NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. PM
Narendra Modi launched Urea Gold in Rajasthan: Prime
Minister Narendra Modi would launch Urea Gold - a new
variety of Urea that is coated with Sulphur in Rajasthan. The
implementation of Sulphur Coated Urea will tackle sulphur deficiencies in
the soil. This innovative fertiliser is more economical and efficient than
neem-coated urea, improves nitrogen use efficiency in plants, reduces
consumption of fertiliser. Neem-coated urea is a specialized form
of urea fertilizer that has been coated with neem oil.
2. Nisha
Biswal becomes Deputy Chief Executive Officer of US finance agency: Nisha Biswal, an Indian-American policy expert, has been
designated as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of a US finance agency. She
has a career of over over 30 years of experience in US foreign policy and
international development programs, within the White House She holds the
position of Senior Vice President for International Strategy and Global
Initiatives at the US Chamber of Commerce and oversees the US-India
Business Council and US-Bangladesh Business Council.
3. Centre
launched ULLAS mobile application: During
the inauguration ceremony of Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam
2023, the Union Minister of Education Dharmendra
Pradhan, unveiled the logo, slogan - "Jan Jan Sakshar," and
mobile application of the ULLAS: Nav Bharat Saksharta Karyakram. Objective: To
change education and literacy throughout the country by cultivating a thorough
learning ecosystem that is tailored to each individual and closes gaps in
fundamental literacy and important life skills.
4. Shivendra
Nath Joins EPIL As Chairman And MD: Shivendra
Nath has been designated as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD)
of Engineering Projects (India) Ltd., a public sector undertaking (PSU) under
the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises. Currently, he holds
the position of Senior General Manager at Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL),
which is also a PSU under the Department of Telecommunications. The Public
Enterprises Selection Board panel has endorsed his appointment for the CMD
position.
5. India’s
tiger population estimated to 3,925 with annual growth rate of 6%: According to Minister of State for Environment, Ashwini
Kumar, India’s tiger population is estimated to be 3,925 with an
annual growth rate of 6.1%per annum. Analysis of data done by the Wildlife
Institute of India, from both camera-trapped and non-camera-trapped tiger
presence areas. India currently harbors almost 75 percent of the
world’s wild tiger population. The largest population of tigers is found to be
in Madhya Pradesh followed by Karnataka, Uttarakhand.
6. G.
Kannabiran appointed as new NAAC Director:
The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has recently
named Prof Ganesan Kannabiran as its new director. He comes with a
experience of over 30 years in the education sector, during which he served as
a senior professor of Information Systems at the National Institute of
Technology (NIT), Tiruchirappalli. He has held various leadership positions,
including the Dean of Research and Consultancy, and Director-in-Charge at
NIT Trichy and NIT Puducherry.
7. Bengaluru becomes first Indian city to join World Cities
Culture Forum: Bengaluru has become the first
Indian city to become part of the World Cities Culture Forum (WCCF) It
is a global network of cities that share research and intelligence and explores
the role of culture in future prosperity. The network currently has 40 cities
spanning six continents. Bengaluru became the 41st city to join the forum and
the network currently includes 40 cities across six continents. The forum
includes cities like New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, and Dubai. The global consortium
was founded in 2012 by Justine Simons OBE, London’s Deputy Mayor for Culture
& the Creative Industries.
8. PM Modi inaugurates Semicon India 2023 conclave in
Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi has inaugurated the Semicon India 2023 conclave at Mahatma
Mandir in Gujarat. The three-day conclave is being organized by the
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to showcase India’s
semiconductor strategy and development in the field of Semiconductors. The
theme of the Conference is ‘Catalysing India’s Semiconductor Ecosystem’. The
government has identified more than 300 educational institutes that will
provide academic courses dedicated to the semiconductor sector to create
skilled engineers.
9. Kerala to set up India’s first fisheries Atal
Incubation Centre: The Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies
(Kufos) has secured a grant of ₹10 crore from NITI Aayog to
establish India’s first Atal Incubation Centre (AIC) in fisheries at
the University. The AIC initiative is part of the Atal Innovation Mission,
which seeks to encourage a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across
various sectors in the country. The AIC will foster collaborations between
academia, industry, and the government, encouraging knowledge transfer and commercialization
of research outcomes. Kufos, under the guidance of Radhika Rajasree, professor
and head of the Department of Fish Processing Technology, will spearhead the
“transformative project as its principal investigator”. Kufos is a pioneering
institution dedicated to excellence in education, research, and outreach in the
field of fisheries and ocean studies. The university addresses critical
challenges faced by marine ecosystems and fishing communities through
innovative solutions. NITI Ayog is the government of India’s premier policy
think tank and the grant given to Kufos is a significant boost to innovation
and entrepreneurship.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. World's
largest private satellite Jupiter-3 is launched: Elon
Musk exploration company SpaceX launched the world's largest private
satellite into space in July 2023. From Launch Complex 39A in Florida, the
satellite will be launched on SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket. This will be
the seventh launch for SpaceX's triple-booster rocket. Instead of
attempting a drone-ship landing at sea, SpaceX will expend its core booster in
the Atlantic Ocean following the first-stage separation, which deviates from
their usual practice.
2. Scotsman
James Skea appointed as new IPCC chair in Nairobi:
Professor Jim Skea, a UK national, has been appointed as the Chair of
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the globally authoritative
UN body on climate change science. He is exceptionally well-qualified to
serve in this prestigious role and also contributed to the work of the IPCC for
nearly thirty years. He was Co-Chair of the IPCC’s Working Group
III on Climate Change Mitigation and co-led the IPCC’s seminal
Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C.
3. NASA
launches streaming service NASA+, app: NASA
is revamping its main websites to offer a seamless and enriching browsing
experience to its viewers. Aims: To continuously enhance these websites,
making them more informative, interactive, and user-friendly. NASA is even
launching its on-demand streaming platform, NASA+. Objective:
To feature brand-new series dedicated to exploring the wonders of the cosmos
and will offer unparalleled access to the agency's captivating Emmy
Award-winning live coverage.
4. World
Ranger Day - July 31: World Ranger Day is celebrated worldwide on
July 31st to commemorate Rangers killed or injured in the line of duty and
to celebrate the work Rangers do to protect the planet’s natural treasures and
cultural heritage. Theme: ’30 by 30‘. A Ranger is a person who is charged
with preserving and protecting parklands and natural protected areas. World
Ranger Day is an International Ranger Federation initiative promoted together
with The Thin Green Line .
5. India and Laos sign MOUs for five quick impact
projects: India has signed five MoUs with Laos for
Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) in education, health, water facility, and IT.
The MoUs were signed during the 3rd round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC)
held between India and Lao PDR in Vientiane. Both sides discussed ways to
bolster cooperation in various domains, including agriculture, health, and
trade ties. The next round of Foreign Office Consultations will be held in New
Delhi.
6. Amazon India to open first floating store in Dal lake: As a part of the last point delivery
programme ‘I Have Space’, Amazon India has announced to open
its first-ever floating store in famous Dal Lake in Srinagar. The store
should be open in a houseboat and will provide deliveries to its customers
every day in Srinagar. Murtaza Khan Kashi, owner of houseboat Selec Town, will
deliver packages every day to customers at the doorstep of their houseboats as
part of the onboarding. This will provide faster and more reliable deliveries
to customers across Srinagar, opportunities for small businesses and strengthen
Amazon’s delivery network. Launched in 2015, the ‘I Have Space’ programme has
28,000 neighbourhood and kirana partners in about 420 towns and cities in
India. It partners with local stores and small businesses for delivering products
within a 2-4 kilometres radius.
7. Bhutan announces successful elimination of Rubella: Bhutan has announced the successful
elimination of rubella. The World Health Organization recognized Bhutan’s
efforts to tackle this highly contagious and potentially devastating disease. In
the past 20 years, Bhutan’s health workers have worked tirelessly and fought
against rubella, also known as German Measles. This infectious disease poses a
threat to those infected and also causes severe complications for pregnant
women, resulting in irreversible birth defects in newborns.
8. SpaceX launches ‘Jupiter 3’, world’s largest private
communication satellite: SpaceX has launched the world’s largest private communications
satellite ‘Jupiter 3’ using a Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch
Complex-39A of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The ‘Jupiter 3’
satellite, developed by Maxar Technologies in Palo Alto, California, holds the
record as the largest commercial communications satellite ever built. This
upcoming launch marks the seventh mission of SpaceX’s triple-booster rocket,
the Falcon Heavy, which first attracted widespread attention during its debut
in 2018. JUPITER 3, also referred to as ‘EcoStar XXIV’, is a satellite of
Hughes, an EchoStar company. As the next-generation Ultra High Density
Satellite (UHDS), it is designed to provide gigabytes of connectivity to
customers across North and South America.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Shooter
Aishwary clinches Gold medal at FISU World University Games 2023: At the FISU World University Games
2023 in China, shooter Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar won
the Gold medal for India. Competing in men's 50-meter rifle three
positions, he achieved the top podium with a total score
of 461.7 points in the final. With this, India have now a gold,
silver and bronze each in shooting. The Indian trio of Tomar, Sartaj Singh
Tiwana and Surya Pratap Singh joined forces to secure Bronze in the
men's 50 meter rifle 3 position team event.
2. India
bags 14 medals at Sri Lanka Athletics National Championships: At the Sri Lanka Athletics National Championships 2023, Indian athletes
bagged 14 medals, comprising nine gold, four silver, and one
bronze medal. Indian athletes clinched six medals at the Sugathadasa
Stadium in Colombo. Amoj Jacob, Aishwarya Mishra, Muhammed Anas, and Himanshi
Malik, in the 4x400 meter mixed relay team, earned the first gold medal of
the day. Kishore Kumar Jena, the Indian javelin thrower who won the gold
medal, received the Best Male Thrower trophy
3. Syazrul Ezat Idrus becomes first to
claim elusive seven-wicket: Malaysia
seamer Syazrul Ezat Idrus scripted history in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup
2024 Asia Regional Qualifier B tournament, becoming the first player to
record a seven-wicket against China in a Men’s T20 game. The 32-year-old
returned jaw-dropping figures of 7/8 in his four overs, a feat made even more
remarkable by the fact that all seven of his victims were bowled. Riding on his
stellar showing with the ball, his team posted a comfortable 8-wicket victory at
Bayuemas Oval Nigerian Peter Aho held the previous record after returning
figures of 6/5 against Sierra Leone in 2021. India’s Deepak Chahar claimed 6/7
against Bangladesh in 2019 in what remains the best figures in a men’s T20
contest between cricket’s Test-playing nations. Overall, 12 bowlers have
claimed six-wicket hauls in men’s T20I.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. Razorpay Launches Account to Save Exporters on Bank
Transfers: Payment and banking company Razorpay has
launched an account for Indian exporters, the MoneySaver Export
Account (MSEA). With this product, Indian exporters will be now open a smart
account in any country of their choice and receive payments locally via bank
transfers on the Razorpay platform. The initiative allows exporters to receive
international bank transfers from 160 countries. This will be India’s first
smart account to offer 50% savings on international bank transfers for
exporters and help save them from high transfer costs, chargebacks and payment
failures. The account can be opened and accessed via the Razorpay dashboard
without any additional paperwork. The account comes with a single-click
electronic Foreign Inward Remittance Statement (FIRS), accessible directly from
the Razorpay dashboard.
2. NS Vishwanathan appointed as non-executive chairman of
Axis Bank: Reserve Bank of India has
granted approval for the appointment of NS Vishwanathan as
the non-executive chairman of Axis Bank for a three-year term. With
a career spanning nearly four decades at the central bank, Vishwanathan joined
the Reserve Bank of India in 1981 and retired in March 2020 as the deputy
governor. He showcased expertise in various areas, such as banking, and
non-banking regulation, demonstrating extensive knowledge in central banking.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Ratan
Tata to get Maharashtra govt’s first ‘Udyog Ratna’ award: The Maharashtra government has decided to confer the first 'Udyog
Ratna' award on veteran industrialist and chairman of Tata Sons, Ratan
Tata The award is the state's highest honor given to eminent individuals, has
led the Maharashtra government to introduce Udyog Ratna Award from this
year onward. The first recipient of this award will be the renowned
industrialist, Ratan Tata. The award is a recognition of his outstanding achievements
in the industrial sector.
2. Australian-Tamil lawyer Shankari Chandran has won literary award: Australian-Tamil lawyer Shankari Chandran has won the $60,000 prestigious Miles Franklin Literary Award for her novel, “Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens”. The award was announced at a ceremony at The Ovolo Hotel in Sydney. She grew up in suburban Canberra, in constant dialogue with herself about where she fitted in and the terms under which acceptance was granted.
No comments:
Post a Comment