We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 5 July 2024, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2024 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.
Our Current Affairs July 2024 events will help you to get more marks in Banking, Insurance, SSC, Railways, UPSC, CLAT and all State Government Exams. Also, try our Latest Current Affairs Quiz and Monthly Current Affairs 2024 PDF which will be a pedestrian to crack your exams.
Read Current Affairs in CareersCloud APP, Course Name – Learn Current Affairs – Free Course – Click Here to Download the APP
We are Hiring – Subject Matter Expert | CA Video Creator | Content Developers(Pondicherry)
Click here for Current Affairs 4 July 2024
Click here for Affairscloud Hindu Free Vocabs telegram channel
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
MP & Rajasthan Signed MoU For Joint River Linking Project
On June 30 2024, Madhya Pradesh (MP) Chief Minister (CM) Mohan Yadav and Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the implementation of the Rs 72,000 crore Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal (PKC) inter-state river linking project in Bhopal, MP.
Background: The project was prepared in 2004 but due to failure to reach consent between the two states for the water distribution of the three rivers(Parbati,Kalisindh and Chambal), it was pending for around two decades.
Key Points:
i.Benefits:This river link project proposes to provide drinking and industrial water to 13 districts each of eastern Rajasthan; and Malwa and Chambal regions of MP.
- It would provides irrigation to a minimum 2.8 lakh hectare area each in both the states including supplementation of route tanks.
- It would also provide drinking and industrial water to the 13 districts of MP including Morena, Gwalior, Sheopur, and Rajgarh.
- It will help utilise the available water resources of the Chambal basin optimally and economically.
ii.Cost: The overall cost of the PKC river link project is Rs 72,000 crore, which includes Rs 35,000 crore for MP and 37,000 crore for Rajasthan.
- The centre provides 90% of funds for the project while states contribute only 10%.
iii.Following project completion, about 6.17 lakh hectares of command area, including 3.37 lakh hectares of land in MP, will be irrigated in MP and Rajasthan.
About Madhya Pradesh (MP):
Chief Minister (CM) – Mohan Yadav
Governor – Mangubhai C. Patel
Capital – Bhopal
National Parks – Sanjay National Park, Kanha national park
Wildlife Sanctuaries – Karera Wildlife Sanctuary, Ken Gharial wildlife sanctuary
About Rajasthan:
Chief Minister (CM) – Bhajan Lal Sharma
Governor – Kalraj Mishra
Capital – Jaipur
National Parks – Ranthambore National Park, Mukundara Hills National Park
Wildlife Sanctuaries – Bassi Wildlife Sanctuary, Gajner Wildlife Sanctuary
Ex Nomadic Elephant 2024: 16th India-Mongolia Joint Military Exercise Commenced in Meghalaya
On 3rd July 2024, ‘Exercise Nomadic Elephant 2024’, the 16th edition of the India-Mongolia Joint Military Exercise, commenced at the Foreign Training Node in Umroi, Meghalaya.
- The bilateral training initiative between the Indian Army (IA) and Mongolian Army will conclude on 16th July 2024.
Note: Nomadic Elephant is a training event conducted alternatively in India and Mongolia since 2004. The 15th edition of the exercise was held at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in July 2023.
About Nomadic Elephant 2024:
i.Objective: To enhance joint military capabilities for counter-insurgency operations within a Sub-Conventional scenario under Chapter VII of the United Nations(UN) Mandate.
ii.Participants:
- Indian Contingent led by a Battalion of SIKKIM SCOUTS, comprising 45 personnel from various arms and services.
- Mongolian Contingent led by the 150 Quick Reaction Force Battalion of the Mongolian Army.
Highlights:
i.The exercise will focus on operations in the semi-urban and mountainous terrain.
ii.The exercise will enable India and Mongolia to share their best practices in Tactics, Techniques and Procedures of conducting joint operations.
iii.The tactical drills conducted during the exercise include Response to a Terrorist Action; Establishment of a Joint Command Post; Intelligence & Surveillance Centre Operations; Helipad/Landing Site Security; Small Team Insertion & Extraction; Special Heliborne Operations; Cordon & Search Operations; and Employment of Drones and Counter-Drone Systems
Key People:
i.Opening Ceremony: His Excellency Dambajavyn Ganbold, Ambassador of Mongolia to India, and Major General Prasanna Joshi, General Officer Commanding 51 Sub Area of the Indian Army attended the opening ceremony.
ii.Closing Ceremony: Major General Gyanbyamba Sunrev, Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of Mongolia, and Lieutenant General Zubin A Minwalla, General Officer Commanding 33 Corps of IA will attend the closing ceremony on 16th July 2024.
MoRD & MoMSME Signed a SoI to Enhance SHG Women Rural Enterprises
On 3rd July 2024, The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) and the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MoMSME), signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) to support and formalise the Self Help Group (SHG) women-led rural enterprises through the flagship schemes of MoMSME.
Signatories: The SoI was signed by Swati Sharma, Joint Secretary, MoRD; Mercy Epao, Joint Secretary, MoMSME, at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi, Delhi.
- Shailesh Kumar Singh, Secretary, MoRD; Subhas Chandra Lal Das, Secretary, MoMSME, and Charanjit Singh, Additional Secretary, MoRD were present during the SoI signing.
About the SoI:
i.The SoI emphasises a whole-of-government approach, facilitating the empowerment of Lakhpati Didis, a SHG member with an annual household income exceeding Rs. 1,00,000.
ii.This SoI will strengthen the collaboration between both ministries, supporting SHG Didis in entrepreneurship through MoMSME’s flagship initiatives like Yeshaswini- Apna Udyam, Apni Pehchaan, and Udyam Assist.
About Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD):
Union Minister– Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Constituency- Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh)
Ministers of State (MoS)- Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani (Constituency- Guntur, Andhra Pradesh); Kamlesh Paswan (Constituency- Bansgaon, Uttar Pradesh)
About Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MoMSME):
Union Minister– Jitan Ram Manjhi(Constituency- Gaya, Bihar)
MoS– Shobha Karandlaje (Constituency- Bangalore North, Karnataka)
MoHUA Extended Smart Cities Mission Till March 2025 Allowing Cities to Complete Ongoing Projects
On 3rd July 2024, the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India (GoI) announced that it has extended the deadline for the Smart Cities Mission (SCM) till 31st March 2025, allowing cities to complete ongoing projects, which account for around 10% of the total projects.
- This for the 2nd time that the deadline for the SCM has been extended, which was earlier 30th June, 2024.
- According to the official data of MoHUA, as on 3rd July 2024, 100 cities had completed 7,188 projects (90% of total projects) worth Rs 1.44 lakh crore.
- GoI has allocated Rs 48,000 crore for the 100 cities under SCM in Union Budget .
About Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA):
Union Minister- Manohar Lal Khattar (Constituency- Karnal, Haryana)
Minister of State (MoS)- Tokhan Sahu (Constituency- Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh)
>> Read Full News
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
13th India-Thailand Military Exercise ‘MAITREE’ begins at Tak Province of Thailand
The 13th India-Thailand joint military exercise ‘MAITREE’ is taking place at Fort Vachiraprakan in Tak province of Thailand from July 1 – 15, 2024.
Exercise Maitree:
i.The Maitree Exercise is a military exercise between India and Thailand which takes place every year since 2006.
- The previous edition of the exercise was conducted in Umroi, Meghalaya in 2019.
ii.This annual military exercise covering air and land forces includes medical and medical support activities.
Participants:
- The Indian army contingent, comprising 76 personnel, is represented mainly by a Battalion of Ladakh Scouts and personnel from other arms and services.
- The Royal Thailand Army (RTA) contingent comprises 76 personnel from the 1st Battalion, 14 Infantry Regiment of 4 Division.
Objectives:
i.Cooperation: To foster military cooperation between Thailand and India;
ii.Capabilities: To Enhance combined capabilities in executing Joint Counter Insurgency (COIN)/Terrorist Operations in Jungle and Urban Environments under Chapter VII of the United Nations (UN) Charter;
iii.Focus: It focuses on physical fitness, joint planning, and tactical drills.
Key Points:
i.Tactical Drills: During the exercise, the tactical drills will include: Creation of a Joint Operation Centre, establishing an Intelligence & Surveillance Centre, employment of Drones and Counter Drone Systems, Securing of a Landing Site, Small Team Insertion & Extraction, Special Heliborne Operations, Cordon and Search Operations, Room Intervention Drills and Demolition of Illegal Structures.
ii.Benefits: Exercise MAITREE promotes sharing best practices in tactics and procedures, developing interoperability, and building camaraderie between soldiers of both nations.
About Thailand:
Prime Minister (PM)- Srettha Thavisin
Capital– Bangkok
Currency– Thai Baht
Hungary Took Over the Presidency of EU Council for 6 Months from Belgium
On 1 July 2024, Hungary took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) from Belgium, for 6 months (July – December 2024), during the opening cultural event of the 6-month presidency held in Brussels, Belgium. The motto of Hungary’s EU Presidency is “Make Europe Great Again.”
- Hungary is assuming the rotating presidency of the Council for the 2nd time, since joining the EU in 2004. Their 1st presidency was in the first half of 2011. Hungary’s EU presidency, led by Prime Minister(PM) Viktor Orbán.
- Hungary will hand over the Presidency to Poland on January 1, 2025 and the Polish Presidency will last until June 2025.
Note: EU is a group of 27 European countries and the presidency of the Council rotates among the EU member states every 6 months.
Responsibilities:
i.Chairing the meetings of the Council in all fields except foreign or eurozone matters;
ii.Helping to ensure the continuity of the EU’s work in the Council.
iii.Seeking consensus among EU member states and brokering agreements on legislation with the European Parliament; and
iv.Representing the institution to other EU bodies as well as to the European public.
Focus Areas:
Hungary is focusing on 7 thematic areas for its work during the presidency:
- Enhancing the EU’s competitiveness
- Reinforcing the EU’s defence policy
- Making the enlargement policy consistent and merit-based
- Stemming illegal migration
- Shaping the future of cohesion policy
- Promoting a farmer-oriented EU agricultural policy
- Addressing demographic challenges
About Hungary:
Prime Minister (PM)- Viktor Orbán
President – Tamás Sulyok
Capital– Budapest
Currency– The Hungarian Forint
Japan issues New Yen Banknotes with 3D Hologram Technology to Fight Counterfeiting
On July 3, 2024, Japan introduced its first new yen banknotes in 2 decades, featuring advanced state-of-the-art 3D hologram technology to combat counterfeiting. This historic release includes the 10,000 yen, 5,000 yen, and 1,000 yen bills, showcasing prominent figures who symbolize Japanese capitalism, women’s equality, and scientific innovation.
- However, the existing currency remains valid for everyday transactions like vending machines and bus fares.
- With this Japan became the first country in the world to utilise holography that creates a 3D rotating effect on the portraits, significantly elevating the notes’ security features.
Features:
i.Design:
- 10,000 yen: Features Eiichi Shibusawa, a pioneer of Japanese capitalism. He was known as “the father of Japanese capitalism.
- 5,000 yen: Depicts Umeko Tsuda, a feminist and educator.
- 1,000 yen: Shows Shibasaburo Kitasato, a physician and bacteriologist.
ii.Reverse Side Illustrations:
- 10,000 yen: Tokyo Station
- 5,000 yen: Wisteria flowers
- 1,000 yen: Mount Fuji by ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai
iii.Enlarged Arabic numerals replacing the existing Japanese kanji characters for easier recognition of the face value by people.
iv.Tactile marks to help visually impaired individuals identify the denominations by touch.
v.Furthermore, Intaglio printing feature is immediately recognizable to those responsible for checking the document’s authenticity and the broader public.
vi.They have larger printing for easier reading, especially for the elderly population.
Key Points:
i.By the end of March 2025, nearly 7.5 billion new banknotes will be printed.
ii.The initial distribution will cover banks, financial institutions, ATMs, and stores.
iii. The estimated value of the new bills circulating in a single day is approximately 1.6 trillion yen (USD10 billion).
Notes:
i.Eiichi Shibusawa is known for founding hundreds of companies and is considered the father of Japanese capitalism.
ii.Umeko Tsuda is recognized for her contributions to women’s education and equality.
iii.Shibasaburo Kitasato made significant advancements in medical research, particularly in tetanus and the bubonic plague.
About Japan:
Prime Minister – Fumio Kishida
Capital – Tokyo
Currency – Japanese yen
BANKING & FINANCE
NABARD partners with Online PSB Loans Limited to Digitalize Jan Surakhsha Schemes for RRBs
National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (NABARD) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Online PSB Loans Limited(OPL) to promote financial inclusion through Regional Rural Banks (RRBs).
- It aims to smoothen and digitalize the enrolment and claim settlement processes under the Jan Suraksha Schemes (JSS) for all 43 RRBs.
Key Points:
i.Under this initiative, NABARD will integrate all 43 RRBs onto the Jan Suraksha portal to democratise access to financial protection schemes across remote areas of the country.
- Jan Suraksha portal : It is an initiative undertaken by Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance (MoF), Government of India (GoI).
- It offers digital enrolment and claim settlements for the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), and the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY).
ii.The initiative aims to ensure hassle-free experience for both banks and their customers by leveraging technology to connect the Jan Suraksha portal with the Core Banking Solutions (CBS)of RRBs through Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).
About National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD):
NABARD was established under NABARD Act, 1981 and works under the jurisdiction of Department of Financial Services (DFS), MoF.
Chairman– Shaji K.V.
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Established- 1982(on the recommendations of B.Sivaramman Committee)
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Gujarat Government Signed MoUs with IBM, Microsoft & NASSCOM to Enhance AI Capabilities
On 29th June 2024, Department of Science and Technology (DoST), Government of Gujarat, has signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with International Business Machines Corporation(IBM), Microsoft Corporation , and the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) promote the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in Gujarat.
- These 3 MoUs were signed in the presence of Bhupendra Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat.
Details of the MoUs:
IBM:
i.DoST signed a MoU with IBM to establish and promote an AI Cluster at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
ii.Under this MoU, IBM’s “watsonx” will be leveraged to boost innovation and collaboration among financial institutions at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
iii.As a part of the MoU, IBM will provide its advanced AI platform and cloud infrastructure to enable the fintech firms in GIFT City to develop AI driven solutions across the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) sector.
Microsoft:
i.DoST signed a MoU with Microsoft to establish an AI Center of Excellence (CoE) in GIFT City.
ii.The CoE will focus on key technologies such as: Machine Learning (ML), Cognitive Services and Bot Services.
NASSCOM:
DoST signed MoU with NASSCOM to enhance AI capabilities in Gujarat.
Note: CoE for AI and the AI cluster for BFSI are focused on sector specific AI use case development, secure data exchange, infrastructure setup, AI model training, pilot projects and the adoption of AI models across various sectors.
Capacity Building Program:
i.DoST also launched a Capacity Building Program with an aim to train 25000 students in AI and Deeptech technologies over the next 3 years.
ii.Under this intiative, IBM, NVidia, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)and L&T Edutech, among others have committed to provide courses and training to selected students in deeptech along with certification.
iii.4 state universities: Gujarat Technological University (GTU), Indian Institute of Infrastructure, Technology, Research and Management (IITRAM), Pandit Deendayal Energy University (PDEU) and Ganpat University has also joined the program as aggregators.
iv.DoST is working with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Gandhinagar, Gujarat to establish 180 workshops to impart Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) knowledge to around 10,000 students
About Gujarat:
Chief Minister (CM)- Bhupendrabhai Patel
Governor- Acharya Devvrat
Wildlife Sanctuary– Narayan Sarovar Sanctuary; Gaga Wildlife Sanctuary
Zoological Park– Kamla Nehru Zoological Garden; Rajkot Municipal Zoo (Pradyuman Zoological Park)
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Bags Golden Peacock Award for Safety Excellence
L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Ltd. (L&TMRHL) has received the Golden Peacock Occupational Health & Safety Award(GPOHSA) in the Transportation (Railways) category at the “Institute of Directors’ (IOD) 25th International Conference on Environment Management and Climate Change-2024” in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
- The award was presented to KVB Reddy, Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), L&TMRHL, by Uday U. Lalit, Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) and Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Former CJ of Karnataka High Court.
- This award highlights L&TMRHL’s dedication to maintaining a safe and healthy work environment and underscores L&TMRHL’s adherence to stringent Safety, Health, and Environmental (SHE) standards.
Note: L&TMRHL is a subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro (L&T), implementing the Project on a Design, Built, Finance, Operate, and Transfer (DBFOT) basis.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS
Puma India Named Indian Cricketers Riyan Parag & Nitish Kumar Reddy as Brand Ambassadors
PUMA India, a leading sports brand, has named Indian Cricketers Riyan Parag (23 years) of Assam and Nitish Kumar Reddy (21 years) of Andhra Pradesh, as its new brand ambassadors. This move is aimed at deepening Puma’s connection with Generation Z (Gen Z) consumers in India.
- As brand ambassadors, Parag, and Reddy will promote Puma’s footwear, apparel, athleisure, and accessories through various events and initiatives.
i.Riyan Parag made his debut for Assam in the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy season and was part of Indian Team that won the Under-19 (U 19) World Cup in 2018.
- He has been playing for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) season since 2019.
ii.Nitish Kumar Reddy has been playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) team in the IPL season and made his IPL debut in 2023.
- He was awarded the Emerging Player Award for the 2024 IPL season in Chennai (Tamil Nadu) in May 2024.
Note: Puma India’s Brand Ambassadors includes Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom, Avani Lakhera, Ibrahim Ali Khan and Shanaya Kapoor.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
SERA and Blue Origin Announced India as Partner Nation for Human Space Flight Programme
On 1st July 2024, the United States of America (USA)-based Space Exploration and Research Agency (SERA) in partnership with Blue Origin, the company owned by Jeff Bezos (Founder of Amazon) announced India as a “Partner Nation” in their human spaceflight programme for citizens from countries who have sent a few or no astronauts to space.
Key Points:
i.Under this strategic partnership, SERA will offer citizens from across the world 6 seats on a future mission of New Shepard, Blue Origin’s reusable suborbital rocket.
- Besides India, Nigeria, and the Maldives will each be allotted a seat on the mission of Blue Origin. The mission will celebrate the historic achievement of the first Nigerian citizen to embark on a space voyage.
ii.New Shephard rocket will fly the selected astronauts on an 11-minute journey past the Kármán line, the internationally recognised boundary line of space i.e. 62 miles or 100 Kilometers (km) above the Earth.
Selection Process:
i.Registration: As, India has been named as Partner Nation for human space flight programme, this enable any Indian citizen to register for the programme by paying a fee of approximately USD 2.50 (around Rs 209) which covers the cost of verification checks that ensure safe and fair voting.
- The potential astronauts will be required to meet the physical requirements of Blue Origin.
ii.Voting: The selection process involves public voting, which allows citizens to choose space representatives from their respective countries.
- Voting will progress through candidate elimination across 3 phases, with public voting only for candidates from their respective nations or regions, except for the 6th global seat.
iv.Training: The final selected 6 candidates will arrive 3 days before the flight for training at Blue Origin’s launch site in West Texas, the USA.
Note: In May 2024, Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket system under the mission named New Shepard-25 (NS-25) lifted off with 6 crew members including one Indian from launch site one in West Texas, the United States of America (USA).
About Blue Origin:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)- Dave Limp
Headquarters- Kent, Washington, the USA
Indian Army Inducts 1st Ever Indigenous 4G Mobile Base Station from Signaltron
The Indian Army has inducted its first-ever Indigenous chip-based 4G mobile base station, called Sahyadri Long-Term Evolution (LTE) base stations, procured from Signaltron Systems Pvt Ltd, a Bengaluru(Karnataka)-based wireless communications solutions provider, through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal.
i.The 4G and 5G chips used in the base stations was developed by Signalchip, a fabless semiconductor company.
ii.This marks the first time an Indian system running on an Indian chip for complex communication technology has been inducted into the army.
iii.The Sahyadri NIB, weighing just 7 kilograms (kgs), offers secure wireless communication for audio, video, and data applications.
iv.It operates in both standalone and cellular modes, compatible with legacy analogue and Internet Protocol (IP) telephony systems.
Note: The Indian Army posted a bid on the GeM for the supply of a 4G LTE Network In a Box (NIB) solution in 2023.
SPORTS
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024: India won the World Cup by defeating South Africa by 7 Runs
On 29th June 2024, India men’s national cricket team, captained by Rohit Sharma, won the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Twenty20 (T20) World Cup 2024 by defeating South Africa (The Proteas), captained by Aiden Markram, by 7 runs in the finals held in the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.
- This marks India’s 2nd T20 World Cup title. India previously won the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup held in 2007 under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh (MS) Dhoni.
- With this win, India became the 3rd Country to win the title twice after England(2010 & 2022) and West Indies (2012 & 2016).
i.BCCI Announced Rs 125 Crore prize for Team India.
ii.Virat Kohli became the first-ever cricketer to score 3,000 runs across both 20-over and 50-over Cricket World Cups.
iii.After winning the ICC T20 World Cup, Indian Cricketers, Virat Kohli(35 years old), Rohit Sharma (37 years old) & Ravindra Jadeja have announced their retirement from T20 International(T20I) cricket.
iv.Six players from the title-winning Indian squad have been named in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 team of the tournament.
About the International Cricket Council (ICC)
The 10th edition of ICC T20 World Cup will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka in 2026.
Chairman– Greg Barclay
Headquarters– Dubai, The United Arab Emirates(UAE)
Established– 1909
>> Read Full News
Viswanathan Anand Wins 10th Leon Masters Title
Indian chess legend Viswanathan Anand, the 15th World Chess Champion, has won the 37th edition of the Magistral Tournament “Ciudad de León” (Leon Masters) by defeating the Grand Master (GM) Jaime Santos Latasa of Spain (3-1) in the Finals. The tournament was held from 27th June to 1 July 2024 in León, Spain.
i.This win marks Anand’s 10th Leon Masters title and his previous triumphs were in 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, and 2016.
ii.Anand became India’s first chess Grand Master in 1988. He is a 5-time World Champion, having won the World Chess Championship in 2000, 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2012.
iii.Honours:
- First recipient of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, India’s highest sports award in 1991-92.
- First sports person to receive the Padma Vibhushan award in 2007.
OBITUARY
Oscar Winning American Screenwriter Robert Towne Passed Away
Robert Towne, the renowned Oscar winning American Screenwriter passed away at the age of 89 in Los Angeles, California, the United States of America (USA). He was born on 23rd November 1934 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
About Robert Towne:
i.Robert Towne began his career as screenplay writer for television series like “The Lloyd Bridges Show”(1962); “The Outer Limits”(1995); and “The Man from U.N.C.L.E”(2015).
ii.He also wrote the Screenplay for “Last Woman on Earth” (1960), produced by Roger Corman.
iii.He has also written and directed few movies which includes, Personal Best (1982); Tequila Sunrise (1988); Without Limits (1998); and Ask the Dust (2006).
iv.He also wrote the screenplay for Tom Cruise’s Days of Thunder (1990); The Firm (1993); Mission: Impossible (1996); and Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
Awards & Honours:
i.In 1975, he won the Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Writing and Original Screenplay for the film ‘Chinatown’ (1974).
- For the same film, “Chinatown”, He won the ‘British Academy of Film and Television Arts’ (BAFTA), for Best Screenplay in 1975; ‘Edgar Allan Poe Award’ (1975) for Best Motion Picture and ‘Golden Globe Award’ (1975) for Best Screenplay – Motion Picture.
ii.He also won the National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) award for best screenplay for the film ‘Shampoo’ in 1975.
iii.In 1997, he was honoured with the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award by the ‘Writers Guild of America’.
iv.He also won the Hollywood Film Award for Outstanding Achievement in Screenwriting in 2002.
STATE NEWS
Justice BR Sarangi Appointed as Chief Justice of Jharkhand HC 
On July 3 2024, Justice Dr Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi(61 years), the senior most judge of the Orissa High Court (HC), was appointed as the Chief Justice (CJ) of the Jharkhand HC.
- He is set to take over from the Justice Shree Chandrashekhar, who has been serving as the Acting CJ(ACJ) of Jharkhand HC since 29th December 2023.
- Justice Sarangi who will take oath on 5th July 2024, is set to retire on 20th July 2024.
Background:
i.In December 2023, Supreme Court (SC) Collegium recommended the appointment of Justice Sarangi as the CJ of Jharkhand following the retirement of Justice Sanjaya Kumar Mishra on 28th December 2023.
ii.In July 2024, In exercise of the powers conferred by Clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution of India, President of India Droupadi Murmu, appointed Justice Sarangi as CJ of Jharkhand.
About Justice Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi:
i.Justice BR Sarangi started his legal career in December 1985, practising at the Orissa HC and the SC of India.
ii.On 20th June 2013, he was elevated as a Permanent Judge of the Orissa HC
iii.He was honoured with the Haricharan Mukherjee Memorial Award with Gold Medal for his outstanding performance and high standard of professional ethics as a lawyer.
Justice Muhamed Mustaque Appointed as ACJ of Kerala HC
In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 223 of the Constitution of India, President appointed Justice Muhamed Mustaque Ayumantakath, the senior-most judge of the Kerala HC, as the Acting Chief Justice (ACJ) of Kerala HC.
- He will take over as ACJ of Kerala HC following the retirement of Justice Ashish Jitendra Desai, the CJ of Kerala HC, on 4th July 2024.
About Justice Muhamed Mustaque Ayumantakath:
i.Justice Mustaque became a lawyer in 1989 and practised for seven years in Kannur’s various courts and statutory authorities.
ii.He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Kerala HC on January 23 2014 and then appointed as a Permanent Judge of the Kerala HC on 10th March 2016.
iii.He has also served as a faculty member for mediation training at the Indian Institute of Arbitration and Mediation (IIAM).
About Kerala:
Chief Minister (CM) – Pinarayi Vijayan
Governor – Arif Mohammed Khan
Wildlife Sanctuaries – Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary
Tiger Reserves – Periyar Tiger Reserve, Parambikulam Tiger Reserve
*******
Current Affairs Today (AffairsCloud Today)