Essential for Civil Services Exams, TNPSC, UPPSC, WBPSC, TPSC, APPSC, OPSC,

2. Gadkari inaugurates projects in Vizag
• Nitin Gadkari, Minister of
Shipping, Road Transport &
Highways will inaugurate five
port projects worth Rs 1062
Crores in Vishakhapatnam
(Vizag).
• The major project to be
inaugurated
includes upgradation of existing
iron ore handling facility at
Outer Harbour of Vizag Port at
a cost of Rs 580 Crores.
• This will enhance the capacity
of Vizag port under Sagarmala
Project.

3. Kochi Metro launches India’s 1st AC dormitory
• Kochi Metro Rail Limited
(KMRL) will open India’s first
exquisite air-conditioned bed
space dormitory.
• The fully air-conditioned
rooms are equipped with
locker facility, free WiFi,
round-the-clock check-in and
check-out facility and
security cameras.
• It was inaugurated by Kochi’s
Mayor Soumini Jain.
• The current governor of
Kerala is P. Sathasivam.

4. Awards for Station Beautification competition
• The Union Minister of Railways,
Piyush Goyal distributed awards
to winning stations of Station
Beautification competition in
Rail Bhawan.
• Balharshah & Chandrapur
Railway Stations of Central
Railway have been awarded the
first position and cash prize of
10 lakh.
• Total 62 entries were evaluated
on the basis of a number of
criteria including the depiction
of local subjects, culture &
themes.

5. Forbes List Of US’ Richest Self-Made Women
• Forbes released its 4th annual
list of US’ Richest Self-Made
Women.
• Diane Hendricks, co-founder
and chairman of ABC Supply
ranks 1st with a net worth of
$4.9 billion.
• Indian-origin tech executives
Jayshree Ullal and Neerja Sethi
were also on the list with $1.3
bn and $1 bn respectively.
• TV star and entrepreneur Kylie
Jenner is the youngest to be
featured in the list.

6. Portugal approves new gender change law
• The Portuguese
parliament approved a law
that will allow citizens to
change their gender and
name from the age of 16
without a medical report
showing “identity
disruption”.
• Portugal joins Denmark,
Malta, Sweden, Ireland and
Norway to become “the
sixth European country to
grant the right to self-
determination of
transgender identity.

7. Canada to command of new NATO training Centre
• Canada has announced that it
will assume command of a new
NATO training and capacity
building mission in Iraq.
• Canadian troops will be
deployed in the Baghdad region
to help Iraq build a more
effective national security
structure and improve training
of security forces.
• Canada is part of the US-led
coalition fighting the ISIS is
contributing air power &
helping in training Iraqi forces.

8. AAI partners with govt for Dholera Airport
• The Airport Authority of India
(AAI) to partner with the
government of Gujarat to
build the Rs 2,000 crore
Dholera airport project.
• The airport will be the
biggest upcoming greenfield
city in India under the Delhi-
Mumbai Industrial Corridor
(DMIC) project at Dholera
will be built in four years.
• Equity participation between
AAI & the govt of Gujarat will
be 51% and 49%,
respectively.

9. World’s 1st Colour X-Ray Performed On a
Human
• New Zealand scientists have
performed the first-ever 3-D,
colour X-ray on a human.
• The device is based on the
traditional X-ray but
incorporates particle-tracking
technology developed for
CERN’s Large Hadron Collider.
• This colour X-ray imaging
will produce more accurate
pictures & help doctors give
their patients more accurate
diagnoses.
• CERN is a European
Organization for Nuclear
Research.

10. Australia releases India economic strategy
• The Australian govt has released
an India Economic strategy
report recommending to lift
India into its top three export
markets.
• The strategy prioritizes
economic and trade
opportunities in India covering
10 sectors such as health,
energy, infrastructure etc.
• This would also boost Australia’s
investment in India to $100
billion.
• The Author of this report is
Australia’s PM Malcolm Turnbull

11. Use of Aadhaar only ‘desirable, not must
• Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare stated that furnishing
Aadhaar as an identity proof
for availing benefits of the
Ayushman Bharat scheme is
“desirable and not must.”
• It also said that there shall be
no denial of benefits for the
want of Aadhaar.
• The scheme, launched under
the National Health
Protection Mission was
announced during the 2018-
19 budget and will be
launched on August 15.