National News

1.REC raises 31.96 billion Japanese yen through 5-year green loan

Power sector financier REC Limited has raised 31.96 billion Japanese yen through a 5-year green loan, with the transaction being conducted from Deutsche Bank’s Gift City branch.
The loan, which is equivalent to $200 million, will be used to finance eligible green projects in India.
This successful transaction is in line with REC’s commitment to enhance its green energy financing and sustainable projects capabilities as well as the global community’s support for sustainable development projects in India.
The transaction marked one of the first yen-denominated green loan transactions for Deutsche Bank through its Gift City branch.

2.India leads global maritime discussions at Council Session of International Maritime Organisation in London

A high-level Indian delegation led by Shri TK Ramachandran, Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has participated in the 132nd Session of the Council of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in London.
India has secured its place as one of the eight governments to be represented at the Joint Tripartite Working Group on IMO to address seafarers’ issues on July 10, 2024.
In the 2024-25 biennial Assembly elections, India was re-elected to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Council with the highest number of votes. The other 10 states are Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Indian Navy reported successful anti-piracy operations, including the rescue of Marshall Islands-flagged crude oil carrier, MV Marlin Luanda and the interception of the ship MV Ruane off the coast of Somalia.
Further, India reiterated its proposal for a South Asian Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Maritime Transport (SACE-SMarT). The 132nd Session of the IMO Council, which began on July 8, 2024, will continue till July 12, 2024.
BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers Meeting - New Delhi External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar will host his counterparts for the 2nd BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers' Retreat in New Delhi on 11-12 July 2024. India is the current Chair of BIMSTEC.
The first edition of the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers' Retreat was held in Bangkok, Thailand on 17 July 2023.
The Retreat will provide an opportunity for the Foreign Ministers of the BIMSTEC countries to discuss, in an informal setting, opportunities for broadening and deepening cooperation in various areas, including in the areas of security, connectivity, trade and investment, people-to-people contacts, etc., in the Bay of Bengal region and the coastal belt.
Bay of Bengal Initiative for MultiSectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Apart from India, BIMSTEC includes Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan.

International News

3. European Space Agency successfully launches ‘Ariane 6’ rocket after 4 years of delay

Europe’s new Ariane 6 rocket flew successfully for the first time. Delayed by an hour due to a minor problem at launch, the rocket took off from Kourou in French Guiana and released the satellites into orbit.
Philippe Baptiste, head of France’s CNES space agency, echoed the sentiment, saying, “Europe is back. The Ariane 6 rocket has 29 missions booked, including deployments for Amazon’s Kuiper constellation of internet satellites.
The two-stage Ariane 6 is built by French company ArianeGroup and operated by its subsidiary Arianespace on behalf of ESA. The rocket’s first stage is powered by a single Vulcain 2.1 engine and its upper stage has a Vinci engine, which is new technology.
Europe's space efforts were hampered by a variety of challenges, including the recall of Russia's Soyuz rockets and the grounding of Europe's Vega-C launcher.
The Ariane 6 rocket, selected by ESA in 2014, is capable of placing satellites into geostationary orbit 36,000 kilometers above Earth, as well as deploying satellite constellations at lower altitudes. Curie Mission
NASA launched CURIE (CubeSat Radio Interferometry Experiment) as a rideshare payload on the inaugural flight of the ESA (European Space Agency) Ariane 6 rocket. Designed by a team from the University of California, Berkeley, CURIE will use radio interferometry to study the primary drivers of space weather.
NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative selected CURIE during the initiative's 11th round of applications in 2020.
SpaceX launches Turksat 6A, the first Turkish-built communications satellite SpaceX launched Turksat 6A, the first communications satellite built by Turkey, on 8 July 2024. Turksat 6A is equipped with Ku-band and Xband communications payloads developed by Turkish defense company Aselsan.
The satellite will provide communications services to Turkey, Europe and South Asia. It will add four new countries to Turksat's coverage area - India, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Turksat had a primary role, and Turkey's Scientific and Technological Research Institute, Aselsan and Seatek also had a role.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried the satellite into space from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, United States.

4. India hosts BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers amid raging Myanmar crisis.

The seven-member Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi- Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) should find solutions to the regional chal- lenges within itself, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Thurs- day, addressing the first BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers' retreat held here.
The meeting assumes significance as it is being held against the backdrop of major developments in Myanmar, where the military junta has been receiving battlefield setbacks against dozens of ethnic armed organisations. ·
"Global and regional developments also make it imperative that we find more solutions among ourselves. There are longstanding goals such as capacity-building and economic cooperation that have acquired a new urgency. And not least, a grouping that is so complementary and so congenial in its membership should surely harbour higher aspirations," Mr. Jaishankar said. ·
This is the first time such an event was organ- ised since the Charter of BIMSTEC came into effect BIMSTEC FOREIGN MINISTERS RETREAT 2024 10- External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar with the Foreign Ministers of other countries, in New Delhi on Thursday. ANI on May 20, which marked a landmark development in the evolution of the organisation. ·
The developments in Myanmar pose a major is sue before the BIMSTEC as instability there has put a question mark on a num- ber of developmental and connectivity projects that were aimed at firming up ties among countries like Nepal, Bhutan, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Thailand.
A day before the begin ning of the meeting in Del- hi, the military junta in Naypyidaw lost control of Naungcho, a major town along a trade highway to China in the northern Shan State, to the Ta'ang Nation- al Liberation Army. Following his meeting with Myanmar Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister U.
Than Swe, Mr. Jaishankar said, "Our discussions focused on the connectivity pro- jects, so crucial for the fu- ture of BIMSTEC. Also ex- changed views on border stability and humanitarian assistance." The External Affairs Mi- nistry is yet to clarify if In- dia will extend humanitarian assistance to the affected civilian population inside Myanmar. Till now, assistance has been li- mited to the displaced.

5. San Fernando becomes first mothership to dock at Vizhinjam seaport.

Scripting a new chapter in the maritime history of the country, the first mother- ship carrying cargo from the Xiamen port in China called at the Vizhinjam international seaport, India's first deep-water container transshipment port, on Thursday morning.
The Marshall Island- flagged container ship San Fernando, owned by SFL Corporation Ltd. and chartered by Maersk (AP Moller Group), Denmark, is man- aged and operated by Bernhard Schulte Ship Management, Singapore. Adani Port pilots boarded the ship carrying 1,930 containers around 7.45 a.m. when the ship reached the passage leading to the berth.
The ship was then navigated through the buoyed channel to enter the tranquil breakwater area inside the port. The ship turned around before the tugs pushed it to the berth and moved the ship to the wharf with mooring ropes. Four tugs were pressed in to bring the ship to the berth.
Three tugs were in- volved in pushing the ship forward and pulling the aft, or vice versa, to turn the ship to get the bow facing out and then aligned the ship with the berth beMega visitor: San Fernando will leave for Colombo on Friday after the official reception planned by the Kerala government. fore the tugs finally pushed the ship to berth.
The ship's bow thruster and the power from the main engine were also used for the berthing. The vessel was set to begin the work of offloading 1,930 containers by around 2 p.m. Water salute The ship was also accorded a water salute at the port. The ship will leave for Colombo on Friday after the reception planned by the State government to be at- tended by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, and others.
The work on the ₹7,700-crore project, one of the major flagship infras- tructure projects promot- ed by the Kerala govern- ment with the Adani Group in the public-private partnership mode, started on December 5, 2015.

6. China is a 'decisive enabler' of Russia's war, says NATO.

Beijing says 'NATO hyping up China's responsibility on the Ukraine issue is unreasonable and has sinister motives; the US. says it will start deployment of long-range missiles in Germany from 2026 Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON ATO leaders on N Thursday looked to bolster ties with Asian partners after slamming China as a "decisive enabler" of Russia's war, before holding talks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the end of a summit in Washington.
The 32-nation al- liance has used the pomp- filled set piece in the U.S. capital to showcase its re- solve against Moscow and backing for Kyiv. After spending the bulk of the summit focused on bolstering Ukraine, NATO shifted attention eastwards by welcoming the leaders of Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.A declaration from NA- +TO released on Wednesday called Beijing a "decisive enabler of Russia's war against Ukraine" through its supplies of dual-use goods such as microchips that can help Moscow's military.
China "cannot en able the largest war in Eu- rope in recent history with out this negatively impacting its interests and reputation," it said. Beijing hit back by warn- ing NATO to "stop hyping up the so-called China

NATO OTAN

U.S. President Joe Biden, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and others attend a meeting in Washington on Thursday. REUTERS threat and provoking con frontation and rivalry".
China presents itself as a neutral party in the conflict, but it has however offered a critical lifeline to Russia's isolated economy, with trade booming since the conflict began. After the sit-down, Ukraine's Mr. Zelenskyy will take centre stage at the giant convention centre in the heart of the U.S. capital. The U.S. announced it would begin "episodic deployments" of long-range missiles to Germany in 2026. · The White House said it would eventually look to permanently sta- tion them in Germany, and the missiles would "have significantly longer range" than current U.S. systems in Europe.
'Bringing chaos to Asia' China accused NATO of seeking security at the ex- pense of others and told the alliance not to bring the same "chaos" to Asia. "NATO hyping up China's responsibility on the Ukraine issue is unreason- able and has sinister mo- tives," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said. He said China has a fair and objective stance on the Ukraine issue.

7. Colombo Security Conference inducts Bangladesh as fifth member

The Colombo Security Conference (CSC), a regional security grouping, welcomed Bangladesh as its fifth member at the 8th Deputy National Security Advisor (DNSA) level meeting hosted virtually by Mauritius.
Deputy National Security Advisor (Internal Affairs) Pankaj Kumar Singh represented India at the meeting. The CSC comprises India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and the Maldives, with Seychelles participating as an observer state. ‘
Bangladesh was officially welcomed into the CSC, expanding the group that initially comprised India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Mauritius joined in March 2022.
It was established in 2011 between India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. In 2020, the group was renamed the Colombo Security Conference. In 2021, the Secretariat of the Colombo Security Conference was established in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The 6th NSA level meeting was held in Mauritius on December 7-8, 2023, attended by India's NSA Ajit Doval as well as representatives from Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Seychelles and Bangladesh.

India joins BBNJ Agreement

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved India signing the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement. The Ministry of Earth Sciences will lead the country's implementation of the BBNJ Agreement.
The BBNJ Agreement allows us to increase our strategic presence in areas beyond our EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone), which is very promising.
The BBNJ Agreement, or the 'High Seas Treaty', is an international treaty under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It aims to address growing concerns over the longterm conservation of marine biodiversity in the high seas.
The BBNJ Agreement was agreed in March 2023 and is open for signature for two years from September 2023. As of June 2024, 91 countries have signed the BBNJ Agreement, and eight parties have ratified it.

8. NATO starts sending F-16 jets to support Ukraine.

NATO allies on Wednesday announced they had start- ed transferring F-16 jets to Ukraine while stepping up promises to Kyiv on eventual membership in the al- liance, at a 75th anniver- sary summit clouded by political uncertainties in the United States.
U.S. President Joe Biden individually welcomed the other 31 leaders of the alliance before urging them to keep pace with Russia's military production. "We can - and will - de- fend every inch of NATO territory and we'll do it to- gether," Mr. Biden told the North Atlantic Council.
Mr. Biden announced that Denmark and the Netherlands had begun sending U.S.-made F-16 jets to Ukraine - making good on a key promise last year to Kyiv, which has struggled to gain parity in the air with Russia.

State News

9. Nagaland adjudged best state in horticulture under Agriculture Leadership Awards 2024

Nagaland has been adjudged the best state in horticulture at the prestigious Agriculture Leadership Awards 2024.
The states of Maharashtra, Nagaland, Himachal, Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir have been honoured for their outstanding work in agriculture, horticulture, food processing, animal husbandry and innovations respectively.
The country's largest bank, SBI has been honoured for development, Integral University for academics and IISR for sugarcane research.
Corporates include Coromandel, Mahadhan (DFPCL), Parijata, NTC Group and Shaktiman.
The honourees include Dr. KK Unni, India’s leading face in crop protection, Dr. Tarun Shridhar, former Secretary to Government of India, Dr. Poonam Malkondaiah, former ACS, Goa Andhra Pradesh, Dr. Rahul Mirchandani, CMD, Aries Agro, Dr. Ramesh Mittal, renowned agribusiness expert, innovative farmer Mr. CS Bhadsavale and Mr. Munir Khan from Columbia University, USA.
The 15th prestigious Agriculture Leadership Awards 2024 were held in New Delhi on 10-11 July 2024.
The jury of the 15th Agriculture Leadership Awards, chaired by Justice P. Sathasivam, former Chief Justice of India and Governor of Kerala, declared the list of awardees, which includes 7 individuals, 5 states and 8 corporates and institutions.
The annual awards were instituted in 2008 to recognise excellence and leadership roles played by individuals and organisations for the development of Indian agriculture.

Defence News

10. “Birlestik-2024” joint military exercise of Central Asian countries started in Kazakhstan

The “Birlestik-2024” operationaltactical command-staff exercise has started in Kazakhstan. The joint military exercise, which will be held from July 11 to July 17, will take place at the Omasha training ground and Cape Tokmak in the Caspian Sea.
The exercise is part of a collaborative effort between the defense ministries of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The “Birlestik-2024” exercise aims to enhance interoperability and tactical coordination by simulating joint operational scenarios.
The exercise will involve around 4,000 military personnel and 700 pieces of military equipment, focusing on coordinating an integrated response to localized armed conflicts in the region.
During the exercise, the participating forces will undergo training and joint operational planning to effectively manage and resolve simulated armed conflicts. The exercise underlines the commitment of the participating countries to regional security and collaborative defence initiatives.
The 5th edition of India-Uzbekistan Joint Military Exercise Dustlik was held in Termez district of Uzbekistan from April 15 to 28, 2024. The first exercise "Dustlik" between India and Uzbekistan was held in the year 2019, which focused on counter-terrorism.

11, Chiefs of BSF, CISF reiterate 10% quota for Agniveers.

As Centre feels the heat on Agnipath scheme, it field- ed the chiefs of the Central Industrial Security Force and Border Security Force to reiterate the govern- ment's commitment to re- serve 10% vacancies in Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) for Agniveers.
The first batch of Agni- veers will be eligible for joining CAPFs in 2026. On Thursday, Nina Singh, Director-General of CISF, and Nitin Agrawal, D-G, BSF appeared on Doordarshan to reiterate the reservation policy. Ms. Singh said, "The CISF has made all arrangements to absorb Agniveers.
They will be an asset to the force. They will be exempt- ed from physical eligibility test." Mr. Agrawal stated, "Since they are trained and disciplined, they will be aligned with BSF's work culture. After a short con- version training, they will be deployed at borders.

Awards

12. Parijat Industries honoured with CSR Leadership Award 2024

Parijat Industries India Pvt. Ltd. received the prestigious CSR Leadership Award 2024 at the Agriculture Leadership Conclave held at Hotel Holiday Inn, Aerocity, New Delhi.
The event was organized by the Agriculture Today Group.
The award, presented by the National Awards Committee chaired by Former Chief Justice of India, Justice P. Sathasivam, recognizes Parijat Industries’ significant contributions to rural communities and farmers through a range of impactful projects.
Parijat Industries (India) Private Limited is a fully integrated technical-to-final formulations manufacturing agrochemical company.
With an advanced R&D-based integrated crop protection approach, Parijat manufactures active ingredients and formulations, selling them under its proprietary brands globally and within India.

Recent Award

France Highest Civilian Award “Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur” – Roshini Nadar
C. Narayana Reddy National Literary Award– Tamil writer Sivashankari
First K. Saraswathi Amma Award – P Geetha
Atal Pension Yojana Annual Award for FY24 by PFRDA – Bank of India
Sustainable Governance Champion Award 2024 – Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd.

Sports

13. PUMA to be footwear partner for Indian contingent at Paris Olympics 2024

PUMA India has partnered with Indian Olympic Association (IOA) as the official footwear partner for the Indian contingent heading to the Paris Olympics 2024.
PUMA has launched a grand outdoor campaign titled “See the Game Like We Do” to honor and celebrate the achievements of Indian athletes.
As part of this collaboration, over 100 Indian athletes will receive an array of products designed to enhance their training and comfort.
These include podium and travel footwear, trolleys, backpacks, sippers, yoga mats, headbands, wristbands, socks, and towels. Notably, 45 of these athletes are part of the PUMA contingent.

14. PV Sindhu and Sharath Kamal will be the flag bearers of the Indian contingent for the Paris Olympics opening ceremony

Veteran shuttler PV Sindhu will be India's female flag bearer during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics. And earlier Sharath Kamal was appointed as the male flag bearer. At the same time, London Olympics bronze medalist shooter Gagan Narang replaced veteran boxer Mary Kom as India's Chef-de-Mission for the Summer Olympics. Shiva Keshavan will remain Deputy Chef-de-Mission.
Chef-de-Mission means 'Head of Mission' in French. The Chef-deMission is responsible for ensuring the welfare of the participating athletes. The CDM takes care of the players' interaction with the organizing committee at the Summer Games.
In 2020, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) changed its protocol to allow a female and a male athlete to jointly carry the flag during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
Boxing icon Mary Kom and former hockey captain Manpreet Singh were India's flag bearers at the Tokyo Olympics. India will field its biggest shooting contingent ever, as 21 Indian medal contenders have booked their tickets for the Paris Games.
2024 Paris Summer Olympics The 33rd Summer Olympics will be hosted by the French capital Paris from 26 July to 11 August 2024. Paris will host the Summer Olympics for the third time after 1900 and 1924.
Four new sports have been added to the Paris Olympics 2024: breaking, surfing, sport climbing and skateboarding. Adani Group is the main sponsor of India's Olympic team. Adani Sportsline partnered with Team India as the main sponsor for the Commonwealth Games 2022, 2023 Asian Games and 2024 Paris Olympics.

Key Facts

Indian flag bearer athlete Purama Banerjee was the first Indian to carry the Indian flag at the Summer Olympics at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics.
The honour of being India's flagbearer at the 1948 London Olympics went to Dr Talimeren Ao, the inspirational first captain of the men's Indian football team.
Three-time Olympic gold medallist Balbir Singh is the only sportsperson to have been India's flag-bearer at the Olympics twice - in 1952 and 1956.
Sprinter Shiny-Abraham Wilson was the first Indian woman Olympic flag-bearer at Barcelona 1992. The only other woman to have received this honour so far is Anju Bobby George, who matched Shiny's feat at the Athens 2004 Olympics.

Appointment News

15. Rajat Sharma appointed as the President of the largest body of news channels 'NBDA'

● India TV Chairman and Editor-inChief Rajat Sharma has been elected as the President of the largest body of news channels, News Broadcasters and Digital Association (NBDA). This important decision was announced at the board meeting of NBDA on July 9, 2024.

● NBDA is the largest organization of news broadcasters in India, representing a powerful association of the country's most influential news networks. Its membership includes a variety of media outlets ranging from traditional television broadcasters to cutting-edge digital platforms.

● NBDA currently has 27 leading news and current affairs broadcasters (including 125 news and current affairs channels) as its members.

● Attendees at the board meeting included representatives from some of India's leading media houses: Aaj Tak, TV Today, Network TV18, Zee News, Hindi News, Sun TV, News24, ETV and Matribhoomi.

● PV Sindhu becomes brand ambassador of wellness brand Hoop Olympic medallist and ace badminton player PV Sindhu has announced her new role by joining Gurugram-based wellness brand “Hoop” as an investor and brand ambassador.

● Hoop positions itself as India’s first wellness brand catering exclusively to an active lifestyle. Founded in 2022, the company focuses on a range of wellness products to tackle effective pain, sleep, stress and workouts formulated with “natural ingredients”.

● Star cricketers Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni are among some of the prominent names to have invested in the startup.

Science and Technology

16. SJM seeks 'robot tax' for Al-induced job loss.

A 'robot tax' to cross-subsi dise employees who lose jobs because of the adop tion of Artificial Intelli- gence (Al) by their em ployers is a key item on the budget wishlist of the Swa deshi Jagran Manch (SJM), which is affiliated with the Rashtriya Sangh (RSS).
Swayamsevak In a pre-Budget meeting of economists with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last month, the SJM also suggested that tax incentives be given to industries generating more employment, based on an employment-output ratio. Ashwani Mahajan, economist and national convener of the SJM, who attended the June 20 meeting, told The Hindu that economic measures were needed to cope with the human cost of Al.
"We are not against the adoption of cutting-edge technology in cluding Al, but it is a fact that in the short run, this will lead to loss of employ ment among certain sec tions of employees, and a 'robot tax', as it's being termed, can be used for creating a fund that would help these workers upskill and adapt to new technol ogies," he said. · On job creation Apart from the 'robot tax', some concerns raised dur- ing the Lok Sabha poll campaign are also reflect- ed in the SJM's wishlist. With unemployment being a major theme during the campaign, the SJM has sug- gested that industries be incentivised to create more jobs through tax measures. · With regard to food in- flation, it proposed that small farmers be given sub- sidies for micro-irrigation projects that they can start on their lands to increase productivity. On the issue of housing for all, the SJM suggested that a wealth tax be im posed on those holding "vacant land", in order to "discourage unnecessary land holding on the pretext of future requirements".

17. World Health Organization launches an online platform called ‘MeDevIS’

The World Health Organization (WHO) has introduced an online platform called MeDevIS (Medical Devices Information System), the first global open access clearinghouse for information on medical devices.
It is designed to assist governments, regulators and users in their decisions on the selection, purchase and use of medical devices for the diagnosis, testing and treatment of diseases and health conditions.
The MeDevIS platform covers 2301 types of medical devices that are used for a wide range of health issues, including reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, non-communicable diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes as well as infectious diseases such as COVID19.
More than 10,000 different medical devices are being used worldwide to protect, prevent, diagnose, treat or rehabilitate health problems.
These include everything from pulse oximeters, digital thermometers, single-use syringes and medical masks to various diagnostic laboratory tests and technologies used for treatments such as electrocardiograms, endoscopes, all imaging radiology techniques and hemodialysis units and defibrillators, implantable prostheses, cardiac stents and complex radiotherapy equipment. MeDevIS
It references two international nomenclature systems for medical devices – the European Medical Device Nomenclature (EMDN), which is used mostly in European countries for registration in European databases, and the Global Medical Device Nomenclature (GMDN), which is used in regulatory agencies in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the USA and other Member States.
This is the first time WHO has developed such a global repository on medical devices based on its experience with the WHO Priority Medical Device List (MDL), which itself was based on the experience of creating the WHO Essential Medicines List (EML).

Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 12th July 2024