NATIONAL:

The Lok Sabha passed the Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2019

• The Lok Sabha  passed the Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2019. The Bill aimed at establishing a Central University and Tribal University in Andhra Pradesh on July 12.

• The  government has allotted Rs.450 crore for the central university and Rs.420 crore for the central tribal university for offer research facilities in the fields of art, culture and technology to the tribal population.

Aim:

The Bill seeks to amend the Central Universities Act, 2009. It aims to Provide  higher educational and research facilities in tribal art, culture, and customs primarily to the tribal population of India. It also aims to provide quality of higher education and also promote avenues of higher education for the people of the state.The Tribal University provide research facilities in tribal art, culture and customs and advancement in technology to the tribal population of India.

First-ever Himalayan States Conclave to be hosted by Uttarakhand on July 28, 2019

• First-ever Himalayan States Conclave hosted by Uttarakhand on July 28, 2019

The main focus on sustainable development of the Indian Himalayan Region.

It will be held at Mussoorie.

• The event will discuss the common issues pertaining to states located in the Himalayan Region The main reasons are environmental protection, Himalayan culture and economic development.

• The administrators, specialists, the conclave host the Chief Ministers of the Himalayan states Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Mizoram and Nagaland.Rajiv Kumar, Vice President of Niti (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog, will also be a part of the conclave.The key points adopted at the Himalayan conclave will be presented as a draft to the Niti Aayog. This will help to frame policies for the region’s development.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY:

HDFC Bank, CSC launch credit card for village entrepreneurs and small traders

• HDFC Bank and Common Services Centres (CSCs) launched a co-branded ‘Small Business Money-Back Credit Card’ For small traders and village-level entrepreneurs (VLEs). The credit card is designed for VLEs and VLE-sourced customers.

• The users give easy access to credit for their day-to-day business expenses, according to a statement.The card launched by HDFC Bank MD Aditya Puri and CSC Chief Dinesh Kumar Tyagi. The personalized cards were handed out to a few women entrepreneurs.CSC as access points for delivery of various services and there are 3.6 lakh such centers operating across the country.

• Around ₹70,000 crore worth of business is transacted through the network of CSCs which apart from providing a platform for essential government and public utility services.It also delivers a range of social welfare schemes, financial services, education and skill development courses, health care, agriculture services and digital literacy.

• They entered into a pact in July 2018 .The bank offers various products and services in remote locations to VLEs enrolled with CSCs.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS:

Coca cola appoints Sarvita Sethi in M&A role

• Global beverages major Coco-Cola announced top-level changes in its India and southwest Asia unit. Sarvita Sethi is appointed as Vice president.

• M&A and New Ventures and Harsh Bhutani as Vice-president finance(CFO).

• About Sarvita Sethi

Sarvita Sethi become the first woman to head the company’s finances for the region, would now be vice-president, merger and acquisitions (M&A) and new ventures, for Coke’s India and Southwest Asia region.Her appointment in a newly created position is of significance.She is responsible for the firm’s crucial incubator, which involves conceptualising, developing and launching new products relevant to the market.

Biswa Bhusan Harichandan is appointed as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh on july 15

• Biswa Bhusan Harichandan is appointed as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh on july 15. Bhusan will take over from ESL Narasimhan, who has served as Governor for Andhra Pradesh since December2009.

BB Harichandran:

He is one of the leaders of the BJP in Odisha. A practising lawyer before coming into politics. Bhusan joined the Bharatiya Jana Sangha in 1971 and became its National Executive Member and its State General Secretary till the formation of Janata Party in 1977. He joined the BJP and was its President for Odisha from 1980 to 1988.

SPORTS:

India is to host the ISSF Combined World Cup from March 15-26, 2020

• India is to host the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Combined World Cup from March 15-26, 2020. The events will be held in New Delhi, India. ISSF finalised and approved the final dates of the events.

• The ISSF Combined World Cup includes events in rifle, pistol and shotgun. In 2020’s event of shooting, the World Cup provides golden platform to hit in Tokyo 2020 Olympics. India has hosted a World Cup in February 2019, which offered Olympic quota places for Tokyo.

• ISSF:

The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) was founded on 1907. It is headquartered atMunich, Germany. The President of ISSF is Vladimir Lisinis. It governs the Olympic Shooting events in rifle, pistol and shotgun disciplines, and of several non-Olympic Shooting sport events.

Vijayveer wins his 3rd gold at Junior Shooting World Cup

• Vijayveer Sidhutook his third gold medal of the ongoing ISSF Junior World Cup in Suhl, Germany. He combined with Rajkanwar Singh Sandhu and Adarsh Singh to clinch the men's 25m pistol event. For Adarsh, it was his second gold of the competition.

• India maintained its top spot at the medal standings after day three with 7 gold 7 Silver and 2 Bronze in a total of 16 medals. China is second with 5 Gold 3 Silver and 5 bronze. 

• The day's second medal came in the men's 10m Air Rifle with the trio of Hriday Hazarika, Yash Vardhan and Paarth Makhija winning the team silver with a combined score of 1877.4.It was just 0.4 less than the gold-winning Chinese team's score.

AGREEMENTS AND MOU'S:

Lok Sabha passes bill to strengthen anti-terror agency NIA.

• The Lok Sabha on Monday passed the National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Bill 2019

• The bill had been passed with 278 members voting in its favour and six against it

• It also seeks to strengthen the powers of NIA in cases involving explosives and the responsibility in cases of human trafficking will be given to the investigation agency.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS:

SP leader Neeraj Shekhar resigns as Rajya Sabha member.

• Samajwadi Party leader Neeraj Shekhar on Monday resigned as member of the Rajya Sabha and his resignation was accepted by Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu

• Shekhar, the son of former prime minister Chandra Shekhar, met Naidu and told him he is resigning voluntarily and not under any compulsion

• He had been a member of the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh since November 26, 2014, and was due to retire on November 25, 2020

Kalraj Mishra appointed Himachal Pradesh Governor.

• Senior BJP leader Kalraj Mishra was Monday appointed as the Governor of Himachal Pradesh

• replacing Acharya Devvrat, who has been transferred and appointed as the Governor of Gujarat.

• the appointments of Mishra and Devvrat will come into effect from the dates they assume charge of their respective offices.

Former leader of opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar has been appointed as the deputy chief minister of Goa.

• Former leader of opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar has been appointed as the deputy chief minister of Goa. He sworn in as DCM on 15 July. He is among the four legislators inducted into the Goa cabinet.

The appointment came days after 10 Congress MLAs in Goa joined the BJP. Mr.Sawant reshuffled the Goa cabinet on 13 July. Three members of the ally, Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai, Water Resources Minister Vinod Palyekar, Rural Development Minister Jayesh Salgaonkar and Independent MLA and Revenue Minister Rohan Khaunte, were dropped to accommodate the new members to the cabinate. The monsoon session of the Goa state Assembly began on 15 July.

Chandrakant Kavlekar:

Kavlekar is also known as Chandrakant 'Babu' Kavlekar. He is an Indian Politician from the state of Goa. He is a four term member of the Goa Legislative Assembly. On 11 July 2019 he left Indian National Congress and joined Bharatiya Janata Party.

SPORTS:

England win World Cup for first time for hitting more boundaries.

• England  won the World Cup for the first time due to hitting more boundaries after tied scores in World Cup history's first-ever Super Over forced a boundary count-back. The match went into Super Over wherein both the teams scored 15 each after hitting 241 runs apiece in their respective 50 overs. England scored 26 boundaries while New Zealand hit 17.

Sprinter Hima Das wins 3rd international gold.

• Sprinter Hima Das bagged her third international gold in two weeks after winning the women’s 200m event at the Kladno Memorial Athletics Meet in Czech Republic. Das clocked 23.43 seconds to win the event. Muhammed Anas also won gold in the men’s 400m event after clocking 45.21 seconds to finish first.

AWARDS:

SRK to be awarded honorary doctorate at Indian Film Fest of Melbourne.

• Australian University La Trobe will award actor Shah Rukh Khan with an honorary doctorate at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne on August 9. It's the first Australian University to award Khan with an Honorary Doctor of Letters

Padma Shri awardee Raghu Ram receives FRCS of Thailand.

• Popular breast surgeon and Padma Shri awardee P.Raghu Ram bagged with Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) of Thailand

The function held at the 44th annual congress of the Royal College in Pattaya

The theme of the function is  “ASEAN collaboration in value-based surgery”.

The highest recognition got by the Institute in recognition of  Raghu Ram’s bold vision coupled with an intense body of work

It paved towards significantly improving the delivery of breast healthcare in India. It helps in the recognition of his contribution in promoting the highest standards of surgical education in India through his association with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and England.

It was conferred by professor Tanaphon Maipang, the President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Thailand.

Raghu Ram achieved the rare distinction conferred FRCS from six Royal Colleges include London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Ireland, and Thailand & from the American College of Surgeons.

In 1995, he qualified to become a surgeon and he had 24 years of experience.

He also created awareness about the importance of early detection of breast cancer.

About Thailand:

♦ Capital: Bangkok

♦ Prime Minister: Prayut Chan-o-cha

Kaushik Gangulys Bengali film Nagarkirtan bags 4 awards including Best Feature Film at SAARC film festival 2019.

• The 9th edition of the SAARC( South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) festival 2019 in Colombo, Srilanka.

Bengali filmmaker Kaushik Ganguly’s film ‘Nagarkirtan’ won four awards (Best Director’, ‘Best Actor’ and ‘Best Original Score’) including ‘Best Feature Film’ at the festival.

The Best Actor award bagged to Riddhi Sen.

The Two other Indian films have won awards at the fest.

‘Na Bole Wo Haram’ bagged the ‘Best Short Film’ award directed by Nitish Patankar, while ‘Walking With the Wind’ received the Special Jury award directed by Praveen Morchhale.

About SAARC:

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an economic and geopolitical organization of eight countries.

They are primarily located in South Asia.

It is established on 8 December 1985.

Main Objectives: To promote and strengthen collective self-reliance among the countries of South Asia to contribute to developing mutual trust, understanding, and appreciation of one another’s a problem.

The member states include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

The Secretariat of the SAARC is in Kathmandu, Nepal

It is established on 16 January 1987.

AGREEMENTS AND MOU’s:

India, US agree to address mutual trade concerns.

• India and the United States have agreed to further grow their economic relationship and address mutual trade concerns.

A US delegation led by Assistant Trade Representative Christopher Wilson held bilateral talks with a team of Indian officials headed by Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce.

The two sides discussed the broad contours of bilateral trade and commercial ties and agreed to continue discussions for achieving mutually beneficial outcomes.

The meeting was aimed at providing a new impetus to bilateral trade and commercial ties. It was in line with the mandate given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump during their meeting at Osaka in Japan last month on the sidelines of the G-20 summit.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS:

BL Santosh appointed BJP’s national general secretary of organisation.

• BJP president Amit Shah Sunday elevated party’s joint general secretary (organisation) B L Santosh as its general secretary (organisation)

• Santosh, an RSS ‘pracharak’ with experience of electoral politics, especially in Karnataka.

• Santosh was the party’s general secretary (organisation) for eight years in Karnataka before he was made a national office bearer in charge of southern states in 2014.

SPORTS:

Williamson registers most runs by a captain in a World Cup edition.

• New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has set the record for most runs by a captain in World Cup history. The 28-year-old took his tally of runs in 2019 World Cup to 549 after opening his account against England in the final on Sunday, breaking the record set by Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene, who aggregated 548 runs in 2007 World Cup.

Mexico wins CONCACAF Gold Cup final.

• Mexico defeated USA to claim their eighth CONCACAF Gold Cup title.

Jonathan Dos Santos scored the winning goal in 73rd min for Mexico in the thrilling final.

The teams met five previous times in the Gold Cup final, but this year’s edition held additional value:

The Americans had a chance to reestablish confidence in a program haunted by its failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

Mexico looked like the more dangerous team in the second half.

They finally broke through in the 73rd minutes.

Jonathan dos Santos scored off a back-heel pass from Raul Jimenez fountains of beer to fly upward in the pro-Mexico crowd.

The Americans created scoring opportunities early one of the positive trends through the tournament.

About CONCACAF

Founded    1963

Region    North America, Central America and the Caribbean(CONCACAF)

Number of teams    16

NATIONAL:

ICSI launches UDIN to improve corporate governance

• Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) rolled out an initiative in the form of a Unique Document Identification Number (UDIN)

• The main aim is to pursue a heightened sense of self-governance and strengthen the practicing side of company secretaries.

• UDIN will provide ease of maintaining a register of attestation and certification services. The ICSI functions under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

The second edition of India-Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue 2019 held in New Delhi

• The second India-Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue (IRSED) 2019 held

The function was held in New Delhi.

• Aim: The bilateral cooperation between the two countries.The various fields was chaired by Rajiv Kumar, Vice-Chairman of India’s think tank, National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog, and Russia’s Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Timur Maksimov.

• The main areas of cooperation include Development of transport infrastructure and technologies Development of agriculture and agro-Processing sector Small and Medium business support Digital Transformation and Frontier Technologies Cooperation in Trade, Banking, Finance, and Industry Tourism & Connectivity.

INTERNATIONAL:

Airtel Africa has been listed as the third-largest stock on the bourse by market value

• Airtel Africa has been listed as the third-largest stock on the bourse by market value. On 9 June, Nigerian Stock Exchange reported that the Airtel Africa has a 1.36 trillion naira ($4.4 bn) flotation. Airtel Africa operates across 14 African countries.

• The listing comes after Airtel's main rival, South Africa’s MTN, listed its Nigerian unit in Lagos in May in a $6.5 billion float.  South Africa’s MTN is in the second-largest stock on the bourse by market value.

• The shares of Airtel Africa climbed 10% from their listing price of 363 naira after the float went live. The company, owned 68.3% by India’s Bharti Airtel, offered shares in its African unit via a London IPO and dual list in Nigeria.

AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS:

NASA awarded Imaging Xray polarimetry explorer (IXPE) mission to SpaceX

• NASAhas awarded a contract to SpaceX to launch NASA’s Imaging Xray polarimetry explorer (IXPE) mission,a groundbreaking astrophysics mission. The mission aims to uncover the mysteries behind black holes and neutron stars.

The cost estimated for the mission is $50.3 million. The mission plans to launch three space telescopes. These telescopes will be capable of analyzing the polarization of cosmic X-rays. The IXPE mission is expected to be launched from the Kennedy Space Centre in April 2021.

About IXPE:

The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) will get information regarding thepolarization state of light from astrophysical sources. This will provide insight into the X-ray production in objects such as neutron stars and pulsar wind nebulae, as well as stellar and supermassive black holes.

The launch mass of IXPE is 320 kilograms. IXPE will be launched over SpaceX FALCON 9 which is capable of launching 22,800 kilograms to low Earth orbit (LEO).There will also be excess payload capacity at launch.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION:

MN Rao appointed DG of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guard

• The central government appointed M Nageswar Rao, Additional Director of CBI as the Director General of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guard. He will continue to hold the post till superannuation in July 2020.

• He will replace former CBI Chief Alok Verma.The Supreme Court held Rao guilty of Contempt of Court for transferring the investigating officer heading the probe in Muzaffarpur shelter home case in violation of the orders of Apex Court.

NATIONAL:

Govt initiates proposal to establish first National Police University.

• Centre today said it has initiated a proposal to establish the first National Police University in the country.

It will be dedicated to imparting education in policing and internal security.

In a written reply in Lok Sabha the Minister of State for Home Affairs, G. Kishan Reddy said the university will conduct undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate academic programmes in specialized subjects.

He said Gujarat, Rajasthan and Jharkhand have set up dedicated universities for conducting courses in police services and internal security.

Prasar Bharati signs MoU with IIT Kanpur for research collaboration in newly emerging technologies.

• Prasar Bharati and Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur today signed a Memorandum of Understanding for research collaboration in newly emerging technologies and broadcasting-related areas in New Delhi.

• The move is likely to boost research activities in the broadcasting field. Chief Executive Officer of Prasar Bharati Shashi Shekhar Vempati and Director, IIT Kanpur Abhay Karandikar were present at this juncture.

• Direct to mobile broadcasting, Convergence of 5G, Artificial Intelligence Incubation Centre by Prasar Bharati and student internship for students of IIT, Kanpur at Prasar Bharati are among the main areas in the research collaboration.

• Speaking on the occasion, Mr Vempati said, this engagement with IIT, Kanpur on Research and Development and innovation are very important as it is the onus of the largest public broadcaster to actively look to the future, develop and shape the future with emerging technologies.

The MoU will be effective from today and remain in force for a period of five years. The institutes may extend the term in writing through mutual agreement.

AGREEMENTS AND MOU’S:

Homegrown VNL to build digital villages in Vietnam.

• VNL has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Vietnam, to provide solutions for advancing rural connectivity by creating Digital Villages in Vietnam’s underserved areas,” the Gurugram-based company in a statement said.

• The development comes on the back of India’s efforts to provide digital connectivity in CLMV countries namely Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

The Indian companies are eying the Southeast Asia region for their business expansion with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government sharing strategic ties for developmental initiatives with the countries.

BANKS AND ECONOMICS:

Oriental Bank of Commerce bank cuts MCLR rate upto 10 bps.

• Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) has reduced the marginal cost of funds-based lending rate (MCLR) by up to 10 basis points (bps) for various tenors. It is effective from 11 July 2019. MCLR for overnight has been reduced to 8.20% from 8.30% and one-month loan tenor has been reduced by 10 bps from 8.35% to 8.25%.

Similarly, MCLR has been decreased by 5 bps for:

1) three-month loan to 8.45%

2) six-month loan to 8.55%

3) one-year tenor loans to 8.65%.

Previosly, the MCLR for three-month, six-month and one-year tenor loans were at 8.50% , 8.60% and 8.70%, respectively.

RBI's announcement:

The move comes after the announcement of RBI's Governor Shaktikanta Das who said that RBI expects faster transmission of the three successive repo rate cuts totalling 75 basis points.

In June the RBI announced 25 bps repo rate cut in the Monetary Policy review. It is expected to reduce still, in the next meeting of the monetary policy committee which is scheduled for 5-9 August.

Other banks reduces MCLR:

The State Bank of India had lowered its MCLR by 5 basis points across all tenors on 9 July 2019.

In June RBI announced rate cut in Monetary Policy review. After the announcement, Bank of Maharashtra, Corporation Bank and IDBI Bank had reduced their MCLR by 5-10 bps in the month of May 2019.

MCLR:

MCLR is abbreviated as Marginal Cost of funds based Lending Rate

MCLR refers to the minimum interest rate of a bank below which it cannot lend, except in some cases allowed by the RBI. MCLR is the reference rate or an internal benchmark set by and for the bank.

Oriental Bank of Commerce:

Founded on: 19 February 1943

Headquarters: Gurugram, India

MD & CEO: Mukesh Kumar Jain

Total assets: ₹237,541.54 crore

The Bank has around 2700 branches and 2621 ATMs across India.  It is one of the promising public sector banks (PSBs) in India.

DAYS:

World Population Day 11 July.

• World Population Day, which seeks to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues, was established by the then-Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989, an outgrowth of the interest generated by the Day of Five Billion, which was observed on 11 July 1987.

• This year's World Population Day calls for global attention to the unfinished business of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development. Twenty-five years have passed since that landmark conference, where 179 governments recognized that reproductive health and gender equality are essential for achieving sustainable development.

• In November, UNFPA, together with the governments of Kenya and Denmark, will be convening a high-level conference in Nairobi to accelerate efforts to achieve these unmet goals. On World Population Day, advocates from around the world are calling on leaders, policymakers, grassroots organizers, institutions and others to help make reproductive health and rights a reality for all.

Why Do We Mark International Days?

• International days are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool.

AWARDS:

Smith Nephew's NAVIO Honored at the Economic Times Best Healthcare Brands 2019.

• NAVIO, a robotics-assisted surgery system from Smith & Nephew, a Global medical technology provider, has recently been felicitated at the prestigious 'The Economic Times Best Healthcare Brands 2019' at a glittering ceremony held in the capital of India recently. This coveted and one of the most prestigious awards in India honors brands which have shown robust growth by high customer satisfaction in the healthcare sector. The recognition was based of an extensive research carried out by the Economic Times, the business publication of the Times of India Group.

• NAVIO surgical system has been designed to aid Indian surgeons with implant alignment, ligament balancing and bone preparations which are the key factors for patient satisfaction. While conventional knee replacement surgery is highly successful, incidences of improperly installed replacement parts are not uncommon. To improve outcomes, Indian surgeons are now using the NAVIO robotic-assisted total knee replacement surgery and it has shown to be extremely effective for partial and total knee replacement surgery and resulting in improved functional outcomes for the patient. NAVIO enables the surgeon to fix only the damaged part of the knee to absolute perfection, saving all the other normal structures of the joint.

SPORTS:

Commonwealth C'ships: Rakhi Halder, Davinder Kaur win gold medals on second day.

• Rakhi Halder and Davinder Kaur won a gold medal each in the senior women's section as Indian weightlifters continued their impressive show on the second day of the Commonwealth Championships in Apia Samoa today.

India also won five other gold medals in the junior and youth sections.

The Commonwealth Championships are being held simultaneously together for the youth, junior and senior categories.

Kaur lifted a total of 184kg  to win the women's 59kg gold while Halder clinched the yellow metal with a combined effort of 214kg  in the  64kg category.

On the first day yesterday, India had clinched 8 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals. Former world champion Mirabai Chanu had clinched the gold in women's 49kg with a total lift of 191kg.

NATIONAL:

Shailesh Sadashiv Tinaikar resumed his office as the Force Commander of UNMISS

• Lieutenant General Shailesh Sadashiv Tinaikar has been newly appointed as the Force Commander of the UN mission in South Sudan. He assumed charge in Juba on July 6. The appointment was announced by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in May.

• Tinaikar:

Tinaikar has a long and distinguished career with the Indian Army spanning over three decades. He graduated from the Indian Military Academy in 1983.  He did his Master of Philosophy (M Phil) in Defence and Strategic Studies from The University of Madras, India. He was awarded in December 2014.

He served in the United Nations Angola Verification Mission III from 1996 to 1997. He served in the United Nations Mission in Sudan from 2008 to 2009. He has served as the Additional Director General of Military Operations at Army Headquarters from 2017 to 2018.

He was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal and the Sena Medal for his Distinguished Service.  India is the second highest troop contributor to UNMISS, as of March 2019. India contributed with 2,337 troops deployed with the mission.

INTERNATIONAL:

Kyriakos Mitsotakis sworn in as the Prime Minister of Greece

• Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek conservative leader, sworn in as the Prime Minister of Greece. The election result gave New Democracy an outright majority with 158 seats in the 300-member Greek parliament. He is EU's most indebted member who promised to end a decade of economic crisis.

About Kyriakos:

Kyriakos Mitsotakis,  51 years old, is a Greek politician. He was previously the Leader of the Opposition from 2016 to 2019. He served as the Minister of Administrative Reform from 2013 to 2015. Mitsotakis in his campaign promised further reforms with a focus on fewer taxes, attracting investment and improving the job market.

Greece:

President: Prokopis Pavlopoulos

Prime Minister: Kyriakos Mitsotakis

Capital: Athens

Official language: Greek

Currency: Euro (€) (EUR)

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY:

LinkedIn chooses Ashutosh Gupta as country manager for India

• LinkedIn appointed Ashutosh Gupta as its new country manager for India effective

September 2, 2019. He will replace Mahesh NarayananHe was the country manager for India from January to June 2019.

• Gupta joined LinkedIn as the head of Marketing Solutions (LMS) business in 2013.He moved to Singapore to build LMS’ Online Sales Organisation (OSO) for the Asia Pacific(APAC) and China.He will report to Olivier Legrand, LinkedIn’s Managing Director(MD) for the APAC and he will continue to lead the LMS’s OSO.

• He is an alumnus of IIM-Lucknow and IIT (BHU), Varanasi worked in organizations like Google, Cognizant, and Infosys. The two decades of experience on the internet and IT and software services industriesMicrosoft-owned LinkedIn over 630 million users globally more than 57 million members in India.

AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS:

Gully Boy won NETPAC award in Bucheon film festival

• Film-maker Zoya Akhtar's directorial 'Gully Boy' won the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) Award at the 23rd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) in South Korea.

• NETPAC Jury Committee, comprised of NETPAC members and film professionals which features newer genres and varied stories of comedy, fantasy and drama

'Gully Boy', features actors Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, is based on the lives of street rappers.

• The film performed well in the Indian and overseas market.

It will also be screened at the 2019 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.

Akhtar recently made the Indian film industry proud by joining the list of new members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that organizes the annual Oscar awards.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION:

Dravid appointed as the Head of Cricket at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru

• Former India captain Rahul Dravid has been appointed as the Head of Cricket at the National Cricket Academy (NCA)in Bengaluru. The appointment was announced and approved by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on 8 July. He is currently the vice-president of India Cements.

Roles and Duties:

Dravid will work closely with the National Head Coaches and Cricket Coaches for India Developmental teams which includes India A, India Under 19, India Under 23 teams, in the identification of key training and development objectives.

He will monitor progress against these objectives for the developmental teams. The role expects him to provide necessary inputs on the same to the Senior Men’s and Women’s Head Coaches.

SPORTS:

MS Dhoni became the only second Indian player to reach the 350-game mark in ODI

• MS Dhoni became the only second Indian player to reach the 350-game mark in One-Day International cricket (ODI). The first Indian to set the record was Sachin Tendulkar.

• MS.Dhoni:

He has been tagged as one of the best finishers in the sport. Dhoni led India from 2007 to 2017. Under Dhoni's captaincy won its second championship in the cricket world cup. He also led India to No. 1 position in the ICC Rankings.

• He is regarded as one of the greatest captains in the world of cricket. MS Dhoni is the only skipper to have won every major ICC tournament. The former Indian captain is also the first wicketkeeper to play in 350 ODI matches.

• He is also the first captain in the world to win three different ICC trophies. Dhoni also led India to a memorable 2013 Champions Trophy triumph in England.

In his more than 14-years of international career, Dhoni has played an integral part in many of India's famous victories.

NATIONAL:

Indian business man becomes first expat in Sharjah to get UAE’s permanent residency.

• UAE-based Indian business tycoon Lalu Samuel has become the first expat in Sharjah to get the gold card permanent residency.

• Unlike the long-term visa of 5-10 years for businessmen and talented individuals, the gold card gives permanent residency of the UAE to the holder.

• The Kingston Group chairman was handed over the gold residence card by Brigadier Arif Al Shamsi, Director-General of residency and foreigners affairs in Sharjah, the Gulf News reported Monday.

About Kingston Group:

• The Kingston Holdings owns one of the largest manufacturing companies in the Middle East that comprises several manufacturing units that process plastic and metal.

Odisha state government implemented the Centres Witness Protection Scheme 2018.

• The Odisha state government implemented the Centre’s Witness Protection Scheme 2018. Naveen Patnaik led Odisha govt. informed the Orissa High Court on 6 July. By this Odisha became the first State to implement the Scheme.

On December 5 2018, Supreme Court has directed all States and Union Territories to endorse the Central scheme on Witness Protection Scheme-2018. It said that the Witness Protection Scheme, 2018 shall be the 'law' under Article 141 and 142 of the Constitution, till the enactment of suitable parliamentary or state legislations on the subject.

Reason for implementation:

The move comes after an informant sought protection for his life and property as he was a witness in a murder case under Kodala police station area in Ganjam district in the Orissa HC. A Single Judge Bench of Justice Biswajit Mohanty directed the petitioner to approach the competent authority in the district concerned for protection under the scheme.

Categories of the Scheme:

Under the scheme, the state govt. included three categories of witnesses as per threat perception.

Category A: This category consists of those cases where threat extends to the life of witness or family members during an investigation, trial or thereafter.

Category B: Cases where the threat extends to safety, reputation or property of the witness or family members during the investigation or trial.

Category C: Cases where the threat is moderate and extends to harassment or intimidation of the witness or family members, reputation or property during investigation, trial or thereafter.

Provisions of the Scheme:

The scheme includes different features including protective measures that ensures that:

♦ protection and Change of identity

♦ the witness and the accused do not come face to face during probe

♦ relocation of witness

♦ confidentiality and preservation of records and recovery of expenses among others

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS:

Hero MotoCorp appoints Rajat Bhargava as head of EV business.

• India's largest two-wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp on Tuesday appointed Rajat Bhargava as the head of its new 'Emerging Mobility' business unit. Hero created the unit to give an impetus to new mobility trends such as Electric Vehicles, the company said. Currently, Bhargava is the Head of Strategy & Performance Transformation and Global Business at the company.

SPORTS:

Vinesh Phogat won gold medal in the 53 kg category at the Grand Prix of Spain 2019.

• India’s top wrestler Vinesh Phogat won her first gold medal after shifting to 53kg category and Divya Kakran claimed the top honours in the 68kg category at the Grand Prix of Spain 2019 at Madrid, Spain. In the championship, India finished second with 130 points in team championship behind Russia which secured 165.

Vinesh defeated Dutch rival Jessica Blaszka at the finals. She is one of India’s medal hopefuls at the 2020 Tokyo Games. She won gold medal at the Jakarta Asian Games. Vinesh had competed in Asian Championship and won bronze. She played in Dan Kolov and won silver respectively in the 53kg category.

Brazil won the Copa America2019 title.

• Brazil won its first Copa America 2019 title since 2007. It defeated Peru and secured 3-1. The team already owns the fifth and ninth Copa América trophy.  The event was hosted by Brazil.

• Everton was named player of the final and also finished as one of the tournament's top scorers with three goals. Dani Alves, Brazil's right-back, was awarded the player of the tournament.

• The last time they won the Copa América was in 1989. Then it played against Uruguay at the Maracanã. Brazil's only other title since 2007 came in the 2013 Confederations Cup

Copa America 2019:

• The 2019 Copa América was the 46th edition of the Copa América, the international men's association football championship. It was founded in 1916.

• It was organized by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL. It was held in Brazil and took place between 14 June to 7 July 2019 at 6 venues across the country.

• Uruguay is the Copa América's most successful nation with 15 titles.

Chanu wins gold at Commonwealth Senior Weightlifting C'ship.

• Former world champion Mirabai Chanu won a gold medal on the opening day of the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship on Tuesday. The Indian contingent won 13 medals that included eight gold, three silver and two bronze medals in senior, junior and youth categories. Mirabai lifted a total of 191kg in the senior women's 49 kg event.

NATIONAL:

Jaipur’s walled city gets UNESCO heritage city tag.

• The ‘Walled City’ of Jaipur was on Saturday included in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage sites list.

• The announcement was made during the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee being held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from June 30 to July 10. India received the support of 16 out of the 21 countries participating in the event.

•  Jaipur, Rajasthan’s capital, is the 38th Indian site to be included on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

INTERNATIONAL:

Italian socialist Sassoli to be president of EU Parliament.

• Italian socialist David-Maria Sassoli was elected Wednesday to head the European parliament, completing the bloc’s drawn-out and at times acrimonious appointment process for its top jobs.

• The European Parliament has an array of powers within the EU including given its ascent to the others that EU leaders picked for its top jobs.

About European Parliament:

• The European Parliament is the only parliamentary institution of the European Union that is directly elected by EU citizens aged 18 or older. Together with the European Commission and the Council of the European Union it exercises the tripartite legislative function of the European Union.

FOUNDED: 10 September 1952, Europe

Head Quarter: Brussel, Belgium

About Sassoli:

• Sassoli, 63, is a journalist turned politician who has been in the European Parliament since 2009.

• David Maria Sassoli is an Italian politician and journalist, member of the Democratic Party. A member of the European Parliament since 2009, he was elected its President on 3 July 2019.

• Office: President of the European Parliament since 2019

• Presidential Term: 3 July 2019 –

AGREEMENTS AND MOU’S:

Signing of MOU Between Indian Army and National e-Governance Division.

• Management Information Systems Organisation (MISO) of Indian Army is the nodal agency under Directorate General of Information Systems (DGIS) which is mandated to maintain the centralized database for personnel, equipment and major stores for providing management related information to Integrated HQ of MoD (Army) and other agencies.  The application was legacy and needed a thorough revamp

• To meet the organizational requirements and enhanced user aspirations, rather than employing the conventional developmental framework, DGIS experimented with a new collaborative approach with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for developing the new MISO application.  Development work, under the aegis of MeitYstarted at Bhaskaracharya Institute of Space Applications and Geo-Informatics (BISAG), Gandhinagar which is a CMMI-5 level institute under Department of Science & Technology, Government of Gujarat. In a short span of time, the experiment has paid rich dividends and has appeared as the panacea for undertaking automation of the IA at the fast pace.

• To formalize the entire developmental framework, structures & methodology, Lt Gen Anil Kapoor, Director General of Information Systems and Colonel Commandant, Corps of EME and Mr M S Rao, President & CEO, Ne GD inked a MoU on 05 Jul 19, in the presence of Shri TP Singh, Director, BISAG.

• This signing of MoU is first of its kind inter-ministerial initiative between MoD & MeitY and is sure to lead to similar joint frameworks for finding innovative solutions in the collaborative manner for the IA.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS:

Milind Deora resigns as Mumbai Congress chief.

• Mumbai Congress chief Milind Deora resigned from the post on Sunday. Deora also proposed a three-member panel to lead Mumbai Congress for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections. The 42-year-old had been appointed to the post on March 25 this year. He had replaced Sanjay Nirupam, who had held the post since March 2017.

Jyotiraditya Scindia resigns as Congress general secretary.

• enior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on Sunday resigned as Congress General Secretary (Uttar Pradesh West) over party's defeat in Lok Sabha elections. Scindia's resignation comes after Rahul Gandhi stepped down as Congress President on July 3.

NATIONAL:

Rajya Sabha passed the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill 2019.

• The Rajya Sabha passed the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2019 on 4 June. The Bill was introduced by Health Minister Harsh Vardhan. It allows for the supersession of the Medical Council of India (MCI) by a Board of Governors for a two-year period from 2018 till 2020. The Bill will also allow for the increase in the number of members in the Board of Governors to 12 from the existing seven. As the Bill has been passed by both Houses, it will replace an ordinance that was promulgated onFebruary21.

The panel of eminent professionals will run the scam-tainted Medical Council of India (MCI) so that medical education can be regulated in the best manner.

The BoG will have eminent people that includes directors of AIIMS and PGI, Chandigarh. The board will prevail until a council is constituted. The medical education can be regulated by the introduction of the BoGs in the best manner.

Tata Steel Kalinganagar included in WEF's Global Lighthouse Network.

• Tata Steel Kalinganagar (TSK) in World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Lighthouse Network a community of manufacturers showing leadership in applying Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies to drive financial and operational impact.

TSK in Odisha's Jajpur district is the first and the only Indian manufacturing plant to be included in the WEF's Lighthouse Network, it said.

The addition of 10 new factories including TSK to its Global Lighthouse Network carried out.

The factors join a network of 16 existing lighthouses across multiple geographies and industries.

US clears SoftBank's $2.25 billion investment in General Motors-backed Cruise

Amazon's Jeff Bezos finalises divorce with $38 billion settlement.

They serve as beacons to guide others to overcome challenges in upgrading systems and applying cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data analytics and 3D printing.

The factories were selected based on their success in integrating these technologies to increase efficiency and drive innovation.

About Tata Steel

Founded: 25 August 1907, Jamshedpur

Headquarters: Mumbai

CEO: T. V. Narendran

India to sell bonds overseas for 1st time to finance budget deficit.

• The government on Friday said it will sell sovereign bonds overseas for the first time to finance the fiscal deficit. Ex-RBI Governor C Rangarajan opposed the plan saying India will have to bear the exchange-rate risk if it borrows in foreign currency. The government set the fiscal deficit target at 3.3% of GDP for FY20, from 3.4% set in February.

AGREEMENTS AND MOU’S:

Union Cabinet approved the MoU between India and Maldives for the establishment of passenger and cargo services by sea.

• The Union Cabinet approved the MoU between India and Maldives for the establishment of passenger and cargo services by sea. It was signed during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Maldives on 8 June 2019.

Aim:

• The Ferry service would help to harness the potential opportunity in both passenger and cargo transportation by sea between the two countries. Ferry services between Maldives and Kerala is connected by Kochi with Male  and Kulhudhuffushi in Maldives by Sea route. Ferry service would contribute in a big way in promoting people to people contact and to boost bilateral trade between two nations.

• India and Maldives relation:

• India is a leading development partner of Maldives and has established many of the leading institutions of Maldives.

• Currently, India has provided $100 million Stand-by Credit Facility (SCF) to Maldives, including long-term loans and revolving credit for trade.

Maldives:

• President: Ibrahim Mohamed Solih          

• Capital: Male

• Currency: Maldivian Rufiyaa

• The Maldives is a tropical nation in the Indian Ocean

• It is composed of 26 ring-shaped atolls, which are made up of more than 1,000 coral islands

• It’s known for its extensive reefs, beaches and blue lagoons.

BANKS AND ECONOMICS:

Punjab & Sind Bank sets up centralised hub 'Cen-MARG' to process retail and MSME loans.

• Punjab & Sind Bank set up a centralized hub named "Centralised MSME & Retail Group" (Cen-MARG) for processing retail and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) loans for better efficiency of branches in business acquisition. It is headquartered in New Delhi.

It will ensure qualitative improvement in credit appraisal, improved turnaround time, uniform documentation, and efficient monitoring.

Cen-MARG linked with pan-India branches of the bank in a phased manner.

The bank is main aim to bring about much-enhanced customer satisfaction through this initiative.

The launch of Cen-MARG and retail credit will be performed at the Cen-MARG,

They will help branches focus better on lead generation for retail lending and MSME and enhanced customer service.

About Punjab & Sind Bank:

Headquarters: New Delhi 

MD & CEO: S Harisankar

Tag line: Where service is a way of life

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS:

BMW's 4-year CEO quits.

• German automaker BMW has announced that Harald Krüger has decided to not seek a second term as the CEO, after serving at the role for about four years. Krüger, a 27-year company veteran, served at the luxury carmaker's board for 10 years. This comes months after BMW posted its weakest quarterly earnings in about a decade for the first quarter.

Mindtree CEO, Chairman, and COO resign days after L&T takeover.

• Mindtree Co-Founders Rostow Ravanan, Krishnakumar Natarajan and NS Parthasarathy have resigned from the mid-sized IT company following the hostile takeover by engineering major Larsen & Toubro (L&T). The three serve as CEO, Executive Chairman, and Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer (COO) respectively. All of them have also asked Mindtree to declassify them as promoters.

Rohit 1st batsman in history to smash 5 hundreds in a World Cup.

• India opener Rohit Sharma reached the three-figure mark against Sri Lanka off 92 balls in 2019 World Cup on Saturday to become the first-ever batsman to smash five hundreds in a World Cup. Rohit overtook ex-Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, who slammed four hundreds in the 2015 edition. Rohit also equalled Sachin Tendulkar's record for most World Cup hundreds (six).

NATIONAL:

Delhi police signed a MoU with SECI to set up rooftop solar energy systems

• The Delhi police has consented to an arrangement with Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to set up housetop sun based vitality frameworks in more than 200 of its structures over the city. Under the understanding, the SECI will bolster the usage of matrix associated housetop sun powered photovoltaic frameworks on the foundations of Delhi police.

• The undertaking is relied upon to be finished soon in a staged way with dynamic participation between the two offices. This MOU will be ideally utilized in the structures and buildings accessible with Delhi Police all over the city.

• Housetop sun oriented photovoltaic Project: It has been evaluated that Rooftop Solar Systems of absolute limit of around 3-4 MW will be executed crosswise over different Delhi Police structures. The undertaking will use empty tops of their structures to saddle sunlight based vitality and to cook some portion of their power request through the created environmentally friendly power vitality. The task would result in huge decrease on power charge installments of the Delhi Police.

NIRDPR has signed with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) to supply sanitary napkins to students

• National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) has signed with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), a public sector enterprise, on a pilot project to supply sanitary napkins to students. The project has been allocated an amount of Rs.71.82 lakh given by the BDL as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

• Under the project, sanitary napkins will be provided to 11,516 students free of cost through a team of volunteers and female teachers of 75 schools in Gandipet, Moinabad, Rajendranagar, Serilingampally and Shamshabad mandals of the Telangana State.

Aim:

The project aims to create awareness and hygiene on menstruation and menstrual hygiene among children in government schools in Telangana.

The objective includes information dissemination on safe disposal mechanism of sanitary napkins without affecting the environment.

It aims to drive them towards fruitful education without absenteeism and health hazards.

BDL has prepared a communication material in both Telugu and English, which may be useful for other women in the villages too

It is likely to be expanded to 22 more mandals in the next phases depending upon the results.

Gujarat FM presents the state's highest budget pegged at over Rs 2 lakh crore

• Finance Minister of Gujarat Nitin Patel presented the Budget size of Rs 2,04,815 crore for the year 2019-20 for the state. The budget indicates the overall surplus of Rs 572 crore. An additional tax income of Rs 287 crore is added to it.

• This is the first time the State's budget crossed Rs.2 lakh crore. The budget estimates around Rs 1,54,732 crore revenue expenditure of Rs 1, 51, 858 crores for the year 2019-20.

The tap water to every household by 2022.The state government allotted Rs.4,500 crore for this purpose.

• The clean energy space, the state plans to increase installed capacity to 30,000 megawatts (Mw) by 2022, from 8885 MW at present.

INTERNATIONAL:

Ursula von der Leyen is appointed as European Commission president

• Germany's Ursula von der Leyen is selected by European Union (EU) pioneers as coalition's next Chief Executive (European Commission president).

• She will be the primary lady in history to hold the position. She will supplant Jean-Claude Juncker. She will lead the Union's most significant organization to set the alliance's strategy plan. The Union is comprised of 28 officials.

• Ms.Ursula:  Ms.Ursula, the 60-year-old gynecologist, began her political profession in her initial age of 40. In 1990 she joined Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union gathering (CDU) and labored for a long time.

• In 2009 Van der Leyen moved to the Labor Ministry, before turning into the principal female resistance serve in 2014.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY:

Airtel Payments Bank ties up with Bharti AXA Life Insurance to offer the Bharti AXA Life POS Saral Jeevan Bima Yojana

• Airtel Payments Bankpartnered with Bharti AXA Life Insurance to offer Bharti AXA Life POS (Point of Sale).Saral Jeevan Bima Yojana, a pure life term insurance decided to plan up to Rs 5 lakhs

• The scheme is aimed at the under-insured and uninsured segments in India.

The policy available at all the Airtel Payments Bank's 25,000 retail outlets.

It will be expanded to cover over 60,000 banking points.

• The customers are offered the option of life cover between 3-5 lakh.The scheme further extended up to Rs 25 lakh. Airtel Payments Bank partnered with Bharti AXA Life Insurance to offer the scheme Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY)

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION:

USISPF honors Wipro Chairman Azim Premji & Mastercard CEO and President Ajay Banga with Global Excellence Award 2019

• Indian multinational corporation Wipro's Chairman, Azim Premji, and Global Financial services company Mastercard's CEO and President, Ajaypal Singh Banga chosen for 2019 Global Excellence Award.

• The award will be given by LIS-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF)for their contribution to strengthening economic ties between the US and India.

The awards will be given at the USISPF Second Annual Leadership Summit in Washington on July 11, 2019.

• US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, LIS Energy Secretary Rick Perry, LIS House of Representative Speaker Nancy Pelosi, US Senator Dan Sullivan, a Republic from Arkansas and Indian Ambassador to the US Harsh Shringla attend the leadership summit.

• The aim is to highlight bilateral cooperation, trade, and investment, strategic energy ties, manufacturing, and innovation partnership of two countries.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION:

AK Misra appointed as an additional director on the Board of Directors (BOD) of Jammu and Kashmir Bank by Reserve Bank of India

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) appointed ex-executive director RBI A.K Misra as Additional Director on the Board of Directors (BOD) of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank Limited.

• The appointment shall be for a period of two years .The appointment will be effect from July 3, 2019 to July 2, 2021.

• The usual sitting fee and allowances are paid to other directors for attending the meetings of the Board and Committee.

SPORTS:

Hima Das won the women's 200m gold in the Poznan Athletics Grand Prix in Poland

• Star Indian sprinter Hima Das won the women's 200m gold in the Poznan Athletics Grand Prix in Poland. She was timed 23.65s on her way to the 200m gold. This was Hima's first focused 200m race of the year 2019.

• other winners: The national record holder shot putter Tajinder Pal Singh Toor packed away a bronze with a best exertion of 19.62m.

• Vismaya completed third with an individual best time of 23.75s in the race at Poznan Asian hero.

• Muhammed Anas, the 400m national record holder, protected third in the men's 200m race with a planning of 20.75 seconds.

• K S Jeevan won the men's 400m bronze in 47.25s.