1. Jhumpa Lahiri featured for Man Booker Prize 2013
i. Indian American author Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Lowland has been listed among 13 novels longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2013.ii. The longlist for the prize, one of the English language's top fiction awards, names 13 writers from seven countries.
iii. The "Man Booker dozen" 2013 comprises an diverse list of 13 novels that will astonish and intrigue in equal measure.
iv. There are 13 outstanding novels range from the traditional to the experimental, from the first century AD to the present day, from 100 pages to 1000 and from Shanghai to Hendon.
v. The Lowland, is story set in India and America, which is going to be published in September 2013 and is one of the highly anticipated books of the fall. It is being pitched as an easy frontrunner in London’s literary circles.
2. Edward Snowden awarded with German Whistleblower Prize
i. Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who exposed the widest US global surveillance operations, was on 25 July 2013 awarded German Whistleblower Prize 2013 worth 3900 Dollars in absentia.ii. Snowden has exposed the substantial and unsuspecting monitoring and storage of communication data by US and other western intelligence agencies, which cannot be accepted in democratic societies.
iii. Snowden has undertaken great personal risks in leaking the documents on the operations of the US and other western intelligence agencies, aware of the current criminal prosecution of whistleblowers in security areas.
About Whistleblower Prize
The whistleblower prize which was instituted in year 1999 by German section of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA) and the Association of German Scientists is awarded once in two years to honour persons, who “expose in public interest grave social injustices and dangerous developments for individuals and the society, democracy, peace and environment.
3. India, Belarus signed protocol to Enhance Trade Ties
i. India and Belarus signed a protocol on 24 July 2013 to enhance trade ties during the sixth session of the Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation held in New Delhi.
ii. The meeting was held in the direction for strengthening trade and economic relations between the two countries.
iii. The Belarusian side recommended India to determine an Indian counterpart deputed to negotiate on the long-term cooperation agreement, take decisions and signing of the agreement for the full volume of the deliveries.
iv. Both the Countries also signed a protocol after the Meeting as per which both the sides will take necessary steps to sign the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Textiles, India and the Belarusian State Concern for Manufacturing and Marketing of Light Industry Goods (concern Bellegprom) on Cooperation in the Field of Textiles, Clothing and Fashion Industries.
v. The Belarusian delegation proposed to hold the 9th meeting of the Business Council "India-Belarus" in 2013 to promote the collaboration of business representatives, as well as agreed to define the dates of the National Exhibition (exposition) of the Republic of India during 2013-2014 in Minsk.
4. Assam to launch Food Security scheme
i. Assam government said that would roll out Food Security scheme from November to cover about 2.25 crore people in the state.
ii. "We will roll out Food Security scheme from November 19. In Assam, about 2.25 crore people from around 40 lakh families will benefit from the scheme," Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi told reporters in Guwahati.
iii. The government will announce the names of the beneficiaries on August 1 and all the disputes regarding inclusion and exclusion of families will be completed by October 2, he added.
iv. As per the scheme, rice will be available at Rs 3 per kg, while wheat and coarse cereals will be offered at Rs 2 and Re 1 respectively for each kg, he added.
5. T20: India retains No. 3 spot
i. India held on to their third spot after the annual update of the ICC Twenty20 Rankings was announced on Thursday.
ii. Sri Lanka has retained its position as the number one ranked team and West Indies in a second spot in the list.
iii. The ICC Board also decided that the annual update to the Test, ODI and T20I rankings should now take place on May 1, rather than August 1, to better align with the current international calendar.
iv. Meanwhile, Pakistan has an opportunity to move to the second place in the ICC T20 rankings table if they win both the matches against West Indies in the upcoming series.
v. Fourth-ranked Pakistan are currently on 118 ratings points, but could potentially move up to second place with 124 ratings points, thereby swapping places with second-placed West Indies with 120 ratings points.
Top Five Teams:
In ODI: T-20 Test Match:
1. India 1. Sri Lanka 1. South Africa
2. Australia 2. West Indies 2. India
3. England 3. India 3. England
4. Sri Lanka 4. Pakistan 4. Australia
5. South Africa 5. England 5. Pakistan
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