JHARKHAND
- Govt to set up grain fund to prevent hunger deaths
- Acting promptly after a series of reported hunger deaths coming in light, the Government has decided to set up a contingency grain fund. The fund constituted with initial amount of Rs 66780000 would be sourced from Jharkhand Contingency Fund.
- The Cabinet also revised the existing surrender policy meant for naxals and their rehabilitation in the State. Under the new policy, the outlawed falling into zonal commander category-I would be given Rs six lakh whereas for those into the category-II the compensation is Rs three lakh.
- The official added that 13th Session of the Assembly would be convened between July 16 and July 21 in the form of Monsoon Session. The Cabinet approved the programme of the Session which would have six sittings.
INTERNATIONAL
· US has threatened to impose sanctions against Turkey
- The US has threatened to impose sanctions against Turkey if it purchases S-400 missile systems from Russia.
- US Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Wess Mitchell warned the purchase will also affect Turkey’s deal with the US to buy the F-35 fighter jets.
· North Korea continues construction of its nuclear research center at a rapid pace
- North Korea continuesto carry out improvements to its nuclear research facility in spite of declaring its commitment to the denuclearization of the peninsula at the Singapore Summit on June 12, 2018.
- Recently the 38 North, commercial satellite imagery showed that North Korea is carrying out infrastructure works at its main nuclear site, Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Centre.
· Japan unveils ‘Hello Kitty’ themed bullet train
- The Japanese government has used the famous cartoon character to boost local economy and tourism.
- This train will begin a three month run between the Osaka and Fukuoka cities.
- The train’s first carriage named ‘Hello! Plaza‘ will not have any seats and will offer passengers souvenirs and local food.
NATIONAL
· EDF and GE sign deal to build 6 nuclear reactors for India
- French state-run power utility EDF and American conglomerate General Electric (GE) have signed to build 6 EPR(European Pressurized Reactors) nuclear reactors with capacity 1,650 megawatts (MW) at Jaitapur nuclear plant in Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra.
- This agreement would make Jaitapur power plant the world’s largest nuclear power generating station by net electrical power rating. It will also help the Union Government to achieve its ambitious target of 22,480 MW nuclear power generation capacity by 2031.
· Government plans to sell Air India’s iconic Mumbai building
- Air India’s 23-storey building at Nariman Point, Mumbai, which was also once the airline’s headquarters, will be sold to state-owned Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust(JNPT), India’s biggest container port.
- Air India and JNPT comes under the Civil Aviation and Shipping ministries, respectively.
- Air India’s debt burden is estimated to be more than Rs 50,000 crore.
· Hindi is the most spoken language in India, Bengali second
- According to the language data of Census 2011, Hindi is the mother tongue of 63%Indians, making it the country’s most spoken language, followed by Bengali.
- Further, Marathi has replaced Telugu as the third most spoken language in the nation.
- While Sanskrit is least spoken, Urdu became the seventh most spoken language in India.
· Chennai Airport to get humanoid robots to assist passengers
- Officials of Airports Authority of India (AAI) have begun discussions with a few Indian companies to buy humanoid robots in a few months.
- Chennai airportwill get 3 humanoid robots – one on each for domestic arrival, domestic departure and international departure. These robots will guide passengers and offer assistance with the queries.
· Mumbai is India’s most expensive city, Hong Kong named World’s most expensive city
- According to Mercer’s 24th annual Cost of Living Survey, Mumbai is India’s most expensive city, followed target="_blank" class="youtube-subscribe-button"> Subscribe on YouTube