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International Affairs
- India, at the United Nations platform, called Pakistan a “terrorist state” while accusing it of carrying out “war crimes” against Indians through its “long-standing policy” of sponsoring terrorism.
- India also provided Pakistan evidence of the latter's involvement in the Uri attacks which claimed 18 jawans' lives.
- Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar summoned Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit and showed him the content of GPS recovered from the terrorists' bodies, Pakistan-made food and medicines, and grenades with Pakistani markings to prove the neighbouring country's role.
- Two US lawmakers have introduced a Bill in the United States House of Representatives to designate Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism.
- The Cabinet today approved a ₹1,102 crore-project to lay an undersea cable link to Andaman and Nicobar Islands from Chennai.
- Currently, telecom services on the islands are dependent on satellite connectivity with a limited bandwidth and this project will reportedly boost telecom services.
- The project is likely to be completed by December 2018.
- The US has labelled the Syrian jihadist rebel group Jund al-Aqsa as a terrorist organisation.
- This comes after the officials held them responsible for massacring 40 civilians in 2014, and two suicide bombings in 2015.
- This move will block all assets of al-Aqsa in the US and prevent Americans from engaging with the organisation.
National Affairs
- The Incredible India Tourism Investors Summit (IITIS) 2016 has begun in New Delhi.
- This summit was inaugurated by Union Finance Minster Arun Jaitley.
- The three day summit has been organized by the Union Ministry of Tourism in association with Tourism Finance Corporation of India (TFCI) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
- The Indian Navy was today put on high alert in Mumbai after school children in Maharashtra's Uran claimed seeing a group of 5-6 men carrying weapons near the naval base.
- The children further claimed that the suspicious persons were dressed in black coloured clothes.
- As per reports, this is the highest level of alert the Navy has ever issued.
- The Odisha government today reduced the stamp duty on the purchase of land and houses in the name of women to 4% from 5%.
- The decision was taken on the basis of the provisions under the state government’s Policy for Girls and Women, 2014.
- Note : The rate of stamp duty in the state is generally 7% of the land cost.
- Adani Enterprises today commissioned a 648 MW solar power plant in Tamil Nadu, which it claims is the world's largest solar plant at a single location, with an investment of ₹4,550 crore.
- This is a part of the company's plans to achieve a solar power generating capacity of 3,500 MW by March 2017.
- The Race Course Road, where the Prime Minister's residence is situated, has been renamed as Lok Kalyan Marg.
- This means that PM Narendra Modi's address would now read 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, instead of 7, Race Course Road.
- A 24-year-old transgender British soldier, Chloe Allen has become the first woman to serve on the front line with the army.
- Allen joined the Scots Guards as a man in 2012 but started hormone therapy in the last month and officially changed her name.
- Note : This comes after former Prime Minister David Cameron allowed women to serve in frontline combat roles.
Awards & Honors
- Tamil film 'Visaaranai' is India's official entry to Academy Awards 2017 in the Foreign Language Film category.
- Featuring Dinesh, Anandhi and Aadukalam Murugadoss in the lead roles, the film focuses on corruption and police brutality.
- Directed by Vetrimaaran and produced by Dhanush, 'Visaaranai' won three National Awards this year, including the best Tamil film award.
- The first Jesse Owens Olympic Spirit Award will be posthumously awarded to Muhammad Ali.
- The Owens Award, awarded to recognise people serving as an inspiration in society, started this year, the 80th anniversary of Owens' four-gold-medal performance at the Berlin Olympics.
- Reliance Industries Limited Chairman Mukesh Ambani has topped Forbes' annual list of India's 100 richest tycoons for 2016.
- With a net worth of $22.7 billion (₹1.52 lakh crore), Ambani has retained the number one spot for the ninth consecutive year.
- Sun Pharmaceuticals MD Dilip Shanghvi ($16.9 billion) and Hinduja brothers ($15.2 billion) ranked second and third respectively on the list.
- HDFC Bank has emerged as India’s most valuable brand for the third consecutive year, ranking first on the BrandZ Top 50 list released by WPP Group.
- Valued at $14.4 billion, it was the only Indian brand in the BrandZ Top 100 most valuable global brands list released earlier.
- Note : HDFC Bank was followed by Airtel and SBI in the list.
- Myanmar's State Counsellor and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has been named Humanitarian of the Year by students and faculty at the Harvard Foundation.
- Indian photographer Ronny Sen has won the second Getty Images Instagram grant for his work on Jharkhand's coal town Jharia, where underground fires have burned for over 100 years.
- The government today appointed three members to the Monetary Policy Committee, completing the appointment process for the body.
- This committee will decide the policy rates of the RBI.
- The members appointed are :
- Chetan Ghate,
- Pami Dua,
- Ravindra Dholakia
- Note : The other three members will be from RBI, including Governor Urjit Patel.
- Justice G C Gupta has sworn-in as Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court.
- He will have a short tenure as Chief Justice of the High Court as he is due to retire in December 2016.
- Prior to this appointment he was judge at the Calcutta High Court.
- With this appointment for the first time sitting judge was made Chief Justice after almost 30 years when Justice Chittotosh Mukherjee became the Chief Justice of the High Court.
Business & Economy
- The Centre today cleared the deal to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from France, which is likely to cost India nearly €7.8 billion (over ₹58,000 crore).
- This deal is set to be finalised on Friday.
- Last year, the original plan to buy 126 planes was scaled down to 36 due to the Air Force's urgent requirement.
- The Centre today approved a ₹5,176 crore grant to state-run GAIL for funding the Jagdishpur-Haldia and Bokaro-Dhamra Gas Pipeline project, which will connect India's eastern part with the national grid.
- The project's implementation will encourage supply of eco-friendly fuel at affordable tariffs to industries in five states namely, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal.
- The Union Cabinet has given its approval to raise a total of ₹31,300 crore as Extra Budgetary Resource in the current financial year to augment infrastructure spending.
- Of the ₹31,300 crore, ₹16,300 crore would be raised by state-owned units and agencies like Power Finance Corporation, Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency, and Inland Waterways Authority of India, among others.
- The Cabinet has cleared subsidy support of ₹1,250 crore for public sector telecom operator BSNL for rural landline connections installed before April 1, 2002.
- The compensation for deficit incurred by BSNL will be given from the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).
- Further, the above compensation would be the last and final payment to BSNL from USOF on this account.
- US Federal Reserve today left the key interest rate unchanged at 0.25-0.50% for the sixth straight time.
- The central bank's policy-setting committee said the case for a federal rate change has strengthened, but it would wait for "further evidence of continued progress" to change the rates.
- Note : Banks lend money to other institutions based on the Federal Reserve rates.
MOUs & Agreements
- The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has signed a contract with German company DST to design vessels suited to navigate the 1620 km stretch of National Waterway (NW-1).
- Under the contract, DST will has been initially tasked to develop low draft vessels for transportation of cars that can carry upto 150-200 vehicles.
Deaths
- Filmmaker Curtis Hanson (71), who won an Oscar for the 1997 film 'L.A. Confidential', has passed away.
- Hanson, known for films like '8 Mile;' and 'Wonder Boys', retired from films as he was reportedly suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
- Jagdish Gagneja (65), Vice President of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) Punjab unit, died today.
- India began its historic 500th Test match in Kanpur today, after winning the toss against New Zealand and electing to bat.
- India is the fourth nation to achieve the feat of playing 500 Tests.
- Note : Out of the 499 completed Tests since becoming a Test-playing nation in 1932, India has won 129 matches, lost 157, drawn 212 and tied one.
- Former Indian women's hockey captain Ritu Rani has retired from international hockey following her axing from the Indian Rio Olympics-bound squad.
- The 24-year-old midfielder had captained the Indian side which qualified for the Olympic Games after a gap of 36 years.
- She also led the national team to 2014 Incheon Asian Games bronze medal and 2013 Asian Champions Trophy silver.
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