National Political
1. Interpol issues a Red Corner Notice (RCN) for the arrest and detention of Jaish-E-Mohammed (JEM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar and his other accomplices including his brotherAbdul Rauf Asgarfor the Pathankot airbase attack conspiracy.
India has sent a 2nd letterRogatory (LR) issued by a court for collection of evidence to Pakistan, by conducting searches at the residence of 4 terrorists and their handlers. India again requests Pakistan for NIA visit to Pakistan for gathering further evidence.
2. BJP MP SubramaniumSwamy writes to the Prime Minister for dispensing with the services of RBI Governor RaghuramRajan, whose tenure comes to an end in September this year.
3. The Modi government completes its 2 years in office and adebate is on the promise of 2 years of ‘Acchhe Din’. A series of economic reforms have been undertaken like the Bankruptcy code, overhaul of PSB’s management, the Jan DhanYojna covering over 20 crore population, FDI liberalization in 15 major sectors including partly defence. The Govt. has cultivatedgood relations with US, Europe and Japan besides warming up to China and Pakistan.
4. India has successfully test fired its indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile from Chandipur, Orissa. It can carry 1000 kg of warheads and hit targets 350 km away. The missile has been developed by DRDO,a Govt. organisation.
5. Tech. giant Apples CEO Tim Cook visits Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore. The visit stirs up the Apps world.Apple will set up iOS app design development centre in Bangalore.
6. BJP emerges as the pan India party after sweeping Assam polls and registering its presence in Kerala andgarnering afew seats in West Bengal assembly. Congress loses heavily in all these states. Mamta Banerjee and Jayalalitha secure their bastions in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu respectively.
7. 5 militants belonging to JEM killed in an encounter with security forces in Kupwara sector of J&K.
8. Insurgents in Chandil district of Manipur target a 29 Assamrifles convoy killing 6 army men and making good their escape with AK47 assault rifles, LMG and INSAS rifles and ammunition.
International News
1. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic party ticket aspirant for American Presidential elections, takes home the Kentucky primary whereas her rival Bernie Sanders sweeps Oregon. Donald Trump hasbecome the presumptive Republicanparty nominee.
2. An Egypt AirAirbus A320 flight MS804 on a flight from Paris to Cairo with 66 on board crashes in Egyptian air space over the Mediterranean sea ,290 kms north of port city of Alexandria killing all on board. French and Egyptian authorities presume terrorist angle.
3. President Tsai Ing-Wen of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) sworn in as Taiwan’s president. Taiwanese economy is export driven and China considers it as a part of itself. DPP favours independence from China as is the current status. After World War II, Chinese civil war resumed between nationalists (Kuomintang) led by Chiang Kai Shek and communist party of China led by Mao Zedong for control of China. The Nationalist were pushed into Taiwan where they declared their own democratic republic.
4. Cyclone Roanu batters Bangladesh’s Southern coast, 24 killed.Barisal – Chittagong area faces the cyclone fury.
5. In a major success for American forces,Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansoor killed in a US drone strike on his vehicle in a remote area near Ahmad Wal town in Baluchistan near to Afghan border. Other accompanying Taliban men also killed in the drone attack.
Business News
1. SBI and its associates banks State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Hyderabad, State Bank of Mysore , State Bank of Travancore andBhartiyaMahila Bank are likely to be merged as per a proposal made to the government by SBI.
2. Indian stock markets are on a downward journey on Brexit fears and the possibility of a rate hike by the US Fed.
Science and Technology
1. Researchers from Monash University – the Australian Synchrotron and Imperial College, London, have come to the conclusion after studying the oldest fossil , that is space dust, that earth’s upper atmosphere had the same amount of Oxygen 2.7 billion years ago as today. Also, a haze of methane layer separated the Oxygen rich upper layer from the Oxygen starved lower atmosphere.
2. The hyper loop – 5th mode of transport, an Elon Musk imagination now put to trial in the US. A distance of 605 km between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the West Coast may be covered in 35 minutes as against 1.15 hours by air and almost 6 hours by road. The system shall make use of solar panels, a tube way to rest on quake resistant pylons at an air pressure of 9% of normal sea level pressure, as air resistance and downward force of gravity are the limiting factors on speed. 28 passengers per pod driven by electric motor to leave every 2 minutes in the tube way. It is likely to cost dollar 6 billion for 2 one way tubes and 40 pods on the San Francisco-Los Angeles way. A likely ticket cost of dollar 20 in comparison to dollar 150 by air is the economics of the venture.
Sports
1. Badminton
In the Uber Cup Badminton Championship in Kunshan, China, Indian women’s team loses 3-0 to China in the semifinal and settles for a bronze medal.
SainaNehwal, PV Sindhu lose in womens’ singles and the duo of JwalaGutta and N. Sikki Reddy in doubles.
2. Athletic championships.
Sprinters Dutee Chand of India wins her second gold in 23.5 seconds by winning 200 meters race. Srabani Nanda won the silver and H.M. Jyothi the bronze but all three failed to clear the timing of 23.23 seconds, Olympic qualifying timing.
Kirpal Singh Batth with a throw of 58.2 meters wins the gold in men’s discuss but fails to clear the Olympic qualifying standard of 65 meters. ParkashKarhana wins silver in men’s Shot-put with 17.85 meters against Olympic qualifying of 20.5 meters.
3. Cricket
Anurag Thakur elected unopposed as BCCI president and Ajay Shirke as its secretary.
Indian Premier League.
Kolkata: Royale Challengers Bangalore beat Kolkata Knight Riders.
Vizag: Pune Supergiants beat Delhi Daredevils by DL method.
Bangalore: Royale Challengers Bangalore beat Kings XI Punjab.
Kanpur: Gujarat Lions beat Kolkata Knight Riders.
Raipur: Delhi Daredevils beat Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Kanpur: Gujarat Lions beat Kings XI Punjab.
Bangalore: Royale Challengers Bangalore beat Delhi Daredevils.
Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders beat Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The 4 teams that will feature in the playoffs on the basis of points in the league matches are Gujarat Lions with 18 points, Royale Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders with 16 points each.
