Current Affairs of July 2014 for Upcoming Competitive Exams National & International Current Affairs: Lt. General Dalbir Singh Suhag took over as Chief of Army Staff on 31 July 2014. He succeeded General Bikram Singh to become the 28th Army Chief and will serve as Army chief for 29 months till 31 December 2016. Jacques Kallis, the South African all- rounder on 30 July 2014 announced his retirement from all- formats of International cricket, viz., One Day Internationals and T20s. In December 2013, he had announced his retirement from Test cricket after playing the Test series against India. But he would continue to play further for club cricket like Sydney Thunder and Kolkata Knight Riders. Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha on 30 July 2014 took over as the Chairman of the Chief of Staff Committee (COSC). He received the baton of Chairman, COSC from outgoing Chief of Army Staff, General Bikram Singh at a brief ceremony in the South Block, New Delhi. Union government on 24 July 2014 decided to appoint Suresh Prabhu Committee to review the gas pricing formula. Suresh Prabhu is a former Union Power Minister under National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Muhammad Fuad Masum of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) party was elected as the seventh President of Iraq on 24 July 2014. He was elected with overwhelming majority by the Council of Representatives of Iraq (Iraqi Parliament) in Baghdad. He won 211 votes as against 17 votes won by Judge Hussein al- Musawi in the second round of voting. Indian Air Force on 28 July 2014 received its sixth C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. This aircraft was received by the Union Defence Minister Arun Jaitley at the Palam Airbase in New Delhi. The Lives of Others authored by Neel Mukherjee was shortlisted for Man Booker Prize 2014 in the fourth week of July 2014. Neel Mukherjee is a Kolkata-born British Indian writer and this is his second novel. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 28 July 2014 cancelled the certificate of registration of six non-banking financial company (NBFCs). With this cancellation, these six NBFCs based in Delhi would not be able to conduct business of non- banking financial institution. 29 July: International Tiger Day The World on 29 July 2014 observed the International Tiger Day. The day is celebrated as an awareness day. The goal of the Tiger Day is to promote protection and expansion of the wild tiger habitats and also to gain support awareness for tiger conservation. 26 July: Gaucher Day The World on 26 July 2014 observed first International Gaucher Day (IGD). The day was observed to mark the 160th birthday of Philippe Gaucher. Slogan of the day was Rare but Not Alone. World Hepatitis Day was observed across the world on 28 July 2014. The year’s theme Think Again, acknowledges that we do not know nearly enough about viral hepatitis as a health threat in much of the world. World Population Day was observed across the world on 11 July 2014. The theme of World Population Day 2014 was Investing in Young People. 1 July: National Doctors’ Day India on 1 July 2014 observed the National Doctors’ Day. The day is observed to honour legendary physician, Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy whose birth and death anniversary falls on the same day. On 4 February 1961, he received the Bharat Ratna. The 15th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas was celebrated in India on 26 July 2014. The day is celebrated in the honour of war heroes of Kargil every year. Amitabh Bachchan, the Indian Megastar on 28 July 2014 was appointed as the horticulture ambassador of Maharashtra. With this appointment, he will start promoting the horticulture sector in Maharashtra. Union Government of India on 28 July 2014 launched the Rashtriya Gokul Mission (a nationwide scheme) to promote conservation and developments of indigenous breeds of cows in a focused and scientific manner. The Mission is a focused project under National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development. Veteran BJP leader Kaptan Singh Solanki was appointed as the Governor of Haryana by President Pranab Mukhejee on 25 July 2014. Kaptan Singh Solanki will succeed Jagannath Pahadia who completed his tenure on 26 July 2014. 5th Sahyadri Cine Awards 2014 were presented in Mumbai on 25 July 2014. The award ceremony was sponsored by Godrej Expert. CEO, Prasar Bharati, Jawahar Sircar was the Chief Guest at the 5th edition of the Cine Awards ceremony, organized by DD Sahyadri TV channel of Doordarshan Kendra, Mumbai. Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani education advocate, on 30 June 2014 won the 2014 Liberty Medal given by the National Constitution Centre in Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, US. The Comptroller & Auditor General of India, Shashi Kant Sharma on 25 July 2014 assumed office as Member of the United Nations Board of Auditors for a term of six year upto June 2020. Shashi Kant Sharma took over the charge from Liu Jiayi, the Auditor General of the People’s Republic of China at the United Nations Headquarters at New York. He was elected to this position defeating Philippines by a margin of 62 votes in November 2013. The Reserve Bank of India on 25 July 2014 penalised 12 banks in Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited case. The penalty imposed on these banks was of order 1.5 crore rupees. These 12 banks are Andhra Bank; Axis Bank; Canara Bank; Corporation Bank; HDFC Bank; ICICI Bank; IDBI Bank; IndusInd Bank; Kotak Mahindra Bank; Ratnakar Bank; State Bank of Hyderabad; Yes Bank The Union Government on 25 July 2014 revised investment target for Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) from 27000 crore rupees to 80000 crore rupees. The announcement was made by the Railway Board Chairman, Arunendra Kumar during the ASSOCHAM conference in New Delhi. The Union Cabinet on 24 July 2014 gave its approval to 49 percent foreign investment in insurance companies through the FIPB route ensuring management control in the hands of Indian promoters. The Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2014 got off at the Celtic Park in Glasgow in Scotland on 23 July 2014. The 2014 Games are the 20th Commonwealth Games. Keshari Nath Tripathi was sworn in as 22nd Governor of West Bengal on 24 July 2014. The Acting Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court Asim Kumar Banerjee administered the oath of office to KN Tripathi in Raj Bhavan, Kolkata. Ram Naik on 22 July 2014 was sworn in as 27th Governor of Uttar Pradesh in Lucknow. He is a former Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader from Maharashtra. Om Prakash Kohli on 16 July 2014 took oath of office as Governor of Gujarat. He succeeded Kamla Beniwal who was transferred to Mizoram by the President of India. Ram Naresh Yadav was sworn-in as Governor of Chhattisgarh at Raj Bhawan, Raipur on 2 July 2014. Ram Naresh Yadav, Governor of Madhya Pradesh, has been given the additional charge of Chhattisgarh. The classical music reality show of Doordarshan Naad Bhed-The Mystery of Sound will be featured in Limca Book of Records. This was revealed through a statement issued by Doordarshan on 21 July 2014. The Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Dr Mukul Sangma on 23 July 2014 launched a mass enrolment drive under the Chief Ministers Social Assistance (CMSA) Scheme for widows and persons with disabilities at Patharkhmah in Ri Bhoi District in Meghalaya. Indian tennis star Sania Mirza was appointment as Brand Ambassador of Telangana on 22 July 2014. Sania Mirza will promote the new state’s interests in India and abroad. Emma Watson, the British Actress on 8 July 2014 was appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women. With this appointment, the accomplished actress and humanitarian Watson will work for empowerment of young women and also as an advocate for UN Women’s HeForShe campaign in promoting gender equality. The Indian Contingent won 5 medals in 45th International Physics Olympiad (IPHO2014) held in Astana, Kazakhstan from 13 July to 21 July 2014 at the Nazarbayev University in Astana. India won 2 gold medals and 3 silver medals in the Olympiad. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) under Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) in Mumbai on 21 July 2014. This was his first visit to the DAE after becoming the Prime Minister of India in May 2014. The World Bank President Jim Yong Kim arrived in New Delhi, India on 21 July 2014 on his three-day visit. During his visit, he will meet Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi for understanding the development priorities in India. Jim Yong Kim is scheduled to meet the Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley also. Yellapragada Sudharshan Rao on 25 June 2014 was appointed as Chairman of Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR). He replaced Basudev Chatterjee. He would serve the council for a term of three years. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany on 20 July 2014 won the German Grand Prix. This is his first German GP and his fourth win of 2014.The race was held at the Hockenheimring near Hockenheim in the Germany. Business 20 (B20) Australia Summit was held in Sydney, Australia on 18 July 2014. At the Summit, the business leaders of G20 countries issued a blueprint for G20 leaders to boost economic and job growth and make global economy more resilient to deal with future shocks. 6th BRICS Summit was held in Fortaleza, Brazil on 15 July and 16 July 2014. The theme of the Summit was Inclusive Growth: Sustainable Solutions. During the plenary session on 15 July 2014, the participating countries Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa jointly issued the Fortaleza Declaration. B Ashok on 16 July 2014 took charge as Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the India’s largest oil firm. Indian cricket legend Rahul Dravid on 16 July 2014 was elected as the member of Laureus World Sports Academy. He is the 47th member of the Academy. Germany on 13 July 2014 became the 2014 FIFA World Cup champion after defeating Argentina 1-0 at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The single goal of the final was made by Mario Gotze during the extra-time. The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Fortaleza, Brazil on 15 July 2014. He met the Chinese President on the sidelines of Sixth BRICS Summit being held in Fortaleza. The meeting was the first-summit level interaction of PM Narendra Modi with Chinese President. Environmentalist and social activist Chandi Prasad Bhatt on 15 July 2014 was awarded with the prestigious Gandhi Peace prize for 2013. He was awarded by the President of India Pranab Mukherjee at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. Air India on 11 July 2014 formally joined the airline group Star Alliance as its 27th member. By formally joining the group, public carrier became the first Indian airline to become a member airlines club operating over 18500 flights a day in 192 countries. Indias first indigenous anti- submarine warship (ASW) Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kamorta was handed over to the Indian Navy by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata on 12 July 2014. The ship was handed over to the Navy by Rear Admiral (retd) A K Verma, Chairman and Managing Director of GRSE, in a brief ceremony at GRSE’s Fitting-Out- Jetty. FIFA on 9 July 2014 suspended Nigeria from all international football competitions with immediate effect. Nigeria was suspended on account of government interference in running Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). Novak Djokovic of Serbia on 6 July 2014 won the Men’s Wimbledon Tennis Open defeating Roger Federer of Switzerland. He defeated Federer 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-4. This is the second Wimbledon title for 27-year-old, Djokovic and seventh career Grand Slam. Djokovic won his first Wimbledon title in 2011. Jitu Rai became World Number 1 pistol shooter in the mens 10m air pistol category. This was revealed by the latest rankings released by the International Shooting Federation (ISSF) on 1 July 2014.
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 05:23:33 +0000