Current Affairs for IAS Exams – 03 July 2016

:: National ::

A group of hostage-takers killed 20 people, hacking many of them to death, in an upmarket café in Dhaka before Bangladesh commandos stormed the restaurant, killing six gunmen and capturing one alive.
Thirteen hostages, including one Japanese and two Sri Lankans, were rescued, army officials said.
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the carnage at Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka’s high security diplomatic zone.
The siege of the café lasted nearly 10 hours. AFP reported that all 20 victims were foreigners, including Japanese and Italians. An Indian was also among the dead.
The IS claimed responsibility through its Amaq news agency. Five hours into the crisis, the agency said 24 people were killed in the attack and 40 others injured.
Reuters reported that Amaq posted photos supposedly provided by the IS, which showed bodies of the victims soaked in blood. Some reports said al-Qaeda in the Indian Sub-continent had also claimed responsibility.

An inter-ministerial meeting of secretaries will shortlist loss-making and sick government companies to be considered for closure and strategic disinvestment from a list the NITI Aayog submitted to PMO.
The meeting will recommend strategic disinvestment only in non-contentious government companies.
Air-India, which is now reporting operating profits, and BSNL, among the top three loss-making public sector units, will not be considered.
The plan is to start with the low-hanging fruit, where least resistance is expected from the Opposition and the employees, and gradually build momentum.
Candidates are likely to be picked from among the state-owned companies in the cement, salt, textiles, paper and antibiotics sectors, since there was no reason for government presence in these businesses.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Saturday that her government was determined to “root out terrorism and militancy” from the country.
The Prime Minister also thanked all security personnel involved in the “successful” raid at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka’s high-security diplomatic enclave.
The siege began on Friday when seven gunmen stormed into the Holey Artisan Bakery. They shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ on their way in and started firing blanks, according to the police and the restaurant’s supervisor.
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department said it “cannot yet confirm” whether the IS was behind the siege.
The Department, however, confirmed that one American citizen was among those killed.
Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni released a statement saying that nine Italians were killed in the attack and a 10th was missing, while the Japanese government confirmed seven of its citizens had died.
The attack follows a series of killings targeting religious minorities, foreigners, secularists and liberal activists.
The café attack is by far the deadliest of the recent wave of killings claimed by the IS or a local Al-Qaeda offshoot.
But the government of Ms. Hasina has always rejected IS or Qaeda presence in the country and has blamed local groups for jihadist violence.
Last month authorities launched a nationwide crackdown on local jihadist groups, arresting more than 11,000 people, under pressure to act on the spate of killings.

Gold prices likely to move up further in the current calendar year owing to uncertainties in the global markets as U.K. voted to exit from the European Union.
Gold prices shot up to its highest level in three years, in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum, as investors rushed to grab safer assets, leaving equities and other risk assets, which were already facing selling pressure.
The prices of gold hit a three-year peak at around $1,355 per ounce on June 23, and hovering between $1310 and 1,320 per ounce in the international market currently.
The risk to reward ratio currently is not favourable for long trades. However in the short term there is possibility for higher levels but soon the gold price will try to catch up with the lower end of the trading band.
In a statement issued last Friday, the World Gold Council (WGC) said that it expects to see strong and sustained inflows into the gold market driven by the staggering level of protracted uncertainty that investors are facing.
WGC predicted that purchases of gold coins by small retail investors, which were already up sharply in the months running up to the vote (Brexit), should accelerate further.

Novak Djokovic was sent crashing out of Wimbledon by big-serving Sam Querrey on Saturday, shattering the World No.1’s hopes of securing the first calendar Grand Slam in 47 years.
The 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(5) defeat ended Djokovic’s Open era record run of 30 successive wins at the Majors, and his streak of having reached 28 consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals.
It was his first loss before the quarterfinal of a Grand Slam tournament since 2009 when he bowed out in the third round at Roland Garros.