Daily GK Updates - 9th July, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India and South Africa sign MoUs in four areas of co-operation: The first MoU is on cooperation in the area of information and communication technology. Another MoU calls for cooperation in the tourism sector and is being seen as an important bid to improve people-to-people ties. A third MoU calls for cooperation in grassroot innovation in the science and technology sector. While the fourth agreement has been signed for a programme of cooperation in arts and culture. The two countries have also agreed to cooperate in combating terrorism, regionally and globally.

2. India gives SUVs to Mozambique, completes delivery of $4.5 million grant: Coinciding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Mozambique, India has handed over 30 SUVs to Mozambique. With this India completed the delivery of 4.5 million US dollar grant assistance as part of supporting the institutions of this African country.

3. NirmalaSitharaman to lead business delegation to Russia: Commerce and Industry Minister NirmalaSitharaman will lead a delegation of over 110 Indian companies that will showcase their engineering prowess at a trade fair in Russia. India is the partner country for 'INNOPROM 2016', which is the largest annual international industrial trade fair of Russia. The 4-day fair starts from the coming sunday (10th july) in Ekaterinburg.

4. Kerala Government imposes 14.5% Fat tax on junk food: The Kerala government has announced its decision to impose 14.5 per cent tax on junk food on the lines of ‘Fat Tax’ imposed on such food items. This will make food items like burgers, pizzas, pasta costlier.

5. RadhikaMenon becomes the first woman to receive award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea: RadhikaMenon will become the first woman in the world to receive the Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea from the International Maritime Organisation for saving the lives of seven fishermen, whose hopes of survival were all but over.

6. PhirozVandrevala steps down as TCS Director:The country’s largest IT services firm Tata Consultancy Services stated that its non-Executive Director PhirozVandrevala has resigned from the company. However, Vandrevala, also the Vice-Chairman and MD of Diligenta, a TCS subsidiary, will continue with this role.

7. Sanjay Gupta named as the CMD of Konkan Railway.

 INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. NATO summit begins in Warsaw: The NATO summit has begun in Warsaw, Poland. In the two day Summit, the leaders of the 28 NATO Allies and many partner nations will deliberate and take decisions to enhance the Alliance’s security by strengthening its deterrence and defence, and projecting stability beyond its borders.

2. COO of Microsoft Kelvin Turner has resigned.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Serena Williams beat Angelique Kerber in the Wimbledon Open 2016 to equal the record of Steffi Graff for having winning 22 grand slams.

AWARDS:

2. Ad award for Srinivasan K Swamy: The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) has announced that Srinivasan K Swamy, Chairman of R K SwamyHansa, would be the recipient of this year’s AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award.

OBITUARIES:

3. Noted Pakistani Philanthropist Abdul SattarEdhi has passed away at the age of 88.

Daily GK Updates - 8th July, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India sets up apparel training centre in Nigeria: India has set up an apparel training centre in Nigeria to support textiles industry of the West African country. This is a first of its kind centre in Nigeria set up in partnership with their government. The centre is aimed to support and catalyse the initiative of Nigeria in realising the objectives to rebuild the cotton and textile value chain and address the need for the skilled workforce for domestic as well export-oriented apparel industry in the West African region.

2. Government to rolls out KVK portal for monitoring of farm centres: Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has launched an online portal designed to monitor the functioning of nearly 645 KrishiVigyanKendras (KVKs), known as farm-science centres, spread across the country. The KVKs, which have the mandate to assess agri-technology and demonstrate to farmers application and capacity development, are being set up in rural districts. Each KVK has direct interface with at least 1,000 farmers.

3. India and Mozambique sign three agreements during PM visit: ndia and Mozambique have signed three agreements in the area of drug trafficking (1st), pulse trading (2nd) and youth affairs & sports (3rd). These MoUs have been signed in the presence of PM Modi and Filipe Nyusi, President of Mozambique, between Secretary of Economic Relations in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Amar Sinha and Mozambique’s Finance Minister.

4. Maharashtra CM inducts 11 ministers including 10 new faces in cabinet: Maharashtra Chief Minister DevendraFadnavis has inducted 10 new faces in his cabinet today while one existing minister was elevated to cabinet rank. With this, the total strength of Maharastra ministers in the cabinet has become 39 now. Maharashtra Governor C VidyasagarRao has administered the oath of the position for the 11 newly elected ministers at the Parishad hall in VidhanBhavan in the presence of Chief Minister.

5. Government to clean 10 iconic places under Swachh Bharat Mission: The places which have been selected are Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu and Kashmir, TajMahal in Uttar Pradesh, Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh, Golden Temple in Punjab, Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan, Jagannath temple in Orissa, ChhatrapatiShivaji Terminus in Maharashtra, ManikarnikaGhat in Uttar Pradesh, Meenakshi Temple in Tamil Nadu and Kamakhya Temple in Assam.

6. The second phase of Haritha Haram programme launched today:The Haritha Haram programme aimed to plant 46 crore plants to improve green belt. The plantation programme which is two weeks long includes both the sides of over 163 kilometers long national highway between Hyderabad - Vijayawada.

7. West Bengal to set up three biotechnology hubs: The three proposed biotechnology hubs will come in Bardhaman, Kalimpong and Medinipur districts. They will help in the coordination of various departments with the Biotechnology Department in a better way.

8. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the BRICS drug control meeting: The Union Home Minister ShriRajnath Singh has inaugurated the second anti-drug Working Group meeting of Heads of Drug Control Agencies of BRICS countries in New Delhi today. The meet is organized by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Indian delegation will be headed by Shri Rajeev RaiBhatnagar, Director General, Narcotics Control Bureau.

9. Nasscom unveils India’s first IoT-focused centre: National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) has unveiled India’s first centre of excellence focused on Internet of Things (CoE- IoT) at its Startup Warehouse in Bengaluru which is inaugurated by Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister for Electronics, IT, Law & Justice.

10. S K Kohli appointed chief defence accounts auditor: Senior bureaucrat S K Kohli has been appointed as Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA). He is an Indian Defence Accounts Service officer.

12. Vishal Kapoor to be the new CEO of IDFC Mutual Fund.

13. Srini Gopalan quits Bharti Airtel and going to join Deutsche Telekom.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. IMF sets $5.3 billion programs for Iraq: The IMF has announced a $5.34 billion program for Iraq to help strengthen the country's finances, hit by the crash in oil prices and the fight against the Islamic State group. The International Monetary Fund said the three-year loan will see $634 million immediately allocated to Baghdad, which needs the money to stabilise its balance of payments and ensure it can keep up with its debt obligations.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Dipa Karmakar named as the World Class Gymnast by International Gymnastics Federation.

OBITUARIES:

2. Veteran Music Director Om Prakash Sonik passed away at the age of 77.

Daily GK Updates - 7th July, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. PM reaches Mozambique on the first leg of four-nation tour: In the first leg of his four-nation tour of African countries, Prime Minister NarendraModi has reached Maputo, the capital of Mozambique today. This is the first official visit of the Prime Minister to Mainland Africa.

2. 231 NamamiGange projects have been launched: Giving a major boost to NamamiGange Programme, Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti has inaugurated 231 projects at various locations across seven states including Uttarakhand, UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Haryana and Delhi.

3. India slips to 91^st place in 2016 Networked Readiness Index: India has slipped by two places to 91st position in the recently released 2016 Networked Readiness Index (NRI) by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF). The list is topped by Singapore followed by Finland, Sweden and Norway at the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th place respectively.

4. GOI constitutes a committee to examine desirability and feasibility of new FY: The Committee headed by Dr. Shankar Acharyawill examine the merits and demerits of various dates for the commencement of the financial year including the existing date (April to March), taking into account the various relevant factors. The Committee has been given time till 31st December 2016 to submit its Report.

5. Film festival on wildlife has begun in Shimla today: A three-day Woodpecker Environment and Wildlife Film Festival has begun at historic Gaiety Theatre in Shimla from today (7th July). The festival is being organized by WWF-India in collaboration with CMSR foundation, Delhi with the support of the Himachal Pradesh's Department of Language, Art and culture and Department of Forest. The focus of the festival is the critical environment and wildlife conservation issues like climate change, forest conservation, biodiversity and man-animal conflict and success stories will also be showcased in it.

6. Deepak Singhal takes charge as the Chief Secretary of UP.

7. Former Nokia executive TejinderKalra joins Indus Towers as COO.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. China inducts largest home-grown Y-20 military transport plane:  China has inducted its largest indigenously-built transport aircraft, which is named as Y-20. Y-20 is a breakthrough in military aviation technology for the PLA that allows the world's largest force to transport cargo and troops over long distances in diverse weather conditions.

2. Google buys France-based start-up Moodstock: The Moodstock is a Paris-based startup that develops image recognition technology for smartphones whose APIs for developers have been described as "Shazam for images."

3. TripAdvisor appoints Gary Fritz as President Asia Pacific.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                               

1. SBI Card launches premium credit card ‘Elite’: SBI Cards and Payment Services (SBI Card), the third-largest card issuer by number has launched a premium credit card 'Elite'. Elite is a bundle of several privileges and benefits for high net worth individuals (HNIs).

AWARDS:

2. South African writer LidudumalinganiMqombothi wins 2016 Caine Prize: The Moodstock is a Paris-based startup that develops image recognition technology for smartphones whose APIs for developers have been described as "Shazam for images."

Daily GK Updates - 6th July, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World’s largest Charkha unveiled at Delhi airport: The idea behind displaying the Charkha at the airport is to highlight India’s quest to foster an egalitarian society as demonstrated by Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation.

2. TRAI launches app to track mobile data speed: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) will soon start a consultation process to fix ‘quality of service’ rules for mobile data, including the average data speed for operators.The regulator also launched a mobile app (TRAI Myspeed App) for measuring real-time internet speeds that consumers get. The data will be made available on the Trai Analytics Portal.

3. President of India inaugurates Swami Vivekanand Sabhagar at Kathak Kendra of Sangeet Natak Akademi: The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has inaugurated Swami Vivekanand Sabhagar at Kathak Kendra of Sangeet Natak Akademi in New Delhi.

4. Rajasthan becomes first state to introduce minimum wages for part-time workers: Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to introduce minimum wages for part-time workers. Labour Department has issued a notification in this regard. With this notification, part-time workers now come under the Minimum Wages Act 1948. In another decision, the government has increased minimum wages in all categories of scheduled employments by Rs 104 per month.

5. Nation pays homage to Babu Jagjivan Ram on his death anniversary: Nation pays homage to the veteran leader and great freedom fighter and administrator BabuJagjivan Ram on his death anniversary today at SamtaSthal near Rajghat in New Delhi.

6. PM and the whole nation pays tribute to Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee on his birth anniversary:Prime Minister Narendra Modi has led Parliamentarians in paying tribute to former Parliamentarian, Minister in the first cabinet post independence and founder of Bharatiya Jana SanghDr.Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his birth anniversary at the Parliament house.He founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951 which was re-formed as the Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP in 1980.

7. World famous Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath begins: The world famous RathYatra or chariot festival of Lord Jagannath has begun today in Puri, Odisha as well as in different parts of the country.Rath Yatra marks is an annual celebration of the journey of Lord Jagannath, his brother Lord Balbhadra and sister Subhadra to the Gundicha temple.

8. Aditya Birla Fashion acquires global clothing brand Forever 21: Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail (ABFRL) has stated that it will acquire global clothing brand ‘Forever 21’ in the Indian market for USD 26 million (around Rs. 175.52 Crore).

9. Centre appoints ThiruppathiVenkatasamy as the new Accountant General, Economic and Revenue sector audit, of Tamil Nadu.

10. Zee Learn appoints DebshankarMukopadhyay as CEO.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Annu Rani sets national record at National Interstate Athletics Championships: Javelin thrower Annu Rani has bettered her national record with a 59.87m throw at the 56th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Hyderabad.

2. Bengali actor Jeet acquires Kolkata team of PFL: Bengali cine star Jeet has acquired the Kolkata franchise of the first-ever multi-nation Premier Futsal League (PFL), which is scheduled to start on July 15.The team will be known as 'Kolkata 5s' as each franchise will be similarly named in the inaugural season. 

OBITUARIES:

3. Actress Noel Neill passed away at the age of 95: Noel Neill, the first actress to play Superman’s love interest, has passed away at the age of 95.
ii. Neill was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1920, the daughter of Minneapolis Star Tribune news editor David Neill and the New York vaudeville performer LaVere Neill.

4. Acclaimed Iranian film director Abbas Kiarostami passed away at the age of 76: Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami, whose 1997 film "Taste of Cherry" won the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, has passed away following a prolonged illness in Paris.

Daily GK Updates - 5th July, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 19 new ministers inducted and 1 elevated to the cabinet rank into PM Modi’s cabinet: Minister of State with independent charge PrakashJavdekar was elevated to the rank of Cabinet Minister. The Ministers of State are Faggan Singh Kulste, S.S. Ahluwalia, Ramesh Jigjinagi, Vijay Goel, RamdasAthawale, RajenGohain, Anil Madhav Dave, ParshottamRupala, M.J. Akbar, Arjun Ram Meghwal, JaswantSinhBhabhor, Dr.MahendraNathPandey, Ajay Tamta, Smt. Krishna Raj, MansukhMandaviya, Smt. Anupriya Patel, C.R. Chaudhary, P.P. Chaudhary, and Dr.SubhashBhamre.

2. Centre to allot Rs 400 crore for developing airports in UP: The Centre government has released an official statement that it will provide an assistance of 400 crore rupees for developing airports at Agra, Allahabad, Kanpur and Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh.

3. National mineral exploration policy unveiled: The National mineral exploration policy has been unveiled to adopt comprehensive exploration of non-fuel and non-coal mineral resources. The new policy aims to bring together best of knowledge and experience, modern technology, trained manpower and financial resources on a collaborative platform. Space technology would be used to check illegal mining by developing a mining surveillance system.

4. Jawaharlal Nehru port becomes India’s first port to implement Logistics Data Tagging of Containers: The logistics data bank tagging of containers is a first of its kind facility which will help importers and exporters track their goods in transit. An RFID  (Radio Frequency Identification Tag) tag would be attached to each container which would be tracked through RIFD readers installed at different locations.

5. Mission Indradhanush to next cover 13 MP districts: Thirteen districts in Madhya Pradesh will be covered under the upcoming phase of the Centre's "Mission Indradhanush" initiative aimed at full immunisation of all children in the country. It (the third phase of 'Mission Indradhanush') will cover Alirajpur, Jhabua, Ashok Nagar, Raisen, Vidisha, Sagar, Damoh, Tikamgarh, Chhattarpur, Panna, Umaria, Satna and Rewa districts," said V Kiran Gopal Rao, Mission Director, National Health Mission for Madhya Pradesh.

6. Centre nod for renaming Mhow railway station after B R Ambedkar:The central government has given its nod for renaming Mhow railway station in Indore district of Madhya Pradesh after BR Ambedkar as the Dalit icon was born there.

7. The Online Pharmacy 1mg acquires lab aggregator Medd: Gurgaon-based online pharmacy 1mg has acquired diagnostic labs aggregator Medd (HolaMed Healthcare Technologies Pvt. Ltd) for an undisclosed amount. However, as a part of the deal, all the three founders of Medd - Arpit Kothari, Anurag Mundhada, and Era Dwivedi, have joined the 1mg team.

8. K B Koliwad elected as Speaker of Karnataka Legislative Assembly: Mr. K B Koliwad has unanimously elected as the Speaker of Karnataka Legislative Assembly. Mr. K B Koliwad is 72 years old and represents Ranebennur constituency in HaveriTaluk.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. NASA’s Juno successfully enters Jupiter’s orbit:It was launched five years ago, and will study Jupiter's composition, gravity, magnetic field and search clues about the planet's formation.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. SudarshanSen appointed Executive Director of RBI: SudarshanSen has been appointed as the Executive Director of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). He will replace NS Vishwanathan who was elevated as Deputy Governor of RBI.

2. MFIN elects R BhaskarBabu as new president: Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN),an industry association and Self-Regulatory Organization (SRO) for the microfinance industry in India, has announced R BaskarBabu, CEO of Suryoday Micro Finance as its new President of the Board in the wake of the previous President retiring.

SPORTS:

3.  First association of Indian Olympians launched: The Olympians Association of India (OAI), the first-ever association for Indian Olympians, by the Olympians, was launched. The Olympians Association of India's official Twitter account, @IndianOlympians, will serve as the platform for real-time updates of the Indian contingent at the upcoming Rio Olympics.

4. Saudi Arbia becomes associate member of ICC: Saudi Arabia was unanimously elected as the 39th Associate Member of International Cricket Council’s (ICC) during its full council meeting in Edinburgh.

5. Niranjan wins eight medals in IWAS World Games:Bengaluru para-swimmer NiranjanMukundan has won eight medals, including three golds, at the recently-concluded IWAS (International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports) U-23 World Games in Prague, Czech Republic

OBITUARIES:

6. Veteran Communist leader Romesh Chandra passed away at the age of 94.

Daily GK Updates - 4th July, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India’s first Commercial Court and Commercial Disputes Resolution Centre inaugurated in Chhattisgarh: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Dr. Raman Singh has inaugurated country's first commercial dispute resolution centre and a commercial court in the state capital.The commercial court is located in Naya Raipur area of the city.The court also consists of arbitration centre and a meditation centre.

2. BRICS’ meeting on energy efficiency begins today: A two-day meeting of the BRICS nations working group for enhancing cooperation in energy efficiency and energy saving have started from today in Visakhapatnam. This is the first meeting of the group in which participants from all BRICS countries are attending the meet.

3. President inaugurates smart village pilot project at Rashtrapati Bhavan: President Pranab Mukherjee has inaugurated a smart model village pilot project at RashtrapatiBhavan in New Delhi. Initially, this initiative will be implemented in five selected villages in Haryana than later on will be spread to the entire country.

4. PM attends martyrdom anniversary of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur: Prime Minister NarendraModi has attended a commemorative event to mark the 300th Martyrdom Anniversary of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur in New Delhi. On the occasion, Prime Minister Modi has released a book and souvenir on the life of Banda Bahadur.

5. Cyprus set to sign the new tax treaty with India: India and Cyprus have agreed to revise their tax treaty under which capital gains tax will be levied on the sale of shares of investments made after April 1, 2017. The new Cyprus Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA), which has been agreed upon by both the countries, would provide for source-based taxation of capital gains on transfer of shares.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. China fits final piece on world’s largest radio telescope: China has hoisted the final piece into position on what will be the world’s largest radio telescope, which it will use to explore space and help in the hunt for extraterrestrial life. The Five Hundred Metre Aperture Spherical Telescope, or Fast, is the size of 30 football fields and has been cut out of a mountain in the south-western province of Guizhou.

2. Linda Burney becomes first indigenous woman elected to Australia’s lower house: Linda Burney, a former teacher has become the first Indigenous woman elected to the House of Representatives (lower house) of the Parliament of Australia. She achieved the fete after claiming victory in the marginal seat of Barton.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. SBI gets $625 million from World Bank for solar power: State Bank of India (SBI) and the World Bank have inked agreements for a $625 million (around Rs 4,200 crore) facility to support grid-connected rooftop solar programme (GRPV) in the country. Through this initiative, at least 400 megawatt (Mw) solar capacity will be created across the country.

2. India to host world’s first MMA league: India will be hosting the world’s first Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) ‘Super Fight League’ from August 26 to October 1. The franchise-based league will feature eight teams – Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Mumbai, Haryana, Bangalore, Punjab, Pune and Goa.

SPORTS:

3.  India set to host South African Basketball qualifiers: The South Asian Basketball Association (SABA) Zone Qualifying Round of the FIBA Asia Challenge 2016 will be held from July 6 to 8 at the SreeKanteerava Indoor Stadium, Bangalore. 

4. Double bonanza for India’s Praneeth, Manu-Sumeeth win Canada open titles: India is celebrating its double bonanza as India's badminton player B SaiPraneet has won the Canada Open Grand Prix Badminton tournament and also it's Rio Olympics-bound men’s doubles pair of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy have also won titles at the $55,000 Canada Open Grand Prix badminton tournament in Calgary.

5. Lewis Hamilton wins Austrian Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton has won the Austrian Grand Prix after a dramatic last-lap collision with championship rival NicoRosberg.

OBITUARIES:

6. Ex-MP Ranji player Kapil Seth passed away: Former Madhya Pradesh cricketer Kapil Seth has recently passed away. He was 36 years old. According to the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA), the all-rounder was suffering from Hepatitis B. Mr.Kabil who represented the state in only one first-class and a List A game in the 2000-01 season, made his sole Ranji Trophy appearance against Vidarbha in November 2000.

7. US Oscar-winning director Micheal Cimino at the age of 77.

Daily GK Updates - 3rd July, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. BRICS Youth Summit, 2016 held: The 2016 BRICS Youth Summit held in Guwahati, Assam concluded on 3 July 2016. The theme of the 2nd youth summit that started on 1 July 2016 was“Youth as bridge for Intra-BRICS Exchanges”.The three day summit saw participation of officials and youth of the delegation from BRICS nations, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

2. Kerala Government decided to ban ‘electronic cigarettes’: It was banned in view of studies claiming that its use can cause various health issues, including cancer and heart ailments.In this regard, the health ministry directed the additional chief secretary (health) to issue an order banning the production, sale and advertisement of 'electronic cigarette' alias 'e-cigarette'.With this, Kerala became the fourth Indian state to ban e-cigarettes. The other three states are Punjab (1st state to do so), Maharashtra and Karnataka.

3. National Doctor’s Day 2016 observed on 1 July 2016 across India: The 2016 National Doctors’ Day was observed on 1 July 2016 across India.The day is observed to honour legendary physician, Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy whose birth and death anniversary falls on the same day.

4. INS Tarasa, follow-on Water Jet Fast Attack Craft launched by Indian Navy: Indian Navy launched the fourth in the series of Follow-on Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (FO-WJFAC) called INS Tarasa. It was launched at the Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE), Kolkata.The name of the ship, like the previously launched FO-WJFACs, is based on the picturesque island in the Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Bay of Bengal.

5. Union HRD Ministry launches teacher education portal ‘Prashikshak’: The Union Minister for Human Resource Development SmritiZubinIrani launched the Prashikshak, a teacher education portal, with a vision to strengthen District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) and bring quality teachers into the Indian school education system.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Solar Alliance Cell and World Bank sign Declaration for promoting Solar Energy: The Interim Administrative Cell of the International Solar Alliance (ISA Cell) and the World Bank on 30 June 2016 signed declaration to promote solar energy globally. The declaration was signed during the visit of the World Bank President Jim Yong Kim to India in June 2016. The declaration was signed by UpendraTripathy, Secretary of Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Chairperson, ISA cell and OnnoRuhl, India Country Director of the World Bank.

2. Exercise RIPMAC 2016 begins: Exercise RIMPAC 2016, the Pacific military exercise, began on 30 June 2016 at Hawaii with 26 nations participating in the war games that will cover the Hawaiian Island and southern California.The theme of RIMPAC 2016 is Capable, Adaptive, and Partners. RIMPAC 2016 is the 25th exercise in the series that began in 1971.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1.  ICC relaxes Decision Review System: The International Cricket Council (ICC) approved a change to the DRS (Decision Review System) playing condition relating to the LBW “Umpire’s Call”. The decision will allow changes to the decision review system which will make it easier to overturn not-out LBW decisions.As per the amendment, the size of the zone inside which half the ball needs to hit any part of the stumps for a not out decision.  Currently, half of the ball would need to be hitting a zone between the centre of leg and off stumps.

2. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu becomes first Indian to play in Europa League: Sandhu was named in Norwegian club Stabaek FC'ssquad for their Europa League qualifying match against Welsh Premier League side Connah's Quay Nomads FC.

OBITUARIES:

3. Former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard died at the age of 85: Michel Rocard, former Prime Minister of France, passed away in Paris, France. He was 85.Rocard served as Prime Minister under President Francois Mitterrand from 1988 to 1991.

4. Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel died at the age of 87.