World’s highest railway tunnel opens in China

1.    World’s highest railway tunnel opens in China 

i. The world's highest tunnel for high-speed trains in northwest China became operational on Thursday at an altitude of 3,607.4 metres. 

ii. The 16.3-km-long was completely linked up, operationalising the line linking Gansu Province and Xinjiang provinces. 

iii. With altitudes of up to 3,607.4 metres, the tunnel passes through the Qilian Mountains with two sections and a bridge. 

iv. The construction began in 2009. The tunnel's complete joining means the most difficult part for the Lanxin high-speed railway has been solved, state-run Xinhua reported, quoting an official in charge of the tunnel project. 

2.    Deadline ended for non-CTS cheques

i. The deadline for switching to new format bank cheques under the Cheque Truncation System (CTS) ended on 30 April 2014.

ii.The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) started the process of migration to CTS cheques in New Delhi and Chennai from 24 September 2011.

iii. Transactions with cheques that have Magnetic Ink Character Regnition (MICR) and not CTS technology will be delayed from 1 May 2014.

iv. Now, the non- CTS cheques will be likely to take four days or more from the date of deposit to credit the amount. Banks will now clear non-CTS cheques on Mondays and Fridays only.

Future Aspect
RBI has decided to extend the adoption of CTS cheques countrywide in phases. Tamil Nadu, Kerala,Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and the Union territory of Puducherry will implement the system under the Chennai grid.

3.    British actor Bob Hoskins died at 71

i. British actor Bob Hoskins died of pneumonia at the age of 71 in London on 29 April 2014. He is best known for roles in The Long Good Friday, Mona Lisa and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

ii. His most memorable performance was as the Cockney cabbie in Mona Lisa film for which he was nominated for Oscar and won best actor awards at Cannes, the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes.

iii. He also worked in the US film likes The Cotton Club, Maid in Manhattan and Nixon.

iv. His last role was in Snow White and the Huntsman which starred Kristen Stewart in 2012. He also directed two films The Raggedy Rawney and Rainbow.