1) India's 1st 'Methanol Cooking Fuel Program' Launched In Assam
•In a historic day for India, Northeast and Assam Petro-chemicals, a state-owned company for launched Asia's first cannisters based and India's first "Methanol Cooking Fuel Program". The program was inaugurated by Dr V K Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog and Chairman at Namrup.
•500 households inside the Assam Petro Complex will be the first pilot project, scaling it to 40,000 households in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Goa and Karnataka.
2) 21 IORA Countries Adopt Delhi Declaration On Renewable Energy
•As many as 21 countries in the Indian Ocean Rim Association, IORA, adopted the Delhi Declaration on Renewable Energy in the Indian Ocean Region. These nations adopted the Delhi Declaration post the second IORA Renewable Energy Ministerial Meeting held in Greater Noida, near Delhi.
•As per the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the Delhi Declaration calls for collaboration among IORA member states in meeting the growing demand for renewable energy in the Indian Ocean littorals.
3) Atal Innovation Mission & SIRIUS Sign MoU
•To promote innovative cooperation between students of India and Russia, an MoU was exchanged between India’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and the Russian Federation’s SIRIUS Educational Foundation in the presence of the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, in New Delhi.
•The AIM and SIRUS Education Foundation were represented by Mission Director Shri. R Ramanan and Ms. Elena Shmeleva respectively.
4) Sanjay Verma Appointed India’s Ambassador To Spain
•Sanjay Verma, a 1990 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, has been appointed as India’s Ambassador to Spain.
•He is currently the Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs. He has been appointed as India’s Ambassador to Spain.
5) Pankaj Sharma Appointed India’s Ambassador To UN Conference On Disarmament
•Pankaj Sharma has been appointed as the ambassador and India’s permanent representative to the United Nations Conference on Disarmament (UNCD) in Geneva, Switzerland.
•Mr Sharma will replace Amandeep Gill. He is currently the joint secretary (Disarmament and International Security Division) in the Ministry of External Affairs.
6) Apple Displaced Google To Become The Top Brand In The World
•Apple displaced Google to become the top brand in the world in 2018 while Facebook, mired in data breach controversies, fell to ninth place in the top 100 brands globally. According to global brand consultancy Interbrand's "Best 100 Global Brands 2018" report, Amazon achieved a 56% growth to become the third top brand globally.
•According to the ranking, Apple's brand value grew 16 per cent (year-on-year) to $214.5 billion. It went on to become the first company in the US to hit the $1 trillion market cap. Google stood at second place while Amazon is third.
7) WFE Appoints Vikram Limaye As Chairman Of Working Committee
•The National Stock Exchange’s (NSE) MD and CEO Vikram Limaye has been appointed the chairman of the working committee and director on the board by the international industry body–World Federation of Exchanges (WFE).
•The decision was taken at the global body’s 58th general assembly and annual meeting that is currently underway in Athens, Greece.
8) Youth Olympic Games 2018 Begins In Argentina
•The 3rd Youth Olympic Games has officially begun at Buenos Aires, Argentina. India is represented with a contingent of 68 members, including 46 athletes, will compete in 13 sports during the prestigious event. 16-year-old Manu Bhaker is leading the Indian team in the opening ceremony as the flag-bearer of the Indian contingent for the games.
•With over 200 countries taking part, the event marks the start of young athletes’ career before they go on to bigger and better things. The event will see thousands of athletes, aged 15-18, compete in various categories.
