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- The first-ever meeting of BRICS Employment Working Group (BEWG) was held in Hyderabad, Telangana. The agenda for the meeting was to device means of tracking labour and employment in the BRICS countries.
- The Indo-Thailand Military Exercise ‘Maitree‘ concluded in Krabi, Thailand, on 29 July 2016. The exercise was carried out under the aegis of the Royal Thailand Army. 90 soldiers from the armies of both countries participated in the two-week long exercise.
Indo-Thailand Joint Military Exercise ‘Maitree’ - The Supreme Court has refused to entertain a plea for Governor’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir. The Court has, however, asked for a status report on the difficulties faced by people due to the violence and imposition of curfew in the State. Curfew had been imposed in light of the massive unrest that followed the killing of alleged militant Burhan Wani by security forces.
- The Strategic Forces Command (SFC) has been added to the Second Schedule of the Right to Information Act (RTI), 2005. The Act thus far exempted security and intelligence establishments from its purview. The SFC forms part of the National Command Authority (NCA).
- The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has decided to revamp its outreach programme for children. The INSPIRE Awards (Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research), as they are now called, will be rechristened MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting National Aspirations and Knowledge) from this year. The change reflects the push towards originality in using technology to develop new ideas.
- Indonesia has cancelled the execution of an Indian drug convict, Gurdip Singh. He was to face the firing squad in the island of Cilacap in Indonesia yesterday, as part of the planned execution of 14 drug convicts who had received the death sentence in Indonesia. The execution was cancelled after diplomatic intervention by the Ministry of External Affairs.
- Sruthi Palaniappan has become the youngest delegate to attend the Democratic National Convention held in the USA. Her parents immigrated to the USA from Chennai, and she is set to join Harvard University to study government.
- The United Nations World Day against Trafficking in Persons, 2016 was observed across the world on 30 July 2016. The day aims to raise awareness of the plight of human trafficking victims.
- The International Day of Friendship was observed across the world on 30th July, 2016. The day was proclaimed in 2011 by the United Nations General Assembly in order to bolster peace efforts between peoples, cultures and countries.
- The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) has conferred its Lifetime Achievement Award on Mr. Srinivasan K. Swamy. The AAAI’s Lifetime Award, instituted in 1988, is the highest recognition bestowed on an individual in India for outstanding contribution to the advertising industry.
- The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology celebrated 40 years of being open to the public. It is a non-governmental environmental organisation, and was founded by Romulus Whitaker.
- Japan has developed a new Android named ‘Alter‘ that can move its head, eyes, mouth, body and hands in response to people around it. This brings the world a step closer to artificial intelligence being realised in physical forms.
- Chad’s former dictator, Hissene Habre, has been ordered to pay compensation to thousands of victims. A special African Union court ordered financial redress for those who suffered rape, arbitrary detention and imprisonment during his abusive 1982-1990 rule, as well as for victims’ relatives. On May 30th, Habre had been sentenced to life imprisonment by a tribunal set up to try him for gross human rights violations.
- China and Russia are holding a joint naval exercise in the South China Sea, to further cement their relations.
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