International Affairs
India,
Egypt To Step Up Security Coop
India & Egypt has decided to step up
their overall defence & security cooperation to tackle the twin challenges
of terrorism & radicalization.
A series of decisions to combat terrorism
were taken in wide-ranging talks between PM Modi & President of Egypt
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
For India, Egypt is a strategically located
country which is a crucial link between northeast Africa & the Middle
East.
China
Ratifies Paris Agreement
China’s parliament has ratified the Paris
agreement on climate change.
China is the world’s largest emitter of
harmful CO2 emissions.
China & the US were expected to
announce ratification jointly before or at the weekend’s G20 Hangzhou summit.
In a landmark deal struck in December,
countries agreed to cut emissions enough to keep the global average rise in
temperatures below 2C.
British
Columbia Issues Masala Bonds
Canada’s Province of British Columbia has
become the first foreign government entity to issue a masala bond.
It has raised Rs. 500 crore through this
offering.
Masala Bonds are rupee-denominated bonds
issued to overseas buyers, aimed at investments into India’s infra needs.
In July, HDFC had listed the world’s first
masala bond, raising Rs. 3,000 crore.
National Affairs
India
and Vietnam Sign 12 Agreements
India & Vietnam have signed 12
agreements for further strengthening of bilateral ties.
The agreements were signed in presence of PM
Modi & his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Hanoi.
PM Modi has arrived Hanoi on the first leg of
his two-nation visit.
This is the first bilateral prime ministerial
visit from India to Vietnam in 15 yrs since the visit of then premier
A.B. Vajpayee in 2001.
Majuli
Named World Largest River Island
Majuli Island on the Brahmaputra in Assam was
declared the largest river island in the world, toppling Marajo in Brazil, by
Guinness World Records.
The river island covers an area of around 880
sqkm.
The island lost around one-third of its area
due to frequent flooding of the river.
It was recently declared a district
& was earlier a sub-division under Jorhat district.
Awards & Honors
Punit
Goenka is New IBF Chief
Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, Zee Entertainment
Enterprises has been elected as the Indian Broadcasting Foundation’s
President.
Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) is the
representative body of television broadcasters.
He replaces Uday Shankar at the helm of the
IBF.
He is also the chairman of the television
ratings agency Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India.
Mazumdar Shaw Given the Chevalier award
CMD of biopharma Biocon, Kiran Mazumdar
Shaw was given the ‘Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur’
award.
She was awarded for her contribution to
biosciences & research field globally.
Chevalier l’Ordre National de la Légion
d’Honneur was created in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte.
It is the highest civilian award of the
French Republic for outstanding contribution in various fields.
Sports
Sidhu
Launches Awaaz-e-Punjab
Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh
Sidhu and Akali Dal MLA Pargat Singh, along with some other leaders have
announced the launch of a political front, Awaaz-e-Punjab.
The formal announcement of the modalities of
the new party would be made in the next few days,
The new front would work towards the
interests of Punjab and its people.
Sidhu had resigned in July from his Rajya
Sabha seat.
Maharashtra
Bowler Makes History
Maharashtra cricketer Shrikant Mundhe created
history by becoming the first Liverpool Competition Premier League bowler to
take 10 wickets in an innings.
The fast bowler bowled out Birkenhead Park
club’s batting line-up with figures of 10-85 in 24.1 overs at Penrhyn
Avenue in Rhos-on-Sea,Colwyn Bay.
The 10-wicket haul took Mundhe’s season tally
to 54 league wickets for the campaign so far.
PM
Announces Rs 200cr Package for Sports
PM Modi has announced a special package
of Rs. 200 crore to engage youth of Jammu & Kashmir in constructive
sporting activities.
The package provides for construction of
indoor sporting halls in all districts of the State.
Two stadia of Srinagar & Jammu will
be upgraded to the international standards.
A special programme ‘Sports for AII’ is being
implemented through J&K State Sports Council .
Zaheer
Made Honorary Life Member by MCC
Former pacer Zaheer Khan has been made an
honorary life member of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
He becomes the 24th Indian cricketer to be
bestowed the honour.
The list also includes the likes of Sunil
Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar, who were inducted in previous years.
MCC is a cricket club in London, founded in
1787 & it owns, and is based at, Lord’s Cricket Ground.
Business & Economy
Voonik
Acquires Styling App Dekkoh
Voonik Technologies Pvt. Ltd, which operates
the fashion app Voonik had acquired styling app Dekkoh for an undisclosed
amount.
Dekkoh connects over 200 stylists to
consumers seeking fashion advice.
It allows users to chat with a stylist and
buy clothing and accessories that suit them.
Voonik also announced the acquisition of
three other start-ups —Zohraa, Styl & Picksilk
Indian
Economy Grows at 7.1% in Q1
Indian economy grew at 7.1 per cent in first
quarter of the current fiscal.
The economic activities have registered
growth of over 7 per cent in the April-June quarter, over year-ago period.
During the April-June quarter last fiscal,
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew 7.5%.
The government has targeted the GDP growth to
top 8 per cent this financial year on back of a normal monsoon season.
BHEL
Commission Unit-4 of Teesta Project
BHEL has commissioned the fourth
& last unit of the 4×40 MW Teesta Low Dam Hydro Electric Project
Stage-IV in West Bengal.
A run-of-the-river greenfield project located
in Darjeeling district of West Bengal.
BHEL was entrusted with the Electrical &
Mechanical works for four units of 40 MW each by NHPC.
Power generation from the Teesta project will
result in reduction of green-house gas emissions
Mobikwik
& Samagra Launch ‘M-Gullak’
Digital payments platform MobiKwik
& Samagra, an NGO has launched “M-Gullak” to promote the habit of
savings.
“M-Gullak” will provide ICT-enabled mobile
wallet platform that enables users save in very small amounts at various
locations.
The initiative has first been launched in
Pune and is expected to benefit urban poor.
M-Gullak will help urban poor become a part
of India’s digital revolution.
DCB
Bank Launches ‘mVisa’
DCB Bank has launched ‘mVisa’, a mobile-based
payment solution.
Customers can now pay through their smart
phones by scanning the unique Quick Response (QR) code at the retail outlet.
mVisa is a cardless solution that offers
customers the convenience of making digital payments at retail outlets.
Development Credit Bank Ltd (DCB Bank) is a
private sector scheduled commercial bank in India.
Manohar
Kamath to Head Myntra
Flipkart Group company Myntra has announced
the appointment of Manohar Kamath as head of ‘Myntra Fashion Brands’ (MFB).
He will take over from the current head of
MFB, Abhishek Verma.
Manohar moves into his new role at Myntra
from Shoppers Stop.
Myntra was acquired by Flipkart in 2014 &
has partnered with over 2000 leading fashion and lifestyle brands in the
country.
Deaths
Uzbekistan
President Islam Karimov Dies
Uzbek President Islam Karimov has passed
away.
He was one of Asia’s most authoritarian
leaders.
He has been Uzbekistan’s sole leader since
the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992 & winning numerous elections,
none of which have fulfilled international fairness criteria.
He often justified his strong-arm tactics by
highlighting the danger from Islamist militancy.
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