- A Bill to establish a National Sports University in Manipur to promote sports education was recently passed by the Lok Sabha. In order to make the university a world-class institution, the government has signed an agreement with two Australian universities — University of Canberra and Victoria University — for development of curriculum, research facilities and laboratories, among others. Read more at The Hindu.
- Puducherryformerly known as Pondicherry is a union territory of India. It was formed out of four exclaves of former French India namely Pondicherry, Karaikkal, Yanam and Mahe. Pudducherry district is an enclave of Tamil Nadu. Mahe is an enclave of Kerala. Yanam district is an enclave of Andhra Pradesh. Karaikkal is an enclave of Tamil Nadu. Source: Wikipedia. Also read: The Times of India.
- Though the judges of Supreme Court of India are appointed after consultations between the President of India and the collegiums of judges, the collegiums system has no mention in the Constitution of India. It is a result of various cases of the Supreme Court of India. Read more at The Hindu. A reiteration by the collegiums of the recommendation for the appointment of a judge to the Supreme Court is binding on the government. The Supreme Court currently has three women judges, for the first time in the history of the Supreme Court with the elevation of Madras High Court Chief Justice Indira Banerjee as the Supreme Court judge. Read more at The Indian Express.
- Aero Indiais a biennial air show and aviation exhibition organised by the Defence Exhibition Organisation, Ministry of Defence. 2017 edition was the 11th edition of the event which was organised for the first time in 1996. Aero India is considered the largest airshow in Asia. Sources: Firstpost, Ministry of Defence and Wikipedia.
- India, incensed by Washington’s refusal to exempt it from new tariffs, decided in June to raise import tax from August 4 on some U.S. products, including almonds, walnuts and apples, but later delayed the move to Sept. 18. Delayed higher tariffs against some goods imported from the U.S. would go into force on September 18. India actually has reduced the import tariff on Harley Davidson bikes while USA has recently hiked tariffs on steel and aluminium. Source: The Hindu. Also read The Times of India.
- The location of Kygyzstan is important to India as both countries have decided to deepen cooperation in trade, energy, defence, security and other areas. The External Affairs Minister Ms. Sushma Swaraj is on a three-nation tour of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan as part of India’s efforts to boost strategic partnership with the resource-rich Central Asian nations. India and Kyrgyzstan share multi-dimensional relations including political, parliamentary, defence, science and technology and health. Also read: The Hindu.
- INTERPOL cannot compel any member country to arrest an individual who is the subject of a Red Notice. Each member country decides for itself what legal value to give a Red Notice within their borders. The Red Notice restricts a fugitive’s movement in 192 countries, and empowers enforcement agencies to detain the person for deportation or extradition to the requesting country. Sources: INTERPOL and The Hindu.
- World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. It commemorates the Innocenti Declaration signed in August 1990 by government policymakers, WHO, UNICEF and other organizations to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. Source: World Health Organisation and The Hindu.
- It was a bhisti who changed the history of India by saving the life of Humayun, the second Mughal emperor, as he was about to drown in the Ganga during a campaign against the Afghans. Read more at The Hindu.
- The peacock, the national bird, is protected under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and killing it is punishable under Section 51(1-A) with imprisonment that may extend to seven years, and financial penalty. Not all species of bats are listed as vermin in Schedule V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Although several species of bats are listed under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, fruit bats remain listed as vermin in Schedule V of the WPA.
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