Prepared by D.Sarala, Viluppuram

1.India and Belgium have signed a Protocol to amend the existing Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) between the two countries. The Protocol was signed by Sushil Chandra, Chairman Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and Jan Luykx, Ambassador of Belgium to India.

2.The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) has issued draft Information Technology (Security of Prepaid Payment Instruments) Rules 2017 for Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPI) company or e wallet firms. It covers an entire spectrum for protecting consumer information, especially financial data. 

3.Parliament has passed the Maternity Benefits (Amendment) Bill, 2016 to raise maternity leave for working women from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for two surviving children. India will be in third position in terms of the number of weeks allowed for maternity leave in the world after Norway (44 weeks) and Canada (50).

4.Scientists for the first time have discovered three new canyons close to Kovvada in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh. This discovery was made by team of scientists from CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in Visakhapatnam. These three canyons together form a major canyon system in the depths of the Bay of Bengal. Canyon systems are generally formed by the flow of river water into the sea and they could be as old as the river system, which is close to 23 million years.

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5.Eminent Konkani writer Mahabaleshwar Sail (74) was selected for the prestigious Saraswati Samman 2016 for his novel Hawthan. His novel was shortlisted out of 22 books written in as many languages. He will receive cash prize of Rs 15 lakh and a citation. He is bilingual writer based in Goa. He has written four Marathi dramas and seven Konkani novels. He has also written five short stories and a novel in Marathi. He is best known for his work, ‘Paltadcho Munis’, which inspired a film by the same name. Most of his short stories and novels are translated into English and Hindi,

6.Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in Ludhiana has claimed developing country’s first genetically-modified (GM) varieties of cotton – PAU Bt 1 and F1861. Cotton is the only GM crop allowed to be cultivated in India. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) also has identified three Bt cotton varieties –F1861, PAU Bt 1 and RS2013 for cultivation in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. The PAU Bt 1 variety was completely developed at PAU, whereas the F1861 and RS2013 were converted to Bt version by Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR), Nagpur. All three varieties carry the Cry1Ac gene obtained from Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) bacteria. It imparts resistance against bollworm cotton pest.

7.The Sports person  Diego Maradona   named as the ambassador of Chinese Super  League

8.The anti missile system THAAD is being deployed by the US in the South Korea after defiant  North’s latest test .

9.Park  Geun -hye  ( South Korean President ) whose  impeachment  was upheld by  the Constitutional  court ending his /her  Presidency

10.The 11th edition of North -East  Business  Summit (NEBS) started in New Delhi.

 11.Researchers  have found molecular evidence  confirming the presence of  Ostrich  species in India more than 25000 years ago.