1. The construction of the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya is scheduled to begin in the first week of August 2020. The Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is planning to conduct ‘Bhoomi Pujan’ or place worship of the construction area on either August 3rd or August 5th.
2. The Jammu and Kashmir administration on July 18, 2020 announced a life insurance cover of Rs 25 lakhs for all elected members of urban local bodies and Panchayati raj institutions. This is significant as the locally elected members in J&K are under constant threat from terrorists.
3. England’s Dom Sibley became the first cricketer to violate ICC’s ‘saliva ban’ rule during Day 4 of England’s second test series against West Indies at OId Trafford in Manchester. Dom Sibley accidentally applied saliva on the ball during the match. However, he immediately informed the umpires about it and they used disinfectant to disinfect the ball.
4. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has approved the proposal to ensure geographical and gender representation on the BWF Council. The newly approved changes to the constitution will ensure at least 30 percent representation of each gender on the Council.
5. The Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has directed the telecom companies to stop free internet services to its subscribers for accessing social media. The regulatory authority stated that it gives rise to unhealthy competition between the companies.
6. NASA has rescheduled the launch of James Webb Space Telescope to October 31, 2021. The launch was earlier scheduled for March 2021. The space agency had confirmed last month that the March 2021 launch target was not possible due to the delays brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and other technical challenges.
7. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has launched an e-campaign on Voluntary Compliance of Income Tax for the fiscal year 2018-19. The campaign will run for 11 days between 20th July to 31th July 2020.
8. Russian Parliament has initiated the process of banning same-sex marriage. The Russian lawmakers had on July 14, 2020 submitted draft legislation that seeks to ban same-sex marriage.
