1. Indian Railways to launch India’s first Kisan Rail today
The railway ministry will launch the first Kisan Special Parcel Train today which will operate between Maharashtra and Bihar. The service is aimed at providing safe and smooth transport of perishable agro products. The train will be launched by agriculture minister Narendra Tomar making this a reality from the proposed Union Budget. Farmers will be able to book a parcel on the train by contacting the local railway station.
2. Delhi HC approves online open book examination for DU final year students
Delhi High Court has approved Delhi University’s decision to conduct online open book examinations for final year students. The court has issued guidelines for smooth conduct of the examination and has asked for a report at the end of the examination. The examination is scheduled to begin on 10 august.
3. Negative GDP growth expected for 2020-21 by RBI
Post review with the RBI Monetary Policy Committee, RBI Governor shared the outlook for India’s economy. He said that real GDP will contract in the first half of fiscal year 2020-21 and in the full financial year as well. The MPC has also kept the repo rate unchanged at 4%. Inflation is also expected to remain elevated in FY21, but may moderate in the second half of the year.
4. US President Trump bans dealings with Chinese owners of TikTok and WeChat
Trump issued executive orders banning apps TikTok and WeChat from operating in the US in 45 days if they are not sold by their parent Chinese owned companies.trump had earlier threatened to ban TikTok unless Microsoft or any other company bought it. US Secretary of state Mike Pompeo said that he was expanding the US crackdown on Chinese technology citing alleged security threats.
5. Moderna to conduct covid vaccine trial to those with HIV
After increasing pressure from authorities, Moderna has now decided to allow HIV infected individuals to be a part of the clinical trials for Covid-19 vaccine. Moderna had previously said it would be excluding HIV patients and had plans to conduct separate tests for the drug in HIV infected patients.
6. Hong Kong to offer free Covid-19 testing for all residents
Hong Kong announced on Friday that it will launch a one time free, voluntary covid-19 test for all residents. The test is being conducted to identify asymptomatic carriers of the virus. The testing is expected to begin in a week or two along with mainland China’s assistance to build a makeshift hospital. This announcement comes after the strain on the city’s health care system.
7. PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal to resume badminton training today
PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal and six other shuttlers will resume training in Hyderabad by participating in the national badminton camp for the eighth Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The training will resume at the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad. The decision was taken by the Sports Authority of India after receiving clearance from the Telangana government to resume sports activities.
8. 13 dead after landslide hits Kerala
Around 13 people have been killed after heavy rains caused a landslide in the Idukki district of Kerala early Friday morning. Twelve have been rescued so far and are undergoing treatment at the Tata General Hospital at Munnar. Rescue teams and two teams of NDRF have been deployed to make rescue operations. Heavy rains on thursday caused a bridge to collapse. The entire district is on red alert for extremely heavy rainfall today.
9. Netflix launches its user interface in Hindi in India
Netflix on friday launched its user interface in Hindi. The move is expected to allow users to access their choice of films and shows. The hindi user interface is available across all devices and users can switch to their Hindi interface from the Language option in the ‘Manage Profiles’ section. Each profile can have its own language setting for ease of use.
10. PM calls for supporting local products on occasion of National Handloom Day
PM Narendra Modi on Friday lauded everyone associated with the handloom and handicrafts sector for their commendable performance in preserving the rich, indigeneous crafts of the country. He urged people to use such products to the maximum and to spread the word about the diverse sector. He also called for everyone to be Vocal for Local to strengthen efforts towards an Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
