News Flash (7th July 2020): Top 12 Stories Of The Day

1. Universities and colleges instructed to conduct final semester exams by Sept end

Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has announced that the University Grants Commission revisited its earlier guidelines related to university examinations and has decided that exams for final semester students have to be conducted by September end. The final semester exams will be conducted in accordance with all coronavirus prevention guidelines. Intermediate semester students will be assessed based on their internal assessment.

2. US to withdraw visas for foreign students if classes moved online

Bad news for all M-1 and F-1 visa holders in the USA. The country won’t allow foreign students with these visas to stay in the US of all their classes are moved online because of the coronavirus crisis. There are over 1 million international students studying in the US right now. The second largest number of international students there come from India, with largest being from China.

3. TikTok to exit Hong Kong market after China imposes new security law

TikTok in a statement said that it will exit the Hong Kong market within days after China imposed a new national security law for the city. TikTok said it isn’t profitable in Hong Kong, where it has about 150000 users. It’s parent company Bytedance, operates a similar app in China which is called Douyin. There are no current plans to launch Douyin in Hong Kong.

4. NASA astronaut shares pictures of newly discovered comet Neowise

NASA astronaut Robert Behnken, who’s currently on board the International space station, tweeted pictures of the newly discovered comet Neowise. The comet was discovered on March 27,2020. His tweet read “last night’s fireworks, for real. Because science.” The picture that the astronaut shared was a collage of four pictures that showed the comet shining brightly near the glowing curve of Earth.

5. Google releases dark mode feature for Docs, Sheets, Slides on Android

Keeping up with the trend of Apple doing so on its phones, Google has rolled out its dark mode on its software on Android, namely Docs, Sheets, and Slides. It will automatically be updated to users using software’s above Android 10. The mode is only available on Android devices at the moment and will be available on other devices soon. It is not available on iOS yet.

6. For Dhoni’s 39th birthday, Dwayne Bravo releases ‘Helicopter 7’

 M.S Dhoni is one of the best cricketers and captains of world cricket of all time and has achieved unprecedented success as a captain with the Indian team. CSK all-rounder Dwayne Bravo released his song ‘Helicopter-7’ as a tribute to MS Dhoni on the occasion of his 39^th birthday. Bravo has earlier stated how great of an impact Dhoni has had on his career.

7. 16-year-old footballer in coma after lightning strikes metal chain around his neck in Russia

Ivan Zaborsky, a 16-year-old Russian footballer has been left in a coma and left with a scar around his neck after he was struck by lightning while training. The goalkeeper was training separately from his teammates when the lightning struck a metal chain he was wearing around his neck. His lung has also been damaged according to reports.

8. Maharashtra allows hotels outside containment zones to operate from July 8

Maharashtra government has announced that hotels and other such entities will be able to function at 33% capacity from July 8 outside containment zones. The permission has been granted on the conditions that these entities follow all norms and guidelines. Only asymptomatic guests will be allowed into these hotels.

9. H1-B visa suspension to cost India IT firms Rs. 1200 cr: CRISIL

US decision to suspend H1-B visas will cost Indian IT firms nearly Rs. 1200 crore, and will have a drastic impact on profitability. This is happening because POTUS Donald Trump has suspended visas of foreign workers to create more jobs for the local people of the USA.

10. Over 1000 attend mass prayers in Bali as govt announces reopening

Over 1000 people attended Bali’s Besakih Hindu temple, to seek blessings after the reopening of the country from the coronavirus lockdown. Tourism, one of the main sources of income on the island, had been shut and has now been resumed for domestic tourists. Foreign tourists are expected to be allowed from September.

11. Nepal reopens border crossing with China after 6 months for trade

Nepal has reopened its border crossing with China for trade after a ban of 6 months. A one-way goods transport is active, with Nepal importing 120 tonnes of goods daily from China. The ban was in place due to excessive snowfall, and later the coronavirus pandemic. The Rasuwagadhi-Kerung border which has nor reopened to facilitate goods coming from China to enter Nepal is one of the two main border points for carrying out international trade between Nepal and China.

12. Goa MLA seen at ‘lockdown party’ as CM asks to avoid celebrations

A video has surfaced online in which Goa BJP MLA Glenn Souza Ticlo and BJP councillor Francisco Carvalho are seen attending a party on Sunday. On the same day, Goa CM Pramod Sawant urged citizens to follow social distancing and avoid celebrations.