Technical snag fixed, Chandrayaan-2 ready for launch: Ex-ISRO chief
Former ISRO chairman AS Kiran Kumar on Saturday said that the technical snag which affected Chandrayaan-2’s launch has been fixed and it’s ready for launch on July 22. “We intend to move towards the moon on August 14 and land around September 6. All activities are in full swing and we’re getting ready for the launch,” he added.
Tanzanian woman held for human trafficking in Hyderabad
A Tanzanian woman was arrested and two others were rescued after police busted an international human trafficking racket in Hyderabad. The police said, the accused, along with her friend, used to arrange their friends from Tanzania and indulge them in sexual activities with the customers. They used to tempt customers by uploading victims’ photographs on porn websites, the police added.
SoftBank Seoul unit raises $270 mn fund for early-stage startups
Masayoshi Son-led Japanese conglomerate SoftBank’s Seoul venture capital unit, focusing on early-stage investments, has raised a fund worth about $270 million. The fund will focus on early-stage startups globally with a focus on Asia, SoftBank revealed. The new fund aims to close in the next six months with investors including South Korea’s National Pension Service.
Sheila Dikshit made Delhi better place for all: Sonia Gandhi
UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi condoled the death of former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit, saying she worked with such vision to transform Delhi to make it a better place to live in for all its citizen. Sonia added that Dikshit served the Congress party with courage and loyalty till the end. Sonia said that Dikshit brought “excellence” to everything she did.
Google to pay $11 mn to settle job seekers’ age-bias claims
Technology giant Google has agreed to pay $11 million to settle a class-action lawsuit which accused it of age bias and discrimination against old-age applicants. The lawsuit had claimed the offers discriminated by an average payout of more than $35,000 for 227 people. Google said the applicants were found to be “Googley” enough but lacked required technical skills.
Wolves beat Man City in shootout to win Premier League Asia Trophy
Wolverhampton Wanderers defeated Premier League champions Manchester City to claim the Premier League Asia Trophy 3-2 in a penalty shootout in Shanghai on Saturday. Wolves, who won the title in their first ever participation in the competition scored through Rúben Vinagre, Taylor Perry and Ryan Bennett. Raheem Sterling missed a penalty in the first-half of the match for Manchester City.
Not more than 5,000 people in super-rich category: Sitharaman
Explaining her decision to tax the super-rich in the Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that not more than 5,000 people are in the super-rich category in the country. She said they should shoulder part of the government’s responsibility in supporting the poor. She added that the tax isn’t a highway robbery or done with the intention to affect business.
Pakistan PM Imran Khan arrives in US, to meet Trump on Monday
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived in the US on Saturday on a three-day official trip. Khan is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday. The cricketer-turned-politician arrived aboard a commercial Qatar Airways flight and is staying at the official residence of the Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US, Asad Majeed Khan.
US-S Korea military exercise to proceed despite N Korea’s warning
The secretary for peace planning to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Jong Kun Choi, has said a US-South Korean military exercise would go ahead as planned next month. This comes despite North Korea’s warning that the exercise will put talks aimed at getting the country to abandon its nuclear weapons at risk. “The nature of exercise isn’t offensive,” Choi said.
Britain writes to UN after Iran seizes oil tanker, calls it ‘illegal’
Britain has written to the UN Security Council after Iran seized a British-flagged oil tanker, saying the vessel was approached by Iranian forces when it was in Omani territorial waters. Britain said that Iran’s action constitutes “illegal interference”. “The ship was exercising the lawful right of transit passage in an international strait as provided for under international law,” Britain wrote.
Man gets electricity bill of ₹128cr, loses connection for not paying
Shamim, a resident of UP’s Hapur has allegedly received an electricity bill of ₹128 crore and the electricity department has cut the connection after he failed to pay it. Shamim’s wife said, “We use only fan and light. How can the amount be so high?” “This must be technical fault…We’ll issue them an updated bill,” said an assistant electrical engineer.
Former Delhi BJP chief Mange Ram Garg passes away aged 82
Former Delhi BJP President Mange Ram Garg, who was undergoing treatment at a hospital after suffering brain haemorrhage last week, passed away aged 82 on Sunday. Garg was elected to the Delhi Legislative Assembly in 2003. Condoling his demise, BJP working President JP Nadda said that Garg’s demise is an “irreparable loss” to the party.
Poco product head, Xiaomi global spokesperson quit
Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi’s global spokesperson Donovan Sung and sub-brand Poco’s product head Jai Mani have quit the company. In a tweet, Sung wrote, “It is my last month at Xiaomi.” Sung will be joining Google in Singapore to help with the advancement of their payment system Google Pay.
Indian-origin stand-up comedian dies while performing in Dubai
Indian-origin stand-up comedian Manjunath Naidu died on stage while performing his act in Dubai. The 36-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest. A fellow comedian said that Naidu complained of high level of anxiety, sat down on the bench next to him and collapsed onto the floor. He added that the audience thought that it might be a part of his act.
Error on Amazon sells ₹9 lakh lens for ₹6,500; buyers thank Bezos
An Amazon glitch on Prime Day in the US allowed camera gears from brands including Sony and Canon to be sold at a discount of over 99%. A nearly $13,000 (₹9 lakh) Canon camera lens was sold for about $95 (₹6,500). Some users said they received the gear and thanked Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos for the glitch.
IndiGo to seek shareholder nod for independent woman director
IndiGo operator InterGlobe Aviation has said it will seek its shareholders’ approval to appoint an independent woman board director, at its Annual General Meeting. Earlier, IndiGo Co-Founder Rakesh Gangwal had alleged airline’s non-compliance with SEBI’s regulations for not having an independent woman director on its board. InterGlobe said it was working on answering SEBI on Gangwal’s grievances.
Considering options to respond to Iran’s seizure of tanker: Britain
Britain is looking into a series of options to respond to Iran’s seizure of a British-flagged tanker, junior defence minister Tobias Ellwood said on Sunday. “Our first and most important responsibility is to make sure that we get a solution to the issue, make sure other British-flagged ships are safe to operate in these waters,” Ellwood added.
Lockheed Martin signs MoUs with three Indian startups
US-based aerospace and defence company Lockheed Martin has signed MoUs with three Indian startups – Terero Mobility, Sastra Robotics, and NoPo Nanotechnologies. They will integrate with Lockheed’s supply chain, and contribute to the evolution of aerospace and defence industry. The startups were identified through the India Innovation Growth Programme (IIGP).
UltraTech’s Kumar Birla’s remuneration fell 18.8% to ₹15.53cr in FY19 UltraTech Cement’s Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla received an annual remuneration of ₹15.53 crore in FY 2018-19, down 18.82% over the year-ago period remuneration of ₹19.13 crore. In FY 2016-17, Birla had received a remuneration of ₹22.50 crore. However, in the financial year 2018-19, the median remuneration of employees was ₹7.65 lakh, an increase of 8.5%.
