Highlights of July 2016 Current Affairs (One-Liners)

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Friends, here are the Major Current Affairs Highlights of July 2016. These one-liners cover all important International, National, MOUs, Indexes, Banking, Technology, Books & Authors, Sports affairs of July month (from 1st to 31st July 2016). We will try to provide the pdf version soon, but we advise you to write these on your own so that you wont forget them again. All the Best and Happy Reading :)

Note : The August 2016 Current Affairs (One-Liners) & PDF File will be available by tomorrow 

July 2016 Current Affairs Highlights

• 12 Indian students have been selected to participate in the prestigious "International Space Settlement Design Competition" (ISSDC) at National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA) in Florida, US.
• 32-year-old Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest among the world's ten richest people.
• 34th Foundation Day of NABARD was observed on on 12th July 2016.
• 61st State Bank Day (formation day of SBI) was observed on 2nd July 2016.
• A book on Beijing Olympics bronze medallist pugilist Vijender Singh was recently released online. The title of the book is 'Ringside With Vijender'.
• A leap second will be added to the leap year 2016, which means clocks on December 31, 2016 at 23:59:59 will read 23:59:60 before ticking over to midnight 00:00:00.
• According to government data as of March 2016, Tamil Nadu had the maximum number of urban internet subscribers in India, accounting for over 21 million of a total 231 million urban subscribers in the country.
• According to the latest tourism statistics by the government, Jharkhand is the fastest growing tourist destination in India.
• Aditya Puri, the Managing Director of HDFC bank, is the highest paid banker in India with a total package of ₹31.53 crore, according to VCCircle's analysis.
• AFSPA activist Irom Chanu Sharmila (44) has announced to end her 16-year-long fast on August 9, stating she would now contest 2017 Manipur elections.
• After staying on top for two quarters, India slipped to the third position globally on the scale of Business Optimism because of delays in key reforms like the GST and bad loans facing state-owned banks, says a report.
• Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has announced that a National Research Centre for Banana will be set up in Bihar.
• 'Amudham Thaippal Maiyam' (ATM), a bank which offers mother's milk, has been opened in Puducherry.
• Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairman, State Bank of India, on the occasion of 61st State Bank Day, launched a social media banking platform for Facebook and Twitter users, called ‘SBI Mingle’.
• Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull declared victory in the national election.
• Bangladesh and India have signed an agreement for the construction of a 1,320 megawatt (MW) coal fired power plant near Sundarbans.
• Belarus has recently wiped four zeroes off its Ruble, redenominating its currency for the third time since 1992.
• Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has commissioned a 250 MW thermal power project based on eco-friendly Circulating Fluidised Bed Combustion technology, using low quality lignite, in Gujarat.
• China has started a year-long campaign this month to stop violence targeting medical staff in overcrowded hospitals by angry patients.
• China has unveiled AG600, the world's largest aircraft which can land on both water and land.
• China inducted its largest indigenously-built transport aircraft named as Y-20, marking a crucial step in its Air Force history for improving its strategic power projection capability.
• Current national champion Joshna Chinappa became the 2nd Indian in history to enter into the top 10 in PSA World Squash Rankings.
• Defending champion Serena Williams has won her 22nd Grand Slam after beating Germany's Angelique Kerber in straight sets.
• F1 driver Lewis Hamilton won the Hungarian Grand Prix to top the drivers’ championship table for the first time this season.
• Flipkart has announced the acquisition of fashion e-commerce platform Jabong through its unit Myntra for an undisclosed amount.
• Former England captain Nasser Hussain has set a Guinness World Record for the highest catch of a cricket ball.
• Former Rajasthan governor Margaret Alva's autobiography titled "Courage & Commitment" was recently released.
• Former Reserve Bank of India governor D Subbarao's new book titled "Who Moved My Interest Rates" has been recently released.
• Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh issued a statement after Eid ul-Fitr celebrations banning child marriages in the country, where around 30% underage girls are married.
• German automaker Volkswagen AG is the world's largest automobile manufacturer as per data available for the first half of 2016.
• Germany's football captain Bastian Schweinsteiger, who won the 2014 FIFA World Cup with the team, retired from international football.
• Global payments leader SWIFT has announced that ICICI Bank and Axis have become the first domestic lenders to sign up for its global payments innovation initiative, which already has over 70 other leading banks globally.
• Google has announced 'Nougat' as the name for the upcoming Android version 'Android N', continuing the dessert-themed names for the operating system.
• Google has named the Aamir Khan starrer 'PK' as the most searched Indian film in the last 10 years.
• Gymnast Dipa Karmakar became the first Indian to be certified as 'World Class Gymnast' by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique.
• Haryana Government has launched Pashudhan Bima Yojana, an insurance cover scheme for cattle breeders in the state.
• ICICI Prudential Life Insurance has filed for an initial public offering of shares, this will be India's first insurance sector IPO.
• In order to hunt for extraterrestrial life and explore space, China has built the world's largest radio telescope, named FAST (Five Hundred Metre Aperture Spherical Telescope).
• India and Japan have signed a Social Security Agreement (SSA). This agreement will come into force on 1st October 2016. 
• India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a 100 million dollars loan agreement for irrigation projects, drainage system and water management in Vennar sub-basin of Cauvery delta in Tamil Nadu.
• India has 33,000 atheists out of the total population of 1.2 billion, revealed a Census 2011 data released earlier this week. While nearly 50% of these atheists were females, 70% of all the atheists were from rural parts of the country.
• India has hosted the meet of the heads of Anti-Narcotics agencies of BRICS nations to discuss issues related to narco-terrorism and money laundering. This one day meeting was held on 8th July 2016.
• India has ranked lowest among the 43 nations listed in the Natixis Global Asset Management's 2016 Global Retirement Index (GRI), making it the worst country to retire.
• India has set up an apparel training centre in Kaduna, Nigeria to support textiles industry of the West African country.
• India has signed a deal worth about $1 billion with US-based aerospace company Boeing for four P-8I submarine hunter planes.
• India has the highest number of stunted children in the world owing to 'severe' sanitation crisis due to lack of clean toilets and water, according to a report by international development charity WaterAid.
• India is going to host 2016 Kabaddi World Cup scheduled to be held in October 2016.
• India is going to host the International Summit on Tobacco-Control in the month of November to eliminate the illicit trade of tobacco products.
• India is hosting  the United Nation Peacekeeping Course for African Partners-1, (UNCAP - 1). This will be held from 25th July to 12th August 2016.
• India ranked 35th among 160 countries in the recently released bi-annual Logistics Performance Index (LPI) 2016 of World Bank Group.
• India ranked 91 among 139 countries, in terms of readiness for transition to a digitised economy and society.
• India was placed at 91st position in the recently released 2016 Networked Readiness Index (NRI) by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF).
• India was ranked 110 out of the 149 nations assessed on where they stand with regard to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, as per a Sustainable Development Solutions Network and Bertelsmann Stiftung index. Sweden topped this index followed by Denmark and Norway.
• India will host the world’s first Mixed Martial Arts League. This league is going to be held from 26th August 2016 to 1st October 2016.
• India’s first Centre of Excellence on Internet of Things (CoE– IoT) was launched in Bengaluru, Karnataka by the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM).
• India’s first Commercial Court and Commercial Disputes Resolution Centre was inaugurated at Raipur, capital of Chhattisgarh.
• Indian dairy cooperative, Amul is going to sponsor the Indian contingent for the Rio Olympics.
• Indian footballer  Gurpreet Singh Sandhu became the first Indian to start in a Europa League match, when he appeared for Stabæk against Wales’ Gap Connah’s Quay in the first qualifying round in Wales yesterday. 
• Indian Navy has commissioned INS Karna, an independent base of Marine Commandos (MARCOS) at Bheemunipatanam Naval Base, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
• Indian professional boxer Vijender Singh became the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight champion  after defeating Australia’s Kerry Hope in New Delhi by unanimous decision. 
• Indian tennis player Sania Mirza’s autobiography ‘Ace Against Odds’ has been released. The book has been co-authored by Sania's father Imran Mirza, and features anecdotes from her professional and personal life.
• India's first Commercial Court and Commercial Disputes Resolution Centre has been inaugurated at Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh.
• India's first paperless court was inaugurated at the Hyderabad High Court by Justice Madan B Lokur, who heads the Supreme Court's e-Committee.
• India's young Grand Master Harika Dronavali has won her first Fide women’s Grand Prix chess title at Chengdu in China.
• Israel has recentlyh passed a law requiring NGOs that receive over half of their funding from foreign governments or bodies, including the EU, to provide details of their donations.
• ISRO and NASA are jointly working to develop a Satellite for mapping natural resources. The satellite, named NISAR, is expected to be completed and launched by 2021. NISAR - NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar
• Kerala Government has launched Kochi Water Metro project, the first ever Water Metro project in the country.
• Maharashtra Tourism has announced that the state's Aurangabad town will host India's first SAARC Tourism Summit during the second week of October.
• Meghalaya Governor V. Shanmuganathan has recently inaugurated the launch of Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) in the East Khasi Hills District of Meghalaya.
• Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton from Great Britain has won the 2016 German Grand Prix title of Formula One.
• Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton won the British Grand Prix for the third year in a row by beating team-mate Nico Rosberg, who finished second.
• Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency (MUDRA) CEO Jiji Mammen has announced that the government has set a target for banks to disburse ₹1.8 lakh crore as loans under the MUDRA scheme during 2016-17.
• Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak Temple has opened a demat account to enable its devotees to offer shares of listed companies as donations.
• NASA’s Jupiter mission, Juno spacecraft is the fastest human made object ever.
• NASA's $1.1 billion Juno spacecraft has successfully entered the orbit of Jupiter, the largest planet of the solar system.
• Parliament has passed the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill,2016 with Lok Sabha approving it. The bill seeks to prohibit the employment of children below 14 in all occupations and enterprises, except those run by his or her own family.
• Playing in his first Test in England, Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq (42) became the oldest player to score a Test century since 1934.
• PM Narendra Modi and Bangladesh's PM Sheikh Hasina have jointly inaugurated a land port at the India-Bangladesh border, Petrapole Integrated Check Post through video-conferencing.
• Portugal has won the 2016 UEFA European football championship (Euro Cup 2016) by defeating host France.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently chaired the 11th meeting of the Inter-State Council (ISC) in Delhi.  This is the first Inter-State Council meeting since 2006.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on 4 African Nation visit (Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, and Kenya) from 7th to 11th July 2016.
• Professional cyclist, Chris Froome became Britain's first three-time winner of the Tour de France after finishing the 21-stage race in Paris. 
• Punjab Government has launched Rapid Rural Police Response System (RRPRS) to ensure prompt and effective police response in 12,000 villages across the state.
• Punjab's Beas railway station was ranked the highest in cleanliness in a passenger feedback survey carried out by the Railway Ministry.
• Railway minister Suresh Prabhu has recently inaugurated India’s first 'green train corridor' – a 114-km stretch between Rameswaram and Manamadurai in Tamil Nadu.
• Rajasthan became first state to introduce minimum wages for part time workers..
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a penalty of Rs 2 crore on HDFC Bank for lapses in adhering to Know Your Customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) norms.
• Rufus the hawk, is the official bird scarer at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club's Wimbledon tennis championships each year.
• Russian 800-metre runner Yuliya Stepanova, who helped expose the Russian athletics' systematic doping, will be the first neutral athlete to compete at the Rio Olympics.
• SBI launched an updated version of mobile wallet State Bank Buddy allowing direct payments for Railway tickets, and for shopping at Madura Fashion and Lifestyle.
• Serena Williams and Venus Williams won their sixth Wimbledon doubles title after defeating Tímea Babos of Hungary and Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhsta.
• Seventeen-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer surpassed Martina Navratilova’s record for the most number of wins in Grand Slam singles matches, after beating Marin Cilic in Wimbledon quarter-final.
• Sikkim's Khangchendzonga National Park has been designated as India's first “Mixed" site on the UNESCO World Heritage List, by fulfilling the criteria under both Natural and Cultural heritage.
• Singer Katy Perry has released her new single 'Rise', which has been chosen as the official anthem to be played during the Rio Olympics broadcast by the American television network 'NBC'.
• Skydiver Luke Aikins (United States) created history by becoming the first person in the world to jump from 25,000 feet (mid-tropospheric altitude) without a parachute and landing safely in a net.
• South Pacific island nation Tuvalu will have the smallest contingent at the 2016 Rio Olympics, consisting of only one member in 100-metre sprint.
• Spanish-made Talgo has became fastest train in India.
• State Bank of India (SBI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Canada-based Brookfield Asset Management Inc to form a joint venture which will independently evaluate and invest in various stressed assets in the country.
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• Switzerland-based UBS retained its position as the world’s biggest private bank in 2015, a study by wealth management researcher Scorpio Partnership has stated.
• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has launched the Free Bus Pass Scheme for school and college students for 2016-17.
• Telecom-to-energy conglomerate Reliance Industries (RIL) and India’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) have signed Subscription and Shareholders’ Agreement to set up payments bank.
• The 1st meeting of the BRICS Working Group on Energy Saving and Energy Efficiency was recently held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
• The 2-day long 2016 Warsaw summit of the NATO was recently held at National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland. It was the 27th summit biannual summit of NATO since its inception in 1949.
• The 2nd BRICS Youth Summit was recently held in Guwahati. Theme of this year : "Youth as bridge for intra-BRICS exchanges".
• The 73rd Senior National Squash Championship was recently held in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Women's Category Winner : Dipika Pallikal Karthik ; Men's Category Winner : Saurav Ghosal .
• The Arunachal Pradesh government decided to set up 21 Women Police Stations across the state and create 400 new posts to run these police stations.
• The Bank of England has kept its interest rate unchanged at 0.5%, a record low maintained since March 2009, amid market expectations of a rate cut.
• The book titled "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" was recently released. This is the official script book for the play of the same name by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne.
• The Central Board of Excise and Customs has announced that it is going to move to a paperless and integrated customs system by 2017, for fast-tracking consignment clearances.
• The Centre and the Bihar government have signed a $290 million credit agreement with the World Bank under the state's rural development project 'JEEViKA-II'.
• The Centre has created a new Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology by bifurcating the erstwhile Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
• The Chinese Football Association has struck a deal with FIFA to host the first 'China Cup' in January 2017, a competition that will involve its national side against three international “first-class” teams.
• The Corporation Bank has launched a new facility called “Green PIN,” an online module for generation of PIN for credit card holders.
• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully test-fired the fully indigenous 155 mm x 52 calibre Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System.
• The Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched National Electoral Roll Purification (NERP) 2016 across the country. ECI's Motto of the year 2016 : “No voter to be left behind”.
• The first-ever meeting of BRICS Employment Working Group (BEWG) was held in Hyderabad, Telangana from July 27 to 28, 2016.
• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has inked a MoU with Advertising Standard Council of India (ASCI) to check misleading advertisements in the food and beverages sector.
• The government has allowed the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to handle Aadhaar enrolment in 10 states where it was being done by the Registrar-General of India until now.
• The government has changed the tagline of Aadhaar from ‘Aam Aadmi ka Adhikar’ to ‘Mera Aadhaar, Meri Pehchaan’.
• The government has extended the deadline for payment of tax and penalty under the Black Money Disclosure Scheme to 30th September 2017.
• The government has received deposits of 3.1 tonnes of gold under the Gold Monetisation Scheme since its launch in November 2015.
• The Haryana government is planning to set up Satkar Bhojan canteens, that provide subsidised food to people, across the state by 1st November 2016.
• The Indian Railways has decided to procure a radar-based device to alert drivers of physical obstructions on railway tracks. The accident protection system, called 'Tri-Netra’, will use infra-red signals to sense obstructions up to 2-3 km ahead of the trains.
• The Indo-Thailand Military Exercise MAITREE concluded on 29 July 2016 at Krabi, Thailand.
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has downgraded its growth forecast for the Eurozone stating that "negative impact of the UK referendum” will dent the region's economic recovery over the next two years.
• The International Space Station (ISS) is the world's most-expensive man-made object, with a total cost of over $100 billion.
• The Italian Cricket Board President Simone Gambino, has revealed that Cricket will be a part of the 2024 Olympics if Rome gets to host the tournament.
• The Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) at Nhava Sheva in Raigad District of Maharashtra has become the first port in India to implement logistics data bank tagging system of containers.
• The Karnataka government has imposed an "unconditional" ban on the sale, and possession of Chinese 'manja' and other non-biodegradable threads used to fly kites.
• The Kerala government has announced a Pension scheme for transgenders above 60 years of age.
• The Kerala government has decided to ban the production, sale, and advertisement of e-cigarettes in the view of studies claiming that its use can cause health issues like cancer and heart ailments.
• The Kerala govt has imposed a ‘fat tax’ of 14.5% on branded restaurants that sell junk food like burgers, pizzas, and pasta.
• The Lodha Committee has confirmed that office-bearers of the BCCI and state cricket associations who have completed nine years in office, stand disqualified.
• The Lok Sabha has passed Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2016 for opening six new IITs. They are, Bhilai (Chhattisgarh), Dharwar (Karnataka)  , Goa, Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir), Palakkad (Kerala) and Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh).
• The Lok Sabha has passed the Benami Transaction (Prohibition) Amendment Bill, 2015. The amendments will allow the government to confiscate benami properties, referring to deals where the owner of a property denies knowledge of ownership, after due procedure.
• The Madhya Pradesh state cabinet gave its nod to a proposal for imposing entry tax on online shopping.
• The main Opposition in Mongolia, the Mongolian People's Party (MPP) has returned to power after 4 years by winning 65 seats in the 76-member parliament. 
• The mean age of females at marriage in West Bengal is 19.3 years, the least in the country, as per a survey by IndiaSpend. Uttar Pradesh has largest number of females married between 10-19 years of age (2.1 million).
• The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has signed a MoU with National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) to develop 12 sewage treatment plants (STP).
• The NITI Aayog has signed Statement of Intent (SoI) with tech giant Intel India to set up Atal Tinkering laboratories (ATL) under the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM).
• The official theme song of the Rio Olympics, titled ‘Alma e Coração’ (Heart and Soul), was released.
• The oldest living male twins in the world, Pieter and Paulus Langerock from Belgium have turned 103.
• The Oxford English Dictionary has added the words ROFL (Rolling on Floor Laughing) and tl;dr (too long; didn’t read) in its June 2016 update.
• The Pacific military exercise, RIMPAC 2016 (Rim of the Pacific Exercise), was recently held at Hawaii with 26 nations participating in the war games that will cover the Hawaiian Island and southern California.
• The Parliament has passed the Regional Centre for Biotechnology Bill, 2016 to provide statutory status to the existing Regional Centre for Biotechnology in Faridabad, Haryana.
• The Patna Pirates have won the 4th edition of STAR Sports-ProKabaddi League by defeating Jaipur Pink Panthers.
• The Pharmaceuticals Sector received FDI of ₹4,975 crore in 2015-16, down from ₹9,052 crore in 2014-15.
• The private sector lender HDFC bank has launched an SME Bank which will provide full-fledged digital banking service to small and medium sector enterprises.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) constituted a 13 Member inter regulatory Working Group (WG) to study the entire gamut of regulatory issues relating to Fin Tech (financial technology) and Digital Banking in India. Headed by : Sudarshan Sen (Executive director of RBI).
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a penalty of ₹5 crore on Bank of Baroda in the alleged ₹6,000 crore forex related irregularities that were observed in October last year.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has removed the seven-year-old restriction on fresh purchase of state-owned Punjab National Bank's shares by foreign investors.
• The Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women's University, the 1st Women's University in India, has celebrated 100 years (started on July 2, 1916).
• The Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Ministry has launched an online portal 'India Skills Online', and four other initiatives under the 'Skill India' campaign.
• The State Bank of India (SBI) and the World Bank have signed agreements for a $625 million (around ₹4,200 crore) facility to support Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic (GRPV) programmes in India.
• The State Bank of India (SBI) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE) at IIT Bombay to promote innovation by start-ups in the financial sector.
• The Supreme Court-constituted Special Investigation Team (SIT) on black money submitted its fifth report to the apex court. The SIT was headed by : M B Shah (retired justice)
• The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has launched "TRAI MySpeed", a mobile app to help consumers check the internet speed on their smartphones.
• The two day BRICS Policy Planning Dialogue was recently held in Patna, Bihar.
• The Union Cabinet has approved a National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) for providing apprenticeship training to over 50 lakh youngsters in order to create more jobs.
• The Union Cabinet approved the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016. The main aim of this bill is to protect the community from discrimination.
• The Union Finance Ministry has constituted 4 Member Committee to examine the feasibility and desirability of having a new financial year. Head : Dr. Shankar Acharya (former Chief Economic Adviser)
• The Union Government has approved nearly 1,600 crore rupees for Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) under skill development initiative ‘Himayat’ programme.
• The Union Government has launched 'Operation Sankat Mochan' to evacuate Indian nationals from violence-hit South Sudan. The operation has been carried out by the Indian Air Force and will be led by General VK Singh. Over 150 Indians returned safely from South Sudan to Delhi as part of this operation.
• The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has launched ‘Prashikshak’- an online teacher education portal for District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs).
• The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched a nationwide Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (IDCF) to check child diarrhoeal deaths.
• The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has setup a 7 Member expert committee for exploring the other possible alternatives to pellet guns as non-lethal weapons. The Committee will be headed by : T V S N Prasad (Joint Secretary in the MHA)
• The Union Ministry of Science and Technology, has launched a ‘Solar Power Tree’ in Delhi to generate electricity in a limited space.
• The Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has constituted a 4 Member Committee to prepare guidelines for desiltation of Ganga River. The committee will be headed by : Madhav Chitale (Expert Member of NGRBA)
• The Union Railway Ministry has flagged off the maiden broad gage train service dubbed as ‘Tripura Sundari Express’ from Agartala (Tripura) to Delhi.
• The US government has arrested Artem Vaulin, the alleged founder of the torrent site 'KickassTorrents'.
• The US Tennis Association has recently announced that the total prize money for the 2016 US Open will be around $46.3 million, the biggest prize in the history of the game.
• The Uttar Pradesh government has signed a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Netherlands to set up a skill development center to help farmers.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) declared India as Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus free.
• The world's first hospital on a train, the Lifeline Express, has completed 25 years of service to the poor and underprivileged masses of rural India.
• The world's largest 'charkha' (spinning wheel) was unveiled at Terminal-3 of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport by BJP President Amit Shah.
• Three months after Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan spoke about forming a Happiness Ministry, the state cabinet has  cleared the proposal, finally calling it the Happiness Department.
• To ensure a garbage-free Puducherry, the government is going to form 'Swachh Bal Senas' to make children the watchdogs of cleanliness and prevent elders from littering.
• TripAdvisor has ranked Mumbai the second cheapest city for travellers, with an estimated cost of $767 for a three-night stay in a four-star hotel, tourist activities and food. The Vietnamese capital of Hanoi has topped the list with an estimated cost of $674.
• Triple Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton won the Austrian Grand Prix.
• UNESCO has declared the Nalanda University in Bihar a World Heritage Site.
• Union Tourism Ministry is going to extend its electronic visa (e-visa) service to 36 more countries including Italy, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
• United States President Barack Obama has signed into law measures to give the public greater access to government documents and records under the Freedom of Information Act.
• US internet firm Yahoo is being acquired by American telecoms giant Verizon Communications for nearly $5bn (£3.8bn) in cash.
• Uvena Fernandes becomes 1st Woman Referee from INDIA to get selected to officiate in FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup
• West Indies all-rounder Marlon Samuels was named Cricketer of the Year and ODI Player of the Year at the West Indies Cricket Board annual awards’ function in Antigua.
• With 1,263 bird species, India is home to nearly 12% of the total number of 10,135 bird species in the world, according to a study published in the journal 'Indian BIRDS'.
• With 35 sites in UNESCO's World Heritage list, India has the sixth highest number of culturally and historically important places in the world.
• With a user base of more than 335 million globally, Airtel is currently world's 3rd largest telecom provider.
• Women central government employees who have filed complaints of sexual harassment can now avail a paid leave of 90 days during the pendency of the inquiry.
• World number two Andy Murray won his second Wimbledon men’s singles title by defeating Canadian Milos Raonic.
• Writer Amitav Ghosh’s latest book, The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable, was recently released.
• Yes Bank has announced that it has got an in-principle approval from capital markets regulator SEBI to sponsor a mutual fund and to set up an Asset Management Company (AMC) and a trustee company. 

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