1. Modi will be attending the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok in September
Trutnev also met Dharmendra Pradhan, Ajit Doval in Delhi. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev’s visit to India. Russia Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev and Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar met in New Delhi on Wednesday for talks that were aimed at paving the way for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Russia in September. Modi will be attending the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
2. A high-level expert group presented their suggestions to achieve $5 trillion economy target: NITI Aayog
The panel makes a case for ‘single-minded pursuit’ to achieve growth. Opening of banking and insurance sectors for FDI, speeding up the disinvestment process and management of water resources were among the focus areas of the panel. Think tank Niti Aayog Sunday said that expert panel for macroeconomics and employment came out with suggestions to achieve $5 trillion economy target during an interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
3. Union Govt developed a National Strategic Plan to end TB by 2025
The Government of India announced its plan to eliminate tuberculosis (TB) by 2025 during the Union Budget address last month.1 The declaration is extraordinarily ambitious, considering that India accounts for 27% of the world's 10.4 million new TB cases, and 29% of the 1.8 million TB deaths globally.2 India also accounts for 16% of the estimated 480 000 new cases of multidrug-resistant TB. The End TB Strategy by WHO aims to end the global TB epidemic, with targets to reduce TB deaths by 95% and to cut new cases by 90% by 2035.3 While high-level political commitment is welcome and necessary, the real question now is how India can go from rhetoric to real progress? We offer some suggestions that might help bridge the gap between ambition and reality.
4. Odisha CM releases Flood Hazard Atlas for effective management of flood
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Saturday unveiled a Flood Hazard Atlas for better preparedness. Patnaik unveiled the atlas at the State Level Natural Calamity Committee meeting here. The chief minister said, "This atlas will help identify the disaster-prone areas of the state so that necessary plans can be made to tackle the situation." He said the atlas prepared by National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Hyderabad and Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA), will help the management of the flood in the state as "Odisha is a flood-prone state. The flood causes extensive damage to life and property."
5. CPWD constituted a 7 member core group for the implementation of the vision document
According to the CPWD, in a recent meeting with secretaries, the prime minister directed that every ministry will prepare a five-year Vision Document (STVD) within a month. The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has constituted a seven-member core group to prepare a roadmap for implementation of a five-year "vision document" as directed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. An official said the core group, chaired by Additional Director General (training & research) M K Sharma, has been asked to submit its report within 15 days.
6. UAE launches UN-developed anti-money laundering platform
The UAE has become the first country in the Gulf to launch a new reporting platform developed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to curb organized crimes. The UAE’s Financial Intelligence Unit launched the new anti-money laundering platform 'goAML', which has been open for registration since May. This was announced by officials of UAE Central Bank in Abu Dhabi. All financial entities and Designated Non-Financial Businesses or Professions have to register on this system by Thursday. More than 900 entities including, banks, insurance companies, and money exchange centers, are required to register on the platform and 50 percent of them have already registered. The platform will help the FIU prevent money laundering, financing of terrorism and other illicit financial activities.
7. Nepalese nationals must have a visa to enter India via Pakistan, China, Hong Kong, and Macau
Nepalese nationals must have a visa if they are entering India from Pakistan, China, Hong Kong, and Macau, according to a notice issued by the Nepalese Embassy in New Delhi. Similarly, Nepalese nationals traveling to Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, and Lebanon, are required to acquire No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the respective Nepalese Embassies, it said. To get the NOC, a traveler is required to submit an application to the respective embassy along with relevant documents, including employment permit, the notice stated.
8. Maruti Suzuki inks partnership with BOB for dealer financing
Maruti Suzuki, an Automobile manufacturer in India signed 'Preferred Financier' MoU(Memorandum of understanding) with Indian multinational with Bank of Baroda(BOB) in order to improve credit for dealership inventory financing. The partnership with Bank of Baroda allows Maruti Suzuki to finance opportunities to dealers as well as customers. The financing will work in line with the Bank of Baroda's product program of Supply Chain Finance. The tight liquidity situation in the financial system of the IL&FS crisis and rising bad loans prompted the banks.
9. Former General Mohamed Ould Ghazouani wins the presidential election of Mauritania
Ex-general Mohamed Ould Ghazouani has declared the official winner Monday of presidential elections in Mauritania that opposition candidates claim were unfair. The Constitutional Council, the final authority on Mauritania's founding law, rejected an opposition challenge and confirmed the CENI electoral commission's announcement that Ghazouani had won the June 22 poll with an absolute majority of 52 percent. He will on August 2 officially take over the presidency from close ally Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who is stepping down after serving the maximum two five-year terms.
10. Qu Dongyu, the first Chinese national to head FAO
Qu Dongyu on Sunday became the first Chinese national to be elected to head the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, clinching the post in the first round of voting. Qu, 55, a biologist by training, won 108 votes, followed by Catherine Geslain-Laneelle of France with 71 votes and Georgia's Davit Kirvalidze with 12, according to official results. His election to the helm of the Rome-based agency, which brings together 194 member countries, comes as the fight to eradicate world hunger takes a blow from global warming and wars.
11. RBI Deputy Governor Viral Acharya resigns 6 months before his term ends
Viral Acharya who had made a fervent pitch for autonomy for the regulator, has reportedly quit six months before the scheduled end of his term. Acharya, who joined the central bank on January 23, 2017, was RBI's youngest deputy governor post economic liberalization. ET has independently confirmed that Acharya has quit and would be heading to the New York University to teach. He would be joining his family which he has been away from. Acharya has been uncomfortable ever since the exit of Urjit Patel as Governor of RBI. His academic views of the financial system were in contrast with the rest of the system.
12. India scraped $500 mn arms deal with Israel
The deal was canceled a few weeks ahead of Netanyahu's visit to India and its renewal is considered to be a "major strategic achievement", the Jerusalem Post reported. India will buy Israel's Spike anti-tank guided missiles, Israeli media today quoted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying, weeks after New Delhi scrapped the USD 500 million lucrative defense deal. "India will buy Israel's anti-tank spike missiles," the paper quoted Prime Minister Netanyahu as saying after spending the day with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. Netanyahu, who is on a six-day visit to India, said the final details and scope of the deal are still in the process of being worked out, the paper said.
13. Indian women’s Rugby team scripted history in Manila
Recently, the Indian women’s rugby team scripted history by clinching their first-ever international 15s victory against a higher-ranked Singapore 21-19 for a bronze medal in the Asia Women’s Div-1 Rugby 15s championship earlier this week in the Philippines. Five members of the victorious squad — Sumitra Nayak, Hupi Majhi, Rajani Sabar, Meerarani Hembram and Parbati Kisku were present in a media interaction held at the Press Council of India on Friday.
14. Vinit Goenka pens new book titled “Data Sovereignty – The Pursuit of Supremacy”
The book, “Function of Data Sovereignty – The Pursuit of Supremacy’. It is written by Vinit Goenka, Author, Secretary. He is a member of the Governing Council- CRIS (Centre for Railway Information Systems) and Ministry of Railways. The book focuses on steps and concrete actions required to build highly capable data centers to ensure data security. The book tells aspect of data generation and consumption. It encourages policymakers on data localization and creates awareness among the people on the potential of data and implications of data.
15. Swiss tennis star Roger Federer defeats David Goffin to win 10th Halle Open 2019 title
Roger Federer defeated David Goffin 7-6 (2), 6-1 in the Halle Open final to extend his record of wins at the grass-court tournament and claim his 10th at an individual event for the first time. Roger Federer beat David Goffin 7-6(2) 6-1 to win the Halle Open title for the 10th time. Federer fired 7 aces and broke Goffin's serve 3 times to down Goffin in 83 minutes. Federer clinched the 102nd tour-level title that moved him to within seven of Jimmy Connors’ record.
