1. Central Command Centre for Air Traffic Flow Management was inaugurated by Minister Hardeep Singh Puri in New Delhi
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday inaugurated the Central Command Centre for Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) here and said it is an "absolute necessity" to ensure higher standards of safety. As major airports are facing capacity constraints, the central ATFM system is primarily meant to balance the "capacity against the demand to achieve optimum utilization" of "airport, airspace and aircraft", Airport Authority of India (AAI) said in a statement. Post-inauguration, the minister said,"This is a world class system where on one large screen you can see all the civil aviation infrastructure in the country. The planes on the ground, the planes which are in the air, those planes you are in touch with - all of it is integrated with the ATC (air traffic control)."
2. An Entrepreneur Viral Sudhirbhai Desai Changed Udhana railway station into India’s first Green Railway Station
To propagate Mahatma Gandhi's mantra 'Cleanliness is Godliness' and achieve the objective of a 'Clean India-Green India', a young entrepreneur from Surat has launched a mission to turn railway station in Udhana town of Gujarat's Surat district into India's first green railway station. Viral Sudhirbhai Desai is attempting to turn Udahana Railway Station into a green and pollution free one like Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. For this noble initiative, Desai has received support and assistance from various organizations such as - Chhadyo and Archroma organizations as well as from the Station Director CR Garuda.
3. Five countries from Asia and Central America had no cases of Malaria in 2018: WHO
The World malaria report 2017 presents a comprehensive state of play in global progress in the fight against malaria up to the end of 2016. It tracks progress in investments in malaria programs and research, malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment, surveillance, trends in malaria disease burden, malaria elimination, and threats in tackling malaria and safeguarding the investments made. In 2016, an estimated US$ 2.7 billion was invested in malaria control and elimination efforts globally by governments of malaria-endemic countries and international partners.
4. Mexico became the first country to ratify the trade deal to replace NAFTA
Mexico’s Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to ratify a new free trade agreement with the United States and Canada, making it the first of the three countries to gain legislative approval. Mexico’s upper chamber voted 114 to four with three abstentions in favor of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA. It will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, which U.S. President Donald Trump had threatened to withdraw the United States from if Washington did not get a better deal. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said in a recorded message that the vote was “very good news.”
5. NITI Aayog plans to convert three-wheelers to EVs by 2023 and 2-wheelers below 150cc by 2025
Government think-tank Niti Aayog has directed the two-wheeler and three-wheeler manufacturers to submit a concrete proposal to move towards e-mobility in the next two weeks. According to source in the know, Niti Aayog told automakers in a meeting Friday that if the industry fails to undertake measures to curb vehicular pollution, courts would step in. The meeting was attended by Niti Aayog Chairman Amitabh Kant, Bajaj AutoNSE 0.27 % Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj, TVS Motor Comp NSE -0.08 % Chairman Venu Srinivasan, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) Director General Vishnu Mathur among others.
6. IRSDC signed 2 MoAs to renovate 22 railway stations
Two Memorandum of Agreements (MoAs) on 'Railway Station Redevelopment' for the renovation of a total of 22 railway stations was signed by Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) here. In an MoA signed between IRSDC and MECON Limited on Friday, eight railway stations including Andheri, Bandra Terminus, Ranchi, Chennai Egmore will be redeveloped. "Similarly, another MoA was signed with two other Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE) -- EPIL and Bridge and Roof-- on Thursday for the renovation of 14 railway stations including Kolkata Terminal, Kanpur Central, Kalyan Junction, Ludhiana, Hyderabad, and Udaipur City," IRSDC said in a press release.
7. National Freight Index (NFI) launched by Rivigo Logistics
National Freight Index (NFI) that will provide live freight rates for different lanes and vehicles across the country. NFI will bring pricing transparency. In its bid to bring transparency in the road-freight marketplace, Gurgaon-based tech-enabled logistics start-up Rivigo has launched National Freight Index (NFI) that will provide live freight rates for different lanes and vehicles across the country. The Indian road freight market size is estimated at $150 billion-$160 billion, of which $130 billion-$140 billion is full-truckload (FTL) market, but it has been facing a growing challenge of shortage of truck drivers.
8. Dr. Gaurav Nigam, an educationist, pediatrician, and author, honored with ‘Innovative Research Excellence Award 2019’
Dr. Gaurav Nigam, a well-known educationist, pediatrician, and the author has been conferred 'Innovative Research Excellence Award 2019' at Asian Leadership Summit held at Thimphu, Bhutan. Organized by Global Leaders Foundation, Dr. Gaurav Nigam was selected for the award for excellence in school education on basis of his excellent performance, splendid achievement and outstanding contribution towards the innovative development and research activities in the field of school education in South Asian Region. The award was handed over to Dr. Gaurav Nigam by Lyonpo Ugyen Dorji, Minister for Labour and Human Resources, Bhutan.
9. DD India channel will be broadcasted in Bangladesh & South Korea
India has entered into agreements with Bangladesh and South Korea to broadcast DD India channel in the two countries, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Wednesday. Addressing a press conference here, he said, "India has entered into an agreement with Bangladesh to broadcast DD India on Bangladesh TV. In return, their official channel will also be available on DD Free Dish to 35 million households in India."
10. Spain’s Fernando Torres retired from football
Spain's World Cup-winning striker Fernando Torres announced his retirement from football on Friday, bringing an end to a glittering 18-year career. Torres, who scored more than 100 goals across two spells at his boyhood club Atletico Madrid, also played for Premier League sides Liverpool and Chelsea and Italy's AC Milan. He left Atletico to join Japan's Sagan Tosu in July last year but has struggled to hit the heights of his best days at Atletico and Liverpool at the J-League side.
11. India’s ace cueist Pankaj Advani clinched the 35th men’s Asian Snooker Championship in Doha
India's ace cueist Pankaj Advani has clinched the 35th men's Asian Snooker Championship in Doha to complete a career grand slam in cue sports. Advani defeated Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon 6-3 in the final on Friday to become the only one to win the Asian and World championships in all formats. He conquered the ACBS Asian Snooker events - 6-red (short format) and 15-red (long format) - along with the IBSF World Championships in both formats too. Having already accomplished it in Billiards, Pankaj had this elusive 15-red Asian Snooker title missing from his silverware collection.
12. Yoga guru Baba Ramdev to release an Autobiography titled ‘My Life, My Mission’
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev will unveil the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of his life and provide insights into his childhood in his soon-to-be-published autobiography. The book, My Life, My Mission, co-authored with senior journalist Uday Mahurkar, also addresses the major controversies, turning points, and achievements of the yoga exponent’s life. The book is expected to hit the stands in August, publishers Penguin Random House said in a statement. The yoga guru tweeted, “A lot has been written about me by other people. Now I will share with you the story of my life in my own words. Don’t forget to pre-order today.”
