7 JUNE 2014: PM will visit 7 countries in 6 months & meet leaders of the world to articulate his foreign policy priorities

Ø  Seven international visits in six months — it is a blistering pace for travel that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set himself for the remainder of 2014. Mr. Modi would make his first stop abroad in Thimphu in June. In July, the Prime Minister will visit Japan. Also in July, Mr. Modi will go to Brazil for the BRICS summit and to enjoy some World Cup football on the side. In September, Mr. Modi will travel east for the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits, and then west for the U.N. General Assembly session. In November, he has the G-20 summit in Brisbane in Australia and the SAARC summit in Kathmandu is also planned for that month.

Ø  Bollywood superstar and Gujarat tourism’s brand ambassador Amitabh Bachchan may soon be seen promoting Maharashtra’s horticulture globally.

Ø  The Madhya Pradesh government has appointed actor Madhuri Dixit as the brand ambassador for its Mamta Abhiyaan (maternal and child health) campaign.

Ø  Four Ministries will work together for the cleaning of river Ganges which is a priority for the Narendra Modi government. A committee of secretaries of the Ministries — Water Resources, Environment and Forests, Shipping and Transport and Tourism — will evaluate the entire Ganga project. Announcing this after the first meeting of the group of Ministers, Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti said the departments concerned would coordinate and incorporate ideas in the River Action Plan.

Ø  Canada’s Quebec province adopted legislation on Thursday allowing terminally ill patients to kill themselves with a doctor’s help, becoming the first jurisdiction in the country to effectively legalise assisted suicide. The move sets the stage for a judicial row with Ottawa, as federal criminal law forbids euthanasia even with a person’s consent.