27th July, 2022 Current Affairs

Archana Lakkavajula

NATIONAL
19 RajyaSabha MPs suspended for this week for unruly behaviour in House

A total of 19 Opposition members of RajyaSabha were suspended for the remainder of this week for their unruly behaviour in the House.
They include seven MPs from TMC, six from DMK, three from TRS, two from CPI(M) and one from CPI. Those suspended include DolaSen, SushmitaDev, Dr.SantanuSen, Mausam Noor, Mohamed Abdulla, S Kalyanasundaram, Dr.KanimozhiSomu, V Sivadasan, Santhosh Kumar and LingaiahYadav.

World Airport Traffic Dataset 2021: New Delhi among top 20 busiest airports

The Airports Council International (ACI) World has released the annual World Airport Traffic Dataset to reveal the global air traffic rankings of the top 20 aviation industries for the full year 2021.
The World Airport Traffic Dataset is the industry’s most comprehensive airport statistics dataset featuring airport traffic for over 2,600 airports in more than 180 countries and territories.
It provides a view of air transport demand across the world’s airports in three areas: passengers (international and domestic), air cargo (freight and mail) and aircraft movements (air transport movements and general aviation).

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island given to A&N Administration to enhance tourism

The historic NetajiSubhash Chandra Bose Island was transferred from the Andaman and Nicobar Command to the Andaman & Nicobar Administration for further development of the island’s infrastructure and tourism.
During the formal ceremony, which took place today on NetajiSubhash Chandra Bose Island, Commander-in-Chief of A&N Command Lt. General Ajai Singh symbolically gave Dy. Commissioner, South Andaman SuneelAnchipaka control of the island. He also recalled the significance of this island historically and the sequence of events connected to it. He anticipated the island’s general growth as a tourism attraction under the management of the administration.

Large statue of Chandrashekhar Azad to be erected in Bhopal

In Bhopal, a large statue honouring Amar ShaheedChandrashekhar Azad will be erected. The statue site will be created as a source of inspiration for young people, with soil from Azad’s hometown of Bhabra being used at its base.
On the 116th anniversary of Amar ShaheedChandrashekhar Azad’s birth, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan spoke at the opening ceremony of the first state-level Youth Mahapanchayat, which was held in Bhopal.

Center modifies Flag Code of India 2002 to permit tricolour to be displayed constantly

If the national flag is flown in the open and is raised by a member of the public, it may now fly through the night.
The Flag Code of India 2002 was revised by the Ministry of Home Affairs to permit the flying of the national flag even at night as the federal government begins its HarGharTiranga campaign. The flag could previously only be flown between sunrise and dusk.
India is celebrating AzadiKaAmritMahotsav to mark 75 years of independence.
From August 13 to August 15, the HarGharTiranga campaign urges people to fly the flag in their residences.

In 272 of the most needy districts, Govt starts “Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan”

To address the issue of drug abuse among Indian youth, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment began implementing NashaMukt Bharat Abhiyaan in the 272 most susceptible districts in August 2020.
The National Survey of Extent, Pattern and Trends of Substance Use conducted in 2004 and the Comprehensive National Survey on Extent and Pattern of Substance Use in India conducted in 2018 both show a change in the pattern of substance abuse, according to Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment A. Narayanaswamy.

INTERNATIONAL
Gen. Naravane and former US Defense Secretary honoured for fostering Indo-US relations

The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) has recognised former Indian Army Chief General Manoj MukundNaravane for his contribution to fostering ties between India and the US.
The public service award has also been given to former US Defense Secretary General Jim Mattis in addition to Naravane. The USISPF gave prizes for public service and global leadership to those who had a significant impact on advancing connections between the US and India.

India provides UNRWA with donation of USD 2.5 million for Palestinian refugees

India gave the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East USD 2.5 million.
In a signing ceremony at UNRWA headquarters in East Jerusalem, Sunil Kumar, director of the West Asia and North Africa Division of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, handed KarimAmer, director of partnerships for the Department of External Relations, a check for USD 2.5 million.

Indian Army peacekeepers foil looting bid by armed groups in Congo

The Indian Army peacekeepers in UN team has thwarted looting attempts by certain armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
These groups had attempted large-scale looting of United Nations' assets, including Indian Army operating bases and a Level III hospital. Indian Peacekeepers have ensured safety of UN personnel and property in locations of their deployment.
The actions by Indian peacekeepers deployed there are strictly in accordance with UN mandate and rules of engagement.

Tunisians begins voting in referendum on new constitution

Tunisians began voting today in a referendum on a new constitution that critics of President Kais Saied fear will maul the democracy that emerged from a 2011 revolution by handing him nearly total power.
The vote is being held on the First Anniversary of Saied's ousting of an elected Parliament when he established emergency rule and began governing by fiat. But, it is not clear when the results will be announced after polls close at 2100 GMT.
Under Saied's own rules for the referendum, no minimum level of participation is needed to approve the new constitution. They only stipulate it will come into effect once the final results are published and do not say, what happens if voters reject it. However, while nearly all major political parties and civil society organizations have denounced his unilateral approach to rewriting the constitution and the legitimacy of the referendum, they have failed to build a united front.

APPOINTMENTS
India’s Indermit Gill named as World Bank’s Chief Economist

The international financial institution, World Bank has appointed Indermit Gill, as its chief economist and senior vice-president for development economics at the multilateral development bank. His appointment will be effective September 1, 2022.
Gill will be only the second Indian to serve as chief economist at the World Bank. KaushikBasu was the first, having served in the job from 2012-2016.

Nakul Jain Joins As CEO Of Paytm Payments Services

Paytm’s parent One97 Communications has appointed Nakul Jain as the CEO of Paytm Payments Services Ltd (PPSL). Praveen Sharma, who is now serving as the acting CEO of PPSL, has been promoted to oversee the organisation’s commerce vertical in addition to his other duties.
Jain earlier served as managing director of private banking, priority banking, deposits and branch banking at Standard Chartered Bank. He holds over 22 years of experience in retail banking and has worked in sub-sectors such as branch banking, wealth management, product and segments, distribution, retail assets and acquisition.

Bajram Begaj takes the oath as Albania’s President

The ninth President of Albania, BajramBegaj, a retired military commander and politician, took the oath of office here in Parliament. The 55-year-old President said in his first speech before parliamentarians that he will support and respect both the work of the government and the opposition, advocating for cooperation between political parties rather than conflict.
On June 4, 2022, Begaj won the presidential election. Begaj garnered 78 votes in favour, four politicians opposed, and one legislator abstained in the plenary session of Parliament, which was attended by a total of 83 MPs.
He served as the head of general staff of the Albanian Armed Forces and was a major general.
Begaj was joined by his wife Armanda and his two sons at his swearing-in ceremony.
Ilir Meta, a former president who served from July 2017 for five years, posted his final statement to the public on social media.

ECONOMY
Defence Ministry clears arms procurement worth Rs 28 thousand 732 crore for Army

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved Arms procurement proposals worth 28,732 rupees under Buy Indian Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured (IDDM) category giving a further boost to AtmaNirbharta in Defence.
Considering the demand of enhanced protection against the threat of enemy snippers to our troops deployed along the Line of Control and in close combat operations in counter-terrorism scenario, DAC accorded Acceptance of Necessity AoN for Bullet Proof Jackets with Indian Standard BIS VI level of protection.

Forex reserves decreased by USD 7.5 billion to USD 572.7 billion

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) most recent data shows that during the ending week of July 15, India’s foreign exchange reserves decreased by $7.5 billion to $572.7 billion. The reserves have dropped to their lowest level in 20 months, or since November 6, 2020, when they were $568 billion.
The report showed that foreign currency assets, which decreased by $6.5 billion over the week, were the main cause of the reduction in foreign exchange reserves.
Shaktikanta Das, governor of the RBI, stated that the existing level of foreign exchange reserves is sufficient.
According to the July RBI report, the foreign exchange reserves at $580.3 billion on July 8, 2022, were sufficient to cover 9.5 months’ worth of anticipated imports for the years 2022–2033.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Russia to withdraw from International Space Station project after 2024

Russia has decided to quit the International Space Station after 2024. Moscow's space agency Roscosmos ' newly-appointed chiefYuryBorisov announced the decision yesterday. President Vladimir Putin was also briefed about it. The announcement comes as tensions rage between the Kremlin and the West over Moscow's military operation in Ukraine and several rounds of unprecedented sanctions against Russia.
Russia and the United States have worked side by side on the space station which has been in orbit since 1998. YuryBorisov also told Putin that in spite of this decision, space programme will continue to get top priority and Russia will start putting together a Russian orbital station before 2024.
Sending the first man into space in 1961 and launching the first satellite four years earlier are among key accomplishments of the Soviet space programme and remain a major source of national pride in Russia.

China launches “Wentian,” second of its three space station modules

China launched the second of the three modules needed to complete its new space station. This was the most recent development in Beijing’s ambitious space programme.
A Long March 5B rocket launched the unmanned spaceship with the call sign Wentian from the Wenchang launch facility on China’s tropical island of Hainan. A representative from the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) confirmed the launch’s “success.”

SPORTS
BCCI introduced a new A+ category for umpires

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has introduced a new A+ category for its umpires and NitinMenon, along with ten other officials, have been grouped in the category. Umpires in A+ and A categories are paid Rs 40,000 a day for a first-class game while Rs 30,000 a day are paid in the B and C category.
The others in the A+ category include four international umpires: Anil Chaudhary, MadangopalJayaraman, Virender Kumar Sharma and K N Ananthapadmabhanan.
RohanPandit, Nikhil Patwardhan, SadashivIyer, UlhasGandhe and Navdeep Singh Sidhu are also part of the A+ category.
Twenty umpires including C Shamshuddin form the A group, 60 are in Group B, 46 in Group C and 11 in Group D which falls in the 60-65 age bracket.

Max Verstappen wins the title of 2022 French Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari crashed out of the race on lap 18 but was unharmed, and Max Verstappen of Red Bull took first place at Paul Ricard.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell of Mercedes finished third and fourth, respectively.
At Le Castellet, where the track temperature was high, tyre management was essential. After Verstappen pitted on Lap 17, it was up to Leclerc to step up. His race was finished in a harsh snap of oversteer at Turn 11, which also caused him to shout in rage and brought out the Safety Car.
Hamilton and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez pitted and started chasing Verstappen after the restart. Verstappen continued to run and took over the lead.

AWARDS
Kamal Haasan honoured by the UAE, obtains a Golden Visa

Kamal Haasan, a prominent figure in the Tamil cinema industry, has been given the prestigious Golden Visa by the United Arab Emirates. The Golden Visa has been given to others besides actor Kamal Hasan.
Actors Nasser, Mammootty, Mohanlal, Tovino Thomas, Parthiepan, Amala Paul, and Shah Rukh Khan all have received it before Kamal Hasan.
The UAE Golden Visa is an extended resident visa programme which lasts between five and ten years.
The visa is perpetually extended. It is given to high performers in a variety of industries, as well as to professionals, investors, and those with potential skills.
The cost of the Golden Visa for those who are currently residents of the UAE ranges from AED 2,800 to AED 3,800.
The price of the Golden Visa for applicants outside of the UAE ranges from AED 3,800 to AED 4,800. Cost will vary according to service kind and visa status.

PERSONS
Renowned Marathi writer Anant Yashwant Khare passes away

Marathi writer AnantYashwantKhare, better known as Nanda Khare, has passed away due to prolonged illness. He wrote 19 books on various topics like science, sociology, and geography with some of his most noted works being ‘AntajichiBakhar’, ‘BakharAntakalachi’ and ‘Udya’.
He had also worked on the editorial board of ‘AajchaSudharak’ newspaper for close to eleven years and was a member of the Marathi Science Council.

Wasfia Nazreen becomes first Bangladeshi to scale world’s second highest peak K2

Mountaineer WasifaNazreen became the first Bangladeshi to scale the second highest mountain peak K2 in Pakistan. She climbed the 8611 metres or 28,251 feet high K2 mountain peak and returned to the base camp on Friday. A summit is technically complete when the climber returns back to the base camp from the peak.
WasifaNazreen climbed Mount Everest in 2012. She is the second woman from Bangladesh to do so.

Published date : 27 Jul 2022 06:28PM