The World Bank to continue the support to Andhra Pradesh with over $1 Billion program:

• The World Bank dropped a loan proposal for Amaravati project continues to support Andhra Pradesh with an over one billion USD program.
• The program mainly covers the health, agriculture, energy and disaster management sectors. 

Aim: 

• The main aim is to improve the living standards of citizens in tune with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Features:

• This includes a new $328 million support to the state`s health sector
• The World Bank`s statement dropped a 300 million USD loan proposal for the Amaravati Sustainable Infrastructure and Institutional Development Project. 
• The Government of India (GoI) withdrew its request to the World Bank for financing the proposed Amaravati Sustainable Infrastructure and Institutional Development Project. 
• The World Bank`s Board of Executive Directors informed that the proposed project is no longer under preparation following the government`s decision.
• The government seeks World Bank assistance for funding the flagship Navaratnalu program.

China Congratulates India for Chandrayaan-2, Wants to Work Together in Space Explorations:

• China congratulated India after the successful launch of the Chandrayaan-2. China decided to work with India for upcoming outer space programs.
• China launched its five lunar exploration missions to the Moon.
• They made history landing on the far side of the Moon. 
• They looked for a launch of its own Mars mission by 2020. 

China - Moon - History:

• China is the first spacecraft landed on the far side of the Moon.
• This is the lunar surface known as the dark side of the moon.
• The main aim is to explore lunar surroundings rover Yutu-2 then rolled off the lander.Chang`e-4 of China the first spacecraft that landed on the far side of the Moon on January 2019.
• It is the lunar mission to Change3, first spacecraft landing on the Moon. 
• The main objective of landing on the dark side of the Moon to explore the surface of the Moon .
• It is used to collect samples that are still unexplored. 

Chang`e 6 mission:

• Chang`e 6 mission is expected to launch in 2023 or 2024 
• The Chang’e 7 and 8 will be launched in 2023 and 2027 respectively. 
• The Chang’e 8 will carry a lander, a rover, a flying detector, and a 3D Printer to build a small structure on the lunar surface. 
• They may conduct a brief ecosystem experiment on the Moon.

New India-UK bilateral scheme launched on Pilot basis:

• New India-UK bilateral scheme launched on Pilot. 
• The UKEIRI Mobility Programme launched on a pilot basis to support Britain`s universities to collaborate with Indian partners to facilitate the United Kingdom (UK) students to visit India during their studies. 
• UKERI stands for `UK-India Education Research Initiative`. 

About UKEIRI Mobility Programme:

• It is an initiative of Universities UK International (UUKI) and British Council India. Objective: To fund students from UK to visit India. 
• Aim: To generate up to 200 opportunities for undergraduate students at UK universities to visit India by March 2021. 
• Study in India programme will support national as well as institutional-level objectives to increase levels of outward student mobility from the UK to 13% by 2020.
• This target is set out in UUKi`s Go International: Stand Out campaign.

Priti Patel has been appointed as the Britains first Indian origin home secretary:

Priti Patel has been appointed as the Britain`s first Indian-origin home secretary which is a part of Prime Minister Boris Johnson`s top team on 25 July. She will replace Pakistani-origin Sajid Javid. He has been transferred to the Treasury department as the first ethnic minority Chancellor of the Exchequer.

About Priti Patel:

Patel was a prominent member from the Conservative Party leadership. She was a member of the Back Boris campaign. Since 24 July 2019, she has been Secretary of State for the Home Department. Also, a Member of Parliament for Witham in Essex since 2010. She was previously International Development Secretary from 2016 to 2017. 

Patel has also served as a junior Treasury minister. She has released a report on the British economy arguing for lower taxes and for a new Bank of England mandate more focused on asset price inflation and financial imbalances.

Iran is to restart the activities at the Arak heavy water nuclear reactor, western Iran:

Iran is to restart the activities at the Arak heavy water nuclear reactor, western Iran. The anouncement was made by Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization. Heavy water are used in reactors to produce plutonium. Plutonium is a fuel used in nuclear warheads.

Iran`s meeting with the European countries:

Regarding this US Sanctions on Tehran, a meeting was conducted between Iranian officials and the UK, France and Germany, in Vienna. In the meeting Iran persuaded the European states to provided more effective relief from US sanctions. 

The move is after the US`s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and the introduction of sanctions on Tehran, Iran stopped complying with some commitments in the 2015 nuclear deal.

India and China review progress made in effective implementation of various CBMs:

India and China reviewed progress made in the implementation of various confidence building to maintain peace and tranquility along their common borders in the run-up to a summit of the leaders of the two countries. The review was done at the 14th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China Border Affairs in Beijing. The Indian delegation was led by Naveen Srivastava, Joint Secretary (East Asia), Ministry of External Affairs, and the Chinese side was led by Hong Liang, Director General, Department of Boundary and Oceanic Affairs, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the statement issued by the Indian embassy in Beijing.

The two sides also reviewed the progress made ineffective implementation of various confidence-building measures (CBMs) to further enhance mutual trust and understanding. 

The WMCC was established in 2012 as an institutional mechanism for consultation and coordination for the management of India - China border areas, as well as to exchange views on strengthening communication and cooperation, including between the border security personnel of the two sides. The two countries have held many rounds of talks including 21 at the level of special representatives nominated by the leaders of the two countries without results. Indian and Chinese troops engaged in a 73-day long face-off seen as their most serious in years. The leaders of the two countries met in Wuhan in April 2018 and gave “strategic guidance" to their armed forces.

China

China is officially called the People`s Republic of China . It is a country in East Asia and the world`s most populous country with a population of around 1.404 billion. It is covering approximately 9,600,000 square kilometers, it is the fourth largest country by total area.

PM of Nepal KP Oli inaugurates India-Nepal Logistics Summit in Kathmandu:

India-Nepal Logistics Summit was inaugurated by Prime Minister of Nepal KP Sharma Oli in Kathmandu, Nepal. The theme of the summit was “Transforming Logistics Landscape”. It was attended by Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri, Special Secretary (Logistics), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India N. Sivasailam, Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) V. Kalyana Rama and Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) President Bhawani Rana.

Key Points:

i. Nepal and India have a significant volume of trade, investment, tourism and people-to-people movement for which smooth and quality logistics is essential.

ii. Connectivity was the main agenda in bilateral cooperation and many initiatives were taken on crucial components of road, rail, inland waterways and air connectivity.

First Global Conference for Media Freedom held in London:

• First Global Conference for Media Freedom 2019, hosted by the United Kingdom (UK) and Canada, was held on July 10-11, 2019 in London, UK. 
• It is co-hosted by Chrystia Freeland, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Jeremy Hunt, the UK Foreign Secretary. 
• The conference is structured around 4 themes
• The four themes are protection and prosecution, including impunity, national frameworks and legislation, building trust in media and countering disinformation and media sustainability.
• Indian delegation led by Prasar Bharati Chairman Surya Prakash.
• The UK government committed 18 million pounds .
• Their main aim is to improve media freedom across the world.
• They announced the creation of a new Global Media Defence Fund.
• The new Global Media Defence Fund, administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), will support, train and provide legal support to journalists in the most dangerous parts of the world.
• The UK will provide 3 million pounds and Canada will provide Canadian Dollar 1 million contribution to the new fund.
• From the UK’s Department for International Development Fund, a 15 million pounds Protecting Media Freedom programme will help to tackle the root causes of the global crisis in independent media.

AIIB provides $100 million to L&T Finance arm for wind and solar infrastructure projects:

• Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) provide $100-million loan to L&T(Larsen & Toubro) Infrastructure Finance Company(LTIF) for wind and solar infrastructure projects. This is the first time AIIB is extending loan to a non-banking finance company(NBFC).
• It is collaborated with AIIB to explore the international market for green finance.
• The project mainly help to increase the supply of renewable energy in India. 
• It helps to reduce the carbon intensity by 30-35 percent of the 2005 levels by 2030 which was India’s commitment under the Paris agreement.
• India set a target to install 175 Gigawatt (GW) of renewable energy capacity by 2022, of which a total of 80.04 GW of renewable energy capacity installed in the country till May 2019.

The city of Fuzhou (China) will host the 44^th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2020:

On July 9,2019, In the event of 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee meeting 2019 in Baku, Azerbaijan( June 30 to July 10,2019), the UNESCO(United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) announced that the Chinese city of Fuzhou will host the 44^th  session of the World Heritage Committee in 2020.

Key points:
i. Tian Xuejun, Chinese Vice Minister of Education was elected as chairman of the 44^th  session of the committee. The chairman of the 43rd session was Abulfas Garayev.
ii. During the meeting, the committee inscribed a total of 29 new sites on the World Heritage List (one in Africa, 2 in the Arab States, 10 in the Asia Pacific region, 15 in Europe and North America and one in Latin America).
iii. The pink city or Walled City of Jaipur of Rajasthan also featured in the prestigious list, which now features 1,121 sites in 167 countries.
iv. Addition &Removal: The sites of Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works, Chile and Birthplace of Jesus: the Church of the Nativity and Pilgrimage Route, Bethlehem, Palestine has been removed & The Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California, Mexico added to the List of World Heritage in Danger.
v. Dilmun Burial Mounds (Bahrain), the ancient Ferrous Metallurgy Sites of Burkina Faso and the iconic site of Babylon (Iraq), the centre of the neo-Babylonian Empire and the site of the Hanging Gardens(Iraq), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World were also added in the list.

India, Italy to set up fast-track mechanism to facilitate investment:

• A fast-track system made by the companies and investors of India.
• Italy decides to make investment proposals in both countries.
• The main aim is to facilitate Italian companies and investors in India.
• Indian companies and investors in Italy decided to establish a fast-track system for companies and investors of both countries.
• The key objectives of the system in India to pave the way to identify and solve problems faced by Italian companies and investors with their operations in India. 
• They serve as a platform for discussing general suggestions from the point of view of Italian companies and investors. 
• The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), under the ministry, will represent the Indian side in this system. 
• The department will facilitate the participation of other relevant ministries and authorities on a case by case basis. 
• The Italian Embassy in India in close cooperation with the Italian Trade Agency and relevant Ministries in Italy will represent the Italian side of this system in India.

About Italian Trade Agency:

• Italian Trade Agency is responsible agency to pursue and monitor individual cases. 
• They will be constantly reviewed by Ministry of Economic Development, Italy.
• The Indian Embassy in Italy in close cooperation with DPIIT and the relevant Ministries in India will represent the Indian side of this system in Italy.
• A continuous updated list of relevant concerns of Indian companies and investors in Italy will be prepared by the Indian Embassy and form the basis of the fast – track system in Italy.
• The fast-track system will be reviewed twice a year at the level of Director General for Internationalization and Trade Promotion, Ministry of Economic Development, Italy and Indian Ambassador in Italy. 
• The Indian Embassy and Ministry of Economic Development, Italy will meet on the working level at shorter intervals as and when required to review the progress achieved.

Palau became the 76th country to sign the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Framework Agreement:

The Republic of Palau, an island country located in the western Pacific Ocean has signed International Solar Alliance Framework agreement to become a 76th country that joined the International Solar Alliance(ISA). It was signed by Palau President Tommy Remengesau during a special ceremony at Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations (UN). 

ISA Framework Agreement has been ratified by a total of 54 of the 76 countries till now.

Key points:

i.  Palau is a host country for 2020 edition of the ‘Our Oceans conference’. This will focus on issues such as climate change, sustainable fisheries, and marine pollution.

About International Solar Alliance (ISA):

i. It was jointly launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi) and France’s President Francois Hollande in November 2015 on sidelines of COP-21(conference of the parties) of UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) in Paris.

ii. It was officially established on 6 December 2017 headquartered at the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) in Gurugram, Haryana.

iii. It is a major global initiative for contributing to the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement through rapid and massive deployment of solar energy and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

Objective: To undertake innovative efforts for reducing the cost of finance and deployment of solar generation, Mobilise more than the US $1000 billion of investments by 2030 and to accelerate development and deployment of over 1,000GW of solar generation capacity in member countries.

European Union leaders nominate Germany`s Ursula von der Leyen to lead EU Commission:

• Defence secretary of Germany, Ursula von der Leyen nominated by the European leaders to lead the European Commission.
• The executive arm of the EU (European Union) is fully responsible for legislation and governing. 
• She is replaced by Jean-Claude Juncker.
• She was backed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
• Her nomination are decided by the leaders of the EU`s 28 member states. 

About Ursula von der Leyen:

She was born in Brussels in 1958 

She is the only minister in Merkel`s government 

She took office in 2005

She served as family minister, labor minister and under Merkel`s government. 

The Council proposed Belgian Prime Minister, Charles Michel as president of the European Council.

Josep Borrell Fontelles(Spain) as foreign policy chief. 

Iran breaches uranium enrichment cap set by troubled 2015 nuclear deal:

• Iran breached a uranium enrichment cap set by a troubled 2015 nuclear deal and warned Europe against taking retaliatory measures. 
• Iran surpassing the cap and reaching 4.5 percent enrichment announced by the country`s atomic energy organisation spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi. 
• The level of purity completely satisfies the power plant fuel requirements of the country.
• Washington pulled out of the landmark accord between world powers and Tehran, Kamalvandi hinted that the Islamic republic might stick to this level of enrichment for the time being is well below the more than 90-percent level. 
• The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed Iran enriched uranium to a level above the deal`s cap. 
• IAEA scheduled a special meeting on Iran`s nuclear programme for July 10.
• It was concerned by the development and called on Iran to reverse all activities inconsistent with its deal commitments.
• Iran`s foreign ministry warned against any escalatory response.
• The spokesman Abbas Mousavi specify the final step but Iran`s President Hassan Rouhani warned previously that Iran could leave the nuclear accord.

Sri Lanka inaugurated its first model village built with Indian assistance at Ranidu Gama in Gampaha:

• A model village built with the Indian assistance as part of a housing project meant for war-affected people and estate workers inaugurated in Sri Lanka.
• India partnered with the Ministry of Housing and Construction and Cultural Affairs to build 100 model villages.
• It consists of a total of 2,400 houses all across Sri Lanka.
• The Indian grant of Rs 1,200 million (USD 17.5 million).
• Minister of Housing and Construction and Cultural Affairs Sajith Premadasa, former President Chandrika Bandaranayke Kumaratunga and Acting High Commissioner of India Shilpak Ambule inaugurated the first model village at Ranidu Gama in Gampaha.
• These 2,400 houses are in addition to the 60,000 accommodations built.
• They are under the Indian Housing Project meant for war affected people in northern and Sri Lanka and the estate workers in the plantation areas.
• India undertaken more than 70 people-oriented development projects in various fields including health, education, housing, skill development, infrastructure and vocational training across Sri Lanka.
• About 20 such projects are currently under progress.
• India has undertaken over 70 people-oriented development projects across Sri Lanka in various fields such as health, skill development, education, honor.
• It also includes the largest University Auditorium in Ruhuna University in Matara in Sri Lanka. Around 20 such projects are currently under progress.

Sharjah issues its first Golden card visa to an Indian Lalu Samuel, Chairman of Kingston Holdings:

• General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs of Sharjah granted the first golden card visa to an Indian expat businessman, Lalu Samuel, Chairman and Managing Director of Kingston Holdings and Chairman of Sharjah Industry Business Group.
• The 10-year visa is a part of the long-term permanent residency system tailored for investors and entrepreneurs aims to attract capital, investments, and owners of leading companies, professionals, researchers and students to engage them in the renaissance and development of the UAE.
• The golden cardholders are entitled to have the privileges and facilities including a residency visa without a sponsor to them and their families.
• It also allows the visa holder to sponsor up to 3 workers and obtain a residency visa for one of his/her senior employees.

 LinkedIn chooses Ashutosh Gupta as country manager for India:

• LinkedIn appointed Ashutosh Gupta as its new country manager for India effective September 2, 2019. 
• He will replace Mahesh Narayanan.
• He was the country manager for India from January to June 2019.
• Gupta joined LinkedIn as the head of Marketing Solutions (LMS) business in 2013.
• He moved to Singapore to build LMS’ Online Sales Organisation (OSO) for the Asia Pacific(APAC) and China.
• He will report to Olivier Legrand, LinkedIn’s Managing Director(MD) for the APAC and he will continue to lead the LMS’s OSO.
• He is an alumnus of IIM-Lucknow and IIT (BHU), Varanasi worked in organizations like Google, Cognizant, and Infosys. 
• The two decades of experience on the internet and IT and software services industries.
• Microsoft-owned LinkedIn over 630 million users globally more than 57 million members in India.

U.S. President to hold talks with Prime Minister Modi to discuss India`s retaliatory tariffs:

U.S. President Donald Trump said that India’s high tariffs on American products are unacceptable. Trump has asked India to withdraw the tariffs it levied on 28 US goods.

India levied tariffs:

• Ministry of Commerce has announced to impose retaliatory tariffs on US goods that will be effective from June 16 onwards. 
• The retaliatory tariffs on 28 goods imported from the U.S. The Ministry initially decided to impose tariffs in 2018. 
• The decision is ahead of the meeting between Modi and Trump on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan. 
• The move made by the trade ministry was approved by the Ministry of External Affairs.
• The tariffs will be applied on $220-290 million worth of goods that are imported from the US, and will have about the same impact as the tariffs imposed by Washington on India in 2018.

Trump becomes 1st sitting US president takes Steps Into North Korea:

On July 1, 2019, US (United States) President Donald Trump became the first sitting president to enter North Korea after briefly crossed the border in the demilitarised zone (DMZ) between South and North Korea. He met North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un and agreed to resume stalled nuclear talks.

Key points:

i. Third meeting: This was their third meeting in just over a year on the old Cold War frontier that for decades has symbolized the hostility between their countries, which are technically still at war.

ii. Background: They met for the first time in Singapore in June 2018 and second time in Hanoi, Vietnam in February 2019 to improve relations and work towards the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

US Deploys F-22 Stealth Fighters To Qatar For 1st Time:

• The United States has deployed F-22 stealth fighters to Qatar for the first time, its military said yesterday. The announcement adds to a buildup of US forces in the Gulf amid tensions with Iran.
• The US Air Forces Central Military Command stated that the Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighters have been deployed to defend American forces and interests. The number of hi-tech planes sent was not specified.
• Tehran and Washington have been locked in an escalating standoff since US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from a multi-party 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and reimposed sanctions on the Islamic republic.
• Tensions spiked last week when Iran shot down a US drone over sensitive Gulf waters following a series of tanker attacks that Washington blamed on Tehran, which has denied involvement.
• In May, the US Air Force deployed several nuclear-capable B-52 Stratofortress bombers and an aircraft carrier task force to the Gulf.

India has signed Rs.200 crore deal with Russia to acquire Strum Ataka:

• India has signed Rs.200 crore deal with Russia to acquire Strum Ataka. 
• The anti-tank missile will be added to the fleet of Mi-35 attack choppers of Indian Air Force (IAF). 
• This deal comes in  wake of an IAF’s attempt to keep itself battle-ready in situations like post-Balakot aerial strikes. 
• The Strum Ataka anti-tank missile would give an added capability to Mi-35 attack choppers of IAF to take out enemy tanks and other armoured elements.
• Mi-35s are set to be replaced with Apache gunships being acquired from United States (US) and slated to be delivered from August onwards.

About Emergency clause:

After 14 February Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed, emergency powers were given to Indian Defence forces and India started increasing vigil at borders with Pakistan. Under, emergency powers given to three services, they can procure equipment of their choice within 3 month at a cost of about Rs.300 crore per case.

IAF has emerged as front runner in terms of weapon acquisition under emergency procurement, followed by Indian Army. Under emergency provisions IAF has acquired also acquired Spice-2000 stand-off weapon system along with a number of spare and air to air mission.

Asian Development Bank approved $350 Million Loan for Chhattisgarh Road Improvement Project: 

• Asian Development Bank(ADB) approved $350 million in loans to rehabilitate and upgrade two state highways.
• There are around 23 major district roads totaling about 850 kilometers in Chhattisgarh. 
• They improve the connectivity and access to basic services in the state.
• The overall total cost of the project is $521.69 million. 
• The state government of Chhattisgarh to provide $171.69 million. 
• Chhattisgarh is rich in natural resources.
• It is the largest producer of minerals like coal and iron ore. 
• The data of 2011 census reveals the poverty levels in the state were at the 38% of the total population. 
• The number of registered vehicles doubled from 2.1 million in 2009 to 4.8 million in 2016.  
• ADB extended loan amount of $180 million for 1,700 km state highways and $300 million.
• This was granted in 2012
• It covered additional 916 km state highways. 

Ola Electric invests $250million funding from SoftBank:

• SoftBank invested around $250 million in Ola Electric Mobility. 
• The electric vehicle unit Ola becomes the newest unicorn from India. 
• The likes of Flipkart, Zomato, Paytm in the parent company are with the Registrar of Companies.
• Ola Electric issued 4,326 fully and compulsorily convertible series B preference shares of face value of Rs 10 each having the privileges and preferences.
• Japanese investor paid a total of Rs 1,725.04 crore (around $250 million)
• The SoftBank funding was received on Tuesday in light of a special resolution passed by the board of Ola Electric on June 25.
• Tata Sons` Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata invested an undisclosed amount in Ola Electric.
• This investment is a part of company`s series-A round of funding, was in Ratan Tata`s personal capacity.
• Ola Electric announced raising Rs 400 crore in a funding round
• This is led by Tiger Global and Matrix India.
• Ola raised $300 million from South Korean carmaker Hyundai Motors along with its affiliate Kia Motors. 
• As part of the deal, Hyundai plans to introduce its EVs in the cab fleet of Ola by 2021.
• Ola Electric is currently running several pilots to deploy electric vehicles and charging solutions.
• The company claimed they would introduce a fleet of 10,000 electric vehicles over the next year.
• Ola Electric initially established to enable Ola`s electric mobility pilot program in Nagpur in 2017.