29-31 july 2015

29 july

CCI imposed a penalty of 420 crore rupees on Hyundai

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on 27 July 2015 imposed a penalty of 420.26 crore rupees on Hyundai Motors India Ltd (Hyundai). The penalty was calculated at the rate of 2 percent of Hyundai’s average turnover and it has to be deposited within 60 days of receipt of the order.

Hyundai is one the three car companies which were found to be guilty of involving in anti-competitive practices in contravention of the Competition Act, 2002. The other two companies are Mahindra Reva Electric Car Company (P) Ltd and Premier Ltd.

However, considering the mitigating factors that worked in favour of Reva and Premier, the Commission absolved the monetary penalties on the two car companies.

The sections under which these three car companies were found to be in contravention of the Act are:

Under the Section 4 of the Act, these companies were found to be dominant in the aftermarkets for their respective brands and abused their dominant position.
Under Section 3(4) of the Act wherein these companies’ conduct was in violation with respect to their agreements with local Original Equipment Suppliers (OESs) and agreements with authorized dealers.

Suggested Corrective Measures by the CCI

The companies were ordered to cease and desist from indulging in conduct which has been found to be in contravention of the provisions of the Act.
The car companies were also directed to adopt appropriate policies which shall allow them to put in place an effective system to make the spare parts and diagnostic tools easily available in the open market to customers and independent repairers.
The Commission also directed the car companies to not to put any restrictions or impediments on the operation of independent repairers/garages.

The instant order and the suggested corrective measures is in continuation of Commission’s main order in the same case on 25 August 2014 vide which the Commission had inter-alia imposed penalties on fourteen out of the seventeen car companies under Section 27 of the Act.

General Council approved Kazakhstan's membership terms to join WTO as 162nd member

General Council of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on 27 July 2015 approved the membership terms of Kazakhstan, thus enabling it to join the world trade body as 162nd member.

In order to formally become the member of WTO, Kazakhstan Parliament now has to ratify the deal by 31 October 2015. It will become a member 30 days after it notifies the ratification.

The Protocol on the Accession of Kazakhstan was signed between WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo and President Nazarbayev Nursultan following the General Council’s approval of the country’s WTO terms of entry.

The negotiations on Kazakhstan’s membership were finalised by the Working Party on 10 June 2015 and was adopted by the 52 Working Party members by consensus on 22 June 2015.

Earlier on 26 April 2015, Seychelles joined WTO as the 161st member state.

India signed Loan Agreement of $300 Million with ADB for National Urban Health Mission

India on 28 July 2015 signed a loan agreement of 300 million US dollars with Asian Development Bank (ADB) for its flagship programme National Urban Health Mission (NUHM). The main of the NUHM is to improve the health status of the country’s urban population.

The agreement was signed by Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance on behalf of India and M. Teresa Kho, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission on behalf of ADB.

The loan agreement is titled Supporting National Urban Health Mission and it seeks to reinforce ongoing government efforts under the NUHM to develop health systems in urban areas that can deliver quality health services to the urban poor and vulnerable.

Further, it will focus on strengthening primary health care and also promote better coordination between health and urban sectors and opportunities for public-private partnerships.

Besides, the two parties also signed the accompanying capacity building technical assistance of 2 million US dollars financed by the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction.

About National Urban Health Mission (NUHM)

The National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) as a sub-mission of National Health Mission (NHM) was approved by the Union Cabinet on 1 May 2013 for continuation up to 2017.

It is implemented by the Union Ministries of Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation, Human Resource Development and Women & Child Development.

Key points of NUHM

It seeks to cover all 779 cities with a population of above 50000 and all the district and state headquarters (irrespective of the population size)
It provides for Mahila Arogya Samitis for promotion of access to improved health care at household level on the lines of Mahila Bachat Gat scheme in Maharashtra
It seeks to reduce Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) by 40 percent (in urban areas) and National Urban IMR down to 20 per 1000 live births by 2017
It also aims to reduce Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) by 50 percent by 2017
Achieve universal access to reproductive health including 100 percent institutional delivery
Achieve replacement level fertility of 2.1 by 2017

Justice Mahajan Committee constituted for Re-drafting National Sports Development Code of India

Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on 28 July 2015 constituted a Working Group on re-drafting National Sports Development Code of India (NSDCI). The aim of constituting the working group is to make the NSDCI more relevant from both sports governance and legal angles.

The nine-member Working Group will be headed by Justice CK Mahajan (retd.), Former Judge of Delhi High Court.

Terms of Reference of the Committee

To examine the existing NSDCI from both sports governance and legal angles and fine-tune/revise the same with the purpose of making it more precise and succinct.
To make specific recommendations on preparation of Electoral College and streamlining of State/District bodies
The Committee will submit the revised draft of the NSDCI within three months.

NSDCI was drafted in 2011 by amalgamating all the orders/notifications/instructions/circulars issued till 2001 with necessary modifications and it came into force with immediate effect from 31 January 2011.

World Hepatitis Day observed with theme ‘Prevent hepatitis. Act now’

World Hepatitis Day was observed across the world on 28 July 2015 with the theme Prevent hepatitis. Act now. The day acts as a significant global platform for raising awareness about hepatitis and influence real change in disease prevention, testing and treatment.

The theme highlights the fact that infection through transmission can be prevented through proven and effective interventions. It is important for everyone to be aware of hepatitis and to learn how they can protect themselves from being infected.

The observance of the day in 2015 focuses particularly on Hepatitis B and C. These two combined cause approximately 80 percent of all liver cancer deaths and kill close to 1.4 million people every year.

In 2015, WHO’s flagship event to mark the day will take place in Egypt, which has one of the world’s highest hepatitis burdens. It is estimated that 10 percent of the ‎Egypt’s population between 15 and ‎‎59 years is chronically ‎infected with hepatitis C.
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Egypt is also highlighting hepatitis prevention with it being chosen as one of the 3 pilot countries by WHO for its new Global ‎Injection Safety Initiative.‎

World Hepatitis Summit

It will take place in September 2015 in Glasgow, Scotland and will be the first-ever summit on hepatitis. The summit will be co-sponsored by WHO, the Scottish Government and the World Hepatitis Alliance.

The aim of the Summit is to raise the global profile of viral hepatitis, to create a platform for exchange of country experiences and to focus on working with countries to develop national action plans.

About Viral Hepatitis

Viral hepatitis is caused by 5 distinct hepatitis viruses A, B, C, D and E which together are responsible for 1.45 million deaths each year.

Hepatitis B and C are responsible for 80 percent of infections whereas Hepatitis A and E are only responsible for 1 percent of infections.

81 percent of world’s infants are vaccinated and protected from hepatitis B infection and 2 million hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections occur yearly through unsafe injections.

These viruses are transmitted through contaminated water and food, as well as by contact with blood or bodily fluids, through unsafe injections or transfusions. Infection also occurs from a mother to a child, or through sexual contact.

Ramon Magsaysay Awardees for the year 2015 announced; Two Indians among the awardees

The Board of Trustees of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) on 29 July 2015 announced the Ramon Magsaysay awardees for the year 2015.

Among the five awardees who will be conferred with the so-called Asia’s Nobel Prize, there are two Indians, namely Sanjiv Chaturvedi and Anshu Gupta.

The awards will be presented on 31 August 2015 at Manila, Philippines.

List of Awardees

Sanjiv Chaturvedi, India:He was awarded for Emergent Leadership for his exemplary integrity, courage and tenacity in uncompromisingly exposing and painstakingly investigating corruption in public office. He is an Indian Forest Service officer and currently the deputy secretary of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). He also served as a Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) at AIIMS during 2012-14.

Anshu Gupta, India:He was recognized for his creative vision in transforming the culture of giving in India and his enterprising leadership in treating cloth as a sustainable development resource for the poor. He founded Goonj in 1999, which is a non-governmental organisation based in Delhi and works in 21 states across India in disaster relief, humanitarian aid and community development.

Kommaly Chanthavong, Laos:She was recognized for her fearless, indomitable spirit to revive and develop the ancient Laotian art of silk weaving, creating livelihoods for thousands of poor, war-displaced Laotians, and thus preserving the dignity of women and her nation’s priceless silken cultural treasure.

Ligaya Fernando-Amilbangsa, the Philippines:She was recognized for her single-minded crusade in preserving the endangered artistic heritage of southern Philippines, and in creatively propagating a dance form that celebrates and deepens the sense of shared cultural identity among Asians.

Kyaw Thu, Myanmar:He was recognized for his generous compassion in addressing the fundamental needs of both the living and the dead in Myanmar -- regardless of their class or religion -- and his channeling personal fame and privilege to mobilize many others toward serving the greater social good.

About Ramon Magsaysay Award

The Award established in 1957 is Asia’s highest honour and is widely regarded as the region’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize.

The Award honours those individuals whose lives are characterized by selfless service which impacts the lives of the greater many – the same ideals and achievement for which the Philippines third President Ramon Magsaysay is remembered.

The awardees receive a certificate, a medallion bearing the likeness of the late President, and a cash prize.

Till date 307 persons have received the award which was first given in 1958.

Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in the 27 July 2015 allowed Indian women athlete Dutee Chand to compete in women’s event with immediate effect.

The historic verdict was given by CAS chaired by Justice Annabelle Claire Bennett (Federal Court of Australia). In its verdict, CAS suspended the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) regulation governing eligibility of females withnaturally-occurring Hyperandrogenism.

Further, the highest body of arbitration in sports in its verdict gave the IAAF two years time to provide the scientific evidence that naturally-occurring Hyperandrogenism provide an unfair athletic advantage to female athletes as compared to their peers.

If the IAAF does not, or cannot, do so the Hyperandrogenism Regulation will be rendered null and void.

Until now, IAAF regulation suspended or banned those female athletes who were found with naturally-elevated testosterone levels. They were banned outright from participating in the competition unless they underwent medical intervention to lower their testosterone levels.

Background

Dutee Chand was dropped from the Glasgow Commonwealth Games contingent at the last minute after the Athletic Federation of India (AFI) in its 16 July 2014 order stating that hyperandrogenism made her ineligible to compete as a female athlete.

She challenged the decision of AFI in September 2014 with support from Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

She was represented pro bono in CAS by Toronto-based lawyer James Bunting, Justice Morris Fish of Davies Ward Phillips and Vineberg LLP.

She is an Indian athlete from Odisha and is the current national champion in women's 100 metres event.

Court of Arbitration for Sports allowed Indian athlete Dutee Chand to compete in women’s event

Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in the 27 July 2015 allowed Indian women athlete Dutee Chand to compete in women’s event with immediate effect.

If the IAAF does not, or cannot, do so the Hyperandrogenism Regulation will be rendered null and void.

Background

She challenged the decision of AFI in September 2014 with support from Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

She was represented pro bono in CAS by Toronto-based lawyer James Bunting, Justice Morris Fish of Davies Ward Phillips and Vineberg LLP.

She is an Indian athlete from Odisha and is the current national champion in women's 100 metres event.

Dr. Suniti Solomon, pioneering Indian HIV/AIDS researcher, passed away

The pioneering Indian HIV/AIDS researcher Dr. Suniti Solomon died at her residence in Chennai on 28 July 2015. She died due to cancer and was 76.

She was the first person in India who documented the nation’s first HIV/AIDS case in 1986 and later set up Y R Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education (YRG CARE) – the first voluntary testing and counseling center for the disease.

In 1986, Dr Solomon, then a microbiologist at Madras Medical College, made headlines for discovering HIV/AIDS cases in six blood samples collected from female sex workers lodged at the government home on Kutchery Road in Mylapore in Chennai.

Solomon trained in pathology in the U.K., the U.S. and Australia won a string of awards for her HIV/AIDS work. These were:

• 2012: Lifetime Achievement Award for Service on HIV/AIDS by Dr MGR Medical University, Chennai
• 2009: National Women Bio-scientist Award by Ministry of Science And Technology

She also was a fellow of National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS), New Delhi and had served on several boards. These include National Technical Team on Women and AIDS, Advisory Board of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative-India, and the Microbicide Committee of Indian Council of Medical Research.

International Tiger Day observed across the world

29 July: International Tiger Day

International Tiger Day was observed across the world on 29 July 2015. The day is observed every year since 2010 to promote the protection and expansion of the wild tiger habitats and to gain support through awareness for tiger conservation.

In last 100 years, world has lost 97 percent of all wild tigers. The tiger count has fallen from 100000 in 1913 to 3274 in 2013 to 3200 in 2014.

Tigers lost 93% of their natural habitat due to the expansion of cities and agriculture by humans. Besides, human-wildlife conflict and climate change also has been responsible for decline in tiger population and loss of habitat.

Among the 13 tiger-range countries, India with 2226 has the highest number of tiger population. India is followed by Malaysia with 500 tigers. Bangladesh, which was at third with 440 tigers in 2004, saw the tiger population decline to 106 in Tiger Census 2015.

The day was founded at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010 in Russia so as to protect the tiger from becoming extinct. The summit also declared to double global tiger population by 2022.

Clive Rice, first post-apartheid captain of South Africa Cricket team, passed away

Former captain of the South Africa cricket team Clive Rice died on 28 July 2015 due to brain tumour in Cape Town. He was 66.

He was the first post-apartheid captain of South Africa cricket team that made historic first tour to India in 1991.

He represented South Africa for the first time in Kolkata on 10 November 1991 as captain and last time in New Delhi four days later. By then he was 42 and considered too old for the World Cup that followed in 1992.

Even though he played three One Day Internationals (ODIs) scoring 26 runs and two wickets, he was one of the best all-rounders of his time during 1980s when he played for Nottinghamshire and Transvaal. He captained Nottinghamshire in 1978.

He made his first-class debut in 1969, the year before South Africa were banished from international cricket because of the country’s policy of apartheid. In first-class cricket Rice scored 26331 runs at 40.95 and claimed 930 wickets at 22.49.

He would have made his Test debut on the 1971-72 tour of Australia but it was cancelled.

30 july

Eminent vocalist Vasundhara Komkali died

Eminent musician Vasundhara Komkali died on 29 July 2015 at her residence in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh. She was 85.

Wife of eminent musician late Pandit Kumar Gandhrav is now survived by her daughter Kalapini Komkali, who too is a vocalist.

Vasundhara Komkali
• She is regarded as one of the prominent Indian classical vocalists.
• She received training in Indian classical music by Pt. Kumar Gandharva (her husband) and Dr. BR Deodhar.
• She was recognised with several awards, including prestigious Padmashri award.

Hockey India appointed Roelant Oltmans as coach of Men’s national team

Hockey India on 25 July 2015 appointed Roelant Oltmans of the Netherlands as coach of men’s national team. The official announcement was made by the Hockey India President Narinder Batra after meeting with the Director of the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

He already has been associated with the Indian hockey team as High Performance Director and will replace Dutchman Paul van Ass, who was unceremoniously sacked by Hockey India.

The 69-year old Dutchman will be at the helm of affairs at least till 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

He was the interim Head Coach of team after Terry Walsh resigned in 2014.

SEBI cancelled Certificate of Registration of Sahara Mutual Fund

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 28 July 2015 cancelled the Certificate of Registration of Sahara Mutual Fund. Its licence would stand cancelled after 60 days from the date of the order.

The market regulator in its order said that the company is not fit and proper entity to carry out the business of mutual fund.

It also directed Sahara Mutual Fund or Sahara Asset Management Company Private Limited (Sahara AMC) not to take any new subscription from the investors including existing investors in Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs) or Systematic Transfer Plans (STP) and also not to levy any penalties on the investors for not depositing the installments.

The regulator also asked the fund house to transfer activities of Sahara India Financial Corporation Limited (Sahara Sponsor) and Sahara Asset Management Company Private Limited (Sahara AMC) to a new sponsor and a SEBI approved asset Management Company at the earliest.

It also directed that the Board of Trustees of the Sahara Mutual Fund shall oversee and ensure protection of the unit holders' interests during the above period. On transfer of the activities, the Board of Trustees shall be re-constituted in accordance with the SEBI (Mutual Fund) Regulations, 1996.

Besides, the regulator also said that in the event of failure of Sahara Mutual Fund to complete the process of transition, within a period of five months from the date of this order, then Sahara Mutual Fund should compulsorily redeem the units allotted to its investors and credit the respective funds to its investors, without any additional cost, within a period of thirty (30) days thereafter and wind up the operations of the Mutual Fund.

On expiry of the six months from the date of this order, Sahara Mutual Fund shall return the certificate of registration to SEBI.

Yakub Memon executed as SC rejected his fresh plea in pre-dawn hearing

1993 Mumbai serial blasts lone death row convict, Yakub Memon was executed on 30 July 2015 at the Nagpur Central Jail.

The State Government of Maharashtra has decided to hand over his body to his relatives, after completion of formalities.

Memon's execution was carried out about two hours after his lawyers' last-gasp plea, to get the death warrant stayed. This plea was dismissed by the three-judge bench comprising Justice Deepak Mishra, Justice Amitava Roy and Justice Prafulla Chandra Pant in an unprecedented hearing that began in the wee hours today and ended at dawn.

Earlier, the President Pranab Mukherjee and Maharashtra Governor rejected Memon's mercy petition on 29 July 2015 after which, his lawyers moved the apex court again late last night seeking stay of his hanging.

Yakub Memon, a chartered accountant with profession was accused for planning the Mumbai blasts that occurred on 12 March 1993. The 1993 bomb blasts led to death of 257 people and injured at least 712 people.

Memon along with 11 other were slapped with the death penalty by the TADA court on 27 July 2007 for his role in the blasts, including arranging finances for carrying out the 12 serial explosions in the city. Later, the Supreme Court transferred the death sentence of remaining 10 accused of the Mumbai blasts to life imprisonments, except Memon.

UNSC failed to adopt proposal to create tribunal on crash of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on 29 July 2015 was unable to adopt the resolution titled International Criminal Tribunal for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17. The adoption of resolution would have established an international tribunal to prosecute persons responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which crashed on 17 July 2014 in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.

It failed to adopt the proposal after Russia vetoed the proposal. If one of the Council's five permanent members casts a negative vote on a resolution, the text cannot be adopted.

Remaining 11 members of the Council voted in favour of the draft resolution that was introduced by Malaysia’s Minister of Transport, Liow Tiong Lai. Angola, China and Venezuela abstained from voting.

The resolution would have urged the earliest possible finalization of the ongoing international technical investigation into the cause of the crash, in which 298 people died, and the criminal investigation. It would have requested Member States to work together in the Joint Investigation Team to continue to keep the Council fully and regularly informed of the progress of its.

Union Cabinet approved Rajya Sabha panel's amendments on GST Bill, 2014

The Union Cabinet on 29 July 2015 approved amendments proposed by Rajya Sabha Select Committee on Goods and Services Tax (GST) Constitution Amendment Bill, 2014.

The Rajya Sabha Select Committee chaired by Bhupender Yadav in its report submitted on 22 July 2015 suggested that compensation to the states should be made for 5 years instead of up to 5 years for any revenue loss due to introduction of GST.

The Bill also called Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill, 2014 was passed in Lok Sabha on 5 May 2015

Recommendations of the Select Committee includes
•Additional tax up to 1%: On this, the committee stated that the provision of 1% additional tax is likely to lead to cascading of taxes. Hence, it recommended that the term, supply be explained to mean all forms of supply made for a consideration.
• Compensation to States: On this, the committee recommended that compensation would be provided to states for a period of five years
• Functions of the GST Council: On this, the committee recommended that the term, bands must be defined to include the range of GST rates, over the floor rate, within which CGST and SGST may be levied on specific goods or services or classes of goods or services
• Dispute Resolution:In this, the Committee stated that the creation of a separate dispute settlement authority would hamper the functioning of the GST Council in general and the legislatures in particular.
• GST Rates of Banking Services: On this, the committee recommended that the GST rate for the banking industry should be minimum, to ensure international competitiveness. If possible, banking services could be outside the purview of GST.
• GST Network (GSTN): The committee noted that the non government shareholding in GSTN is dominated by private banks, and this is not desirable. It recommended that the non government institution shareholding be limited to public sector banks and financial institutions.

Other Cabinet decisions
The cabinet approved a comprehensive anti-hijack billthat provides for death penalty for hijackers even in the event of on-ground staff casualties.

It also approved a new Consumer Protection Bill that seeks to replace a 29-year-old law and proposes to set up a regulatory authority which will have powers to recall products and initiate class suit against defaulting companies, including e-tailers.

The Cabinet also gave its nod for creation of 20000-crore rupeesNational Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) for development of infrastructure projects. It also gave its approval to foreign investment in the Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs)for facilitating domestic investment.

e-Tourist Visa scheme extended to China, Hong Kong and Macau

e-Tourist Visa scheme was extended to China, Hong Kong and Macau with effect from 30 July 2015. The facility was extended as per the decision of the 29 July 2015 of Union Government.

With the inclusion of these countries/territories, the total number of countries/territories covered under the e-Tourist Visa scheme will go up from 74 to 77.

E-Tourist Visa (e-TV) scheme
The e-Tourist Visa scheme was launched by the Government of India on 27 November 2014. Till date, the scheme has been extended to 77 countries/territories and will be extended to more countries/territories in a phased manner.

Under this scheme, tourists with e-Tourist Visas can arrive at nine designated airports namely Bengaluru, Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai & Trivandrum.

Since the launch of the scheme, about two lakh e-TVs have been issued to nationals of different countries.

CCI imposed penalty upon three Film & TV association of Karnataka

Competition Commission of India (CCI) on 29 July 2015 imposed penalty upon Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC), Karnataka Television Association (KTVA) and Kannada Film Producers Association (KFPA).

The penalty was imposed for contravening the Section 3 of the Competition Act, 2002.

Considering the recurring violation of the provisions of the Act and the complete disregard to the competition law principles by KFCC, the Commission imposed a penalty of 1682204 rupees calculated at the rate of 10% of its average income on KFCC.

Further penalty of 174293 rupees and 168124 rupees calculated at the rate of 8% of the average income of KTVA and KFPA, respectively, were imposed on them.

The Informant, an association of viewers within the State of Karnataka, had approached the Commission alleging anti-competitive conduct by various associations in Karnataka in not allowing dubbed content in the form of films and TV serials.

Consequent upon detailed investigation by the Director General, the Commission concluded that the KFCC, KTVA and KFPA, were involved in the practice of preventing the release/telecast of dubbed Films/TV serials in the State of Karnataka.

The Commission further found that the prohibition on the exhibition of dubbed content, both films and/or TV programmes, prevents the competing parties in pursuing their commercial activities and thus, they were indulged in anti-competitive conduct in contravention to the Section 3 of the Competition Act.

Accordingly the Commission directed KFCC, KTVA and KFPA to cease and desist from indulging in practices which were found to be anti-competitive. The Commission took note of its early orders against KFCC where it was found to be acting in an anti–competitive manner.

India to become most populous nation by 2022: UN World Population Prospects

United Nations (UN) on 29 July 2015 released the report title World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision at the UN Headquarters in New York.

According to the report, India will surpass China to become the most populous nation in the world by 2022. In the forecast issued by UN in 2013 India was expected to surpass China's population by 2028.

India’s population prospects

It is projected to retain the top spot till 2100 and its population is projected to grow for several decades after 2022. It is forecasted to grow to 1.5 billion in 2030 and 1.7 billion in 2050.
On the other hand, the population of China is expected to remain fairly constant until the 2030s, after which it is expected to slightly decrease.
At present, India’s population is approximately 1.31 billion as compared to China’s population of 1.38 billion.
Further India is one of the nine countries where half- of the world’s population is expected to be concentrated during the period 2015-2050. The other eight countries are Nigeria, Pakistan, Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania, US, Indonesia and Uganda.
India's life expectancy at birth will is forecasted to improve over the next decades, growing from 71.7 years in 2025-2030 to 75.9 years in 2045-2050 and 84.6 years in 2095-2100.

General highlights of the report

The world population reached 7.3 billion as of mid- 2015, implying that the world has added approximately one billion people in the span of the last twelve years.
The world population is projected to increase by more than one billion people within the next 15 years, reaching 8.5 billion in 2030, and to increase further to 9.7 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion by 2100.
Sixty per cent of the global population lives in Asia (4.4 billion), 16 per cent in Africa (1.2 billion), 10 per cent in Europe (738 million), 9 per cent in Latin America and the Caribbean (634 million), and the remaining 5 per cent in Northern America (358 million) and Oceania (39 million).
During the period, Africa has the highest rate of population growth among major areas, growing at a pace of 2.55 per cent annually.
Among the ten largest countries in the world, one is in Africa (Nigeria), five are in Asia (Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, and Pakistan), two are in Latin America (Brazil and Mexico), one is in Northern America (United States of America), and one is in Europe (Russian Federation).
The populations of 48 countries or areas in the world are expected to decrease between 2015 and 2050.
In 2015, 50.4 per cent of the world’s population is male and 49.6 per cent is female.
The median age of the global population, that is, the age at which half the population is older and half is younger, is 29.6 years.
About one-quarter (26 percent) of the world’s people is under 15 years of age, 62 per cent are aged 15-59 years, and 12 per cent are 60 or over.

The report is the 24th round of UN population estimates and it has been prepared by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the UN Secretariat.

India to become most populous nation by 2022: UN World Population Prospects

United Nations (UN) on 29 July 2015 released the report title World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision at the UN Headquarters in New York.

India’s population prospects

It is projected to retain the top spot till 2100 and its population is projected to grow for several decades after 2022. It is forecasted to grow to 1.5 billion in 2030 and 1.7 billion in 2050.
On the other hand, the population of China is expected to remain fairly constant until the 2030s, after which it is expected to slightly decrease.
At present, India’s population is approximately 1.31 billion as compared to China’s population of 1.38 billion.
Further India is one of the nine countries where half- of the world’s population is expected to be concentrated during the period 2015-2050. The other eight countries are Nigeria, Pakistan, Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania, US, Indonesia and Uganda.
India's life expectancy at birth will is forecasted to improve over the next decades, growing from 71.7 years in 2025-2030 to 75.9 years in 2045-2050 and 84.6 years in 2095-2100.

General highlights of the report

The world population reached 7.3 billion as of mid- 2015, implying that the world has added approximately one billion people in the span of the last twelve years.
The world population is projected to increase by more than one billion people within the next 15 years, reaching 8.5 billion in 2030, and to increase further to 9.7 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion by 2100.
Sixty per cent of the global population lives in Asia (4.4 billion), 16 per cent in Africa (1.2 billion), 10 per cent in Europe (738 million), 9 per cent in Latin America and the Caribbean (634 million), and the remaining 5 per cent in Northern America (358 million) and Oceania (39 million).
During the period, Africa has the highest rate of population growth among major areas, growing at a pace of 2.55 per cent annually.
Among the ten largest countries in the world, one is in Africa (Nigeria), five are in Asia (Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, and Pakistan), two are in Latin America (Brazil and Mexico), one is in Northern America (United States of America), and one is in Europe (Russian Federation).
The populations of 48 countries or areas in the world are expected to decrease between 2015 and 2050.
In 2015, 50.4 per cent of the world’s population is male and 49.6 per cent is female.
The median age of the global population, that is, the age at which half the population is older and half is younger, is 29.6 years.
About one-quarter (26 percent) of the world’s people is under 15 years of age, 62 per cent are aged 15-59 years, and 12 per cent are 60 or over.

The report is the 24th round of UN population estimates and it has been prepared by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the UN Secretariat.

‘Visaarnai’ became first Tamil film to enter Venice film festival

Actor Dhanush produced Tamil thriller 'Visaaranai' will have its world premiere in the competition section of the upcoming 72nd Venice International Film Festival. The festival is scheduled to take place between 2 September and 12 September 2015.

With this, Visaaranai will become the first Tamil film to have its world premiere in the competition section of the upcoming at Venice International Film Festival.

Yet to be released, the film Visaranai written and directed by Vetrimaaran of Polladhavan fame is an experimental Tamil thriller movie. It is based on true events and is about police interrogation techniques and brutality.

The film stars Attakathi Dinesh, Anandhi and Aadukalam Murugadoss in the leading roles.

Visaaranai is second film produced by Dhanush that will get international recognition after the critically acclaimed Kaaka Mutta.

Nepal banned animal Sacrifice at Gadhimai Festival

Gadhimai Temple Trust of Nepal on 28 July 2015 banned animal sacrifice that occurs during Gadhimai festival, the world’s biggest animal sacrifice event held once in every five years.

The temple authorities have announced the end of the centuries-old Hindu tradition of slaughter that attracts hundreds of thousands of worshippers. The authorities also urged devotees not to bring animals to the festival that will be next held in the year 2019.

The temple authorities’ decision came after years of intense lobbying and campaigning by animal rights activists who applauded the animal sacrifices during the festival.

As per estimates, in November 2014 during the Gadhimai festival that took place in Bariyapur village near Indian border, about 2.5 million worshippers sacrificed an estimated 2 lakhs animals. In 2009, the figure was an estimated 5 lakhs animals.

The tradition of sacrificing animals is almost 400-years old. According to legends, the first sacrifices in Bariyapur were made when Gadhimai appeared to a prisoner in a dream and asked him to establish a temple to her. When he awoke, his shackles had fallen open and he was able to leave the prison and build the temple, where he sacrificed animals to give thanks.

Since then, pilgrims from Nepal and India flock to this village to sacrifice thousands of animals in the hope of appeasing the Hindu goddess of power, Gadhimai so as to have better wealth and life.

Union Cabinet approved setting up of National Investment and Infrastructure Fund

Union Cabinet on 29 July 2015 approved setting up of National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) to back new and stressed projects may help restart the investment cycle.

The fund will have an initial corpus of 20000 crore rupees which can be leveraged by infrastructure companies.

NIIF is proposed to be set up as a Trust which would raise debt to invest in the equity of infrastructure finance companies such as Indian Rail Finance Corporation (IRFC) and National Housing Bank (NHB).

The fund was proposed by the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his Budget 2015-16.

Besides, the Cabinet also gave approval to foreign investment in the Alternative Investment Funds for facilitating domestic investment.

Cyclone Komen formed over Bay of Bengal

Cyclone Komen: A new tropical cyclone formed over Northern Bay of Bengal

Cyclone Komen came into news on 30 July 2015 after the depression over the Northern Bay of Bengal turned into a cyclonic storm. The cyclone is expected to make landfall on the coast of Odisha and West Bengal.

Komen currently lies centred at about 95 km southwest of Chittagong in Bangladesh and about 300 km southeast of Kolkata.

The slow-moving monsoon depression has already unleashed lethal amounts of rain in South Asia and has claimed 27 lives in Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted heavy to very heavy rains with isolated extremely heavy rains in Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha of India. The cyclone is expected to attain the wind speed reaching 65-75 kmph gusting to 85 kmph.

The cyclone after making landfall in Bangladesh will move west-north-westwards and weaken gradually.

31 july

Film Talvar to be premiered at Toronto International Film Festival

Talvar, an upcoming Bollywood mystery thriller film directed by Meghna Gulzar, will have its international premier at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). It has been selected for World Premier in 'Special Presentations' section at the festival that runs from 10 September to 20 September 2015.

Talvar written by Vishal Bhardwaj revolves around the sensational murder of 14-year-old Aarushi Talvarand 45-year-old Hemraj Banjade, a domestic help in Noida, India. It will have lyrics by Gulzar and is shot by Pankaj Kumar of Haider and Ship of Theseus fame.

The film stars, Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Tabu, and Sohum Shah in leading roles and is produced by Junglee Pictures.

Besides, Leena Yadav's short film Parched that will also be screened at the film festival. The film is set in the heart of parched rural landscape of Gujarat and traces the bittersweet tale of four ordinary women Rani, Lajjo, Bijli and Janaki.

Kotak launched mobile banking app named Kotak Bharat

Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB) on 21 July 2015 launched a mobile banking app named'Kotak Bharat'. The application will require no internet connectivity.

This inclusive digital banking app has been created to benefit the customers in the under-banked and un-banked regions of the country.

Features of Kotak Bharat
• Access your Savings or Current Accounts and Credit Cards from anywhere.
• Available on Android.
• It's safe, as it works only through the mobile number registered with the bank and allows only basic banking and recharge transactions.
• No PIN or password is required to access this app.
• All requests are processed by SMS and do not require internet access to transact. Standard SMS charges will apply.
• 23 banking transactions including prepaid mobile/DTH recharge.
• Link your Aadhaar (UID) to bank account.
• Apply for Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY).

At present the application is available in Hindi and English language, but by end of August 2015 it will have other languages like Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil and Kannada.

Further, more Indian languages will be added to the application to help customers to access this service in their preferred language.

SALt, a lamp that runs eight hours on water and salt, developed

A start-up in Philippines in July 2015 developed a lamp namedSALt (Sustainable Alternative Lighting) that runs on a glass of water and two tablespoons of salt. The lamp is named after the company SALt that was founded by Aisa MijenoandRaphael Mijeno.

This cost effective lamp burns for eight hours at a time to lighten a room and will also be able to generate enough energy to charge a smart-phone through a USB cable.

The lamp can also be lit by using ocean water and would be of great help for people living along the coastline.

How it will work?
The lamp works with a galvanic cell battery, which consists of an electrolyte solution - the salt and water - and two electrodes. The electrodes, after being placed in the electrolyte, generated energy that can lit an LED light.

The battery will work for eight hours a day for six months, which is a considerable upgrade from the constant refills required by paraffin lantern.

The team says that the lamp is safe as there are no materials and components inside the lamp that may cause fire accidents.

The start-up hopes that the lamp will be in the market by 2016.

The idea to develop such a lamp was conceived during their stay with the natives of the Butbut tribe of Philippines for days that relied only on kerosene lamps and moonlight to do evening chores.

RBI decided to issue 10 rupees coins to commemorate International Day of Yoga

The Reserve Bank of India on 30 July 2015 decided to put into circulation 10 rupees coins to commemorate the International Day of Yoga. The coins have been minted by the Government of India.

The design details of these coins are:
Obverse
• The obverse of the coin bears the Lion Capitol of Ashoka Pillar in the center with the legend "सत्यमेव जयते" inscribed below, flanked on the left periphery with the word "भारत" in Devnagri script and on the right periphery flanked with the word "INDIA" in English.

• It also bears the Rupee ₹ symbol and denominational value "10" in the international numerals below the Lion Capitol.

Reverse
• The reverse of the coin bears the logo of "International Day of Yoga", with inscription "सामंजस्य एवं शान्ति के लिए योग" in Devnagri Script and "YOGA FOR HARMONY AND PEACE" around the logo and design.
• The date "21 JUNE" is written at the bottom of the logo.
• The inscription "अंतर्राष्ट्रीय योग दिवस" in Devnagri script on left periphery and "INTERNATIONAL DAY OF YOGA" in English on the right periphery is written on this side of the coin.
• The year "2015" is written on the lower periphery in international numerals exactly below the logo.

These coins are legal tender as provided in The Coinage Act 2011. The existing coins in this denomination will also continue to be legal tender.

SC upheld the commutation of death sentence of convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case

The Supreme Court of India (SC) on 29 July 2015 dismissed a curative petition of Union Government against commutation of the death penalty of three convicts namely Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan of Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

A five-jugdge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice HL Dattu held that there was no infirmity in commuting death sentence to life imprisonment on the ground of 11-year delay on the part of government in deciding the mercy plea of the convicts.

The Constitution Bench comprised of Chief Justice HL Dattu, Justice Fakkir Mohamed Ibrahim Kalifulla, Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose, Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit.

The Union Government in its plea asked a question that whether after the commutation of death sentence into life imprisonment, could the state government further grant remission of sentence to release the Rajiv Gandhi assassins.

The Union Government in third week of July 2015 told the apex court that no mercy could be shown to the killers of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi as opposed to the Tamil Nadu government's move to set free seven convicts by granting them remission of sentence.

The apex court, earlier on 18 February 2014, commuted the death sentence of the trio to life imprisonment on grounds of delay by the Union Government in deciding their mercy plea.

Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated as a result of a suicide bombing in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai, in Tamil Nadu on 21 May 1991.

Microsoft launched Windows 10 operating system

Microsoft Corporation on 29 July 2015 rolled out a free evaluation version of Windows 10 Enterprise edition for 190 countries. The free-trial will be available for 90-day to check out the new Operating System (OS).

The free edition provides a chance to test-drive the new Operating System before deciding if one really wants to upgrade from Windows 7 or 8.1.

This operating system will be available for free to Windows 7 and 8.1 users who reserved the copy. This upgrade will be available for free for one year.

It will deliver new capabilities to PCs, tablets, phones, and Raspberry Pi, with innovations like Microsoft Edge, Cortana, Continuum and Windows Hello. It is also enabled with new categories of devices like Hololens and Surface Hub.

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons observed across the world

30 July: World Day Against Trafficking in Persons

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons was observed across the world on 30 July 2015. To mark the day, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launched the global campaign #IGiveHope to raise awareness around the plight of survivors of trafficking in persons.

On this day, UNODC called for definitive and marked action to both end the impunity of traffickers, and to drastically boost the much-needed support being provided to victims.

According to UNODC's biennial Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, at least 152 countries of origin and 124 countries of destination are affected by trafficking in persons.

An estimated 21 million people are trapped in modern-day slavery. 33 percent of known victims of trafficking are children, a five point increase compared with the 2007-2010 period. Girls make up two out of every three child victims. Together with women, they now account for 70 per cent of trafficked persons worldwide.

The day was adopted by UN General Assembly (UNGA) in 2013 during a high-level meeting held to appraise the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons which was adopted in 2010.

Punjab Government to create Beas Belt near Harike Patan as habitat for Gharials

Punjab Government on 28 July 2015 announced that it is trying to make Beas Belt, near Harike Patan as a habitat of Gharials (Gavialis gangeticus). For this purpose, in initial phase 15 Gharials will be released in the Beas belt in February-March 2016.

The Gharials will be released in the area by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWFN), an NGO near Karmowal village which has ample water bodies with sand banks. Thus, the area will be suitable for being developed as habitat for the species.

Further, more Gharials will be released in the area depending upon the success of the initial phase.

The water bodies in Harike Patan are a house for 15 dolphins, variety of Wild Boars, Cat and Fish. This creation of the belt as habitat for Gharials will also help in boosting tourism in the area.

Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)
• Gharial also known as Gavial is the last surviving species of the family Gavialidae.
• It is a fish-eating crocodile and a native to the Indian sub-continent.
• They are listed as Critically Endangered under criterion A2 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
• By 1976, the estimated total population of wild Gharial in the world had declined from what is thought to have been 5000 to 10000 in the 1940s to less than 200 (Whitaker et al. 1974), a decline of about 96 percent.
• The drastic decline in the Gharial population over the last 60 years (three generations for the gharial) can be attributed to a variety of causes including over-hunting for skins and trophies, egg collection for consumption, killing for indigenous medicine, and killing by fishermen.
• The Government of India has accorded the highest level of protection to Gharial by bringing it under Schedule I of the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972.

Beijing chosen to host 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics

Thomas Bach, the President of International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 31 July 2015 announced that Beijing will host the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. Chinese capital was chosen ahead of Almaty, Kazakshtan at the 128th IOC session in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

With this, Beijing became the first city to host both the Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics. It hosted Summer Olympics in 2008.

Beijing was confirmed to host the Winter Olympics 2022 after Chinese bid beat Almaty by 44 votes to 40 with one abstention.

The IOC said that Beijing was awarded the Games because it fitted its new agenda for a stronger focus on sustainability, legacy, and transparency.

The 2014 Winter Olympics was held in Sochi, Russia and at 51 billion US dollars was the most expensive Olympics in history.

In 2018, the Winter Olympics will be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.