EU countries approve 7 billion euro short-term loan to Greece

European Union (EU) has approved a short-term loan of 7.16 billion euros to Greece after it was backed by the 28 member states.

    • This loan will allow Greece to pay its huge debt to European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) till new bailout plan is ratified.
    • The loan will be given through the European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism (EFSM) which is a rescue fund set up during the first time bailout of Greece in 2010.
    • But presently it covers the whole of the 28 EU member nations and not just the 19 eurozone members.
    • This loan fund will be officially for three months, but looking at present debt crisis of Greece it can be sustained until 20 August 2015.

Remnants of India’s One of the Oldest Port Found in Goa

A team of scientists from Goa based National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) discovered the remnants of a historically important port on Goa’s Zuari river which is expected to be amongst the oldest signs of human trade on the central west coast.

  • The Port is supposed to be existed between 1000 to 3500 AD which makes it India’s oldest ports.
  • The researchers are also of the opinion that they may discover a dockyard similar in structure to Lothal dockyard in Gujarat which was discovered by Archeological Survey of India (ASI) in 1954.

Uruguay’s soccer legend Alcides Ghiggia passes away 

Uruguayan soccer legend Alcides Ghiggia has passed away due to heart attack in Montevideo, Uruguay. He was 88. He had scored the winning goal against Brazil in the final match of World Cup 1950 which had helped Uruguay to win World Cup for the second time.

Note: Uruguay for the first time had won the FIFA World Cup in 1930 which was the inaugural Football World Cup.

Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez suspended from Bowling in International Cricket for 1 Year

International Cricket Council (ICC) has banned Pakistan’s all-rounder cricketer Mohammad Hafeez from bowling in international cricket for a period of one year.

  • He was banned after he failed in ICC’s independent assessment on his suspected bowling action which violated permitted 15-degree limit.
  • Hafeez had tested his bowling action in Sri Ramachandra University in Chennai after his actions violated the limit during the second Test match against Sri Lanka.