Current Affairs Today – July 30 2015

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Indian Affairs 

Ola debuts on-demand grocery delivery services launched new app

• OLA,India’s largest cab service provider through App,launched a new App named “Ola Store”, through this app Ola made an entry into on-demand grocery delivery service.
• The app helps customers to get all groceries delivered at the door step from local vendors within 60 minutes and initially this service is available only in Bangalore between the timings 9 am to 11 pm.
• Currently, on-demand start-ups like Peppertap and Grofer provide similar services like Ola Store. Ola already has a food delivery service called Ola Cafe launched in March.
• Ola has partnered with offline retailers like Family Mall, Grocery Mart, Namdhari’s Fresh, PNP Retail and Top in Town for this initiative.
• Initially launched for Android users and will soon be launched for iPhone.

GM to invest $1 bn in Talegaon by 2020, shuts down Halol plant in Gujarat.

• World’s second largest automaker General Motors (GM) has announced to invest USD 1 billion (6, 400 crore rupees) in India by 2020 and has decided to close its loss making plant at Halol, Gujarat. This announcement was part of its prior decision to invest over USD 5 billion in global markets like China, India, Brazil and Mexico.
• On priority company to make investments to expand capacity of Talegaon Plant in Maharashtra from 1,30,000 to 2,20,000 units per year by 2025.

Cyclone Komen formed over Bay of Bengal

• Cyclone Komen came into news on 30 July 2015 after the depression over the Northern Bay of Bengal turned into a cyclonic storm. The cyclone is expected to make landfall on the coast of Odisha and West Bengal.
• Komen currently lies centred at about 95 km southwest of Chittagong in Bangladesh and about 300 km southeast of Kolkata.
• The slow-moving monsoon depression has already unleashed lethal amounts of rain in South Asia and has claimed 27 lives in Bangladesh and Myanmar.
• Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted heavy to very heavy rains with isolated extremely heavy rains in Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha of India. The cyclone is expected to attain the wind speed reaching 65-75 kmph gusting to 85 kmph.

India to become most populous nation by 2022: UN World Population Prospects

• United Nations (UN) on 29 July 2015 released the report title World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision at the UN Headquarters in New York.
• According to the report, India will surpass China to become the most populous nation in the world by 2022. In the forecast issued by UN in 2013 India was expected to surpass China’s population by 2028.

International Affairs 

Animal sacrifice banned indefinitely at Nepal’s 300 year old Gadhimai Festival

• In a break from tradition, Nepalese temple authorities on Tuesday announced an indefinite ban on a centuries-old Hindu tradition of mass animal slaughter that attracts hundreds of thousands of worshippers.
• The 300 year old Gadhimai festival will go bloodless in its next edition in 2019. More than five lakh animals get slaughtered during the festival.
• The festival, held once every five years, sees hordes of devotees from Nepal and India flock to a temple in the Himalayan nation’s southern plains to sacrifice thousands of animals in the hope of appeasing the Hindu goddess of power, Gadhimai.
• In the last Gadhimai festival in 2014, despite a police presence and a SC order to check the illegal smuggling of animals from Indian borders, people continued to cross the Bihar border with live cattle. 70% animals are technically smuggled from India.

Awards and Recognition

‘Visaarnai’ became first Tamil film to enter Venice film festival

• Actor Dhanush produced Tamil thriller ‘Visaaranai’ will have its world premiere in the competition section of the upcoming 72nd Venice International Film Festival. The festival is scheduled to take place between 2 September and 12 September 2015.
• With this, Visaaranai will become the first Tamil film to have its world premiere in the competition section of the upcoming at Venice International Film Festival.
• Yet to be released, the film Visaranai written and directed by Vetrimaaran of Polladhavan fame is an experimental Tamil thriller movie. It is based on true events and is about police interrogation techniques and brutality.
• The film stars Attakathi Dinesh, Anandhi and Aadukalam Murugadoss in the leading roles.

Appointments & Resigns

• Procter & Gamble(P&G) appoints David Taylor as its new CEO

Debjani Ghosh takes charge as new MAIT President

• Manufacturer’s Association for Information Technology (MAIT), is the apex body of India’s Information technology hardware,training and R&D service sectors appointed DEBJANI GHOSH, as new President of MAIT.
• She was the vice-president sales and marketing group and managing director of Intel Corporation,South Asia.
• She is the first woman President of MAIT in its 32 years of history.
• Apart from MAIT, she also chairs the IT Committee at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
• Anwar Shirpurwala, Executive Director, MAIT said that It is our pleasure to have Ghosh taking over as President MAIT. She has always been an asset to MAIT and with her leadership now, we are confident MAIT will scale new heights

Acquisitions & Mergers

Thomas Cook India acquires Sri Lanka-based Luxe Asia

• Travel company Thomas Cook India has acquired Sri Lanka-based destination management firm, Luxe Asia, for an undisclosed sum.
• The buyout has been done through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Thomas Cook Lanka Pvt Ltd, and post acquisition Luxe Asia will be operated as an independent entity.

Banking and Finance

• India Ink loan agreement of $300 million with ADB for NUHM
• Kotak bank launches ‘Kotak Bharat’ mobile banking app for ‘un-banked’ regions
• SEBI cancelled Certificate of Registration of Sahara Mutual Fund

Business 

Kalyani Group partners with Israel’s Rafael to make Spike Missile

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India pitch appears to have caught the attention of global aerospace and defence companies, with the Pune-based $2.5-billion Kalyani Group on Thursday entering into a joint venture (JV) with Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
• The JV aims to develop and manufacture a wide range of missiles, remote weapon systems and advanced armour solutions. In line with the new investment norms in the sector, which stipulate the Indian partner have majority control, Kalyani Group will hold a 51 per cent stake in the JV, while the rest will be with Rafael.

Sports 

Dale Steyn joins 400 Test wicket club

• Dale Steyn became the second South African bowler to take 400 Test wickets after he dismissed Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal on the opening day of the second Test in Dhaka on Thursday.
• The 32-year-old fast bowler reached his landmark when South African skipper Hashim Amla took a chest-high catch at first slip in Steyn’s third over of the match.
• Shaun Pollock is the only other South African to pass the 400-mark, taking 421 wickets before retiring in 2008.
• Steyn, who is playing his 80th Test, became the 13th cricketer to take 400 or more wickets in Test matches.
• Steyn joined Richard Hadlee as the second fastest bowler ever to take 400 Test wickets.
• He is one of only three currently active cricketers to achieve the feat, joining India spinner
• Harbhajan Singh and England pacer James Anderson.
• Steyn is the 13th cricketer to take 400 or more wickets in Test matches.

Paytm bags BCCI sponsorship rights

• Next time you are watching a one-day cricket match, you might just miss the “Sahara” printed on the t-shirts of the players as it will be replaced by an emerging startup. Mobile marketplace and payments site Paytm has bagged the title sponsorship rights of BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) for Rs. 203 crore.
• Shankar Nath, Senior Vice-President, Paytm told Business Line that the sponsorship rights were acquired for all the 84 series India will play till 2019. Paytm will pay Rs. 2.42 crore for every international match hosted by BCCI. The first home series will be against South Africa starting September.
• The Alibaba-backed company, owned by One97 communications and founded by Vijay Shekhar Sharma, won the bid against home-grown mobile handset maker Micromax, which paid Rs. 2.02 crore per match.

Obituary

Eminent vocalist Vasundhara Komkali died

• Eminent vocalist VASUNDHARA KOMKALI age 85 passed away at her residence in Dewas,Madhya Pradesh on JULY 29,2015.
• Komkali suffered a heart attack and later died at her residence according to the family sources.
• She was married to eminent Hindustani classical singer late Pandit Kumar Gandharv,she was survived by daughter Kalapini Komkali, who is also a noted vocalist.
• Born in Jamshedpur, she shifted base to Kolkata to receive training in Indian classical singing before moving to Mumbai to continue her musical training under the guidance of Prof BR Deodhar.
• Vasundhara Komkali was recognised with several awards, including one conferred by the Sangeet Natak Academy, and the prestigious Padmashri award.

Books & Authors 

Anuradha Roy’s Sleeping on Jupiter longlisted for 2015 Man Booker

• Indian author Anuradha Roy and British-Indian Sunjeev Sahota are among 13 international authors long-listed for the 2015 Man Booker Prize, the prestigious literary prize committee announced here on Wednesday.
• Roy has been picked for her third novel, ‘Sleeping on Jupiter’, and Sahota for ‘The Year of the Runaways’.

Important Days

• International Day of Friendship – July 30

World Day against Trafficking in Persons – July 30

• According to UNITED NATIONS,at least 2.5 million people are trapped in modern-day slavery.On JULY 30,2015 every year, United Nation promotes WORLD DAY AGAINST TRAFFICKING PERSONS.
• Around the world, criminals are selling people for profit. Vulnerable women and girls form the majority of human trafficking victims, including those driven into degrading sexual exploitation.
• Men, women and children are kidnapped, tricked, blackmailed, or manipulated into slavery, like prostitution, forced labor, or organ removal. One in four victims is children.

TO STOP TRAFFICKING:

The UN works with governments and communities to promote the day through different events and activities. The UN has created a social media campaign, called “I give hope”, inviting people to post a photo of a heart formed with your hands to express your support to end human trafficking.