India, South Korea sign 11 MoUs

  • India and South Korea signed 11 MoUs during South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s visit to India.
  • Two MoUs were focused on trade, to facilitate trade remedies and trade liberalization.
  • An MoU to develop cutting-edge technologies for commercialisation of the industrial revolution.
  • MoUs were signed in the fields of science and technology, including cooperation in biotechnology and bio-economics, as well as cooperation in ICT and telecommunications.
  • An MoU was also signed to help Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) of the two nations.

Six universities granted ‘Institute Of Eminence’ status

  • The HRD Ministry of the Union Government has granted the Institutions of Eminence (IoEs) status to 6 institutions.
  • These include 3 from the public sector and 3 from the private sector.
  • The institutions granted IoE status include IIT-Bombay, IIT-Delhi, IISc Bangalore, BITS Pilani, Manipal Academy of Higher Education and Jio Institute by Reliance Foundation.
  • 10 private and 10 public universities are to be selected overall, for the IoE tag.
  • The aim of this move is to improve the level of educational institutes in the country, so that they can compete with foreign institutions.
  • The goal is to bring them into the top 500 institutions in the world within the next 10 years, and eventually in top 100.

M. Venkaiah Naidu becomes first Chairman of Rajya Sabha to sign MoU

  • The Rajya Sabha has, for the first time in 76 years since it came into being, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a foreign counterpart for promoting inter-parliamentary dialogue.
  • M. Venkaiah Naidu becomes the first Chairman of the Rajya Sabha to sign such an agreement.
  • He signed an MOU with the visiting President of the Senate of the Republic of Rwanda, Bernard Makuza.
  • The MoU is aimed at promoting inter-parliamentary dialogue and furthering bilateral relations between the two nations.

Indian Railways introduces first double stack dwarf container service

  • The Indian Railways has introduced the first Double Stack Dwarf Container Service.
  • The freight train was flagged off from Western Railway’s Rajkot railway station on its maiden commercial run.
  • The move is aimed at capturing lost traffic through a new delivery model for domestic cargo.
  • The freight train was loaded with 82 containers Polypropylene Granules.
  • The dwarf containers are 662 mm shorter but 162 mm wider than regular containers.
  • They can hold a volume of approximately 67% more than traditional containers.
  • Due to the height, the regular double stack ISO containers can run only on a few chosen routes; however, the shorter double containers can run on most tracks with ease.

First ever India Tourism Mart to be hosted in New Delhi in September

  • The Ministry of Tourism will organise the first ever India Tourism Mart (ITM) from September 16th to 18th this year, at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
  • The objective is to create an annual Global Tourism Mart for India in line with major international travel marts held in other countries.

Prof. Sandeep Sancheti takes charge as President of AIU

  • Dr. Sandeep Sancheti has taken charge as the President of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
  • He is the Vice Chancellor of SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST), and becomes the 97th President of the AIU.
  • The AIU was founded in 1925, and initially it was known as the Inter-University Board of India.
  • The AIU currently has more than 720 members, represented by Vice Chancellors.
  • It facilitates coordination and mutual consultation among Universities and acts as a liaison with the Central and State governments.

China launches two remote-sensing satellites for Pakistan

  • China has successfully launched two remote sensing satellites for Pakistan.
  • The satellites were launched on a Long March-2C rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
  • The 2 satellites are PRSS-1 and PakTES-1A.
  • The PRSS-1 is China’s first optical remote sensing satellite sold to Pakistan.
  • The PakTES-1A is a scientific experiment satellite developed by Pakistan.
  • This is the second space cooperation between China and Pakistan since the launch of the communication satellite PAKSAT-1R in August 2011.

Jeremy Hunt appointed new UK Foreign Secretary

  • British Prime Minister Theresa May appointed Jeremy Hunt as foreign minister after the resignation of Boris Johnson.
  • Boris Johnson quit the cabinet in protest at Theresa May’s Brexit policy on a soft exit from the European Union.
  • Culture secretary Matt Hancock was appointed as Hunt’s successor as health secretary, while Jeremy Wright, the attorney general, is to become culture secretary.

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