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National News
3rd Asia Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation
- More than 700 tiger experts, scientists, managers, donors and other stakeholders are gathering to discuss issues related to tiger conservation.
- Ministers and government officials from all Tiger Range Countries are participating in the conference.
India, US ‘agree in principle’ on sharing military logistics
- Growing interaction between armed forces of the two countries is a “significant aspect of bilateral relationship”.
- India has more joint exercises with the US than any other country in the world.
- Details of the logistic support is yet to be decided.
Shan-E-Punjab Express fitted with CCTV cameras
- First train in the country to get CCTV cameras
- CCTV system includes 4 to 6 Cameras per coach with Digital Video Recorder (DVR)
- System shall facilitate facial recognition for unambiguous identification of the target person by giving resolution images, enable facial recognition in low light condition
- Installation of surveillance systems was done through Ms/ A-Paul Instrument Company at an approximate cost of 36.71 lakh.
Mufti Sayeed Food Entitlement Scheme announced in J&K
- People who are covered under the State’s public distribution system will get additional 5kg of ration per person
- This is in addition to 5kg of ration they are entitled to get under NFSA.
- new scheme would be uniform scale of rations for all areas and food preferences of consumers would be taken care of
- Instead of wheat 75% population would get Atta.
UNICEF signs MoU with GITAM University
- MoU to empower the adolescents 10-19 years and address the adolescent issues in the district.
- Other districts that deal with adolescents issue are:
- Purulia in West Bengal
- Sibsahar in Assam
- EastSinghbum in Jharkhand
Three Member Committee for Content Regulation of Government Advertising
- Committee would be chaired by Shri B.B. Tandon, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India.
- Committee would address complaints from the general public of violation on the implementation of the guidelines set out by Supreme Court
- Committee would also take suo motu cognizance of any violation / deviation of the guidelines
- Committee may recommend suitable changes to the Supreme Court guidelines to deal with new circumstances and situations that may arise
- Committee is not bound by any legal rules of evidence and may follow such procedure that appears to it to be fair and proper for swift settlement of grievances
Maharashtra Legislative Council clears Bill to regulate dance bars
- Dance bars have not been banned but stringent conditions have been imposed to ensure that no owner comes forward to set up a dance bar.
- All performances will have to be approved by the censor board for theatre performances.
- Following its clearance in the Upper House, the Bill will now be introduced in the Assembly.
SC defends Lodha panel
- Lodha committee was set up by the Supreme Court to recommend reforms in the Board of Control for Cricket in India
- Committee suggested the restructuring of the BCCI’s administrative set-up, proposing the position of a CEO accountable to a nine-member apex council.
- CEO to be assisted by 6 professional managers and the team of CEO and managers will be accountable to the apex council.
- It also suggested that a person cannot be a BCCI office-bearer and a state association office-bearer at the same time.
80% of India’s population is not covered under any health insurance scheme
- Around 86% of the rural population and 82% of the urban population are not covered under any scheme of health expenditure support.
- In urban areas, over 90% of the poorest residents are not covered, while the figure is 66% for the richest residents.
- Poorer households appear unaware or are beyond the reach of such coverage, both in rural and urban areas.
International
India’s Maharajas’ Express among top rated trains globally
- The Maharajas’ Express’ train has redefined the luxury travel experience by offering guests the opportunity to explore fabled destinations
- Provides guests a glimpse of rich cultural heritage of Incredible India
Business and Economy
Bharti Airtel’s payments Bank Unit approved
- First entity to receive final approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to start a payments bank.
- Will set up the payments bank in partnership with Kotak Mahindra Bank, which holds 9% stake in Airtel M Commerce
- Reserve Bank’s in-principle approval was valid for 18 months
Housing finance cos exempted from XBRL filings
- Corporate Affair Ministry has exempted housing finance companies from filing financial statements in XBRL format.
- Banking, insurance, power sector and non-banking finance companies are already exempted.
UIDAI asks online retails to stop collecting AADHAR information of customers
- Ministry of communications and IT has also warned the general public against sharing personal information on e-commerce platforms.
- Ministry has also warned that collecting information related to Aadhaar card or its unauthorized printing or aiding such persons in any manner may amount to a criminal offence punishable with imprisonment.
Science and Technology
Proof to link Zika virus with brain defects
- Several cases of microcephaly, a rare birth defect in which the brain fails to grow properly, continue to be reported in Brazil following the outbreak of Zika virus.
- How quickly the neural stem cells get infected with Zika virus became clear when the researchers detected it just 24 hours after they were exposed.
- While those cells not infected with the virus generated normal neurospheres, the virus-infected neural cells generated neurospheres with abnormalities.
- At the end of six days, the virus killed most of the neurospheres.
Environment and Ecology
World’s longest-ever captured python dies in Malaysia
- Giant python weighing 250 kg found on a Malaysian building site died after giving birth
- The current record for longest snake ever caught is 7.67m.
- The spotted python was 8m in length
People in News
Kyrgyzstan Prime Minister Temir Sariyev resigns
- A parliamentary commission accused his cabinet of corruption.
- Commission has revealed that the government had broken the law, accusing it of having rigged a $100 million road construction tender to a Chinese firm that lacked the required license
Hemant Kumar Ruia appointed CFO of Indus Towers
- Currently working as the CFO of Reliance Retail.
- Started his career with Larsen & Tourbo and has since then worked with ICI India Ltd and Reckitt Benkiser India, before moving to Agro Tech Food Ltd
Maharashtra’s IPS officer Meeran Borwankar appointed DG of BPR&D
- The Bureau of Police Research and Development was set up on 28 August 1970 to further the objective of the Government of India for the modernization of police forces.
- Parent Agency of BPR & D is Ministry of Home Affairs
MS Dhoni As Brand Ambassador of Lava International
- Lava International is a local Mobile Handset maker.
- It achieved revenues of $1.2 billion (over Rs 8,000 crore) in FY 2014-15, registering more than 100% growth over FY 2013-14.
Ravindran takes charge as new KVGB Chairman
- He was heading the Mumbai region of Syndicate Bank before joining KVGB.
India’s first woman biker Veenu Paliwal dies
- Died when her bike skid off a road near Gyaraspur, 100 kilometers from state capital Bhopal.
- She was on a motorcycle trip from Kashmir to Kanyakumari when the mishap occurred.
Awards
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan wins Global Indian of the Year 2016 award
- She was honored at NRI of the Year award function held in Mumbai.
Sania Mirza honored at NRI of the Year Award 2016
- She was conferred with the Global Indian Icon of the year award.
Ex-army chief JJ Singh gets highest French civilian honor
- Chosen for the honor in recognition of his “stellar role” in modernizing the Indian Army and initiating robust exchanges between the Indian and French armies
Sports
Serena Williams retains top spot in WTA rankings
- German Angelique Kerber has slipped to the third in the WTA rankings
- In Women’s doubles, India’s Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis retained their top position in the rankings
Chawrasia wins Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of Month
- Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of the Month award is one of the partnership initiatives aimed at recognizing outstanding efforts of Asian Tour members both at home and abroad.
- He is the second Indian to win the Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of the Month award.
Indian Teams win Asian Kho Kho Championship Title
- The men and women’s teams won against Bangladesh in the finals.
- Aniket Pote emerged as the match winner and won the match winner award for the men’s team.
- Women’s team captain Sarika Kale won the women’s match-winner title.