1) Kerala Tourism wins gold at PATA Awards
a) Kerala Tourism has bagged a gold medal at the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) awards for its trend-setting marketing initiatives that have boosted the tourism in the state.
b) The two gold gongs for ‘Marketing Media’ are in the categories of ‘Travel Advertisement Broadcast Media’ and ‘e-Newsletter’, which were clinched by the successful ‘Visit Kerala’ television commercial campaign and the popular Kerala Tourism E-Newsletter, respectively.
2) Virat Kohli becomes first Indian captain to score double century outside India
a) Indian Test team captain Virat Kohli has become the first Indian captain to score a double century outside India. He scored 200 runs against West Indies on day-two of the first Test at the Sir Vivian Richards stadium.
b) With this, Kohli becomes the fifth Indian captain to score a double century in a Test match after Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi (2013 vs England), Sunil Gavaskar (205 vs West Indies), Sachin Tendulkar (217 vs New Zealand) and MS Dhoni (224 vs Australia).
c) Kohli also enters the elite list of visiting captains with highest scores in West Indies – a list that includes the likes Sir Leonard Hutton, Steve Waugh, Andrew Strauss and Ricky Ponting.
3) Buddha Rashmi Mani appointed as Director General of National Museum
a) Renowned archaeologist Buddha Rashmi Mani has been appointed as the Director General of National Museum for a period of three years or till he attains the age of 70 years.
b) The National Museum holds objects and artefacts dating back 5,000 years. Last year, Venu Vasudevan, a 1990-batch IAS officer from Kerala, was removed from the post of Director General and was transferred to the sports ministry.
4) Odisha announces Rs 60 lakh special incentive for Rio Olympic qualifiers
a) Six sportspersons from Odisha who are to represent India in the Rio Olympics 2016 will be honoured with a cash prize Rs 10 lakh each as a special incentive as declared by the CM Naveen Patnaik.
b) The list includes six sportspersons namely sprinters Dutee Chand and Srabani Nanda and four hockey players Deep Grace Ekka, Namita Toppo, Lilima Minz and Sunita Lakra.
c) Besides, Patnaik also directed the sports department to increase the cash awards for Olympic qualified sportspersons. He directed that the cash awards be increased to 5 lakh rupees for both group and individual events. Earlier, it was 50000 rupees for group event and one lakh rupees for individual event.
5) Flipkart acquires online fashion portal Jabong
a) Leading e-commerce giant Flipkart has acquired fashion platform Jabong through its unit Myntra for a sum of $70million. This acquisition will strengthen Flipkart Group’s position in Fashion and Lifestyle segment to compete with Amazon Fashion in India.
b) Jabong reported an operating loss of Rs.426 crore in FY15, slightly lower than in FY14. The revenue growth in FY15 inched up by just 7 per cent to Rs 866 crore from Rs 811 crore in the previous year.
c) In 2014, Amazon reportedly wanted to acquire Jabong but it couldn’t due to the price tag that was a steep 1.2 billion US dollars.
6) Former diplomat Arundhati Ghose passes away
a) Former diplomat Arundhati Ghose has passed away at the age of 76.
b) Ghose had served in a number of positions, including in Indian missions in Austria, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, South Korea and Egypt. She was also the first Indian Permanent Representative in the United Nations offices in Geneva.
c) Ghose was also a member of the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters from 1998 to 2001. She was also a member of Task Force on Non-proliferation and Disarmament set up by the Ministry of External Affairs in 2007.
7) Brazilian scientists discover another type of Zika-transmitting mosquito
a) Researchers from Brazil have discovered a different type of Zika transmitting mosquito named ‘Culex quinquefasciatus’ unlike the Aedes aegyptii species responsible for the transfer of Zika virus.
b) The current study is significant as the control measures of the vectors are different.
c) Brazil is currently in a state of health emergency due to the increase in detected microcephaly cases in newborns, attributed to the Zika virus, even though the link between the disease and the virus is yet to be scientifically confirmed.
8) World Health Organisation declares Brazil free of measles
a) The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared Brazil free of measles, after no case of the disease was registered in the year 2015. In the coming months, the WHO will issue a certification for the eradication of measles to Brazil.
b) The WHO had worked alongside the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) to eradicate the disease, with a joint investment of 335000 US dollar going towards measles control.The health agency also hired 165 dedicated nursing staff in Brazil.
c) Measles can be transmitted orally, through mucus or saliva and mainly affects children. It can be spread rapidly through the air due to sneezing or a cough, and the first symptoms appear after 10 days with red spots on the skin.
9) Sanjiv Puri appointed as Chief Operating Officer of ITC Ltd
a) The board of ITC Ltd. has re-designated Executive Director Sanjiv Puri as the Chief Operating Officer of the company with immediate effect.
b) He was earlier appointed as the additional executive director in the company. He will be replacing the current chairman of ITC Ltd. YC Deveshwar.
10) Haryana notifies Freight Assistance Scheme for exporting MSMEs
a) The freight assistance scheme was recently launched by Haryana government to export Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) located anywhere in the State.
b) The decision was taken to reduce the cost MSMEs were bearing due to large distances from the sea ports.
11) CSIR-CMERI develops Solar Power Tree for generation of electricity
a) Union minister for science & Technology and Earth Sciences Dr. Harsh Vardhan has launched the Solar Power tree in New Delhi.
b) This tree is developed by the CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-CMERI), a constituent laboratory of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
c) Using an innovative vertical arrangement of solar cells, this solar power tree uses solar energy to produce electrical energy.
d) The Solar Power Tree will be developed in a rotatable module, which will have a motorized mechanism to align itself with the movement of the Sun during the day.
12) Tetsuya Takano resigns as Chairman of Ricoh India Ltd
a) Tetsuya Takano on 25 July 2016 has resigned from the post of Chairman and Director of Ricoh India Ltd. Ian Peter Winham will succeed him with immediate effect.
b) Winham joined the Ricoh Group in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) in 2002 as CFO and was appointed Executive Vice President, CIO and CFO of Ricoh Europe in 2007.
13) Wrestler Narsingh Yadav fails Dope Test
a) The olympic participation of India’s veteran wrestler Narsingh Yadav is in serious doubt as he was recently failed in a dope test.
b) On the basis of Narsingh bagging the 74 kg Olympic quota berth with a World Championships bronze last year, the WFI had named him to represent India at the Rio Games.
14) Bezwada Wilson, Thodur Madabusi Krishna win Ramon Magsaysay Award 2016
a) The prestigious Ramon Magsaysay 2016 award will be conferred on social activist Bezwada Wilson & musician Thodur Madabusi Krishna.
b) Mr. Wilson is well known for his work for the Safai Karmachari Andolan. He was recognized for asserting the inalienable right to a life of human dignity.
c) TM Krishna, Carnatic music vocalist was awarded with this award for ensuring social inclusiveness in culture.