NATIONAL NEWS

1. Five oil PSUs sign JV pact for N-E Natural Gas Pipeline Grid In a major initiative to connect all the North-East States to the National Gas Grid, five central oil PSUs - IOCL, ONGC, GAIL, OIL, and NRL have signed an agreement for executing the North - East Natural Gas Pipeline Grid.

2. ASEAN- trade likely to touch 100 billion by 2020. Union Urban Development and Housing Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said ASEAN-India trade is likely to touch USD 100 billion by 2020.

3. PM Modi to launch India-assisted emergency ambulance service in Sri Lanka. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off a countrywide emergency ambulance service for Sri Lanka through video conferencing from New this afternoon. The inaugural function is scheduled in Jaffna of the northern province where Sri Lankan Prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will be present among other dignitaries. 4. India, Rwanda sign eight agreements following delegation-level talks between PM Modi & Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Kigali. The two countries signed agreements in the fields of Defence, Trade, Agriculture, Leather and allied products and Dairy. India also extended two Lines of Credit of 100 million US dollars each - one for development of industrial parks and Kigali Special Economic Zone, and the other for three agricultural projects in Rwanda.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

5. 4th BIMSTEC Summit to be held in Kathmandu on 30 August. Bay of Bengal Initiatives for Multi- Sectoral, Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). The group was formed in 1997 and it brings together Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. Nepal is the current chair of BIMSTEC.

6. UAE, China sign 13 MoUs on various subjects The governments of the United Arab Emirates and the People's Republic of China on Friday signed at least 13 Agreements and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on various subjects including that concerning joint cooperation on the Silk Road Initiative and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative. 7. Australia announces plans to explore concepts to save Great Barrier Reef. Australia announced plans to explore concepts such as firing salt into clouds and covering swathes of water with a thin layer of film in a bid to save the reeling from two straight years of bleaching as sea temperatures rise because of climate change. 8. Key member resigns from Myanmar advisory panel on Rohingya crisis. Member of an international advisory panel on Myanmar's crisis-hit Rakhine state Kobsak Chutiku a retired ambassador and former member of Thailand’s parliament resigned.

9. Myanmar joins International Solar Alliance, becomes 68th member of grouping. The International Solar Alliance is an alliance of more than 121 countries, most of them being sunshine countries, which lie either completely or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

10. Group of 20 Finance Ministers and central bank Governors have warned that heightened trade and geopolitical tensions threaten the economic expansion. The statement, issued at the end of their two-day meeting in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

11. UPL to buy Arysta Life for $4.2 bn. Chemicals producer UPL (formerly United Phosphates) on Friday teamed up with Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and TPG to snap up Florida based Arysta Life Science Inc. for $4.2 billion in an all cash deal.

12. Government slashes minimum annual deposit requirement under SSY. Government of India has reduced the minimum annual deposit requirement for accounts under Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana to Rs. 250 from Rs. 1000 earlier.

13. First meeting of India- Bangladesh Joint Committee on Border Haats concluded. The first meeting of the India- Bangladesh Joint Committee on Border Haats concluded in Agartala, Tripura.

SPORTS

14. Dhanvir, Priya set meet records in National Youth Athletics Championships. Punjab shot-putter Dhanvir Singh and Kerala 400m hurdler Vishnu Priya set new meet records to win gold medals in the 15th National Youth Athletics Championships in Vadodara.

15. Govt selects 734 athletes for Khelo- India scholarships. A total of 734 youngsters were shortlisted for scholarship under the Khelo India Talent Development Scheme. The scheme is a unique programme to nurture sporting talent. Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore said transformational changes have been introduced into Indian sports.

16. India bags 8 medals including two gold at Jr Asian Ch'ship. India won 8 medals in the Junior Asian Wrestling Championship which concluded in .

The medals comprised 2 gold, 3 silver and as many bronze. Sachin Rathi won the gold after winning the bout in the 74 kilogram category. Deepak Punia then won the gold in the 86 kilogram category. Suraj Rajkumar Kokate won a bronze in the 61 kilogram category while Mohit won bronze in the 125 kilogram category.