China to Join UN Arms Trade Treaty, 'Enhance' World Peace
China will join a global pact to regulate arms sales that has been rejected by the United States, with Beijing saying that it is committed to efforts to "enhance peace and stability" in the world.
The Communist Party leadership's top legislative body voted to adopt a decision on joining the UN Arms Trade Treaty that is designed to control the flow of weapons into conflict zones.
It comes after US President Donald Trump announced plans last year to pull the United States out of the agreement -- which entered into force in 2014.
The US Senate never ratified the 2013 Arms Trade Treaty after former President Barack Obama endorsed it, and Trump said that he would revoke his predecessor's signature.
It is among a number of international agreements reached under the Obama administration that Trump has moved to pull out of.
The treaty requires member countries to keep records of international transfers of weapons and to prohibit cross-border shipments that could be used in human rights violations or attacks on civilians.
U.S. Ends Defense Exports to Hong Kong
The Trump administration placed new restrictions on U.S. exports of defence equipment and certain high-technology products to Hong Kong on Monday, in response to a new Chinese law aimed at tightening Beijing's control over the territory.
The administration determined in late May that Hong Kong no longer had significant autonomy under Chinese rule, and promised to begin stripping away Hong Kong's privileged status with the United States if Beijing continued to crack down on civil liberties in Hong Kong.
The Commerce Department said that Hong Kong would now be subject to the same types of controls on certain technology exports that apply to China. Those controls block American companies from selling certain types of sensitive, high-technology products that could threaten national security to China, Russia and other countries deemed to be a security risk.
The effect of the new restrictions announced appear to be relatively limited in scope, given the small volume of trade the United States does with Hong Kong.
India Accounts for 45.8 Million of the World's 'Missing Females': UN Report
According to a report by the United Nations, India accounts for 45.8 million of the world's 142.6 million "missing females" over the past 50 years, noting that the country along with China form the majority of such women globally.
As per the State of World Population 2020 report, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the world organisation's sexual and reproductive health agency, the number of missing women has more than doubled over the past 50 years - from 61 million in 1970 to a cumulative 142.6 million in 2020.
Of this global figure, India accounted for 45.8 million missing females as of 2020 and China accounted for 72.3 million.
SDMC Signs MoU to Generate Power from Waste at Okhla Landfill Site
The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indian Oil and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to set up a pilot project for 'Waste to Wealth Plant' at its Okhla landfill site.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Power RK Singh, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.
the project will address the problem of disposal of municipal solid waste. Under this project, the plant will process 50 tonnes per day of Refused Derived Fuel (RDF) segregated from municipal solid waste to produce Syn Gas. This Syn gas will be utilised to generate about 1MW electricity. "For this project, SDMC will provide one acre land in Okhla landfill site on lease to Indian Oil for setting up the plant. The south corporation will purchase the power generated from the plant at a mutually agreed rate.
WTO Sets Up Dispute Panel on India's Import Duties on ICT Products
The World Trade Organization (WTO) agreed to a second request from the EU to establish an adjudication panel over India's customs duties on imports of certain information and communications technology (ICT) products, including mobile phones, taking the dispute up a notch.
However, New Delhi blocked the complaints by Japan and Chinese Taipei to setup panels.
While the EU asked India to agree to establish a single panel to review the three complaints, India was disappointed with the EU request. Since India had blocked the EU's request for a panel in February, it cannot do so a second time as per WTO rules.
China, the US, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Canada, Turkey, Korea, Brazil, Indonesia, Norway, Singapore, Thailand, Russia and Pakistan reserved their third party rights to participate in the proceedings.
Consultations on the issue took place last year (2019) but failed to settle the dispute prompting the EU's request for a panel.
The dispute is crucial for India as losing it will directly benefit China, from where India imported telecom equipment parts worth $3.4 billion and mobile phones worth $665.21 million in the April-February period of 2019-20. While China is involved in consultations on the issue with India, it has not asked for a panel.
The Most Innovative Companies Of 2020
According to BCG's analysis of the 50 most innovative companies of 2020Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft and Samsung, are considered the five most innovative companies.
Companies who are strongest at innovation most value advanced analytics, digital design and technology platforms.
JD.com, Bosch, ABB, FCA, Novartis and Volvo join the list of the top 50 most innovative companies for the first time this year.
Fastest movers include Huawei, who jumped from 48th to 6th, Walmart, who jumped from 42nd to 13th, HP, who jumped from 44th to 15th and Dell, who jumped from 41st to 20th.
Only eight companies have made the list every year, and they include Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Samsung, and Toyota.
Asia's First Continuous Galvanised Rebar Production Facility in Punjab
Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Steel & Petroleum and Natural Gas virtually inaugurated Asia's first Continuous Galvanised Rebar (CGR) Production Facility near Gobindgarh, Punjab launched by Madhav KRD Group in association with International Zinc Association(IZA) with the support of Hindustan Zinc Limited.
The facility will produce the new Continuously Galvanised Rebar (CGR).
The annual capacity of the facility is over 30,000 tonnes.
Under the brand "Jyoti", the facility will manufacture ZNCOAT TEMPCORE TMT bars.
Jyoti is the first of its kind in Asia to apply CGR technology with enhanced life and low maintenance cost.
Facebook announced the launch of a cartoon-like representation of users, called Avatars. A lot like the Bitmoji stickers used in Snapchat, an Avatar aims to give a personal touch to the user's character.
According to Facebook, users can create their own Avatar from a variety of faces, hairstyles, and outfits that have been especially customised for India.
The Avatar creator can be accessed from Bookmarks through the user's FB app, as well as from the comment composer. Alternatively, users can create avatars from someone else's avatar shared across Facebook.
To create an avatar of their own, users have to follow these simple steps:
Using your device, go to the comment composer section.
Click on the Smiley button in the comment section.
Tap on the Sticker tab.
Click on Create your Avatar.
Indian Social App Chingari Logs over 3mn Downloads
Indians have rushed to download social app Chingari, a desi alternative to Chinese TikTok, which is witnessing nearly 1 lakh downloads and over 2 million views per hour since the government banned 59 Chinese apps over national security concerns.
Already downloaded over 3 million times, the app which was founded by Bengaluru-based programmers Biswatma Nayak and Siddharth Gautam last year, was trending at the top spot on Google Play Store, surpassing Mitron app, a TikTok clone platform.
"As Chingari is setting new benchmarks, a lot of investors are showing interest in our app. We are holding crucial discussions to get a good investor(s) on board so as to scale up our free-of-cost social platform," Nayak said in a statement.
The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) launched its first mobile application to eliminate the gap between itself and the athletes by providing easily-accessible information on various aspects of sport, prohibited substances and dope-testing.
The application was launched by Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju through videoconferencing in the presence of Sports Secretary Ravi Mittal and NADA DG Navin Agarwal.
With the launch of this app, athletes can check for themselves the list of prohibited substances and don't have to depend on anyone else for assistance.
NADA is hopeful that the app acts as a one-stop guide for all anti-doping and medication related information. It includes detailed information on commonly-prescribed medicines and can be used by athletes in the Registered Testing Pool (RTP) to update their whereabouts, know about decisions from the disciplinary and appeal panels and for Dope Control Officers to record their availability for testing.
Sachin Ashok Sharma Takes over as Secretary to GM of Western Railway
Sachin Ashok Sharma (IRTS) took charge of Secretary to General Manager of Western Railway from outgoing Secretary to GM/WR and Chief Public Relations Officer Ravinder Bhakar who has joined as Chief Executive Officer of Central Board of Film Certification.
Sharma is an officer of the Indian Railways Traffic Service of 2009 batch and has worked in important assignments pertaining to train operations in previous positions as Senior Divisional Operations Manager of Nagpur and Bilaspur Railway Divisions under South East Central Railway. His role as SR.DOM/Bilaspur particularly holds distinction for having made an all time record of highest freight loading & earning by any division over Indian Railways.
Ravinder Bhakar Assumes Charge as CEO of CBFC
Ravinder Bhakar, a 1999 batch officer of Indian Railway Stores Service (IRSS), has taken over as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Central Board of Films Certification (CBFC). Prior to his appointment as CEO, CBFC, Mr. Bhakar was posted as the Secretary & Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railways.
Bhakar is a Mechanical engineer from MNIT, Jaipur. In his distinguished career as an Indian Engineering Services officer, Bhakar has rich experience of holding many important posts in Indian Railways. He is also recipient of many prestigious awards, including the National award from Minister of Railways for outstanding service & General Manager Award both in Western Railways (WR) & Central Railways (CR) for exemplary service. He has also played a key role in various modernisation drives in WR and CR and was closely associated in developing modern PR techniques, implementation of electronic procurement, formulation of various multi-modal logistics plans & transport management.
K. K. Venugopal Reappointed as Attorney General of India
K. K. Venugopal was reappointed as the Attorney General for India for one year.
His present three-year term ended on 30th June.
Venugopal, a leading lawyer of the country, had succeeded Mukul Rohatgi as the Attorney General in June 2017.
Each year on July 1, the National Postal Worker Day is celebrated across the globe. As the name suggests, the National Postal Worker's Day is observed in order to create more awareness about the contribution of Postal Workers in our society. The National Postal Worker's Day promotes individuals to appreciate postal professionals for their work and thank them for their work.
The Postal Worker Day history has its roots from Seattle, United States of America. Back in the year 1997, a popular postal service provider-initiated this day. The main purpose of establishing a National Postal Worker Day was to felicitate and honour the co-postal workers for their dedication. As per reports, in the US a single postal employee walks over 4-8 miles a day. They carry heavy packages and bags, full of mails and deliver at the recipient's doorstep well in time.
Doctor's Day
In India, Doctor's Day is celebrated on 1st July each year. This day is celebrated to thank the doctors and physicians for their dedicated service. The first National Doctors' day was celebrated in July 1991. This day offers an opportunity to express gratitude towards doctors for round the clock service they offer. In India, this day marks the birth as well as the death anniversary of Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy who was one of the most renowned physicians in India. Doctor's Day 2020 tries to thank all doctors and medical professionals for their continuous service for the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
In India, this day is organised by the Indian Medical Association (IMA). According to IMA, Doctors Day of 2020 is of special importance. Every member of IMA and the local branch take a lead in the local area and bring about a change in the current situation (Covid-19 pandemic). Doctor's Day of 2020 is dedicated to the innumerable doctors who are serving during this epidemic in the primary and secondary care setups as well as the dedicated COVID care hospitals.
The theme of this year's Doctor's Day is "Lessen the mortality of COVID 19". This includes awareness about asymptomatic hypoxia and early aggressive therapy.
Doctor's Day is observed on different dates across the world.
Canada Day
Canada Day is the national day of Canada. A federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of July 1, 1867, the effective date of the Constitution Act, 1867 (then called the British North America Act, 1867), which united the three separate colonies of the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick into a single Dominion within the British Empire called Canada. Originally called Dominion Day, the holiday was renamed in 1982, the year in which the Canadian Constitution was patriated by the Canada Act 1982. Canada Day celebrations take place throughout the country, as well as in various locations around the world, attended by Canadians living abroad.
MyGov Corona Helpdesk Bags Two Awards at CogX 2020
AI enabled MyGov Corona Helpdesk bagged two awards under categories (1) "Best Innovation for Covid-19 – Society" and (2) "People's Choice Covid-19 Overall Winner", at the CogX 2020, which is a prestigious Global Leadership Summit and Festival of AI & Emerging Technology held annually in London. The awards were won by Technical Partner of MyGov, JioHaptik Technologies Limited.
MyGov is the world's largest citizen engagement platform, which facilitates two-ways communication between the government and citizen and facilitates participatory governance in India, the world's largest democracy. In the fight against Covid-19, MyGov, JioHaptik Technologies Limited and WhatsApp team collaborated to develop AI enabled MyGov Corona Helpdesk in the record time of 5 days including weekend.
CogX is one of the world's largest events on AI, held annually in London with over 15,000 participants in attendance from the highest levels of business, government, industry, and research. The Cogx Awards are given out to the best-of-the-best in AI and emerging technologies across the world. After a rigorous evaluation, Indian chatbot 'MyGov Corona Helpdesk' was chosen among hundreds of entries that made a difference to society during the pandemic.
Principal Secretary Rashmi Arun Shami launched "Hamara Ghar-Hamara Vidyalaya" over a virtual platform to maintain academic regularity of the students during the Lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic.
The scheme 'Hamara Ghar-Hamara Vidyalaya' was prepared by the Education Center of Madhya Pradesh which means "My Home – My School".
The scheme provides a school like environment to the children taught at their home through online classes.
Under the scheme the school bells will be heard in the students house and the teachers will begin the class of the students after the bell.
The scheme will provide the subject preparation for the teachers of class 1 to 8.
As per the time table the students will have subject classes from Monday to Friday and on Saturday the students will be engaged in activities like yoga, write and listen stories etc.
IIT Madras Launches World's First Online Degree, Diploma Courses in Programming, Data Science
Indian Institute of Technology Madras launched the world's first ever online degree (B.Sc) and diploma courses in programming and data science. Union HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank launched the programme through a webinar. Anyone who has passed class 12th examination can enrol in the online course. Moreover, there is no age restrictions for learners. The online application process will begin soon. Candidates are advised to visit the official website at onlinedegree.iitm.ac.in.
There are three levels in the online degree program. To get a BSc Degree in Programming and Data Science from IIT Madras, a learner has to successfully complete all three levels namely- foundation level, diploma, and degree level. Moreover, there are three exit levels as well. Students can exit from the course at any level. They can either complete the degree (3rd level -BSc) or exit after completing either foundation level or diploma level.
There are a total of 31 course. The completion time is between three to six years. Learners will have to complete the online courses and assignments, quizzes and exams to gain 116 credits.
At the end of a term, there will be an end term exam of 3 hours duration for each course.
+91-85588-96644
