Bihar
- Met: Monsoon revival in state by July 22
- After heavy rainfall in early July leading to rise in water level of different rivers, hot and dry weather is being witnessed in most parts of the state, especially the state capital, for the last few days. Weathermen said the state is unlikely to receive significant rainfall before July 22 as the synoptic weather features are not supporting the monsoon.
- Met department had earlier predicted monsoon revival by July 19, triggered by a low pressure trough developing over Bay of Bengal. The trough was expected to move towards Bihar causing widespread rainfall. However, it moved south towards Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, leading to dry spell in the state.
- “Normal monsoon was expected in the state this year with total seasonal rainfall at 96% of the long period average.
- State ignores Centre’s advisory to curb selfie deaths, sensitise tourists
- Penchant for selfie has become a countrywide concern with most of the world’s selfie-related deaths occurring in India, but Bihar officials continue to sit on a central government’s advisory to the states in August last year to identify no-selfie zones.
- The state officials are yet to put up banners and posters at the tourist spots. No initiative has been taken even to comply with the Centre’s advice to sensitise tourists to the risks of selfies even as the state boasts of attracting a large number of tourists.
INTERNATIONAL
- US Navy tests world’s first Laser Weapons System
- United States Navy successfully tested the world’s first-ever active Laser Weapons System (LaWS). In the test, the LaWS deployed aboard the USS Ponce amphibious transport ship was able to destroy a drone in flight and moving targets on the Persian Gulf. USS Ponce is first ship in the world to be deployed with such advanced weapons system
LaWS operates within an invisible part of the electromagnetic spectrum. It is absolutely silent and incredibly effective.
- Nelson Mandela International Day – 18 July
- Nelson Mandela International Day (or Mandela Day) is celebrated every year on 18th July to honour the former Nobel Prize winner.
- The day is commemorated with the slogan Take Action! Inspire Change.
- The United Nations officially declared this day in November 2009. Mandela was former President of South Africa.
- Nelson Mandela was awarded India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna in 1990 for his role in the anti-apartheid movement. Apart from Pakistan national Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, he is the only non-Indian to have received the award.
NATIONAL
- National Democratic Alliance Vice President nominee Venkaiah Naidu resigns his Union Minister Post
- Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu resigned his Union Minister post for his party choosing him as a candidate for the Vice Presidential Election.
- He was holding two portfolios of Information and Broadcasting, and Housing and Urban Affairs.
- Smriti Irani gets Information and Broadcasting ministry and Narendra Singh Tomar gets Urban Development
- Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi handed over the Information and Broadcasting portfolio to Smt.Smriti Irani.
- The Urban Development Ministry given to Shri Narendra Singh Tomar.
- This announcement came after BJP leader Shri M Venkaiah Naidu, who is the Government’s nominee for the position of Vice-President, resigned from his ministerial responsibilities.
- J&K bags best award in adventure tourism destination
- The J&K Tourism Department has received the award in the category of ‘Best Adventure Tourism Destination and Eco-Tourism Destination’ at a 3-Day event organized by Indian International Travel Mart, Chennai.
- Kolkata to host global business meet in November
- The Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), in association with the West Bengal Government, will host Horasis Asia Meeting, a Global Business meeting, in the city in November.
The two-day business meet, starting November 26, will focus on sustainable business practices in various areas, including power and energy.
- SBI launches ‘SBI Realty’ portal for home buyers
- India’s largest commercial bank State Bank of India (SBI) launched SBI Realty, a dedicated portal that will help home buyers to choose flats from its 3,000 approved projects across the country. SBI Realty will be a one stop integrated website for home buyers. It will help customers to choose their dream home from 3,000 SBI approved projects, which are spread across 13 states/UTs covering 30 cities.
Using the portal, customers can compare current and past trends of prices for properties in various localities in the city. It will also assist customers in calculating appropriate loan amount a customer should borrow based on income and credit profile.