News Flash (27th July 2020): Top 10 Stories Of The Day

1. HRD Ministry sets up committee to encourage students to pursue higher education in India

HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said he has asked the UGC Chairman to head a committee to ensure students complete their higher education in India. The committee will prepare guidelines for students and will also devise a mechanism to increase the number of seats in top Indian institutes. Many students have decided to stay back  in India to pursue higher education in India due to Covid-19, he said.

2. The first batch of 5 Rafale fighter jets for India leaves France

The first batch of five Rafale jets set off from France on Monday and will arrive in India on Wednesday. The fighter plane will cover a distance of approximately 7000 km from France to India with a single stop in UAE. The jets are set to arrive post India’s deal with France for 36 jets worth Rs 59,000 crore.

3. India’s EV market to become a 50,000 cr opportunity by 2025.

India’s electric vehicle market is expected to become a 50000 crore opportunity by 2025 reported Avendus Capital. The e-auto sector is likely to witness 20% market penetration and grow upto 4000 crore. The two wheeler sector is expected to see 9% penetration by 2024-25 and grow to Rs 12000 crore alone. 

4. Time capsule to be placed 2,000 feet under Ram temple in Ayodhya

A time capsule describing the history and facts related to the Ram Janmabhoomi will be placed a couple thousand feet below the construction site to avoid future disputes. It can be used by anyone who wishes to study the history of the temple. PM Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on August 5, post which the construction is set to begin.

5. PV Sindhu says, defeating Olympics Gold Medallist Li Xuerui was the turning point of my career

PV Sindhu revealed that her big win over 2012 olympic champion Li Xuerui transformed her career in  a chat  with Mudit Dani on his online show. She said that the win not only boosted her confidence, but also encouraged her to work harder. Li Xuerui was defeated in the quarter finals of the China masters. Sindhu also won a bronze medal for 2013 World Championship. 

6. More 47 Chinese apps banned in India

On Monday, the Indian Government banned 47 additional Chinese apps following the 59 apps banned earlier citing security reasons. Most of the apps were clones of the previously banned 59 apps such as TikTok Lite, Likee Lite and Notable. Other apps like PubG, Alibaba backed Ali-Express are reportedly under scrutiny and have a possibility of being banned. Confirmed names of all the apps is yet to be released.

7. High testing facilities to be launched in Mumbai, Kolkata, & Noida by PM to ramp up testing

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch high throughput testing facilities for Covid-19 today in Mumbai, Kolkata and Noida. The facilities will be launched via video conferencing. These facilities are expected to test around 10,000 samples in a day to ramp up India’s testing capacity. These facilities are strategically set up at ICMR institutes in the three cities and will help in reducing turn around time and exposure to infectious clinical materials. These labs are enabled to test other diseases than Covid-19 as well.

8. Anubhav Sinha to produce anthology film on coronavirus pandemic

Anubhav Sinha, film director, is reportedly set to produce a film based on stories centred around the Covid-19 pandemic. The renowned filmmaker will collaborate with Hansal Mehta, Sudhir Mishra, Ketan Mehta and Subhash Kapoor for the same. The film will depict how people have been affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The title of the film is yet to be decided.

9. Cinema houses to likely reopen from 1 August

With the latest set of guidelines to be issued for Unlock 3.0, the government is most likely to allow cinema houses to reopen. Theatre chains have already invested in safety and hygiene protocols. Theatres like PVR have come up with contactless transaction systems available at multiple touchpoints for customers to scan QR code. 

10. UK PM asks people to eat less to reduce coronavirus death risk

British PM Boris Johnson is set to role out a 10 million anti obesity campaign, including junk food advertising bans. His campaign will include doctors to issue cycling prescriptions for overweight patients. This announcement comes after the PM’s recent brush with COVID-19. Restaurants will also be asked to publish the number of calories in the meals they serve.