National
• The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has entered into 9 Unilateral Advance Pricing Agreements (UAPAs) with Indian taxpayers in July, 2017. With this, total number of APAs signed till date stands at 171 (Bilateral-12 and Unilateral-159).
• The Union Ministry of Minority Affairs has launched Jiyo Parsi Publicity Phase-2 in Mumbai, Maharashtra under the Jiyo Parsi scheme
• According to recently released OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2017-2026 report, India is the world’s third-biggest exporter of beef. Brazil was ranked as the world’s top beef exporter followed by Australia. The report was released jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation (OECD).
• The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released Operational Guidelines for Planning and Implementation of Family Participatory Care (FPC) for improving newborn health.
• The Union Ministry of Earth Science has launched Sagar Vani, an integrated information dissemination system on the occasion of its foundation Day
The Union Ministry of Earth Science has launched India Quake application on the occasion of its foundation day. The mobile app has been developed by the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) for automatic dissemination of earthquake parameter (location, time and magnitude) after the occurrence of earthquakes.
• The World Hepatitis Day is being observed every year on July 28 around the world by World Health Organisation (WHO) to spread awareness about viral hepatitis. This year the theme of the Day is – “Eliminate Hepatitis”.
• The Supreme Court has ruled that the police cannot arrest the accused without conducting a preliminary inquiry under dowry harassment cases. The ruling was made by a SC bench of Justices A K Goel and UU Lalit.
• The NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog has approved 6 transport proposals of the transport ministry exploring options to improve public transport. It includes high-tech mass rapid transportation technologies.
• Tax authorities of the BRICS- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa have signed BRICS Taxation Cooperation Memorandum to establish a mechanism for taxation cooperation.
• BRICS countries-Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa have agreed to work together to ensure stable employment and better quality of life for their people. Decision in this regard was taken at the 2017 Labour and Employment Ministers’ meeting held in Chongqing, China.
The Union Cabinet has approved the Labour Code on Wages Bill which will ensure a minimum wage across all sectors by integrating existing labour related laws.
• The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) has adopted three Codex standards for black, white and green pepper, cumin and thyme. It is for first time pepper, cumin and thyme, spices will have such universal standards.
• The Union Cabinet has approved revision of guidelines of Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGB) Scheme with a view to achieve its intended objectives.
• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has apprised Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) between on Indo German-Centre for Sustainability (IGCS).
• The 18th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas was celebrated across India to commemorate the success of Operation Vijay and remember brave sacrifice of Indian soldiers during the 1999 India-Pakistan Kargil War.
• The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has approved construction of 30,000 affordable houses in Maharashtra’s Sholapur district for the urban poor on private land under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).
• Ram Nath Kovind (71) sworn in as the 14th President of India. He was administered oath to the office by Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar in Parliament’s Central Hall.
• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has banned the use of stapler pins in tea bags from January 2018. FSSAI ban order issued under Section (15) FSS Act, 2006 has deemed that any loose staple pin consumed inadvertently with tea may cause a serious health hazard.
• Parliament has passed The Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Bill, 2016. Admiralty laws deal with cases of accidents in navigable waters or involve contracts related to commerce on such waters.
• The Union Ministry of Rural Development launched Aarambh mobile app for performance based maintenance contracting and community contracting for maintenance of rural roads.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved sale of government’s 51.11% stake along with management control in HPCL (Hindustan Petroleum) to ONGC. HPCL will continue as PSU after the acquisition.
• According to the Country Report on Terrorism released by the US State Department, India witnessed third highest number of terrorist attacks in 2016, more than Pakistan. The six countries that faced highest number of terrorist attacks in 2016 are Iraq (2,965 terrorist attacks), Afghanistan (1,340), India (927), Pakistan (734), Philippines (482), Nigeria (466).
India will host Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS) 2017, the world’s largest conference on cyber space and related issues in New Delhi in November 2017.
• The Union Ministry of Rural Development will launch Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana (AGEY), a sub-scheme under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).
• The Lok Sabha has passed The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2017. The Bill amends the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE), 2009 to extend the deadline for teachers to acquire the prescribed minimum qualifications for appointment.
• The Union Finance Ministry has launched Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY), a pension scheme exclusively for senior citizens aged 60 years and above. Under this scheme, senior citizens will get a guaranteed interest of 8% for 10 years depending upon the investment made by them.
• President Pranab Mukharjee inaugurated the bicentenary (200th) celebration of Paika Rebellion (1817) of Odisha organised by the Union Ministry of Culture in New Delhi.
• The first meeting of the newly formed Integrated Monitoring and Advisory Council (IMAC) was held in New Delhi. It was chaired by Union Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan.
The landmark India-Japan civil nuclear agreement came into force. In this regard, Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar exchanged the diplomatic notes with the Japanese envoy to India to formalise the completion of the process.
• The Union Government released the 76 point National Trade Facilitation Action Plan (NTFAP). It was released by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in New Delhi.
• Former governor Ram Nath Kovind was elected as India’s 14th President. He will be only the second Dalit leader after K R Narayanan since Independence to occupy India’s highest ceremonial post.
• The Union Cabinet has extended the second phase of the BharatNet project that forms the backbone for the Union government’s Digital India initiative. The second phase aims at covering the remaining 1.50 lakh Gram Panchayats (GPS).
• The Union Environment Ministry approved three projects for climate change adaptation in three states viz. Rajasthan, Gujarat and Sikkim for funding under the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC).
• The Union Cabinet gave its nod to Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) to raise Rs.660 crore in bonds for extra budgetary resources (EBRs) in 2017-18.
• The Union Cabinet approved promulgation of the Central Goods and Services Tax (Extension to Jammu & Kashmir) Ordinance, 2017 and Integrated Goods and Services Tax (Extension to Jammu & Kashmir) Ordinance, 2017.
The Union Cabinet has approved signing of Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) in respect of tax matters between India and the BRICS countries namely, Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa.
• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has launched ‘mAadhaar’, a new mobile application for syncing Aadhaar data on mobile phones.
• The Supreme Court has allowed the Union Government to replace the oversight committee set up to supervise the functioning of the Medical Council of India (MCI) with a fresh panel of five eminent doctors.
• Scientists from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) have discovered the presence of millions of tonnes of precious metals and minerals deep under the waters within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of peninsular India.
• The Union Government for the first time has given approval three infrastructure proposals to address the infrastructure problem under the Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES).
• The United States House of Representatives has passed an amendment to National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA), 2018, a $621.5 billion defence expenditure bill to advance defence cooperation with India.
• India ranked third in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Government at a Glance 2017 report. It states that Narendra Modi led NDA coalition has secured 73% trust of people, third highest in the world after Indonesia and Switzerland.
Indian Railways has launched India’s first solar powered diesel multiple unit (DEMU) broad gauge train. It is 1600 Horse Power (HP) train with all solar powered coaches.
• India has contributed an additional $1 million to India-UN Development Partnership Fund launched to support sustainable development projects across the developing world.
• India has been ranked low 116 out of 157 nations on the 2017 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Index and Dashboard report released by Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and Bertelsmann Stiftung.
• India for the first time will host 8th International Theatre Olympics, the greatest carnival of theatre in the world in 2018. The 51-day carnival of theatre will begin on February 17, 2018.
• The Union Government has set up Directorate General of Analytics and Risk Management (DGARM), a new wing to provide intelligence inputs taking action against tax evaders.
• The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) will establish India’s first Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) at Patent Information Centre, Punjab.
• The Indian Railways has launched RailCloud, a virtual server with an inbuilt security system that will enable faster connectivity at a reduced cost. Rail Cloud works on popular Cloud Computing system.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given its approval for upgradation and widening of 65 kms of Imphal-Moreh Section of NH-39 in Manipur.
• The Union Cabinet has approved establishment of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) set up a regional centre International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), a global rice research institute.
The Union Cabinet has given its approval for the Joint Interpretative Notes (JIN) on the Agreement between India and Bangladesh for the Promotion and Protection of Investments.
• 5 States and a Union Territory (UT) have formally adopted the Centre’s Government e-Marketplace (GeM) initiative. They are Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Telangana, Arunachal Pradesh and Puducherry (UT).
• According to recently released OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2017-2026, India will be the world’s largest milk producer by 2026 and will account for the biggest increase in wheat production globally.
• The Union Government has saved around Rs 57,000 crore in 2016-17 through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme under which subsidies are given directly to beneficiaries.
• President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the ‘Ashiana Annexe’, comprising of 12 low cost dwelling units in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. It has been constructed to accommodate officers and staff of Rashtrapati Bhavan during Presidential visits to the Retreat at ‘Ashiana’.
• The World Population Day is observed across the world on July 11 to attention on the urgency and importance of population issue. Observance of the day aims at increase people’s awareness on various population issues such as the importance of family planning, maternal health, gender equality, poverty and human rights.
• The Union Finance Ministry has launched Aaykar Setu, a new tax payer service module. The new e-initiative literally means taxpayer’s bridge and will be available in android phones.
• The Union Government has merged the Ministries of Urban Development and Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation to form the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
India will soon join Global Foreign Exchange Committee (GFXC), a newly-constituted forum of central bankers and experts working towards promotion of a robust and transparent foreign exchange (Forex) market.
• President Pranab Mukherjee on the occasion of Guru Purnima launched four major digital initiatives in to push e-education. They are Swayam, Swayam Prabha, National Academic Depository and National Digital Library. All these digital initiatives are operational under Union Ministry of Human Resource and Development.
• The Union Cabinet approved Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority’s (IRDAI) admission as a signatory to International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS), Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MMoU).
• India has planned to invite the ten leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as Chief Guests for 2018 Republic Day celebrations. This Plan has come at a time when India is engaged in a stand-off with China in the Sikkim sector.
• The HRD Ministry has decided to remove the no-detention policy for students from the next academic year. Under the Right to Education Act, no child will be detained or held back in any class or expelled till the completion of elementary education covering classes 1 to 8.
• The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has inked an agreement with four private banks and Bank of Baroda for the purpose of collection of provident fund dues from the employers and payments to its subscribers.
• The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has inked an agreement with four private banks and Bank of Baroda for the purpose of collection of provident fund dues from the employers and payments to its subscribers.
• The Supreme Court has asked the Union government to formalise appointment of election commissioners through law.
• Union Minister of State for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, Piyush Goyal has launched the ‘MERIT app (Merit Order Despatch of Electricity for Rejuvenation of Income and Transparency)’ and the e-bidding portal for offering an e-Bidding solution to States.
The Union Ministry of Power has announced that about 97% of the total outstanding debt of all state power distribution companies (discoms) has been covered under the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY).
• The United States of America (USA) has rolled out pre-approved expedited entry clearance for low-risk Indian travellers under its Global Entry programme (GEP).
• President Pranab Mukherjee has approved the promulgation of The Prevention of cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Ordinance, 2017 by the Governor of Karnataka in pursuance of Article 213 of Constitution.
• The Union Government and Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a $220 million loan agreement for improving connectivity as well as transport efficiency and safety on State Highways of Rajasthan.
• Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) has inked MoU with National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) for redevelopment of 10 railway stations across the country on global standards.
• The Union Ministry of Science & Technology has launched National Biopharma Mission, a first ever Industry-Academia mission to accelerate biopharmaceutical development in India.
• The Union Home Ministry is yet to give security clearance to the Goods and Service Tax Network (GSTN), the IT backbone of the Goods and Service Tax (GST).
• The Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pension has launched a new training programme Comprehensive Online Modified Modules on Induction Training (COMMIT) for State Government officials.
International
• The United Nations (UN) World Day against Trafficking in Persons is observed every year on July 30 to raise awareness of the plight of human trafficking victims, and promote and protect their rights.
• Sri Lanka has signed a US $1.1 billion deal to sell a 70% stake of the strategic Hambantota deep-sea port to China. Hambantota port is a deep-water port in the southern tip of Sri Lanka. It sits close to busy east-west shipping lanes connecting Europe and Asia.
• Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has resigned from his post after the Supreme Court disqualified him in the Panama Papers case. This is the third time Nawaz Sharif has been unable to complete his term in the chief executive’s office.
• Iran and Iraq signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to step up military cooperation and the fight against terrorism and extremism.
The United States has imposed new economic sanctions against Iran over its ballistic missile programme and for contributing to regional tensions.
• The World Youth Skills Day is observed globally on 15 July every year to raise awareness about the importance of investing in youth skills development. Observance of the day aims to create more awareness on training and the development of skills for the youth of today and also create better employment opportunities for the youth.
• Okinoshima Island, Japan’s men-only island was declared as a UNESCO world heritage site. The island will be the 17th set of Japanese cultural assets to be granted this status and overall 21st in the list.
• The 12th G-20 summit concluded in Germany’s Hamburg city with adaptation of Hamburg Action Plan. It sets out the group’s strategy for achieving strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth.
• India and Bangladesh have decided to construct a bridge over Mizoram’s Khawthlangtuipui river (also known as Karnaphuli river) to facilitate trade and to improve communication between the two countries. The decision was taken after officials from both the side met at Tlabung town in Mamit district of Mizoram. The Mamit district is situated adjacent to Khagrachari district of Southeast Bangladesh.
• In the 12th G20 Summit held in Hamburg, the leaders of the G20 countries has agreed for taking concrete steps to stop funding of the terror activities. The leaders have also pledged for a joint crackdown on the global scourge of terrorism and check its funding sources.
• The United Nations has adopted a historic global treaty banning nuclear weapons. The treaty was adopted by a vote of 122 members in favour. The Netherlands was the only country who voted against the treaty. Singapore abstained from voting.
• Vietnam has granted ONGC Videsh a two-year extension to explore oil block 128 in the South China Sea. The permission was first granted in the year 2006 which is due to expire in mid-June.
India has been ranked 23rd out of 165 nations in the second Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) that measures the commitment of nations across the world to cyber security. The Index has been released by the UN telecommunications agency International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
• As per the official figures published by the UK’s Department for International Trade, India has become the fourth largest foreign investor into the UK in 2016-17. India has lost its position as the third largest investor to France.
• The United States has decided to present a draft resolution in the U.N. Security Council aimed at imposing new sanctions on North Korea as it has successfully launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-day visit to Israel which is the first by an Indian prime minister to Israel resulted in the signing of seven agreements on areas including space, tech and agriculture.
India and Israel have signed 7 agreements on areas including space, tech and agriculture during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Israel. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel. Also, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit marks the 25 years of establishment of diplomatic relationship between India and Israel.
• North Korea has claimed that it has successfully test-fired its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasong-14 into waters near Sea of Japan. The claim was confirmed by United States.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the end of the most recent outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
• Carrie Lam was sworn in as the first female Chief Executive (CE) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), an autonomous territory of China on the Pearl River Delta.
Business, Economy & Banking
• The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has received final nod from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to function as the Bharat Bill Payment Central Unit (BBPCU) and operate the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS).
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its July World Economic Outlook (WEO) Update has retained India’s projected GDP growth rate at 7.2% for 2017-18, slightly up from 7.1% in the previous year.
• Markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA).
• India’s largest commercial bank State Bank of India (SBI) launched SBI Realty, a dedicated portal that will help home buyers to choose flats from its 3,000 approved projects across the country.
• Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) for the first time in its trading history has crossed Rs 5 lakh crore in market capitalisation. The market cap of RIL stood at Rs 5,04,458.09 on BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange.
• The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has notified regulations for inspection and investigation of service providers registered with it.
India and European Union (EU) have established Investment Facilitation Mechanism (IFM) for EU Investments in India. The mechanism will allow for a close coordination between EU and India with an aim to promote and facilitate EU investment in India.
• India, the world’s third-largest oil importer, for the first time will import crude oil from the United States. The purchase comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US in June 2017 when President Donald Trump had assured that US looks forward to export more energy products to India.
• According to RBI, India’s foreign exchange (Forex) reserves have increased by $4.007 billion to touch a record high of $386.539 billion in the week that ended 30th June 2017.
• RBI has issued directions on ‘Customer Protection – Limiting Liability of Customers in unauthorised Electronic Banking Transactions’. RBI has issued the revised directions amidst a recent increase in customer grievances related to unauthorised transactions.
• According to BMI Research, a Fitch group company, India is expected to register a growth of 6.9% in this financial year.
• According to the research conducted by the Centre for International Development at Harvard University (CID), India will be the base to the economic pole of global growth over the coming decade. The study has stated that over the years, the economic pole of global growth has moved from China to neighbouring India and it is likely to remain over India in the coming decade.
• As per analysis of the latest figures compiled by the Zurich based SNB (Swiss National Bank) as on 2016-end, India has slipped to the 88th place in terms of money parked by its citizens with Swiss banks.
National Multi Commodity Exchange (NMCE), India’s first demutualised online national multi-commodities exchange will merge with Indian Commodity Exchange (ICEX).
• Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Jio Infocomm has launched the Asia-Africa-Europe (AAE-1) submarine cable system. It is claimed to be world’s longest 100Gbps technology-based submarine system.
• The growth of eight core sectors slowed to 3.6% in May 2017 due to fall in output of coal and fertilisers. It was 5.2% in May 2016. In April 2017, these eight sectors had recorded a growth rate of 2.8%.
Science & Technology
• Scientists have announced that the world’s smallest spacecrafts dubbed as Sprites ever launched are successfully travelling in low Earth orbit and communicating with systems on Earth.
• Scientists have developed a super strong, flexible Bio-glue for wound healing without causing toxicity. It has been inspired by an adhesive material (glue) secreted by slugs that sticks to biological tissues.
• Scientists from the Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research (IISER), Thiruvananthapuram have developed gelator that can suck up oil and congeal it.
• China has successfully produced natural gas from methane hydrate, also known as “flammable ice”, in an experimental project in the South China Sea (SCS).
• Scientists from Oregon Health and Science University, US for first time have successfully edited genes of human embryos to correct defective DNA that cause inherited diseases.
• Scientists including one of Indian origin have developed new artificial intelligence (AI) software called SurfNet that can create three dimensional (3D) models from 2D photographs.
Scientists from NASA for first time are planning to chase the shadow of the moon using two of NASA’s WB-57F research jets during the upcoming total solar eclipse in US. The purpose of the chase is to capture the clearest ever images of the Sun’s outer atmosphere.
• Scientists have discovered new species of glow-in-the-dark shark living 1,000 feet below the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the northwestern Hawaiian islands.
• Scientists for the first time have produced human antibodies in the laboratory. They have developed revolutionary technique which can help in rapid development of new vaccines to treat a wide range of infectious diseases.
• The world’s first full—scale floating wind farm is being built off the coast of Scotland in the North Sea. The wind farm, known as Hywind is a trial project which aims to bring power to 20,000 homes.
• Researchers San Antonio Catholic University of Murcia, Spain have discovered novobiocin compound that could be used as a potential drug to fight the effects of a Zika virus infection.
• According to study conducted by researchers from University of Hyderabad, Castor bean plants can prove useful in fighting soil pollution. It was found that these plants can absorb toxic heavy metals from soil from these polluted areas due to industrial pollution.
India’s first dedicated space observatory AstroSat along with other space and earth-based observatories have detected a massive coronal explosion on Proxima Centauri, sun’s closest star neighbour.
• Researchers from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata have developed an organic-inorganic molecular hybrid material which is fire and rust resistant.
• United States Navy successfully tested the world’s first-ever active Laser Weapons System (LaWS).
• India’s largest Commercial Vehicles manufacturer Tata Motors has unveiled country’s first Bio-CNG (bio-methane) bus.
• Scientists from ETH Zurich in Switzerland have developed a 3D-printed soft silicone heart that closely resembles and functions like the human organ.
• The Union Ministry of Science and Technology has launched SOHUM, an indigenously developed low-cost hearing screening device for newborns.
• Scientists from the University of Cambridge have developed super-stretchy and strong artificial (synthetic) spider silk, almost entirely composed of water.
• Scientists from Harvard Medical School for first time have encoded a small movie clip in the DNA of living bacterial cells and then played it back.
A team of Indian astronomers have identified previously unknown, extremely large supercluster of galaxies located in the direction of constellation Pisces. It has been named “Saraswati”.
• Scientists from University of Cambridge, UK have discovered the smallest star in the universe. It has been named as EBLM J0555-57Ab.
• A state-of-the-art, indigenously developed S-band doppler weather radar (DWR) of India Meteorological Department (IMD) was commissioned at Palluruthy in West Kochi, Kerala.
• NASA’s unmanned spacecraft Juno has successfully peered into the Jupiter’s giant storm known as the Great Red Spot. It became first space probe to complete flyby of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot.
• Scientists from New Zealand for the first time have claimed that vaccine can protect against the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhoea. They have found that Men B jab vaccine originally developed to stop an outbreak of meningitis B can protect from gonorrhoea.
• Scientists from Northwestern University in the United States have created miniature versions of Saturn, complete with rings, by electrifying tiny droplets of fluids.
• Jigyasa, a student- scientist connect programme has been launched by the government in New Delhi. The programme would be implemented by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in collaboration with Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS).
• According to the research carried out by Researchers at the University of Edinburgh in the UK, surface of Mars has chemical compounds called perchlorates that can wipe out living organisms.
• NASA is developing Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), the first-ever mission that will deflect a near-Earth asteroid.
• Scientists from Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Germany have developed the world’s sharpest laser with record-breaking precision.
Awards & Honors
• Former Union Minister Ashwani Kumar was conferred with the Japan’s imperial decoration ‘Order of the Rising Sun’ award for his contribution to fostering Japan-India ties.
• Raipur’s Swami Vivekananda Airport was ranked first in Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) Survey among 49 airports in the country. It has achieved 4.84 score on a five point scale index.
• Tata Steel Ltd has bagged Prime Minister’s trophy for ‘Best Performing Integrated Steel Plant’ in the country for the performance years 2014-2015 and 2015- 16.
• Mahesh Muralidhar Bhagwat, IPS officer from Telangana was conferred with the 2017 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report Heroes Award by the Unites States Department of State. He is third IPS officer to get this honour.
• Two Indian-Americans, Adobe Chief Shantanu Narayen (54) and former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy (39) have been chosen for prestigious Great Immigrants: The Pride of America Award 2017.
Sports
• India’s Ajay Singh has won bronze medal in the 2017 Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships held at Kathmandu, Nepal. He got third place in 77 kgs men’s junior category by lifting 143 kgs in snatch and 172 kgs in clean and jerk.
• Ace Indian Shuttler H S Prannoy won the 2017 Yonex US Open Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament title. It was his third grand prix gold title of badminton.
• England’s women’s cricket team won 2017 ICC World Cup title by defeating India by 9 runs at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. It was England’s fourth Women’s World Cup title. Besides the inaugural edition in 1973, England had won the World Cup in 1993 and 2009 as well.
• India’s Karamjyoti Dalal has won bronze medal at the World Para Athletics Championships 2017 in the discus-throw. In the women’s F55 category of discus-throw, she managed a throw of 19.02 m.
• Switzerland’s Roger Federer won 2017 Wimbledon title in the men’s single category. In the final match he defeated Marin Cilic of Croatia by 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 score.
• India’s Harinder Pal Sandhu (28) won the Victorian Open squash tournament held in Melbourne, Australia. In the final he defeated Rex Hedrick of Australia by 12-14, 11-3, 11-4 score.
• India’s Sundar Singh Gurjar (21) won gold medal in the men’s javelin throw event at World Para Athletics Championships held in London, United Kingdom.
• Indian captain Mithali Raj (34) scripted history by becoming first player in the history of women’s ODI cricket to score more than 6000 career runs. She also became all-time leading run-getter in women’s ODI.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has named former Indian all-rounder and captain Ravi Shastri as the new chief coach of the Indian cricket team till ICC World Cup 2019. He will succeed Anil Kumble who had resigned from the post after the ICC Champions Trophy 2017.
• India’s Harinder Pal Sandhu has defeated Rhys Dowling of Australia 11-8 12-10 11-4 to lift South Australian Open squash title. This will be Sandhu’s first PSA tournament victory in Australia. South Australian Open squash title is on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) international circuit.
• Manpreet Kaur and Govindan Laxman has managed to win gold medals on the opening day of Asian Athletics Championships held at Kalinga Stadium of Bhubaneshwar.
• As per the updated FIFA world football rankings, the Indian national football has managed to secure the 96th spot moving up four places. Earlier, India was placed at the 100th position. This is the best ranking secured by India in 21 years. India had ranked 101st in the FIFA rankings for April. The current ranking is far better off than the 173rd rank secured in March 2015. Since the beginning of the world ranking system,India has been averaging at the 134th rank. In 1996, India managed to secure the 94th spot. Till date, it remains the country’s best ever FIFA ranking.
• Four-time FIFA World Cup winner Germany won maiden FIFA Confederation Cup Football title by defeating Copa America Champion Chile by 1-0 goals in the final match held at St Petersburg, Russia.
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