew tree whose extract is used to treat cancer and is believed to be about 3,000 years old has been discovered in China
• Tokyo’s new governor Yuriko Koike on Monday credited her landslide victory to having stood up to the powers that be in Japan’s ruling party, who didn’t want her to run

New Appointments :

• Darren Lehmann will continue as head coach of Australia until October 2019, after receiving a two-year contract extension
• Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik today administered the oath to Justice Dilip Babasaheb Bhosale as the new Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court

Banking :

• The World Bank has approved a $100 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA) to support the Sri Lanka’s economic reforms programme
• Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has announced raising of USD 1 billion (about Rs 6,700 crore) by selling bonds to overseas investors

Business & Economy:

• Toll road firm IRB Infrastructure Developers has received a contract worth Rs 2,100 crore from the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for a six-lane project in Rajasthan and Gujarat
• Mobile payments company MobiKwik on Monday announced a tie-up with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to power e-cash payments on IRCTC’s e-catering “Food on Track”
• Markets regulator Sebi has initiated the first phase of its new enterprise portal to facilitate accurate and timely dissemination of information to the watchdog’s internal and external stakeholders

Awards & Honours :

• Nayeemuddin conferred Mohun Bagan Ratna

Sports:

• Lewis Hamilton has increased his lead of the world championship to 19 points with victory in the German GP.
• Halep beats Keys in Rogers Cup Women’s singles final
• Novak Djokovic beats Kei Nishikori to win Rogers Cup in Toronto
• Dominating Patna Pirates retain Pro Kabaddi crown by thrashing Jaipur, Storm Queens win women’s challenge
• India will host the Kabaddi World Cup this year, featuring 12 countries, in October