1) PM Modi holds talk with ex-Afghan President Karzai on key bilateral issues
•Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with former Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Saturday on key bilateral issues as well as security situation in the region.
•Prime Minister tweeted that he is delighted to meet friend Karzai in New Delhi. He also hosted dinner for the Afghan leader on Saturday.
•According to officials, two leaders discussed strategic bilateral ties, including India's development assistance as well as cooperation in other key areas.
2) Work to integrate Brahmos missile on 40 Sukhoi aircraft begins
•The work has begun to integrate the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile on 40 Sukhoi combat aircraft.
•Official sources said, the fleet of 40 Sukhoi jets will undergo structural modifications at the state-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for integration of the missile on them.
•The project is likely to be completed by 2020 and is expected to fulfill the critical needs of the Indian Air Force.
3) WHO Certifies Gabon as Polio Free
•The World Health Organisation has declared Gabon a "polio-free country", given the lack of new reported or suspected cases in the central African country. According to a WHO statement obtained, the UN health agency nonetheless recommended taking the necessary steps to continue monitoring for possible signs of the disease.
•Cases of polio have decreased by 99 per cent since 1988, when polio was endemic in 125 countries and 350,000 cases were recorded worldwide.
4) UIDAI Temporarily Bars Airtel from Conducting Aadhaar Linked e-KYC Cerification
•The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has temporarily barred Bharti Airtel and Airtel Payments Bank from conducting Aadhaar-based SIM verification of mobile customers using eKYC process.
•The action follows allegations of Bharti Airtel using the Aadhaar-eKYC based SIM verification process to open payments bank accounts of its subscribers without their informed consent. More than 23 lakh customers have reportedly received as many as Rs. 47 crore in their Airtel bank accounts, which they did not know had been opened.
5) Man Sails Around the World in 42 Days, Breaks World Record
•Frenchman Francois Gabart smashed the world record for the fastest non-stop solo navigation of the globe, completing the mammoth feat in 42 days, 16 hours, 40 minutes and 35 seconds.
•The 34-year-old sailor crossed a virtual finish line drawn between the island of Ushant off France's northwest tip and Lizard Point in southwest England at 0145 GMT, comfortably beating the previous record set by compatriot Thomas Coville last year by six days and 10 hours.
6) ED Freezes Assets worth Rs 245 crore in STC Fraud Case
•The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has frozen assets worth Rs 245 crore in connection with its money laundering probe in the alleged fraud of Rs 2,200 crore with the State Trading Corporation (STC).
•The agency had early this year registered a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)against Ms Global Steel Holding Limited, its chairman Pramod Kumar Mittal and others based on an FIR by the CBI.
