Bezwada Wilson, TM Krishna Win Ramon Magsaysay Award
i. Karnataka-born Bezwada Wilson, a prolific campaigner for eradication of manual scavenging in India, and Carnatic singer T M Krishna from Chennai, were chosen for the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for 2016.
ii. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay’s example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society.
Kiran M Shaw appointed ‘Knight of Legion of Honour’ by France
i. Biocon chairperson and managing director (M) Kiran Mazumdar Shaw has been appointed ‘Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Legion d’Honneur’ (Knight of the National Order of the French Legion of Honour) for her outstanding contribution and dedication to Biosciences and Research field globally.
ii. The award will be conferred on behalf of the President of the French Republic at a special ceremony later this year.
Deep Kumar Upadhyay re-appointed as Nepal’s envoy to India
i. Deep Kumar Upadhyay was re-appointed as Nepal’s ambassador to India.
ii. Upadhyay, who was serving as Nepal’s ambassador to India since April 2015, was suddenly recalled by the erstwhile K.P. Sharma Oli-led government in May.
Puducherry, Odisha and Rajasthan ratifies GST Bill
i. The Puducherry Odisha and Rajasthan Legislative Assembly have unanimously ratified the Constitution Amendment Bill for Goods and Services Tax (GST).
ii. GST is a tax levied when a consumer buys a good or service. It is meant to be a single, comprehensive tax that will subsume all the other smaller indirect taxes on consumption like service tax, excise duty etc.
First BRICS film festival to begin in New Delhi from today
i. The first BRICS film festival will begin in New Delhi from today.
ii. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore will inaugurate the festival.
iii. The film festival is the run up to the BRICS summit which is to be held in Goa next month from 15th to 16th.
Country’s economic growth recorded 7.1% in first quarter of current fiscal
i. The country’s economy grew at 7.1 % in the April to June quarter of the current fiscal.
ii. According to data released by the Central Statistics Office.
Gujarat signs MoU with aviation ministry
i. The Gujarat government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the ministry of civil aviation to develop 11 airports and airstrips to boost regional connectivity.
ii. The central government’s new civil aviation policy emphasises regional connectivity to serve unconnected or under-served towns and boost infrastructure.
Indian Railways launches travel insurance for 92 paise
i. Indian Railway has launched an insurance scheme for passengers travelling on e- ticket.
ii. The insurance cover will be upto Rs. 10 lakh.
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, satellite destroyed in explosion
i. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded on its Cape Canaveral launch pad during a test, destroying a commercial satellite that Facebook had planned to use to extend Internet access in Africa.
ii. It was the second time in just over a year that SpaceX has lost a Falcon 9 rocket.
Union Bank rolls out mobile app
i. Union Bank of India has launched USSD (unstructured supplementary service data) based ‘*99#’ mobile application on Play Store on Android platform.
ii. This ‘*99#’ mobile app does not require internet connectivity to perform banking and other value-added services.
DCB launches ‘mVisa’, a mobile-based payment solution
i. DCB Bank has launched ‘mVisa’, a mobile-based payment solution that will make payments at retail outlets much easier.
ii. DCB Bank Ltd. is a private sector scheduled commercial bank in India.
LG Electronic ties up with Amazon on smart-home services
i. LG Electronics Inc. has tied-up with Amazon.com Inc on smart-home services.
ii. This tie-up will help to enable the services of Amazon such as the Alexa virtual assistant on some of the electronics maker’s devices.
ii. Alexa will work with its SmartThinkQ Hub, an LG device used to connect with home appliances over the internet.
Justice Dhingra hints at irregularities in Haryana land deals case
i. Justice S.N. Dhingra has submitted an 182-page report to the Haryana government on granting of Change of Land Use (CLU) licences in 4 villages of Gurgaon during the rule of the previous Congress government, hinting at irregularities.
Australia’s Oldest Surviving Test Player Dies
i. Australia’s oldest surviving Test cricketer, Len Maddocks, has passed away aged 90.
ii. Maddocks, a batsman and wicket-keeper, played seven Tests for Australia between 1954 and 1956, and managed the Australian cricket team on its 1977 tour of England.
Jackie Chan to receive lifetime achievement Oscar
i. Martial arts expert and actor Jackie Chan will receive a lifetime achievement Oscar.
ii. The announcement was made by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Chan made his movie debut at the age of 8.
Noted Assamese poet Nalini Dhar Bhattacharyya dies at 95
i. Noted Assamese poet, literary critic and author and winner of the Sahitya Akademi award Nalinidhar Bhattacharyya passed away in Guwahati early Friday morning.
ii. Bhattacharyya, aged 95, was suffering from age-old ailments.
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