National Political News:
1. A bribery case pertaining to the previous Congress government in Goa has surfaced in the United States because of a confessional statements by a US – New Jersey based construction management firm representative in a court hearing in the US. The bribery is running into several crores of rupees to secure contracts in the water development scheme of Goa state.
2. TERI (The Energy & Resources Institute – a nonprofit think tank) governing council sacked 74 year old world renowned Climate scientist R.K. Pachauri on a sexual harassment complaint lodged by a 29 year old staff member.
3. Kumbh Mela which falls every 12 years get underway in dist. Nashik of Maharashtra. Lakhs of devotees likely to take a dip in the Godawari river in the Hindu religion holy sites at Nashik and Trimbakeshwar cities.
4. Three Indian cricketers S. Sreenath, Ajit Chandila and Ankit Chavan have been discharged by a Delhi court in a supposedly water tight case of Match fixing in IPL 2013. No links with the underworld could be established by the Delhi Police of the above cricketers.
International Political News:
1. Greece has agreed to apply the tax hikes, overhaul the pension system and has committed to privatization under the Eurozone and IMF pressure to overhaul its ailing economy. Greece has also repaid the defaulted Euro 2 billion in arrears to IMF.
2. President Barrack Obama is the first serving US president to pay a state visit to Kenya which is his father’s “fatherland”. President Barrack Obama is the son of a pipe smoking US economist who died a car crash at the age of 46 in 1982.
3. ISIS is setting up a base in a deserted area of Bosnia, the heart of Europe. It is feared by the European nations that this base will be used for devastating terror attacks on them.
Turkish town of Suruc is the latest on ISIS terror hitlist. Turkey had previously been a sympathiser of ISIS but has now joined the US lead coalition and promised more action against the ISIS Jihadi’s and the Kurds.
Business News:
1. Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) ,India’s top most private sector company has posted a 4.4% rise in first Quarter Net Profit at Rs.6222 Crores. The stand-alone profit grew by 12% on refining margins of $10.4 on every barrel of crude. Its turnover dipped by 23% to Rs.83064 crores because of dip in oil prices. The results have beaten the street estimates of Dalalstreet, India’s top most commercial district.
2. India’s largest drug maker by sales – Sun Pharma has reported a decline in revenue and profits due to costs related to Ranbaxy laboratories take over last year by it for $3.2 billion. Ranbaxy’s India based factories are banned to supply drugs to US by the Food and Drug administration for violation of standard manufacturing practices.
3. Amazon is likely to invest $5 billion in India E-commerce venture. It is to launch Amazon Prime for high end buyers.
4. Infosys put up good performance as per its results of first Quarter of . Its revenue has grown by 4.5% sequentially to $2.2 billion. Its peer TCS grew by 3.5% in the same period.
5. The market capital of Maruti standing at $19.73 billion has over taken that of Suzuki Japan which stands at $19 million.
6. West Bengal Darjeeling’s Makaibari Tea estates tea fetches Rs.1.11 lakh per/kg in Japan, UK, US and now Dubai enters the select list.
Science and Technology:
1. First Indian indigenously designed and developed high thrust cryogenic rocket engine with a thrust of 19tonnes has undergone successful endurance testing. The engine will power the launching of GSLV MK-111 launch vehicles, capable of putting 4 tonnes class satellites in orbit.
2. NASA space craft new Horizon’s successful flypast of planet Pluto, has culminated in its sending back pictures of icy mountains on the planet surface. An image of Pluto’s largest moon Charon has also been beamed backed to Earth.NASA estimates that the mountains are just 100 million years old, although the solar system is 4.56 billion years old.
Sports:
1. Lawn Tennis
India beat Kiwis 3–2 to advance to the World Group play offs, after winning the Asia /Oceania group one Davis Cup tie.
Yuki Bhambari and Devvarman were the winning Indian players in the tie.
2. Cricket
India lose to Zimbabwe by 10 run in the 2nd T-20 cricket match. Zimbabwe scored 145 runs for 7 wicket in 20 overs. India replied with 135 runs for 9 wickets in 20 overs.
In the Ashes series 2nd test match played in England, Australia scored 566 runs for 8 wickets declared in the first innings and 254 for 2 wickets declared in the second innings. England could reply with 312 runs in the first innings and 103 all out in the second innings. Australia thus won the match by 405 runs.
