Current Affairs Daily Digest – July 30 & 31 2021
1. Thompson-Herah breaks Olympic record by 0.01 seconds to win women’s 100m gold
Jamaica’s sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah has won the women’s 100m race at Tokyo Olympics. Elaine finished the race in 10.61 seconds, breaking the Olympic record of 10.62 seconds set by USA’s Florence Griffith Joyner on September 24, 1988. The silver medal and bronze medal also went to Jamaican sprinters with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce finishing second and Shericka Jackson finishing third.
2. Sprinter Man Kaur passes away due to heart attack at the age of 105
Sprinter Man Kaur has passed away due to heart attack at the age of 105. She had been admitted to a hospital in Punjab’s Mohali, Singh said. Man Kaur, who won four golds in track and field events at World Masters Athletics Championships in Poland, was conferred the Nari Shakti Puraskar in the year 2020.
3. OfBusiness becomes India’s 18th unicorn this year with $160 mn funding
Gurugram-based B2B commerce platform OfBusiness’s valuation has hit $1.5 billion after it raised $160 million led by SoftBank’s Vision Fund-ll. This makes it the 18th Indian startup to become a unicorn this year, following Droom and BlackBuck. While SoftBank put $150 million in the round, Falcon Edge Capital and Matrix Partners contributed the balance.
4. Vandana becomes first Indian woman hockey player to score a hat-trick in Olympics
Vandana Katariya has become the first Indian woman hockey player to score a hat-trick in the history of Olympics. The 29-year-old forward scored in the 4th, 17th and 49th minute against South Africa in India’s last group match at Tokyo Olympics. India won the match 4-3 to keep their quarter-finals hopes alive.
5. Ancient temple declared as ‘protected monument’ in Jammu
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has declared the ancient Radha Krishan temple at Miran Sahib near here as a “protected monument”. The government declared the ancient monument namely ‘Radha Krishan Temple situated at Miran Sahib, R S Pura, Jammu, along with land measuring three kanal and six marlas under survey no. 174, as ‘protected monument’.
6. NISER: ISRO-NASA joint satellite project proposed to be launched early 2023
The Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh informed that the joint satellite mission NISER (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) of ISRO-NASA is proposed to be launched in early 2023. In a written response to a question in Lok Sabha, the Union Minister said that NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISER) has not been launched yet.
NISER is proposed to be launched in early 2023. Jitendra Singh is also a Union Minister for the Department of Space. India plan to launch NISER (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite, a joint ISRO-NASA mission, aiming to make global measurement of land surface changes using adv. radar imaging in early 2023.
7. India, US extend their agreement on Triangular Cooperation for global development
India and the United States signed the Second Amendment to the Statement of Guiding Principles (SGP) on Triangular Cooperation for Global Development. The Ministry of External Affairs released a statement saying that the second amendment was signed by Abhilasha Joshi, Joint Secretary, Development Partnership Administration-II Division in the External Affairs Ministry and Karen Klimowsky, Acting Mission Director for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in India.
8. ESA to launch world’s first reprogrammable commercial satellite
The European Space Agency (ESA) is all set to launch the world’s first commercial fully re-programmable satellite, the Eutelsat Quantum on July 30, 2021. The Quantum will be launched from the Guiana Space Centre in Latin America as a part of the payload for an Ariane 5 rocket between 9 to 10:30 PM GMT on July 30, 2021. The Ariane 5 rocket will also deploy a conventional satellite for Brazil’s Embratel.
The Eutelsat Quantum has been developed as the world’s first reprogrammable commercial satellite under an ESA Partnership Project with satellite operator Eutelsat and manufacturer Airbus. The Quantum will be orbiting the Earth in a fixed position of 35,000 kms above the Earth. It will be operated by Paris-based Eutelsat. The Quantum will offer coverage for a large geographical area ranging from Asia to West Africa for 15 years.
9. World Ranger Day: 31 July
World Ranger Day is observed every year on 31 July to commemorate the Rangers killed or injured while on duty and to celebrate the work that Rangers do to protect the world’s natural and cultural heritage. World Ranger Day offers a chance to support their vital work, which ranges from environmental campaigning to education. The day is also an opportunity to pay tribute to rangers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
A Ranger is a person tasked with preserving and protecting parklands and natural protected areas. A Ranger typically refers to a forest ranger or a park ranger. It was on this day in 1992 that International Ranger Federation (IRF) was founded. World Ranger Day was created by the International Ranger Federation and was first held in 2007.
10. PM Modi launches Academic Bank of Credit and Artificial Intelligence programme
PM Modi has launched multiple educational initiatives including the Academic Bank of Credit that will provide multiple entries and exit options for students in Higher education. Academic Bank of Credit is envisaged as a digital bank that holds the credit earned by a student in any course.
Academic Bank of Credit is a major instrument for facilitating multidisciplinary and holistic education and multiple entry and exit in higher education. Academic Bank of Credit and the Artificial Intelligence programme to make the youth future-oriented and open the way for an AI-driven economy.
11. Rajasthan Government launches ‘Mission Niryatak Bano’
The Rajasthan government’s industries department and the Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation (RIICO) have launched the ‘Mission Niryatak Bano’ campaign to promote aspiring exporters in the state.
The campaign is aimed at registering and handholding the local traders willing to expand their business to foreign countries, in six steps. This shall cover assistance from training, securing necessary documentation, registration in Rajasthan Export Promotion Council and even support in exports and trade operations.
12. Graphic artist Anand Radhakrishnan wins prestigious Eisner award
Graphic artist Anand Radhakrishnan has won the prestigious Will Eisner Comic Industry Award, considered the Oscars equivalent of the comics world. The Eisner Awards are given out annually and the award won by Radhakrishnan “Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)” recognises the creator of a graphic novel’s art and images.
Radhakrishnan shares the award with UK-based colourist John Pearson. They won for their work on UK-based author Ram V’s 145-page graphic novel Blue In Green, published in October 2020 by Image Comics.
The Eisner Awards were founded in 1988 by American comics editor Dave Olbrich, in response to the discontinuation of the popular Kirby Awards for comics in 1987. The Eisners are named in honour of the pioneering writer and artist Will Eisner. The awards are announced each year at the San Diego Comic-Con.
13. Asha Bhosle to get prestigious Maharashtra Bhushan award 2021
The Maharashtra Bhushan Selection Committee chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has unanimously selected legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle for the prestigious award. Asha Bhosle is best known for her playback singing in Hindi cinema, although she has a wider repertoire. Bhosle’s career started in 1943 and has spanned over seven decades. She has done playback singing for over a thousand movies.
Asha Bhosle was officially acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most recorded artist in music history. The Government of India honoured her with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2000 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2008.
14. 36th edition of CORPAT between India and Indonesia begins
The 36th edition of CORPAT between India and Indonesia is being held on 30 and 31 July 2021, in the Indian Ocean region. The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Saryu, an indigenously built Offshore Patrol Vessel and Indonesian Naval Ship KRI Bung Tomo is undertaking coordinated patrol (CORPAT).
Besides this, Maritime Patrol Aircraft from both nations are also participating. The exercise is being conducted as a ‘non-contact, at sea only’ exercise in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. India and Indonesia have been conducting the Coordinated Patrols along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) since 2002 twice a year.
The basic aim of CORPAT is to keep the Indian Ocean Region safe and secure for commercial shipping, international trade and conduct of legitimate maritime activities. CORPATs help build understanding and interoperability between navies and facilitate the institution of measures to prevent and suppress Illegal Unreported Unregulated (IUU) fishing, drug trafficking, maritime terrorism, armed robbery and piracy.
15. Lithium Exploration Project in India
The Geological Survey of India has initiated seven lithium exploration projects in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan. Lithium (Li), chemical element of Periodic Group 1 (Ia) in the periodic table, the alkali metal group, and the lightest of the solid elements.
The metal itself soft, white, & shiny and its several alloys and compounds are manufactured on an industrial scale. The most common application for lithium is in rechargeable batteries for cell phones, laptop computers, digital cameras, and electric vehicles.
16. Project BOLD by KVIC and BSF
KVIC and BSF launch Project BOLD in Jaisalmer to combat desertification and boost the rural economy. The project called “Bamboo Oasis on Drought Lands” (BOLD) is the first exercise of its kind in India and was launched on July 4, 2021 from the tribal village of Nichla Mandwa in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Project Bold is a one-of-a-kind scientific exercise with the dual national goals of reducing desertification and providing livelihood and multi-disciplinary rural industry.
Its goal is to increase tribal peoples’ income while also addressing environmental concerns. It is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to reduce land degradation and prevent desertification in the country by establishing bamboo-based green patches of land in arid and semi-arid areas. It has been launched as part of KVIC’s “Khadi Bamboo Festival” to celebrate the 75th anniversary of independence “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”.
17. World Day Against Trafficking in Persons – 30 July
The United Nations observes 30 July every 12 months as World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. In 2013, the General Assembly specified July 30 as World Day towards Trafficking in Persons to make awareness of the state of affairs of victims of human trafficking and the advertising and protection of their rights.
The 2021 theme for World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is Victims’ Voices Lead the Way. This year’s theme puts victims of human trafficking at the centre of the marketing campaign. It will highlight the significance of listening to and getting to know survivors of human trafficking.
