Current Affairs 18th July 2018

Current Affairs 18th July 2018 - Important Points

• World's first remotely operable LEAP microscope unveiled by - IIT-Madras
• Paudhagiri Campaign for planting of saplings launched by - Haryana Government
• Supreme Court passed a slew of directions to deal with Mob Lynching on - 17th July 2018
• Union Government notified amendments to Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 on - 17th July 2018
• World’s top 'soft power' in 2018 - UK

Current Affairs 18th July 2018 - Details

World's first remotely operable LEAP microscope unveiled by - IIT-Madras

 A remotely operable Local Electrode Atom Probe (LEAP) microscope has been commissioned by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Madras. This is world's first such kind of microscope which can be remotely operated by researchers divided geographically.

This is very high performance microscope which has capability to provide a precise atom-by-atom view of materials. Total eight research institutions in country took part in its development these are IITs of Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur, Kharagpur and Ropar, International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI) and Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences (BRNS).

Paudhagiri Campaign for planting of saplings launched by - Haryana Government

 Haryana Government launched "Paudhagiri campaign" with an aim to increase green cover in the state. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar launched this campaign by planting in Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex premises of Gurugram.

Under this campaign total 22 lakh students studying in Class 6th to 12th of all schools will plant sapling each during July - September ( which are monsoon months and good for plantation ).
Governemnt will give incentive of Rs 50 in every six months after any student upload a selfie with his or her plant. A student will be getting Rs 300 in total, as prize for looking after tree planted by him/her.

Supreme Court passed a slew of directions to deal with Mob Lynching on - 17th July 2018

The Supreme Court condemned mob lynching incidents across the country on July 17th, 2018 and urged the Parliament to enact a law to deal with the crime that is threatening rule of law and the country’s social fabric.

The Bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice DY Chandrachud ruled that a special law in this field would be instilling a sense of fear for law amongst the people involving themselves in such kind of activities.

The bench ruled that "Horrendous acts of mobocracy cannot be allowed to become a new norm and has to be curbed with iron hands.”  The apex court also asserted that it is State's duty to prevent any sort of mob vigilantism, be it Cow vigilantism or any other vigilantism of any sort of perception.

Important Highlights

• The state governments need to designate a senior police officer in each district for taking measures to prevent incidents of mob violence and lynching.
• The state governments would be identifying districts, sub-divisions and villages where instances of lynching and mob violence have been reported in the recent past.
• The nodal officers shall also bring to the notice of the DGP about any inter-district co-ordination issues for devising a strategy to tackle lynching and mob violence related issues.
• Every police officer shall be ensuring to disperse the mob that has a tendency to cause violence in the disguise of vigilantism or otherwise.
• Central and the state governments shall be broadcasting on radio, television and other media platforms about the serious consequences of mob lynching and mob violence.
• There shall be curb on irresponsible and explosive messages, videos and other material on various social media platforms that instigate such acts.
• The FIRs should be registered against persons who disseminate such messages under relevant provisions of law.
• Authorities shall be ensuring that there is no further harassment of the victim's family members.

Union Government notified amendments to Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 on - 17th July 2018

The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways notified the draft amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, making  FASTags and Vehicle Tracking System device mandatory for all commercial vehicles obtaining national permit on July 17th, 2018. The Ministry has invited suggestions and objections to the proposed amendments by August 11th, 2018.

Below are the proposed amendments to Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989

• The front wind screen of the vehicle need to be affixed with a sticker confirming fitting of the Fastag.
• The draft amendments need to stipulate additional conditions in order to obtain national permit that include display of the words ‘National Permit or N/P’ in the front  and rear of the vehicles in bold letters.
• For trailer cases, the words ‘N/P’ will have to be inscribed on the rear and left side of the vehicle.
• The body of a tanker, carrying dangerous or hazardous goods, has to be painted in white colour and display the prescribed class label on both of the sides alongwith tanker rear. The vehicle will have to be affixed with reflective tapes at front and rear.
• No fitness certification shall be required at the time of registration of new transport vehicles sold as fully built vehicles. Such vehicles will be deemed  to already have fitness certificate for a period of two years from the date of registration.
• It has also been proposed that fitness certificate of transport vehicles shall be renewed for a period of two years for vehicles up to eight years old and for  one year for vehicles more than eight years.
• The Driving License and Pollution under Control certificates can be also carried in physical or digital form.

 World’s top 'soft power' in 2018 - UK

The United Kingdom has been ranked at the top in the 2018 'Soft Power 30' index, which was published by the UK-based strategic communications  consultancy firm Portland and the University of Southern California Center on Public Diplomacy. But the list does not feature India.

Top 10 countries

• United Kingdom was ranked first with a score of 80.55, whereas France was placed at a close second with 80.14 points.
• The third-ranked nation was Germany with 78.87 points, followed by the United States at the fourth position with 77.80 points and then Japan standing at fifth with 76.22 points.
• Canada is ranked sixth with 75.70 points, while Switzerland and Sweden were ranked at the seventh and eighth positions with their 74.96 and 74.77 points respectively.
• Final two in the top ten included the Netherlands at which is at the ninth position with 73.79 points and Australia at the tenth rank with 72.91 points.