1. Greece's caretaker government sworn in with first female prime minister
i. Greece’s new caretaker government was sworn in on Friday as the
country prepares early elections next month, the third time Greeks will
go to the polls this year.
ii. Vassiliki Thanou, a top judge and the country’s first female prime
minister, will lead the country until the election, which is expected to
take place on 20 September.
iii. Her predecessor, Alexis Tsipras, stepped down last week following a
rebellion by members of his leftwing Syriza party who objected to the
conditions of Greece’s third international bailout.
iv. The first major opinion poll since the election was called,
published in the left-leaning Efimerida ton Syntakton newspaper on
Friday, found little support for his move.
2. NDMC decides to rename Aurangzeb road as APJ Abdul Kalam road
i. Aurangzeb road one of the most important addresses in Lutyen's Delhi will be renamed as Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam road.
ii.
According to East Delhi MP Maheish Girri, who belongs to the BJP, the
New Delhi Municipal Council or NDMC has decided to change the name from
Aurangzeb road to Abdul Kalam road.
iii. Aurangzeb road begins at the Taj Mansingh hotel near India Gate and
joins Safdarjang Road near the official residence of the Prime
Minister.
iv. One of the finest heritage hotels in Delhi, The Claridges is also
located on the same road.Maheish Girri had led the campaign demanding
name change.
3. Union Government gives nod to 6 new SEZ proposals
i.
Union Government has approved six new proposals 6 Special Economic
Zones (SEZs) proposals including four from Information Technology and IT
enabled Service (ITeS) sector. This decision was taken by the Board of
Approval (BoA) for SEZ (under the aegis of Union Commerce Ministry)
chaired by Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia.
ii. The approved SEZ proposals are
- HCL IT City Lucknow- set up IT/ITeS zones in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
- Loma IT Park Developer- set up IT/ITeS zones in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- North Mumbai International Commodity Township- It is proposed free trade warehousing zone in Thane, Maharashtra.
iii. It should be noted that SEZs account for about 25 per cent of the
India’s total exports. In 2013-14, exports from these zones had rose to
4.94 lakh crore rupees from 22,840 crore rupees in 2005-06.
4. Scientist Dr Modadugu Vijay Gupta to receive inaugural Sunhak Peace Prize
i. Noted Indian agricultural scientist Dr Modadugu Vijay Gupta has been
chosen for the inaugural Sunhak Peace Prize. He will receive the first
Sunhak Peace Prize in South Korean Capital city of Seoul along with
President of Kiribati Islands Anote Tong.
ii.
Dr. M. V. Gupta has been selected for this award for his pioneering
work in the blue revolution. He has invested his entire life to
developing sustainable aquaculture as an alternative solution to the
future food crisis. Anote Tong has been chosen for this award for
creating global awareness on the severity of climate change issue and
sought for action by the international community for its solution.
iii. Anote Tong has been chosen for this award for creating global
awareness on the severity of climate change issue and sought for action
by the international community for its solution.
iv. Dr. M. V. Gupta hails from Bapatla district of Andhra Pradesh and
was born on 17 August 1939. He is recipient of the World Food Prize in
2005 for development and dissemination of low-cost techniques for
freshwater fish farming by using tilapia species for the rural poor.
5. Union Government launches E-Payment Module to deposit compensatory levies into CAMPA Funds
i. Union Government has launched an e-payment module to make the payment
of compensatory levies into the Compensatory Afforestation Management
Planning Authority (CAMPA) Funds.
ii. It was launched by Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar in
New Delhi in order to make these payments for diversion of forest land
quicker and more transparent. The e-payment module has a designated
account for the payment purpose, depending on the States in which the
forest land is proposed to be diverted.
iii.
Initially, the payments will be allowed through two modes viz. online
challan mode through RTGS and NEFT and offline challan mode. The deposit
of compensatory levies through the e-portal will be optional till
August 31, 2015 and will be accepted only through the e-module from 1
September 2015.
iv. With the launch of the e-payment portal, henceforth no payments will
be accepted other than through the portal or unless specifically
ordered guidelines issued by Ad-hoc CAMPA.
6. Introducing Fortune's Change the World list: Companies that are doing well by doing good
i. The economic system that won the great ideological battle of the 20th
century is facing a renewed challenge in the 21st. You can hear it in
the passionate rhetoric of Pope Francis in Bolivia and see it in the
crowds cheering socialist Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire.
ii. To take on the world’s toughest challenges in a sustainable way,
companies are turning to something familiar: the profit motive. Here,
the true and best meaning of return on investment.
iii. Fortune’s new Change the World list is our contribution to this
trend. It is meant to shine a spotlight on companies that have made
significant progress in addressing major social problems as a part of
their core business strategy.
iv. The list includes some of the most thoughtful leaders we know in the
corporate and nonprofit realms, as well as a number of scholars who
bring both perspective and insight to the public discourse on business.
7. Barcelona's Lionel Messi wins UEFA Best Player in Europe award
i. Lionel Messi added another individual trophy to his collection
Thursday, being voted UEFA's Best Player in Europe for last season.
ii. The Barcelona star beat Luis Suarez, his teammate at the Champions
League winner, and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo in a Europe-wide poll
of journalists.
iii. Messi, the four-time FIFA world player of the year, got the UEFA
honor after a season-long duel with Ronaldo for the Champions League
scoring record. Both resume this season on 77 goals.
iv. Suarez, who scored the decisive second goal in the 3-1 final win
over Juventus in June, reached the shortlist despite starting his season
in late-October. The Uruguay forward served a FIFA ban for biting at
the 2014 World Cup.
v. Launched in 2011, the UEFA award previously went to Messi, Andres
Iniesta, Franck Ribery and Ronaldo. Celia Sasic, the German star forward
of Women's Champions League winner Frankfurt, received the women's
award from UEFA President Michel Platini.
8. Usain Bolt beats Justin Gatlin in World Championships 200m final
i. Usain Bolt won the rematch and 200m gold as he ran a wonderful bend
to once again leave rival Justin Gatlin chasing silver and fresh air.
ii. On a sweaty, sticky night in the Bird's Nest, Bolt was out of the
blocks quicker and opened up an unassailable lead over the first 100m
before coming away down the straight and jabbing his thumbs at his chest
as he crossed the line.
iii. His 19.55 seconds was the fastest in the world this year, his speed
and peerless championship class too good for American Gatlin, whose
19.74 was well outside his season's best.
iv. For much of this season Bolt, 29, has been a struggling shadow of
the man who has dominated both sprinting and his sport for the past
seven years.Coming into these championships he had raced only one 200m
all summer, and that a lacklustre 20.13 in May.
