1) PM Modi Embarks On 3-Day Visit To China
•It is expected that the meeting between Mr Modi and Mr Xi will be a milestone in India-China relations. This will be Mr Modi’s fourth visit to China after he came to power in 2014.
2) HRD Ministry Launches 2nd Edition Of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan
•The Ministry of Human Resource Development, HRD launched the second edition of the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan under which students from 750 higher educational institutions from across the country will adopt villages and visit them to get acquainted with lifestyle of people there and the problems faced by them.
•The minister advised the students to involve local village people at every stage of problem identification and solving issues relating to health, cleanliness, waste management, plantation, financial inclusion, women and child development.
3) 48th Foundation Day Of HUDCO Celebrated
•The Minister of Housing & Urban Development Hardeep Singh inaugurated the 48th Foundation Day of Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO).
•HUDCO is playing an important role in taking financial inclusion forward in the country, as it is taking care of the housing finance needs of the economically deprived sections.
4) Mario Abdo Benitez Elected New President Of Paraguay
•Mario Abdo Benitez won the presidential election conducted in Paraguay. He belongs to the ruling Colorado Party. He had secured 46.5% of the votes, with 96% of 21,000.
•Efrain Alegre of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party came second with 42.7% of the votes. Mario Abdo Benitez’s 5-year term begins on 15th August 2018.
5) World Press Freedom Index Report: India Ranks 138th, Norway Tops
•According to the 2018 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), India has ranked 138th (falling 2 positions down from 136th in 2017). The list has been topped by Norway. North Korea was at the bottom-most position (180th) in the list.
•The World Press Freedom Index measures the level of media freedom in 180 countries, including the level of pluralism, media independence, the environment and self-censorship, the legal framework, transparency, and the quality of the infrastructure.
•The Top 3 countries in World Press Freedom Index Report are:
1. Norway
2. Sweden
3. The Netherlands.
6) Coastal Security Exercise 'Sagar Kavach' Held In Kerala
•Exercise ‘Sagar Kavach’ is being conducted to strengthen and assess the loopholes in the coastal security mechanism along Kerala shores. Along with Coastal Police and Marine Enforcement wing, Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy is also participating in Exercise ‘Sagar Kavach’.
•10 ships of Indian Coast Guard, three ships of the Indian navy, four fishing boats, and 20 coastal police stations from Vizhinjam to Kasaragod are among those taking part in this exercise. The Exercise ‘Sagar Kavach’ is held twice a year.
7) CSIR And DoT Enter Into MoU For Establishing Nationwide Time Stamping
•An MoU on technical knowledge sharing for establishing a nationwide Time Stamping & Time Synchronization network and traceability of Time signal to UTC NPL Time was signed between Council of Scientific and Industrial Research -National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL) and Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications.
•The Nationwide, Time Stamping & Time Synchronization network consisting of 22 numbers of Time Synchronization Centers (TSC’s) will be set up by DoT with technical assistance from CSIR-NPL.
