Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 06 July 2018


Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 06 July 2018


::NATIONAL::

Law commission of india moots legalising gambling in india

  • The Law Commission of India submitted a report to the government, saying that since it is impossible to stop illegal gambling, the only viable option left is to “regulate” gambling in sports.
  • The commission, headed by former Supreme Court judge, Justice B.S. Chauhan, recommended “cashless” gambling in sports as a means to increase revenue and deal a blow to unlawful gambling.
  • The money generated can be used for public welfare activities, it said. For that the revenue from gambling should be taxable under laws like Income Tax Act, the Goods and Services Tax Act.
  • According to the commission, Foreign Exchange Management and Foreign Direct Investment laws and policies should be amended to encourage investment in the casino/online gaming industry. This would propel tourism and employment, it said.

Supreme court directs centre to eradicate leprosy

  • The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Centre to file a comprehensive action plan to ensure eradication of leprosy, saying the ‘curable’ disease cannot be allowed to affect people.
  • The court had earlier rapped the authorities for their “apathy” towards eradicating leprosy from the country, saying despite it being ‘curable’, the disease still remained a stigma.
  • Despite an effective cure, namely Multi-Drug Therapy, which has been available since 1981, that can completely cure 99% of leprosy bacteria, due to apathy of the Government of India and the State governments, people are still suffering from the said disease, which is treated as a social stigma according to the petitioner.

::ECONOMY::

Supreme court refused to stay RBI directive on Cryptocurrencies

  • The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to stay the RBI’s directive to banks instructing them to stop all business with entities dealing in cryptocurrencies, which means the ban would come into effect from July 6, as originally planned.
  • The RBI’s directive and the Supreme Court’s judgment have elicited mixed reactions from industry players and analysts, with some saying this would be a big blow to the industry, while others see some hope in the form of a consolidated cryptocurrency policy.
  • Cryptocurrency operators have expressed concerns to their customers regarding difficulty in withdrawing their money if the ban comes to effect.

Nasscom& NITI aayog opensAI research centre

  • The National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom), India’s premier software lobby, on Thursday opened a Center of Excellence (CoE) for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.
  • Nasscom also signed a MoU with NITI Aayog to collaboratively foster applied research, accelerating adoption and ethics, privacy and security.
  • Leveraging their skilling platform FutureSkills, Nasscom and NITI Aayog will together accelerate innovation and cultivate skilling in India.

Online Coaching for UPSC PRE Exam

General Studies Pre. Cum Mains Study Materials

::INTERNATIONAL::

U.K court nods permission for mallya’s property raid

  • The High Court Enforcement Officer or other agents, acting on their authority, may enter Ladywalk, Vijay Mallya’s country residence, to search and take control of goods belonging to him.
  • The order relates to the case against Mr.Mallya brought by the State Bank of India and 12 other banks seeking the recovery of debts through the London courts.

U.S –India trade conflicts to be resolved soon

  • The ongoing negotiations between India and the U.S. on multiple trade tussles are progressing smoothly and a deal could be announced when an Indian delegation visits America in mid-July.
  • An Indian delegation led by SantoshSarangi, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce, will be in Washington later this month, and an agreement on several contentious issues is likely to be taken.
  • As part of a package deal, America is likely to maintain the Generalised System Preferences (GSP) for India, which allows many exporters to enjoy lower tariffs on specific exports to the U.S.
  • India is likely to change the price restrictions imposed on medical devices imported from America to trade margin rationalisation, a more acceptable global practice being demanded by American manufactures.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

ISRO conducts pad abort test as part of crew escaping system

  • The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) inched a small step closer to its ambition of sending Indians to space by conducting the first ‘pad abort’ test on Thursday.
  • The test proves that the agency can bail out future astronauts with their capsule in case of an early danger to them at the launch pad.
  • A 1,260-kg crew module lifted off propelled by seven complex rockets built unconventionally around it. In a pre-programmed, automatic sequence, it reached a height of 2.7 km and curved down into the Bay of Bengal on parachutes. It landed in the sea at a distance of 2.9 km from the launch centre.
  • It described PAT as a major technology demonstrator and the first in a series of tests to qualify a larger Crew Escape System of the future.

::SPORTS::

World cup advances to the next stage

  • Worldcup 2018 football being held in Russia begins its quarter finals today with 8 teams to compete into the semi finals to be held next week
  • The final match is to be held on july 15th in Moscow

Click Here for Old Current Affairs Archive

This is a Part of Online Coaching Programme for UPSC Exam

Buy Printed Study Material for UPSC PRELIMS EXAM

Join Test Series for IAS (Pre.) Exam