First in India (Females)

1. India's First woman president. Smt Pratibha Patil.

2. India's first woman Prime Minister. Smt Indira Gandhi.

3. India's first woman Governor. Sarojini Naidu.

4. India's first woman ruler (on Delhi''s throne). Razia Sultan.

5. First women IPS Officer. Kiran Bedi.

6. First Chief Minister of a state. Sucheta Kirpalani.

7. First woman Union Minister. Raj Kumari Amrita Kaur.

8. First Woman President of INC. Annie Basant.

9. First Woman Judge of Supreme Court. Meera Sahib Fatima Bibi.

10. First Woman to get Ashok Chakra. Nirja Bhanot.

11. First Indian Woman Ambassador at UN. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit.

12. First Indian woman to swim across English Channel. Aarti Saha Gupta.

13. First Indian woman to get Nobel Prize. Mother Teresa.

14. First Indian woman to climb Mount Everest. Bachendra Pal.

15. First Indian to become Miss world. Miss Reita Faria.

16. First Indian to climb the Mount Everest twice. Santosh Yadav.

17. First Indian woman to become Miss Universe. Sushmita Sen.

18. First Indian Woman to get Bharat Ratna. Smt Indira Gandhi.

19. First Indian Woman to get Jananpith Award. Ashapurna Devi.

20. First Indian Woman to win WTA Title. Sania Mirza.

21. First Indian Woman airline pilot. Durga Banerjee.

22. First Indian Woman President of Indian National Congress. Sarojini Naidu.

23. First Indian Woman to win Booker Prize. Arundhati Roy.

24. First Woman to go into space. Kalpana Chawla.

25. First Woman Musician to get Bharat Ratna. MS Subbulakshmi.

Current Affairs. 25th August 2015.

Current Affairs. 25th August 2015.

-India, Nepal ink MoU on Raxaul-
Amlekhgunj oil pipeline.
_It will be constructed by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
_It will connect supply depot at Raxaul (Bihar) in India to Nepal Oil Corporation's Amlekhgunj receiving terminal.

-Justice M L Tahaliyani sworn in as Lokayukta of Maharashtra.

-UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC)
and  Chennai based M.S.
Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) agreed to work together for the conservation and adaptation initiative of coastal resources in Andhra Pradesh.
_Objective  to overcome the consequences of sea level rise and seawater inundation following cyclones.
_UNFCCC will release this adaptation fund through (NABARD).
_The main focus will be to restore the Sorlagondi mangrove forest cover in Krishna district.

-Tata Trusts ink MoU with Andhra Pradesh Govt to develop 264 Smart Villages.

-Australia agreed to include Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) in the BRIDGE programme run by Australian Schools in collaboration with Indian Schools.
_Australia India Building Regional Intercultural Dialogue and Growing Engagement (BRIDGE) school
partnerships project, which is currently confined to private schools, will connect Australian and Indian schools

-NITI Aayog to launch India Energy Security Scenario- An Interactive Energy Platform on 27th August.
_NITI Ayog developed an energy scenario building tool-India Energy Security Scenarios (IESS)
2047.
_The tool aims to explore a range of potential future energy scenarios for India, for diverse energy demand and supply sectors leading up to 2047.

-Vice Admiral AR Karve, AVSM assumes charge as Chief of Personnel at Naval Headquarters.

-First Training Program on Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) for All India Services Officers (IAS/IFS) , held at National Water Academy(NWA), Pune.
_Objective of PMKSY  to achieve convergence of investments in irrigation at the field level, expand cultivable area under assured irrigation (Har Khet Ko pani) ,improve on- farm water use efficiency to reduce wastage of water, enhance the adoption of precision-irrigation and other water saving technologies( more crop per drop), enhance recharge of aquifers and introduce sustainable water conservation practices.

-Dronacharya Awards 2015.
1 Shri Naval Singh Athletics-Para-sports
2 Shri Anoop Singh Wrestling
3 Shri Harbans Singh Athletics- Lifetime
4 Shri Swatantar Raj Singh Boxing- Lifetime
5 Shri Nihar Ameen Swimming-Lifeti.

-Dhyan Chand Award 2015
1 Mr. Romeo James Hockey
2 Mr. Shiv Prakash Mishra Tennis
3 Mr. T.P.P. Nair Volleyball

-'Sehat' Unique Initiative for Health Care Launched.
_Government launches a tele-medicine initiative 'Sehat' in collaboration with Apollo Hospitals to provide health care facilities in rural areas.
_Under the initiative people will be
able to consult doctors through video link and also order generic drugs.

-Jamaican Shelly Ann Fraser wins Women's 100m title World Athletics Championships, Beijing.

-Amol Palekar appointed as Chairman of India's Oscar jury.

-Syrian woman Journalist Zaina Erhard wins 2015 Peter Mackler Award for courageous and ethical Journalism.

-The airport in Kerala which has
become the first in the world to
be powered totally by solar energy Kochi (Cochin International Airport Ltd).

- A commemorative postal stamp of 5 rupees on emperor Ashoka during a Bharatiya Janta Party function to celebrate the birth anniversary of Ashoka.

-105-year-old Shri Ramcharitmanas (Urdu Copy) was found from a scrap market at Hauz Khas in New Delhi. In 1904, the book was written by Shiv Brat Lal who was a resident of Bhadohi district. In 1910, it was printed at Lahore's Half-Tone press. It was found in a pile of torn books three years ago.

-U Mumba won 2 nd season of Star Sports Pro-Kabaddi League (PKL) title for the year 2015 on 23 rd August 2015 after defeating Bengaluru Bulls.

-C-DOT (Centre for Development of Telematics) to celebrate Foundation Day

-C-DOT (Centre for Development of Telematics) to celebrate Foundation Day on completing 31 years.
_Having gained worldwide recognition for its outstanding works in the arenas of telecommunication and converged networks, Centre for Development of Telecommunications, popularly known as C-DOT, is organizing its Foundation day on 25th August, 2015.

-Russia removes ban on Russian language Wikipedia.

ORGANOID

Organoid.

What??
Replica of Human brain grown in Laboratory.

Developed by.
Medical breakthrough research was undertaken team of researchers from Ohio State University led by Professor Rene Anand.

Created from??
The brain called 'Organoid' was created from reprogrammed skin cells.

Size.
It is about the size of a pencil eraser.

Development.
In order to build the replica human brain, the research team had transformed adult skin cells by
altering their genes into induced pluripotent stem (IPS) cells.
This had resulted in artificial creation of stem cells which were then wheedled into developing different cell types and signalling circuitry of the brain including neurons and their signal-carrying
projections, axons and dendrites along with blood circulation.
This artificially grown brain also contains support and immune cells.

Potential Application.
This medical breakthrough can act as an essential tool in the testing of new drugs and research into brain disorders including Alzheimer.

Current Affairs. 21st to 24th August 2015.

-Bandhan Bank has become the first micro-finance company in India to start operation as full-fledged scheduled commercial bank.
_The bank was inaugurated by Union FM Arun Jaitley in KOLKATA.
_Prior to starting operation as
commercial bank, Bandhan was World's largest Non-Deposit-accepting Microfinance Institution (MFI) and India's u microfinance company.

-Overuse of Fertilizers causes Soil degradation in Punjab.
Alarming level of NPK (Nitrogen,Phosphorus Potassium)39:9:1 against an ideal combination 4:2:1 and National average 7:3:1 resulted in drastic crop yields.

-Six sites surveyed for Horticulture research centre in Amritsar - Indian Council of Agriculture and Research, Punjab Horticulture Department and PAU.
-World Punjabi Conference 2015.
SGPC to organisations World Punjabi conference on 23rd and 24th October in Fatehgarh Sahib. Aims to promote the Punjabi language, Culture and Tradition at global level.

-India's Biggest IT-Incubator - Hyderabad.
_To be inaugurated by TATA Group Chairman Emeritus and Ratan Tata on September 7.
_Aims at promoting start ups and innovators and providing an ideal platform to take up research in IT sector (Also to make Hyderabad as a start-up capital of India)"
_LOCATION: Gachi bowli city.
_Also to host World IT Congress in 2018.
_Developed by IIIT Hyderabad, Indian School of Business ISB And NALSAR University.

-Britain reopens embassy in Iran after four years.

-Bolt shows who's the boss.
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt won the 100 meters final in 15th IAAF World Championships 2015 in Beijing China. He finishes 9.79 second ahead of Justin Gilatin 9.80 seconds.

-First Planned airfield in Arunachal Pradesh is ready and four more to come. Features includes Advanced Landing Ground. Planes such as Super Hercules C-130 J, Globe master C17 and AN32  can land.

-Gujarat first state to launch 'Agro-Solar Policy' to encourage the farmers to tap the solar energy.
_Gujarat Energy Research and Management Institute
(GERMI) will be nodal implementing agency.
_Already State has Asia's largest solar power plant in Charanka village in Patan district.
_And earlier in Jan 2015, the first canal-top solar power plant (10 MW solar capacity) was inaugurated by UN
Secy. Ban-Ki Moon on Narmada canal in Vadodara.

-World no. 2, Swish Roger Federer  won the Cincinnati Masters title for record 7th time in men's singles defeated Serbian Novak Djokovic at Ohio,near Cincinnati, US.
-Women's Singles Title: Serena Williams (US) won by defeating Simona Halep (Romania)
_Cincinnati Masters titles: It is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original
city started in September 1899. It is the second largest summer tennis event in the after the US Open in US.

-Punjabi University of Partiala won the prestigious sports award Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad (MAKA) trophy for year 2014.
_It'll be awarded to PAU on National Sports Day 29th August.

-Union Finance Ministry appointed committee chaired by retired SC judge A P Shah has recommended that Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) should not be imposed on FIIs retrospectively for the period preceding 1st April'15.

-Ace Indian golfer Aditi Ashok
won the prestigious Ladies
British amateur stroke-play
Championship 2015 at Leeds, UK.
-Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has commissioned the first ever Hydro-power plant at Chilla.
_no fossil fuel is being used in the generation of the power, therefore this technology is termed as pollution free technology.

-Chengalikodan banana variety
from Thrissur district of
Kerala  accorded with Geographical Indication (GI) status by the Chennai based LCentral GI registry.
_GI status confers legal protection to these products and prevents unauthorised use of it by others.
_Darjeeling tea was the first agricultural product in India to be accorded with GI tag. Presently, there are nearly 200 unique products registered as GIs in India

-YouTube announces partnership with Whistling Woods to set up '' YouTube Space'' in Mumbai.
_Whistling Woods International (WWI) is a film,communication and media arts Institute.

-Mumbai defeats Bangalore to win India's Pro Kabaddi League 2015.

-NASA spacecraft LADEE found presence of neon gas in Moon's atmosphere.

-Government launched education loan portal for students seeking loans

-Government launched a web-based portal www.vidyalakshmi.co.in for the students seeking educational loans.

-HP Government launches RISHTA project .
_Himachal Pradesh Government has launched Rajiv Gandhi Illuminating Scheme for Hill Town Advancement (RISHTA) project, which is an efficient smart LED based street lighting project.

-Scientists find way to take CO2 from Air and make Carbon nanofibres

-Scientists from United States have discovered a way to take carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and convert it into valuable manufacturing material carbon nanofibres (CNFs). Discovered by team of researchers led by Prof Stuart Licht of Washington DC based George Washington University.

-US scientists grow replica of human brain in a laboratory

-ORGANOID: Scientists from  US successfully grown a replica of a human brain in a laboratory dish.
_Founded by team of researchers from Ohio State University led by Professor Rene Anand.
_The brain called Organoid was created from reprogrammed skin cells.
_It is about the size of a pencil eraser.

-India to set one Information technology laboratory in each Pacific island country

-Puducherry CM launches Free Laptop Scheme
_Scheme envisages to provide free laptops to all students who have passed Plus Two from Government Higher Secondary Schools in the last two academic years.
_Free laptops will be given to 11 thousand odd students incurring an expense of Rs. 20 Crore.
_GIVEN laptops to 180 students who topped in Plus TWO Examinations in their respective schools.

-Delhi government joins hands with FIFA for the Under-17 Football World Cup to be held in India.

-RAJIV GANDHI Committee, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) committee  recommended conversion of Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) with business size of 20,000 crore rupees or more into regular banks.

Sci-TECH

1. World's largest Solar Power Station in India.
- World's largest solar power station 750MW will come up in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa District. 
- Expected to be operational  by 2017. Joint venture of Solar Energy Corporation of India and MP Urja Vikas Nigam, each 50% stakes.
- At present the world's largest solar power station - Ivanpah Solar Power Facility 392 MW in California, USA.

2. No LPG subsidy for mid day meals.

3. Red PANDA.
- Rare giant Panda gives birth to Cub at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington.Red Giant Panda 🐼 Called Mei Xiang
-Native to eastern Himalayas and western China.

4. Drug to protect from lethal Nuclear radiations.
US scientists discovered a drug that may protect against the deadly effects of nuclear radiation. Drug name - Peptide drug TP508.Injection of drug a day after exposure to nuclear radiation could increase the survival chances of victims.

5. HYPERSPECTRAL
- Novel way for decoding rare manuscripts.
- Whole pages can be scanned in a matter of minutes. Fragile documents are also protected from marks and rough handling
- Researchers from Norwegian University of Science and Technology developed HYPERSPECTRAL technique.Very handy for Studying art.

Onam. Kerala Festival.

ONAM

-  It is a Hindu festival celebrated in Kerala, India.
-  It is also the state festival of Kerala with State holidays on 4 days starting from Onam Eve (Uthradom) to the 3rd Onam Day.

 Significance.

- It is in honour of King Mahabali that Onam is celebrated.
- Kerala's rice harvest festival and the Festival of Rain Flowers, which fall on the month of Chingam, celebrates the Asura King Mahabali's annual visit from Patala (the underworld)
- The beauty of the festival lies in its secular fabric. People of all religions, castes and communities celebrate the festival with equal joy and verve.
 -Onam also helps to create an atmosphere of peace and brotherhood by way of various team sports organised on the day
 
Celebrations.

- Onam falls in the month of Chingam, which is the first month according to the Malayalam Calendar. The celebrations begin within a fortnight of the Malayalam New Year and go on for ten days. All over the state of Kerala, festive rituals, traditional cuisine, dance and music mark this harvest festival. 

- The ten days of Onam are celebrated with great fanfare, by Malayalees.
- Of all these days, most important ones are the first day, Atham, and the tenth and final day, Thiru-Onam (Thiruvonam).

Onakkodi.
The tradition of buying and wearing new clothes for the occasion of Onam is called the Onakkodi.

Boat Race.

 Vallamkali (the snake boat race) is another event that is synonymous with Onam.

-Well-known races include the Aranmula Uthrattadhi Boat Race and the Nehru Trophy Boat Race.
-About 100 oarsmen row huge and graceful snake boats and men and women come from far and near to watch the snake boats skim through the water.

Music and Dance.

Traditional dance forms including Thiruvathira, Kummattikali, Pulikali, Thumbi Thullal etc. are performed as part of celebrations all over Kerala at this time.

- Thiruvathirakali is a women's dance performed in a circle around a lamp.

- Kummattikali is a famous and colorful-mask dance.

- Thrissur, festivities includes a procession consisting of caparisoned elephants surrounded by  Kummatikali dancers. The masked dancers go from house to house performing the colorful Kummattikali.

- Kathakali dance is also commonly performed during this time, with dancers enacting famous mythological legends.

Thiruvathira Kali during Onam.

Pulikali during Onam.

-Pilikali also known as Kaduvakali is a common sight during Onam season.
-This dance showcases performers painted like tigers in bright yellow, red and black, who dance to the beats of instruments like Chenda and thakil.

Onam Sadya.

  

Sadya.

- The Onam sadya (feast) is indispensable part of Thiruvonam (Last day of Onam),  and almost every Keralite attempts to either make or attend one. The feast is served on plantain leaves and consists of about 26 dishes

Pookolam.

   

View of a pookalam

- The floral carpet, known as ‘Onapookkalam’, is made out of the gathered blossoms with several varieties of flowers

Green Climate Fund (GCF)

Green Climate Fund (GCF)

It is a fund within the framework of the UNFCCC

Founded as a mechanism to redistribute money from the developed to the developing world, in order to assist the developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change


Headquarters:
HQ Songdo district of Incheon, South Korea.

It is governed by a Board of 24 members and initially supported by an Interim Secretariat.
‘The Green Climate Fund will support projects, programmes, policies and other activities in developing country Parties using thematic funding windows’.
The Green Climate Fund is intended to be the centrepiece of Long Term Financing under the UNFCCC, which has set itself a goal of raising $100 billion per year by 2020.

UNFCCC.
- The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international environmental treaty (currently the only international climate policy venue with broad legitimacy, due in part to its virtually universal membership) negotiated at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), informally known as the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992.
-  Objective to "stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system"

List of all Accredited entities

-Acumen Fund, Inc. (US)
-Africa Finance Corporation (Nigeria)
-Agence Française de Développement (France)
-Asian Development Bank (Philippines)
-Carribbean Community Climate Change Center (Belize)
 -Centre de Suivi Ecologique (Senégal)
-Conservation International Foundation (US)
 -Corporcion Andina de Fomento (Venezuela)
 -Deutsche Bank AktienGesellschaft (Germany)
-Environmental Investment Fund (Namibia)
-European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (United Kingdom)
-Inter-American Developement Bank (US)
-International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and International Development Association (US)
 -Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (Germany)
 -Ministry of Natural Resources (Rwanda)
 -National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (India)
-Peruvian Trust Fund for National Parks and Protected Areas (Peru)
-Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (Samoa)
-United Nations Developement Programme (US)
-United Nations Environment Programme (Kenya)

Conventions to fulfill UNFCCC includes.
-Kyoto Protocol (1997)
-Bali Action Plan (2007)
-Copenhagen Accord (2009)
-Cancún agreements (2010)
 -

Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (2012)

What is Solarize? Community Solar? Group Solar?

Solarize or Community Solar or  Group Solar.

A program in which groups of buyers can secure a lower price for solar installations through bulk ordering.

Brief-cum-Benefits.
- A municipality, employer or other local organization chooses one company in the area to serve as the solar installer for their community’s Solarize program.
- Due to volume discounts, the solar installer can negotiate a price that’s often lower than what individual homeowners could achieve.
In fact, the price tends to fall as more and more people join the program.

Major Clean Energy Agencies. - Vote Solar, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, and the Connect Green Bank have all organized Solarize programs for communities in the past.

Pros of Solarize Programs.

- Great Way to Be Involved In Community Action. Great way to take part in a larger movement within your community, and work with people who share similar goals.

- Reputation Boost for Chosen Installer. Solarize programs are a great accolade for the installer that is ultimately chosen by the community. Many solar installers will use their selection for a Solarize program in future marketing materials.

- Good Way to Accomplish a Shared Environmental Goal. To  achieve goal quickly for a town or municipality has a renewable energy or environmental goal.

- Lower Risk to Take Action as a Group. As the expression goes, “there’s safety in numbers”. This is the driving idea behind Solarize programs, as larger groups tend to have better leverage in price negotiations with installers and outside parties.

- Limited Choice Makes Decisions Easier. If you only have a few options when evaluating solar energy systems, then choosing the best one for you is a much shorter, simpler process.

Cons of Solarize Programs
 
- Unnecessary Restriction on Consumer Choice. Working with only one installer restricts the choices that consumers would otherwise have in terms of design and equipment. What’s right for your neighbor’s house or budget may not be right for yours, but using only one solar installer in a community restricts the options available to consumers.

- Discourages Competition. Solarize programs were necessary when it was hard to find qualified installers, but now there are generally several well-established and reputable solar installation companies in each community.

- Time Intensive to Find the Right Installer. Finding an appropriate installer can cost the organising body time and money, as it usually involves a lengthy review process.

- The Price You’re Quoted Isn’t Always the Actual Price. In most cases the price negotiated by the community organization is for the installer’s most basic solar energy system. The homeowner should expect higher costs if they want different panel types or colors, a higher efficiency inverter, or any sort of change from the basic package.

- Backlog of Installations. The community education process often lasts six months, and during this period a backlog of new home installations can build up. This buildup can have an adverse effect on both the installer and homeowner.

Taj Mahal world's 5th travel hotspots: Lonely Planet

Taj Mahal world's 5th travel hotspots: Lonely Planet 

India's historic Mughal mausoleum Taj Mahal has ranked fifth position in the prestigious list of most attractive travel hotspot in the world.
It was revealed in the recently released Ultimate Travelist of Lonely Planet which has described the monument as a magnificent Mughal masterpiece.

Top Four travel hotspot in the world

Number 1
The Temples of Angkor, Northern Cambodia : It has more than 1,000 temples, shrines and tombs which attracts more than 2 million tourists annually.

Number 2
The Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

Number 3
Inca city of Machu Picchu, Peru.

Number 4
Great Wall of China.

All of the mentioned are UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Ultimate Travelist of Lonely Planet was compiled based on ideas and voting of travel writers and its staff on their favourites sights which had inspired, enthused and excited them the most. 

Current Affairs. 20th August 2015.

-Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal regains the No. 1 spot in world Badminton rankings.

-FM A Jaitley launched two funds schemes by Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)

Two funds-
1.)India Aspiration Fund (IAF) with Rs 2000 crore.
2.) SIDBI Make In India Loan For Enterprises (SMILE) scheme with an investment size of Rs 10,000 crore.

-Moon's atmosphere contains Neon - NASA.

NASA spacecraft  confirmed for the first time that the Moon's thin atmosphere contains neon, a gas commonly used in electric signs on Earth because of its intense glow.

-China successfully tests power system for largest space rocket

China successfully tested  Power system (engines) of its stated to be the largest space launch vehicle viz. Long March-5 carrier.

- Three Indian companies among
world's most innovative firms:
Forbes : Hindustan Unilever Limited, TCS and Sun Pharma.

-20 August is observed as Sadbhavna Divas. The day is birthday of Rajiv Gandhi.

-NASA satellites to predict
hurricane paths by studying
their cores.
NASA is building CYGNSS (Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System), a flock of eight microsatellites that should
track hurricanes more effectively.

First ever satellites to look at the inner core of a storm, giving them a good estimate of the wind speeds and thus the path of those swirling air currents.

-The US will help Uttar Pradesh in developing Allahabad as a 'smart city' , US Ambassador to India Richard R. Verma.

-Australia's Retired Cricketer's Adam Gilchrist to be Australia Education Ambassador to India.

-UPSC Aspirants those who didn't appeared in 2011 to get one more chance. Central Administrative Tribunal.

-Gabala- the place in Azerbaijan which recently hosted the shooting World Cup 2015.

-SDG- stands for Sustainable Development Goals of UN that entail 17 goals and 169 targets applicable from January 1, 2016 which will replace the Millennium Development Goals 2015. These goals are to be met by 2030 by 192 countries.

-BrahMos- the new series of this missile has been renamed BrahMos-II(K)-the K in its stands as tribute to former President APJ6Abdul Kalam who fired India's missile and nuclear programme.

-60- the shortest first innings score in Test history which was scored by Australia recently in the fourth Test match against England at Nottingham.

-Planet discovered three times larger than Jupiter.
Discovered BY:
Chilean astronomer Maritza Soto.
Location:
Around 290 million light years from Earth.
New Designation: HD 110014 c. Work Published in a journal of the London Royal Astronomical Society.

-US Army  launched the largest NATO airborne drills in Europe since the end of the Cold War, to enhance '' security and stability in the region.

-FIPIC Summit.
The 2nd Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) Summit, being hosted by India in Jaipur. India is expected to push for deeper engagement with 14 resource-rich Pacific Island nations  strategically important South Pacific region where China has strong presence.

-RBI grants 'in-principle'  approval to 11 applicants for payments banks.
Valid for 18 months.
A payments bank is a type of non-full service niche bank in India. A bank licensed as a payments bank can only receive deposits and provide remittances. It can't carry  out lending activities. Created to help India reach its financial inclusion targets.

-Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE),  celebrated the 40th anniversary of its launch on August 1. Marking the first major India-U.S. partnership in space, SITE and NASA's s first direct broadcasting satellite to beam television programmes to remote Indian villages.

-The Karachi Nuclear Power Plant II (Kanupp II) with the capacity to produce 1,100 MW electricity is being built with the assistance of China.Nawaz Sharif  inaugurated construction work on a China-backed $10 billion nuclear power plant.

-The Allahabad High Court had ordered that all government employees, public representatives and judges have to mandatory send their children to government schools.

-Russia agreed to sell four MI-35 attack helicopters to Pakistan,
India is also having  20 MI-35 HIND E attack helicopters , which may be replaced by  Boeing AH-64D Apache.

-PAK refuses to  Commonwealth meet venue changes from Islamabad to New York :Commonwealth Parliamentary Union.

-BIG acronym for Bhuvan, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) and GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN).
Bhuvan Ganga Mobile Application will enable people to shoot pictures of polluted area along the Ganga. Pictures can be sent to National Mission for Clean Ganga server for necessary action.

-NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has a first up-close look at Pluto and sends photos and   signals back from Pluto from almost 5 billion kilometres away.
Pluto is the first Kuiper Belt object visited by a mission from Earth.