Current Affairs Daily Digest – July 21 2019
1. Bernard Arnault is the second richest person in the world with a fortune of $108 billion
French billionaire Bernar became the second wealthiest person in the world this week, according to Bloomberg. Arnault, the chairman and chief executive of the luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, saw his net worth jump to $108 billion. The 70-year-old started 2019 as the fourth richest person in the world, but after earning $40 billion since the year began, he’s surpassed both Warren Buffett and Bill Gates in the ranking.
2. New Governors appointed for six states including UP, WB & MP
President has appointed Governors for six states. Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandi Ben Patel will now be the new Governor of Uttar Pradesh while Lal Ji Tandon, who is the Governor of Bihar, has been shifted to Madhya Pradesh. Phagu Chauhan will be the Governor of Bihar replacing Lal Ji Tandon.
Jagdeep Dhankhar has been appointed as the new Governor of West Bengal while Ramesh Bais is the Tripura Governor. A Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said, R.N.Ravi will be the new Governor of Nagaland. The appointments will take effect from the dates they assume charge of their respective offices.
3.ZTE Names Yan Xiao As New Deputy CEO Of Indian Operations
Chinese telecom gear maker ZTE has appointed Yan Xiao as the new deputy chief executive officer of the Indian operations. Yan will report to India CEO Peng Aiguang and will look after telco partners such as Bharti Airtel, BSNL, Reliance Jio besides focusing on government and enterprise customers in the country.
Yan, Vice President of ZTE Corporation, had been serving the company as the chief executive of Myanmar.
4. Sheila Dixit passes away at the age of 81
According to reports, Dixit underwent breathlessness and pain in the morning. She was immediately taken to a nearby hospital where she has been undergoing treatment for heart ailments since the past two decades. Dixit was treated by the best doctors who confirmed that she was stable. But by evening, she underwent yet another cardiac arrest and was declared dead by 3: 55 pm.
5. PV Sindhu wins her first silver medal of the year at Indonesia Open
World number five PV Sindhu won her first silver medal of the year after finishing second at the Indonesia Open. The 24-year-old lost her first final of the year to world number four Akane Yamaguchi 15-21, 16-21 in 51 minutes. Sindhu will next play the Japan Open, which is scheduled to begin on July 23.
6. Hottest month ever: June 2019 was recorded as hottest-ever in Earth’s history
According to the data released by NASA, the global average land-ocean temperature was 0.93 degree Celsius above the normal temperature while taking 1951 to 1980 as base years. The temperature is the highest in recorded history since 1880. The second-highest recorded was June 2016 at 0.82°C above normal temperatures. Strong El Niño was thought to be the key reason behind the high temperature in 2016.
7. India’s mixed relay silver in Asian Games to be upgraded to gold
India’s silver medal in the mixed relay event at the Asian Games 2018 is expected to be upgraded to gold after Bahrain’s Kemi Adekoya was given a 4-year ban for failing a dope test by Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).
India’s mixed relay team comprising Hima Das, Mohammad Anas, Arokia Rajiv and M R Poovamma had won silver at Jakarta Asian Games 2018. Bahrain’s mixed relay team comprising Kemi Adekoya had won the gold in the event.
8. Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill 2019 passed in Lok Sabha
The Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill 2019 was passed by the Lok Sabha with a voice vote on July 19, 2019. The lower house of the Parliament passed the bill on July 19, 2019. The bill aims to accelerate the process of appointment of chairperson and members of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
9. 19-year-old sprinter Hima Das wins 5th international gold in 19 days
India’s 19-year-old sprinter Hima Das won her fifth international gold in 19 days after winning the 400-metre race by clocking 52.09 seconds at an international meet in Czech Republic. She won her first competitive 200-metre race of 2019 on July 2 at Poznan Athletics Grand Prix, followed by 200-metre golds at Kutno, Kladno and Tabor meets.
10. Wolves beat Man City in shootout to win Premier League Asia Trophy
Wolverhampton Wanderers defeated Premier League champions Manchester City to claim the Premier League Asia Trophy 3-2 in a penalty shootout in Shanghai. Wolves, who won the title in their first ever participation in the competition scored through Rúben Vinagre, Taylor Perry and Ryan Bennett. Raheem Sterling missed a penalty in the first-half of the match for Manchester City.
11. Boxer Shiva wins 1st gold for India at 2019 President’s Cup
Four-time Asian Championships medallist Shiva Thapa won India’s first gold at 2019 President’s Cup boxing tournament after getting a walkover in the final in Kazakhstan. Thapa, who was making his international debut in 63 kg category, was scheduled to fight Kazakhstan’s Zakir Safiullin, who pulled out due to injury. Meanwhile, 19-year-old Praveen won silver in 60 kg category.
12. IAS officer Ajay Bhadoo appointed Joint Secretary to President
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Saturday approved the appointment of Ajay Bhadoo as Joint Secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind. Bhadoo, a 1999 Gujarat batch IAS officer, is currently serving as the Vadodara Municipal Commissioner. Over the years, he has served in various capacities and held positions like Collector, Secretary to the Gujarat Chief Minister, among others.
13. Algeria beat Senegal to win Africa Cup of Nations
Algeria won the Africa Cup of Nations for the second time after beating Senegal 1-0 in the final. The match’s solitary goal came when Baghdad Bounedjah’s shot took a deflection off Salif Sane and looped over the Senegalese goalkeeper Alfred Gomis and into the net. Notably, according to official statistics, Algeria committed 32 fouls.
