Wednesday, August 3, 2022

CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS 02 AUGUST 2022

CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS

02nd August 2022

 

 

National News


India reported 330 deaths while cleaning septic tanks in 5 years: Government

The central government on Tuesday said 330 people died due to the cleaning of sewer and septic tanks from 2017-2021. However, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale added that there have been no deaths due to manual scavenging in the country. Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of deaths at 47 from 2017 to 2021.

 


Maldives has special place in India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy: PM

PM Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that the Maldives occupies a special place in India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy. His remarks come amid Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's visit to India, which is Solih's third visit since assuming office in November 2018. Notably, India will extend an additional credit line of $100 million to the island nation, PM Modi confirmed today.


Can't compromise quality of education with 100% reservation: SC

Striking down the decision of the Jharkhand government reserving 100% teaching posts for locals in government-run tribal district schools, the Supreme Court said quality of education cannot be compromised due to reservation. Tribal teachers filed appeals after they were suddenly out of jobs. The non-tribal teachers called the state government's decision a violation of their fundamental rights.

 


IFS officer Shweta Singh appointed as Director in PMO

Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer Shweta Singh was appointed as a Director in Prime Minister's Office (PMO), a Personnel Ministry order said on Tuesday. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved Singh's appointment for a period of three years. The ACC has cancelled the appointment of Aniket Govind Mandavgane as the Deputy Secretary in the PMO.


Prime Minister launch the IBU of Deutsche Bank at GIFT-IFSC 


The Gujarat International Finance-Tec City (GIFT City) in Ahmedabad is home to the Deutsche Bank AG's IFSC Banking Unit (IBU), which was opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  The IBU will first offer financial products in the areas of trade finance, fixed income, and currencies, according to Deutsche Bank AG.  According to a release, the IBU will offer all authorised international finance products to Deutsche Bank's clients in India and abroad. Additionally, it will enable cash pooling and other deposit proposals for Indian and foreign clients within the parameters of the current regulations.


International News

 


Al-Zawahiri's death shows we can root out terror without war: Obama

Reacting to Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri's death by US drone strike in Afghanistan, ex-US President Barack Obama said that the incident highlighted that it's possible to root out terrorism without being at war. "I hope it provides a small measure of peace to...9/11 families," he added. Zawahiri became Al-Qaeda's leader after Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011.


UN chief to visit Japan on 77th anniversary of atomic bombing

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will attend the 77th anniversary of the world's first atomic bombing at the annual ceremony at Japan's Hiroshima Peace Memorial. "The ceremony aims to console the souls of those lost to...bombing...pray for...lasting world peace," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The US dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, killing 1,40,000 people.
21 Chinese military planes enter Taiwan's air defence identification zone

Twenty-one Chinese military planes entered Taiwan's air defence identification zone shortly after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed in Taipei on Tuesday, Taiwan said. Pelosi landed in Taiwan on Tuesday evening, defying a string of warnings from China. China called Pelosi's Taiwan visit "extremely dangerous" and said it will "launch a series of targeted military operations to counter this".


Japan, US, and South Korea participate in a missile defence drill


A joint ballistic missile defence exercise between South Korea, the US, and Japan will begin this week in the waters off Hawaii as part of increased security cooperation against North Korea's growing military threats, a media outlet claimed.  According to the sources, the biannual Pacific Dragon drill will take place. Australia and Canada will also take part in the exercise in the edition of 2022, in addition to the three other nations.  The exercise, which involves the mobilisation of eight warships and two planes, aims to improve coordination between the participating nations in the identification, tracking, and reporting of ballistic missile targets.  The exercise was planned after the defence chiefs of South Korea, the United States, and Japan decided to improve their security coordination during their trilateral meeting on June 11 in Singapore, which was held in conjunction with the annual Shangri-La Dialogue.


State News


WB to form 7 new districts, making a total of 30 districts 


The Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government has chosen to create seven new districts in the state in an effort to streamline administrative procedures. With this, there are currently 30 districts in West Bengal as a whole.  There used to be 23 districts in Bengal, but the number will become 30. Sunderban, Ichhemati, Ranaghat, Bishnupur, Jangipur, Behrampur, and one more district would be named in Basirhat are among the seven new districts, according to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.


Appointments News


Auguste Tano Kouamé appoints World Bank's New Country Director for India 


The World Bank has appointed Auguste Tano Kouamé as the Country Director for India, effective. He replaces Junaid Kamal Ahmad who recently completed a five-year term.  He most recently served as the World Bank’s Country Director for the Republic of Türkiye, where he led the expansion of the Bank’s country program and deepened its support to Türkiye’s climate agenda.  Prior to this, he served as Director of the Department of Human Development and Economic Management in the World Bank Group’s Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) from January 2017 to April 2019.


Satyendra Prakash assume charges as new Principal DG, Press Information Bureau 


Senior Indian Information Service officer, Satyendra Prakash has been appointed as the Principal Director General of the Press Information Bureau (PIB).  A 1988 batch Indian Information Service (IIS) officer, Prakash, the Principal Director General of the Central Bureau of Communication, will succeed Jaideep Bhatnagar, who superannuated.


Agreements News


NSE and BSE approve of Zee’s merger with Sony Pictures 


The BSE and NSE stock exchanges have given Zee Entertainment their approval for Zee Entertainment’s proposed merger with Sony Pictures Networks India.  According to a statement by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., both the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) have accepted the planned merger with Culver Max Entertainment Private Limited (formerly Sony Pictures Networks India).  The stock exchanges’ approval is a decisive and encouraging step in the merger approval process as a whole.


BANKING, BUSINESS AND ECONOMY


India's trade deficit hits record high of $31 billion in July

India's merchandise trade deficit jumped to a new record high of $31.02 billion in July, Commerce Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam said on Tuesday. The previous record high was set in June 2022, when trade deficit was $26.18 billion. As per provisional data released by the Commerce Ministry, merchandise imports stood at $66.26 billion while exports stood at $35.24 billion in July.

 


Banks in India reported 248 data breaches in last 4 years: Govt

short by Ashley Paul / 10:56 pm on 02 Aug 2022,Tuesday

Banks in India reported 248 successful data breaches by hackers and miscreants between June 2018 and March 2022, Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Karad said. Most of these data breaches pertain to card detail leakage and theft of business and non-business information, Karad said. Public sector banks reported 41 data breaches while private sector banks reported 205 data attacks.

 


October 1 set as the card tokenization deadline by RBI 


In a circular issued, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), instructed all parties—aside from card networks and card issuers—to delete all previously stored Card-on-File (CoF) data by October 1, 2022.  The RBI has granted the respite in order to facilitate a smooth transition to a different payment system. In addition, the merchant and its PA involved in the online transaction may keep the data for a maximum of T+4 days or until the settlement date, whichever comes first, aside from the card issuer and the card network.


Schemes and Committees News


Monkeypox virus: Centre creates special task force under VK Paul


The Centre announced that it will set up a task force to keep track of monkeypox cases in India. Dr. VK Paul, Member (Health), Niti Aayog, will serve as the team's leader, and members will include the Secretaries of the Union Health Ministry, Pharma, and Biotech.  Dr. Paul countered that there was no need for excessive alarm but that society and the nation should remain on guard.  After India reported its first fatality from monkeypox, this step was taken. A man from Kerala who had tested positive for monkeypox in another nation passed away in Thrissur.


Awards News


Canadian Jeffrey Armstrong received the ‘Distinguished Indologist for 2021’ award


Canadian scholar, Jeffrey Armstrong has been awarded the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Distinguished Indologist for 2021. He has presented the award in a ceremony by Manish, India’s consul-general in Vancouver.  The citation for the award states that it has been conferred upon Armstrong “in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the study/teaching/research in India’s philosophy, thought, history, art, culture, Indian languages, literature, civilisation, society, etc”.  He becomes the seventh recipient of this award and joins the earlier recipients from Germany, China, Japan, the UK, South Korea and the USA.


Sports News


Stellar show: Anurag Thakur on Indian men's table tennis team's CWG 2022 gold

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur took to Twitter following defending champions India's gold medal win in men's table tennis team event at Commonwealth Games 2022 on Tuesday and wrote, "A stellar show by the Indian men's table tennis team." He added, "Exhilarated by the way, our paddlers led by Sharath Kamal, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Harmeet Desai outclassed the formidable Singapore 3-1."


They demonstrated great dexterity: PM after Indian women's lawn bowls team win gold

After India bagged gold in women's fours lawn bowls event at CWG, PM Narendra Modi tweeted, "Historic win in Birmingham...India is proud of Lovely Choubey, Pinki Singh, Nayanmoni Saikia and Rupa Rani Tirkey for bringing home the prestigious gold in lawn bowls." He added, "The team has demonstrated great dexterity and their success will motivate many Indians towards lawn bowls."

 

 


Commonwealth Games 2022: Weightlifter Harjinder Kaur claimed the bronze  medal 


India’s Harjinder Kaur claimed the bronze medal in the women’s 71kg weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games 2022 at Birmingham.  England’s Sarah Davies won gold with a Commonwealth Games record of 229kg, while young Alexis Ashworth of Canada won silver with a total lift of 214kg. '


Commonwealth Games 2022: In Judo, Shushila Devi Likmabam won the silver medal


Shushila Devi Likmabam got a silver in the women's judo 48kg final, giving India its seventh medal of the Commonwealth Games 2022.  Shushila had defeated Harriet Bonface in the quarterfinal, and notched up a second win by beating Priscilla Morand of Mauritius in the semis to assure herself a medal.  Sushila was in for a gold finish but came up short against South Africa's Michaela Whitebooi in the final.


Commonwealth Games 2022: In Judo, Vijay Kumar bagged the bronze medal


Vijay Kumar Yadav handed India second medal in Judo of the Commonwealth Games 2022 as he beat Petros Christodoulides of Cyprus in the men's 60kg tie to clinch bronze.  Earlier, India's Vijay Kumar Yadav defeated Dylon Munro of Scotland to enter the bronze medal match.  Vijay Kumar had earlier claimed a bronze medal at the Asian Open in Hong Kong in 2018. The same year he won the Commonwealth Championships in Jaipur and completed an encore in Walsall 2019.


Science and Technology News


Aurangabad: First smart city in India to receive data from Google's EIE 


The Environmental Insights Explorer (EIE) data from Google was officially released in Aurangabad on Wednesday, according to the Aurangabad Smart City Development Corporation Limited (ASCDCL).  This makes Aurangabad the first city in the nation to experience this. The data would aid research groups in formulating sustainable solutions for the city, according to ASCDCL authorities, who noted that the EIE dashboard for Aurangabad was introduced by Google during an event in New Delhi.


Nilekani Center established by IIT-M to promote Indian language technology 


The Nilekani Centre at AI4Bharat was established by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras to advance the state of Indian language technology and make a positive social impact.  Rohini and Nandan Nilekani have donated Rs 36 crore through Nilekani Philanthropies to fund this Center, which was opened by Nandan Nilekani. IIT Madras launched the AI4Bharat programme to create open-source language AI for Indian languages.


Books and Authors News


Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik releases a book titled 'Lockdown Lyrics'


Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has released a book titled Lockdown Lyrics’, a collection of poems written by Sanjukta Dash.  The poems are an unadulterated narration of the author’s experiences and exasperations during the pandemic. She has reflected all the trauma & tribulations and hope and aspirations of humanity during this most critical journey of society in a long time.


Important Days


World Lung Cancer Day observed globally on 01st August 


Every year, World Lung Cancer Day is observed on 01st August to raise awareness about the causes and treatment of lung cancer and highlight the issues of lack of sufficient research funding for the ailment. Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths among men and women.  The campaign was first organised in 2012 by the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), in collaboration with the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) and also the American College of Chest Physicians. The IASLC is the largest organisation in the world of its kind that only deals with lung cancer.


Muslim Women’s Rights Day 2022 observed on 01st August 


Muslim Women's Rights Day is observed every year on the 01st of August to celebrate the enforcement of the law against the 'Triple Talaq' rule among Muslims.  According to the Shariat or Muslim Personal Law, Muslim men were given the privilege to end their marriage anytime by uttering the word Talaq three times in a row. But the law was repealed by the Indian Government in 2019.  The day is celebrated to recognize and honour the enactment of the law against the Triple Talaq.  The Triple Talaq rule has been declared illegal by the Government of India under the Act of 2019, Protection of Marriage Rights. The Muslim women celebrate the day with utmost happiness and have welcomed the law wholeheartedly.


Obituaries News


Veteran bengali singer Nirmala Mishra passes away 


Renowned Bengali singer Nirmala Mishra has passed away. She was 81. She was born in 1938 in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district. She sang various songs in Bengali, Odia, and Assamese films.  Her melodies in the Bengali language include ‘Eamon Ekta Jhinuk’, ‘Bolo to Arshi’ and ‘Eai Banglar Mati Te’.  The West Bengal government has also awarded her ‘Sangeet Samman’, ‘Sangeet Mahasamman’ and ‘Bangabhibhushan’ awards. She has been conferred with the Sangeet Sudhakar Balakrushna Das Award for her lifetime contribution to Odia music.


Former Philippine Prez Fidel Valdez Ramos passes away


Former Philippine President Fidel Valdez Ramos, has passed away due to the complications of COVID-19. He was 94. Ramos served as the 12th president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He was a military officer by profession.  During his tenure, the Philippines was recognized as a budding “tiger economy”. Ramos became a hero to many for defecting from Marcos’s government, in which he led the national police force, spurring the dictator’s ownfall during the 1986 popular uprising against his rule. 

 

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