China deploys aircraft carrier off Philippines amid clash in SCS

China has deployed its second aircraft carrier 'Shandong' which was spotted patrolling waters off the Philippine coast as Manila stepped up efforts to assert its claims over a shoal in the disputed South China Sea firmly opposing Beijing's counterclaims.

The aircraft carrier is likely on a scheduled exercise that could also prepare it for a potential far sea voyage into the West Pacific, it said. Shandong's deployment comes after the People's Liberation Army deployed major surface combat ships, including large and medium destroyers and the main amphibious landing ship in the South China Sea as a territorial clash with Manila escalated.

Maximum police custody still 15 days, can be spread over two months: Shah

As the new criminal laws - the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) to replace the Indian Penal Code, 1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, respectively - came into effect. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah clarified that the maximum period of police custody under the BNSS would remain 15 days, with provision to be spread over a maximum of two months.

From Moscow next week, Modi to visit Vienna, a first by PM since Indira in 1983

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Russia on July 8-9, followed by Austria on July 9-10.

Modi's visits to Moscow and Vienna will be the first set of bilateral visits in the third term of his government. Usually, the first foreign visit by the Indian PM is to the neighbouring countries.

While this will be Modi's first visit to Russia since the war started in February 2022, it will be the first visit by an Indian PM to Austria in 41 years, after Indira Gandhi in 1983.

ON THE UPSWING

The Indian Banking system has continued to register a robust performance across various metrics. As per the Reserve Bank of India's latest financial stability report, not only have banks seen a sustained improvement in their asset quality, but their profitability has remained high, and their capital position also remains healthy. 

This improvement is being observed across both public and private sector banks. This has, in turn, improved their attractiveness - the Nifty Bank index is up more than 16 per cent over the past year, with PSU banks registering handsome gains.

Army facing unique operational challenges, says Gen Dwivedi

The Indian Army is ready and capable of facing all current and future security challenges facing India, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said amid an increase in terror incidents in the Jammu belt and the ongoing border standoff with China in eastern Ladakh.

In his initial remarks to the media a day after taking over as the Army Chief, Gen Dwivedi said working towards ensuring synergy among the Army, Air Force and Navy would be one of his priorities. 

He added the Army is facing "unique operational challenges" and to remain prepared for such threats, it is crucial to continue equipping soldiers with the latest weapons.

NHRC seeks reports from Centre, TN over Foxconn's 'jobs bar on married women'

Taking into account media reports that Foxconn India, a major manufacturer of Apple products, is excluding married women from jobs at its iPhone assembly plant in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued notices to the Centre and the state government.

"The Commission has observed that the contents of the media reports, if true, raise a serious issue of discrimination against married women causing the violation of the right to equality and equal opportunity. 

Therefore, the Commission has issued notices to the Secretary, Union Ministry of Labour and Employment and the Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu calling for a detailed report.

India, Pak share lists of civilian prisoners, fishermen in each other's custody: MEA

India and Pakistan exchanged the lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen in each other's custody, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, adding that Pakistan has shared the names of 43 civilian prisoners and 211 fishermen in its custody who are Indian or believed- to-be-Indian.

India has shared the names of 366 civilian prisoners and 86 fishermen in its custody who are Pakistani or are be Pakistani, the MEA said in a statement. Under the provisions of the bilateral agreement on Consular Access 2008, such lists are exchanged every year on January 1 and July 1, the statement said. 

How the world's first brain implant to control epileptic seizures works

A UK-based teenager, Oran Knowlson, has become the first person in the world to be fitted with a brain implant to help bring his epileptic seizures under control. 

The deep brain stimulation (DBS) device, which sends electrical signals deep into the brain, has reduced Knowlson's daytime seizures by 80%.

What is epilepsy?

Epilepsy, a condition that leads to recurring seizures, sees a person experience jerking of arms and legs, temporary confusion, staring spells, or stiff muscles. It is caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain.

The disease has no identifiable cause in nearly 50% of the cases. However, head trauma, tumours in the brain, some infections like meningitis, or even genetics can lead to epilepsy. It can increase the risk of accidents, drownings, and falling.

In India, between 3 and 11.9 per 1,000 people suffer from epilepsy, according to a comment in a 2022 Lancet study. Although several anti-seizure medicines are available in the market, 30% of the patients remain resistant to treatment.

Russian oil imports surge to 13-month high, Saudi volumes crash to decade-low

India's Russian oil imports rose to a near-peak level in June powered by the highest-ever import volumes of Moscow's key crude grade Urals, as per oil tanker tracking data and industry experts. 

Additional availability of Russian crude for export markets due to Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refinery infrastructure and sizable price differential vis-à-vis competing Middle Eastern crude grades have led to higher flows of Russian oil to India in recent months.

The rise in India's import of discounted Russian oil over the past few months has hit flows from Saudi Arabia the most, with June import volumes from Riyadh falling to the lowest monthly level in over a decade, the data shows.

What is Project Nexus that RBI has signed up for?

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has joined Project Nexus, a multilateral international initiative to enable instant cross-border retail payments by interlinking domestic Fast Payments Systems (FPSs). India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and FPSs of Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand will be interlinked through Nexus. Going ahead, the platform can be extended to more countries.

Project Nexus is conceptualised by the Innovation Hub of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). It seeks to enhance cross-border payments by connecting multiple domestic instant payment systems (IPS) globally. It is the first BIS Innovation Hub project in the payments area to move towards live implementation.

The Reserve Bank of India has been collaborating bilaterally with various countries to link India's Fast Payments System (FPS) -UPI, with their respective FPSs for cross-border Person to Person (P2P) and Person to Merchant (P2M) payments. 

While India and its partner countries can continue to benefit through such bilateral connectivity of FPS, a multilateral approach will provide further impetus to the RBI's efforts in expanding the international reach of Indian payment systems.