Three Indian sites listed among UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has listed Chandigarh's Capitol Complex and Sikkim's national park home to the world's third highest peak Mount Khangchendzonga among its World Heritage Sites, approving all three nominations linked to India this session. These approval comes two days after the ruins of Nalanda University in Bihar made to the elite tag at the 40th session of The World Heritage Committee meeting in Istanbul.

This is the first time that any country got three sites inscribed in the Word Heritage List at a single session of the committee meeting. India now has 35 sites, including 27 cultural properties, seven natural sites and one mixed site, notified as World Heritage Sites. The KNP became India’s first mixed World Heritage Site after fulfilling the nomination criteria under both natural and cultural heritages.

Extra Info: A World Heritage Site is a place (such as a building, city, complex, desert, etc.) that is listed by UNESCO as being of special cultural or physical significance. The list is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. The committee is composed of 21 UNESCO member states which are elected by the General Assembly.

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PM Modi salutes Chandra Shekhar Azad and Bal Gangadhar Tilak on their birth anniversary

The Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi has saluted Indian revolutionary freedom fighters Chandra Shekhar Azad, and Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak on their birth anniversaries . In a tweet, Mr. Modi said that he salutes the courageous Chandra Shekhar Azad, who won the admiration of countless Indians due to his valour and the great Bal Gangadhar Tilak inspired several people to devote themselves to the freedom struggle. Azad was born on July 23, 1906 in Bhavra village, in the present-day Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh while Tilak was born in Ratnagiri in Maharashtra on July 23, 1856. On February 27, 1931, Azad shot himself dead with his last bullet when he was surrounded by police at Alfred Park in Allahabad while Tilak died on August 1 1920.

Facebook's solar-powered internet plane takes flight

Facebook has announced the first successful test flight of a high-altitude solar plane to bring internet access to remote parts of the world. The Aquila drone has the wingspan of an airliner but weighs less than a car. When cruising it consumes just 5,000 watts – the same as three hairdryers or a powerful microwave. The first flight took place on 28 June in Arizona. Facebook said the test went better than expected and that Aquila’s 96-minute flight was three times longer than planned. Aquila was developed in Bridgwater, Somerset, by Ascenta, a designer of solar-powered drones that Facebook bought in March 2014. The drone, designed to fly non-stop for three months, will use lasers to beam down internet access to remote areas without online capacity.

Najma Heptulla, G M Siddeswara quit Modi Cabinet

Union ministers Najma Heptulla and GM Siddeshwara resigned, a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made big cabinet changes. Dr Heptulla was above 75 years in age - the ceiling for holding a cabinet post according to the unwritten rules of the party. Dr Heptulla, the Minority Affairs Minister, was replaced by Minister of State Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who has been given independent charge. The portfolio held by Mr Siddeshwara - junior minister for Heavy Industries - will be taken over by Babul Supriyo, who was the junior minister for Urban Development.

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