Current Affairs July 13th 2022| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

PM Narendra Modi unveils National Emblem on the roof of New Parliament Building:

• The National Emblem has been revealed by Shri Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is now visible on the roof of the New Parliament Building.
• As part of the new Parliament’s construction, he also engaged with Shramjeevis.
• At the very top of the New Parliament Building’s Central Foyer, it has been cast.

About the National Emblem:

• The National Emblem is 6.5 meters tall, 9500 kg in weight, and is manufactured of
• To sustain the Emblem, a steel support system weighing around 6500 kilos has also been built.
• Eight various steps of preparation, ranging from clay modeling and computer graphics to bronze casting and polishing, went into the concept drawing and the process of casting the National Emblem on the top of the New Parliament Building.

Union Minister Shri Jitendra Singh to launch the IS4OM for Safe & Sustainable Space Environment:

• India has improved its capacity to safeguard its space assets independently with the aid of the ISRO System for Safe and Sustainable Space Operation and Management (IS4OM).
• In the presence of Jitendra Singh, Minister of Science and Technology, Earth Sciences, Mr. S Somanath, Secretary of the Department of Space, and Mr. Somanath, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization, will formally launch the IS4OM.

Key Points:

• According to ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation), the IS40M system was built with a complete approach to ensure the safety and sustainability of the space environment while enjoying the advantages of sustainable use of space for national development.
• Specialized labs for space debris cleanup and reduction, compliance monitoring of UN/Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) recommendations, and various R&D activities have also been established as part of IS4OM.
• In December 2020, ISRO inaugurated a specialized control center for activities intended to monitor, track, and secure India’s space assets.

President of India attends the Yuva Sammelan hosted by “My Home India”:

• The President of India, Mr. Ram Nath Kovind, attended the Yuva Sammelan, which was held in New Delhi and organized by “My Home India.”
• The President stressed that young represent a nation’s present and future.
• Their abilities contribute to a nation’s advancement.
• It follows that today’s youngsters will contribute to the history of tomorrow.
• The President claims that India has the highest population of youth and adolescents worldwide.
• The “Demographic Dividend,” a phenomenon, gives a chance to our country.

Key Points:

• The President claimed that it was a wonderful source of pride for everyone that young Indians have founded so many start-up businesses using their skills and persistence.
• Today’s kids are more likely to start their businesses than to look for employment.
• Young individuals must choose a vocation depending on their skill set and acquire some kind of talent.
• The President claimed that as of June 29, 2022, 103 unicorns have been formed in India, with a total worth of more than $336 billion.
• One unicorn out of every ten discovered now is found in India.
• He further noted that, as of May 2022, 47 companies have achieved the title of “decacorn” around the globe, including four start-ups in India, three of which were led by young people.
• Even though the pandemic has significantly worsened socioeconomic conditions throughout the world, our young entrepreneurs have continued to show daring and talent.
• He cited the rise in unicorn populations in India even during COVID-19.

About “My Home India”:

• Through its several programs, “My Home India” is encouraging a feeling of integrity and cohesion among the nation.
• A wonderful effort was made to teach young people about nationalism at the youth meeting.
• One India and Karmayogi have established awards from “My Home India.”
• He alluded to the substantial social activities this NGO is also engaged in.

NITI Aayog releases a compendium of various Ayush-based initiatives, and practices adopted by States/UTs:

• NITI Aayog has released a compendium of various Ayush-based initiatives and practices adopted by the States and Union territories for containing and managing the COVID-19 outbreak.
• The compendium was released by the Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog Suman Bery and Minister of State for Ayush Munjpara Mahendrabhai Kalubhai.
• NITI Aayog Member (Health) Dr. V. K. Paul and concerned officials were present during the event.
• The compendium provides information about practices adopted by States and UTs for strengthening the country’s fight against COVID-19, using Ayush’s resources and interventions.
• This document will prove to be a crucial knowledge resource for stakeholders from other countries who have a good network of traditional medicine systems.
• Ayush systems have played an active role on various fronts to tackle the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
• The traditional healthcare systems will pave the way for providing a holistic healthcare system to the World.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India becomes 68th country to join Interpol’s child sexual exploitation database

• India’s nodal agency for Interpol matters, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) joined Interpol’s international child sexual exploitation (ICSE) database.
• With this India become the 68th country to join Interpol’s child sexual exploitation database.
• The ICSE database uses video & image comparisons to analyze child sexual abuse material and make connections between victims, abusers, and places.
• The database avoids duplication of effort and saves precious time by letting investigators know whether a series of images have already been discovered or identified in another country, or whether it has similar features to other images.
• Detectives in all 68 countries can exchange information and notes with their colleagues across the world.
• By analyzing the digital, visual, and audio content of photographs and videos, victim identification experts can retrieve clues, identify any overlap in cases and combine their efforts to locate victims of child sexual abuse.

About Interpol :

• Established: September 1923
• Headquarters: Lyon, France
• Secretary-General: Jürgen Stock
• Membership: 195 member states
• It is the world’s largest international police organization, with 7 regional bureaus worldwide and a National Central Bureau.

About CBI :

• Established: 1963
• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Director-General: Subodh Kumar Jaiswal
• The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the premier investigating agency of India.
• It operates under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

Tripura Govt introduces ‘Earn with Learn’ for dropout students under ‘Vidyalaya Chalo Abhiyan’

• The Tripura government has launched a new scheme, “Earn with Learn”, as part of the Vidyalaya Chalo Abhiyan (Let’s go to school) to bring back those who had dropped out of schools following the outbreak of Covid-19.
• Education Minister Shri Ratan Lal Nath stated about 8,000 students between the age group of 6 and 14 in the state have dropped out of school during Covid-19.
• The third-year college students who are interested in voluntarily taking part in the survey may register their names in their respective colleges.
• The government would pay Rs 500 per admission to each college student as an honorarium for identifying and bringing back such dropouts to school again and an estimated 10,000 volunteers would be required to implement the scheme.
• The minister added that Anganwadi and Accredited Social Health Activist ( ASHA) workers will also be engaged in the identification of dropouts and school teachers can also participate.
• In case of engagement of teachers in the survey, an honorarium of 200 would be provided.
• The new education policy has specific guidelines to conduct comprehensive door-to-door surveys to identify dropouts and migrant students and prepare an action plan to prevent increased dropouts, lower enrolments, loss of learning, and deterioration in the gains made in providing universal access, quality, and equity.
• Meanwhile, as part of the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP), the state government has taken up a pilot project at Aspirational district – Dhalai where along with the mid-day-meal, the students of Class- I to VIII would be provided additional foods like a boiled egg, fruits, milk, etc.

About Tripura :

• Governor : Satyadev Narayan Arya
• CM : Manik Saha
• Capital : Agartala

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

India’s marine product exports hit an all-time high in FY 2021-22:

• K N Raghavan, Chairman, Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), informed India managed to do all-time high export worth US$ 76 billion with a volume of 13,69,264 MT of seafood.
• India shipped 13,69,264 MT of seafood worth Rs 57,586.48 crore (USD 7.76 billion) during 2021-22, despite heavy odds.
• During the FY 2021-22, the export improved in rupee terms by 71%, in USD terms by 30.26%, and in quantity terms by 19.12%.
• In 2020-21, India had exported 11,49,510 MT of seafood worth Rs 43,720.98 crore (USD 5,956.93 million).

Key Points:

• The overall export of frozen shrimps during 2021-22 was pegged at 7,28,123 MT.
• USA, the largest market, imported (3,42,572 MT) of frozen shrimp, followed by China (1,25,667 MT), European Union (90,549 MT), South East Asia (44,683 MT), Japan (38,492 MT), and the Middle East (37,158 MT). Export of Frozen shrimp shows increases in all the markets by value.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Ministry of Heavy Industries sign MoU to facilitate training in engineering trades to boost the capital goods sector:

• The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create a collaborative ecosystem for imparting skill development training in the capital goods sector.
• The partnership is aimed at facilitating training in several engineering trades through Qualification Packs (QPs) developed by MHI-related Sector Skill Councils under the Scheme for Enhancement of Competitiveness in the Capital Goods Sector Phase II.
• Under the partnership, MSDE through National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) will facilitate linkages between various Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) and industry partners for imparting skilling in engineering trades.
• MSDE will also constitute a review committee headed by a senior NSDC official and at least seven other members, including representatives from SSCs.

About the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE):

• MSDE was formed on 9th November 2014, by the Government of India to focus on enhancing employability of skills.
• Since its inception, MSDE has undertaken significant initiatives and reforms in terms of formalizing the policy, framework, and standards; launching new programs and schemes; creating new infrastructure and upgrading the existing institutions; partnering with States; engaging with industries, and building societal acceptance and aspirations for skills.
• The Ministry aims to bridge the gap between demand and supply of skilled manpower to build new skills and innovation not only for existing jobs but also for jobs that are to be created.

About Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI):

• The Department of Heavy Industry (DHI) strives to bolster profit-making PSEs as well as restructure and revive sick and loss-making PSEs under its administrative control.
• The DHI seeks to achieve its vision of global automotive excellence through the creation of state-of-the-art Research and Testing infrastructure through the National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (NATRIP).
• The DHI seeks to achieve its vision by providing necessary support to Auto, Heavy Engineering. Heavy Electrical and Capital Goods Sector.

Coffee Board to collaborate with ISRO to develop climate-resistant varieties:

• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by the Coffee Board and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on, among other things, the development of climate-resilient cultivars and the evaluation of coffee’s capacity to store carbon.
• The government-run Coffee Board intends to concentrate on creating new types that will be resilient to shifting climate trends.
• In the Chikmagalur district of Karnataka, the Central Coffee Research Institute (CCRI) carries out plant-related research initiatives under the Board in a variety of fields, including plant breeding, agronomy, and agriculture chemistry and soil science, plant physiology, pathology, entomology, and post-harvest technology.
• The weight of the country’s shifting weather trends has recently fallen on coffee producers.
• There are becoming more severe weather conditions that have an impact on producers, such as prolonged periods of intense rain or a lack of precipitation.

About ISRO

• Founded: 15 August 1969
• Headquarters: Bengaluru
• Chairman: S Somanath

NCRTC Signs Agreement with DB India For Operation, Maintenance of Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS Corridor:

• The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) entered into a first-of-its-kind agreement with DB India for the comprehensive operation and maintenance of the 82 km long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor for 12 years.
• There has been limited participation by the private sector in this sector and till now the scope has generally been limited to the provision of facility management and ancillary services.
• This model incentivizes optimized performance through a system of incentives and penalties.
• The O&M model developed by NCRTC will be able to provide commuters world-class customer experience through private O&M operators as well as help boost domestic capacities in the sector, having a multiplier effect.
• It will also assist in realizing the government’s goal of brownfield monetization of infrastructure assets due to predictability and transparency of O&M costs.

Key Points:

• The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) issued the Metro Rail Policy in 2017 which advocates the need for private sector participation in regional rail and metro rail projects.
• By adopting the long-term private participation model entailing comprehensive outsourcing of O&M activities, NCRTC has initiated steps to fulfill this objective of the Metro Rail Policy-2017 and the key initiatives being pursued by MoHUA under the leadership of Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
• Deutsche Bahn Engineering and Consultancy India Pvt Ltd (DB India) is a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn AG, National Railway Company of Germany.
• NCRTC has also adopted the first-of-its-kind model for integrated procurement cum long-term (15 years) comprehensive maintenance of rolling stock through private participation to capture lifecycle costing.

Nokia partners with IISc to set up networked robotics Center of Excellence:

• The Nokia Center of Excellence in networked robotics has been established at IISc Bengaluru thanks to a collaboration between Nokia and the Indian Institute of Science.
• The Center of Excellence (CoE) will support interdisciplinary research in robotics and cutting-edge 5G and AI communication technologies (AI).
• Additionally, it will provide application cases for disaster management, agriculture, and industrial automation.

About the Centre:

• To conduct research and create these application cases, the center will encourage interaction and collaboration between industrial ecosystem partners, start-ups, and academia.
• The creation of sophisticated robotics, AI, and automation systems based on next-generation telecom networks, as well as their applications for resolving socially significant issues, will be among the research projects carried out by the CoE.
• Nokia has been operating in India for the past 22 years, deploying all mobile communication technologies, including 2G in 2000, 3G in 2011, 4G in 2012, and 5G as it prepares for commercialization.

About Nokia:

• President: Pekka Lundmark
• CEO: Pekka Lundmark
• Founded: 12 May 1865
• Headquarters: Espoo, Finland.

Department of Telecommunications signs agreement with ITI Limited and BSNL to fund pilot projects under the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF):

• Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications has signed an agreement with Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) Limited and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to fund the pilot projects of E-band, LTE indigenous technologies including integration of 4G/5G prototypes with C-DoT core.
• The Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), under its program for Induction of new technological developments in the telecom sector in rural and remote areas, is funding 4 pilot projects each of around Rs 10 Crore enabling the development and hardening of these technologies.
• The indigenous companies Astrome technologies, Lekha Wireless Solutions, Resonous Technologies, and Signaltron would be executing these projects in partnership with C-DoT and DoT PSUs BSNL and ITI.

TN signs MoUs worth ₹1.25 lakh crore; to generate nearly 75,000 jobs:

• The Tamil Nadu Government signed 60 MoUs to bring in a cumulative investment worth ₹25 lakh crore and offer 74,898 jobs.
• In the last year, the State had attracted investment worth ₹20 lakh crore (from 192 MoUs signed),
• At the Tamil Nadu Investors’ First Port of Call – Investment Conclave, 53 facilitation MoUs were signed with an investment of ₹65,373 crores, offering employment opportunities to 58,478 people.
• The companies that signed the MOUs include Amplus; Cubic PV and L&T.

Key Points:

• In addition, seven MoUs for projects that have been sanctioned with structured packages of incentives were signed with an investment value of ₹59,871 crores, providing 74,898 jobs.
• The firms include Lucas TVS, ACME Green Hydrogen, and Tata Power.
• Chief Minister MK Stalin, at the conclave, inaugurated 12 projects with an investment of ₹1,497 crores employing 7,050 persons.
• He also laid the foundation stone for 21 companies that brought investment worth ₹22,252 crores and created 17,654 jobs.
• He also launched the Tamil Nadu Life Sciences Promotion Policy 2022 and Tamil Nadu R&D Policy 2022.

TECXPERIENCE program:

• To encourage FinTech adoption in the State, the Chief Minister launched the TECXPERIENCE program, a suite of technology services available for free or at a discounted price for a limited period.
• He also inaugurated TN PitchFest, organized by Guidance and StartUp TN, to provide a platform for StartUps in the State to venture capital firms and angel investors.
• Organisational MoUs were exchanged for 11 projects, including VakilSearch and Capital FinTech.
• Two firms – PrimeInvestor Financial Research and DigiMoney Finance got incentives under the FinTech policy.
• The sanction orders were handed over by Stalin to the two companies.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Andhra Pradesh CM Shri Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy was elected president for the lifetime of YSRC

• Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy was elected president of a lifetime of Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress party  (YSRC).
• The decision was taken after the conclusion of the YSRC’s two-day plenary after an amendment to the party’s constitution.
• He was appointed after his mother, YS Vijayamma resigned from the honorary president’s post

About Shri Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy :

• Shri Yeduguri Sandinti Jagan Mohan Reddy is an Indian politician serving as the 17th and current chief minister of Andhra Pradesh since 2019.
• He is the son of Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, the former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh.
• Reddy started his political career by campaigning for the Indian National Congress in the 2004 Andhra Pradesh state elections in Kadapa district, AP.
• He served as the leader of the opposition in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly between 2014 and 2019.
• He was last elected the YSRCP president at the party plenary in

About YSRC :

• Founded: 12 March 2011
• Headquarters: Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh, India
• YSRC is an Indian regional political party.
• It is currently the fifth largest party in the Lok Sabha with 22 seats.

Shri Rajendra Prasad takes charge as Managing Director of National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited

• Shri Rajendra Prasad assumed the charge of Managing Director, National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL).
• He replaced Mr. Satish Agnihotri who was dismissed by the government over corruption allegations.

About Shri Rajendra Prasad :

• Shri Prasad has been working as Director of Project with NHSRCL since November 2017.
• He is overall in charge of civil engineering works of the Mumbai Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Project, popularly known as the Bullet Train Project.
• As the Director of Project, NHSRCL, he has spearheaded the civil works of the MAHSR section in the state of Gujarat i.e. 352 Km including the award of the biggest single Infrastructure contract in the country comprising 237 Km long via-duct and 4 stations.
• He has worked as Divisional Railway Manager, Chakradharpur (2015- 2017), Group General Manager, DFCCIL (2011- 2015), Chief Engineer, Construction Southern Railways (2006 -2009), and Resident Engineer, General Consultants to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (1999 – 2004).

About NHSRCL :

• Founded: 12 February 2016
• Headquarters: New Delhi, India
• Chairman: Vinod Kumar Yadav
• It is under the ownership of Indian Railways, the Ministry of Railways, and GoI.
• NHSRCL was formed under the Companies Act, 2013.

Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe resigns as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka

• Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe announced his resignation as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka amid massive protests. 
• Sri Lankan President Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa is also expected to resign on July 13th, 2022.
• The Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker is expected to act as the President for a maximum of 30 days.

About Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe :

• Ranil Wickremesinghe was first elected to Parliament from the Biyagama electorate in the 1977 parliamentary elections.
• Earlier he served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 1993 to 1994, 2001 to 2004, 2015 to 2018, and from 2018 to 2019, 2022.
• He is a member of parliament from the United National Party (UNP).
• He has been the leader of the UNP since 1994.
• He also served as Leader of the Opposition from 1994 to 2001 and from 2004 to 2015.

About Sri Lanka :

• Capital: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (legislative), Colombo (executive and judicial)
• Currency: Sri Lankan rupee

Tripura Government Transfers Chief Secretary Mr. Kumar Alok; Mr. JK Sinha Appointed New Acting Chief Secretary

• The Tripura government has transferred Chief Secretary, Mr. Kumar Alok, from the top bureaucratic post and appointed him as the new Director General (DG) of the State Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development (SIPARD).
• JK Sinha, an IAS officer of the 1996 batch, who is the principal secretary of the Health and Family Welfare department, has been made in-charge Chief Secretary.

Note :

• An IAS officer is required to complete at least 30 years in service to become eligible for becoming Chief Secretary of a state.

About Mr. Kumar Alok :

• Alok, a Tripura cadre 1990 batch IAS officer, was appointed Chief Secretary in June 2021.
• Before this, he was an Additional Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat of the central government.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Pallavi Singh wins the Mrs. Universe Divine Crown in South Korea:

• Pallavi Singh from India won the Universe Divine Title at the competition’s Yeosu City, South Korea, finals.
• She is an Indian who is from Kanpur, and she has represented her nation admirably in this competition, in which 110 nations took part.
• For India, this is a moment of pride.
• Pallavi Singh, the Mrs. Universe contender from Asia, exemplified the great desire and dedication of Indian women to achieve success in all spheres of life.
• Pallavi Singh won the 2020 Mrs. India pageant held in Jaipur.
• When the Asia-level competition was conducted in Delhi in October 2021, she went on to win the title of Indo-Asia Universe.
• She competed in the Mrs. Universe competition as the representative of Asia and India, winning the title.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

IIT Madras develops the AI-based tool “PIVOT” to identify cancer-causing genes

• Indian Institute of Technology Madras(IIT Madras) Researchers have developed an Artificial Intelligence-based tool, ‘PIVOT’, designed to predict genes that are responsible for causing cancer in an individual.
• The research was led by Raghunathan Rengaswamy, Dean (Global Engagement), IIT Madras, and Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Madras, Dr. Karthik Raman, and Ms. MalvikaSudhakar, a Research Scholar, IIT Madras.
• The findings of the research have been published in a peer-reviewed journal Frontier in Genetics

Key Highlights :

• The tool is based on a machine learning model that classifies genes as tumor suppressor genes, oncogenes, or neutral genes.
• The tool was able to successfully predict both the existing oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes like TP53, and PIK3CA, among others, and new cancer-related genes such as PRKCA, SOX9, and
• The prediction is based on a model that utilizes information on mutations, expression of genes, and copy number variation in genes and perturbations in the biological network due to an altered gene expression.

Working Mechanism of PIVOT :

• PIVOT is a machine learning tool that uses different kinds of data, such as mutation and gene expression, to predict cancer-causing genes, called driver genes, in a patient.
• It uses supervised model learning (ML) algorithms from known driver genes in an individual.
• Patient data and their corresponding personalized driver genes are not known.
• The model is mainly fed with genomic data of cancer patients sourced from the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) as well as The Cancer Genome Atlas Programme (TCGA).
• Generally, traditional methods predict driver genes by analyzing multiple samples from the same cancer type to identify genes responsible for the progression of tumors for that particular cancer type.
• Such methods are not capable of identifying rare driver genes.
• IIT Madras researchers have built AI prediction models for three different types of cancer including Breast Invasive Carcinoma, Colon Adenocarcinoma, and Lung Adenocarcinoma.
• According to the World Health Organization, cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and accounted for nearly one in six deaths in 2020.

Additional Info :

• Cancer is an uncontrolled growth of cells that can occur due to mutations in oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes, or both.

About IIT Madras :

• Established: 1959
• Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
• Chairman : Pawan Kumar Goenka
• Director : Kamakoti Veezhinathan

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

India’s Arjun Babuta wins first gold medal at ISSF World Cup in South Korea:

• In Shooting, India’s Arjun Babuta won his first gold medal at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup stage at Changwon in South Korea.
• He defeated Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Lucas Kozeniesky of the USA 17-9 in the final.
• Arjun Babuta had also topped the eight-men ranking round with a score of 261.1 ahead of Lucas Kozeniesky’s 260.4.
• Israel’s Sergey Richter settled for bronze with a score of 259.9 while India’s Paarth Makhija managed 258.1 for a fourth-place finish.
• Arjun Babuta had qualified second to make it to the eight-man ranking round behind Sergey Richter.
• Paarth Makhija had qualified in fifth place from the 53-strong field.
• The third Indian shooter in the mix, Shahu Tushar Mane finished 30th.
• This was India’s first medal under new national foreign rifle coach Thomas Farnik.

About ISSF:

• The International Shooting Sport Federation is the governing body of the Olympic shooting events in rifle, pistol, and shotgun disciplines, and several non-Olympic Shooting sports events.
• Headquarters location: Munich, Germany
• President: Vladimir Lisin
• Founded: 1907

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc wins Austrian Grand Prix 2022:

• To win the Austrian Grand Prix 2022, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc defeated world champion Max Verstappen.
• Max Verstappen of Red Bull had to settle for second place, as seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes finished well behind in third after starting ninth for the third straight race.
• Leclerc, who did not start on pole position for his maiden Formula 1 victory, has already cut Verstappen’s lead in the drivers’ championship standings to 38 points.
• The Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria hosted the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix, a Formula One event, on July 10, 2022.
• In 2022, the Formula One sprint format was used for the second Grand Prix weekend.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

Oscar-nominated ‘Godfather’ actor James Edmund Caan Passes away

• Hollywood actor James Edmund Caan passed away at the age of 82 in California, United States of America (USA).

About James Edmund Caan :

• Caan was born on March 26, 1940, in The Bronx, New York City, USA.
• He worked in Hollywood for over 60 years.
• He is best known for his Oscar-nominated performance in The Godfather film.
• His work after 1980 was more sporadic, with performances including Thief (1981), Gardens of Stone (1987), Misery (1990), Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), Bottle Rocket (1996), Mickey Blue Eyes (1999), The Yards (2000), City of Ghosts (2002), Elf (2003), and Get Smart (2008).

Awards & Honors :

• The Godfather (1972) a performance that earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
• Caan received Golden Globe Award nominations for his performances in the drama The Gambler (1974), and the musical Funny Lady (1975).
• He won the Saturn Award for Best Actor for the movie Rollerball.
• He was nominated for several entertainment industry honors, including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1978.

Former VSNL chief, ‘father of internet in India’, B K Syngal Passes away

• Brijendra Kumar (BK) Syngal, former chairman of Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited, (VSNL) passed away at the age of 82.

About B K Syngal :

• BK Syngal was born in 1940,Ambala.
• He was an Indian telecommunications executive who was referred to as the ‘Father of Internet & Data Services in India’. 
• As the Chairman of VSNL, he was unofficially known as the ‘bulldozer’ for his ability to push through bureaucratic hurdles.
• One of Syngals’ biggest challenges and accomplishments was bringing the Internet to India in 1995.
• Until then India had a rudimentary version of the internet, called ERNET, but this was limited to educational institutes.
• He also served as Chairman, Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization (London); Governor, INTELSAT Board, Washington DC; and as a Councilor for the INMARSAT Council in London.
• Syngal was Senior Principal, Dua Consulting, New Delhi, India.
• He headed the Consulting and Advisory team of Telecom Experts in the disciplines of Licensing, Regulation, Policy Formulations, and Government Affairs.

Awards & Honors :

• He received the Telecom Man of the Decade Award by Wisitex Foundation, India, Partners in Progress Award by the Government of Maharashtra for his contributions to the telecommunications sector both in India and abroad.
• He has been the recipient of the Ambrose Fleming Medal for Achievement in Communications conferred by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), UK.
• He received the “Partners in Progress” award, by the Govt. of Maharashtra, and the “International Excellence Award – in 1994″ in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field of telecommunications both in India and abroad.

Former Mexican President Luis Echeverria Passes away

• The former president of Mexico, Luis Echeverria Alvarez Passed away at the age of 100 in Cuernavaca, the capital city of Morelos state located in south-central Mexico.

About Luis Echeverria :

• Echeverría was born in Mexico City to Rodolfo Echeverría and Catalina Álvarez on 17 January 1922.
• He was a Mexican lawyer, academic, and politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).
• He would become known for his authoritarian and repressive character before his presidency in 1970.
• He initiated the establishment of diplomatic relations with China in February 1972.
• He served as the 57th President of Mexico from 1970 to 1976.
• Previously, he was Secretary of the Interior from 1963 to 1969.
• In 2022, he was his country’s oldest living former head of state.

Awards & Honors :

• Grand Master of the Order of the Aztec Eagle, Mexico (1970–1976)
• Honorary Knight Grand Cross of The Most Honorable Order of the Bath (1973)
• Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, Italy (1974)

Daily CA On July 13:

• The National Emblem has been revealed by Shri Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is now visible on the roof of the New Parliament Building.
• India has improved its capacity to safeguard its space assets independently with the aid of the ISRO System for Safe and Sustainable Space Operation and Management (IS4OM).
• The President of India, Mr. Ram Nath Kovind, attended the Yuva Sammelan, which was held in New Delhi and organized by “My Home India.”
• NITI Aayog has released a compendium of various Ayush-based initiatives and practices adopted by the States and Union territories for containing and managing the COVID-19 outbreak.
• K N Raghavan, Chairman, Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), informed India managed to do all-time high export worth US$ 76 billion with a volume of 13,69,264 MT of seafood.
• Pallavi Singh from India won the Universe Divine Title at the competition’s Yeosu City, South Korea, finals.
• The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) have signed an MoU to create a collaborative ecosystem for imparting skill development training in the capital goods sector.
• An MoU was signed by the Coffee Board and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on, among other things, the development of climate-resilient cultivars and the evaluation of coffee’s capacity to store carbon.
• The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) entered into a first-of-its-kind agreement with DB India for the comprehensive operation and maintenance of the 82 km long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor for 12 years.
• The Nokia Center of Excellence in networked robotics has been established at IISc Bengaluru thanks to a collaboration between Nokia and the Indian Institute of Science.
• Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications has signed an agreement with ITI Limited and BSNL to fund the pilot projects of E-band, LTE indigenous technologies including integration of 4G/5G prototypes with C-DoT core.
• The Tamil Nadu Government signed 60 MoUs to bring in a cumulative investment worth ₹25 lakh crore and offer 74,898 jobs.
• In Shooting, India’s Arjun Babuta won his first gold medal at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup stage at Changwon in South Korea.
• To win the Austrian Grand Prix 2022, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc defeated world champion Max Verstappen.

• India’s nodal agency for Interpol matters, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) joined Interpol’s international child sexual exploitation (ICSE) database & with this India become the 68th country to join Interpol’s child sexual exploitation database.
• The Tripura government has launched a new scheme, “Earn with Learn”, as part of the Vidyalaya Chalo Abhiyan (Let’s go to school) to bring back those who had dropped out of schools following the outbreak of Covid-19.
• Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy was elected president of a lifetime of Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress party  (YSRC).
• Shri Rajendra Prasad assumed the charge of Managing Director, National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) & he replaced Mr. Satish Agnihotri
• Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe announced his resignation as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka amid massive protests. 
• The Tripura government has transferred Chief Secretary, Mr. Kumar Alok, from the top bureaucratic post and appointed him as the new Director General (DG) of the State Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development (SIPARD).
• Indian Institute of Technology Madras(IIT Madras) Researchers have developed an Artificial Intelligence-based tool, ‘PIVOT’, designed to predict genes that are responsible for causing cancer in an individual.
• Hollywood actor James Edmund Caan passed away at the age of 82 in California, United States of America (USA).
• Brijendra Kumar (BK) Syngal, former chairman of Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited, (VSNL) passed away at the age of 82.
• The former president of Mexico, Luis Echeverria Alvarez Passed away at the age of 100 in Cuernavaca, the capital city of Morelos state located in south-central Mexico.