Current Affairs 11 July 2023

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 11 July 2023, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2023 events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, PTI, Indian Express, Business Standard and all Government official websites.

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched NCC Integrated Software for CadetsOn 7th July 2023, Rajnath Singh, Union Minister of Defence, launched the National Cadet Corps (NCC) Integrated Software (NIS), a single window interactive software for Cadets, in New Delhi, Delhi.
During the event, NCC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the State Bank of India (SBI) to open zero balance accounts of all NCC Cadets.
Key People:
Giridhar Aramane, Defence Secretary, Lt Gen Gurbirpal Singh AVSM VSM, Director General of NCC (DGNCC) and senior officials of the ministry of Defence (MoD), NCC, BISAG and SBI were present during the event.
About NCC Integrated Software (NIS):
i.NIS, designed on the ‘Entry to Exit Model’, wasdeveloped in partnership with Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geo Informatics (BISAG).
ii. The software, based on Prime Minister(PM) Narendra Modi’s vision of “Once a Cadet Always a Cadet”,will digitalize the entire process from the stage of enrolment in NCC as a cadet till exit registration as alumni.
iii. This will enable seamless issue of certificates, creation of an all India database of NCC cadets at the time of their employment.
MoU signed between NCC and SBI to open zero balance accounts for NCC Cadets
NCC and SBI signed a MoU to open zero balance accounts for all NCC Cadets with debit card, chequebook & passbook facility under the “Pahli Udaan” scheme, SBI savings account for minors.
Note: About 5 lakh Cadets will be benefitted by this MoU every year.
Key Features:
i. The account opened for the cadets will remain functional till completion of training or attaining 18 years of age whichever is later.
ii. This will introduce the cadets to the national banking system and provide them with a ready platform to avail benefit of other Government schemes through DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) of funds into their accounts.

• Under DBT initiative, (MoD) reformed the physical uniform distribution to make it more transparent and seamless, allowing direct bank transfer of uniform allowance in the bank accounts of the NCC cadets.

iii. It will replace the existing central procurement and distribution process.

Ministry of Education releases report on Performance Grading Index 2.0 for States/UTs for 2021-22i.On July 7, 2023, the Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education (MoE), released the Performance Grading Index (PGI): 2.0: 2021-22: States & Union Territories’ which assesses the performance of school education system at the State/UT level by creating an index for comprehensive analysis.
ii.It should be noted that the PGI: 2.0 is the revised version of earlier ‘PGI – State structure for 2021-22’.
iii.None of the States/UTs has attained the highest Grade i.e., Daksh.
iv.The top-most grade attained in PGI 2.0 is Prachesta – 2. It was attained by only 2 States and UTs, namely Punjab with score of 647.4 and Chandigarh (659.0).
v.The new PGI 2.0 structure covers 73 indicators, focused more on qualitative assessment, digital initiatives and teacher education.
About Ministry of Education (MoE):
Union Minister– Dharmendra Pradhan (Constituency- Rajya Sabha, Madhya Pradesh)
Ministers of State– Annpurna Devi (Constituency- Kodarma, Jharkhand); Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh (Constituency-, Inner Manipur, Manipur); Dr. Subhas Sarkar (Constituency- Bankura, West Bengal)
>> Read Full News

ECI & ET of Panama signed MoU on Electoral CooperationOn 7th July 2023, the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Electoral Tribunal (ET) of Panama signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish an institutional framework for their ongoing cooperation in the field of Election Management and Administration.

• The MoU was signed in Panama City, Panama during the interaction between the 3 member ECI delegation led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India Rajiv Kumar and Alfredo Juncá Wendehake, Presiding Magistrate, ET of Panama, Eduardo Valdes Escoffery, 1st vice presidential magistrate and Luis A. Guerra Morales, 2nd vice presidential magistrate, ET of Panama.
• During the meet, they discussed on strengthening collaboration and knowledge exchange between the two Election Management Bodies (EMBs).

Background:
i. ECI has been expanding its links and cooperation with foreign Election Management Bodies (EMBs) through its ‘International Cooperation Programme’.
ii. This is the 4th MoU signed by ECI with an Election Management Body (EMB) in the Latin American region.

• Previously, ECI has signed similar MoUs with Brazil, Chile and Mexico.

iii. ECI has signed an overall 31 MoUs with EMBs and international organisations across the world.
Highlights:
i. The partnership between the 2 nations creates a platform for the exchange of knowledge, expertise, and technological advancements.
ii. The ECI and ET of Panama are the members of the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB).
Note: Officials from the ET of Panama also attended the international conference on ‘Inclusive Elections and Elections Integrity’ organised by the EC in March 2023 as the lead for ‘Cohort on Elections Integrity’ under the aegis of the ‘Summit for Democracy’.
iii. The ECI delegation will be attending the 11th Executive Board Meeting of A-WEB and an International Conference at Cartagena, Colombia.
Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB):
A-WEB is the largest association of EMBs across the world with 119 EMBs as Members & 20 Regional Associations/Organisations as Associate Members.
About Panama:
Capital- Panama City
President- Laurentino Cortizo Cohen
Currency- Panamanian Balboa (PAB)

India and US jointly conduct ‘Operation Broader Sword’ to combat illegal drugsThe United States of America (USA) and India conducted “Operation Broader Sword”, a bilateral multi-agency enforcement initiative, to identify illicit and illegal medical products shipped using the International Mail System.

• The operation held from 12th to 23rd June 2023 targeted shipments coming to the USA from India through International Mail Facilities (IMFs) in John F Kennedy International Airport in New York, USA and O’Hare International Airport, Chicago, USA.

Executive Agencies of this operation:
This joint operation was carried out by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), in collaboration with the Government of India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
Outcome of this Combat operation:
i.Over 500 shipments of unlawful and potentially deadly unapproved prescription medications, combination medical devices, and synthetic drug precursors were prevented from reaching American customers as a result of this combat operation.
ii.Investigators examined over 1500 shipments originating in India throughout the operation, taking action on around 500 goods, including illegitimate and unlawful pharmaceuticals intended to cure and/or reduce serious ailments.
Note:
Operation Broader Sword was built upon the success of Operation Broadsword which was held in 2020 at Chicago IMF targeting mail parcels containing illicit medical products from India

National Water Mission Signs MoU with Indian Plumbing Association To Improve Water Use EfficiencyOn 7th July 2023, the Bureau of Water Use Efficiency (BWUE), under the National Water Mission (NWM) of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Plumbing Association (IPA) towards achieving a water-positive India by improving water use efficiency.

• The MoU aims to create awareness & promote rain water harvesting structures, low flow fixtures & sanitary ware, treatment of grey & black water (5Rs: Reduce –Recycle- Reuse-Replenish-Respect), water audit of built environment.
• Bureau of Water Use Efficiency (BWUE) has been set up under the Implementation of NWM by the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR),Ministry of Jal Shakti.

The MoU was signed by Archana Varma, Additional Secretary & Mission Director, on behalf of NWM, Ministry of Jal Shakti and Gurmit Singh Arora, National President, IPA, Okhla, New Delhi, Delhi.
Outcome of the MoU:
i.The MoU helps to promote the objective of BWUE, to consume less water by increasing water use efficiency by aligning with the IPA’s ongoing efforts to advocate for water-sensitive fixtures that consume less water.
ii.IPA will cooperate to increase water use efficiency in domestic sector by 50-60% by reducing the consumption from 135 liters per capita per day (lpcd) to 60 lpcd and the need for water audits in built environments, such as residential buildings and hotels, to achieve the ambitious target of Net Zero Water Buildings.
iii.The MoU aligns with the NWM’s Goal-4 to increase the water use efficiency by 20%.
iv.The provisions in the MoU focus on implementation and promotion of the objective of the NWM, through 24 chapters (in various cities) and with more than 6500 members of IPA.
About Ministry of Jal Shakti:
Union Minister– Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
Minister of State– Prahlad Singh Patel; Bishweswar Tudu.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

MEA: India joins Champions Group of Global Crisis Response Group      On 7th July 2023, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced that India has joined the champions group of the Global Crisis Response Group (GCRG) at the invitation of Antonio Guterres, United Nations (UN) Secretary General (SG), to Narendra Modi, Prime Minister (PM) of India.

• Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West), MEA has been designated as Sherpa to the GCRG process.

Note: On 7th July 2023, the sherpas of GCRG convened a virtual meeting and the meeting of the Champions Group is scheduled for 21st July 2023.
Key Points: 
i. The decision to join the Group reflects India’s increasing global leadership and commitment addressing contemporary global challenges.
ii. India’s participation will further improve the efforts of the UN in locating result-oriented solutions on developmental issues that impact the world, particularly developing countries.
Global Crisis Response Group (GCRG):
i. The GCRG was set up by the UN SG in March 2022 to direct urgent and critical global issues pertaining to interlinked crises in food security, energy, and finance and to coordinate a global response.
ii. The 32-member Group ensures high-level political leadership to get ahead of the immense inter-connected challenges of food security, energy, and financing, and implement a coordinated global response to the ongoing crises.
iii. Chair of the GCRG will be the UN SG António Guterres.
About Champions Group of GCRG:
The GCRG is supervised by the Champions Group composed of Heads of States (HOS)/ Heads of Governments (HOG) of Bangladesh, Barbados, Denmark, Germany, Indonesia and Senegal.

Over half of world’s child trafficking victims trafficked within own country: Report by IOM & FXB

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University (FXB) released a new report titled ‘From Evidence to Action: Twenty years of IOM child trafficking data to inform policy and programming‘.

• As per the report, half of child trafficking victims are trafficked within their own country.
• In cases of international trafficking, children are mostly trafficked to neighbouring, wealthier countries.

This report, a first of its kind, is based on analysis of extensive, globally sourced data, using the IOM’s Victims of Trafficking Database (VoTD). It analyzed primary data from more than 69,000 victims of trafficking of 156 nationalities, trafficked in 186 countries.

• VoTD is the largest available international database of individual victims of trafficking. 18.3% of VoTs in the database were children.

The study assessed the factors that drive vulnerability to trafficking and revealed trends for the trafficking were mostly gendered, informed by the education and income levels of the victims and their families.
Key Points:
i.The report highlights that child trafficking is a multifaceted and intricate issue that persists and transforms across borders. It affects all ages, genders, and nationalities, making it a truly global phenomenon with no immunity.
ii.Approximately half of the trafficked children, mostly boys, are subjected to forced labor across various industries like domestic work, begging, and agriculture.

• Boys were almost twice as likely to be trafficked as children than girls. Boys had 39% likelihood of being trafficked internationally than domestically, as compared to girls.
• Child victims reported being exploited in domestic work (14.5%), begging (10.2%), hospitality (3.4%) and agriculture (3.3%).
• Female child victims are more likely to report sexual exploitation (30.3%) than male child victims (7.3%).

iii.Another significant aspect is sexual exploitation, which impacts around 20% of trafficked children, primarily girls, through activities such as prostitution, pornography, and sexual servitude.
iv.To effectively combat child trafficking, accurate and current data is crucial for evidence-based policy and programming. However, the availability of actionable data is currently limited, and reaching child victims through conventional surveys is challenging due to various factors.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS  

Coal India Limited received ‘The Rising Star Award’ by GeM
Coal India Limited (CIL), a Maharatna Public Sector Unit (PSU) under the Ministry of Coal has been honoured with the “Rising Star Award” in appreciation of its outstanding efforts to enhance procurement through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal in the fiscal FY 2022–23.

• Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Textile, Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution, presented the award to CIL.
• Anupriya Patel, Minister of State (MoS) for Commerce and Industry and Prashant Kumar Singh, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) GeM, were also present at the event.

Note: GeM or e-Marketplace, launched in 2016, is a 100% Government owned National Public Procurement Portal for different goods & services procured by Government Organisations / Departments / PSUs.    

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Wins Insurer Innovation Award 2023 at the World’s Digital Insurance Awards
Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Co. Ltd, has won the Insurer Innovation Award 2023 for the Asia Pacific(APAC) region at The World’s Digital Insurance Awards . The award was presented to recognise Bajaj Allianz Life’s ground-breaking WhatsApp Conversational Platform which empower customers to digitally service their policies.

• TDI – The Digital Insurer, hosted the 8th edition of the World’s Digital Insurance Awards to showcase some of the most innovative projects in the insurance industry.

The WhatsApp Conversational Platform:
Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance developed an customer BOT to self-serve and resolve queries while also offering real-time human live agent support to its sales and distribution channels as well as employees.
i.In the last 3 years, 86% of Bajaj Allianz Life’s active customer base has opted for WhatsApp servicing.
ii.12% of total service transaction volumes are handled by the WhatsApp Business Platform.
iii.2.4 lac customers interact with the BOT monthly to fulfill their policy requirements.
About Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance:
i.Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance is one of India’s leading private life insurers  began its operations from August 2001. It is headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra.
ii.It is a joint venture between Bajaj Finserv Limited, a non-banking financial institutions in India, and Allianz SE, world’s leading global insurer and asset manager.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS         

Rajkumar Upadhyay gets a 2-Year Extension as CEO of C-DoTThe Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the proposal of the Department of Telecommunications(DoT) for the extension in tenure of Dr. Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO (Chief executive officer), C-DoT(Centre for Development of Telematics) for a period of 2 years till 9th July 2025 or attaining the age of 60 years.
Key points:
i.In October 2020, Upadhyay joined India’s telecom technology research organisation C-DoT as the executive director and in November 2022 he was promoted as CEO and C-DoT’s board chairman.
ii.Previously, he served as Additional Director General, Doordarshan & All India Radio(AIR), Prasar Bharati, deputy director general (DDG) at DoT, advisor at Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and is also the founding member of the Bharat 6G Alliance.
iii.He won many awards which include J. C. Bose award (1987) by Ministry of Defence(MoD), the National e-Governance award (2007) by Government of India (GoI), CIO 100 award (2007) by International Data Group (IDG), and Deepak C. Jain Award (2009) by IIM (Indian Institutes of Management) Bangalore, India.
About Centre for Development of Telematics(C-DoT):
Chief executive officer- Dr. Rajkumar Upadhyay
Established- 1984
Headquarters- New Delhi, Delhi. 

DoT Secretary K Rajaraman IAS Replaces Injeti Srinivas as Chairman of IFSCAAccording to the notification released by The Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) under Ministry of Finance, The Department of Telecommunications secretary and 1989-batch IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu Cadre, K Rajaraman will be the next chairman of the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA).

• He will be replacing Injeti Srinivas, the first chairperson of IFSCA (which acts as a unified authority for the development and regulation of financial products, financial services and financial institutions) appointed in 2020.
• Rajaraman is expected to join the IFSCA in the month of August 2023.
• His tenure  will be for three years from the date of his assumption of charge of the post, or till attaining the age of 65 years, or until further orders, whichever is the earliest.
• As per the IFSCA (salary, allowance, and other terms and conditions of service of chairperson and members) Rules 2020, the proposal put forth by the Department of Economic Affairs to appoint K Rajaraman, IAS, as the Chairperson of IFSCA has been approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet(ACC).

About K Rajaraman:
i. In October 2021, he assumed charge as the Telecom Secretary.  He successfully conducted first-ever fifth generation or 5G auction, with the government fetching more than Rs 1.5 lakh crore.
ii. He is also considered as a driving force behind the recently-launched Bharat 6G Alliance and in rolling out Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) 4G network
About International Financial Services Centres Authority(IFSCA):
Headquarters – Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Established in – 2020
Established under – International Financial Services Centres Authority Act, 2019

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

SpaceX Gets license from Mongolia to offer high-speed internet via Starlink SatellitesThe government of Mongolia has granted 2 licenses to the SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, to function as an internet service provider utilizing Starlink, satellite communications service operated by SpaceX.

• Following this, SpaceX will provide high speed connectivity through Starlink to the internet users in Mongolia.

Background: 
The collaboration between the government of Mongolian and SpaceX was formally initiated in February 2023 during the Mobile World Congress(MWC) 2023 held in Barcelona, Spain from 27 February to 2 March 2023.
Note: Starlink has established a network of more than 3,500 satellites in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) that can provide connectivity in remote areas.
Key Points: 
i.At present, Mongolia has an extensive network of fiber optic cables which provides access to high speed internet.
ii.The introduction of starlink technology will enhance the connectivity to the underserved locations, that are difficult to reach.
About Mongolia: 
Prime Minister– Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene
Currency– Mongolian Tugrik
Capital– Ulaanbaatar

UN Unveiled 51 robots at AI summit to Advance SDG goals

International Telecommunication Union(ITU), a specialized agency of the United Nations(UN) responsible for information and communication technologies, organised 2 days Global Summit  ‘AI for Good’ in Geneva, Switzerland.

• The summit highlighted the deployment of specialized robots to aid in achieving the organization’s 17 Social Development Goals (SDGs)
• With less than a decade remaining to fulfil the SDGs, this summit aims to identify practical applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in advancing these goals and scaling up the solutions for global impact.

About Sustainable Development Goals(SDG):
Sustainable Development Goals are a set of 17 global goals established by the United Nations (UN) in 2015. The SDGs build upon the progress made through the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and aim to integrate economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability.

About the Summit:
Recent advancements in AI technology, including chatbots, object detection, and human emotion recognition played a significant role in the summit’s discussions.
Day 1: Cutting-edge robotic AI solutions were presented through 51 robot(out of which nine are Humanoid) demonstrations by companies such as Pepper the Robot, GoBe Robot, Aliengo, B1, and Go1.Notable robots which attended the Global Summit include:

• Grace : World’s most advanced humanoid healthcare robot.First developed in partnership with Hanson Robotics and SingularityNET, Grace is “the world’s foremost nursing assistant robot”, made to provide support and care for the elderly.
• Sophia : The first robot Innovation Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),built by Hanson Robotics.UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed interacted with Sophia during the summit.
• Nadine: Developed by the University of Geneva, Nadine is known as one of the most realistic humanoid social robots in the world.
• Geminoid: Created by Hiroshi Ishiguro from Japan, Geminoid is an ultra-realistic humanoid robot that closely resembles its human creator.
• 4NE-1: Neura Robotics has designed 4NE-1, which is recognized as one of the most advanced cognitive humanoid robots globally.
• Ai-Da Robot, the first ultra-realistic robot artist, designed by Aidan Meller, and Desdemona, the “rockstar” robot of the Jam Galaxy Band.

Day 2: A first-of-its-kind press conference where journalists pose questions to an all-robot panel was held.
Note – The United Nations is already leveraging AI in various areas, including the World Food Programme’s HungerMap project.
About United Nation:
Established in – 1945
Members – 193 countries
United Nation Secretary-General – António Guterres
Headquarters – New York, United States of America (USA)

SPORTS

Badminton: Lakshya Sen Wins Men’s Singles Title in Canada Open 2023Indian Badminton Player Lakshya Sen won the Men’s Singles finals at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Yonex Canada Open 2023 (Canada Open 2023) defeating China’s Li Shi Feng (reigning All England champion 2023), held in ​Calgary, Canada from 4th July – 9th July 2023.

• India’s P.V. Sindhu lost to Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in the Women’s Singles (semifinals) of Canada Open 2023.

About Lakshya Sen:
i.This marks Lakshya Sen’s second BWF Super 500 title, earlier he won his maiden Super 500 title at the 2022 India Open in January 2022 (by defeating Loh Kean Yew of Singapore)
ii.Lakshya Sen previously won the men’s singles gold medal by defeating Malaysia’s Ng Tze Yong in Commonwealth Games Birmingham 2022.
Winners of Canada Open 2023:
Women’s Singles: Akane Yamaguchi (Rank 1) of Japan won the Women’s Singles title by defeating Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon at the Canada Open 2023.
Men’s Doubles: Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen of Denmark won the Men’s Doubles title by defeating Frederik Sogaard and Rasmus Kjær of Denmark.
Women’s Doubles: Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida (Rank 3) of Japan won the Women’s doubles title by defeating Wakana Nagahara and Mayu Matsumoto of Japan at the Canada Open 2023.
Mixed Doubles: Hiroki Midorikawa and Natsu Saito of Japan won the mixed Doubles by defeating Mathias Thyrri and Amalie Magelund of Denmark.
About Canada Open:
i.The Canada Open first started in 1962 and comes under the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 500 Category.

• BWF World Tour is classified into six levels, namely World Tour Finals, four Super 1000, six Super 750, seven Super 500, and 11 Super 300.

About Canada Open 2023:
i.The Canada Open 2023 marks the 58th edition organised by Badminton Canada and Badminton Alberta with the support from BWF.
ii.Prize Money:
Total – USD 4,20,000
Men’s Singles – USD 31,500
Women’s Singles – USD 31,500
Men’s Doubles – USD 33,180
Women’s Doubles – USD 33,180
Mixed Doubles – USD 33,180
About Badminton World Federation (BWF):
President – Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen
Headquarters – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Established – 1934

F1 British GP 2023: Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won his first ever British GP Title On 9th July 2023, Max Verstappen, the Red Bull driver (Dutch-Belgian) won the title at Formula 1 (FI) Aramco British Grand Prix (GP) 2023 held at Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England (the United Kingdom, UK).

• This marks his first ever British GP title and 6th consecutive F1 win of the 2023 season.
• This also marks Max’s 8th win of this season and Red Bull’s 10th consecutive win of 2023 season (the other 2 titles were won by Sergio Perez in Saudi Arabia GP and Azerbaijan GP).

Lando Norris, the McLaren driver (Belgian-British) finished second and Lewis Hamilton, the Mercedes driver (British) finished third.
British GP 2023 was the home race for both Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton. This victory of Max Verstappen making it a record-equalling 11 wins in a row for Red Bull and also his 6th win in a row and 8th in 10 races this season.
Note:

• This is the Red Bulls’ 11th win in a row, a record stretching back to Max Verstappen win at the final race of November 2022 in Abu Dhabi.
• No team has ever completed an unbeaten F1 season. Red Bull is still on course to do so. McLaren’s 1988 team was the closest any team came, winning 15 of the 16 races that year.
• Red Bull will have to win 22 races to do the same.

Key Points:
i. It was Max Verstappen’s 43rd career win, and it has helped both Red Bull and Max Verstappen to lead in their respective Constructors’ and Drivers’ standings.
ii. The win was Red Bull’s first at Silverstone circuit since Mark Webber (Australian) in 2012.
iii. Lando Norris team mate Oscar Piastri (McLaren) finished 4th and Lewis Hamilton’s team mate George Russell (Mercedes) finished 5th.
iv. The British GP 2023 took place over 52 laps of the 5.891-kilometre Silverstone Circuit.
FI 2023 British GP Results (Top 3):

Grand Chess Tour: Gukesh finished 5th, Viswanathan Anand tied at 7th in SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia 2023Indian Grand Master (GM) Dommaraju(D) Gukesh (17 years old) finished 5th(with score 19.5/36) while Fomer World Champion GM Viswanathan Anand (with score 16.5/36) tied at 7th place with Jan-Krzysztof Duda of Poland in the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia 2023, the 3rd led of the Grand Chess Tour (GST) 2023, held from 3rd to 10th July 2023 in Westin Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.

• World No. 1 & Former World Champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway won the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia 2023 with a score of 26.0/36.
• Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia finished 2nd with 22.5 points and Alireza Firouzja of Iran finished 3rd with 22 points.

During the tournament, for the first time Gukesh defeated Viswanathan Anand in the rapid segment. This was also Gukesh’s first tournament match against Viswanathan Anand. On 9th July 2023, Gukesh defeated Anand in 34 moves in the blitz segment of the tournament.
The Prize amount received by Gukesh and Viswanathan Anand was USD 15,000 and USD 9,500 respectively.
The SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz 2023:
i. It was the third tournament and midway point of the Grand Chess Tour and the final results came from a combination of the scores in Rapid and Blit
ii. The tournament saw 9 rounds of rapid and 18 rounds of Blitz being played and the Total Prize Fund: USD 175000
iii. The winner of the tournament Magnus Carlsen received a winner’s trophy and a cash prize of USD 40,000.
iv. Ian Nepomniachtchi received USD 30,000 for the 2nd place and AlirezaFirouzja received USD 25,000 for the 3rd
About Grand Chess Tour 2023: 
i.The Grand Chess Tour is a circuit of international chess tournaments and events, each demonstrating the highest level of organization for the world’s best chess players.
ii.Tournaments under GCT 2023:

• Superbet Chess Classic Romania: May 4 – 16, 2023, Bucharest, Romania
• Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland: May 19 – 26, 2023, Warsaw, Poland
• SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia: July 3 – 10, 2023, Zagreb, Croatia
• Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz: November 12 – 19, 2023, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
• Sinquefield Cup November 19 – December 3, 2023, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA

Note: At present, Fabiano Caruana leads the GCT standings with 20 points.
Final Standings of the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia 2023 (Top 5):

OBITUARY

K M Vasudevan Namboothiri, Line Artist from Kerala, passed away at 98
On 7th July 2023, Karuvattu Mana (K M ) Vasudevan Namboothiri, one of India’s fine line artists and a literary illustrator from Kerala passed away at the age of 98 in Kottakkal, Malappuram district, Kerala. He was born in 1925 in Ponnani, Madras Presidency, British India(now in Kerala).

• He is well known for his illustrations for short stories and novels of Malayalam, like Randamoozham (M.T. Vasudevan Nair), Enippadikal (Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai), Pithamahan (VKN) and Smarakasilakal (Punathil Kunhabdulla).
• In 2004, the Lalithakala Akademi of Kerala honoured him with the Raja Ravi Varma Award; he also served as the President of the Kerala Lalithakalai Akademi.
• He received the Kerala State Film Award for art direction for his work in the film ‘Uttarayanam’ in 1974.

IMPORTANT DAYS

National Fish Farmer’s Day 2023 – July 10 National Fish Farmer’s Day(NFFD) is annually observed across India on 10th July to recognise the contributions of the fish farmers, aquaculture industry professionals and other stakeholders towards sustainable development of the fisheries sector.

• 10th July 2023 marks the observance of 23rd National Fish Farmers Day(NFFD).
• 10th July also marks the observance of the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) Foundation Day.  10th July 2023 marks the observance of the 17th NFDB Foundation Day.

Background:
i.In 2001, the government of India declared every year 10th July will be celebrated as National Fish Farmers Day.
ii.The first Fish Farmers Day was observed in 2001 by the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR)- Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE), a premier institute of Fisheries Education in India based in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
About Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying(MoFAH&D):
Union Minister– Parshottam Rupala (Rajya- Sabha Gujarat)
Minister of State– Dr Sanjeev Kumar Balyan; Dr L. Murugan
>> Read Full News

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List of Current Governors in India – February 2023

List of Current Chief Ministers in India – February 2023

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