NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. India and Vietnam sign 9 agreements to deepen strategic partnership & enhance cooperation: India and Vietnam signed nine agreements to deepen comprehensive strategic partnership and enhance cooperation in the fields of customs, agriculture, legal, radio and television broadcast, culture and tourism. Mazumdar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh in New Delhi. He said both the leaders agreed to further deepen the India-Vietnam relationship by increasing economic, strategic, and cultural ties. They further agreed to further enhance defence cooperation based on mutual interest and priorities of the two countries which will also contribute to greater stability in the wider Indo-Pacific region.
2. 4th Rashtriya Hindi Vigyan Sammelan 2024 held in Bhopal: The 4th edition of the Rashtriya Hindi Vigyan Sammelan 2024 was held in the Madhya Pradesh capital, Bhopal. The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Dr Mohan Yadav, inaugurated the 4th Rashtriya Hindi Vigyan Sammelan 2024. Theme 2024 – Upgradation of National Scientific Consciousness in Amrit Kaal The conference’s primary aim was to offer a platform for researchers to present and discuss their work in Hindi, fostering the popularisation of science and technology through this language. The conference featured six sessions on diverse topics of Science, Technology, Ayurveda, Engineering, and Science Communication.
3. 4 August 2024 – National Friendship Day: Friendship Day 2024 is celebrated every year in India on the first Sunday of August. This year celebrated on 4 August. The primary aim of Friendship Day is to promote dialogue and build bridges between communities, cultures, and nations. It serves as a reminder of the power of friendship in overcoming differences and fostering peace. The International Day of Friendship was proclaimed in 2011 by the UN General Assembly with the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures, and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.
4. Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak 2024: The Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak 2024, introduced by Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu in the Lok Sabha, is a new law meant to replace the old Aircraft Act of 1934. This new law is designed to update and simplify the rules for civil aviation in India.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Grinson George takes over as new CMFRI Director: Grinson George has been appointed as the Director of the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). He was Head of the Marine Biodiversity and Environment Management Division at CMFRI. A seasoned fishery researcher with over two decades of experience, he has held the position of Senior Programme Specialist at the SAARC in Dhaka.
2. India Host 3rd Edition of Global South Summit: The summit provides a platform for countries in the Global South—those in Latin America, Africa, and parts of Asia to share their views, difficulties, and priorities. Its goal is to improve communication and cooperation among developing nations. The first summit took place in January 2023, and the second in November 2023, just after the G20 Summit. Each event involved over 120 countries.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. BSF Director General, Deputy removed ‘with immediate effect: The Centre removed BSF Director General (DG) Nitin Agrawal and his deputy Special DG (West) Y B Khurania, sending them back to their respective state cadres with immediate effect. Agrawal is a 1989-batch Kerala cadre officer, while Khurania belongs to the 1990-batch of the Odisha cadre. Agrawal had taken charge as the Border Security Force chief in June last year. Khurania, as the special DG (West), was heading the formation of the force along the Pakistan border. The about 2.65-lakh personnel strong BSF guards Indian borders with Pakistan on the west and Bangladesh on the east.
SPORTS
1. Lakshya Sen claims historic win to become first Indian male shuttler to enter Olympic semis: Lakshya Sen made history by becoming the first male Indian shuttler to qualify for the semi-finals of an Olympics. He achieved this milestone by defeating Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien-chen with a score of 19-21, 21-15, 21-12 in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Previously, the best performances by Indian male shuttlers in the Olympic men’s singles badminton tournament were by Parupalli Kashyap (London 2012) and Kidambi Srikanth (Rio 2016), both of whom reached the quarter-finals. Sen will compete in the semi-final against either Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen or Loh Kean Yew of Singapore.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. India Shortlists Astronauts For Axiom-4 ISS Mission: India has chosen two astronauts for the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will be the main mission pilot, and Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair will be the backup pilot. This mission is a big step for India’s human spaceflight program and involves working closely with the United States.
2. Saturn Ejects Comet A117uUD into Interstellar Space: Studying A117uUD’s path provides valuable insights into how gravity affects objects in space. This event suggests that comet ejections might happen more often than previously thought, challenging the idea that they are rare. As A117uUD travels into interstellar space, it joins a growing list of objects from outside our solar system, helping scientists learn more about space mechanics and the chances of future encounters with similar objects.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. Ind-Ra ups FY25 GDP growth forecast to 7.5% on expectation of high demand: India Ratings & Research (Ind-Ra) upped India’s GDP growth forecast for the current fiscal to 7.5 percent from 7.1 percent projected earlier on an expectation of improved consumption demand. The ongoing growth momentum led by government capex, deleveraged balance sheets of corporates/banks, and incipient private corporate capex cycle has now found support from Union Budget. Ind-Ra’s growth projection is higher than that of RBI which projected FY25 growth at 7.2 percent and Finance Ministry’s Economic Survey which estimated GDP expansion between 6.5-7 percent. Ind-Ra expects Private Final Consumption Expenditure (PFCE) to grow to a 3-year high of 7.4 percent in FY25, from 4 percent in FY24.
2. IRDAI imposes penalty of Rs 2 Cr on HDFC Life for violating regulations: The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has imposed a penalty totaling Rs 2 crore on HDFC Life for violating various IRDAI regulations. The penalty was levied after an onsite inspection conducted by IRDAI in September 2020, covering the financial years 2017-18,18-19,and 19-20. The penalty of Rs 1 crore was levied for issues related to the protection of policyholders’ interests. Additionally, a penalty of Rs 1 crore was imposed for irregularities concerning the outsourcing of services by the company.
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