Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has regained the top spot in the ICC men's ODI Player Rankings after fashioning India's 10-wicket win over England with a career-best haul of six for 19 in the first game at The Oval.

Bumrah had lost the top spot to New Zealand's Trent Boult in February 2020 after being No.1 for most of the preceding two years.

He has been at the top for a total of 730 days, more than any other Indian and the ninth-most in history.

Bumrah, who has been No1 in T20Is in the past and is currently at a career-best third position in Tests, is only the second Indian fast bowler after Kapil Dev to be No1 in the ODI rankings.

The duo of Mehuli Ghosh and Shahu Tushar Mane bagged India’s second gold medal in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team final at the ongoing ISSF Shooting World Cup.

In the 10m Air Pistol mixed event, the Indian pair of Palak and Shiva Narwal bagged bronze after clinching the third-place play-off.

The in-form duo of Mehuli and Tushar outsmarted the Hungarian pair of Eszter Meszaros and Istvan Pen 17-13 in an evenly poised match-up. The third and fourth place went to shooters from Israel and Czech Republic respectively. This is Tushar’s maiden gold for India at the senior level while Mehuli bagged her second yellow metal, having won her first at the 2019 South Asian Games in Kathmandu.

In the mixed Air Pistol event, Palak and Shiva thrashed Kazakhstan’s Irina Loktionova and Valeriy Rakhimzhan 16-0, in what turned out to be a one-sided clash. With the impressive results on july 13, India have now climbed up to the second position behind leaders Serbia, with two gold and 1 bronze medal.

Q1. Name the country with which Air Force One is associated ?

1. Germany
2. Russia
3. US
4. UK
5. None of These 

Q2. Name the Palestinian president with whom the US President Joe Biden will meet during his visit to Israel and Saudi Arab ?

1. Ismail Haniya
2. Ahmed Yassin
3. Mahmud Abbas
4. Amin al-Husseini
5. None of These

Q3. Name the Chinese phone maker  whose  Indian  unit has been slapped with a notice for alleged Rs 4,389 crore import duty evasion ?

1. Xiaomi
2. Lenovo
3. Oppo
4. Vivo
5. None of These

Q4. Which   has become the first tech giant to lay off employees as part of a 'realignment'?

1. Apple
2. Microsoft
3. Samsung
4. Alphabet
5. None of These

Q5. Which country's parliament is known as the Knesset?

1. Iraq
2. Iran
3. Israel
4. Saudi Arabia
5. None of These

Answers

1--------------3    US

2-------------3      Mahmud Abbas

3--------------3    Oppo

4--------------2   Microsoft

5---------------3    Israel

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on  july 12 asserted that India was the "mother of all democracies", drawing upon the legacy of ancient republics like Vaishali, and expressed satisfaction over the nation's march towards becoming a "mature democracy".

Modi made the remark at a function organised on the occasion of centenary celebrations of Bihar Assembly as part of which he unveiled a commemorative pillar, planted a sapling of 'Kalpataru' tree and laid foundation stones of a guest house and a library.

"India is a democracy because we believe in saamanjasya (harmony). We are often told that India is the largest democracy. I would like countrymen to remember that we are not just the largest; India is the mother of all democracies," Modi said.

Expressing delight over being "the first prime minister to have visited the Assembly of Bihar", Modi recalled that the state was home to Vaishali, said to be the oldest republic in the world.

"Many people say that democracy came to India because of western influence. By doing so they undermine the legacy of Bihar," said Modi, recalling events like Champaran Satyagrah of Mahatma Gandhi to make his point.

"It is not a mere coincidence that the centenary celebrations of assembly premises are being held simultaneously with the Amrit Mahotsav (75th anniversary) of the Independence," said the PM.

He also stated that the nation was "on its way to becoming a mature democracy" which was evident from "better attendance of lawmakers inside Parliament and state assemblies" and "discarding of obsolete laws".

Modi also spoke of the "glorious past" of the state Assembly, which became the first in the country to bring in a zamindari abolition law and reservation for women in panchayats.

The passenger manifests of some airlines will have a 'Mr Ballot Box' on the rolls. It's an actual ballot box, not a quirky traveller with a weird name!

The Election Commission has booked a 'Mr Ballot Box' in flights on july 12 and 13 to send the vote container to different states for the July 18 presidential polls.

According to the Election Commission, a separate air ticket is booked in the name of 'Mr Ballot Box' as it travels on the front row of the aircraft. Seated beside 'Mr Ballot Box' are the assistant returning officers (ARO). The box travels under the personal supervision of the officer.

According to officials, the Commission had got a special permission from the civil aviation department in 1969 to enable the ballot boxes and other election materials to travel as passengers.

After air travel, 'Mr Ballot Box' will be stored in previously sanitised and properly sealed strong rooms under strict videography in each state and union territory.

Once the poll is over, the sealed 'Mr Ballot Box' and other election material will be transported back to the Office of Returning Officer Rajya Sabha Secretariat by the next available flight.

The boxes and other documents are carried personally in the aircraft cabins -- never out of sight of accompanying officers -- the Commission added.

When they reach Delhi, officials are also assisted at the helpdesk at the Delhi Airport, manned by the officials of the Election Commission of India, Civil Aviation, Delhi Police, and CISF.

The counting of votes will take place on July 21, ahead of the end of President Ram Nath Kovind's term on July 24. MPs will cast their ballots in the parliament house.

The Shiv Sena on july 12  announced that it will support the NDA's Presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu vis-a-vis the non-BJP Opposition's nominee Yashwant Sinha. Sena President Uddhav Thackeray made the formal announcement after a series of consultations with the party MPs, MLAs, and other leaders including tribals.

The decision to support Murmu comes a day after 16 MPs told Thackeray to support her as she is a "woman from a tribal community."

European Union nations on july 12  approved fresh aid for Ukraine as the country faces growing economic damage from Russia’s invasion.

Finance ministers from the 27-nation EU gave the go-ahead on july 12  to 1 billion euros ($1 billion) in loans to the Ukrainian government.

The sum brings to 2.2 billion euros the total amount of EU macro-financial assistance to Kyiv this year. An initial 1.2 billion euro EU loan package got the green light from the bloc’s finance chiefs days before Russia’s full-scale Feb. 24 attack.

The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, in mid-May proposed extra assistance of up to 9 billion euros to Ukraine. The planned 1 billion-euro payout is part of this initiative, which comes as Russia makes advances in eastern Ukraine and casualties mount on both sides.

“This will give Ukraine the necessary funds to cover urgent needs and ensure the operation of critical infrastructure,” said Zbynek Stanjura, finance minister of the Czech Republic, which currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency, in a statement.

Ukraine said last week that its post-war reconstruction would cost $750 billion. Meanwhile, the government in Kyiv is estimated to need around 5 billion euros a month to keep the economy afloat.

Group of Seven countries, including the United States, have pledged to help Ukraine meet its short-term financing requirements in addition to providing military aid to Kyiv and imposing wide-ranging economic sanctions against Russia.

The five-month-old war is having worldwide economic and social reverberations, ranging from possible food shortages in Africa to energy-supply disruptions in the EU. These in turn are raising the risk of a global recession.

The euro and the dollar have reached parity for the first time in 20 years, signalling the market's assumption that the European economy is heading for a deep recession due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

On july 12, 1 EUR equals 1 USD. The shift means European companies and consumers will pay more for the goods and services they import, while European exports become immediately cheaper in international markets. The euro has experienced a dramatic loss of value since early February when it was worth over $1.13.

The fall accelerated in recent weeks as fear spread that Russia, the EU's main energy provider, would completely cut off gas flows in retaliation for Western sanctions.

All eyes will be on the euro to see if it falls below the American dollar. The last time this happened was in November 2002, when the euro was worth $0.99. Since then, the euro enjoyed a steady rise, reaching almost $1.60 in the summer of 2008, when the Great Recession was wreaking financial havoc across the US.

But Russia's full-scale attack against Ukraine has turned the tables around, taking a heavy toll on the EU's economy. The invasion has upended energy markets and sent gas bills soaring to all-time highs.

The sudden shock has triggered record-breaking inflation across the eurozone, with an 8.6 per cent figure in June and a gradual slowdown in economic activity. The combination of both factors has brought back the spectre of stagflation, a dangerous mix that depresses growth while goods remain excessively expensive for consumers and companies.

The European Central Bank has already hiked the interest rates in a bid to tame inflation and plans to continue doing so as the situation further deteriorates. But some analysts have criticised the ECB for moving too late compared to its counterparts in the US, the UK and Canada.