1) Former Nokia executive Tejinder Kalra joins Indus Towers as COO
a) Indus Towers has appointed Tejinder Kalra as the Chief Operating Officer. His appointment is effective since July 1.
b) He joins Indus Towers from Nokia, where he was the Global Head for Bharti Business in his most recent role.
c) He also worked for with Reliance Infocomm, Satyam Infoway, Sprint RPG India amongst other organizations in the past.
2) Google buys France-based startup Moodstocks
a) Search giant Google recently acquired a French startup called Moodstock.
b) Moodstocks caught the US technology giant’s eye for its work in computer vision and machine learning, as well for accomplishments in enabling smartphones or other mobile devices to recognize images and objects.
c) The Moodstocks team, described as a small group of researchers and engineers, will join a Google research and development center in Paris. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
3) SBI Card launches premium credit card ‘Elite’
a) SBI Cards and Payment Services (SBI Card), the third-largest card issuer by number, has launched a premium credit card called ELITE.
b) Created on the MasterCard World platform, ELITE is build with several privileges and benefits for high networth individuals (HNIs).
c) The card will come with a joining fee of ₹4,999. All ELITE customers will receive a welcome gift of ₹5,000 in the form of vouchers from popular travel and lifestyle brand.
d) ELITE offers privileges such as 24×7 concierge services, golf course reservations, spa, and limousine or movie ticket bookings which can be availed with just one phone call. Also, ELITE offers lounge access through “priority pass programme” at over 850 airports across the globe for frequent fliers.
4) China inducts largest homegrown Y-20 military transport plane
a) China has inducted its largest indigenously-built transport aircraft Y-20, a breakthrough in military aviation technology for the PLA that allows the world’s largest force to transport cargo and troops over long distances in diverse weather conditions.
b) The Y-20 officially joined the PLA Air Force in Chengdu, is ideal for transporting cargo and personnel over long distances in diverse weather conditions and has a maximum weight limit of 200 tonnes.
c) Besides manufacturing J-15, China’s first-generation multipurpose aircraft for the newly-built aircraft carrier, Chinese military has testedJ-31, a fifth generation aircraft, and stealth fighter J-20, which PLA officials claim to be comparable with US versions.
5) Film festival on wildlife has begun in Shimla today
a) With an intent to highlight environmental issues, Shimla will celebrate a three-day Woodpecker Environment and Wildlife Film Festival at historic Gaiety Theatre.
b) As many as 45 films, including several national Award winning films and five films from Himachal Pradesh would be screened at the festival.
c) Critical environment and wildlife conservation issues like climate change, forest conservation, biodiversity and man-animal conflict and success stories would also be showcased.
6) The GOI constitute a Committee to examine desirability and feasibility of new FY
a) A Committee has been formed to examine the desirability and feasibility of having a ‘new financial year’ which will be headed by former Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) Shankar Acharya.
b) It will examine merits and demerits of various dates for commencement of a financial year and submit its report by December 31.
c) The members of the committee include former Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar, former Finance Secretary Tamil Nadu P V Rajaraman and Centre for Policy Research Senior Fellow Rajiv Kumar.
7) TripAdvisor appoints Gary Fritz President Asia Pacific
a) Leading global travel site TripAdvisor has appointed Gary Fritz as its Chief Growth Officer and President of the Asia Pacific region.
b) Before joining TripAdvisor, Fritz founded the advisory and investment group Amanogawa, LLC.
c) In his role as President, he will lead the company’s operations and strategy throughout the Asia Pacific region.
8) Noted music director Omi passes away
a) Renowned music director Om Prakash Sonik, of the well-known duo Sonik-Omi, has passed away the age of 77 following a brief illness.
b) Omi was the nephew of the blind music director Master Sonik and together they formed the noted Sonik-Omi team which provided music to nearly 125 Bollywood movies in the 1950-1980s.
c) Some of their best-known works are Bhakti Mein Shakti, Dharma, Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya, Sawan Bhadon, Aabroo, and Raftaar.
9) South African writer Lidudumalingani Mqombothi wins 2016 Caine Prize
a) South African author Lidudumalingani has won the 2016 Caine prize for African writing for his short story Memories We Lost, published in Incredible Journey: Stories That Move You .
b) The Eastern Cape-born author, who is also a filmmaker and producer, received the prestigious award considered to be as Africa’s leading literary award worth £10 000 as prize money.
c) Memories We Lost is told by a girl who acts as protector of her sister, whose serious mental illness is badly misunderstood in a South African village.
10) India ranks 91 in Networked Readiness Index 2016
a) India ranked 91 on the Networked Readiness Index (NRI) 2016, a key component of the World Economic Forum’s The Global Information Technology Report 2016.
b) The report assesses the state of networked readiness of 139 economies using the NRI and examines the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in driving innovation.
c) India has slipped down two positions to an overall rank of 91, despite improvements in its political and regulatory environment and in its business and innovation environment. However the drop can be attributed to the fact that other countries are progressing at a faster pace.