1. Arvind Kejriwal's free Delhi Metro, DTC Bus rides for women defies Gender 'Equality'

• Just months before the Delhi Assembly elections, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's announcement of making DTC bus and the Metro rides free for women in the national capital has raised quite a storm on Twitter among the Twitterati's.
• Some of them think it's a good initiative for women and senior citizens, while others are saying that the Delhi government's decision is completely unjustified and defies Gender 'Equality'.
• Kejriwal said that the Delhi government would bear the expense, around Rs 1,600 crore for the year. He added that the decision has been taken keeping the safety of women in mind. It would take about three months for the rollout of the scheme.

Foot Notes

About Delhi

1. Chief minister: Arvind Kejriwal
2. Governor: Anil Baijal
3. He took over office on 31 December 2016 after the sudden resignation of Najeeb Jung.

2. British Airways resumes flights to Pakistan more than 10 years after suspending its service

• Britain's flagship carrier stopped flying to Pakistan after the Marriott hotel in the capital, Islamabad, was bombed in 2008, killing more than 50 people.
• The airline is now scheduled to fly three times a week, with Boeing 787 Dreamliners, to the Pakistani capital from London Heathrow.
• It is the only western airline to resume its service to Islamabad. Pakistan's flag carrier, the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was the only airline to run direct flights between Islamabad and London.

Foot Notes

About British Airways

1. British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom.
2. It is the second largest airline in the United Kingdom.
3. Headquarters: Harmondsworth, United Kingdom

3. A new way of using MRI scanners to look for evidence of multiple sclerosis in the brain.

• A new way of using MRI scanners to look for evidence of multiple sclerosis in the brain has been successfully tested by researchers at The University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
• Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological condition which affects around 100,000 people in the UK. It is notoriously difficult to diagnose as it has many symptoms but not all sufferers experience all of them and the disease can progress at different rates.
• MRI scans have been used as a diagnostic tool to detect white matter lesions in the brain but these are not always an indicator of the disease.

Foot Notes

About Multiple sclerosis

1. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system).
2. In MS, the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers and causes communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body. Eventually, the disease can cause permanent damage or deterioration of the nerves.

4. 'Death Penalty For Repeat Rape Offenders': Bombay HC Upholds Constitutional Validity Of Section 376-E IPC

• The Bombay High Court, on Monday, upheld the Constitutional validity of Section 376-E of IPC which provides that repeat offenders in rape cases can be awarded life imprisonment or death penalty.
• The Division bench of Justice B P Dharmadhikari and Justice Revati Mohite Dere dismissed petitions filed by three convicts in the Shakti Mill gang rape case.
• Death penalty was awarded to Vijay Jadhav, Mohammad Qasim Shaikh and Mohammad Salim Ansari by the Trial Court for the gang-rape of an 18-year-old call centre employee in July 2013 and 22-year-old photojournalist in August 2013.

Foot Notes

About The Bombay High Court

1. Established: 14 August 1862
2. Seat: Mumbai
3. Chief justice: Naresh Harishchandra Patil
4. Jurisdiction: Maharashtra, Goa, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

5. WHO award for Rajasthan Health Department.

• The World Health Organization has selected the Rajasthan government’s Medical & Health Department for its award this year in recognition of its achievements in the field of tobacco control.
• The department’s Additional Chief Secretary, Rohit Kumar Singh, will receive the award at a function to mark World No Tobacco Day in New Delhi.
• The Health Department of the State is the only government body in the country which will be awarded for its tobacco-free initiatives.

Foot Notes

About World Health Organization

1. The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health.
2. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
3. Founded: 7 April 1948
4. Founders: India, United States, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela.

About Rajasthan

1. Chief Minister: Ashok Gehlot
2. Capital: Jaipur
3. Governor: Kalyan Singh

6. IMD issues red-code warning for Delhi after temperature rises to highest in 5 years

• IMD’s red-code warning denotes extreme weather situations.Heat wave conditions continued unabated in Delhi even as the MeT department issued a "red-colour" warning for the national capital.
• The IMD has four colour-coded messages -- green, yellow, amber and red. Green indicates normal conditions while red denotes extreme weather situations.
• The MeT department recorded a high of 46.8 degree Celsius, the highest in five years.

Foot Notes

About  India Meteorological Department

1. Headquarters: New Delhi
2. Director General: Dr. K. J. Ramesh
3. Founder: Government of India
4. Founded: 1875
5. Parent organization: Ministry of Earth Sciences

7. Veteran industrialist BM Khaitan passes away at 92

• Also known as the “evergreen tea man of India” globally, he had made the tea industry “Indian-owned” in the twilight era of independence.
• Veteran industrialist and patriarch of the Williamson Magor Group, Brij Mohan Khaitan, passed away at his residence in Kolkata on Saturday . He was 92.
• Best known for his bold acquisitions, Khaitan had built the Williamson Magor Group from scratch. He was till recently the Chairman of Eveready Industries – one of the Group’s flagships and the country’s largest dry cell battery maker. He had recently stepped down from the post and was re-appointed as Chairman Emeritus.

8. L&T Finance launches 'Sabse Khaas Loan' for two-wheeler customers

• L&T Finance, a subsidiary of L&T Finance Holdings,launched 'Sabse Khaas Loan' for two-wheeler customers.
• The scheme not only provides hassle-free and low-cost finance for two-wheelers but also eliminates the need for hypothecation of vehicle to the financier over the tenure of the loan, the company said in a statement.
• The borrowers can choose from 3 different EMI tenures 6, 12 and 18 months with interest rates between 7.99 per cent and 8.99 per cent.

Foot Notes

About  L&T Finance L&T Finance Holdings Company

1. CEO: Dinanath Dubhashi
2. Headquarters: India
3. Founded: 2008

9. Mohana Singh becomes first woman fighter pilot to fly Hawk jet

• Flight Lieutenant Mohana Singh has become the first woman fighter pilot to fly by day a Hawk advanced jet aircraft, a defence release has said. She achieved the feat at the Kalaikunda Air Force Station in West Bengal.
• “Flight Lieutenant Mohana Singh became the first woman fighter pilot to become fully operational by day on Hawk advanced jet aircraft as she landed after a gruelling 4 aircraft combat sortie at Air Force station Kalaikunda, West Bengal, which was the last syllabus sortie, of being fully operational on the Hawk Jets.
• She has a total of over 500 hours of incident-free flying, of which 380 hours are on the Hawk Mk 132 jet. She had, along with two other women pilots, Bhawana Kanth and Avani Chaturvadi, joined the fighter stream in June 2016.