EDF and GE sign deal to build 6 nuclear reactors for India
French state-run power utility EDF and American conglomerate General Electric (GE) have signed to build 6 EPR (European Pressurized Reactors) nuclear reactors with capacity 1,650 megawatts (MW) at Jaitapur nuclear plant in Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra. This agreement would make Jaitapur power plant the world’s largest nuclear power generating station by net electrical power rating. It will also help the Union Government to achieve its ambitious target of 22,480 MW nuclear power generation capacity by 2031.
ThyssenKrupp and TATA Steel to sign deal
ThyssenKrupp and Tata Steel are nearing a 15 billion euro deal this week to combine their European assets into a global steel giant. This joint venture would create the continent’s second-largest steelmaker after ArcelorMittal. The joint venture was originally planned to be signed in early 2018. It was delayed after ThyssenKrupp’s steel business performed much better than Tata Steel’s, requiring a reassessment of the deal. Signing is now planned at the end of June. There are disagreements over the size of the valuation gap, with estimate ranging from 500 million to 3 billion euros. Therefore, the signing event has been called into question.
Uttarakhand court sets limit for loudspeakers
The Uttarakhand High Court has ordered the state government to set the limit of loudspeakers at 5 dB(A). The court also disallowed any person or organisation, including religious bodies, from using loudspeakers without written permission and submitting an undertaking that the news level wouldn’t exceed 5 dB(A).
Summit between Trump and Putin to be held in third country
The US and Russia have reached an agreement to hold the summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a “third country”, at a date to be announced.
Tamilnadu is all set to network MRI, CT scan machines of government hospitals for better patient care
TN govt has taken steps to virtually connect 58 Computed Tomography (CT) and 18 Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) located in different govt hospitals in the state. The teleradiology system will allow selected images to be uploaded to a central server. Thus making the results accessible to radiologists sitting anywhere in the state. The connectivity between the central server and hospital is established through a 2 MBPS Internet leased line. Each Radiologist will be given laptops with an integrated SIM and 4G connectivity to access the images and report immediately.
Government plans to sell Air India’s iconic Mumbai building
Air India’s 23-storey building at Nariman Point, Mumbai, which was also once the airline’s headquarters, will be sold to state-owned Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), India’s biggest container port. Air India and JNPT comes under the Civil Aviation and Shipping ministries, respectively. Air India’s debt burden is estimated to be more than Rs 50,000 crore.
Hindi is the most spoken language in India, Bengali second
According to the language data of Census 2011, Hindi is the mother tongue of 43.63% Indians, making it the country’s most spoken language, followed by Bengali. Further, Marathi has replaced Telugu as the third most spoken language in the nation. While Sanskrit is least spoken, Urdu became the seventh most spoken language in India.
Chennai Airport to get humanoid robots to assist passengers
Officials of Airports Authority of India (AAI) have begun discussions with a few Indian companies to buy humanoid robots in a few months. Chennai airport will get 3 humanoid robots – one on each for domestic arrival, domestic departure and international departure. These robots will guide passengers and offer assistance with the queries.
Jinson Johnson breaks 4 decade old record in 800m and qualifies for Asian games
Jinson Johnson shattered a four-decade-old national record of Sriram Singh in 800m and qualified for the Jakarta Asian Games. He won the men’s 800m title in the National Inter-State Athletics Championships. The Armyman from Kerala timed 1:45.65 secs, eclipsing the record of Asian track stalwart of the 1970s, Sriram Singh, who ran 1:45.77 secs while finishing seventh in the 800m final at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
Yousaf Saleem sworn in as Pakistan’s first visually impaired judge
Yousaf Saleem, 25-year-old, a visually impaired lawyer, became the first blind judge in the history of Pakistan. His sister is reportedly Pakistan’s first visually impaired civil servant.
Finance Ministry approves Metro Rail projects in 5 cities of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh
The Union Finance Ministry has given “in-principle” approval to proposed Metro Rail projects in Indore, Bhopal, Kanpur, Agra, and Delhi. The estimated cost of the projects is ₹1.07 lakh crore. Besides the five metro projects, the Rs 32,000 crore Delhi-Meerut corridor of the proposed Rapid Rail Transit System also got the in-principle nod from the finance ministry.
President inaugurated Udyam Sangam 2018 in New Delhi
On International MSME (Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) Day 2018, the President of India Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the Udyam Sangam-2018 in New Delhi. It will empower women and weaker sections by providing training to 80 lakh women. The President also launched the Solar Charkha Mission which will cover 50 clusters and every cluster will employ 400 to 2000 artisans. President unveiled a portal of the Ministry of MSME called ‘Sampark’, which will act as a bridge between the talent pool and those enterprises seeking trained human resources.
National Security Adviser of Pakistan, Nasser Janjua resigns
Pakistan’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Lt Gen (retd) Nasser Khan Janjua resigned without citing any specific reason. Janjua was appointed as NSA in October 2015 by the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif, replacing Sartaj Aziz. Before being appointed as the NSA, Janjua was heading the Southern Command in Balochistan. Janjua was the second military official to hold the post after Major General (retd.) Mehmood Durrani who was NSA during an earlier Pakistan Peoples’ Party government.
Odisha CM increased the health cover under Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced that insurance coverage for women under the BJD’s health insurance proposal has been raised to Rs 7 lakh from Rs 5 lakh. He accepted a proposal by a Malkangiri woman while holding a session of Ama Gaon Ama Bikas – a direct fund disbursement programme for development activities. Odisha government had earlier announced the scheme on June 12 which would be implemented from August 15.
