1) JNPT becomes India’s first port to implement Logistics Data tagging of containers
a) Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust has become the first in India to implement Logistics Data tagging of containers which will help importers and exporters track goods in transit through logistics data bank service.
b) The containers will be attached with a Radio Frequency Identification Tag (RFID) and will be tracked through RFID readers installed at different locations.
c) The tagging system would improve visibility and transparency of EXIM container movement by covering the entire movement through rail or road till the Inland Container Depot and Container Freight Station. Also, it will help in reducing the overall lead time of the container movement across the western corridor and lower the transaction costs incurred by shippers and consignees.
2) India’s first Commercial Court & Disputes Resolution Centre inaugurated in Chhattisgarh
a) Chhattisgarh CM has recently inaugurated India’s first Commercial Court and Disputes Resolution Centre.
b) Some facilities available for litigants through the new system includes video-conferencing, e-Court, e-Library, e-Filing and e-Summons. The court also acts as an arbitration centre and meditation centre.
c) These ultra-modern facilities available at the court will facilitate the investors in their commercial dealings.
3) Noel Neill, first actor to play Lois Lane in Superman, dies
a) Noel Neill, the first actor to play Superman heroine Lois Lane, has passed away at the age of 95.
b) Neill became starred opposite Kirk Alyn (who portrayed Clark Kent) in a 15-chapter serial for Columbia Pictures that played in movie theatres in 1948.
c) She often played the parent or other relative of one of the main characters, including the 1978 Superman feature film, the 1980s TV series Superboy, the 1990s primetime drama Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and the 2006 film Superman Returns.
4) B Sai Praneeth wins men’s single title at 2016 Canada Open Grand Prix Badminton
a) Indian shuttler B Sai Praneeth has won the Canada Open Grand Prix Badminton Men’s Singles title at Calgary.
b) The fourth-seeded 23-year-old defeated Korea’s Lee Hyun Il 21-12 21-10 in the singles final.
c) Top-seeded doubles pair Attri and Reddy defeated Adrian Liu and Toby Ng 21-8 21-14. The pair of Attri and Reddy is the first Indian men’s doubles pair to qualify for the Rio Olympics.
5) Para swimmer Niranjan Mukundan wins 8 medals at IWAS World Games
a) Bengaluru para swimmer Niranjan Mukundan has won eight medals, including three golds, at the recently-concluded IWAS (International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports) U-23 World Games in Prague, Czech Republic.
b) Niranjan was born with a medical condition called Spina Bifida and has clubbed feet. He competes in the S-8 category. He also had the honour of delivering the athletes’ oath on behalf of 35 competing countries.
c) He was honoured as the Junior World Champion in 2015.
6) Acclaimed Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami dies
a) Award winning Iranian Filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami passed away at the age of 76.
b) He contributed to the Iranian cinema with more than 40 films over a span of five decades. His “Taste of Cherry” won him the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997.
c) Kiarostami found major international acclaim with 1990’s “Close-Up,” which tells the real-life story of a man who impersonated filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf, conning people into believing they will star in his new film.
7) World’s largest charkha unveiled at IGI airport
a) World’s largest spinning wheel (charkha) was unveiled at Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi.
b) Union MSME minister has said that the charkha is a symbol of Gandhian values and shows government’s priority towards Khadi and Village Industries.
c) The idea behind the installation is to highlight India’s quest to foster an egalitarian society as demonstrated by Mahatma Gandhi.
8) NASA extends New Horizons mission to Kuiper Belt
a) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the first week of July 2016 gave its approval to the New Horizons mission to investigate a mysterious object known as 2014 MU69 deep in the Kuiper Belt.
b) 2014 MU69, otherwise known as 1110113Y, is a relatively small KBO discovered in June 2014 by astronomers using the NASA/ ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
c) Estimated to have a diameter of 30 miles, it is considered to be one of the earliest building blocks of the solar system.
d) New Horizons is currently 3.24 billion miles (5.21 billion km) from Earth and 264 million miles (424.9 million km) beyond Pluto, with all systems healthy and operating normally.
9) R Thiruppathi Venkatasamy appointed as Accountant General of Tamil Nadu
a) Centre has appointed R Thiruppathi Venkatasamy as the Accountant General of Economic and Revenue Sector Audit of Tamil Nadu with immediate effect.
b) Prior to this appointment, he served as the Senior Deputy Accountant General in the organisation of Comptroller and Auditor General Agartala, Tripura.
c) A 2000 batch officer of Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Venkatasamy is an alumni of University of Minnesota (US) and hails from Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu.
10) Aditya Birla Fashion acquires global clothing brand Forever 21
a) Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail (ABFRL) has acquired global clothing brand ‘Forever 21’ in the Indian market for USD 26 million (around Rs 175.52 crore).
b) Diana Retail is the franchisee of Forever 21 brand in India. The transaction involved acquisition of the Forever 21 Undertaking of Diana Retail with effect from July 1 through a business transfer agreement not share transfer
c) Forever 21 is among the fastest growing fashion retailers in the world with a network of more than 700 stores worldwide. Its India operations reported a turnover of Rs 262 crore in 2015-16.