1) India to Host UN Wildlife Summit in 2020
•India will host the next United Nations (UN) global wildlife conference in 2020. India will host the next CMS Conference of the Parties CMSCOP13. It was officially announced at the closing CMSCOP12 plenary, in Manila, Philippines.
•The six-day 12th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS COP12) is the only international treaty devoted exclusively to migratory animal species. The theme of the Conference was ‘Their Future is Our Future - Sustainable Development for Wildlife and People’.
2) PM Modi Inaugurated Bidar-Kalaburagi New Railway Line in Karnataka
•Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the Bidar - Kalaburagi New Railway Line to the Nation by unveiling a plaque at Bidar Railway Station, in Karnataka.
•Prime Minister also flagged off the DEMU Service between Bidar and Kalaburagi.
3) Book on Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam's Inspirational Words Released
•An illustrative book containing inspiring words of Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was released online by Indian women cricket team captain Mithali Raj on the 86th birth anniversary of the former President.
•Titled "Dreamnation: Uniting a Country with Handwritten Dreams", the book includes a collection of 200-plus handcrafted and handwritten postcards from across India. The book is Co-authored by Saji Mathew and Jubie Johnand published by Bloomsbury.
4) Italy PM Paolo Gentiloni on Two-Day Visit to India
•Prime Minister of Italy Paolo Gentiloni arrived in New Delhi on a two day visit to India. The visit is aimed at strengthening the bilateral political and economic relations between the two countries.
•The last visit of the Italian Prime Minister to India was in February 2007.
5) Govt Makes Use of Public Finance Management System Mandatory for Central Schemes
•The Centre has made the use of Public Finance Management System (PFMS) mandatory for all central schemes.Finance Minister Arun Jaitley stated that making use of the PFMS mandatorily will ensure benefits of government schemes to reach the last mile.
•The move would help in tracking and monitoring the flow of funds to the implementing agencies. A total of 613 schemes of the central government will be covered under PFMS. The ambit of PFMS coverage includes central sector and centrally sponsored schemes as well as other expenditures including the Finance Commission grants.
6) Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar Assumes Charge as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff
•Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar P, AVSM, VSM has assumed charge as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff (VCNS) from Vice Admiral Karambir Singh AVSM at a formal ceremony held in New Delhi.
•Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar P, AVSM, VSM is an alumni of the National Defence Academy. The Flag Officer was commissioned in the Indian Navy on 01 Jul 81 and is a specialist in Missiles & Gunnery.
7) Federer Wins 8th Basel Title, 95th Overall
•The Swiss superstar won his eighth Basel title, after defeating Juan Martin del Potro, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 to clinch his ATP World Tour-leading seventh title of the year.
•It was Federer's first success against the Argentine in a Basel final, after the South American beat him in both 2012 and 2013. Federer moved ahead of Ivan Lendl into standalone second place on the Open Era titles list, only trailing Jimmy Connors, who owns 109 trophies. He now owns eight or more trophies at three different events: Halle (9), Wimbledon (8) and Basel (8).
8) Mithali Raj and Virat Kohli Tops ICC Ranking
•India captain Mithali Raj moved up one place to occupy the number one spot in the latest ICC ODI rankings for batswomen. Ellyse Perry of Australia and Amy Satterthwaite of New Zealand also jumped one place each to be at second and third spots. Mithali has 753 points.
•Also, Indian captain, Virat Kohli returned to the top of the ICC ODI rankings for batsmen after logging career-high rating points, going past the iconic Sachin Tendulkar in the process. The 28-year-old Delhi batsman has reached 889 points, which is the best ever by an India batsman.
