1) India’s Second FTII to be Set up in Arunachal Pradesh
•Minister of State (I/C) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region Jitendra Singh announced that Arunachal Pradesh would get its first Film and Television Institute, being set up by the Union Government as part of tapping the potential of the Northeastern region.
•This would be the second such one in the country. The first Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) was set up in Pune. FTII is an autonomous institute operating under the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
2) Haryana Becomes First State to Launch High Risk Pregnancy Portal
•Haryana has become the first state in the country to launch High Risk Pregnancy (HRP) Portal. This portal not only helps in early identification of high-risk pregnant cases up to the grass-roots level but also ensures their timely referral to the civil hospitals for further management and delivery by specialists.
•This innovative web application has been designed to track every high risk pregnant woman till 42 days after delivery, so that she receives adequate treatment during the ante-natal period for healthy outcome of pregnancy.
3) Bilateral Annual Haj 2018 Agreement between India and Saudi Arabia Signed
•According to the Union Minister for Minority Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Saudi Arabia has given the green signal for India’s decision to revive the option of sending Haj pilgrims through sea route also.
•The practice of ferrying Haj pilgrims between Mumbai and Jeddah by waterways was stopped from 1995. For the first time, Muslim women from India will go to Haj without “Mehram” (male companion). Separate accommodation and transport has been arranged for these women Haj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia and women “Haj Assistant” will be deployed for their assistance.
4) Indian Navy Signs MoU with Cochin Port Trust
•The Indian Navy has inked an MoU with the Cochin Port Trust (CPT), Kerala towards leasing of 228 metres of berths at Mattancherry Wharf for a period of five years.
•The MoU has been concluded to cater for the futuristic requirements of the Navy with the sizeable increase in its fleet scheduled in the near future. This is the first time such an agreement has been signed between the Navy and CPT.
5) Philippe Coutinho Joins Barcelona, Becomes 2nd Most Expensive Transfer in World Soccer History
•Team Liverpool sold Brazilian football player Philippe Coutinho to Team Barcelona for 160 million Euros ($192 million). With this, transfer of Philippe Coutinho has become the 2nd Most Expensive transfer in World Soccer History.
•World’s most expensive transfer is Brazilian football player Neymar’s transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint Germain team in 200 million pounds in 2017.
6) Gilles Simon Wins Inaugural Tata Open Title
•Gilles Simon of France has lifted the inaugural Tata Open Maharashtra Tennis trophy. In the summit clash in Pune, the unseeded French player defeated second-seeded Kevin Anderson in straight sets.
•Simon is ranked 89 in the world, while Anderson is ranked Fourteen. Simon had knocked out defending champion and third seed Roberto Bautista Agut.
