News in Short

• Around 70% of the education loans disbursed in the country appear to be going to upper caste students, according to the data furnished by Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).
• The size of the loan sanctioned to GC students tends to be higher than the amount sanctioned to students from other categories.
• The report also said that 83% of the loans covered were smaller in size, i.e. within 4 lakh.

• Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, under fire over his handling of the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, would be stepping down.
• The announcement came after two weeks of mounting pressure and popular protests calling for Muscat to quit for his handling of the probe into Caruana Galizia's car bomb killing.
• Malta is a tiny island nation located in the Mediterranean Sea, near Italy.

• An Odia Braille booklet to create awareness about HIV infection and AIDS among the visually impaired has been printed by the Red Cross Computerised Braille Press in Berhampur.
• This Braille press is the only one in Odisha. It is also located in Ganjam, the most HIV infection prone region of the State.
• The booklet has all necessary information about HIV infection, its transmission, AIDS, prevention, information about the rights of AIDS patients, addresses for HIV test facilities and medical care of HIV positive persons.

• Actor Shelley Morrison, best known for playing Karen Walker's maid Rosario Salazar on "Will & Grace", has died. 
• The actor became popular for her performance as Puerto Rican nun Sister “Sixto” on "The Flying Nun" from 1967 to 1970.

• The first night trial of the nuclear capable Agni-III surface-to-surface ballistic missile, which was carried out from a mobile launcher at the Integrated Test Range at the APJ Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast, has failed.
• It is powered by a two-stage solid propellant system and is capable of carrying a warhead of 1.5 tonnes which is protected by carbon all composite heat shield.
• Agni-III is equipped with hybrid navigation, guidance and control systems along with advanced on-board computer.
• Exact fault behind the failure is yet to be established, but preliminary investigations attributed it to manufacturing defects.