1. SC dismisses plea to postpone NEET and JEE 2020 exam dates
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected plea seeking postponement of NEET and JEE 2020 examinations scheduled to be conducted in September. The National Testing Agency (NTA) has assured of necessary precautions to be taken in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. The court bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said that careers cannot be jeopardised for long. JEE Main will be conducted from 1-6 September and NEET UG will be conducted on 13 September.
2. NDA, NA exams to be held on September 6
The exam for admission into the National Defence Academy (NDA) and Naval Academy (NA) will be held on September 6. Since the first exam could not be held due to COVID-19, both exams will be conducted together this year by UPSC. The admit card has been released recently for the 145th and 146th course in NDA and 107th and 108th course in NA. The Indian Army also released an important notification asking students who have not received their roll number to fill the TES 44 application form.
3. 4G services restored in two districts of J&K on trial basis
4G services have been restored in Ganderbal and Udhampur districts of Jammu and Kashmir since Sunday 9 pm. The restoration is on a trial basis and will be discontinued again on September 8. High-speed internet is available only for postpaid mobiles only. The internet was shut down in August last year during revocation of Article 370 after which Kashmir was divided into two union territories.
4. UK Govt launches 3 million pounds innovation challenge fund in India
The UK Government announced 3 million pounds innovation challenge in India, inviting ideas from academicians, researchers and startups. Ideas submitted must tackle Covid-19 or must promote a green planet across various sectors like healthcare, energy, agriculture and and technology. The deadline to submit a two page concept note is August 31.
5. Japan witnesses worst GDP contraction in 40 years
Japan’s economy has seen a plunge for the third straight quarter pushing the country deeper into recession. GDP has contracted by 27.8% in April-June from the previous quarter. The decline has been owed to the drop in private consumption and rise in infections causing consumers to spend less. Decrease in exports has also been cited as a contributing factor to the plummeting GDP.
6. 2 CRPF Jawans and 1 cop martyred among terror attack in J&K’s Baramulla
Two terrorists have been gunned down by security forces in an ongoing battle on Monday. 2 CRPF personnel and one Special Police Officer of the Jammu and Kashmir police were killed by them. The terrorists are suspected to be from Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) as stated by Inspector General of Police, Kashmir.
7. Trump looks to ban Alibaba and other Chinese firms in US
US President Trump indicated that he was seeking to ban other Chinese owned companies including Alibaba in the states. This comes after he signed an executive order asking ByteDance to divest interests in TikTok operations in the US. ByteDance is expected to destroy all TikTok data linked to American users as per the latest order.
8. India sends over 30 tonnes of equipment to assist Mauritius after oil spill
India has sent assistance to Mauritius to tackle the oil spill including 10 member response team from the Indian Coast Guard and around 30 tonnes of technical equipment. The assistance was send through Indian Air Force aircraft and includes ocean booms, river booms, blowers, power packs, inflators, heli skimmers, disc skimmers and 10000 oil absorbent pads. The oil absorbent pads have been manufactured in India using graphene and has been provided by Indian Oil Corporation.
9. Facebook merges Instagram and Messengers in new update
Facebook has now begun merging Instagram and Messenger chat to enable users to chat across both the platforms.The update would be released in both Android and Ios devices.The update would also bring in new emojis and features such as swipe to reply and the ability to chat with friends using Facebook.
10. Redmi 9 prime flash sale starts today in India
Xiaomi Redmi 9 prime sale started today at 12 noon in India. The smartphone was launched earlier this month under Rs 10000 with a full HD+ display, 5020 mAh battery and an Helio processor. The phone was launched in two variants: 4GB+128GB priced at ₹11999 and 4GB+64GB priced at ₹9999.
