1. Spectacular
ceremony marks 20th CWG opening in Glasgow
i. The
20th Commonwealth Games began in Glasgow. Scotland rolled out a spectacular
opening ceremony with a dazzling and colourful display of their unique culture
and heritage, which also had some Indian flavour.
ii. A surprisingly subdued Glasgow
suddenly sprang to life and exuberance with a three-hour mesmerising show of
light and sound and colourful hues which the organisers claimed was watched by
more than one billion people.
iii. As per convention, the head of
Commonwealth countries Queen Elizabeth II declared the Games Open last night.
iv. Britain's all time most successful Olympian cyclist and a Scot himself, Sir Chris Hoy was given the honour of presenting the Queens Baton to Her Majesty who read out her message to the Commonwealth before declaring the games open. The 11 day event will witness 4,929 athletes from 71 nations and territories competing for medals.
iv. Britain's all time most successful Olympian cyclist and a Scot himself, Sir Chris Hoy was given the honour of presenting the Queens Baton to Her Majesty who read out her message to the Commonwealth before declaring the games open. The 11 day event will witness 4,929 athletes from 71 nations and territories competing for medals.
v. India had their
slice of attention with cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar turning up in a brief
video clip, urging people to donate for the improvement of the living condition
of children throughout the world in his role as the Global Goodwill Ambassador
of UNICEF.
vi. The Indian contingent headed by flag bearer and Olympic silver medalist shooter Vijay Kumar led the Parade of Nations, by virtue of being hosts in 2010 Delhi edition.
vi. The Indian contingent headed by flag bearer and Olympic silver medalist shooter Vijay Kumar led the Parade of Nations, by virtue of being hosts in 2010 Delhi edition.
2. India votes in support of UNHRC resolution on Gaza
i. India along with BRICS countries on Wednesday voted in
support of a UN Human Rights Council resolution to launch a probe into Israel’s
offensive on Gaza.
ii. India joined Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa to
vote for a Palestinian-drafted resolution on “Ensuring Respect for
international law in The Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East
Jersusalem”.
iii. In the 47-member council, 29 countries voted in support
of the resolution while 17 nations abstained.
iv. The U.S. was the only nation to vote against the
resolution. European countries abstained.
v. The voting came as bloodbath in the Gaza Strip continued
unabated today with Israel and Hamas refusing to back down in the 16-day
conflict that has killed over 680 Palestinians and 31 Israelis.
vi. Earlier, India asked Israel and Palestine to demonstrate
political will to agree to a ceasefire and return to the negotiating table.
3. World Bank commits $15-18 bn to India in next 3 years
i. The
World Bank has committed 15 to 18 billion dollars to India by 2017 to help the
country return to a higher growth path which is critical for boosting jobs and
reducing poverty.
ii. It will step up its lending to India to 5 to 6 billion dollars annually over the next three years from the earlier commitment of 3 to 5 billion dollars a year.
iii. The World Bank President Jim Yong Kim endorsed the government's committment on reforms and said the multilateral agency will support the development initiatives with financing as well as knowledge and capacity building. He said, the new government would like to return to a growth rate of 9 percent.
ii. It will step up its lending to India to 5 to 6 billion dollars annually over the next three years from the earlier commitment of 3 to 5 billion dollars a year.
iii. The World Bank President Jim Yong Kim endorsed the government's committment on reforms and said the multilateral agency will support the development initiatives with financing as well as knowledge and capacity building. He said, the new government would like to return to a growth rate of 9 percent.
4. India unchanged at 135th spot in UN's HDI report
i. India is ranked 135 in Human
Development Index, HDI report which was released by the United Nations
Development Programme, UNDP in Tokyo today.
ii. Accoding to the report, the country's ranking in the HDI remained unchanged at 135 out of 187 countries in 2013, reflecting little improvement in the living standard of its people.
iii. The report also mentioned that India's HDI value for 2013 is 0.586 which falls in the medium human development category.
iv. Between 1980 to 2013, India's HDI value increased from 0.369 to 0.586.
v. The report further said that India is the lowest performing country among the BRICS nations in all categories of the HDI with the exception of life expectancy, which is lower in South Africa as a result of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
ii. Accoding to the report, the country's ranking in the HDI remained unchanged at 135 out of 187 countries in 2013, reflecting little improvement in the living standard of its people.
iii. The report also mentioned that India's HDI value for 2013 is 0.586 which falls in the medium human development category.
iv. Between 1980 to 2013, India's HDI value increased from 0.369 to 0.586.
v. The report further said that India is the lowest performing country among the BRICS nations in all categories of the HDI with the exception of life expectancy, which is lower in South Africa as a result of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
5.
Caninet clears 49% FDI in insurance with Indian control
i. The Cabinet on Thursday approved 49 percent foreign investment in
insurance companies through the FIPB route ensuring management control in the
hands of Indian promoters.
ii. The Cabinet
Committee on Economic Affairs has approved raising of FDI cap in insurance
sector to 49 percent from 26 percent," sources said after a meeting of the
CCEA, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
iii. With the Cabinet approving the amendments to the long pending Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, it will now be taken up by Parliament.
iii. With the Cabinet approving the amendments to the long pending Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, it will now be taken up by Parliament.
iv. The proposal to raise FDI cap has been pending since 2008
when the previous UPA government introduced the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill
to hike foreign holding in insurance joint ventures to 49 percent from the
existing 26 percent.
6.
KN
Tripathy sworn in as Govenor of West Bengal
i. Former Speaker of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Mr. Keshari
Nath Tripathy was sworn in as the Govenor of West Bengal on Thursday.
ii. The Acting Chief Justice of the
Calcutta High Court Mr. Asim Kumar Banerjee administered the oath of office to
Mr. Tripathy at a function in Raj Bhavan in Kolkata Thursday afternoon.
iii. The State Chief Minister Miss Mamata
Banerjee, her Cabinet colleagues, members of the diplomatic corps and other
distinguished guests were present at the swearing-in-ceremony.
7. Doordarshan's Naad Bhed-The Mystery of Sound to be
featured in Limca Book of Records
i. The classical music reality show of Doordarshan Naad
Bhed-The Mystery of Sound will
be featured in Limca Book of Records. This was revealed through a statement
issued by Doordarshan on 21 July 2014.
ii. The reality show will be featured under Television
Chapter in Limca Book of Records for being the first ever National level
reality show on Classical Music.
About
Naad Bhed - the Mystery of Sound
i.
Naad Bhed – the
Mystery of Sound, a national-level classical music reality show, aims at
promoting and popularising Indian classical music and rewarding the best young
practitioners of classical music.
ii. The central idea of the show was to earn respect for the
rich Indian heritage of classical music.
iii. Naad Bhed was produced by the Doordarshan and an
NGO,the Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst
Youth (SPIC MACAY).
8.
UK Deputy PM to visit India in August
i. Britain's Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will lead
a large business delegation on a three-city tour of India next month, focusing
on aerospace, retail and education sectors.
ii. The Liberal
Democrat leader and coalition partner in the UK government said he will lead
the large business delegation to Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.
iii. It will be the
first and the largest delegation of its kind since Prime Minister (Narendra)
Modi was elected in that extraordinary democratic extravaganza...the greatest
act of democratic volition that the world knows," Clegg said while
addressing a gathering of politicians and business leaders at a special
reception hosted at Whitehall in London.
9.
CWG: India blow away Ghana 5-0 in mixed team badminton
i. The Indian its Commonwealth Games campaign with a
dominating 5-0 win over minnows Ghana in a Group badminton team launched B
match of the mixed team event at the 20th edition of the multi-sport event in
Glasgow on Thursday.
ii. India hardly broke
any sweat as Parupalli Kashyap started the proceeding, spanking Daniel Sam 21-6
21-16 in a 27-minute men's singles match to put his team in the driver's seat
right from the start.
iii. World Championship bronze medallist P V Sindhu then taught Stella Amasah a lesson or two in badminton with a 21-7 21-5 victory in the women's singles competition to give India a 2-0 lead.
iv. Men's doubles pair of Akshay Dewalkar and Pranaav Chopra thrashed Emmanuel Donkor and Abraham Ayittey 21-7 21-11 in just 22 minutes to make it 3-0 in India's favour.
iii. World Championship bronze medallist P V Sindhu then taught Stella Amasah a lesson or two in badminton with a 21-7 21-5 victory in the women's singles competition to give India a 2-0 lead.
iv. Men's doubles pair of Akshay Dewalkar and Pranaav Chopra thrashed Emmanuel Donkor and Abraham Ayittey 21-7 21-11 in just 22 minutes to make it 3-0 in India's favour.
v. India will next
take on Uganda.
10. Mayer stuns Ferrer to win maiden ATP title
i. Argentina’s world No. 46 Leonardo Mayer captured his
first ATP title on Sunday when he fought back to defeat top-seeded Spaniard
David Ferrer, 6-7(3), 6-1, 7-6(4) in the bet-at-home Open final.
ii. Mayer becomes the lowest-ranked winner of an ATP World
Tour 500 tournament since number 54 Radek Stepanek clinched the Washington
title in 2011.
iii. The 27-year-old Mayer is enjoying one
of the best spells of his career. Last month, the right-hander advanced to the
fourth round at Wimbledon and made his first ATP World Tour final in Vina del
Mar earlier this year.
No comments:
Post a Comment