CURRENT AFFAIRS -- TESTBOOK,.COM--JULY 2016

Verizon Buys Yahoo for $4.83 bn

Verizon Communications has said it would buy Yahoo!’s core internet properties for $4.83 billion in cash. The purchase of Yahoo’s operations will boost Verizon’s AOL internet business.It will also give it access to Yahoo’s ad technology tools & assets such as mail . search & messenger.The deal is expected to close in early 2017.Verizon is the No. 1 US wireless operator.

SBI, IOC Link up to Empower Farmers

SBI & Indian Oil Corporation have signed an agreement to implement financial inclusion programme for farmers.The programme will be implemented through the oil company’s Kisan Seva Kendras.SBI will provide farmers access to banking services by using the IOC’s kiosks & supplement their incomes by earning revenue on banking transactions.IOC has set up around 6,500 KSKs in rural and remote areas.

RBI Imposes Rs 2 cr Penalty on HDFC Bank

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a penalty of Rs 2 crore on HDFC Bank.It has imposed a penalty for lapses in adhering to Know Your Customer (KYC) & anti-money laundering (AML) norms. The RBI has imposed a penalty on the bank on account of pendency in receipt of bills of entry relating to advance import remittances made. Also lapses in adhering to KYC/AML guidelines.

TCS Ranked Top Employer in IT Industry

Software services major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has been ranked as the top employer in the Indian IT industry by the representative body Nasscom. TCS was followed by its peers Infosys, Cognizant, Wipro and Capgemini. TCS had a total headcount of 3.62 lakh while Infosys & Wipro had 1.97 lakh and 1.73 lakh respectively.Women account for 33.8% of the TCS total employee numbers.

Ericsson sacks CEO Hans Vestberg

Ericsson has fired CEO Hans Vestberg, in the face of poor stock market performance. Vestberg is a 25-year veteran of Ericsson & had been CEO since 2010. Ericsson’s share price has declined in recent years, as the company faced increased competition from Nokia and Huawei. CFO Jan Frykhammar will act as temporary CEO until a replacement is found.

Digital Payments to touch $500 b in 2020

Digital payments market size in the country is expected to touch $500 billion by 2020. The Digital Payments 2020′ report was jointly published by Google and Boston Consulting Group, The report projects that non-cash contribution in the consumer payments segment will double to 40%. Digital payments, which include direct bank transfers such as RTGS & NEFT, online payments & use of mobile wallets

Hinduja Commission Thermal Power Project

Hinduja National Power Corporation Limited (HNPCL), part of the Hinduja Group has commissioned its 1,040 Mw Power project at Visakhapatnam. The power plant consists of two units of 520 Mw each. The plant will cater to the growing power needs of industry in & around Visakhapatnam and the southern Region. The project cost is estimated at $1.25 billion& has been financed by a mix of debt and equity.

IRCTC offers Rs 10 lakh Insurance Cover

Railway passengers booking tickets through the Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corp, IRCTC website can avail a travel accident cover. IRCTC will provide insurance of 10 lakh rupees at a premium of one rupee from Sept this year. The insurance cover is besides the compensation given by the Railways. The insurance will provide coverage against death, injury & disabilities caused due to accidents.

Mumbai 5s wins Premier Futsal Title

Mumbai 5s have been crowned the champions of the inaugural edition of Premier Futsal They beat Michel Salgado’s Kochi 5s 3-2 in a dramatic penalty shootout as after forty minutes they sides were locked at 1-1. Futsal is a variant of association football played on a smaller field and mainly indoors. Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is the goalkeeper.

Russia not given Blanket Ban by IOC

Russia will not receive a blanket ban from Rio 2016 following the country’s doping scandal. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will leave it up to individual sports’ governing bodies to decide if Russian competitors are clean and should be allowed to take part. The decision follows a report that said Russia has operated a state-sponsored doping programme. The Rio Games start on 5 August.

Feliciano Lopez wins Swiss Open

Top-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain won his first career clay-court title in the Swiss Open final. He defeated 95th-ranked Robin Haase of the Netherlands 6-4, 7-5. This is Lopez’s fifth career tournament title followed two on grass and two on hard courts. Lopez arrived in tournament ranked No. 21 & should return to the top 20 after winning the tournament.

President Completes 4 years in Office

President Pranab Mukherjee has completed four years in the office. On the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated Phase-II of the Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum. The museum will depict the story of the planning & construction of Rashtrapati Bhavan. The life & work of 13 presidents of India since 1950 & the beauty and environment of the campus will also feature in it.

LS Passes Bill to Set up six new IITs

The Lok Sabha has passed the Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2016. The bill seeks to set up six new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). The new IITs are to come up in Tirupati, Palakkad, Goa, Dharwad, Jammu & Bhilai. The Bill also seeks to bring the Indian School of Mines,Dhanbad, within the ambit of the Act. The government will mobilise Rs 20,000 crore for IITs.

BRICS Policy Planning Dialogue Begin

BRICS policy planning dialogue meeting begin in Patna,Bihar. Delegates of BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India,China & South Africa are attending the meeting. The dialogue will provide an opportunity for exchange on strategic assessments of internal situation and the regional situation of each country. The dialogue meeting is being held ahead of the 8th BRICS Summit to be held in Goa in Oct.

B R Mani Appointed National Museum Chief

The govt has appointed Dr Buddha Rashmi Mani as the Director General of the National Museum. He had supervised the excavation work in the disputed Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya in 2003. The museum at present holds approx two lakh objects of a diverse nature from across the country as well as abroad. Its holdings cover a time span of more than 5000 years of Indian cultural heritage.

Red Corridor to be Redrawn by Govt.

The govt is set to reduce the number of Maoist-affected districts by about a fifth. There are 106 districts that span 10 States are described as those affected by Left Wing Extremism & constitute the Red Corridor. The Centre now plans to remove around 20 of the 106 Maoist-affected districts. The Red Corridor is a part of India that experiences considerable Naxalite Maoist insurgency.

Solar Plane Ends Round-the-World Tour

Solar Impulse2 has completed the first-ever round-the-world flight by a solar plane. Bertrand Piccard piloted the plane for a final time from Cairo to the UAE. The record-breaking flight covered more than 40,000km without a single drop of jet fuel. The aircraft is uniquely powered by 17,248 solar cells that transfer energy to four electrical motors that power the plane’s propellers.

Salva Kiir Removes Riek Machar as Deputy

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has removed Riek Machar as first vice president. Mr Machar has not been seen since the clashes, which left 300 people dead & threatened to revive a civil war that has killed tens of thousands. Mr Machar was replaced by Taban Deng Gai, a former peace negotiator. South Sudan became independent from Sudan in 2011 but its short history has been marred by civil war.

US Special Force Accept Female Candidate

Two women will soon be the first female soldiers to undergo training to become members of the Green Berets, the US Army’s Special Forces. They have been selected for special forces assessment. President Barack Obama’s administration decided in 2013 that all combat positions should be open to women by 2016. Currently, women account for 15.6% of the 1.34 million active duty personnel in US.

Colombia Declares its Zika Epidemic Over

Colombia has declared its Zika epidemic is over. But it has warned that the mosquito-borne virus would continue circulating on a smaller scale. Colombia is the first country in the Americas to declare the end of the epidemic. Colombia has been the second hardest-hit country by the disease after Brazil. Brazil has been the country hardest hit by the virus,for which there is currently no vaccine.

Foundation Stone for MSME Centre Laid

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu  laid the foundation of Ministry of MSME technology centre at Pudi in Visakhapatnam district. Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises technology centre (MSME) will help AP become a hub of industrial activity The Centre has decided to locate a world-class technology centre with an investment of up to Rs.120 crore.

Maruti Unveil Book on Golden Q’lateral

Leading passenger vehicle maker, Maruti Suzuki India has paid tribute to India’s first modern highway network – The Golden Quadrilateral It has unveiled a coffee table book titled ‘The Golden Quadrilateral’. The book is authored by auto expert Bob Rupani & the foreword is by RC Bhargava, Chairman,Maruti. The Golden Quadrilateral highway was a vision of the then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Corp Bank Launches ‘Green PIN’ Facility

Corporation Bank has launched a new facility called ‘Green PIN’. It is an online module for generation of Personal Identification Number (PIN) for credit card holders. The facility enables credit card users to generate PIN online. Green PIN’ facility enables the cardholders to generate the PIN instantly. PIN is compulsory for all point-of-sale terminal transactions at merchant establishment.

Reforms in India not Fast Enough: IMF

IMF has listed out as many as six core areas that need further reforms in India. It has warned that weaknesses in the decelerating pace of reforms & sluggish exports may weigh on India economic growth. IMF has recently lowered its GDP growth projection for India to 7.4 % . The key areas it has recommended further reforms  include product market, labour, infrastructure, banking & legal system.

RBI Imposes Rs 5 crore Penalty on BoB

The RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs 5 crore on Bank of Baroda The penalty has been imposed in the alleged Rs 6000 crore forex related irregularities that came to light in Oct last year. The amount was allegedly transferred in the garb of payments for imports that never took place. Now the RBI investigation has noted deficiencies & failures in respect of certain anti-money laundering provisions.

All DBT to be Linked to Aadhar by yr end

All DBT or Direct Benefit Transfers will be linked to Aadhaar by the end of the current calendar year. The centre has also decided to bring all subsidies and welfare schemes under the DBT net by March 31, 2017. The DBT is a major initiative to check leakages of welfare funds & was launched on Jan 1, 2013. Through DBT, all cash benefits are transferred directly to the beneficiary’s bank account.

Chris Froome Wins Tour de France Title

The British rider,Chris Froome has won his third Tour de France title in four years. He becomes the first man to successfully defend his title in more than 20 years. Froome finished with a 4 minutes, 5 second advantage over Frenchman Romain Bardet, while Nairo Quintana of Colombia placed third overall. The Tour de France  is an annual multiple stage bicycle race primarily held in France.

Lewis Hamilton wins Hungarian Grand Prix

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton has emerged triumphant at the Hungarian Grand Prix. With 192 points, Hamilton has now taken the Championship lead off teammate Nico Rosberg who finished second in race. Rosberg currently stands six points behind Hamilton on 186 points. Australian Daniel Ricciardo finished third for Red Bull & Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel finished fourth in race.

Indian Shooters Clinch Bronze in Jr. WC

Indian shooter Manavaditya Rathore has won the trap bronze medal in the Champion of Champions match at the Junior World Cup in Porpetto, Italy. Manavaditya Rathore is son of Athens Olympics silver medallist Col Rajyavardhan Rathore. Anant Naruka bagged a bronze in skeet. In the Champion of Champions event, the medallists of the three Junior World Cups of the year compete against each other.

India beat West Indies in 1st Test Match

India defeated West Indies in Antigu by an innings and 92 runs in the first cricket Test match. India has taken a 1-0 lead in the four-match series. India notched up 566 for eight declared in their first innings & then bowled out West Indies for 243 to take a lead of 323 runs. Forced to follow-on, West Indies were bundled out for 231 in their second innings. The second test will begin on July 30.

Hosking Wins Women’s Tour de France

Australian rider Chloe Hosking has won the 2016 La Course by Tour de France in a sprint finish ahead of Finland’s Lotta Lepisto & Dutch legend Marianne Vos. It was the third running of the race known as La Course by Le Tour de France. Unlike the men’s three-week event, this is a one-day, 89km course raced around 13 laps of the Paris circuit that forms the end of the men’s race.

Narsingh Fails Dope Test

Top wrestler Narsingh Yadav has tested positive for a banned substance. The 74kg freestyle wrestler has bagged a bronze medal in last year’s World championship to qualify for the Olympics. He was tested positive for a banned steroid in an out-of-competition test conducted by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). If Narsingh is found guilty then he may face a four-year suspension.

India First Green Train Corridor Opened

Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has inaugurated country’s first ‘Green Train Corridor’ in a 114 km Rameswaram-Manamadurai stretch. It will be free from human waste discharge from trains. All the trains running on the section have bio-toilets. This has eliminated human defecation on the tracks. Prabhu also inaugurated an upgraded free Wi-Fi at the Chennai Central.

A Kanyakumari to get Kalanidhi Award

Violinist A Kanyakumari was chosen for the Sangita Kalanidhi award by the Music Academy. He was the first woman violinist to get the award in the history of the Music Academy. She has an experience of over 50 years as an accompanist, soloist and teacher. Music Academy plays an important role in promoting primarily the Carnatic Music Indian art form.

Bappi Lahiri Conferred Mahanayak Award

Critically-acclaimed filmmaker Goutam Ghose &  composer-singer Bappi Lahiri were conferred the West Bengal’s “Mahanayak Samman” awards. Paran Bandyopadhyay and Jishu Sengupta received the best actor (male) awards. Sohini Sarkar received the best actor (female) award. The awards were instituted in 2012 in the memory of Bengali matinee idol Uttam Kumar.

Panel Forms to Probe Mann Incident

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has formed a 9 member panel to probe Bhagwant Mann’s breach of security posting a video of Parliament’s interiors. The panel will be  chaired by Kirit Somaiya. The speaker also advised Mann not to attend the House for remainder of session. The MP stoked a controversy after he shot a video clip of his journey including movement past various security check points.

Nepal PM Khadga Prasad Oli Resigns

Nepal’s Prime Minister, Khadga Prasad Oli, has resigned from his post. Mr. Oli had become Prime Minister in October 2015 heading Nepal’s eighth government in the past 10 years. He has been facing a no-trust motion after the Maoists withdrew support from the coalition government. Nepal’s President is now expected to ask political parties to nominate a consensus candidate for prime minister.

Advay Ramesh wins Google Community Award

Advay Ramesh, a 14-year-old student from Chennai has won the prestigious Google Community Impact Award from Asia. He was awarded for creating a device that enhances fishermen’s safety and productivity. Ramesh’s  FishErmen Lifeline Terminal (FELT) is a hand-held terminal uses the Standard Position Services (SPS) to enhance fishermen’s safety & productivity at the sea.

Another Type of Zika Mosquito Discovered

Brazilian scientists have identified Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito infected by the Zika virus as another type of Zika-transmitting mosquito. It was identified by researchers from the Brazilian laboratory Fundacion Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz). Up until now,transmission of the Zika virus was only known through the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The Zika virus has been linked to the birth defect microcephaly.

Startup India States’ Conference Held

The Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion has organised the Startup India States’ Conference in Delhi. It was organized to provide a platform for all States to discuss the policies & good practices they have made on the Startup initiative. The aim is to create a conducive Startup ecosystem. The conference was presided over by Smt.Nirmala Sitharaman,Minister of State for Commerce & Industry.

Public Investments up 21% in FY’16

Public investments in India rose 21 % last fiscal while private sector funding, which forms 75 % of overall investor demand contracted. Public investments by central, state & local government saw 21 % rise in 2015-16. Private investments (households & corporate) contracted 1.4 % year-on-year, the worst performance. This was according to a report by HSBC.

IMF Calls for more Government Spending

The IMF has called on G20 nations to boost government spending.  The impact of ultra-low interest rates begins to reach its limits in developed countries. Central bank chiefs & finance ministers from the world’s top 20 economies gathered in the Chinese city of Chengdu to tackle problems facing the global economy. The problems have been aggravated by the British vote to leave the European Union.

Declare Black Money by Sept 30: Modi

PM Modi has warned black money holders of stringent action including imprisonment after September 30. Under the Income Declaration Scheme (IDS) which opened on June 1, black money holders can come clean by declaring the assets by Sept 30 & paying tax & penalty of 45 per thereafter. Those who fail to take advantage of the scheme will have to face stringent actions, including imprisonment.

India Receives $5.34 bn FDI in April-May

India received $5.34 billion foreign direct investment in the first two months of the current financial year. During April-May the country attracted $4.76 billion FDI under automatic route,while $582 million came through approval route. The govt has made changes in the FDI policy in several sectors. The govt has relaxed FDI Policy in sectors like defence, pharmaceuticals, aviation & broadcast.

Internet Users in India Reached 342 mn

Total internet subscribers in India reached 342.65 million in March with Bharti Airtel leading the chart. As per data there were 34,26,54,750 internet subscribers as on March 31,2016. Telecom major Bharti Airtel topped the chart with 90.53 million internet subscribers. It was followed by Vodafone with 67.55 million subscribers. Max number of internet subscribers in urban area are from Maharashtra

Legendary Artist S.H. Raza Passes Away

Modern Indian internationally acclaimed painter Saiyed Haider Raza has passed away. His work was recognised with the introduction of ‘Bindu’ released in 1980 which is a closer look at the Indian culture. He was honoured with the highest french award- The Legion of Honour in 2015. He was also received Padma Vibhushan in 2013 & Padma Bhushan in 2007.

TP Subramanian Passes Away

Former international basketball referee, T P Subramanian has passed away. He was  Known as ‘TP’ in basketball circles and had even officiated in the Asian Games. He officiated in a little over 20 nationals popular tournaments like the Ramu Memorial basketball tournament. He was considered a strict referee and once sent former India captain Abbas Moontasir off the court.

Usain Bolt Powers to 200m Win

Usain Bolt posted a convincing victory in the men’s 200 metres at London Diamond League. Bolt clocked 19.89 seconds – 0.15 ahead of Panama’s Alonso Edward in second. Britain’s Commonwealth silver medallist Adam Gemili was third in a season’s best 20.07. The fastest 200m time of the year is 19.74 by US  sprinter LaShawn Merritt & while Bolt’s word record – set in 2009 is 19.19.

Neeraj sets U20 Javelin World Record

Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has stormed into the record books by becoming the first Indian ever to set a World Record in any Athletics event – senior or junior. He won the javelin throw gold in the IAAF World U-20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland. He recorded a stupendous 86.48 metres on his second attempt. The previous record of 84.69m was set by Latvia’s Zigismunds Sirmais in 2011.

Sheila Dikshit ‘debuts’ on Twitter

Congress Uttar Pradesh chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit posted her first-ever tweet. The three-time Delhi CM tweeted: “As we start our #27SaalUPBehal Yatra, I seek your support & blessings.” The UP Congress promoted Ms. Dikshit on Twitter indicating that the party would utilize social media

INS Viraat Embarks on Farewell Voyage

India’s magnificent second aircraft carrier, INS Viraat has  lifted anchor for her final voyage from Mumbai to Kochi. The ageing ‘giant’ served the Indian Navy with distinction for almost six decades. It is expected to reach the Southern Naval Command base on Wednesday for the pre-decommissioning preparations. It is the last British-built ship serving the Indian Navy

Sharmila Tagore,Shekhar Kapur get Award

Veteran actress Sharmila Tagore & filmmaker Shekhar Kapur were conferred with the Icon Awards at the Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival. The actress has several hit films to her credit such as Aradhana,Amar Prem & Chupke Chupke. The festival has had a special focus on women &cinema this year. The seventh Bagri Film Festival showed films in venues across London in 15 different languages.

Ganesh Singh Appointed Chairman of JPC

JP Lok Sabha member Ganesh Singh was appointed as Chairman of the Joint Parliamentry Committe (JPC) to examine provisions of the Land Acquisition Amendment Bill, 2015. He will replace S S Ahluwalia who was appointed Minister of the State (MoS) for Parliamentary Affairs. The JPC will examine provisions of Right to Fair Compensation & Transparency in Land Acquisition Bill, 2015

Committee for Desiltation of Ganga

The govt has constituted a committee to prepare guidelines for desiltation of river Ganga from Bhimgauda (Uttarakhand) to Farakka (West Bengal). Madhav Chitale member,National Ganga River Basin Authority has been appointed as chairman. The committee has also been asked to establish difference between desilting & sand mining It also to establish need for desilting for ecology & e-flow of Ganga.

Amazon Jeff Bezos now World 3rd Richest

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is now the third richest man in the world. According to Bloomberg, Bezos’s total net worth hit $65.05 billion pushing him past Berkshire Hathaway’s founder Warren Buffett by $32 million. Bezos’s rise is largely due to his stock ownership in Amazon. Ahead of him are Spanish retail magnate Amancio Ortega, worth $73.4 billion & Bill Gates, worth $89.1 billion.

Russian Balloonist Sets World Record

Russian adventurer Fedor Konyukhov has broken the record for the fastest circumnavigation of the Earth in a hot air balloon in just over 11 days. He embarked on his epic journey from Northam in Western Australia. He has broken the 14 year old record set by American adventurer Steve Fossett, who completed the trip in 13 & a-half days. He completed round-the-world solo flight on the first attempt.

China Unveil Largest Amphibious Aircraft

China has unveils world’s largest amphibious aircraft AG600. The aircraftcan will be used  fight forest fires & perform marine rescue missions. The aircraft has a maximum take-off weight of 53.5 tonnes, a maximum flight range of 4,500 km & it can collect 12 tonnes of water in 20 seconds. An amphibious aircraft can take off and land on both land and water.

Turkey Shuts Schools in Emergency Decree

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has ordered the closure of more than 1,000 private schools He has also extended the period in which suspects can be detained without charge in his first decree since declaring a three-month state of emergency. All the institutions are suspected of having links to U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, accused of masterminding the abortive coup.

Solar Impulse Leave Egypt for Final Leg

Solar Impulse 2 powered by solar energy left Egypt on the last leg of the first ever fuel-free flight around the globe. It took off from Cairo en route to Abu Dhabi to its final destination. The plane began its journey in Abu Dhabi in March 2015 in a campaign to build support for clean energy technologies. The round the world flight ends in Abu Dhabi.

14 PSU Banks Post Losses in Last Year

Fourteen public sector banks out of 27 posted losses in the last financial year. The main reason for their losses was Asset Quality Review initiated by the RBI As a result,the banks had to suddenly make provisions for accounts categorized as non-performing assets. Minister of State for Finance Santosh Kumar Gangwar revealed that the govt has allocated 25,000 cr rupees to these banks.

IMF’s Lagarde to Face Trial

The International Monetary Fund head,Christine Lagarde will stand trial over a state payout to the French tycoon Bernard Tapie. She is charged with negligence over the award to Mr Tapie of €404m in 2008 when she was France finance minister. A ruling that could hamper her second term as head of the IMF. The case stems from Mr Tapie’s sale of his majority stake in the sports equipment company.

SBI Ties with IRCTC, Aditya Birla Group

SBI has partnered with IRCTC & Aditya Birla Group to start digital booking of railway tickets through its payment application, State Bank Buddy. Customers will also be able to make digital payment for things bought from stores of the Madura Fashion &the Lifestyle division of Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail. SBI’s has around 3.4 million customers for its mobile application.

NDB Announces Loans worth $ 900 million

The New Development Bank launched by 5 emerging economies has announced its first round of loans worth about 900 million dollars. The Bank held its first general meeting in Shanghai. Brazil,Russia, India, China & South Africa established the institution last year. The first set of loans will fund five renewable-energy development projects, including those related to solar & wind power generation.

Tata STRIVE Opens Centre in Hyderabad

Tata STRIVE,an initiative of Tata Community Initiatives Trust has launched its first Skill Development Centre (TSSDC) centre in Hyderabad. The centre will equip the youth in the State with skills in BPO, banking & financial services,to make them employable. The centre was inaugurated by Telangana IT & Industries Minister KT Rama Rao. Its aim is to address need of skilling youth for employment.

Govt Plans to Create 10 Solar Zones

The Indian government is aiming to create 10 solar zones across the country by 2021. Each solar zone will cover an area of 10,000 hectares of wasteland. India plans to set up 100,000 megawatt (MW) of solar power capacity by 2022. The latest initiative is aimed at showcasing such zones as a flagship facility to encourage project developers & investors.

Vardhan Launches ‘Solar Power Tree’

The Minister of Science & Tech Harsh Vardhan has launched a Solar Power Tree, It is an innovative way to generate electricity in a limited space. The model is actually designed like a tree with branches made of steel to hold the photovoltaic panel.
It takes less land of only 4 sq ft for a 5 kW solar power tree as compared to 400 sq ft of the conventional solar photovoltaic layout.

Kohli Hits Maiden Double Ton

Virat Kohli made history with his first double century to become the first captain from India to compile a Test double century overseas. Kohli is now the first Indian captain to score a double hundred away from home. He managed 200 off 283 balls before he was bowled out by West Indies pacer Shannon Gabriel. His score is also the highest by a player in his maiden Test innings as captain in the WI.

India Junior Cyclists No1 in Team Sprint

The men’s junior team has been ranked No 1 in the Team Sprint category as per the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) ratings release. In the latest rankings released the Indian men’s junior team has moved from a previous rank of 11th place to top of the table. In the women juniors Team Sprint the cyclists moved up four places to occupy eighth.

Keni Harrison Break World Hurdles Record

American Keni Harrison broke a 28-year-old world record in the 100m hurdles, clocking 12.20 seconds at the London Anniversary Games. The previous world record of 12.21 had stood since 1988 and was held by Yordanka Donkova of Bulgaria. Harrison was already the fastest woman in the world this year, She will not to compete at next month’s Olympics after finishing only sixth in the US trials.

Govt Appoints AB Pandey UIDAI CEO

Bhushan Pandey was appointed as the chief executive officer of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). He is a 1984 batch IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre. He has been involved with the UIDAI established under the Aadhaar Act & implementation of Aadhaar since Sept 2010. The UIDAI is a central govt agency of India & issue a 12-digit unique identity number called Aadhaar to each resident.

NDMC Signs Agreement with NEERI

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has signed an agreement with National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) to develop 12 sewage treatment plants (STP). Each STP will have a capacity ranging from 50,000-1 L litres. NEERI has an expertise in this field & the treatment plants will help NDMC to irrigate its parks. This project will help increase the green cover in NDMC areas.

PM lays Foundation Stone of AIIMS

PM Modi has laid the foundation stone of All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) & revival of fertilizer factory at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. The AIIMS  will built at an estimated cost of Rs 1,011 crore to provide super-specialty health care. It will be spread in a total area of 112 acres & will be completed in 45 months. It will also conduct research on prevalent regional diseases

Kerala Tourism Won Gold at PATA Awards

Kerala Tourism has struck gold at the Pacific Asia Travel Association awards. The state was awarded in recognition of its trend setting marketing initiatives. The Marketing Media awards are in the categories of Travel Advertisement Broadcast Media & E-Newsletter, They were clinched by the successful ‘Visit Kerala’ television commercial campaign& the popular Kerala Tourism E-Newsletter.

Panel to Draft Law on River Ganga

The Union water resources ministry has set up a Committee to prepare a draft legislation on river Ganga. The Committee will be headed by justice (retired) Giridhar Malaviya. The Committee has been asked to prepare a Draft Act on Ganga ensuring wholesomeness of the River. The Act should have provisions to ensure cleanliness (Nirmalta) & uninterrupted e-flow (avirlta) of Ganga.

Haryana Inducts 3 New Ministers

Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar  has expanded his ministry with the induction of three new ministers. The new ministers are Vipul Goyal , Manish Grover & Banwari Lal . Vipul Goyal has been made a cabinet minister while Grover & Lal have been inducted as ministers of state with independent charge. Khattar also dropped two ministers of state, Ghansham Das Saraf & Vikram Thekedar, from his ministry.

India, Mexico Approve 14 Joint Projects

India’s Dept of Science & Tech & Mexico’s National Council of Science & Tech (CONACyT) have approved 14 joint projects. The focus areas of cooperation will be water,seismology,solar energy & biotechnology. This was decided at the 6th meeting of the Indo-Mexican Committee on Science & Tech. During the visit of PM Modi cooperation on science & tech was highlighted as one of the priority areas.

2016 Set to be Hottest year yet: WMO

The world is on track for its hottest year on record according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). June marked the 14th straight month of record heat for land and oceans. Under December’s Paris Agreement nearly 200 govts agreed to limit global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial times. The last month with global temperatures below the 20th century average was Dec 1984.

Hillary Selects Tim as her Running Mate

Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has selected Virginia Senator Tim Kaine as her vice presidential running mate. Clinton’s selection of Kaine could help bolster the her chances in Virginia Republican candidate Donald Trump had picked Indiana governor Mike Pence as his running mate almost a week back. Clinton & Kaine will now take on Trump & Pence for the upcoming election.

Obama Signed Opioid Addiction Bill

U.S President Obama has signed a bill into law aimed at combating a nationwide epidemic of heroin & other opioid addictions. The Comprehensive Addiction & Recovery Act aims to counter the country’s opioid addiction crisis. Opioids are drugs that act on the nervous system to relieve pain. U.S. deaths from drug overdoses hit a record high in 2014 propelled by abuse of prescription painkillers.

7 Indian Companies on Fortune’s 500 List

7 Indian companies have made it to the latest Fortune 500 list of the world’s biggest corporations in terms of revenue. Indian Oil Corp is ranked highest at 161st among Indian firms. Among others Reliance Industries is now at 215th,Bharat Petroleum ranked 358th & Hindustan Petroleum at 367th. Tata Motors ranked 226th.SBI 232nd & Rajesh Exports at 423rd position. The list was topped by Walmart.

RBI to Monitor Banks on Customer Rights

RBI will  start monitoring banks on issues relating to customer rights in five broad areas. The areas on which the regulator will be conducting surveys and supervision are – right to privacy, right to fair treatment & transparency, fair & honest dealing, right to suitability & right to grievance redress & compensation. RBI had put out a charter of customer rights in public domain sometime back.

India Tops Financial Inclusion Progress

India has topped the chart denoting the progress made by countries on the financial inclusion front. As around 20 cr people have gained access to financial services according to a report by BCG. The report said several countries are not effectively converting their economic growth into well-being improvements for their citizens. The Boston Consulting Group is a global management consulting firm.

Snapdeal Joins Hand with BookMyShow

Online marketplace Snapdeal has announced its partnership with e-ticketing platform BookMyShow. With this partnership, customers can now book tickets for movies on Snapdeal. The association with Snapdeal will allow its users to meet their movie ticketing needs without having to leave the platform. BookMyShow’s e-ticket booking service can be accessed through Snapdeal’s app .

DBT saved Rs 21,000 cr in LPG Subsidy

The govt has said the direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme on cooking gas in the last two years had saved it over Rs 21,000 crore. The savings are largely from the elimination of fake or duplicate LPG connections. Over 3.34 crore of these connections were done away with after the implementation of DBT. Before DBT many of these consumers would have continued to purchase subsidised cylinders.

Tax Dept to Issue 7 lakh Notices

Income Tax Department will issue seven lakh letters seeking information regarding high value non PAN transactions. High-value transactions were being reported to the Income Tax Department under the Annual Information Returns. Many of these high value transactions do not have PAN linked to it. The IT dept has identified seven lakh high-risk clusters having around 14 lakh non-PAN transactions.

Umpire Ian Gould Stands in his 50th Test

Ian Gould, the International Cricket Council Elite Panel umpire has become only the 12th umpire to stand in 50 Test matches. He completed his 50th test after taking field on the opening day of the ongoing Test between West Indies & India. He had made his Test debut in Bloemfontein in Nov 2008 by umpiring in the South Africa versus Bangladesh. Till now only 12 have been successful in reaching 50.

Former French Cyclist Dominique Dies

Former French cyclist Dominique Arnaud has passed away. He took part on 11 occasions in the Tour de France. The Tour de France is an annual multiple stage bicycle race primarily held in France He won three stages in the Vuelta, a stage in the Midi Libre & the Tour du Limousin  in 1983. He was recently honored at an event in his French hometown of Les Mees.

CAS Rejects Russia’s Appeal against Ban

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has dismissed a Russian appeal against a ban imposed by athletics governing body the IAAF barring the country’s track & field team from the Rio Games. The ban was imposed after a report uncovered state-sponsored doping in Russian athletics. The decision will increase the possibility that the International Olympic Committee will now exclude Russia in Rio.

Modi, Hasina inaugurated Petrapole ICP

PM Modi & his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina on Thursday jointly inaugurated the Petrapole Integrated Check Post through video-conferencing. Petrapole ICP is the second ICP on the India-Bangladesh border. It will also be the biggest land port in South Asia. The Petrapole ICP will enable greater economic integration and significantly improve the connectivity.

Cabinet Approve Transgender Persons Bill

The Union Cabinet has approved The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2016. Through this bill the government has evolved a mechanism for their social, economic & educational empowerment. The bill will benefit a large number of transgender persons, mitigate the stigma & abuse against this marginalized section. It will make the transgender persons productive members of the society.

Pune Woman runs Golden Quadrilateral

Pune’s Michelle Kakade has made her way into the Guinness Book of World Records as the first person to complete the Indian Golden Quadrilateral on foot. She would feature in the Guinness World Records for covering 5968.4 kms of the Golden Quadrilateral. Golden Quadrilateral connects the four major metros of the country. She dedicated her run to the millions of women in our country.

Haryana bans 10 yr old Diesel Vehicle

The Haryana govt has banned 15 year old petrol & 10 year old diesel vehicles from roads within NCR. This will apply to vehicles registered in cities falling under the territorial jurisdiction of National Capital Region. It includes areas such as Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonepat & Jhajjar. The situation is particularly bad in NCR where pollution levels have been much higher than the acceptable limits.

Election Commission Launched NERP 2016

The Election Commission has launched the National Electoral Roll Purification (NERP) programme across the country. Its objective is to correct errors in electoral rolls & enrolment of all eligible citizens among other things. It will ensure single electoral register entry for every eligible elector & removal of all absent or dead electors entries. Electoral rolls to be made Free from errors.

India, Japan Ink Social Security Deal

India & Japan has  signed a social security agreement expected to come into force on 1 Oct. It will benefit thousands of Indian and Japanese professionals and skilled workers working in the two countries. The pact will help avoid double social security contributions. In other words, an Indian worker on a short-term contract in Japan will be exempt from making a social security contribution there.

India Ranks 110th on Sustainable index

India has ranked a low 110 out of 149 nations assessed on where they stand with regard to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This was  according to a new index which is topped by Sweden The Sustainable Development Solutions Network & the Bertelsmann Stiftung has launched a Sustainable Development Goal Index. It ranks countries based on their performance across the 17 global goals.

NASA Mark 40 yrs of Viking1 Mars Landing

NASA has celebrated a historical milestone on July 20,the 40th anniversary of the first U.S. spacecraft to land on Mars. NASA successfully reached the Mars surface with their Viking Lander1. The Viking project comprised of two separate spacecraft &together took more than 65,000 images of the planet. The two Viking crafts were designed to work for 90 days but ended up functioning for 6 & half yrs.

Indian Origin S. R Nathan Awarded

Indian origin former Singapore President S R Nathan has been conferred with the Outstanding Member of the South Asian Diaspora award. He was awarded for his dedicated & notable work in forging closer ties with India. He was awarded by the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) at the 3rd South Asian Diaspora Convention. He is also a recipient of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman.

FB Internet Drone Aquila Takes Flight

Facebook has announced the first successful test flight of a high-altitude solar plane Aquila to bring internet access to remote parts of the world. The Aquila drone has the wingspan of an airliner but weighs less than a car. The drone is designed to fly non-stop for three months. It will use lasers to beam down internet access to remote areas without online capacity.

Selena Quintanilla to have Wax Figure

Queen of Tejano music Selena Quintanilla will soon have a wax figure at Madame Tussauds. Quintanilla had died in 1995 aged 23 & will be honored with the wax figure in Hollywood in response to an online petition. She was an American singer,actress & fashion designer. Her contributions to music & fashion made her one of the most celebrated Mexican-American entertainers of the late 20th century.

Axis Bank Inaugurates all Women Branch

Private lender Axis Bank has inaugurated an all women branch in Kolkata. The branch was inaugurated at Lake Gardens by the renowned film actress Rituparna Sengupta. This is the bank’s first such branch here in the State. The specialized branch will offer all banking & financial transaction services to all customers. It will help increase the participation of this segment in the banking industry.

SBI Launches JV with Brookfield AMC

SBI has signed an agreement with Brookfield Asset Management Inc to form a joint venture which will invest in stressed assets. Brookfield will commit about ₹7,000 cr & SBI  will contribute up to 5% of total investments into stressed assets. It will enable the banks to find alternate solution for resolution of stressed assets. Brookfield has an over 100-year history of owning  & operating assets.

Railways, SBI Sign MoU

Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corp (IRCTC) & SBI have signed a MoU to work out a detailed plan for promotion of rail ticketing activities, It includes internet ticketing & unreserved ticketing system. They will jointly explore areas of cooperation& draw up a detailed plan for promotion of rail ticketing activities. MoU was signed by IRCTC CMD A K Manocha & Arundhati Bhattacharya, CMD, SBI.

Sagarmala Development Company Gets Nod

The Union Cabinet has approved the incorporation of Sagarmala Development Company (SDC) under the Companies Act, 2013. It will be set up with an initial authorised share capital of ₹1,000 crore. SDC will be under the administrative control of the Ministry of Shipping. The prime objective of the Sagarmala project is to modernize India’s Ports so that port-led development can be augmented.

IMF Cuts Global Growth Forecasts

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised downward its global economic growth forecast after the British people voted to leave the European Union. The world economy will expand by 3.4% in 2017,down 0.1% point from April report. The UK growth projection was downgrade by 0.9 point to 1.3%.  Global growth could be capped at 2.8%,if negotiations between Britain & the EU don’t go smoothly.

Govt to Introduce Changes to Benami Bill

The Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to introduce amendments to the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Bill, 2015 in Parliament. The legislation is intended to effectively prohibit benami transactions and consequently prevent circumvention of law through unfair practices. The Cabinet also cleared introduction of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2016 in Parliament.

Famous Director Garry Marshall Dies

Famed director and producer Garry Marshall has passed away. The Hollywood legend directed, produced and starred in films and TV shows since the late 1950’s. He created some of the most popular 1970’s TV shows including Mork and Mindy & Happy Days. He directed 18 films, including big screen hits like Beaches,Overboard, Runaway Bride,Valentine’s Day & 1990’s Pretty Woman.

Hockey Legend Shahid Passes Away

Noted Indian hockey player Mohammed Shahid passed away. He was a member of the V Baskaran-led Indian team that won a Gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. He was known for his dribbling skills &  was considered one of India’s greatest hockey players. He had recieved the Arjuna Award in 1981 & was honoured with Padma Shri in 1986.

IOC Postpones Decision of ban on Russia

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has postponed a decision on whether Russia should be banned from Rio Olympics. The members of the IOC Board held a teleconference following the World Anti-Doping Agency’s report on Russia’s state-sponsored doping. The decision was deferred until the Court of Arbitration for Sports rules on the participation of Russia athletes in international events.

Khandu Govt in A.P Passes Floor Test

Arunachal Pradesh, CM Pema Khandu has proved his majority during the floor test in the Assembly by voice vote. The Assembly also elected Tsering Norbu Thongdok as the new speaker of the House unopposed. In the 60 member house,CM Khandu has the support of 47 MLAs, including the two independents. Khandu was sworn in as the 9th Chief Minister on17 July after months of political turmoil in the state.

Cabinet Approves ASA with Mozambique

The Union Cabinet has approved signing of an Air Services Agreement (ASA) between India and Mozambique. It will promote air connectivity between the two countries. Presently there is no such agreement between India and Mozambique. The agreement will  allow designated airlines of either countries to have fair & equal opportunity to operate the agreed services on specified routes,

Cabinet Okays Ghatampur Thermal Project

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has granted its approval to set up a 1,980 MW thermal power project at Ghatampur in Uttar Pradesh. The estimated cost of the project will be Rs 17,237.80 crore. Project of 1980 Mega Watt capacity will be set up through Joint Venture by Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited & Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited.

Cabinet Okays Setting Up Of AIIMS In UP

The government has given its nod to the establishment of a new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. It aims at providing super-specialty health care to people & creating a large pool of doctors. The was under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana at an estimated cost of Rs. 1,011 crore. This institute will also conduct research on regional diseases

Saraswati River all set to Come Alive

The lost Saraswati river is all set to come back alive later this month. The government of Haryana is preparing to release water into what is widely believed to be the route of the Vedic era river. The water is expected to flow through Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra & Kaithal districts. The government is also planning to build a dam at Adi Badri, where the lost river is believed to have originated.

Panchayats to be Connected Through OFC

All Gram Panchayats in the country will be connected through Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) to by December 2018. The National Optical Fibre Network project renamed as BharatNet aims to establish a network infrastructure by connecting all 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats through OFC. This will be done by using an optimal mix of underground fibre, fibre overpower lines, radio & satellite media.

France Extends Emergency by Six Months

France’s National Assembly has voted to extend the state of emergency for six months. The extension agreed would take the state of emergency until the end of January 2017. The move follows last week’s attack in Nice in which 84 people were killed. The emergency measures give the police extra powers to carry out searches and to place people under house arrest.

Canada To Hold Zika Vaccine Test

Researchers from Laval University based in Quebec City, Canada are going to conduct the world’s first Zika vaccine test on humans. Until now, vaccines have been tested on mice. Zika virus is transmitted primarily by mosquitoes & there is no existing treatment or vaccine for it. The virus is capable of causing serious birth defects & has traveled quickly through Latin America.

Turkey Declare 3 month Emergency

Turkey, the President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a three-month state of emergency after a failed military coup. The measure was being taken to counter threats to Turkish democracy. Turkey had imposed martial law-like emergency rule in the southeast of Turkey in 1987. It allow the officials to set curfews, issue search and arrest warrants and restrict gatherings.

Facebook Messenger Hits 1 Billion Users

Facebook Messenger has reached one billion monthly users making it one of the most popular apps in the world. The milestone takes place two years after the social-networking giant separated the mobile chat tool from its main social-networking site. FB Messenger now in the top three most popular apps in the world along with Facebook & WhatsApp, Facebook hit the 1 billion users mark in 2012.

Nigeria Akinyelure Win Komla Dumor Award

Nigerian journalist Didi Akinyelure has won the second BBC World News Komla Dumor Award. She is a prime-time news anchor in Nigeria & presents business news for CNBC which broadcasts across the African continent. The award, established in honour of Komla Dumor, a presenter for BBC World News who died aged 41 in 2014. The award seeks to celebrate African journalism & reward exceptional talent.

IMF Trims India GDP to 7.4% for 2016-17

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has trimmed India’s growth forecast for 2016-17 to 7.4% from 7.5% projected in April. It was due to a slower investment revival than expected earlier. IMF latest update is titled, Uncertainty in the Aftermath of the UK Referendum. The Indian economy grew at 7.6% in 2015-16 & the govt expects it to expand at above 8% in 2016-17.

Govt Infuses Rs 23k Cr in 13 PSU Banks

The Finance Ministry has announced the capital infusion of Rs 22,915 crore towards the recapitalisation of 13 public sector banks during 2016-17. The largest amount of Rs 7,575 crore was earmarked for the SBI. Among others, IOB will get Rs 3,101 cr,PNB Rs 2,816 cr, BoI Rs 1,784 cr, CBI Rs 1,729 cr & Syndicate Bank Rs 1,034 cr. The infusion will boost the Govt’s shareholdings in the banks.

Tata is India most valuable Brand

Tata remained India’s most valuable brand in 2015-16. Tata remains on top with a brand valuation of $13.7 billion despite 11 per cent value erosion. This was according to 2016 report released by Brand Finance,a global brand valuation & strategy consultancy. The top 5 brands of 2015-16 include Tata, LIC ($6.6 billion), Airtel ($5.7 billion), SBI ($5.7 billion) & Infosys ($4.7 billion).

CIL to Produce 1 billion tonnes of Coal

Coal India Limited, CIL has prepared a road map to achieve a coal production level of one billion tonnes by the year 2019-20. The company has already identified mines & projects to produce 908 million tonnes. Plans to augments production up to 1000 million tonnes are being developed. CIL has increased its production to around 539 million tonnes in 2015-16.

OYO Partners with PayZapp

India’s largest branded network of hotels OYO has announced the integration of PayZapp, a complete payment solution by HDFC Bank on its consumer app. This tie-up will enable customers to directly link their debit and credit card to PayZapp, and book an OYO in just one click. With PayZapp, users do not need to preload money each time they transact. OYO has more than 6000 hotels in its network.

Boeing Revises India Aircraft Forecast

Boeing Co said it expects Indian airlines to order 1,850 new aircraft worth $265 billion over the next 20 years. In March, the company had forecasted that demand for 1,740 planes over 20 years. Govt has overhauled rules governing its aviation industry & liberalised norms for domestic carriers to fly overseas. Boeing expects worldwide demand for 39,620 aircraft over the next 20 years.

Steve Elworthy Appointed MD of ICC WC

The International Cricket Council (ICC) & the England Cricket Board has appointed Steve Elworthy,the former South Africa fast bowler as Managing Director of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. World Cup 2019 will be held in England & Wales. He will also oversee the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 & the ICC Women’s WC 2017. He had previously served as tournament director for the Champions Trophy in 2013.

Russian PM Suspends Sports Minister

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has suspended Deputy Sports Minister Yury Nagornykh. He was named in a report on the doping of Russian athletes at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. President Vladimir Putin has said that Russian officials named in the World Anti-Doping Agency’s report (WADA) would be temporarily suspended. The WADA investigation was led by Canadian sports lawyer Richard McLaren.

JKCA Elects Ansari as new President

Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) has elected state sports minister Imran Ansari as its president. He was elected in total disregard to the Supreme Court accepting Lodha Panel recommendations on reforms in the BCCI which bar ministers from becoming office bearers. Ansari has ended Farooq Abdullah’s three-decade tenure at the helm of the state cricket association.

Rohit Wins Title of Mr. World 2016

Rohit Khandelwal has become the first Indian to win the coveted title of Mr. World. He has become the first Indian to be crowned this title. He emerged victorious amongst 47 participants representing different countries around the world. He hails from Hyderabad & comes from a working class family. Mr Scotland won the Extreme challenge & Mr England was the winner of Sports challenge.

Siddhivinayak Temple to Accept Shares

The famous Mumbai based Siddhivinayak Temple will now accept shares as donations. The temple trust joined hands with SBICAP Securities to provide devotees with an electronic platform to make donations of financial instruments. Initially a devotee can donate stocks of listed entities in electronic format. This initiative will extend to other financial instruments like mutual funds & gold ETFs.

DeITY Becomes a New Ministry

The Govt has taken out the Dept of Electronics & Information Technology (DeITY) from the remit of the Ministry of Communications & Information Technology & has made it a new Ministry. Now there will be two separate ministries – Ministry of Comm & a Ministry of Electronics and IT. The step comes after the former Comm & IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad only retained the DeITY department.

Oldest Litigant of Ayodhya Dispute Dies

The oldest litigant of Babri Mosque Ram Janmbhumi dispute of Ayodhya, Hashim Ansari has passed away. He had filed the case in December, 1961 about the disputed matter. He was the witness when Idols of Ram Lalla appeared at the Babri Masjid site at the night of December 22 in 1949. He had recently appealed PM Modi to resolve the matter in his own lifetime.

NITI Aayog, Intel India Sign Pact

NITI Aayog has signed a two-year statement of intent with Intel India to set up & manage 10 Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL) in schools. This is as a part of its Atal Innovation Mission (AIM). The key objectives of setting up Atal Tinkering Laboratories is to build relevant skill sets among youngsters It will also provide access to technology that will enable solutions.

RS Passes Child Labour Amendment Bill

Rajya Sabha has passed the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill 2012. The bill prohibits employment of children below 14 years in all occupations except where the child helps his family, with the provision for imprisonment up to two years for any violation. The Bill is aligned with the statutes of the International Labour Organisation, ILO convention.

China begins Military Exercises in SCS

China has began military exercises in South China Sea (SCS). An area to the south-east of China’s southern island province of Hainan will be closed off for military manoeuvres. The area is not considered to be in dispute due to its close proximity to the Chinese mainland. The exercise come days after tribunal ruled against Beijing’s claim to ownership of virtually the entire strategic waterway.

Trump Clinches Republican Nomination

Donald Trump has officially clinched the Republican nomination for the US President. He won majority of delegates 1,237 needed to contest the Nov US Presidential elections. Trump’s campaign has been marked by frequent controversy over his rhetoric on Muslims, immigration &trade. Republicans are also set to place in nomination Indiana Governor Mike Pence for his vice-presidential running mate.

France Assembly Vote to Extend Emergency

France’s national assembly has voted to extend the country’s state of emergency for six months following last week’s massacre in Nice. The state of emergency has been in place since the Paris attacks in Nov. The extension would see the emergency security measures remain in place until the end of January 2017. It is the fourth time that parliament has proposed prolonging the state of emergency.

Malcolm Turnbull Sworn as Australia PM

Malcolm Turnbull was sworn in for another term as Australia’s prime minister. Turnbull was sworn in as Australia’s 29th prime minister by the Governor General Peter Cosgrove in Government house in Canberra. His Liberal/National coalition had won 76 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives. Prior to entering politics, Malcolm Turnbull had worked as investment banker & venture capitalist.

US Approves $785m Bomb Sale to UAE

The US State Department has approved the sale of $785 million in bombs to the United Arab Emirates for the US-led campaign against ISIS. The proposed sale includes 14,640 bombs and guidance kits, along with other munitions. The kits turn unguided bombs into precision munitions with navigation systems. Washington views the UAE as an important Arab ally in the fight against Islamic State.

Fitch Retains India Sovereign Rating BBB

Global rating agency Fitch has retained India’s sovereign rating at “BBB-the lowest investment grade,with stable outlook. It cautioned that risks to the current rating could arise if high public-debt burden worsened further. It forecast GDP growth to slightly accelerate from 7.6% in FY16 to 7.7% in FY17. Sovereign credit ratings tell investors level of risk associated with investing in a country.

Tax Department Signs 7 more APAs

The tax department has signed seven more unilateral advance pricing agreements (APAs). It aims to reduce litigation by providing certainty in the domain of transfer pricing. The 7 APAs signed were pertaining to various sectors of the economy like banking,IT & automotives. APA was introduced in the Income Tax Act &is a pact between a taxpayer and the tax department on a transfer pricing procedure.

ADB Projects 7.4% Growth for India

The Indian economy is on track to meet its projected growth target of 7.4% in 2016-17. Growth in the Indian economy will be supported by brisk consumer spending & an uptick in the rural economy. The bank also said a favourable monsoon is likely to boost agriculture & rural demand Growth in 2016& 2017,the report noted will be led by South Asia & India in particular.

ICICI Prudential Files for First IPO

ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Co Ltd has filed for an initial public offering (IPO) of shares. ICICI Bank owns nearly 68 % of the insurer & is selling up to 18.3 crore shares in the IPO. It plans to raise estimated Rs 4,500-5,000 crore from the IPO. ICICI Pru Life’s IPO is the biggest IPO since Coal India Ltd’s market debut in 2010. It is the first ever IPO for an Indian insurance company.

Kerala Launches Incubator for Student

Kerala has launched the world’s first online incubator – SV.CO, for start-ups by college students. SV.CO will function as an online university that aims to cut through boundaries. It is designed to help thousands of college-goers make an early start in entrepreneurship. With SV.CO, Startup Village will scale up by reaching out to five million students in 3,500 engineering colleges.

.P. Govt. inks MoUs with Netherlands

Uttar Pradesh govt has signed a MoU with the government of Netherlands. The MoUs are related to sectors such as skill development, recycling and dairy industry. The MoU was signed by Dutch Ambassador Alphonsus Stoelinga & UP Chief Secretary Deepak Singhal in presence of CM Akhilesh Yadav. The Skill Development Centre established under this MoU aims to improve the cultivation skills of farmers.

Playback Singer Mubarak Begum Dies

Legendary Singer Mubarak Begum has passed away. Mubarak Begum is remembered for singing scores of songs, duets & ghazals for Bollywood, mainly during the 1950s-1970s. Her career as a playback singer began in 1949 with the Hindi-language film Aaiye. A major hit in her career was the song Kabhi Tanhaiyon Mein Yun for film Hamari Yaad Aayeg. She has sung a total of 178 songs for Hindi films.

Pak Yasir Shah becomes No.1 Test bowler

Pakistan leg spinner Yasir Shah has become number-one ranked bowler in Tests. Yasir was ranked at the fourth position,but a 10-wicket haul against England helped him seal the numero one spot. He is the first Pakistan bowler since Mushtaq Ahmed who achieved the honour of being the top ranked bowler in Tests. He also became the first wrist spinner since Shane Warne to achieve this position.

SC Accept Lodha Panel Suggestion on BCCI

The Supreme Court has accepted most of the recommendations by Justice Lodha panel on BCCI. The SC ruled that no minister and civil servant can become a member in the BCCI. A bench led by Chief Justice T S Thakur also said that one state-one vote rule shall henceforth apply to all state associations. Further, the court fixed the upper age limit at 70 years for holding posts in the BCCI.

WADA Recommends Banning Russian Athletes

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has recommended banning all Russian athletes from the Rio Olympic Games. The move comes after the release of a WADA report by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren that says Russia used a complex state-supported doping scheme at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. WADA also wants Russian government officials to be denied access to international competitions.

Parliament Passes Biotechnology Bill

Parliament has passed the Regional Centre for Biotechnology Bill, 2016, after the Rajya Sabha cleared it. The Bill sought to set up a regional centre of biotechnology to promote education & research. It will act as a mentor institution and focus on training of skilled manpower as well as work on research and development. Lok Sabha had already passed the bill in April this year.

NGT Blocks 10-year-old Diesel Vehicles

The National Green Tribunal has directed the Delhi Govt to cancel the registration of all diesel-powered vehicles that are more than 10 years old from plying in the city. An estimated 400,000 diesel passenger vehicles of 10 years vintage could go off Delhi roads upon implementation of the order Thousands of commercial vehicles will also be impacted. It aims to address pollution in the Capital.

Sidhu Resigns from Rajya Sabha

BJP leader & nominated Rajya Sabha member Navjot Singh Sidhu has resigned from the House. Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari informed the House that Sidhu had put in his papers & that his resignation had been accepted. Mr. Sidhu had been given a Rajya Sabha seat through the nominated category. His departure comes at a time when the countdown to the 2017 assembly elections in the state has begun.

Guruprasad Appointed as Chairman of AAI

An Odisha-born bureaucrat has been appointed the chairman of Airports Authority of India (AAI). Senior IAS officer Guruprasad Mohapatra was appointed as Chairman of AAI. Prior to the recent posting, he was posted as Joint Secretary in Union Ministry of Commerce. He had also served as Municipal Commissioner of Ahmedabad. He was involved in the comprehensive reforms in the power sector.

Indian Railways to Install TRI-NETRA

Indian Railways has initiated a proposal to install TRI-NETRA systems on locomotives. The system will help in enhancing the vision of Locomotive Pilots in inclement weather. The system shall be made up of high-resolution video camera,high sensitivity infra-red video camera & a radar-based terrain mapping system. These three components of the system shall act as three eyes of the Locomotive Pilot.

Nelson Mandela International Day

Nelson Mandela International Day, also known as Mandela Day, is held on July 18 each year. The day remembers Mandela’s achievements in working towards conflict resolution, democracy, human rights, peace & reconciliation. The UN General Assembly declared 18 July “Nelson Mandela International Day” in Nov 2009. The day hopes to inspire people to embrace the values that Mandela shared.

Easy Extradition between Bdesh & India

Bangladesh Cabinet has approved a proposed amendment to an existing extradition treaty with India. The amendment aims at easing legal formalities to repatriate wanted criminals in their respective countries. The amendment would ease the extradition process. It would now just require a warrant to be issued by any court or tribunal of either of the countries which seek to get a suspect back home.

North Korea Fires 3 Ballistic Missiles

North Korea has fired three ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast. The missiles were launched from the Hwangju region & flew about 500km to 600km. The US said the first two were believed to be short-range Scuds while the third was presumed to be a mid-range Rodong. North Korea is barred by UN sanctions from any test of nuclear or ballistic missile technology.

WB Appoint Paul Romer as Chief Economist

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim has announced that American economist Paul Romer will succeed Kaushik Basu as Chief Economist & Senior Vice President of the World Bank. Romer is currently a professor at New York University & director of NYU’s Marron Institute of Urban Management. His appointment will be effective from September this year.

SpaceX Launches Docking Port into Orbit

SpaceX has sent a new-style space station docking port into orbit en route to the International Space Station. An unmanned Falcon9 rocket was launched carrying 2267kg of supplies in the Dragon space capsule along with the new docking port. This is SpaceX’s second attempt at delivering the docking port for NASA. Nasa needs the new docking set-up at the space station before Americans can fly there.

HCL Tech appoints Vijay Kumar as COO

HCL Technologies has appointed C Vijaykumar as the Chief Operating Officer (COO). He is currently the president of Global Infrastructure Services business. He is responsible for strategy, product, sales and delivery and is two decade a veteran in the company. In his new role, he will be responsible to accelerate growth in the core outsourcing business.

M3M Group to Sell Gurgaon IT-SEZ

M3M India has entered into an agreement with Tata Realty & Infrastructure (TRIL) to sell its proposed IT-SEZ at Gurgaon. The deal size is around Rs.500 crore. M3M India’s had got a formal approval from the Commerce Ministry to develop a 25 acre SEZ for electronic hardware, IT/ITES in Gurgaon. TRIL is a 100% subsidiary of Tata Sons to serve as a real estate & infrastructure development arm.

SoftBank Agrees to Buy ARM Holdings

Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp has agreed to buy Britian’s ARM Holdings PLC for 23.4 billion pounds ($31 billion). ARM is the most valuable tech company listed in London & provides technology for the iPhone. It is a major presence in mobile processing, with its processor & graphics technology used by Samsung, Huawei & Apple. The deal would be one of the largest in European technology to date.

Govt. Unveils Fourth Tranche of SGB

The Ministry of Finance has launched the 4th Tranche of Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGB) for resident individuals & investors. The bonds will be open for investment from July 18 to 22. The issue price of the 4th tranche has been fixed at Rs 3119 per gram of gold. The SGB was announced in the 2015-16 Budget with a view to reduce the demand for physical gold &divert savings into financial instruments.

Developing Asian Economies to Grow 5.6 %

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has cut its 2016 growth projection for developing economies in Asia & the Pacific. It has cut the forecast to 5.6 percent, down from its earlier forecast of 5.7 percent. The ADB in his report released kept the growth forecast for 2017 of 5.7 % unchanged. The ADB is a regional development bank established on 19 Dec 1966 which is located in Manila, Philippines.

UST Global Wins Award for Learning

UST Global,a California-based  company has won the ATD BEST Award for Learning & Talent Development. The awards were presented by the Association for Talent Development (ATD). It recognizes organizations that demonstrate enterprise-wide success, directly resulting from employee talent development initiatives. UST Global is a digital tech services company that provides next generation solutions.

Commerce Ministry Starts e-Marketplace

The Commerce Ministry has launched an e-marketplace for online purchase of goods & services by various central govt ministries & departments. The move is aimed at bringing in more transparency& streamlining the govt procurement of goods & services. The Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D) has developed the portal. E-commerce is a fast growing industry in the country

Aziz Ansari Bag Emmy Nomination

Indian-origin American comic Aziz Ansari’s Netflix series Master of None has bagged three Emmy nominations, The show has been nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing & Outstanding Directing . He is the first Indian-American actor to get Emmy nominations for his series. An Emmy Award recognizes excellence in the television industry & corresponds to the Academy Award.

Dipika, Saurav Bags National Squash Title

Dipika Pallikal Karthik dethroned defending champion Joshna Chinappa to regain the women’s title in the 73rd Senior National Squash Championship. World no.19 Dipika was playing in the nationals after a five-year gap. The men’s crown was captured by title holder & top seed Saurav Ghosal. He created history by winning it for the 11th time,defeating fourth seed Harinderpal Singh Sandhu.

Aneurin Smashes 123-ball Double Century

Glamorgan teenager Aneurin Donald equalled Ravi Shastri’s record for the fastest double-century in first-class cricket against Derbyshire. Donald’s knock included 15 sixes,with his 200 from just 123 balls equalling the mark set by former India Shastri in his home country in 1985. He came to the crease at Colwyn Bay (UK) with his side 96-3 in the County Championship encounter.

Davis Cup: India beat South Korea 4-1

India have defeated South Korea 4-1 in the Davis Cup Asia\Oceania Group I tie in Chandigarh. Rohan Bopanna edged past Hong Chung while playing in his first Davis Cup singles match in 4 yrs. Ramkumar lost the close contest 3-6, 6-4, 6-7. India will now make attempt to qualify for the elite 16-nation World Group. India last played in World Group in 2011 when it lost the first round against Serbia.

India’s 1st E-Court Opened in Hyderabad

India’s first e-court was opened at High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad, common high court for the states of Telangana & Andhra Pradesh. Supreme Court Justice Madan B Lokur inaugurated the first ever e-Court at the High Court premises. E-Courts (paperless courts) will ensure easy and better access to justice for public The purpose of e-courts was to ensure speedy justice for the litigants.

Industrial Park for Women Entrepreneurs

The country’s first of its kind industrial park,exclusively for women entrepreneurs was launched by Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat. The event was organised by FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) The park will be located in Uttarakhand’s Sitarganj district. The park will be spread over 200 acres & is expected to attract women entrepreneurs & help them to initiate start-ups in the state.

Online Skill Training Portal Launched

Ministry of Skill Development has launched an online platform for imparting skills with an aim to reach millions of skill seekers in the country. The web portal (indiaskillsonline.com) is a part of the govt Skill India campaign. It will provide free online courses to aspirants registered for skill training schemes . The website will also offer courses on soft skills, languages & digital literacy.

‘Operation Golden Nose’ Launched

The Ministry of Home Affairs has approved the deployment of crack canine dog teams named ‘Operation Golden Nose’ to prevent terror attack on Parliament. The ITBP has requested by the Parliament Security Services (PSS) to deploy their crack K9 units. ITBP dogs are said to be one of the most highly trained in the world. The operation will finish with the end of the Monsoon session.

3 Indian Sites make it to UNESCO’s List

Khangchendzonga National Park  in Sikkim & Capitol Complex in Chandigarh have been named a world heritage site by the World Heritage Committee (WHC) of UNESCO. The listing was announced at the 40th session of the WHC at Istanbul. Earlier,the Nalanda Mahavihara was also marked as a heritage site. This is the first time that any country got three sites inscribed in the list at a single session

Bill Gates Pledges $5 billion for Africa

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has pledged to invest $5 billion over the next five years for Africa’s development. The pledge of $5 billion is in addition to the $9 billion that he has already invested in Africa. He made the pledge while was delivering the 2016 Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture at the University of Pretoria. The theme of this year’s Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture is ‘living together’

11th ASEM Summit Issues Declaration

The eleventh edition of the Asia-Europe Meeting Summit has issued Ulaanbaatar Declaration The declaration has reaffirmed ASEM’s commitment for greater partnership through informal political dialogue. It also has expressed its commitment for united fight against terrorism and violent extremism. The ASEM is an exclusively Asian–European forum to enhance relations and various forms of cooperation.

Ergüner named UNESCO Artist for Peace

The Director-General of UNESCO,Irina Bokova, has appointed Turkish musician Kudsi Ergüner as UNESCO Artist for Peace. Kudsi Ergüner is a musician,player of the ney (reed flute),composer,teacher & author. He is named in recognition of his efforts to promote the universal values of music. UNESCO Artists for Peace are renowned personalities who use their influence to promote UNESCO programs.

Robot that walks just like us Developed

Scientists have developed a new robot with human sized feet laced up in a pair of sneakers that closely imitates the walking motion of humans. The humanoid robot DURUS was designed by SRI International & Georgia Tech’s Advanced Mechanical Bipedal Experimental Robotics. The robot steps with a heel-toe motion copies human locomotion more closely than flat-footed robot walkers can.

Coup d’etat in Turkey

Late at night on July 15 a group of Turkish soldiers took over several institutions in Istanbul and Ankara in an ill-planned attempted coup. Police forces—aided by a huge show of support from ordinary Turkish citizens—managed to foil the overthrow. The coup was declared over early this morning, July 16.

Qandeel Baloch killed by brother

Qandeel Baloch, a social media star whose exploits divided opinion in conservative Pakistan, was allegedly strangled by her brother in what appears to be an “honour killing”. Baloch received death threats and suffered frequent misogynist abuse, but continued posting pictures and videos. In Facebook posts, she spoke changing “the typical orthodox mindset” of people in Pakistan.

Pema Khandu as new Arunachal CM

Pema Khandu, who was elected leader of the Congress in the Arunachal Pradesh assembly yesterday, has taken oath as the Chief Minister. Khandu, replaced Nabam Tuki who resigned after stepping down as leader of the Congress Legislature Party. With all its 45 lawmakers back in the fold, the Congress will have a big majority again in the 60-member Arunachal Pradesh Assembly

Modi Changes All 6 Cabinet Committees

 Smriti Irani was not included in any of the six cabinet committees reconstituted by PM Modi whereas many junior ministers were taken into the fold. Javdekar, has been made a member of the CCPA along with newly-appointed Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anant Kumar. Composition of the Cabinet Committee on Security and Appointments Committee of the Cabinet remain unchanged.

VP Hamid Ansari meets PM Sheikh Hasina

Vice President Hamid Ansari and Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina met in Ulaan bator in Mongolia and discussed bilateral issues of mutual interest. The two-leaders met in the 11th Asia-Europe Summit. The VP also held separate bilateral meetings with PM of Estonia Taavi Roivas and PM of Lithuania Algirdas Butkevicius. He held a bilateral meeting with Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis.

PM Modi Pitches for ‘Team India’ to CMs

 PM Modi addressed the 11th Inter State Council meeting in Delhi. He said that cooperation among all states and the centre on sharing intelligence to strengthen the country’s internal security is very important. The recommendations of the commission on Centre-State relations headed by MM Punchhi will be first referred to the Standing Committee before being placed before the council.

Vijender clinches WBO Asia Pacific title

Indian boxer Vijender Singh clinched the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title with a dominating win over former WBC European champion Kerry Hope. The six-footer from Haryana scored 98-92, 98-92, 100-90 to be the unanimous winner. Vijender holds the distinction of being India’s first Olympic and World Championships medallist.

Paes, Bopanna seal Davis Cup place

Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna outclassed the Korean pair of Seong Chan Hong and Hong Chung in straight sets to guide India to the Davis World Group Play-offs. The Indian pair dished out a dominating performance to beat the visitors 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 at the grass courts of Chandigarh Club. Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan had won their respective singles on Friday.

India woos Tesla with land offer

Indian government has invited American electric carmaker Tesla to set up a manufacturing hub for South Asia in India. Nitin Gadkari, minister of road transport and highways, who visited the company’s factory, offered land near major Indian ports to facilitate exports. In 2012, Tesla launched Model S, the world’s first premium electric sedan. It is headed by Elon Musk.

Sebi tightens collateral norms

SEBI directed clearing corporations to not accept fixed deposit receipts (FDRs) from banks as ‘collateral’, issued by them or clearing member of stock exchange. It was observed that some banks that are also a trading members on the stock exchange and clearing corporation have placed FDRs issued by themselves as collateral with the clearing corporation.

Monsoon Session beginning tomorrow

The Monsoon session of the Parliament is set to begin from tomorrow. The Govt. is hopeful of getting the GST Bill passed in the upcoming session. Other key bills like Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2011, Consumer Protection Bill 2015 and Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Bill, 2015 are also on the cards.

Cancer immunotherapy may fight HIV too

A type of immunotherapy that has shown promising results against cancer could also be used against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Research showed that, Recently discovered potent antibodies can be used to generate a specific type of cell called chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), that can be used to kill cells infected with HIV-1.

Pakistan to take river dispute to court

Pakistan has decided to return to an international tribunal to settle a dispute with India over sharing waters of the Kishenganga and Ratle rivers. Pakistan had lost the case to India at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2013.  The decision to move the PCA will erode the established mechanism of solving disputes on river water sharing under the Indus Waters Treaty, 1960.

Bank union to disclose wilful defaulters

The All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) is all set to make public the names of 7,000 wilful defaulters. The apex bank association has also given a call for a one-day nation-wide strike on July 29 to protest against the merger of five associate banks with the SBI and the privatization of IDBI Bank. 10 lakh employees of public sector banks are expected to join the strike

New initiatives for skill India launched

Marking the first anniversary of the “Skill India” initiative, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) Rajiv Pratap Rudy announced the launch of five major initiatives. These initiatives are Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana -2, India International Skill Centres, IndiaSkills Online and a Labour Management Information System (LMIS).

Trump Chooses Pence as Running Mate

Donald Trump announced Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his choice to be his running mate. Pence is an American politician and attorney who has been serving as the 50th Governor of Indiana since 2013. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are two front-runners for the upcoming Presidential elections in US.

UK offered free trade with Australia

Australia has called for a free trade deal with Britain following its exit from the European Union. In a phone call to the new PM Theresa May, her Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull said he urgently wanted to open up trading between the two countries However, Britain cannot sign any deals while it is still an EU member.

Non-Bailable warrant against Mallya

A court in Andheri has issued a non bailable warrant against Vijay Mallya in a case of cheque bouncing filed by the AAI. The court was hearing applications filed by AAI against Kingfisher Airlines in connection with two cheques of Rs. 100 crores which were dishonoured. Mallya has left the country after his airline defaulting on repayment of over Rs. 9,000 crore to the banks.

Inter-State Council meet after 10 years

The Inter-state council meet was held after a gap of 10 years. CMs of Bihar and Delhi, Nitish Kumar and Arvind Kejriwal expressed displeasure regarding Centre’s interference in the affairs of the state governments. On the GST Bill, Maharashtra CM Fadnavis made some specific demands regarding and the effects it will have on the revenue of Maharashtra government when it is passed.

Heavy rains lash Uttarakhand

Heavy rains have been lashing Uttarakhand for the two days and more has been forecast for several places in Uttarakhand. 9 were reported killed in the rains. The Met office in the state has issued an alert of heavy to very heavy rainfall at few places as Ganga river is flowing above danger mark in Haridwar.

ICICI to Train 1 lakh Youth by 2017

ICICI Academy aims to train one lakh youth in the country as part of its skill development programme. ICICI Foundation aims to reach the milestone by March 2017. It aims to enable the youth to acquire skills required to get the job or become self-employed. ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth had launched the ICICI Academy for Skills in Oct 2013 to provide vocational training.

PFRDA Unveil Aadhar-based Authentication

Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has  unveiled an Aadhar-based authentication module for subscribers. It also launched a mobile app for subscribers The subscribers will be able to view their NPS account, latest details of scheme & the total value of the schemes through the app. At present both National Pension System (NPS) & Atal Pension Yojana have 1.29 cr subscribers.

India, ADB Sign $100 mn Loan Pact

India & the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a $100 million loan agreement. The agreement was signed to for strengthen irrigation, drainage & water management in the Vennar sub-basin of the Cauvery delta in Tamil Nadu. The Cauvery river basin is a critical source of water for agriculture both within TN & neighbouring states. The project aims to provide flood protection.

HDFC Raises Rs3,000cr with Masala Bond

Housing Development Finance Corp (HDFC) has raised Rs 3,000 crore through the country’s first masala bond issuance. The funds have been raised at a fixed semi-annual coupon of 7.875% per annum and Bonds have maturity tenor of three years & 1 month. Masala bond refers to a bond through which Indian entities can raise money from foreign markets in rupee & not in foreign currency.

ShopClues Acquires Momoe

Online shopping platform ShopClues has acquired mobile payments firm Momoe Technologies to add a payment service to its platform. The size of the deal was not disclosed. Momoe allows users to pay offline merchants like restaurants, grocery stores,pharmacies, spas & salons Using the app, customers can pay for products and services using credit cards, debit cards, net banking & mobile wallets.

Rome Hockey Olympian Joe Antic Dies

The former Indian hockey player Joe Antic has passed away. He played at the centre half of the Rome Olympics squad in 1960 that won the silver medal. After his playing days, he took up coaching. He was one of the coaches in the Indian team’s World Cup camp in 1973. He became the national coach of the Oman team that took part in the 1982 Asian Games.

No Pakistani Qualifies for Rio Olympics

None of Pakistani athletes have qualified for the Rio Olympics. According to the Pakistan Olympic Association president Arif Hasan, the seven participants due to represent Pakistan at next month’s Rio Olympics have all been given wildcard entries. Pakistan has not won a medal at the Olympics since winning the Bronze Medal at the 1992 Olympic Games. More than 100 Indian athletes qualify for Rio.

Madhya Pradesh gets a ‘Happiness Dept’

Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in the country to set up a “happiness department”. The state cabinet has decided to constitute a `happiness department’ to bring cheers to the life of common man. The happiness dept will be manned by 20 employees & an initial budget allocation of Rs 3.6 crore The government has also formed a state happiness institute which will identify techniques.

Nalanda Mahavihara now a World Heritage

UNESCO has declared Bihar’s ancient Nalanda University as a World Heritage Site. The Nalanda site comprises of the archaeological remains of a monastic and scholastic institution dating from the 3rd century BC to the 13th century AD. Besides Nalanda,the Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape in China,the Persian Qanat in Iran & the ceremonial centre of eastern Micronesia were also declared.

India becomes First YAWS-free Country

India was acknowledged as the first country in the world to become YAWS-free. Union Minister of Health, JP Nadda received an official citation from the WHO for Elimination of Maternal & Neonatal Tetanus (MNTE) & for being YAWS-free. YAWS is a kind of bacterial infection that affects skin, bones and joints. Tetanus is another bacterial infection that leads to muscle spasms that can be fatal.

Amitabh to be the Face of ‘SBM’

Megastar Amitabh Bachhan will be the face of the “City Compost Campaign” under Swachh Bharat Mission(SBM). He will encourage citizens to use compost produced from municipal solid waste. He will appeal to all citizens to pledge to use only city compost in their gardens, farm houses & public gardens. India has the potential to produce 54 lakh metric tonne of compost per annum from waste.

Rare ‘Marbled Map’ Butterfly Sighted

Rare Marbled Map butterfly was sighted in Eastern Ghats near PM Kota village of Maredumilli mandal in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. This is the first time that the Marbled Map butterfly species, usually found in the north-east, was sighted in South India. The butterfly was found by a group of green enthusiasts including N. Chandramohan Reddy, an Indian Forest Service officer.

KVR Murthy Appointed as CMD of Jute Corp

K.V.R. Murthy has taken over as chairman-cum-managing director of the Jute Corporation of India Ltd(JCI). Murthy was earlier associated with Eastern Railways in the capacity of Chief Commercial Manager. His appointment is for a period of 5 years or till the date of his superannuation, whichever is earlier. JCI was set up in 1971 to provide helping hand in the raw jute sector.

Census on disabled Population Released

The Registrar General of India (RGI) has released Census 2011 data on disabled population. More than half of the total disabled population in India are now literate, acc. to new numbers released from Census 2011. Of the total disabled population of 2.68 crore in Census 2011, 1.46 crore or 54.5% were literates. Among the disabled literate population, 9% males & 7.7% females are graduates.

President Inaugurates Skills Competition

President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the first edition of “India Skills Competition”. Skill India mission aims to train over 40 cr youth in India in different skills by 2022. India Skills is a national competition to select the best talent who will lead India at the World Skills International Competition, scheduled in Abu Dhabi in 2017. At the last event organised at Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2015.

Chinese Bullet Trains Cross Each Other

Two Chinese trains running at world-record speeds in opposite directions crossed each other on parallel tracks. The two trains Golden Phoenix & Dolphin Blue travelling at 420 km per hour crossed on lines between Zhengzhou & Xuzhou. The experiment set a world-first for trains traveling at such speed. China has built over 16,000 kms of high-speed train tracks connecting most of the major cities

Turkey Appoints New Acting Army Chief

Turkey has appointed a new acting army chief of staff after an attempted coup to topple the government General Umit Dundar, commander of the First Army has been appointed as acting army chief of staff. First Army is a group of divisions within its land forces. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he did not know whereabouts of former army chief Hulusi Akar.

Emirates Declared World’s Best Airline

Emirates was named World’s Best Airline at Skytrax World Airline Awards 2016 It has won the top honors at Skytrax World Airline Awards ceremony at the Farnborough International Airshow in England. The survey measures quality standards across 41 key performance indicators in the airline industry. This is the 4^th time Emirates has earned the top award since Skytrax introduced the awards 15 yrs ago.

Russia To Deploy Air Defence Systems

Russia will deploy its most advanced S-400 air defence systems to the annexed Crimea peninsula in August. Russia is currently using its older S-300 systems on the peninsula it annexed from Ukraine in March 2014. The S-400  systems are Russia’s most modern anti-aircraft & missile defence systems. Since Crimea’s annexation Russia has stepped up its military presence in the peninsula.

Dinosaur Fossil from 90 mn yrs Ago Found

Researchers in Argentina have excavated the fossil of a new carnivorous dinosaur that lived around 90 million years ago. The 26-feet (8 metres) long dinosaur had two-fingered small forearms that were merely 2 feet (60 cm) long. The dinosaur belonged to the theropods like other meat-eating dinosaurs.

RBI Forms Panel to Study Digital Banking

The RBI has set up an inter-regulatory working group to study issues concerning financial technology & digital banking. The 13-member working group will be chaired by Sudarshan Sen, ED at the RBI. The panel will frame an appropriate regulatory response with an aim to enhance Fin Tech & digital banking opportunities It will also assess opportunities & risks arising for the financial system.

Ban Cash Transactions above 3 lakh:SIT

The Supreme Court-constituted special investigation team (SIT) has recommended a ban on cash transactions above Rs.3 lakh. It also suggested capping the cash holdings of companies & individuals at Rs.15 lakh. This is the 5th report by the SIT which was constituted in 2014 under former SC judge M.B. Shah. The committee was formed to look into ways to curb generation of black money

Vistara Names Ravinder Pal Singh as CIO

Vistara has appointed Ravinder Pal Singh its chief information officer. He will be in charge of the full-service carrier’s IT as well as innovation functions. He would consolidate, identify, acquire, evaluate and incubate the right technology to support the airline’s IT & digital platforms. Vistara is a joint venture between the Tatas and Singapore Airlines& has a fleet of 11 aircraft.

Honda Announces 2nd largest Recall

Honda Cars India will recall 190,578 units of the previous generation of its Accord, CR-V, Civic,City & Jazz models. This will be the company’s seventh recall in the Indian market in two years. This is part of its precautionary global recall concerning Takata front airbags. Millions of vehicles have been recalled across the globe due to defective safety airbag manufactured by Japan’s Takata Corp.

Amazon Opens Largest Fulfilment Centre

Amazon India has opened its largest fulfilment centre in Sonipat, Haryana. A warehouse sprawled across 200,000 sq. ft with a capacity of more than 800,000 cu. ft. It has built up the largest warehousing capacity in the consumer Internet business in the country. The fulfilment centre in Sonipat will help sellers in north India to stock their products with Amazon.

Yatra to Merge with Terrapin

Online travel agent Yatra has inked a deal to merger its business with the Nasdaq-listed Terrapin 3 Acquisition Corporation (TRTL). The merger deal values Yatra at an enterprise value of $218 million. Yatra portal was founded in 2006 & will continue to be led by co-founder & CEO Dhruv Shringi. TRTL has been formed as a special purpose acquisition company for undertaking merger, acquisition.

India Ranks 152 in the FIFA Rankings

India made a big leap of 11 places to occupy 152nd spot in the latest world football rankings issued by FIFA. India is now ranked highest in South Asia & 27th in Asia. Overall,Argentina remains on top despite losing to Chile in the Copa America summit clash. Belgium, Colombia &Germany retained their places at second,third & fourth place. Euro champions Portugal moved up two places to be at sixth.

Misbah Becomes Oldest Test Centurion

The 42-year-old Misbah-ul-Haq from Pakistan became the oldest ever to score a Test ton in the 21st century. He became the oldest player to score a Test century for 82 years when he reached the three-figure mark against England at Lord’s. He scored in the first of a 4 Test series. England’s Patsy Hendren made a century against Australia aged 45 in 1934 had an older player scored a Test hundred.

GM Harika Wins Fide Women’s GP Trophy

India’s Grand Master Harika Dronavalli won the Fide Women’s Grand Prix trophy in Chendu in China. Harika finished on 7 points in the round robin tournament featuring the world’s top 12 players to be crowned the champion. Other India Grand Master Koneru Humpy also finished her campaign on 7 points Harika was declared winner for finishing with a better tie-break record in the tournament.

R K Chaturvedi Appointed CBSE chairman

Rakesh Kumar Chaturvedi was  appointed as new Chairman of CBSE. Chaturvedi a 1987 batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh and has been appointed for a period of five years. The post of CBSE Chairman had been lying vacant since December 2014. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is a Board of Education for public & private schools, under the Union Government of India.

India Test Advanced Artillery Gun System

Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully conducted the proof firing of armament system for 155 mm x 52 calibre Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS). ATAGS is fully indigenous towed artillery gun system project. The gun will have a firing range of 40 kms & boasts of advanced features such as high mobility, quick deployability & auxiliary power mode.

Talgo Becomes the Fastest Indian Train

A lightweight Talgo train manufactured by a Spanish firm clocked 180kmph during the second phase of high-speed trials between Mathura and Palwal. It shattered the record by an Indian train – previously held by Gatimaan Express, at 160kmph. It will aim at a top speed of 220kmph. Talgo is a leading Madrid based manufacturer of semihigh speed (160-250kmph) and high-speed (350kmph) passenger trains.

BJP Launches Northeast Alliance

BJP chief Amit Shah has formally launched the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), a grouping of non-Congress parties n Guwahati. NEDA is a political platform of 11 regional parties of Northeast India, including BJP. The motive of the new political front was to protect the interest of the people of the region. Himanta Biswa Sarma was appointed as the convenor of the front.

V K Dev Appointed Deputy EC

Vijay Kumar Dev was appointed as the new Deputy Election Commissioner. He is an IAS officer of 1987 batch from UT cadre. He was appointed Deputy Election Commissioner in place of Vinod Zutshi. The Election Commission of India is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering election processes in India.

Delhi Govt Approves DMRC Phase-4

The Delhi government has approved the fourth phase of the Delhi Metro. A mega project that will take the mass rapid transit to the outer areas of the national capital. After the completion of Phase IV, the total length of the metro corridor in the city will cross the 450-km mark The construction will start next year and is scheduled to end within three years.

15-July: World Youth Skills Day

The World Youth Skills Day (WYSD) is observed on 15 July. World Youth Skills Day serves as an opportunity to highlight the importance of youth skills development. The UN General Assembly celebrates the World Youth Skills Day to raise awareness about the importance of investing in youth skills development. Theme 2016 is “Skills Development to Improve Youth Employment.”

Kuwait Sets Min Wage for Domestic Helps

Kuwait has become the first Gulf Arab country to set a minimum wage for domestic servants. A notice published on the Kuwaiti Interior Ministry’s listed the minimum salary as 60 Kuwaiti dinars ($198) a month. Kuwait is the first country in the Gulf to regulate the work conditions of domestic staff through legislation. The decree also requires employers to pay overtime for any extra hours worked.

Juno Spacecraft Send First In-orbit View

JunoCam – the camera aboard NASA’s Juno mission  has sent back some of the first images of Jupiter. An image released shows Jupiter surrounded by three of its four largest moons.            The colour image shows atmospheric features on Jupiter, including the famous Great Red Spot. The picture was taken when the Juno spacecraft was circling 3 million miles away.

Philippines, Japan Hold Maritime Drill

The Philippine & Japanese Coast Guard have conducted sixth Joint Maritime Law Enforcement (MARLEN) Exercise in the vicinity of Manila Bay. The exercise was done after Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favour of the Philippines over its South China Sea dispute with China. The agencies deployed vessels including an oil tanker, rigid hull inflatable boat & a helicopter to carry out drills.

5       Libya Sites on Heritage-in-danger List

The UN’s cultural agency UNESCO has added Libya’s five World Heritage sites to its danger list. The sites named include the Old City of Ghadame & the Cyrene,one of the principal cities in the Hellenic world. The rock-art sites of Tadrart Acacus that feature thousands of cave paintings are also listed. The other two are the coastal archaeological sites of Leptis Magna & Sabratha.  It was named Gualicho shinyae, a combination of the name of an evil spirit called Gualichu.

Cabinet Approves Disinvestment in NBCC

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the disinvestment of 15% paid-up equity in NBCC India Ltd out of govt’s 90 % shareholding. The divestment, which is expected to raise ₹1,706 crore. National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Urban Development. It has interests in construction, engineering & project management.

G-20 Labour Ministers Meet in Beijing

G-20 nations have adopted an action plan to encourage entrepreneurship. Representatives gathered in Beijing for the G-20 Labour & Employment Ministerial Meeting. India Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya also took part in the meeting. The main outcome was adoption of the Entrepreneurship Action Plan, The action plan have identified entrepreneurship as a major opportunity to increase employment.

HCC 1st to Get Debt Relief Under S4A

A consortium of 27 lenders led by ICICI Bank have decided to restructure more than Rs.2,000 crore worth of debts of Hindustan Construction Company (HCC). The debt will be restructured under the new RBI guidelines of ‘Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed Assets’ or S4A. HCC is the first company to opt for benefits from RBI’s latest policy to get relief.

CCEA Allow ITI Ltd to Transfer Shares

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal regarding transfer of shares by ITI Limited to Special National Investment Fund (SNIF). This was done to meet Securities & Exchange Board of India’s minimum public shareholding requirement. ITI Ltd is a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Comm & IT. it has incurred accumulated losses to the tune of Rs. 5,166 crore.

NABARD to Issue Bond for Irrigation Fund

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) will be issuing 15-year bonds to raise Rs 20,000 crore for an irrigation fund. The bonds will be issued from next month according to NABARD chairman HK Bhanwala. The fund will be used for irrigation of 19 lakh hectares of land. FM Arun Jaitley had announced the creation of a long-term irrigation fund in his Budget speech.

Govt Approves Revival of 3 Urea Units

Govt has approved revival of three closed fertiliser plants at Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh), Sindri (Jharkhand) & Barauni (Bihar). This is as part of its efforts to meet demand of eastern states and make India self-sufficient in urea output. These three fertilisers units would be revived by means of Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of Public Sector Units (PSUs) namely NTPC, CIL & IOCL.

Dutee Chand, Shrabani Nanda Felicitated

Indian women athletes, Dutee Chand & Shrabani Nanda, who have qualified for the Rio have been felicitated by Union Minister for Petroleum Dharmendra Pradhan. They were felicitated in the presence of Union Minister of State for Sports & Youth Affairs Vijay Goel. Shrabani has qualified for Women’s 200m event. Dutee became the first Indian to qualify in the Women’s 100m event after PT Usha in 1980.

Sania Launches her Autobiography

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan has launched the autobiography of star tennis player Sania Mirza titled ‘Ace Against Odds’. The autobiography was penned by Sania himself & her father Imran Mirza. The book chronicles the Hyderabad girl’s journey to becoming the World No 1 in the women’s doubles rankings. Sania is an Indian tennis player who is currently ranked No.1 in the women’s doubles rankings.

Book ‘Ringside with Vijender’ Released

The book titled Ringside With Vijender authored by Rudraneil Sengupta was released. The book throws light on the Beijing Olympics bronze medallist boxer Vijender Singh’s life post his transition to the world of pro boxing. It offers an insight into his struggles,training and his personal life. The book also deals with the boxer’s sudden decision to turn pro just an year ahead of the Rio Olympics.

India launches Op ‘Sankat Mochan’

India has launched “operation Sankat Mochan” to evacuate about 600 stranded Indians in war-torn South Sudan. The overall charge of the mission was being given to Minister of State for External Affairs General V K Singh. Two C-17 Globemaster aircraft have being dispatched to capital Juba. Indian nationals have stuck in fighting between the forces loyal to President of South Sudan & rival forces.

A K Patnaik Appointed Natgrid CEO

Senior IPS officer A K Patnaik has been appointed as CEO of Natgrid, an integrated intelligence grid. He was appointed as the CEO of Natgrid till Dec 2018. The National Intelligence Grid or NATGRID is the integrated intelligence grid connecting databases of core security agencies of the. It will develop a legal structure through which information can be accessed by the law enforcement agencies.

Cabinet Approves PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana

The Cabinet has approved the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) with an outlay of Rs 12000 crore. It aim to impart skill training to one crore people over the next four years (2016-2020). PMKVY will impart fresh training to 60 lakh youths & certify skills of 40 lakh persons who have acquired non-formal training. It will focus on skill training aligned with international standards.

Cabinet Nod to Ease Citizenship Rules

The Union cabinet has amended Citizenship Rules 2009. The Cabinet has approved facilities being extended to persons from minority communities of Afghanistan, Bangladesh & Pakistan staying on Long Term Visa (LTV) in India. Now the foreign migrants living in the country on the LTV can open bank accounts, get PAN card, Aadhaar & driving licence. It also allows the migrants to purchase property.

Nabam Tuki Resumes Duty as Arunachal CM

Former Arunachal Pradesh’s Congress Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has resumed his duty as the Chief Minister of the state. He resumed the office from Arunachal Bhavan in New Delhi. The Supreme Court has ordered the restoration of the Nabam Tuki govt in Arunachal Pradesh. Tuki was earlier dismissed by a special session of the state assembly held in a make-shift venue in Itanagar on Dec 16 & 17.

Vice President Leaves for Mongolia

Vice President Hamid Ansari left for Mongolia leading an Indian delegation to the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit. The two-day ASEM Summit will be held in Ulaanbaatar, capital of Mongolia. The theme for the Summit is “20 Years of ASEM: Partnership for the Future through Connectivity”. ASEM comprises of 53 entities – 51 countries from Asia & Europe and two regional bodies.

Theresa May is Britain’s New PM

Theresa May became Britain’s new prime minister, taking over from David Cameron with the task of negotiating Britain’s exit from the EU. May takes over from Cameron, who resigned after Britain’s vote to leave the European Union. Mrs May is the UK’s second female prime minister, after Margaret Thatcher.  Boris Johnson was appointed as British foreign minister by the country’s new PM Theresa May.

No-Trust Vote Tabled Against Nepal PM

The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) has filed a  no-confidence motion against Nepal Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli. The motion was filed in parliament after the Maoist party pulled out of the govt. Mr. Oli became Prime Minister last Oct,heading Nepal’s eighth govt in the past 10 years. The Maoists & the main opposition Nepali Congress party are now trying to form a new coalition govt.

Historian William H McNeill passed away

William H. McNeill, a professor & prolific author has passed away. His most well-known book “The Rise of the West” was among the most acclaimed works of the 20th century. It became a best seller, won the National Book Award for history & biography. He wrote more than a dozen books and taught for 40 years at the University of Chicago, where he was also chairman of the history dept.

Peru Declares Zika Emergency

Peru has declared Zika a health emergency across the northern half of the country after confirming that 102 people have been infected with the virus. Zika is seen as a cause of microcephaly – abnormally small heads and brains in babies. A major Zika outbreak in neighbouring Brazil, where nearly 1,600 babies have been born with the birth defect. The disease is principally transmitted by mosquitos.

Lebanon Fails to Elect New President

The Lebanese parliament failed for the 42nd time to elect a new President due to lack of the constitutionally required quorum. Lebanon has been without a president since May 25, 2014. The sharp political division among the Lebanese parties hindered the elections. Only 37 MPs arrived at the parliament building to take part,while two thirds represents the required quorum.

BRICS Bank to Issue Yuan Green Bonds

The New Development Bank (NDB) plans to sell 3 billion yuan ($448.37 million) of yuan-denominated, green bonds in China’s interbank market. Bond proceeds will be used to finance green projects in BRICS countries. The bank will also issue bonds in other member currencies.  The NDB is a multilateral development bank established by the BRICS states (Brazil, Russia, India, China & South Africa).

SBI Signs MoU with IIT Bombay

SBI has signed a MoU with the IIT Society for Innovation &Entrepreneurship (SINE), IIT Bombay’s technology business incubator to promote innovation by startups in the financial sector. This MoU will help in mentoring startups. Both SINE & SBI aim to address the issues faced by the entrepreneurial community. SBI will interact with the entrepreneurial & research community at IIT Bombay.

IDFC Bank Acquires Grama Vidiyal

IDFC Bank has acquired Tamil Nadu based micro-lender Grama Vidiyal in an all-cash deal. The aim is to expand its customer base and gain access to loan portfolios that enjoy priority sector status. IDFC Bank, a former infrastructure financier, converted itself to a bank in October last year. Grama Vidiyal Micro Finance started operations in 1997 & has a loan book of about Rs.1,502 crore.

Utpal Bora Made OIL Chief

The government has appointed Utpal Bora as the full-time chairman of Oil India Ltd. Simultaneously, government also announced the appointment of D Rajkumar as head of refiner-retailer Bharat Petroleum. Rajkumar at present heads the company’s exploration arm, Bharat Petro Resources Ltd. Bora is at present an executive director with ONGC & runs the flagship explorer’s Mehsana field in Gujarat.

GoAir Signs Deal with Airbus

GoAir has announced an agreement with European planemaker Airbus to buy 72 A320neos in a deal worth about $7.7 billion. GoAir is India’s 5th biggest carrier by passengers travelled. The new A320neo incorporates latest generation engines & large Sharklet wing-tip devices, which provide for 15% saving of the fuel. This is equivalent to a reduction of 5,000 tonnes of CO2 per aircraft per year.

Nirma to Buy Lafarge India’s Assets

Nirma Ltd. has agreed to acquire Lafarge India’s cement assets for about $1.4 billion (Rs.9,400 crore), LafargeHolcim will sell its Lafarge India business including three plants and two grinding units with a total capacity of about 11 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to Nirma. Nirma is the Ahmedabad-based detergents & chemicals maker currently operates a 2 MTPA cement unit.

Shah Rukh, Akshay Kumar in Forbes List

Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan & Akshay Kumar are among the world’s highest-paid celebrities of 2016. This was according to an annual list by Forbes. The list has been topped by American singer Taylor Swift with an earning of USD 170 million. Shah Rukh was ranked 86th on the list with earnings of USD 33 million. Akshay comes in on the 94th spot with USD 31.5 million earnings.

India, Ashwin: 2nd in Test Rankings

In the latest ICC Test rankings released in Dubai, India has held the 2nd position while Australia remains on top. Ravichandran Ashwin topped the all-rounders list besides being placed 2nd in bowling. In batting, Australia’s Steve Smith leads the field. He is followed by Kane Williamson of New Zealand & South Africa’s Hashim Amla.

India Announce Hockey Squads for Rio

India’s 16-member hockey squad for Rio Olympics was announced by Hockey India president Narinder Batra. Hockey India named senior goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh as the captain of the national team for the Rio Olympics. S.V. Sunil has been named vice-captain. In women’s hockey, Defender Sushila Chanu will lead the 16-member team. The Indian women’s team had last qualified for the Olympics in 1980.

Golfers Lahiri, Chawrasia Qualify for Rio

Star golfers Anirban Lahiri & S.S.P. Chawrasia will represent India at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Golf makes its return to the sporting extravaganza after a gap of 112 years. Lahiri & Chawrasia have made the grade for Rio as per the International Golf Federation’s (IGF) rankings for the Olympic. They have now officially sealed their places in the elite field of 60 players.

Admiral Lanba Commissions ‘INS Karna’

Admiral Sunil Lanba, the Chief of Naval Staff has commissioned the Marine Commandos (MARCOS-East) unit as INS Karna at a function at INS Kalinga in Visakhapatnam. MARCOS East was raised on October 26, 1992 & since then it has been the primary special operations unit in Eastern Naval Command (ENC). The unit has been at the forefront in various operations undertaken by the Navy.

Heptulla & Siddeshwara have resigned

Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla has resigned from Union Cabinet. Minister of State Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has been given independent charge of the ministry. Minister of State for Heavy Industries G M Siddeshwara has also resigned. Babul Supriyo is assigned the portfolio of Minister of State in the Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises.

Railways Launch Time-Tabled Auto Express

Railways have launched time-tabled Auto Express from Gurgaon to Nidvanda(Bangalore) to ensure faster delivery of cargo. The time-table run of auto-car freight train would ensure timely delivery of the automobiles. With the launch of time table run of freight train ,railways is targeting 25 per cent rail share in automobile traffic. These special trains have wagons to run 100 km per hour.

Centre Notifies AADHAR Act

The Centre has notified the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial & Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act 2016. By notifying govt has given a legal shape to Unique Identification Authority of India, UIDAI. The govt also separately notified the UIDAI (Terms and Conditions of Service of Chairperson and Members) Rules, 2016, for appointment of its chairperson & members.

Telangana Govt to set up NRI Dept

Telangana govt is planning to set up a full-fledged department to deal with the issues of non-resident Telanganites. This ministry would work as an external affairs ministry for the state in coordination with the foreign ministry of India The ministry will also promote Telangana as an investment destination. No state except Kerala & Punjab has a govt wing to deal with issues related to migrants.

SC Restores Congress Govt in Arunachal

The Supreme Court has restored the congress government in Arunachal Pradesh. The SC has quashed all the orders given out by the state’s governor since December 15, 2015. The Nabam Tuki-led Congress government was dismissed after 21 lawmakers of its 47 members rebelled against the chief minister. The leader of the dissident faction, Kalikho Pul, was sworn in as chief minister on 19 February.

Philippines Wins case vs China

A  Permanent Court of Arbitration in Hague has rejected China’s claims to economic rights across large swathes of South China Sea. The case was brought by the Philippines on the maritime dispute. In the ruling judges said that there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the sea The tribunal ruling said China had violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights.

Bangladesh & India Sign Agreement

Bangladesh & India have signed a deal for the construction of a 1,320 megawatt coal fired power plant. Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Ltd,the joint venture enterprise inked the deal with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited. BHEL will construct the thermal plant at Bangladesh’s southwestern Rampal near the Sundarbans. India’s Exim Bank will provide 1.49 billion US dollars for the project.

South Sudan President Orders Ceasefire

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has ordered unilateral ceasefire & cessation of hostilities. The violence has killed over 200 people in clashes between the rival leaders’ forces. The violence began with a shootout, & has since involved the use of heavy artillery, tanks & helicopters. South Sudan is a landlocked country in northeastern Africa that gained its independence from Sudan in 2011.

Indian-American Named US University Dean

An Indian-American professor with a diverse experience in the field of science & technology has been named the dean of a leading U.S. university. Dr. Kinshuk,has been named the Dean of University of North Texas College of Information in the U.S. Earlier in his career he was an Instructor at the Academy of Computer Education in India, as well as a Lecturer at the Govt Polytechnic College in India.

Airtel Tops Corporate Transparency List

Bharti Airtel has been ranked first in a listing of 100 emerging multinational companies in organisational transparency. This was according to report by Transparency International. In the latest edition of Transparency in Corporate Reporting,100 of the fastest-growing companies based in 15 emerging market countries The telco was followed by Tata Comm, Mahindra & Mahindra & Tata Motors.

Centre Forms Panel on Pulses Crisis

The Centre has constituted a high-powered panel under Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian,to provide a long-term solution to India’s pulses crisis The panel will revisit the minimum support price & bonus mechanism. The govt also expanded the buffer stock by 1.2 million tones. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by FM Arun Jaitley,Ram Vilas Paswan & Urban Minister Venkaiah Naidu.

Google to Train 2 mn Developers in India

Google has launched a program to train 2 million developers in India on Android, its mobile operating system in the next 3 year period. This is aimed at enabling them to make innovative mobile applications on the platform. India is expected to have the largest developer population of 4 million by 2018, overtaking the U.S. The aim is to help make India the global leader in mobile app development.

HDFC to Issue Masala Bonds

HDFC will launch the first sale of masala bonds by an Indian entity. HDFC is the first Indian public issuer of masala bonds. It has plan to raise at least Rs.2000 cr & have the option of raising Rs.1000 cr more from the sale in case of excess demand. Masala bond refer to a financial instrument through which Indian entities can raise money from overseas markets in the rupee,not foreign currency.

Myntra Acquires Tech Start-up Cubeit

Online fashion retailer Myntra has acqui-hired Cubeit, a Bengaluru-based tech start-up focused on content aggregation on mobile. Cubeit led by co-founders Sarthak Jain, Nithinkumar Gadiparthi & Prathamesh Juvatkar &was founded in 2014. The company focuses on building mobile applications which allow users to aggregate content from anywhere. Cubeit is Myntra’s third technology-led acquisition.

Coal India Board Clear Buy Back Proposal

Coal India Ltd (CIL) has cleared the proposal of buyback of equity shares following a marathon board meeting. The CIL board decided to buy back 1.72% of its shares by using Rs 3,650 crore from its reserves. Its board has approved the buyback of 108,955,223 equity shares on a proportionate basis at Rs 335 a piece. The money would earn from the buyback would be used to fund developmental projects.

Ghostbuster Gaurav Tiwari Dies

One of India’s most famous paranormal investigator Gaurav Tiwari has passed away. He was was the founder CEO of the Indian Paranormal Society,Set up in 2009. The paranormal society aims to educate people and help them get rid of their fears and bust myths regarding the paranormal. Gaurav is had visited over 6,000 `haunted’ locations and investigated hauntings.

Antoine Named Best Player of Euro 2016

France forward Antoine Griezmann was named Euro 2016’s Player of the Tournament by UEFA’s technical observers. Griezmann finished the tournament as top scorer with six goals. But he could not help the host nation to victory in the final, which they lost 1-0 to Portugal . The technical observers were in unanimous agreement that he was the tournament’s outstanding player.

Renato Named Euro 2016 Young Player

Renato Sanches was named as Young Player of the Tournament at Euro 2016 after helping Portugal win the title in France. He featured in six of Portugal’s seven matches in the tournament & netted his first international goal against Poland in the quarter-final. He was already the youngest player to play for the Portugal national team. The award is open to players born in 1994 or later.

Maria Sharapova Out of Rio Olympics

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has put back its ruling on the two-year doping ban for Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova for two months to September. It means ruling the tennis superstar out of the Rio Olympics. Sharapova was tested positive for the banned medication meldonium during in January. If the ban is upheld it would almost certainly end one of sport’s most high-profile careers.

President Confers 51st Jnanpith Award

President Pranab Mukherjee has conferred the 51st Jnanpith Award on renowned writer, Dr. Raghuveer Chaudhari. He has authored more than 80 books & some of his notable novels include Amrita, Venu Vatsala,Uparvas & Purvarang. The Award is an Indian literary award presented  by the Bharatiya Jnanpith. It is given to an author for the outstanding contribution towards literature,instituted in 1961

Kendrapada Sheep Gets Rare Status

The National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) has conferred rare & singular species genetic recognition tag to the threatened breed of Kendrapara sheep found in Odisha. A threatened breed of sheep found only in coastal Jagatsinghpur & Kendrapara districts of Odisha. The genetically rare status will help to boost conservation effort to protect these domesticated threatened sheep.

India, Kenya Sign Seven Agreements-1

India & Kenya have signed 7 agreements following delegation-level talks headed by PM Modi & Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. The two sides signed a MoU in the area of defence cooperation. Another MoU  for cooperation in the field of standardisation,between Bureau of Indian Standards & Bureau of Kenya Standards. A third MoU was signed in the field of national housing policy development.

India, Kenya Sign Seven Agreements-2

According to another agreement, India will extend a line of credit of $15 million to Kenya, for SME’s. An agreement signed for extension of a line of credit of $29.95 million by India to the Kenyan govt for upgrade of Rift Valley Textiles Factory ,Kenya. Both sides signed a revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement. A bilateral agreement on exemption of visa for holders of diplomatic passports.

Bihar Signs MoU with ADPC

The Bihar has signed an MoU with Bangkok-based Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC). The ADPC will provide technical assistance to the state govt to implement the Roadmap for Disaster Risk Reduction in Bihar(2015-30). One of the targets of the roadmap is cutting down the loss of human lives in natural disasters by 75% within 2030. Bihar often faces disasters like flood, drought & earthquake.

North Korea to End Diplomat Comm with US

North Korea said it will end a diplomatic communication channel with the United States in retaliation for U.S. sanctions that target leader Kim Jong Un. The U.S. govt last week imposed penalties on Kim and 10 other top officials for alleged human rights abuses. North Korea is already sanctioned because of its nuclear weapons program. It was the first time that Kim has been personally sanctioned.

Theresa May to become next British PM

Theresa May set to take over as next British Prime Minister after resignation of David Cameron. Mr Cameron will tender his resignation to the Queen on Wednesday. May elected leader of Britain’s ruling Conservative Party after David Cameron decided to step down following Brexit vote. She will become the U.K.’s second female prime minister after Margaret Thatcher.

Christiana Nominated for UN Top Post

Costa Rica nominated former United Nations climate chief Christiana Figueres to be the next U.N. Secretary-General. She is the 12th candidate to enter the race ahead of the first Security Council secret ballot. She is credited for helping lead more than 190 countries to a global climate deal in Paris in Dec. The 15-member Security Council will hold its first informal secret ballot on July 21.

Nimi Wins Gourmand World Cookbook Award

Cookbook author & food blogger Nimi Sunilkumar has won the Gourmand World Cookbook Award for 2015-16. She was bestowed for her cookbook 4 o’clock Temptations of Kerala. It was chosen for the award in the Best Indian Cuisine Cookbook section. Gourmand World Cookbook Award is famously known as the Oscar award in the field of cookery. The award is organized to honour the best food books.

Astronomers Discover New Dwarf Planet

A new dwarf planet has been discovered beyond Neptune. The planet is about 700 km in size & has been given the name 2015 RR245. The planet was discovered by an international team of astronomers as part of the Outer Solar Systems Origins Survey. The instrument that found it was Canada-France Hawaii Telescope. A dwarf planet is a planetary object that is neither a planet nor a natural satellite.

 Aditya Puri Named Best Banking CEO

Aditya Puri, the chief executive & managing director of the HDFC Bank has been ranked as the best banking CEO in Asia by the investor community. The bank’s chief financial officer Sashi Jagdishan has been ranked as the best CFO. HDFC also ranked as the best IR company. The All-Asia Executive Team rankings 2016 had 1,394 investment professionals from 582 financial institutions participating in it.

Airtel-Aircel 4G Deal Cleared

Telecom Ministry have cleared the Rs 3,500-crore 4G spectrum trading deal between service providers Bharti Airtel and Aircel. Airtel has entered into an agreement with Aircel to acquire rights to use 4G spectrum of Aircel in eight telecom circles for Rs 3,500 crore. These circles are Tamil Nadu,  Bihar, J&K, West Bengal, Assam, the North-East, Andhra Pradesh & Odisha.

Paytm Launches Small Loans for Merchants

Payments services firm Paytm has started offering collateral-free working capital loans for merchants on its platform. Paytm has partnered with financial institutions such as Capital Float which will offer loans to merchants. It will offer loan to merchants such has kirana stores, auto and taxi drivers based on their payments history. These loans would be in the range of Rs10,000 to Rs1 lakh.

G20 Pledges to Boost Global Trade

The world’s top 20 economies agree to boost sluggish global trade despite growing protectionism & uncertainty over Brexit. This was decided at G20 trade ministers meeting in Shanghai,China. The Group of 20 trade ministers approved a broad trade growth strategy aimed at reversing a slowing in global trade. The G20 nartions account for 85 percent of global trade.

Portugal Win Euro 2016 football C’ship

Portugal has lifted the Euro 2016 football championship at Saint-Denis in Paris Portugal defeated host France 1-0 in the final. Substitute Eder scored in extra-time to give Portugal a win at their first major international title. Eder scored the goal with 11 minutes of extra time left to stun France after the host team had dominated the match.

Andy Murray Clinches 2nd Wimbledon Title

Britain’s Andy Murray has clinched a second Wimbledon title & third Grand Slam crown. He defeated Milos Raonic of Canada 6-4, 7-6 and 7-6. World number two Murray added the 2016 trophy to his 2013 triumph at the All England Club & his 2012 US Open title. He shattered Raonic’s hopes of becoming the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam crown.

Heather & Henri Wins Mixed Doubles Title

Britain’s Heather Watson & Henri Kontinen of Finland won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title. Watson is the first Briton to win the mixed doubles at Wimbledon. The unseeded Watson and Kontinen defeated 15th seeds Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany & Colombian Roberto Farah 7-6, 6-4. Earlier Gordon Reid won the men’s wheelchair singles title & Jordanne Whiley the women’s wheelchair doubles.

Hamilton Wins Fourth British Grand Prix

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton from Great Britain has won the 2016 British Grand Prix title of Formula One This his overall fourth British Grand Prix title after winning it in 2008, 2014 and 2015. Red Bull Max Verstappen finished in 2nd & Nico Rosberg of Mercedes finished 3rd. British GP was the tenth race of the 2016 season & was held at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire in England.

Veteran India Footballer Amal Dutta Dies

Renowned Indian footballer Amal Dutta passed away. He was part of the India squad in the 1954 Asian Games He was known as India’s first professional coach, who introduced the diamond formation. He took over as the coach for East Bengal Club for a year in 1963 and later moved on to coach Mohun Bagan Club. He served as the technical director of Indian national team in late eighties.

11th-July: World Population Day

World Population day is an annual event observed on July 11 every year. The event was established by the Governing Council of the UN Development Programme in 1989. It aims at increase people’s awareness on various population issues such as the importance of family planning, gender equality, poverty & maternal health. This year’s 2016 theme is Investing in teenage girls.

India Signs 5 Agreements with Tanzania

PM Modi met Tanzanian President John Pombe Joseph Magufuli following which India & Tanzania signed 5 agreements. The two sides signed an agreement under which India will provide a Line of Credit of USD 92 million to Tanzania. Other include MoU on water resource, MoU for establishment of vocational training centre, MoU on visa waiver & an agreement between NSIC India & SIDO Tanzania.

2nd Unit of Kudankulam Gets Operational

The second unit of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu gets operational. The atomic reactor will provide electricity to Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala & Karnataka. At first 250 mega watt power will be generated and this will be increased step by step & will reach the full capacity of 1000 mega watt in 3 months. The Kudankulam nuclear reactors have been built with Russian expertise.

India Post to Deliver Gangajal

The initiative to deliver pure Gangajal from post offices spread across the country was launched in Patna. Minister of state for Communications Manoj Sinha & Union Minister of Law & Justice Ravishankar Prasad launched the initiative. Under this scheme the pious Gangajal brought from Gangotri and Rishikesh would be delivered at the doorsteps of people at nominal prices.

PM Modi Arrives in Nairobi, Kenya

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Kenya from Tanzania on the fourth and final leg of his four-nation African tour. He becomes the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Kenya after 35 years since the visit of then PM India Gandhi in 1981. PM Modi will meet the Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta at the State House. Kenya is home to around 80,000 people of Indian origin.

Sanjay Gupta Appointed CMD of KRCL

Sanjay Gupta has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD )of the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL). He was from the Indian Railway Services of Mechanical Engineering (IRSME) & worked as the Director from Sept30, 2013. He also worked as chief mechanical engineer of Konkan Railway. He had been officiating as the CMD since Nov 24, 2015, after the retirement of B P Tayal.

N Korea Threatens Action Against THAAD

North Korea said that it will take physical response to a move by the US & South Korea to deploy THAAD missile defense system to the Korean peninsula. North Korea’s military said there will be physical response measures from them as soon. The US & South Korea have agreed to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system to counter the threat from the North Korea.

Bangladesh Bans Zakir Naik’s Peace TV

Bangladesh government have banned the broadcasting of India-based controversial preacher Zakir Naik’s Peace TV channel. It was banned after reports that his provocativespeeches had  inspired some of the terrorists who carried out the terror attack at a cafe in Dhaka. The decision to ban was taken during a special meeting of Cabinet Committee on Law and Order.

Decisive Win for Abe-led Coalition

Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling coalition has secured landslide victory in the elections to the Upper House of Parliament. They need a super majority in the upper house to start a parliamentary motion for changing the constitution. The current Constitution has never been revised. It took effect in 1947. Mr Abe said some of the articles need to be changed to fit the times.

Sushila Karki is Nepal’s 1st Woman CJ

Justice Sushila Karki is the first woman Chief Justice of the Nepal Supreme Court. The appointment of Sushila Karki was unanimously endorsed by a parliamentary panel. She was administered the oath of office and secrecy by President Bidya Devi Bhandari at the President’s Office. Karki was recommended for the top judicial post on April 10 this year by the Judicial Council.

NASA’s Mars Orbiter Spots CO2 Ice

NASA’s Mars Reconnaisance Orbiter has found thin layer of carbon dioxide ice in some dusty parts of the Mars. The surface in these regions becomes so frigid overnight that an extremely thin layer of carbon dioxide frost appears to form. Carbon dioxide is the main ingredient of Mars’ atmosphere. The planet also has large reserves of frozen carbon dioxide buried in the polar ice caps.

 IMF Slashes Euro Zone Growth Outlook

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced its cut on euro zone growth outlook for the next two years over uncertainties sparked by Britain’s exit from the European Union. The IMF in its annual policy review of the euro currency bloc said it expects the 2016 growth at 1.6%, down from the previous forecast of 1.7%. Next year, growth will slow to just 1.4% down from 1.7% forecast previously.

Microsoft COO Kevin Turner Quits

Kevin Turner has resigned as the Chief Operating Officer ( COO) of Microsoft with effect from 31 July 2016. Turner was handling Microsoft’s Sales operations. He has been COO of Microsoft since 2005. He would now be joining Citadel Securities as Chief Executive Officer. Turner’s responsibilities will now be divided among five different executives at Microsoft.

Tata Steel Halts UK Business Sale

Tata Steel has cancelled the sale of its UK business that includes its Port Talbot plant. The decision was taken after taking into account issues such as the uncertainties caused by the Brexit vote. In March, Tata Steel decided to put its entire UK business on sale in the face of a slump in steel demand. It had reported a loss of Rs.3,213.76 crore in the three months ended March.

TCS Non-Executive Director Steps Down

Country’s largest IT services firmTata Consultancy Services (TCS) Non-ExecutiveDirector Phiroz Vandrevala has resigned from the company. Vandrevala is also the Vice-Chairman & MD ofDiligenta, a TCS subsidiary will continue with this role. He has over 25 years of consulting & leadership experience with TCS. He had been involved in TCS’ foray into the life and pension industry.

Pulitzer Winning Reporter Schanberg Dies

US journalist Sydney Schanberg has passed away. He worked for the Times & won a Pulitzer Prize in 1976. He was known for reporting on the fall of Cambodia to the Khmer Rouge after he refused to evacuate the country. His work inspired the Oscar-winning Hollywood film, The Killing Fields. The Killing Fields won eight BAFTA Awards & three Academy Awards.

Serena Williams Wins Seventh Wimbledon

World number one Serena Williams defeated German fourth seed Angelique Kerber to win a seventh Wimbledon title. She defeated Kerber in straight sets 7-5, 6-3 in the final. She now equal Steffi Graf’s professional era record of 22 grand slam singles crowns. Serena & her sister Venus Williams won the doubles title beating Timea Babos of Hungary & Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova.

Maha Finish 2nd in Junior Aquatic C’ship

Maharashtra finished 43rd Glenmark Junior National Aquatic Championship at the second place with 406 points in the overall championship table. Karnataka finish ahead of Maharashtra with 607 points. 43rd Glenmark Junior National Aquatic Championship was held at Bangalore, Karnataka. Damini Gowda of Karnataka won the best swimmer with 5 golds and 3 records.

Sandeep Wins Silver in Spanish GP

Indian grapplers, Sandeep Tomar & Narsingh Yadav won the silver & bronze medals in 57kg and 74kg respectively. They won at the Spanish Grand Prix Wrestling championship in Madrid. In 57kg category, Erdenebat Bekhbayar of Mongolia won the gold. In the 74kg category, Livan Lopez of Cuba won the gold. Yogeshwar Dutt failed to impress and returned empty handed

Herbert & Mahut Secure Wimbledon Title

Nicolas Mahut & Pierre-Hughes Herbert won the Wimbledon men’s doubles title. They won in straight sets 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-3 over fellow French duo Julien Benneteau &  Edouard Roger-Vasselin. This is the second major title together for the Mahut and Herbert, who won the U.S. Open last year. They’re only the second pair of Frenchmen to earn the doubles trophy at the All England Club.

Talgo Trains Begin Second Phase of Trial

Spanish train Talgo commenced its second phase trial from Mathura at 120km per hour speed. The trial between Mathura & Palwal will go on for 25 days & the speed will go up to 180 kmph this time. Earlier, the speed was ranging between 80-115 km per hour during the first trial Talgo coaches are lightweight and designed in a way that it can run on curves without decelerating the speed.

Govt to Set up Banana Research Centre

Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has announced that a National Research Centre for Banana will be set up at Goraul in Bihar’s Vaishali district. The land for this purpose was already allotted. The announcement came while inaugurating ‘Horti-Sangam 2016’ at Hajipur, the district headquarters of Vaishali. Farmers from over a dozen states put fruits,vegetables & flowers on display.

DRDO Inks Pact with IITs

The DRDO has signed an agreement with IIT-Bombay & Madras to establish a bi-nodal Centre of Propulsion Technology (CoPT). The initiative is aimed at channelising the research efforts towards developing products & related critical aerospace technologies. The MoA was signed among DG DRDO S Christopher,IIT Bombay Director Prof Devang Khakhar& IIT Madras Director Prof B Ramamurthi.

Maharashtra Police Launches Four Apps

Maharashtra police has launched four mobile apps for timely intervention into emergency situations. The four applications — Pratisaad Ask, Police Mitra, Vahanchoritakrar & Railway helpline app were launched by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. With the launch of these apps, citizens can reach out to police to report any emergency situation or crime like robbery or assault on women 24X7.

Narendra Modi Arrives in Tanzania

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Tanzania as part of his four-nation Africa tour.The tour is aimed at enhancing ties with the continent, particularly in the economic sphere. In Tanzania, Mr. Modi will hold talks with President John Pombe Joseph Magufuli on a range of issues. The visit will be aimed at giving an impetus to ties with Tanzania, a valued friend in Africa.

C’garh Sets Target of Laying 5000km Road

Chhattisgarh government has set a target of laying over 5,000 km roads in two years at an investment of Rs 18,279 crore. The government decided to lay 5,376 km of roads in a time bound manner by March, 2018, Under the target, 360 roads, including 26 national highways will be constructed. It also gave the target of completion of 100 km road construction every month.

NATO to Fund Afghan Forces to 2020

NATO allies agreed to help fund Afghan security forces to the tune of around $1 billion annually over the next 3 years. This was decided at a 2 day summit in the Polish capital Warsaw. NATO has been present in Afghanistan since 2003.&has invested tens of billions of dollars in trying to stabilise the country. Afghanistan faces a number of crises,including a faltering economy & endemic corruption.

Peru Opens a Cold Lockup

Peru has opened a sprawling new prison high up in the Andes. The new facility was launched at 4,100metres (13,451 feet) above sea level in Cochamarca,in the Pasco area. The cold at the new facility is brutal,it could be worse for inmates there. The daytime temperatures hit highs around 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) & overnight plunge to 14 degrees below zero.

US Bill Propose Restrictions on H-1B, L1

A group of US lawmakers have introduced a bill in the House of Representatives which if passed by the Congress would prevent Indian companies from hiring IT professionals on H-1B & L1 visas. The ‘H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2016’ would prohibit firms from hiring H-1B employees. Before the bill is signed into law by President Obama,it must pass the Senate where it is yet to be tabled.

China Completes Asia Longest Tunnel

China has completed Asia’s longest 16-km single tunnel with double tracks for high-speed trains in the country’s northwest Shaanxi province. The tunnel, the longest of its kind in Asia cuts through the Qinling Mountains. It is part of a high-speed rail line that links Xi’an & Chengdu in China’s southwest Sichuan province. The 643 km line will reduce the travel time from 16 hours to just 3 hours.

Orangutan Now Critically Endangered

Bornean orangutan, a primate species has been declared critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature & Natural Resources (IUCN). The declaration was based on the assessment for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This means that species of orangutan now face an extremely high risk of extinction. Orangutans share approximately 97% of their DNA with humans.

 SIDBI Partners Yes Bank for Guarantee

A MoU was signed between SIDBI & Yes Bank under the Partial Risk Sharing Facility (PRSF) for financing energy efficiency projects programme sponsored by the World Bank. Sidbi will extend the guarantee for securing up to 75% of the loan amount of up to Rs 15 crore extended by the bank to MSMEs under this programme. Sidbi expects to provide credit guarantee to more than 500 projects.

WB to Extend Credit for Bihar JEEViKA II

Centre,Bihar govt & World Bank has signed a USD 290-million credit agreement. It will to help improve livelihood opportunities for poor rural households across 32 districts of Bihar. Bihar Transformative Development Project also known as Jeevika II will mobilise rural population into self-help groups (SHG)& help them gain access to a range of financial services from formal financial institutions.

India Sets up Training centre in Nigeria

India has set up an apparel training centre in Nigeria to support textiles industry of the west African country. This is a first of its kind centre in Nigeria, set up in partnership with their government. The centre has been established in Kaduna, Nigeria under the Cotton Technical Assistance Programme for Africa Nigeria is Africa’s biggest oil producer & its major export to India is crude.

RBI Allows FI to Buy PNB Shares

The RBI has lifted the restriction on fresh purchase of shares of Punjab National Bank by foreign investors. The aggregate foreign share holdings by foreign institutional investors in PNB have now gone below the prescribed threshold caution limit. PNB has posted the largest quarterly loss by any public sector lender at Rs 5,367 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 31, 2016.

Govt Kick Start SUUTI Stake Sale Process

The govt has kick started the process to sell his minority stakes held in many companies through the Specified Undertaking of the Unit Trust of India (SUUTI). SUUTI has minority stakes in 51 companies which includes Axis Bank & ITC. The govt has invited bids from bankers for the mandate to manage the stake sales. Parliament bifurcated UTI in 2002,creating SUUTI &UTI Asset Management Co.

Serena to Face Kerber in Wimbledon Final

Six times champion Serena Williams will take on Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the women’s singles final. Williams reached her ninth Wimbledon singles final by thrashing unseeded Russian Elena Vesnina. Kerber beat Venus Williams in other semi final. Serena has won five of the seven encounter against Kerber. If wins, William will touch Steffi Graf’s Open-Era record of 22 grand slams.

Murray to Face Raonic in Wimbledon Final

Britian Andy Murray will play Canada Milos Raonic in his men’s Wimbledon final. Murray defeated Tomas Berdych in straight sets to reach his third Wimbledon final. Sixth seed Raonic in his first major final defeated Roger Federer to reach final. Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877.

Pak Phlanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi Dies

Renowned Pakistani philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi,who dedicated his life to the poor has passed away. He set up one of Pakistan’s biggest welfare organisations & was revered as a living saint by many in the country. His Edhi Foundation provides a broad range of free social services, including ambulances, orphanages & support for the elderly. He received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1986.

Kerala Imposes Fat Tax on Junk Food

Kerala became the first state in the country to impose a ‘fat tax’ on junk food. The Kerala government has slapped 14.5% tax on branded restaurants selling pizzas, burgers, doughnuts, sandwiches, pasta and patty. The introduction of fat tax is as a measure to curb consumption of junk food. In the past, studies had revealed obesity increasing among schoolchildren due to consumption of junk food.

Govt Launch Krishi Vigyan Kendras Portal

Agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh has launched an online portal designed to monitor nearly 645 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs). The KVKs have a mandate to assess agri-technology & demonstrate to farmers application. The KVK portal will provide information related to all schemes, market development & weather updates. The portal will also have a provision for online monitoring of KVKs.

Second Phase of ‘Haritha Haram’ Launched

Telangana govt has launched the second phase of ‘Haritha Haram’ programme aimed to improve its green cover. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao inaugurated the programme at Gundrampalli near Chityal in Nalgonda district. The two-week long Haritha Haram programme aims at planting 46 crore plants. The programme envisages increasing the present 24% tree cover in the State to 33%.

Radhika Menon to Receive 2016 IMO Award

Captain Radhika Menon, Master of the oil tanker Sampurna Swarajya is to receive the 2016 International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea. She will be awarded for her role in the rescue of seven fishermen from a sinking fishing boat in tumultuous seas. She is the first female captain in the Indian Merchant Navy & will be the first female to receive the Award.

India, South Africa Ink Four Pacts

India & South Africa inked three MoU & one Programme of Cooperation. The MoUs were signed following delegation-level talks headed by PM Modi & South African President Jacob Zuma The 3 MoU was signed in the fields of ICT (Information & Communications Technology),Tourism & Grassroots Innovation in Science and Technology. A Programme of Cooperation in Arts & Culture was the fourth agreement signed.

Apna Lohit” Mobile App Launched

Lohit District Administration has launched “Apna Lohit” mobile app. It is first of its kind mobile app to be launched by any district of Arunachal Pradesh. The app is like a mini encyclopedia giving detailed information about the history, geography, culture etc of the district. From this app people can get detailed useful information about the district at their finger tips.

UK Lift Ban on Women in Frontline Combat

British PM David Cameron had accepted a recommendation from the head of the Army, Gen.Nick Carter that women should be allowed to serve in ground close-combat roles. The decision would be implemented “as soon as possible. It will increase opportunities for women to serve in the full range of roles. Until now British women have been able to serve as fighter pilots, sailors & submariners.

NATO Summit in Warsaw Starts

The Summit of the Heads of State & Government of the 28 NATO countries begin in Warsaw, Poland. The meeting will discuss prospects of development of cooperation within the organization, relations with Russia & the fight against terrorism. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949.

N Korea Fires Submarine-Launched Missile

North Korea has test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine but it failed in its initial flight stage. The missile was launched in waters east of the Korean peninsula. The SLBM (submarine-launched ballistic missile) was ejected from the submarine, but is estimated the initial flight was unsuccessful. North Korea is banned by the UN from any use of ballistic missiles.

New Spider Named After Nobel Laureate

Scientists has named a newly discovered species of tarantula (a big hairy spider) as Kankuamo Marquezi It was named after the famed Colombian novelist & 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The species was discovered in large number in an isolated mountain range in Caribbean Colombia. It was named after him as homage to the country where it was found.

Malware Hits Millions of Android Phones

A new report has said that up to 10 million Android smartphones could have been infected by a malware called HummingBad. The malware which installs itself deep inside a phone’s operating system to avoid detection. It gives its creators complete control over the handset. HummingBad installs apps on their device & spies on their browsing habits. It also generates fake clicks for online adverts.

Massive Planet with 3 Suns Discovered

Scientists have discovered a new planet  located 340 light years from Earth & four times the mass of Jupiter. The planet has been named as HD 131399Ab. It is about 16 million years old, making it one of the youngest exoplanets discovered to date. It orbits three stars & witnesses triple sunrises & sunsets each day.

Panel to Explore Change in Fiscal Year

The govt has set up a committee to examine the option of moving to a new financial year cycle,replacing the existing April-March period. The committee will be headed by former chief economic adviser Shankar Acharya. The other  members of the committee are KM Chandrasekhar,PV Rajaraman & Rajiv Kumar. It will study the desirability& feasibility of moving to a new financial year cycle.

India is World’s 4th Largest App Economy

India is the world’s fourth-largest mobile app economy. This was according to mobile-app analytics firm App Annie. China, United States & Brazil are ahead of India in terms of app economy. App Annie has predicted that India will complete 7.7 billion downloads by the end of 2016. The number is expected to go up to 20.1 billion by 2020.

NASSCOM Opens First IoT-focussed Centre

The National Association of Software & Services Companies (NASSCOM) has launched India’s first Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Internet of Things (IoT) at the NASSCOM Startups Warehouse in Bengaluru. The centre was inaugurated by Ravi Shankar,Minster for Law&Justice & IT. IoT is described for devices that have sensors which talk to & share information to other devices over the internet.

FM Releases ‘Less Cash’ Campaign Roadmap

The FM Arun Jaitley has released the ‘less cash campaign’ road map of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT). The campaign will in the next 40 days,seek to promote usage of digital payments across the country. It will emphasize the need of adoption of electronic payments as mode of payment among trading community. The usage of digital payments will bring more transparency & accountability.

HSBC Sees Growth Easing to 7.4 Percent

India’s economy may grow at a slightly slower pace of 7.4 per cent this fiscal amid weaker global demand says an HSBC report. The factors that are weighing on the economy include weaker global demand, banking sector risk aversion, sluggish domestic private investment & gradually climbing oil prices. It expect GDP growth to slow gently to 7.4 % in 2016-17 & further to 7.2% in 2017-18.

Vishal Kapoor new CEO of IDFC AMC

IDFC has appointed Vishal Kapoor as chief executive of IDFC Asset Management Company. Kapoors last assignment was with Standard Chartered Bank as the managing director, head of wealth management, India. He is expected to join his new role by September. He will be responsible for driving accelerated growth of IDFC AMC.

Noted Music Director Omi Passes Away

Veteran music director Om Prakash Sonik or Omi, of the well-known duo Sonik-Omi has passed away. He was born in Sialkot (now in Pakistan) & they moved to India after Partition in 1947. Sonik–Omi duo consisting of Master Sonik & his nephew Omi. The Sonik-Omi team gave music to over 100 Hindi films. Some of their best-known works are Bhakti Mein Shakti,Dharma,Sawan Bhadon & Raftaar.

France Beats Germany to Reach Euro Final

France defeated world champion Germany 2-0 in Euro cup semi-final match at Marseille. It will now take on Portugal in the final in Paris. It has taken France 58 years to defeat Germany in a major tournament. France has won two European Championship titles in 1984 and 2000 &  a World Cup title in 1998. Euro 2016 is the 15th UEFA European Championship & is currently being held in France.

Nehwal Honored for Australian Open Win

Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal was honoured by Hyundai Motor India Ltd by gifting her the 1st anniversary edition of Indian Car of The year – Creta. The vehicle was gifted in celebration of her winning the Australian Open Championship in Sydney last month. She is amongst the most decorated athletes in the country. She has won Arjuna Award, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Padam Shri & Padam Bhushan.

India, Mozambique Sign Pact on Pulses

India & Mozambique have signed agreement under which India will buy pulses from this country to plug its shortfall. The agreement to buy pulses would meet India’s requirements & help raise the farmers’ income in Mozambique. Both sides also signed a MoU on cooperation in youth affairs & sports. Another MoU was signed on drug demand reduction & prevention of illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs.

231 Namami Gange Projects Launched

In its bid to fast-track execution of the Namami Gange programme, the govt has launched 231 projects, It includes installation of sewage treatment plants & ghat constructions at over 100 locations in 7 states. The states include Uttarakhand, U.P,Bihar,Jharkhand &West Bengal, besides Delhi & Haryana through which Yamuna passes. The projects were launched with an estimated cost of Rs 1,500 crore.

3 Indians in Heroes of Philanthropy List

Three Indians have made it to Forbes Asia’s Heroes of Philanthropy list for 2016. The Indians in the list include Vineet & Anupama Nayar, founders of the Sampark Foundation & Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India. The list honours 40 philanthropists from 13 countries across Asia Pacific. The list also recognises people who have compiled a long record of supporting worthy causes.

HM Inaugurate BRICS Drug Control Meeting

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated  the second anti-drug working group meeting of heads of Drug Control Agencies of BRICS countries in New Delhi. It is being organised by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) of India. The meeting will evaluate the drug abuse situation in the member countries. It will also devise modalities to share the best practices of enforcement & demand reduction.

IR Announces AC Coach For DEMU Train

Indian Railways has developed its first air-conditioned coach for its diesel-electric multiple unit (DEMU) trains. The first ever AC coach has been manufactured at Indian Railways’ Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory (ICF). Existing 8-coach DEMU train will have two such newly developed AC coaches. Till now the existing DEMU trains consisted only of non-air conditioned coaches.

Maharashtra CM Inducts 11 Ministers

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has expanded his cabinet by inducting 11 ministers. Out of eleven ministers,10 are first time ministers in the Maharashtra government. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ally Shiv Sena was given two cabinet berths. With this Cabinet expansion, the council of minister now has 39 members, with 42 being the maximum allowed

AP to conduct Smart Pulse Survey

Andhra Pradesh govt will conduct a ‘Smart Pulse Survey’ for collecting socio-economic data of 1.48 crore households in the state. The first phase of the survey commence on July 8 with enumerators collecting details of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. The state Cabinet on June 1 decided to conduct the survey to determine the socio-economic status & collect all other relevant details.

Lidudumalingani Wins 2016 Caine Prize

The South African writer and filmmaker, Lidudumalingani has won the prestigious Caine Prize for his short story, Memories We Lost. The winning short story explores how traditional beliefs are used to tackle schizophrenia. The prize, launched in 2000, is awarded annually to an African writer of a short story published in English. It is famously referred as the African Booker.

Putin Signs ‘Big Brother’ Law

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed the controversial “anti-terrorist” legislation dubbed “Big Brother” measures by critics. The law boosts the govt surveillance powers for the security services by requiring telecom providers to store key data and provide it to security forces. It requires operators to store users’ calls, messages & videos for 6 months as well as metadata up to 3 years.

US,S Korea Agree THAAD Missile Defence

The US and South Korea have agreed to deploy a missile defence system in the wake of intensifying threats from North Korea. The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system will be deployed to counter the threat from North Korea. The THAAD system would be able to detect North Korean missiles & shoot them down. It will bolster South Korea  defense against N Korean missiles.

SuperTyphoon Nepartak Hits Taiwan

Super typhoon Nepartak has hit eastern Taiwan. It causes thousands of people to leave their homes, disrupting power supply & forcing the cancellation of more than 500 flights. Tropical Storm Risk had rated the typhoon as category 5, at the top of its ranking, In 2009, Typhoon Morakot devastated the island killing about 700 people & causing damages of up to $3 billion.

inMin Defer Tax Standard Implementation

The govt has deferred by a year the implementation of the income computation & disclosure standards (ICDS). ICDS will now be applicable from the current fiscal year as against 2015-16 notified earlier. This is in line with recommendations that had proposed giving Indian companies more time to move to the ICDS regime. ICDS lays down the way taxable income of corporate assessees is computed.

HDFC Bank Launches SME Bank

The HDFC Bank has launched an SME Bank which will provide full-fledged digital banking service to small & medium sector enterprises (SME). It has launched SM@Bank to provide banking service for SME. The new entity would allow clients access services instantly on 24×7 basis over personal computers or mobile phones. The existing brick & mortar service format for the SMEs would coexist with SMEBank.

Yeldi Get RBI Licence for Digital Wallet

Yeldi Softcom has received licence from the RBI to operate a semi-closed digital wallet to carry out cashless transactions. The acquisition of the license will enable Yeldi to promote the use of digital wallets. A semi-closed wallet is a digital payment instrument accepted by a pre-defined set of merchants contracted specifically by the issuer. It does not allow users to withdraw or redeem cash.

Google Buys French Startup Moodstocks

Google has purchased Moodstocks,a French startup that specializes in speedy object recognition from a smartphone. Moodstocks enabling smartphones or other mobile devices to recognize images & objects. Google is investing in ways to get computers to see & understand the world around them the way people do. This acquisition comes after Twitter bought a similar firm Magic Pony.

Indian Firms Rank High in Transparency

A dozen top Indian companies have ranked among the best in the Asia Pacific region for corporate transparency, trust & access to top executives. These companies include Motherson Sumi,Maruti,HDFC ,IndusInd,Kotak Bank,Sun Pharma,Lupin,Cummins India,L&T,Infosys, TCS & MindTree. These companies figure among the Most Honored Companies in Institutional Investor’s All-Asia Executive Team rankings 2016.

Actress Noel Neill Passes Away

Noel Neill,the first actress to play Lois Lane on screen in the “Superman” film series has passed away. Neill played the Daily Planet reporter in the 1948 &1950 movie serials alongside Kirk Alyn as Superman. She also played Lois Lane in the TV series Adventures of Superman alongside George Reeves between 1953 & 1958. She was as awarded the 2004 Golden Boot Award for her many Western films.

Portugal Beat Wales to Reach Euro Final

Portugal have entered the final of the EURO Cup Football Championship. Portugal defeated Wales 2-0 in the first first semi final of the Championship at Lyon in France. They will take on the winner of the second semi-final between France and World Champions Germany. Portugal is ranked 8th in the world and its best has been the runners up in 2004.

Lionel Messi sentenced to 21 months

Argentina & Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for tax fraud. His father,Jorge Messi, was also given a jail term for defrauding Spain of €4.1m. They also face millions of euros in fines for using tax havens to conceal earnings. But these prison sentences are likely to be suspended as is common in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes.

FIG Honour for Dipa Karmakar

India’s Rio-bound gymnast Dipa Karmakar has been named a ‘World Class Gymnast’ by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG). She is the first Indian gymnast to receive the award. The honour has been bestowed on her by virtue of her fifth-place finish at the World Artistic Championships in Glasgow last year. She is the first Indian female gymnast to qualify for the Olympics.

PM Kicks Off Four-Nation Africa Tour

PM Narendra Modi has left for a four-nation tour of African countries. It aimed at enhancing ties with that continent, particularly in the economic sphere and people-to-people contacts. Modi will begin his five-day tour with Mozambique & then travel to South Africa, Tanzania & Kenya. Focus of the visit will be on cooperation in areas of hydrocarbons, maritime security, trade,agriculture & food.

India Slips 2 places on Readiness Index

India has slipped two places to the 91st position in terms of their readiness for transition to a digitised economy & society. The annual Networked Readiness Index was released by Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF) is once again topped by Singapore & Finland at 2nd place. Russia at the 41st rank, followed by China at 59th, South Africa at 65th & Brazil moving up to the 72nd position.

Cabinet Approves Apprenticeship Scheme

The Union Cabinet chaired by the PM Modi has approved a National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme. The scheme has an outlay of Rs.10,000 cr with a target of 50 lakh apprentices to be trained by 2019-20. The Scheme would be implemented by Director General of Training (DGT) under Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE). It provides for incentivizing employers to engage apprentices.

India, Bhutan Renew Trade,Transit Pact

India & Bhutan have decided to renew the existing ten year agreement on trade, commerce & transit which is set to expire this month. Till the time a new agreement is put in place, the two countries have decided to extend it by a year. The existing agreement was signed in 2006 for a period of ten years. During the last financial year, India exported goods worth over $440 million to Bhutan.

HC Alteration of Names Bill Approved

The Union Cabinet chaired by the PM  Modi has given its approval to introduce The High Courts (Alteration of Names) Bill, 2016 in Parliament. The Bill will facilitate the changing of the names of Bombay High Court as Mumbai High Court & Madras High Court as Chennai High Court respectively. At present, there is no Central Law under which the proposal for change of names of these High Courts.

Rajasthan Introduce Minimum Wages

Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to introduce minimum wages for part time workers. Labour Department has issued a notification in this regard. According to notification, it is now mandatory to pay 50% of the prescribed a day minimum wage to a person who works for less than four hours in a day. With this notification,part time workers now come under the Minimum Wages Act 1948.

India,SL Review trade & Invest linkages

India & Sri Lanka have reviewed the implementation of decisions taken at the 9th India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission for furthering trade & investment. Sri Lanka minister for development strategies Malik Samarawickrama & Sushma Swaraj agreed on creating an enabling environment for Indian industry. Both Ministers also agreed to encourage further momentum on projects between the two countries.

US Sanctions N Korean leader Kim Jong-Un

The US has sanctioned North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for the first time, accusing him of human rights abuses. The US Treasury named Kim as directly responsible for violations in his country. Ten other top North Korean officials have also been blacklisted. The measures freeze any property the individuals have in the US & prevent US citizens doing business with them.

US has Now World’s Largest Oil Reserves

The United States has surpassed Saudi Arabia & Russia as the global leader in oil reserves. This was according to a new study by Rystad Energy. Rystad found that the US had 264bn barrels of oil in reserve,ahead of Russia at 256bn barrels & Saudi Arabia at 212bn barrels. The study also painted a grim picture at the current rate of production oil supplies will only last 70 more years.

Sri Lanka to Demilitarize Civilian Areas

Sri Lanka intends to become completely demilitarized by 2018. Heavy deployments from the Sri Lankan army have remained in former war zones since a 37-year conflict with Tamil separatists. The military is also deeply involved in private enterprise. The UN Human Rights Council has asked Sri Lanka to reduce the military’s involvement in civilian life and restore normality to the war-torn regions.

China Inducts Y-20 Military Plane

China has inducted its largest indigenously-built transport aircraft Y-20. It will allow the world’s largest force to transport cargo & troops over long distances in diverse weather conditions. The indigenously designed and developed Y-20 took its maiden flight in January 2013. The plane is comparable to the Russian-made IL-76 and the US C-17.

Smriti Irani Loses HRD Ministry

In a big cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, Ms Irani has been moved out of the Human Resource Development or HRD ministry and Prakash Javadekar, promoted to cabinet rank this morning, will hold the portfolio now. Ms Irani, whose two-year tenure saw several controversies, has been moved to the Textile Ministry, seen as a less glamorous assignment.

Several big changes made to the cabinet

Venkaiah Naidu will now be Minister for Information and Broadcasting, a portfolio held by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as an additional charge. Piyush Goel will hold Independent charge of four key ministries – Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines. Jayant Sinha has been shifted from the Finance Ministry and will now be minister of state for civil aviation.

India’s Growth to be challenged: Moody’s

Moody’s Investors Service recently said that India’s economic growth over the coming years will be challenged by lacklustre global demand, high corporate leverage and impaired credit supply. The US-based agency has a ‘Baa3’ rating on India with a positive outlook. Moody’s said passage of bankruptcy law and NPA (non-performing asset) recognition in banks would be credit positive.

Oil Price Fall 5% Biggest Drop On Brexit

Oil prices tumbled 5 per cent on Tuesday, with US crude heading for its largest daily decline in five months Data showing higher supplies, including an inventory build at the delivery hub for US crude futures, also pressured oil prices. Investors are worried that Britain’s exit from the European Union would slow the global economy.

Non-Urea Fertiliser Prices Slashed

The retail prices of non-urea fertilisers including DAP have been slashed by up to Rs 5,000/tonne following drop in global prices of raw materials. For a bag of 50 kg, the effective rate for DAP would come down by Rs 150, MoP by Rs 250 and other NPK fertilisers by Rs 100. Non-urea fertiliser prices have been reduced for the first time in last 15 years.

Mozambique to grow pulses for Indian

Mozambique will produce Indian varieties of pulses, mainly arhar and urad, to meet India’s growing demand for dals. The Indian government will assist Mozambique by providing high quality seeds and technical assistance. According to a government release, pulses from Mozambique will be imported through private channels or government-to-government (G2G) sales through state agencies.

No Charge In Clinton Email Probe: FBI

FBI Director James Comey said Tuesday that his agency will not recommend criminal charges against Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server as secretary of state. The decision effectively means that Clinton will not have to fear criminal liability as her campaign moves forward Clinton is the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2016 United States presidential election.

Govt approves interest subvention scheme

Farmers will get short-term crop loans of up to Rs 3 lakh at a subsidised interest rate of 4 per cent this fiscal, provided they repay in time, or else a higher rate of 7 per cent will be charged. The subvention scheme is applicable for all farmers availing short-term crop loans up to Rs 3 lakh for one year. Interest subvention scheme is for public and private sector banks.

Tamil Nadu to get 4th major port

The Cabinet on Tuesday approved the setting up of a major port at Enayam near Colachel in Tamil Nadu. This would be the country’s 13th major port. India has 12 major ports — Kandla, Mumbai, JNPT, Marmugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Ennore, V O Chidambaranar, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia). These handle approximately 61 per cent of the country’s cargo.

Expectations from Juno mission

Juno will fly closer to Jupiter than any other spacecraft, skipping over cloud tops and peering deep inside to uncover clues about the giant planet’s formation It will also probe Jupiter’s gravity and magnetic fields to determine what kind of core it has and what makes the northern and southern lights so intense Galileo was the first spacecraft to orbit Jupiter and it completed a 14-year mission.

New Horizons to Meet Deeper Space Object

After its historic first-ever flyby of Pluto, Nasa’s New Horizons mission has received the green light to fly onward to an object deeper in the Kuiper Belt. The spacecraft’s will reach an ancient object named 2014 MU69 – considered one of the early building blocks of the solar system in 2019. Nasa said the Dawn spacecraft should remain at the dwarf planet Ceres.

Climate actions to curb emissions

India has underlined the need for countries to take pre-2020 climate actions to curb emissions and sought cooperation among countries in finance and technology sectors to tackle climate change. Javadekar has said that India has upscaled its solar energy target by five times and plans an expansion of 100 GW of solar energy.

2 swimmers selected for Rio Games

Swimming Federation of India (SFI) on Tuesday selected Kerala’s Sajan Prakash and Haryana’s Shivani Kataria to represent the country at the Games. With no Indian swimmer managing to achieve the A qualification mark for Rio Olympics, the two swimmers will participate in the Games under Universality quota.

India’s growth rate may be overstated

India’s 7.5 per cent growth rate may be “overstated” as the government has been “slow” to match its rhetoric in economic reforms: US report. The report titled “Investment Climate Statements for 2016” notes that the government failed to get support in Parliament on a GST as it is still negotiating with the Opposition a way of passing the GST Bill to untangle India’s convoluted tax system.

Muslims get ready to celebrate Eid

The Muslims from entire country get ready to celebrate Eid as Wednesday is predicted to be the ‘Chand raat’. Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari said that as the moon could not be sighted on Tuesday, Eid will be celebrated on July 7. Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated at the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

TRAI’s app to check real-time internet

In a bid to improve the quality of data service for Indian mobile users, telecom regulator TRAI has launched an application to help consumers check real-time internet speed on their handsets and report the same to the regulator. With the new app, consumers would be able to see data speeds and also share the information, thus bringing about “transparency”, “choice” as well as healthy competition

10 Lakh people expected in Puri Festival

The annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath starts in Puri in Odisha on Wednesday with authorities expecting about 10 lakh people to take part in the nine-day chariot festival. Security has been strengthened across Puri town for the Rath Yatra East Coast Railway will run special trains to clear the extra rush of passengers for the festival.

World largest charkha unveiled in Delhi

BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday unveiled the world’s largest wooden charkha at IGI Airport in Delhi. The four-tonne charkha is made of high-quality Burma teak wood and is estimated to last for over 50 years. It is 9 feet wide, 17 feet tall and 30 feet long. Terminal 3 has art from renowned artists such as MF Husain, Anjolie Ela Menon, Paresh Maity, Satish Gupta, Thota Tharani etc.

Coal India plans buyback of its shares

Coal India has decided to go for buyback of its shares and a meeting of the Board of directors has been convened on July 11 to take a final call. While Coal India has not specified the quantum of the buyback, sources said it would be about 5% of its issued capital. The government would be the biggest beneficiary of the proposed buyback as it holds 79.65% stake in Coal India.

Nasa’s Juno Spacecraft Makes History

NASA’s unmanned Juno spacecraft makes history when it began orbiting Jupiter. This is a key triumph for a $1.1 billion mission that aims to uncover the origins of the biggest planet in the solar system. The NASA spacecraft reached Jupiter after a five-year voyage to begin exploring the planet. The spacecraft has traveled 1.7 billion miles (2.7 billion kilometers) since it launched.

China Launches Naval Drills

China has kicked off a week of military drills in the South China Sea ahead of a court ruling on its territorial claims in the region. An international court is expected to rule July 12 on Beijing’s maritime dispute with the Philippines. The tribunal in The Hague is widely expected to rule against China on several counts Beijing has repeatedly said it will ignore the verdict.

Linda Becomes 1st female Aboriginal MP

Linda Burney became the first Indigenous woman elected to the House of Representatives (lower house) of the Parliament of Australia. She achieved the fete after claiming victory in the marginal seat of Barton. She won the seat as a candidate of the centre-left Labour Party. Aborigines are the most disadvantaged Australians, suffering disproportionate levels of disease & social problems.

Pacific Ocean Radiation Back Near Normal

Radiation levels across the Pacific Ocean are rapidly returning to normal five years after a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Japan shut down dozens of reactors after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake-generated tsunami on March 11,2011. It triggered one of the largest ever dumps of nuclear material into the world’s oceans. But now it found radiation levels in Pacific rapidly returning to normal.

PM Expands Council of Ministers

PM Narendra Modi  has inducted 19 new ministers into the Council of Ministers. Current environment minister Prakash Javadekar who was at the minister of state level was elevated to Cabinet minister rank. The rest have been sworn in as ministers of state. These 19 come from more than ten states including U.P.,Gujarat,Rajasthan,West Bengal, Maharashtra, M.P.,Delhi, Uttarakhand, Karnataka & Assam.

Centre Nod for Renaming Mhow Railway St

The central government has given its nod for renaming Mhow railway station in Indore district of Madhya Pradesh after BR Ambedkar as the Dalit icon was born there. The Home Ministry has requested the state government to issue a Gazette notification in this regard. Mhow was renamed as Dr Ambedkar Nagar in 2003 by the Government of Madhya Pradesh.

Govt Unveil Mineral Exploration Policy

Union Steel & Mines Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has unveiled a new National Mineral Exploration Policy (NMEP). The  policy aims to bring together best of knowledge ,manpower & financial resources on a collaborative platform. Space technology would be used to check illegal mining. The objective is to set in motion a process for mineral exploration that would give a major boost to the economy.

JNPT 1st Port to Implement Data Tagging

Jawaharlal Nehru Port has become the first port in the country to implement logistics data tagging of containers. The port implemented the logistics data tagging of containers which will help importers & exporters track their goods in transit. An RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Tag) tag would be attached to each container & tracked through RIFD readers installed at different locations.

Madhya Pradesh Launches PMUY

Madhya Pradesh CM Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has launched Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana (PMUY) at Shahdol, M.P. Govt aims to add 50 lakh new connections in the state of M.P. in the next 3 years The PMUY scheme is aimed at replacing the unclean cooking fuels mostly used in rural India with more clean & efficient LPG. The scheme aims at empowering women& protecting their health.

Niranjan Wins Medals in IWAS World Games

Bengaluru para-swimmer Niranjan Mukundan has won 8 medals including 3 golds at the IWAS (International Wheelchair & Amputee Sports) U-23 World Games in Prague. He bagged gold medals in 200m freestyle, 50m butterfly & 50m breaststroke. He is born with a medical condition called Spina Bifida & clubbed feet. He also had the honour of delivering the athletes’ oath on behalf of competing countries.

Saudi Arabia Become ICC Associate Member

Saudi Arabia was unanimously elected as the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) 39^th Associate Member during its full council meeting in Edinburgh. Saudi Cricket Centre (SCC) has been an Affiliate Member of the ICC since 2003. Council also unanimously ratified the suspensions of the USA Cricket Association & the Cricket Association of Nepal. ICC is the international governing body of cricket.

India Women’s Relay Team Set Nt’l Record

The Indian 4x100m women’s relay team created a new national record at the Kazakhstan National Athletics Championships, clocking 43.42 sec in Almaty. The 4x100m relay quartet, comprising of Dutee Chand, Srabani Nanda, H M Jyothi & Merlin Joseph. They bettered their earlier national record of 44.03 sec. The Indian women’s relay team won the silver medal at the Almaty.

Allyson, LaShawn Merritt Earn Rio Berth

US athletes Allyson Felix & LaShawn Merritt has earned their Olympic 400m berths with the fastest times in the world this year at the American trials. Felix won the women’s 400m in 49.68 sec. Felix will become just the second-ever U.S. athlete to compete in the 100m, 200m& 400m in her Olympic career. Merritt won the men’s 400m final with a time of 43.97,the fastest time in the world this year.

Iranian Director Abbas Kiarostami Dies

Award-winning Iranian film director Abbas Kiarostami has passed away. He made more than 40 films, including documentaries. He won the Palme D’Or, the top prize at Cannes, with his 1997 film Taste of Cherry. It was about a middle-aged Iranian man planning to commit suicide & looking for someone to bury him when he is dead. He was the only Iranian to ever win the Palme D’Or.

Accenture Ties up with IITs for Research

Accenture has entered into a joint research collaboration with IIT Bombay & IIT Patna focused on the different application aspects of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The research will focused on IT services & will look at augmenting software engineers with powerful AI insights. The focus area of the program includes research in machine learning,neural network & other areas of AI.

Telcos to spend Rs1 lakh cr on Spectrum

The telecom industry is expected to spend Rs 100,000 crore towards spectrum acquisition in upcoming auctions. The govt is putting up for auction 2,300 MHz of spectrum. Airtel, Vodafone & Idea combined will spend Rs 1.2 lakh cr over the next two years on network expansion& spectrum payouts. Data is emerging as the new growth engine & spectrum to build capacity to deliver high-speed data services.

Power Output Growth Doubles in 2016

Power generation growth has risen to 9.5% this year so far,as against 5.65% during the 10 year period from 2004 to 2014. Power Minister Piyush Goyal  also said there was 87% reduction in energy shortage in just two years to 14 million units (mu) from 110 mu earlier. According to Vidyut Pravah application to monitor power demand the electricity deficit came down to 14 mu in July this year.

ICICI Bank, BoB Exit CIBIL

TransUnion has raised its stake in its Indian subsidiary CIBIL to 77.1% by buying out ICICI & Bank of Baroda’s (BoB) holding in it. ICICI Bank has sold its 6% while BoB has sold its 5% holding, Credit Information Bureau (India) Limited (CIBIL) is India’s first Credit Information Company founded in Aug 2000. It  maintains records of an individual’s payments pertaining to loans & credit cards.

TeamLease acquires ASAP Info Systems

TeamLease Services, a staffing company, has signed an agreement to acquire ASAP Info Systems Private Limited. TeamLease will acquire ASAP Info Systems for an enterprise value of Rs. 67 crores. The acquisition will help it expand its footprint in the core IT hiring space. ASAP is a Bengaluru based, provides IT staffing solutions to various multinational & domestic companies.

HSBC Upgraded India to Overweight Status

 HSBC has upgraded India to the overweight’ status, citing improving domestic indicators & more realistic earnings expectations. It has also raised its Sensex target for 2016-end to 28,500 from 26,000. According to HSBC, domestically, India is one of the most convincing growth stories. Key risks to this view are poor monsoons, a sharp rise in inflation, slower-than-expected economic growth.

India’s Biggest Refinery to Cost $30 bn

India’s biggest oil refinery that state-run IOC, BPCL, HPCL & EIL plans to set up on the west coast will cost $30 billion or Rs 2 lakh crore. The 60 million tonnes a year refinery will be set up in two phases. The refinery will produce petrol, diesel, LPG, ATF & feedstock for petrochemical plants. Reliance Industries holds the distinction of building the biggest refinery in India till now.

US Reinsurance Group Gets Initial Nod

US-based life & health reinsurer Reinsurance Group of America (RGA) has received the first level approval to set up a branch in India. The Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has approved R-1 (requisition for registration) application of the company. The nod was given by at its board meeting held in Hyderabad The company will now apply for final approval R-2.

France Offer to Revive India Jet Engine

France has offered to invest EUR 1 billion to revive India’s combat jet engine project. It has proposed a joint development plan that could see the stalled Kaveri gas turbine powering fighters. The proposal is to use offset credits that would come from Rafale fighter jet deal. Foreign arms companies are mandated to invest a portion of the contract cost in the country’s defence industry.

India to Host World’s First MMA League

India will be hosting the world’s first Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) ‘Super Fight League’. The franchise-based league will feature eight teams – Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Mumbai, Haryana, Bangalore, Punjab, Pune & Goa. The league will be a platform for Indian MMA players to showcase their skills. Each team will constitute nine Indian fighters & three international ones.

Lewis Hamilton Wins Austrian GP

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton clinched victory in the Austrian Grand Prix following a last-lap collision with Mercedes Formula 1 team-mate Nico Rosberg. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen & Ferrari Kimi Raikkonen finished 2nd and 3rd respectively. Nico Rosberg finished in fourth. Rosberg had won the last two Austrian GPs & started from sixth on the grid after a penalty.

Novak Djokovic Knocked Out of Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic has crashed out of Wimbledon in four sets to U.S. star Sam Querrey. The World No.1 & defending champion was beaten 6-7 1-6 6-3 6-7. Djokovic became the first man to win four straight grand slam titles since 1969. It’s the first time that Djokovic  has suffered defeat at a grand slam since the 2015 French Open final where he was beaten by Stan Wawrinka.

Gurpreet Feature in Europa League

Indian footballer Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has became the first Indian to play in Europa League. Sandhu was named in Norwegian club Stabaek FC’s squad for their Europa League qualifying match against Welsh Premier League side Connah’s Quay Nomads FC. He is the first ever Indian to play a competitive match for the first team of a top-division European club.

Sagan Wins Stage Two of Tour de France

Peter Sagan won stage two of the Tour de France to take the race leader’s yellow jersey from Mark Cavendish. Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe took second with Spain’s Alejandro Valverde third. Reigning champion Chris Froome came home safely in 10thin stage 2. The Tour de France is an annual multiple stage bicycle race primarily held in France The race was first organised in 1903.

Sai Praneeth Wins Canada Open Badminton

Sai Praneeth defeated Lee Hyun II of Korea to clinch the Canada Open 2016 Badminton title at Calgary. The Indian shuttler outclassed Hyun in straight games IN 21-12, 21-10. Also, Indian shuttlers Manu Attri & Sumeeth Reddy beat Canadian pair of Adrian Liu & Toby Ng 21-8, 21-14 to clinch the men’s doubles title. The duo gave India its second title after Praneeth’s singles win.

BRICS Meeting on Energy Saving Begins

The first meeting of the BRICS Working Group on Energy Saving & Energy Efficiency begins in Visakhapatnam. During the two-day deliberations, the countries will make presentations on measures taken by them in the field of energy saving & energy efficiency. India will also showcase its efforts in energy saving, energy efficiency, in particular the LED street lighting programme.

Modi Pays Tribute To Banda Singh Bahadur

PM Modi attended the 300th martyrdom anniversary of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur in New Delhi. The Prime Minister also released a book on Banda Singh Bahadur. Banda Singh Bahadur also known as Banda Bahadur was a Sikh military commander. He assembled a fighting force and led the struggle against the Mughal Empire He abolished the zamindari system & granted property rights to the tillers of the land.

Google Tops ET Best Workplace in Survey

Google India has emerged top in the India’s Best Companies to Work For study this year up from 2nd position in 2015. Next in the rankings is credit card major American Express India, Microfinance provider Ujjivan Financial Services has climbed a massive 24 places in the rankings to take the 3rd place. This was according to The Economic Times-Great Places to Work survey.

Haryana to Develop Industrial Township

The Haryana govt announced that it would develop a new industrial township, It will spread in over 1,500 acres in Sohna & Manesar areas of Gurgaon, at a cost of $5 billion. MoU was signed between the Haryana Govt & China Fortune Land Development company in the presence of CM Manohar Lal. These projects would be completed within the next 10 years & would generate employment opportunities.

India fall to 75th by Money inSwiss Bank

India has slipped to 75th place in terms of money held by its citizens with banks in Switzerland, while the UK remains on top. The US came second with nearly 196 billion swiss Franc. India was placed at 61st place last year. As per Swiss National Bank,the total money held there by foreign clients from across the world fell by nearly 4% to about Rs 98 lakh crore at the end of 2015.

PM Modi Meets India’s Rio Bound Athletes

PM Narendra Modi met Rio Olympics-bound athletes in New Delhi. So far, around 100 athletes from 13 sports disciplines have qualified for the Rio Olympics. PM Modi interacted with the sports persons & wish them well for their performance in the world’s biggest sporting arena. Over 200 nations will be participating in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro,Brazil, scheduled to begin on Aug 5.

Great Barrier Reef Named Best Place

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has been named the best place in the world to visit by a key US travel site,News Corp World’s Best Places to Visit for 2016-17 report gave the Great Barrier Reef the top position ahead of Paris. The tourism to the reef contributed almost $3 billion to the nation’s economy. The Great Barrier Reef welcomes more than 1.9 million visitors each year.

Canadian PM March in Toronto Pride

Justin Trudeau has made history by marching with tens of thousands of people in Toronto’s Gay Pride parade. By doing so he becomes the country’s first sitting prime minister to participate. Trudeau has marched before but this is the first time he has marched as the prime minister. Pride parades for the LGBT community are events celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender (LGBT) culture & pride.

ICC to Apply for Women’s Cricket in CWG

The International Cricket Council (ICC) will apply for the inclusion of women’s cricket at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Durban,South Africa. South Africa won the men’s event when cricket took place at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Malaysia. The only time the sport has been included in the programme. It is an international,multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations.

China Bans Online Media from Fabricating

China has banned online media from publishing unverified content especially from the social media. It has banned after the country’s internet regulator punished websites that fabricated stories this year. Online media basing news reports on contents made on social media must verify them before publication. News websites must accredit these sources & they are banned from fabricating stories.

SBI Inks Deal with World Bank

SBI has inked agreements with the World Bank for a $625 million or around Rs 4,200 cr facility to support grid connected rooftop solar programme in the country. This will help SBI in financing grid connected rooftop solar photovoltaic projects at very competitive rates. It will support the govt to faster achieve its target to generate 40 GW of electricity from rooftop solar photo-voltaic panels.

JPMorgan to Open 3 More India Branches

JPMorgan Chase & Co. is opening three branches in India. The RBI has granted approval for the biggest US bank to open the outlets in New Delhi, Devanahalli (near Bengaluru) &Paranur (near Chennai). The US based bank has one branch in India in Mumbai which was opened in 1994. JP Morgan is expanding its footprint at a time when many foreign banks are scaling back due to profitability concerns.

MEA, MSDE Sign Pact to Skill Indians

The Ministry of External Affairs & the Ministry of Skill Development &Entrepreneurship have signed a MoU for implementation of the Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PKVY). The MoU will institutionalise a framework to provide skill training to lakhs of Indians who go abroad to work every year. As part of the MoU, potential emigrant workers may avail work-related skill training under PMKVY.

RIL& SBI Sign Agreement for Payment Bank

Reliance Industries & SBI have signed the shareholder agreement to set up the payments bank joint venture. RIL is the promoter with 70% & SBI will have an equity investment of 30%. The RBI last year gave in-principle approval to 11 entities including RIL to open payments banks. The new category of banks will provide basic savings, deposit, payment &remittance services.

Lanka Appoints New Central Bank Governor

Indrajit Coomaraswamy, veteran economist has been appointed as new Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL). Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena announced his appointment. He succeeds Arjuna Mahendran whose tenure was marked by controversies on the issuance of bonds. Coomaraswamy is a senior economist & was a former director of economic affairs at the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Equitas gets RBI Approval for SFB

Chennai-based Equitas Holdings has got a licence from the RBI to start a small finance bank (SFB). Equitas Finance will be named as Equitas Small Finance Bank, It is one of the 10 entities that received in-principle approval from the RBI in Sept 2015 to set up a SFB. The SFB will undertake basic banking activities of acceptance of deposits & lending to unserved & underserved sections.

Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel Dies

Elie Wiesel, the Nazi concentration camp survivor, Nobel Peace Prize winner & author has died. He became best known for his book Night which drew on his experiences in Nazi concentration camps during the Second World War. He completed more than 40 other books including Dawn & Day. He was born in Romania & moved to the US in 1955 & became a US citizen. He was awarded Noble peace prize in 1986.

Oscar Winning Director Cimino Dies

Michael Cimino, Oscar-winning director of Deer Hunter & Heaven’s Gate has passed away. He directed a total of seven feature films in his career but is best known for the 1978 post-Vietnam War drama The Deer Hunter which earned five Academy Awards. He also directed Heaven’s Gate which widely recognized as one of the most epic flops in Hollywood history.

Former French PM Michel Rocard Dies

Former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard has passed away. Rocard, a socialist had served as the Prime Minister from 1988 to 1991 under President Francois Mitterrand. He was regarded as a staunch advocate of the European Union. Among his achievements were the creation of a minimum welfare benefit in France & reform of the financing of the welfare system.

Alex Hales Picks Sehwag in All Time XI

England’s dashing opener Alex Hales has named his All-time XI team. Hales chose Virender Sehwag over Sachin Tendulkar in his team. He believes that Alastair Cook and Virender Sehwag will be the ultimate pair for the opening stand. Others includes in his list are Ricky Ponting,Brian Lara,Kumar Sangakkara,Jacques Kallis, Gary Sobers,Muttiah Muralitharan ,Shane Warne,Wasim Akram & Glenn McGrath .

Chhattisgarh to become ODF in 2018

Chhattisgarh will become Open Defecation Free (ODF) by the end of 2018. This was announced by the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Dr Raman Singh in Raipur. Chhattisgarh has decided to give preference to its ODF blocks in schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) for distribution of LPG connections. The Narendra Modi-led govt aims to make India Open Defecation Free by October 2, 2019

India First commercial Court Inaugurated

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Dr. Raman Singh has inaugurated country’s first commercial dispute resolution centre & commercial court in the state capital. The commercial court is located in Naya Raipur area of the city. The court also consists of arbitration centre and a mediation centre. It will facilitate speedy disposal of commercial disputes.

Smart Model Village Project Inaugurated

President Pranab Mukherjee has inaugurated a smart model village pilot project at Rashtrapati Bhavan. It is a initiative to replicate the experience in transforming the President’s estate into a smart model township in 5 selected villages in Haryana. The 5 villages which will be developed are Dhaula, Alipur, Harichandpur & Taj Nagar in Gurgaon district & Rojka Meo in Mewat district of Haryana.

Modi Okays Deal with US for 4 Poseidons

The Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by PM Modi has cleared the acquisition of four Poseidon-8I longrange surveillance & antisubmarine warfare aircraft at a cost of over $1 billion. The four new P-8I aircraft will join the already acquired eight such aircraft inducted by the Navy in 2013-2015. The Navy is using the  P-8Is to keep an intelligent hawk-eye over the entire Indian Ocean Region.

Assam to Introduce File Tracking System

Assam government has decided to introduce “File tracking” mechanism as part of its effort to bring in transparency in governance. It will allow common people track the position of a file. The Finance Department will also take recourse to on-line system to prepare budget and distribute the same to all offices. It will maintain a constant link with the RBI through a Core Banking Solution ‘e-Kuber’.

Amul to Sponsor Indian Contingent at Rio

Amul has announced that it has bagged the sponsorship of the Indian contingent at the Rio Olympic Games. The contract was signed by Rajeev Mehta,Secretary General, Indian Olympic Association & R S Sodhi, MD, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (Amul). Amul had sponsored the Indian contingent at the London Olympic in 2012 also. Rio Olympics 2016 will be inaugurated on Aug5 in Brazil.

Haryana to Introduce Moral Education

Haryana Education Minister Ram Bilas has said that moral education would be introduced as a subject for students of Classes VI to plus two in the State. Extracts from religious texts such as Bhagavad Gita,Quran,the Bible& Guru Granth Sahib had been incorporated in the curriculum of the subject. Haryana govt has prepared the curriculum in collaboration with social organisations & educationists.

World Largest Telescope Poised for Trial

The world’s largest telescope built in China having a reflector of the size of 30 football fields is poised for a trial-run. Installation work has been completed after the last panels were fitted into the big dish. Scientists will then soon begin trial observation of the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST). The telescope which is aimed at observing deep space.

Iceland Named Safest Vacation Spot

Iceland has topped this year’s annual list of world’s safest vacation spots released by the Global Peace Index. Out of 163 countries considered, Iceland claimed the top spot for the sixth year running aided by its low murder rate and small population. Denmark came in at number two, while Austria came third due to its low weapon imports. New Zealand came at 4th place on the index.

Katy Perry gets 90m Followers on Twitter

Singer Katy Perry has set a new milestone by becoming the most followed person on the micro-blogging site Twitter. Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter & actress. She rose to fame in 2008 with the release of the singles “I Kissed a Girl”. Pop star Justin Bieber is not far behind with 83.9 million followers while Taylor Swift is followed by 79 million users.

SBI Launches 3 New Digital Offerings

SBI has launched SBI Mingle its social media banking platform Using SBI Mingle,its customers can do banking services like checking balance on their FB or Twitter accounts. In other,it has partnered with Flipkart to offer its consumers the facility of pre-approved EMI Facility on purchases. The bank also launched SBI Digital Villages aimed at transforming villages into cash-less eco-system.

GMR Sells Transmission Projects to Adani

Adani Transmission will buy into two transmission projects of the GMR group. Under an agreement signed with GMR Energy Ltd (GEL), Adani Transmission Ltd (ATL) will pick up stakes in Maru Transmission Services Ltd (MTSL) & Aravali Transmission Services Ltd (ATSL). The deal will transfer 74% stake in MTSL & 49% in ATSL to ATL. The agreement an option to acquire the balance stakes in both projects.

SBI Sells 5% of NSE Stake

The State Bank of India (SBI) has sold five per cent stake in the National Stock Exchange (NSE) to Mauritius-based Veracity Investments. The bank has sold 22.5 lakh shares to Veracity Investments at Rs 4050 per shares for a consideration of Rs 911 crore. The country’s largest bank sold its stake after government directed banks to sell non-core assets to raise capital.

Investments from Cyprus to be Taxed

India & Cyprus have agreed to revise their tax treaty. The new agreement will enable Indian authorities to tax capital gains on investments routed through Cyprus made after April 1, 2017. The finance ministry will seek cabinet approval for the new Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA). A DTAA aims to avoid or eliminate double taxation of the same income in two countries.

Ravi Shastri Resigns from ICC Post

Ravi Shastri has resigned from his post as media representative in ICC’s prestigious Cricket Committee. He was the media representative of the ICC’s prestigious cricket panel which is currently headed Anil Kumble. His resignation comes days after his verbal spat with Saurav Ganguly over the appointment of Anil Kumble. The media representative is more of a decorative post in ICC cricket Committee.

Sports Ministry Grant Recognition to PCI

The Sports Ministry has granted recognition to Paralympic Committee of India(PCI). The decision comes after the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) temporary lifted suspension imposed on the national body last year. PCI was suspended in April last year due to internal conflicts between different groups and persons. The IPC had asked the PCI to implement the major reforms programmes.

Nirmala Sheoran Qualifies for Rio

Nirmala of Haryana became the first athlete from the ongoing senior National inter-state athletics meet to reach the Rio Olympics qualifying mark. She clocked 51.48 in the women’s 400m at the GMC Balayogi Stadium in Hyderabad. The Olympics qualifying mark in the women’s 400 m is 52.20. Nirmala became the 24th track and field athlete from India to qualify for the Rio Olympics.

Marathi Literary Scholar R C Dhere Dies

Renowned Marathi literary scholar Dr. Ramchandra Chintaman Dhere passed away. He was known for his exhaustive research in folk literature & bhakti tradition of Maharashtra. He was a recipient of the Sahitya Academy Award for his book Sri Vitthal – A Mahasamanvayak (Lord Vitthal- A great coordinator). His other works are Muslim Marathi Saint Poets, Dakshinecha Lokdev Khandoba & Sri Venkateshwara.

Peacock Conservation Project Inaugurated

Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao & Ratan Tata has inaugurated the Peacock Conservation Project at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai. The peacock conservation project is a semi-wildlife landscape created in the forest area of Raj Bhavan. The project is expected to increase the population of peafowl in Raj Bhawan. The project has received financial assistance from the Tata Trusts.

National Doctor’s Day 2016 Observed

National doctor’s day is observed every year on 1-July. The day honour the legendary physician & the second Chief Minister of West Bengal, Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy. He was honoured with the country’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna. The Doctor’s Day is observed today to lay emphasis on the value of doctors in our lives. India has shown remarkable improvements in the medical field.

Prez Presents B C Roy National Awards

President Pranab Mukherjee presented the Dr B C Roy National Awards for the years 2008, 2009 & 2010. Eight doctors were given the B C Roy National award for the year 2008,while ten doctors were honoured for the year 2009. Seven doctors were awarded the same for the year 2010. Bidhan Chandra Roy Award was instituted in 1976 in memory of B. C. Roy by Medical Council of India.

Govt Drop Aam Aadmi from Aadhaar Tagline

The government has dropped the terms ‘Aam Aadmi’ from the tagline of Aadhaar. Aadhaar tagline viz, ‘Aam Aadmi ka Adhikar’ has now been changed into Mera Aadhaar, Meri Pehchaan. Aadhaar objective is to collect the biometric & demographic data of residents. It store them in a centralised database & issue a 12-digit unique identity number called Aadhaar to each resident.

Kerala Government Bans e-Cigarettes

Kerala govt has banned the use of e-cigarettes. The state govt has issued orders banning manufacture,sale,marketing & advertising of e-cigarettes in the State. Studies in Japan &America have shown that e-cigarette causes cancer & heart attack. An electronic cigarette or e-cigarette is a handheld electronic device that vaporizes a flavored liquid which the user inhales.

Second BRICS Youth Summit Kicks Off

The 2nd BRICS Youth Summit got underway in Guwahati. Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the Summit in presence of Union Sports minister Jitendra Singh. The Summit will focus on skill development & entrepreneurship & youth participation in governance. Youth as bridge for intra-BRICS exchanges is the theme of the summit. BRICS is the association of  Brazil, Russia, India, China & South Africa

High Speed Attack Craft Tarasa Launched

The last ship in the series of four Water Jet Fast Attack Crafts built by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd for the Indian Navy was launched in Kolkata. Christened INS Tarasa after an island in the Andaman & Nicobar archipelago. It is ideally suited for interception of fast-moving surface craft & will perform anti-smuggling operations. The ship is designed for a max speed of 35 knots.

Rapid Rural Police Response Sys Launched

Punjab Deputy CM Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal has launched nation’s first Rapid Rural Police Response System across the state. It aims is to ensure prompt & effective police response in villages to counter any crime or law & order situation in 20 min. The new system would be available for 24×7 to respond to all kinds of emergencies. The focus of the scheme is the rural population of the state.

NASA Juno Enters Jupiter Magnetic Field

NASA’s Jupiter-bound Juno spacecraft has entered the planet’s magnetosphere where the movement of particles in space is controlled by what is going on inside Jupiter. The charged particles around Jupiter give it a magnetic field some 20,000 times more powerful than the earth. Juno is on course to swing into orbit around Jupiter on July4. The Juno spacecraft was launched on Aug 5, 2011 from Florida.

Mayor Sadiq Khan Appoints Deputy Mayor

London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan has appointed India-born Rajesh Agrawal as the deputy mayor for business. Khan had tasked Agrawal with championing London’s interests following the exit of Britain after the EU referendum. He was Khan’s business adviser during his mayoral campaign. He arrived in London in 2001 & became a fin-tech entrepreneur & innovator.

Austria Presidential Result Overturned

Austria’s highest court has ruled the country’s presidential election must be held again because of irregularities in the counting of the votes. The decision follows a legal challenge from the Freedom Party (FPOe) whose candidate lost by a narrow margin. The FPO candidate, Norbert Hofer has lost the election to Alexander Van der Bellen by just 30,863 votes. The election will now be re-run.

Exercise RIMPAC 2016 Begins

RIMPAC 2016, the Pacific military exercise began at Hawaii. The 27 nations are participating in the US Navy-led exercise that will cover the Hawaiian Island & southern California. The theme is Capable, Adaptive, Partners. Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) is the world’s largest maritime exercise comprised of nations with an interest in the Pacific Rim region.

Indian Money in Swiss Banks Drops

Money held by Indians in Swiss banks has fallen by nearly one-third to a record low of 1.2 billion franc or about Rs 8392 cr. The funds held by Indians with banks in Switzerland fell by 596.42 million Swiss francs to 1,217.6 million Swiss francs at the end of 2015. This is the lowest amount of funds held by Indians in the Swiss bank. This was as per the data released by the Swiss National Bank.

CBDT Notifies Foreign Tax Credit Rules

The tax dept has notified Foreign Tax Credit rules allowing companies to claim credit for taxes paid overseas. The rules will come into effect from April 1,2017. Foreign tax credit (FTC) will be available against tax,surcharge & cess payable under the Act, Taxpayers claiming FTC shall now be required to file a Statement of Income from a foreign country with details of tax paid.

WB to give $1bn for India Solar Projects

The World Bank has committed USD 1 billion or about Rs 6,750 cr to support solar energy programme in India. It aims at reducing dependence on conventional energy sources to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. India has a target to generate 1 lakh MW power through solar energy by 2022. The combined investments for India would be the Bank’s largest financing of solar for any country till date.

S&P Cuts Rating on EU to ‘AA’

Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings had cut its long-term credit rating on the European Union to ‘AA’ from ‘AA+’. S&P is the first major ratings agency to cut rating on the EU. The UK voted to leave the European Union last week, plunging global markets into turmoil. S&P said the UK’s exit from the EU would complicate budgetary & policy priorities among the remaining 27 EU members.

Delhi to Host ISSF World Cup Finals

Delhi will host the ISSF World Cup finals in 2017. The International Shooting Sport Federation Executive Committee made the decision to award the 2017 edition of the ISSF World Cup finals Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun combined to the Delhi. The event will be hosted in October. This is in addition to the ISSF World Cup series scheduled to be held in the capital in Feb 2017.

Saina Moves to 5th in the BWF Rankings

Ace India shuttler Saina Nehwal moved one place up to occupy the 5th spot. Saina exchanged places with Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara who now occupies the 6th spot. PV Sindhu remained unchanged at 10th in the latest Badminton World Federation Rankings. In the women’s doubles,Jwala Gutta & Ashwini Ponappa slipped 4 places to be at 20th spot. In the men’s singles,Srikanth Kidambi remain unchanged at 11^th.

‘Future Shock’ Author Alvin Toffler Dies

Alvin Toffler, the US author & visionary known for several world best-sellers has died. He wrote more than a dozen books charting the cultural shift from manufacturing-based economies to those driven by knowledge &data in the 20th century. His groundbreaking 1970 book was Future Shock. Several world statesmen among them China’s then-premier,Zhao Ziyang were inspired by Toffler’s writings.

Vocalist Veena Sahasrabuddhe Passes Away

Acclaimed Hindustani classical singer Veena Sahasrabuddhe passed away. Her singing style had its roots in Gwalior gharana, but it also borrowed from Jaipur and Kirana gharanas. She was known as a singer of khyal and bhajan. She had a bachelor & master degree in both vocal performance & Sanskrit literature. She had also received the ‘Sangeet Natak Akademi’ award in 2013.

Parrikar Dedicates DCN to Nation

The Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar dedicated the Defence Communication Network (DCN) to the nation. DCN is the first tri-service communication & IT network of the Armed Forces. It is a strategic, exclusive, secure and state-of-the-art communication network. The network provides converged voice, data & video services to the three Services based on secured system with adequate redundancy.

World Bank, ISA Sign Agreement

The World Bank Group has signed an agreement to be the financial partner for the International Solar Alliance(ISA) The aim is to collaborate on increasing solar energy use around the world with the goal of mobilising $1 trillion in investments by 2030. The agreement signed in the presence of Arun Jaitley,Piyush Goyal & WB President Jim Yong Kim.The ISA is a group of 121 countries led by India.

HRD Min Launches Portal for Teachers

The HRD minister Smt. Smriti Irani has launched ‘Prashikshak’ – a teacher education portal. It is launched with a vision to strengthen District Institutes of Education & Training (DIETs). The objective of Prashikshak is to define the quality benchmark & thus helping DIETs to make informed decisions about their institutes. It will bring quality teachers into the Indian school education system.

A.K. Bhaduri is New IGCAR chief

Distinguished scientist Arun Kumar Bhaduri would take over as the Director of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR). He took over from S.A.V. Satya Murty on his superannuation He joined IGCAR in 1984 & eventually become the Director of the Metallurgy and Materials Group. He received several awards, including the ‘Metallurgist of the Year Award’ in 2003.

MP CM Inducts Nine New Ministers

Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has inducted nine new ministers in his council of ministers. Governor Ramnaresh Yadav administered oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers at Raj Bhawan in Bhopal. Out of nine new ministers, four have been given rank of cabinet minister. They include Archana Chitnis, Jaibhan Singh Pawaiyya, Rustam Singh & Om Prakash Dhruve.

Suresh Prabhu Launches NIVARAN Portal

Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhu has formally launched NIVARAN portal, It is an online system for redressal of service related grievance of serving & former railway employees. This online system facilitates the employees to lodge their grievances and also monitor their progress. Highest controlling authorities shall also be able to monitor the progress of grievance redressal by field offices.

LCA Tejas Inducted in IAF

Indian Air Force raise the first squadron of home-grown Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas with the induction of two aircraft into the force in Bengaluru. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) handed over the first two Tejas aircraft to the Air Force for ‘Flying Daggers’ 45,the name of the first squadron of the LCA. The HAL Tejas is an Indian single-seat,single engine,multi-role light fighter plane.

Healing Detected in Antarctic Ozone Hole

The hole in the ozone layer over the Antarctic has begun to shrink. The study found that the ozone hole had shrunk by four million sq km an area about the size of India since 2000. Scientists have first noticed the thinning of ozone above Antarctica in the mid 1980s caused by use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). In 1987 most of the countries signed on the Montreal Protocol to ban the use of CFCs.

Pentagon Lifts Ban on Transgender Troops

The US military has ended a ban on transgender troops. US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced that U.S. armed forces will no longer prevent transgender people from serving openly. The new rules will be phased in over the course of one year. The military services will begin allowing transgender individuals to enlist, as long as they meet the required standards.

World’s 2nd Largest Diamond Fail to Sell

The “Lesedi la Rona,” a 1,109-carat uncut diamond failed to sell at auction in London after the bids fell short of the reserve price. The bidding stopped at $61 million but its reserve price was more than $70 million. It is the world’s largest gem-quality rough diamond to be discovered in more than a century.  It was found in the Karowe mine in Botswana

US Human Trafficking Blacklists Myanmar

The United States released its annual human trafficking report. It added eight countries, including Uzbekistan & Myanmar to the blacklist of those not doing enough to halt it. Djibouti,Haiti,Papua New Guinea,Sudan,Suriname &Turkmenistan were also added to the now 26 blacklist of govts. Kuwait & Thailand promoted from this “Tier 3” list of worst offender to the “Tier 2 watch list.

China Launches 2nd Shijian-16 Satellite

China has launched its second Shijian-16 series satellite. The satellite was carried by a Long March-4B rocket and took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China. It will mainly probe the space environment,radiation & its effects & also record space physical environment parameters. The first Shijian-16 satellite was launched in October 2013.

PM to evaluate ‘Vision 2030’

PM Modi will chair a meeting today with NITI Aayog to assess Vision 2030 Meeting will be attended by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Pangariya and other members It will prepare a 3-year action plan for 2017-18 to 2019-20 as part of the National Development Agenda It is working on a 7-year strategy from 2017-18 to 2023-24 to convert a vision document into implementable policy

12 found guilty in 2006 Aurangabad case

A special MCOCA court has found 12 accused guilty in the 206 Aurangabad arms haul case, including Lashkar-e-Taiba operative and 26/11 plotter Abu Jundal Judge S.L. Anekar held that the case was a part of a larger post-2002 Gujarat riots conspiracy to eliminate the then CM of Gujarat Narendra Modi and Vishwa Hindu Parishad Leader Praveen Togadia A total of 22 were accused in the case

IMD sticks to above normal forecast

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is sticking to its 2016 forecast of southwest monsoon being ‘above normal’ as of now, based on the rainfall so far. The Met department had forecast July rains to be 107% of LPA. July is the most crucial month for sowing of Kharif crops. IMD would come up with its second half forecast for 2016 monsoon season later this month.

Govt Introduces Bill To Amend Lokpal Act

The govt. has introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha to amend the clause pertaining to NGOs in the Lokpal Act. It proposes to amend Section 44 of the Act. The act required senior management personnel working with NGOs to disclose their assets and liabilities if their NGO receive foreign donations and funds from the Union government.

CAG signs UN audit reports in New York

Comptroller and Auditor General Shashi Kant Sharma, along with auditor generals of other countries has signed 11 United Nations (UN) Audit reports. The reports cover important UN bodies like UNICEF, UNDP, UNHCR, UN-WOMEN, UNOPS and UN Headquarters. These reports will be presented to the General Assembly of the UN and other governing bodies.

Rajnath to visit Pakistan for SAARC

Home Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Pakistan to attend the meeting of the SAARC Home Ministers on August 3 and 4, 2016. States had decided that the SAARC home ministers would meet to strengthen cooperation in the area of counter-terrorism. The first meeting of SAARC Interior/Home Ministers was held in Dhaka on May 11, 2006, followed by a meeting in New Delhi in 2007

Great Red Spot cause of heat on Jupiter

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot with hues may be the mysterious heat source behind the Jupiter’s high atmospheric temperatures. It is two-three times as wide as Earth and is seen by many as a “perpetual hurricane” with winds peaking at about 400 miles an hour. This effect has been observed over the Andes Mountains here on Earth and may also be happening elsewhere in the outer solar system.

India-US discuss security and terrorism

US and Indian officials will meet on Thursday for the 14th US-India Counter terrorism Joint Working Group (JWG) The meeting is to discuss regional terrorist threats, information sharing, border security, and efforts to counter extremism. It was agreed upon by John Kerry and Sushma Swaraj on the occasion of the inaugural US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue in September last year.

Cabinet approves abolition JV guidelines

Cabinet yesterday has approved abolition of existing guidelines for establishing joint venture companies by defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs). It will allow DPSUs to forge partnerships in an innovative manner enhancing self-reliance in defence. All nine DPSUs will be benefited by this decision

Opposition forces RS adjournment

Opposition on Thursday disrupted RS protesting against making Aadhaar card mandatory for availing government benefits. The opposition argued that as much as 40 per cent of the population do not have Aadhaar card and the move will affect the poor people. These benefits include subsidised LPG, PDS supplies and pensions.

India in talks for pulses import

India is in talks with Myanmar and some African nations for government-to-government import of pulses to boost domestic supply and check prices. An MoU has been signed with Mozambique for importing pulses on a long term basis and address the domestic gap. India imported about 5.8 million tonnes of pulses both through public and private agencies

NSTL to develop optic guided torpedoes

Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL) is set to develop guided heavyweight and lightweight torpedoes with extended range. It has already delivered heavyweight torpedo Varunastra to the Navy. The submarine variant of Varunastra would be test-fired in about two months and the optic-guided torpedo trials will begin by the year-end.

Social activist Mahasweta Devi dies

Eminent litterateur and social activist Mahasweta Devi has passed away. She was awarded with the Jnanpith, Padma Vibhushan and Magsaysay awards. The writer-activist was known for her dedicated service for the welfare of tribals in different parts of India. Born in Dhaka in 1926, Devi did her graduation and MA from Calcutta University

Narsingh can replace Rana after NADA nod

IOA has said that it will not object to wrestler Narsingh Yadav replacing Praveen Rana in the Rio Olympics if he is cleared by NADA in an ongoing dope scandal. Rana has been nominated by Wrestling Federation of India for the 74kg freestyle quota place after Narsingh tested positive for a banned steroid. IOA has cleared a 211-member contingent, including 124 athletes, for the Rio Games

Brazil fines Facebook $11.6 million

Brazil has slapped an $11.6 million fine on the Facebook over the company’s refusal to surrender data from its WhatsApp messenger program to police. WhatsApp has been owned by social media giant Facebook since February 2015. WhatsApp is estimated to be used by 100 million Brazilians, making Brazil the second biggest user country after South Africa

ADB raises Rs 500cr in rupee bonds

Asian Development Bank (ADB) has raised Rs 5 billion, by issuing five-year offshore Indian rupee-linked bonds. The strength of the Indian economy has led to increasing demand from international investors for Indian rupee bonds. ADB is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration.

China, Russia to naval exercises in SCS

China and Russia will hold joint naval exercises in the South China Sea in September. The announcement comes after the PCA has ruled that there was “no legal basis” to Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea With international diplomatic tensions mounting and Washington regularly sending warships area to assert the right to freedom of navigation, the move gains more importance.

India to confront Pak on LeT terrorist

India will confront Pakistan with a dossier on militant Saifulla Bahadur Ali when Rajnath Singh will meet his Pakistan counterpart next week to discuss cross-border terror. Ali, in custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), was captured during a gunfight in Kupwara on July 25. He had earlier told investigators that he was trained by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Biocon initiates program on Hepatitis C

Biocon branded formulations business announced the launch of a new patient support program ‘Ek Prayaas’ through a nationwide awareness drive for Hepatitis C. It was launched on the occasion of ‘World Hepatitis Day’ on July 28th. The program is aimed to educate the common man about the causes and effects of Hepatitis C. 130-150 million people globally have chronic Hepatitis C infection.

Axis Bank Ties up with LIC

Axis Bank has signed an agreement with Life Insurance Corp to distribute policies of the LIC  This is the largest bancassurance partnership after the insurance regulator allowed banks to sell policies of more than one company. Axis Bank already had a distribution arrangement with Max Life Insurance. Bancassurance is a model where the insurance company join hands with a bank to sell its products.

SBI Partners with Oracle

SBI & tech giant Oracle have come together for corporate India’s largest volunteering programme to bring ‘digital fluency’ among underprivileged school students. Under the programme- D-Change  both the organisations will deploy resources to train students in the basics of using information & technology. The program will focus on three key areas of education, women empowerment & rural upliftment.

Cognizant Acquires Idea Couture

U.S.-based IT services major Cognizant has announced the acquisition of Toronto-based digital innovation & design company, Idea Couture. The acquisition aims to boost its digital technologies offering. Idea Couture specialises in designing and prototyping products, services & business models . Its customers include companies like Samsung,PepsiCo, Cox, Citi Ventures, Kroger among others.

Govt Recasts Air India’s Bailout Package

The finance ministry has approved a proposal of Air India Ltd to recast a government-approved bailout package. The proposal is aimed at saving the airline almost Rs.1,500 crore every year in interest costs. The finance ministry has now cleared a proposal that will allow Air India to take a part of the Rs.3,000 crore in the form of a grant. Air India has Rs.50,000 crore of debt.

Sunil Munjal steps down as Hero joint MD

Hero Moto Corp Ltd has announced Sunil Kant Munjal will step down from the board of the company. He will resign from the position of as Joint Managing Director on August 16. Sunil Kant Munjal will focus on some of the other group businesses including Hero Corporate Service & its allied companies as the Chairman. Hero Moto Corp Ltd is the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer.

BRICS Employment Working Meet Concludes

The first meeting of BRICS working group on Labour and Employment concluded in Hyderabad. A consensus was arrived at the meeting to include social security & inclusive growth in the draft declaration to be made later this year. The two-day meeting discussed several aspects of strengthening BRICS. It is a prelude to the BRICS Labour & Employment Ministerial Meeting scheduled on Sept 27-28 at Agra.

IOC to Launch Olympic Channel on Aug 21

The International Olympic Committee will launch the Olympic Channel on Aug 21st. The IOC President Thomas Bach said the launch of the channel will connect the worldwide audience with the Olympic Movement. Fans will be able to follow sports,athletes & the stories behind the Olympic Games. The Olympic Channel will first be offered in English with an option of subtitles in nine different languages.

4       to be Inducted into ICC Hall of Fame

Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan along with 3 others will be inducted into the International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame later this year. The ICC has announced that Muralitharan, Karen Rolton, Arthur Morris & George Lohmann will be inducted. uralitharan becomes the first Sri Lankan player to be inducted. The 4 iconic cricketers were voted by the ICC Cricket Hall of Famers.

World Hepatitis Day Observed

World Hepatitis Day is observed on July 28 every year, aims to raise global awareness of hepatitis. Hepatitis affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, causing acute & chronic disease. The theme 2016 is ‘Elimination’. 2016 is a pivotal year for viral hepatitis. There are five types of Hepatitis Viruses: Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E; All Hepatitis virus cause liver disease.

29-July: International Tiger Day

International Tiger Day is held annualy on July 29 to give worldwide attention to the reservation of tigers. It was founded in 2010 at the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit, with the aim to double the big cat population by 2022. The goal of Tiger Day is to promote the protection a& expansion of the wild tigers habitats. India leads tiger population countries with an estimated population of 2,226.

India Sign Deal to buy Poseidon Aircraft

India has signed a one-billion dollar deal with Boeing for procuring four long-range maritime surveillance & anti-submarine warfare aircraft, Poseidon-8I. The acquisition will be enhancement of the Indian Navy as the country has been building up its naval surveillance capabilities. The contract is a follow-on order to eight P-81 planes already bought by India in a direct deal with the firm.

Compensatory Afforestation Bill Passed

The Parliament has passed the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, 2016 with the Rajya Sabha’s approval. The bill provides for establishment of funds at the Centre & state levels for compensatory afforestation. Under the bill, states will get 42 thousand crore rupees for afforestation & related activities. It also has a provision for setting up of authorities,both at the national & state levels.

Centre nod for AIIMS in Bathinda

The Union cabinet has given its nod to setting up a new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Bathinda in Punjab. It will provide super-specialty healthcare to the people and create a large pool of doctors. The cost of the project will be Rs 925 crore. It will be established under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) & have a capacity of 750 beds.

Govt Form Disha to Coordinate Schemes

The Centre has announced the formation of District Development Coordination & Monitoring Committee, (DDCMC) to be named Disha. It will be form for effective coordination of govt’s programme. Disha will monitor the implementation of 28 schemes of Ministry of Rural Development & other Ministries. The main purpose of the committee is to coordinate with Central & State & local Panchayat Govts.

4 New Writers get ‘Navlekhan’ Award

Four new writers got Bharatiya Jnanpith’s 11th Navlekhan award for the year 2015. Amlendu Tiwari & Balram Kawant were awarded for their novels ‘Parityakt’, & ‘Sara Morila. Om Naagar & Tasneem Khan were awarded for their non-fictions ‘Nib Ke Chire Se’ & ‘Yeh Mere Rahnuma’ respectively. The awardees were chosen by a selection panel headed by senior writer and journalist Madhusudan Anand.

Naidu Launches ‘Mission Harita Andhra’

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has launched ‘Mission Harita Andhra Pradesh’. The objective of the mission is to increase the green cover in the state to 50 per cent by the year 2029. Andhra currently has 23 per cent green cover (forest area) & another 3 per cent non-forest, besides 13 lakh hectares of degraded forest. The state government would also establish a tree bank.

Pulitzer Winning Writer James Alan Dies

McPherson, the first African-American to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, has died. He was awarded the Pulitzer in 1978 for his book “Elbow Room.” His other works included the story collection “Hue and Cry” & the memoir “Crabcakes. In 1981 he was named a MacArthur Fellow & in 1995 he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. He was also a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship.

Rudd Withdraw Candidacy for Top U.N. Job

Former Australian PM Kevin Rudd has withdrawn his candidacy to be the next U.N. Secretary-General. He withdrew his candidacy after current PM Malcolm Turnbull declared him unfit for the job. Rudd was prime minister twice during six years of Labor party strife from 2007 to 2013. The top U.N. job  usually rotates geographically & Eastern Europe is the only region not to have held it yet.

Indian-American Girl Youngest Delegate

An 18-year old Indian-American girl has become the youngest delegate at the Democratic National Convention which has nominated Hillary Clinton as the party’s presidential candidate. Sruthi Palaniappan from Cedar Rapids & a student of the Harvard University is a big supporter of Clinton. Her father Palaniappan Andiappan is also attending the convention as a member of credentials committee.

Barnier Appointed as Brexit Negotiator

Former French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier has been appointed by the European Commission to negotiate with Britain over Brexit. Mr Barnier was European commissioner for financial services between 2010 and 2014 & had spearheaded the overhaul of EU banking laws He will take up his post on 1 October. Negotiations will only begin when Article 50 is triggered.

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