•Speaking on the occasion, Mr Prabhu said, Jumbos are critically threatened by the man-animal conflict. He said, there is a need to allign infrastructure and development efforts with wildlife conservation efforts to create an ideal balance where both can thrive without impacting the other.
•India has a little over 27,000 wild Asian elephants. Yet, these animals face an uncertain future in the country.
2) President Ram Nath Kovind given assent to Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018
•President Ram Nath Kovind has given assent to the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018, that provides for stringent punishment, including death penalty for those convicted of raping girls below the age of 12 years.
•The amendment replaces the criminal law amendment ordinance promulgated on 21st April after the rape and murder of a minor girl in Kathua and another woman in Unnao. A gazette notification said, the Act shall be deemed to have come into force on the 21st April, 2018.
•The Act will further amend the Indian Penal Code, Indian Evidence Act, 1872, the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012. The President's assent came after Parliament approved the amendments to the law last week.
3) 50 % reservation will be given to women in recruitment of Railway Protection Force: Piyush Goyal
•Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has said, 50 percent reservation will be given to women in recruitment of Railway Protection Force, RPF. Inaugurating various rail projects in Bihar's capital Patna today, Mr. Goyal said, about ten thousand jobs will be created in the RPF.
•He said, the recruitment process will be fully computerized to maintain transparency. He said, CCTV cameras will be installed at six thousand stations and important trains. The Railway Minister handed over the papers related to land of Patna - Digha rail section to Bihar government.
4) Nasa Launches Parker Solar Probe To ‘Touch Sun’
•The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) on Sunday blasted off a $1.5 billion spacecraft toward the Sun on a historic mission to protect the Earth by unveiling the mysteries of dangerous solar storms.
5) Israel Opens Visa Application Centre In Kolkata
•Israel has opened a Visa Application Centre in Kolkata for tourists from West Bengal and the northeastern states to encourage more Indian travelers to visit that country. Israel recently announced a reduction in visa fees to INR 1,100 rupees from its previous 1,700 charged from Indians.
6) Meeting Of Senior Officials Of BIMSTEC Held
•A special meeting of Senior Officials of the Bay of Bengal Initiatives for Multi-Sectoral, Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) was held in Kathmandu today. The meeting also agreed to recommend a theme "Towards a peaceful, Prosperous and Sustainable Bay of Bengal Region" for the Summit.
