NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. First tropical storm of east Pacific : The first named tropical storm of the east Pacific
hurricane season formed off the coast of Mexico.“Aletta”, the storm is expected
to build to hurricane strength early, the National Hurricane Center in Miami
said.It had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph) and was moving west at 8
mph (13 kph).
2. Election Commission launches RTI portal : The Election Commission of India launched an
online RTI portal to help applicants seeking information under the Right To
Information Act.The portal can be accessed on the home page of the commission’s
website‘eci.nic.in’.The portal also facilitates online reply to applications
and also for making first appeal and reply thereto.
3. India ranks 137th on Global Peace Index 2018 : India has moved up four places to the 137th rank among 163 countries on
the 2018 Global Peace Index.Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the
world, a position it has held since 2008.New Zealand, Austria, Portugal and
Denmark also sit in the top five most peaceful rankings.Syria remains the least
peaceful country in the world, a position it has held for the past five years.
4. India’s Maternal Mortality Ratio drops to 130 : Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Jagat
Prakash Nadda said India has seen a decline in its Maternal Mortality Ratio
from 139 to 130.India’s MMR has significantly fallen from 167 in 2011-13 to the
present figure of 130, as per the latest Sample Registration System figures.Ministry
of Health and Family Welfare has implemented various schemes to increase
access to quality healthcare
5. Outstanding power bill waiver for poors: MP The Madhya Pradesh government has announced a
waiver scheme for outstanding power bills for labourers and poor families.The
scheme is expected to benefit around 77 lakh people in the state.The state
government also approved a scheme to subsidise electricity for registered
labourers of the unorganised sector and Below Poverty Line (BPL) families
6. Geo-Intelligence Asia – 2018 : The Eleventh edition of GeoIntelligence Asia 2018
was held in New Delhi.The theme of Seminar was ‘GeoSpatial : A Force Multiplier
for Defence and Industrial Security’.The seminar brought together
BSF, Police Forces, Government and industry together to examine the latest
technology solutions and on the critical role of geospatial technology in
military and security applications.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. World first EPR nuclear reactor begins : A third generation EPR reactor in China carried out
its first nuclear chain reaction, an initial start up which is a world first
for the much-delayed European technology.The European Pressurised Reactor (EPR)
in China “carried out its first chain and therefore it has started.The reactor
is not expected to be completed until the mid 2020s.
2. Cabinet approves MoU between India and Oman : The Union Cabinet approved a MoU signed
between India represented by the ISRO and Oman represented by the Ministry
of Transport and Communications.The MoU on Cooperation in the peaceful uses of
outer space was signed in February 2018 at Muscat.This MoU shall enable
cooperation in space science, technology, and applications including remote
sensing of the earth.
3. Issue of postage stamp between India & Russia : Cabinet has approved the agreement signed in
connection with release of Joint Stamps between Department of Posts, India and
Russia Post (MARKA) to establish postal cooperation.Bilateral relations between
India and Russia are marked by broad understanding on issues of mutual
interest.India and Russia enjoy enhanced levels of cooperation in almost all
areas of the bilateral relationship.
OTHER UPDATES:
BUSINESS/ECONOMY:
1. RBI to set up Public Credit Registry : In a bid to check loan defaults, RBI said that a Public Credit Registry
(PCR) will be set up containing information on all borrowers to ensure
financial stability.Following a report by Yeshwant M Deosthalee headed High
Level Task Force, RBI said it has considered the recommendations and decided to
set up a PCR.The PCR will serve as a registry of all credit contracts.
2. RBI allows banks to spread MTM losses : The Reserve Bank allowed banks to spread their mark-to-market (MTM)
losses for the June quarter as well.The central bank had also asked banks to
build an Investment Fluctuation Reserve (IFR) of 2% of their holdings.In April,
RBI had given banks an option to spread provisioning for MTM losses recorded on
their investment portfolio