Current Affairs 11th & 12th July 2021| Current Affairs News

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

World Population Day – Observed on July 11

• World Population Day is an annual event, observed on July 11 every year, which seeks to raise awareness of global population issues.
• The themefor World Population Day 2021 is “Rights and Choices are the Answer: Whether baby boom or bust, the solution to shifting fertility rates lies in prioritising all people’s reproductive health and rights.”
• The event was established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989.
• The day was first celebrated on July 11, 1987, inspired by the celebration of “Five Billion Day” as the world’s population reached 5 billion.

National Simplicity Day – Observed on July 12

• On July 12, National Simplicity Day is observed to commemorate Henry David Thoreau, an author, poet, and philosopher.
• Thoreau offered ways for individuals to tap within themselves and be happier via a less busy lifestyle in his book “Walden” (1854) and other publications.
• He urged people to live simply by getting rid of superfluous possessions.
• National Simplicity Day arose from a desire to be free of the world’s complexity and to enable us to simply be simple. 
• This day focuses on disconnecting from technology and unneeded stress in order to embrace life as it is and not to complicate things.

World Malala Day – Observed on July 12

• World Malala Day Observed on July 12
• At age 17, Malalawas the youngest recipient ever of the Nobel Peace Prize.
• On this day in 1997 Malala Yousafzaiwas born in Pakistan and in 2013 on the same day i.e.12th July she gave her historic address in United Nations.
• From 2014 onwards, United Nations has decided to celebrate this day as Malala Day in her honour.
• The day also honors the rights of children and women.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

KVIC made trademark registrations in Bhutan, UAE, Mexico

• Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has recently secured trademark registrations in three countries – Bhutan, UAE and Mexico – a big stride towards protecting the identity of brand “Khadi”
• KVIC’s trademark applications are pending in 40 countries across the world that include the USA, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Japan, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Brazil and others.
• While KVIC obtained the latest trademark registration in Bhutan on 9th July; trademark registration was granted in UAE on 28th June.
• With this, KVIC has succeeded in securing trademark registration for the first time in a Gulf country.
• Earlier, KVIC got the trademark registration for “Khadi” in Mexico in December 2020.
• So far KVIC was having Trademark registrations for the word mark “KHADI” in 6 countries namely Germany, UK, Australia, Russia, China and EU where trademark registrations were granted in certain classes.
• However, with recent trademark registrations in Bhutan, UAE and Mexico, the number of such countries has gone up to nine.
• In these countries, KVIC has got registrations in various classes that pertain to Khadi fabric, Khadi readymade garments and village industry products like Khadi soaps, Khadi cosmetics, Khadi incense sticks among others.

About KVIC:

• KVICis a statutory body formed by the Government of India under the KVIC Act of 1956 that aims to nurse employment and economic uplift in rural India.
• The term Khadi goes back to the Swadeshi Movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920 by propagating the use of hand-woven and home-spun fabrics.
• It was a form of protest to shun British goods and the simplicity of the method was remarkable.
• Khadi is a hand-made cloth using the simple charkha, an implement common in rural India.
• KVIC full formis Khadi and Village Industries Commission constituted as an apex body under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises to help plan, promote, facilitate, organize and aid in the development of Khadi and Village Industries in rural India in conjunction with other agencies involved in rural development.

Uttar Pradesh: CM Yogi Adityanath unveils new population policy 2021-30 

• On the occasion of World Population Day Uttar Pradesh government released the new population policy for 2021-2030.
• This policy comes after a draft of the population control bill.
• As per the new population policy, a target has been set to bring the birth rate to 2.1 per thousand populations by 2026 and to 1.9 by 2030.
• The state’s present total fertility rate is 2.7 percent currently.

Measures under the Program

• Efforts will be made to increase the accessibility of contraceptive measures issued under the Family Planning Programme and provide a proper system for safe abortion.
• It also promotes a two-child policy, violation of which would mean people will be debarred from contesting local body elections, applying for government jobs or receiving any government subsidy.
• Digital tracking of new-borns, adolescents, and elderly people will also be arranged.

Recent Related News:

• On the occasion of World Population Day on July 11, the Population Foundation of India organised a webinar to deliberate on population-related issues, including family planning, gender equality, maternal health and transforming social norms.
• India’s population is stabilising with Total Fertility Rate (TFR) declining to 2.2, which is almost within reach of the TFR goal of 2.1 as envisaged by India’s Population Policy, 2000.

About UP:

• Capital: Lucknow
• Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath
• Governor: Anandiben Patel

Uttarakhand: India’s first cryptogamic (non-seed-bearing plants) garden inaugurated at Deoban in Chakrata town of Dehradun district

• India’s first cryptogamic garden with nearly 50 species of lichens, ferns, and fungi has been opened in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun district.
• The garden was inaugurated by social activist Anoop Nautiyal, and it is situated in the district’s Chakrata town and at a height of 9,000 feet.
• Algae, bryophytes (moss, liverworts), lichens, ferns and fungi are the best-known groups of cryptogams that require moist conditions to survive.
• Deoban has pristine majestic forests of Deodar and Oak which create a natural habitat for cryptogamic species

About Cryptogamic:

• Cryptogamae refers to the fact that no seed, no flowers are produced, and it means “hidden reproduction”

About Uttarakhand:

• Summer Capital: Gairsain
• Winter Capital: Dehradun
• Governor : Baby Rani Maurya;
• Chief minister : Pushkar Singh Dhami.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

BRICS countries agreed to STI-led BRICS Innovation Cooperation Action Plan in 12^th meeting

• All BRICS countries have agreed to the STI-led BRICS Innovation Cooperation Action Plan (2021-24) proposed by India during the 12th meeting of the BRICS S & T Steering Committee.
• Indians have proposed plans to share the experience of each other’s innovation ecosystem and promote networking between innovators and entrepreneurs.
• The details of the action plan are created by the BRICS Science, Technology Innovation Entrepreneurship Partnership (STIEP) Working Group.
• It was agreed that the proposal could be transferred to the BRICS STIEP Working Group through national STI focal points.
• The Ministry of Science and Technology (DST) of India hosted the 12th BRICS S & T Steering Committee on July 8, 2021.
• Science ministries from all BRICS countries participated.

About BRICS:

• BRICS is the acronym coined to associate five major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. 
• The BRICS members are known for their significant influence on regional affairs.
• Since 2009, the governments of the BRICS states have met annually at formal summits.
• The BRICS mechanism aims to promote peace, security, development and cooperation.
• BRICShas since its inception had a positive effect on the international system.
• Headquarters: BRICS Tower, Shanghai, China

Afghanistan: India evacuates diplomats, security personnel from Kandahar as Taliban captures new areas

• Afghanistan witnessed a series of terror attacks in the last few weeks as the US looked to complete the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan by August-end, ending a nearly two-decade of its military presence in the war-ravaged country.
• India has pulled out around 50 diplomats and security personnel from its consulate in Kandahar in Afghanistan in view of the deteriorating security situation and the Taliban gaining control of new areas around the southern Afghan city
• India has been a major stakeholder in the peace and stability of Afghanistan.
• It has already invested nearly USD three billion in aid and reconstruction activities in the country.

About Afghanistan:

• Capital: Kabul
• Currency: Afghan Afghani
• President: Ashraf Ghani

International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched a Global Mobility Aids Action Group

• The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched a global Mobility Aids Action Group to examine and improve the transport journey of mobility aids, including wheelchairs
• This initiative is to improve the handling of this vital equipment for travellers with disabilities
• This action group will provide advice and recommendations to airlines and other stakeholders concerning the establishment of policy, process and standards related to the handling and transport of mobility aids
• The stakeholders includes accessibility organizations (representing travellers with disabilities), airlines, ground service providers, airports and mobility aids manufacturers

About IATA:

• The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is the trade association for the world’s airlines, representing some 290 airlines or 82% of total air traffic
• It supports many areas of aviation activity and helps formulate industry policy on critical aviation issues.​

21st Session of India-Italy Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation (JCEC) was held recently.

• The 21st session of the India-Italy Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation was held virtually.
• Both sides held extensive discussions on bilateral trade and investment and economic cooperation in the areas of Food Processing, Textiles, Leather, Railways, Start-ups and promotion of SMEs which play a crucial role in economic growth and employment generation.
• The bilateral market access issues and non-tariff barriers were also discussed to facilitate trade and investment.

Addl.Info:

• India is Italy’s fifth largest trading partner in the European Union while Italy is the fifth largest investor in India. 
• The balance of trade has been in India’s favour since the early eighties.
• Earlier, in Feb 2019 the 20th India-Italy Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation was held in New Delhi during which India and Italy discussed ways to increase cooperation in engineering,infrastructure and agriculture to promote trade and investments between the countries.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari launches India’s first private LNG Facility plant at Nagpur

• Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the country’s First Private LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) plant in Nagpur.
• He stated, LNG is a clean and cost effective fuel which is capable of decreasing the logistics cost.
• It also has the potential of creating ample job opportunities.
• LNG is the fuel of the future and will revolutionize the transport sector.
• The Country’s first LNG facility plant has been set up by Baidyanath Ayurvedic Group on Kamptee Road near Nagpur Jabalpur Highway. 
• Gadkari also informed that the Central Government is promoting Ethanol, Electric, CNG, LNG gas as an alternative to conventional fuels.
• He pointed out that the country produces surplus sugar and rice.
• He suggested that surplus of such products can be used to make biofuels.
• Experiments were carried out to produce bioethanol from these agricultural products which have succeeded.
• Large scale production of bioethanol from Paddy Straw is underway in East Vidarbha which is known for Paddy cultivation.

About Maharashtra:

• Maharashtra is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau.
• Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India as well as the third-most populous country subdivision in the world.
• Capital: Mumbai
• Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
• Chief minister: Uddhav Thackeray
• National Parks: ChandoliNational Park, Gugamal National Park, Nawegaon National Park, Pench (Jawaharlal Nehru) National Park, Sanjay Gandhi (Borivali) National Park, Tadoba National Park.

Manipur now shown India’s railway map as first passenger train reaches the state

• Chief Minister N Biren Singh hailed the moment to be “historic” and stated that the people of Manipur are “immensely grateful” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• A passenger train – Rajdhani Express from Assam’s Silchar railway station – reached the Vaingaichunpao railway station in Manipur for a trial run, putting the state on the Indian Railways map.
• The train covered the distance of 11 km between the two northeastern stations, with railway officials onboard.
• The train halted briefly at Manipur’s Jiribam railway station, where railway officials were greeted by local citizens before the national flag was hoisted accompanied by the national anthem, East Mojo reported.
• Among the Indian Railways officials that reached Jiribham station from Silchar were North East Frontier (NF) Railway senior PRO Nripen Bhattacharya, and CDO Silchar, Abdul Hakim, among others.

About Manipur:

• Manipur is a state in northeastern India, with the city of Imphal as its capital.
• It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west.
• It also borders two regions of Myanmar, Sagaing Region to the east and Chin State to the south.
• Capital: Imphal (Executive Branch)
• Governor: Najma Heptulla
• Chief minister: N. Biren Singh
• National Park: Keibul LamjaoNational Park

Karnataka set up 46 Kempegowda heritage sites in Bengaluru to boost tourism

• In a bid to boost tourism in the state, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s is going to develop 46 Kempegowda heritage sites located in Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Chikballapura, and Tumakuru districts.
• Yediyurappa announced the news after chairing a meeting of the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Heritage Area Development Authority. 
• BS Yediyurappa stated that the sites identified to be in three circuits would be developed for Rs 223 crore for promoting tourism.
• An action plan has been prepared to develop the Magadi Circuit (Rs.132 crores), Bengaluru Circuit (Rs.47 crores and Nandi Circuit (Rs.44 crores). 
• “A plan has been prepared to develop Magadi circuit at a cost of Rs 132 crore, Rs 47 crore for Bengaluru circuit, and Rs 44 crore for Nandi circuit”. 
• These sites are developed to help people acknowledge the contribution of Kempegowda or NadaPrabhu Kempegowda, the founding father of Bengaluru.

About Karnataka:

• Karnataka is a state in southwest India with Arabian Sea coastlines.
• The capital, Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore), is a high-tech hub known for its shopping and nightlife.
• To the southwest, Mysore is home to lavish temples including Mysore Palace, former seat of the region’s maharajas.
• Hampi, once the medieval Vijayanagara empire’s capital, contains ruins of Hindu temples, elephant stables and a stone chariot.
• Capital: Bengaluru
• Governor: Vajubhai Vala
• Chief minister: S. Yediyurappa
• National Parks: Bannerghatta National Park, Bandipur National Park, Nagarhole National Park, Kudremukh National Park, Anshi National Park.

Assam govt. to set up “department of indigenous faith and culture”

• Assam government to set up “department of indigenous faith and culture” & the aim of this program is to protect demography and indigenous culture
• The New Department of indigenous faith and culture will mainly focus on areas dominated by illegal immigrants
• Also it will enable people of all indigenous faiths to get the benefits of the schemes to be offered by the department.
• Schemes will be meant for Bodos, tea tribes, Morans, Mottocks, Rabhas and Mishings.

Recent News:

• Bishnupur becomes Assam’s first smokeless kitchen village.
• All 70 households in Cachar’s Bishnupur forest village now have a unique cooking stove made of soil, cow dung and Rice husk
• It not only consumes 40% less firewood but also provides 100% smokeless kitchens in the village.

About Assam:

• Capital: Dispur
• Chief Minister: Himanta Biswa Sarma
• Governor:Jagdish Mukhi

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

Qatar Airways and IATA’s joined for Turbulence Aware Platform

• Qatar Airways and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that Qatar Airways will become the first airline in the Middle East to join the IATA Turbulence Aware platform.
• IATA’s Turbulence Aware helps airlines mitigate the impact of turbulence, a leading cause of passenger and crew injuries and higher fuel costs each year, by pooling and sharing anonymized turbulence data from multiple participating airlines and thousands of daily flights.
• The real-time, accurate information enables pilots and dispatchers to choose optimal flight paths, avoiding turbulence and flying at optimum levels to maximize fuel efficiency and thereby reduce CO2 emissions.
• Qatar Airways was the first Middle Eastern airline to participate in the Turbulence Aware initiative when it was launched as a pilot project in December 2018.

About Qatar Airways:

• Qatar Airways Company Q.C.S.C., operating as Qatar Airways, is the state-owned flag carrier of Qatar.
• CEO: Akbar Al Baker
• Headquarters: Doha, Qatar

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING NEWS

Axis Bank and Max Bupa Health Insurance enter into a Bancassurance partnership

• Axis Bank will pick up a 9.9 per cent stake in Fettle Tone LLP, a promoter of Max Bupa Health Insurance Company, for Rs 90.8 crore to strengthen is insurance business.
• Axis, which is privately owned, stated in a BSE filing it has signed agreements with Fettle Tone LLP and its partners (on March 13).
• Max Bupa Health Insurance (MBHI) is as a joint venture between private equity group True North and Bupa, a global health insurance and healthcare company.
• Fettle Tone LLP is a special purpose vehicle (SPV) set up by True North Fund; it holds a 5.6 per cent stake in Health Insurance Company.
• Fettle Tone LLP, incorporated in 2019 as a limited liability partnership, had a turnover of Rs 0.16 crore in March 2020 and its net worth stands at Rs 706 crore.

Axis Bank:

• Axis Bank Limited is an Indian banking and financial services company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• It sells financial services to large and mid-size companies, SMEs and retail businesses.
• As of 30 June 2016, 30.81% shares are owned by the promoters and the promoter group.
• CEO: Amitabh Chaudhry
• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Tagline: Badhti Ka Naam Zindagi

Max Bupa Health Insurance:

• Max Bupa Health Insurance Company Limited is an Indian health insurance company, founded in 2008.
• It started as a joint venture between Max India Limited and Bupa, the UK-based international healthcare group.
• CEO: Krishnan Ramachandran
• Headquarters: New Delhi, India

RBI imposes monetary penalty on 14 banks 

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed a monetary penalty on 14 banks, including State Bank of India (SBI), Bandhan Bank, IndusInd Bank, Bank of Baroda (BoB), Central Bank for non-compliance with certain provisions of directions issued by them.
• The penalty ranges from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 2 crore, with SBI being charged Rs 50 lakh and BoB Rs 2 crore.
• “This action is based on the deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the banks with their customers”.
• A scrutiny of the accounts of the companies of a group was carried out by the RBI.
• It was observed that the banks had failed to comply with provisions of one or more directions issued by RBI and/or contravened provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
• Notices were issued to the banks advising them to show cause as to why a penalty should not be imposed for non-compliance with the directions/contraventions of provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENT AND RESIGNATION NEWS

ICC names Manu Sawhney as CEO

• The ICC board has decided to relieve Manu Sawhney as the CEO with immediate effect, ending a long-running saga at the very top of the organization’s management.
• The decision was taken by the ICC board at an emergency meeting, chaired by Greg Barclay, the ICC chairman.
• “The International Cricket Council announced that Chief Executive Manu Sawhney will leave the organisation with immediate effect.
• Geoff Allardice will continue as Acting CEO supported by the Leadership Team working closely with the ICC Board”.
• The decision was not put up for a formal vote but it is believed no objections were raised by any of the directors on the board.

About ICC:

• The International Cricket Council is the world governing body of cricket.
• It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from Australia, England and South Africa.
• It was renamed as the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1987.
• Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Chairman: Greg Barclay

Twitter names Vinay Prakash as Resident Grievance Officer for India

• Twitter has finally appointed an India-based grievance officer, which is mandatory for all social media companies under the new Information Technology (IT) Rules of the country.
• The micro blogging site has appointed Vinay Prakash as the new Resident Grievance officer. His appointment comes after Dharmendra Chatur, who was Twitter’s interim grievance officer, quit less than four weeks after occupying the position.
• On Twitter’s website, Vinay Prakash is named as its Resident Grievance officer and his e-mail id is also provided on the website.
• Users can now contact Vinay on ‘grievance-officer-in @ twitter.com’ for any grievance redressal.

About Twitter:

• Twitter is an American microblogging and social networking service on which users post and interact with messages known as “tweets“.
• Registered users can post, like, and retweet tweets, but unregistered users can only read them.
• CEO: Jack Dorsey

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

ICCR to set up a Bangabandhu Chair at Delhi University to honour Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

• In honour of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the country’s Liberation War as well as India’s diplomatic ties with Dhaka.
• Rahman is popularly called ‘Bangabandhu’ (friend of Bengal) by the people of Bangladesh, Delhi University’s Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) will establish the ‘Bangabandhu Chair’. 
• Dinesh K Patnaik, Director General, ICCR and PC Joshi, acting DU Vice-Chancellor, will sign a Memorandum of Understanding on July 12 for setting up of the Chair adding the MoU will be for a duration of five academic years.
• “The ICCR will be establishing ‘Bangabandhu Chair’ at Delhi University to honour Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of Bangladesh and to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Bangladesh Liberation War and Indo-Bangladesh diplomatic relations”.

About ICCR:

• The Indian Council for Cultural Relations is an autonomous organization of the Government of India, involved in India’s external cultural relations, through cultural exchange with other countries and their peoples.
• Headquarters: Azad Bhawan, I. P Estate, New Delhi.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU’s AND AGREEMENTS

Axis Bank signs MOU with Indian Army 

• Axis Bank, India’s third largest private sector bank, reinforced its commitment to the Defence sector by signing an MOU with the Indian Army, to offer a defence service salary package with best-in-class benefits and features under its ‘Power Salute’ initiative.
• The MOU is a reflection of Axis Bank’s constant endeavour to serve the Defence Forces, and help them meet their financial requirements, aspirations and milestones.
• Axis Bank’s digital initiatives have enabled soldiers at borders and other remote areas to stay connected and access a bouquet of banking solutions.

About Indian Army:

• The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces.
• The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff, who is a four-star general.
• Commander-in-Chief: President Ram Nath Kovind
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Chief: General Manoj Mukund Naravane

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BOOKS & AUTHORS

A Book Titled The Art of Conjuring Alternate Realities Authored by Shivam Shankar Singh and Anand Venkatanarayanan               

• A New Book titled ‘The Art of Conjuring Alternate Realities: How Information Warfare Shapes Your World’, Authored by Shivam Shankar Singh and Anand Venkatanarayanan.
• The Book is Published by HarperCollins.

About the Book :

• The Book deals with human history, societal control was determined by various hierarchies like military, colonialism, mega-corporations and now by information.
• This book widely talks about how information warfare is shaping your life and world.
• Parallely it deals with the operations of political parties, cyber criminals, godmen, national states in manipulating the thoughts.

About Shivam Shankar Singh :

• Shivam Shankar Singh is a data analyst, & he is the Senior research fellow at a Legislative Assistant to a member of Parliament.
• He is a panelist on national television and writes for several news publications on data and politics. 
• He is also a Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University, Beijing.

About Anand Venkatanarayanan :

• Anand Venkatanarayanan is a cyber security and privacy researcher who also dabbles in financial modeling.
• He has over twenty years of experience in designing and developing system software.
• He was called as an expert witness before the Supreme Court of India for the Aadhaar case and has deposed before the Kenyan High court on their Digital Identity project.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

Wimbledon 2021 : Novak Djokovic Beats Matteo Berrettini to win Men’s Single Title

• On June 11, 2021, Novak Djokovic ( Serbian )  beat seventh seed Matteo Berrettini 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 to win his sixth title at Wimbledon and a record-equalling 20th Grand Slam title.
• With this win he equalled his total major men’s singles titles record with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

 List of Wimbledon 2021 Winners :

• Men’s Single – Novak Djokovic (Serbia) defeated Matteo Berrettini
• Women’s Single – Ashleigh Barty (Australia) defeated Karolína Plíšková (Czech Republic)
• Men’s Double – Nikola Mektić  and Mate Pavić defeated Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos
• Women’s Double – Hsieh Su-wei  and Elise Mertens defeated  Veronika Kudermetova and Elena Vesnina
• Mixed Double – Neal Skupski and Desirae Krawczyk defeated Joe Salisbury and Harriet Dart

About Novak Djokovic :

• Novak Djokovic is currently ranked as world No. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
• Djokovic has won 85 ATP singles titles overall & he is the only player to win all of the “Big Titles” on the modern ATP Tour which consists of all four Grand Slam tournaments, all nine ATP Masters events, and the ATP Finals.

About 2021 Wimbledon Championships :

• The 2021 Wimbledon Championships is a Grand Slam tennis tournament that is currently taking place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom.

Wimbledon 2021: Ashleigh Barty beats Karolina Pliskova maiden to win women’s single title                       

• On July 10, 2021, Ashleigh Barty lifted her second Grand Slam crown after defeating eighth seed Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 in the women’s singles final of this year’s Wimbledon Championships at the Centre Court, London.

About Barty :

• Barty is ranked No. 1 in the world in singles by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).
• She is the first Australian woman to win the singles trophy at the All England Club since Evonne Goolagong in 1980.
• Barty serves as the National Indigenous Tennis Ambassador for Tennis Australia.

 Achievements :

• In 2019, She got ABC Sport Personality of the Year award, Female Athlete of the Year & Sportswoman of the Year award.
• In 2020, she received the Young Australian of the Year award.

About Women’s Tennis Association :

• Headquarters: St. Petersburg, Florida, United States
• Founder: Billie Jean King
• Founded: June 1973, London, United Kingdom
• President : Micky Lawler
• Chairman : Steve Simon

Pawan Singh, selected as first ever Indian juror for upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games

• Pawan Singh, has been selected as the first ever Indian juror for the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games.
• A total of 26 jury members will officiate at the Olympics, of which six will be from Japan and the rest from other countries.
• To become a jury, people have to clear various jury exams at different levels which are part of the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) courses.
• People also have to prove their skills through their work after which they are considered to work at various events across the globe.

 About Pawan Singh :

• Pawan Singh is a former Indian rifle shooter and shooting coach of the Indian shooting team.
• He was the Competitions Director in the 2017 ISSF World Cup held in New Delhi.
• He contested for the ISSF elections and became the first Indian to get elected as a member of the ISSF Judged Committee. 
• He was appointed as chairing of the Result Timing Score (RTS) Jury by the International Shooting Sport Federation for the 2019 ISSF World Cup in Munich in May 2018.
• In December 2018, he became the first Indian to be elected one of seven members of the Judges Committee of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF).
• In April 2019, Singh was appointed as an ISSF Jury member to officiate at the 2020 Tokyo Games, being the first Indian Shooting Jury to be selected for Olympics.
• Singh is the founder-director of the Gun For Glory Shooting Academy in Balewadi, Pune is a former rifle shooter and shooting coach for the Indian team.
• Currently, Pawan Singh is the Joint Secretary General of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).
• Singh is the founder-director of the Gun for Glory Shooting Academy in Balewadi.

Achievements :

• In August 2019, Pawan Singh along with Gagan Narang received the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar from Ram Nath Kovind, the President of India at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
• Singh received the gold medal from the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) for his services towards the sport.
• He has earlier received a bronze medal for his outstanding work in organising the Asian Olympic Qualifiers on a short notice, ahead of the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016.

About ISSF :

• Headquarters: Munich, Germany
• President: Vladimir Lisin
• Founded: 1907

About NRAI :

• Founded: 1951
• President: Raninder Singh

 2021 Copa América : Argentina beats Brazil

• On July 10, 2021, Lionel Messi-led Argentina beat Neymar’s Brazil 1-0 to win the Copa America final match, held at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
• Angel Di Maria scored the only goal of the match & this is Lionel Messi’s first major trophy with Argentina.

Rank	Country
Champions	Argentina ( 15th Title )
Runners-up	Brazil
Third	Colombia
Fourth	Peru

About 2021 Copa América :

• The 2021 Copa América was the 47th edition of the Copa América, the international men’s football championship organised by South America’s football ruling body CONMEBOL.
• The tournament took place in Brazil from 13 June to 10 July 2021.
• It was the first time since 1991 that no guest nation took part in the tournament.

About Argentina :

• President: Alberto Fernández Trending
• Vice President : Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
• Capital: Buenos Aires
• Currency: Argentine peso

About Brazil :

• Presidente: Jair Bolsonaro
• Capital: Brasilia
• Currency: Brazilian real

BCCI Forms Seven-member Working Group for Domestic Cricket

• On July 10, 2021, The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) formed a seven-member working group for domestic cricket.

Purpose :

• The main focus of the group will be the remuneration of domestic players for the previous season wherein tournaments were cancelled, due to COVID-19.

List of seven-members :

1. Rohan Jaitley (North Zone),
2. Yudhvir Singh (Central Zone),
3. Jaydev Shah (West Zone),
4. Devajit Saikia (North-East Zone),
5. Avishek Dalmiya (East Zone),
6. Santosh Menon
7. Mohammed Azharuddin (South Zone).

About BCCI :

• President: Sourav Ganguly
• Vice President : Rajeev Shukla
• Secretary : Jay Shah
• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Founded: December 1928

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

Ayurveda doyen, Dr PK Warrier Passed away

• On July 10, 2021, doyen of ayurveda medicine and managing trustee of Vaidyaratnam P S Varier’s Arya Vaidya Sala, Dr Panayambally Krishnakutty Warrier, Passed away.
• He was 100.

About Dr PK Warrier :

• Panniyampilly Krishnankuty Warrier was born on June 5, 1921, Kottakkal, Malappuram district in Kerala.
• He was the chief Physician and Managing trustee of Arya Vaidya Sala.
• He was elected president of All India Ayurvedic Congress twice.
• His autobiography titled Smrithiparvam won the Kerala Sahitya Academy Award in 2009.

Achievements :

• In 1999, P.K. Warrier was awarded an honorary D.Litt by University of Calicut.
• He has won Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Biography and Autobiography for Smrithi Parvam in 2008. 
• K. Warrier was awarded the 30th Dhanvanthri Award by the then Maharashtra Governor P. C. Alexander.
• The nation had honoured Warrier for his contributions made to Ayurveda by conferring Padma Shri in 1999 and Padma Bhushan in 2010.
• In addition to that he received the “International Bhoopalman Singh Award” from Nepal, the “Dr. Poulos Mar Gregorios Award ” for his contribution to the development of Ayurveda and the ‘Management Leadership Award’ instituted by Kerala Management Association (KMA).

About Kerala :

• Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan
• Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
• Chief minister: Pinarayi Vijayan

Moran Mar Baselios Marthoma Paulos II, the Supreme Head of Indian Orthodox Church Passes away

• Supreme Head of the Indian Orthodox church Moran Mar Baselios Marthoma Paulos II passed away.
• He was the primate of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.
• Paulose Mar Milithios was enthroned as the new Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan at a ceremony at the St. Paul’s and St. Peter’s church at Parumala on 1 November 2010.
• He Succeeded Baselius Marthoma Didymus

Daily CA On July 10 :

• The National Fish Farmers Day is celebrated on 10th July every year, this day is celebrated in memory of scientists Dr K. H. Alikunhi and Dr H. L. Chaudhary.  This year it was the 63rd National Fish Farmers Day.
• The government has set up a 25-member development council for the cement industry, including Dalmia Bharat Group CMD Puneet Dalmia and UltraTech Cement MD K C Jhanwar, which will suggest ways to eliminate waste, obtain maximum production, improve quality, reduce costs and promote standardization of products.
• Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC) Chairman Shri M. Ajit Kumar here inaugurated the online filing of Authorised Economic Operators (AEO) T2 and T3 applications. The AEO web application is accessible at URL www.aeoindia.gov.in.
• Prime Minister Stefan Löfven was reinstated in the Sweden Parliament within a few weeks after he was ousted in a no-confidence vote. Löfven won a majority of 117 IN 349 seats on July 7 when he resumed. 
• The Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) will soon prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for launching an OTT platform exclusively for Malayalam movies.
• Karnataka’s Revenue Minister R Ashoka has mentioned that the state government is planning to introduce the Model Tenancy Act in the state, aimed at ending tenant-owner disputes.
• Facebook Inc. launched its newsletter product Bulletin, a standalone platform for free and paid articles and podcasts that will aim to rival Substack.
• In the latest Rankings of top countries in the world (excluding India) where All India Radio Live-streams on NewsOnAir App are most popular,Fiji has jumped from 5th position to 2nd, while Saudi Arabia has made a comeback in top 10.
• Maruti Suzuki has launched a new platform, Maruti Suzuki Smart Finance, for its ARENA and NEXA customers. Under the initiative, the digital platform will provide customers end-to-end online car financing solutions.
• Private sector Federal Bank  stated it has received approval from the RBI to re-appoint Shyam Srinivasan as its MD and CEO for three years.
• Zaila Avant-garde, a 14-year-old from New Orleans, Louisiana, was crowned the winner of the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
• Journalist and playwright Omchery N N Pillai has been selected for the Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam (BKS)’s Literary Award for 2021. 
• The US announced tariffs on six countries, including India,that have imposed or are considering equalization levy/digital services tax on e-commerce companies but immediately suspended the taxes for up to six months to provide additional time to complete the ongoing multilateral negotiations on international taxation at the OECD and G20.
• The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, India and Public Service Commission, Gambia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Refurbishing Personnel Administration and Governance Reforms.
• Union Territory of Ladakh and Himalayan Forest Research Institute (HFRI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for forest cover development in the region.
• On July 08, 2021, Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) signed a contract worth about Rs 499 crore with the Ministry of Defence for the manufacture and supply of Akash missiles to the Indian Air Force (IAF).
• On July 07, 2021, Indian Naval Ship Tabar participated in a military exercise with a frontline frigate of the Italian Navy.
• On July 01, 2021, on the occasion of CA Day, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) will launch a mobile app for students of Foundation, Intermediate and Final course students.
• The book, titled “The Light of Asia: The Poem that Defined the Buddha” authored by Former Union minister Jairam Ramesh. The Book will be published under Penguin’s ‘Viking’ imprint in May 2022.
• HarperCollins announces the release of The Struggle Within: A Memoir of the Emergency by Ashok Chakravarti. The Book is Published By Harpercollins India.
• Germany’s World Cup-winning midfielder Toni Kroos announced retirement from international football.

Daily CA On July 11 & 12 :

• World Population Day is an annual event, observed on July 11 every year, which seeks to raise awareness of global population issues. The themefor World Population Day 2021 is “Rights and Choices are the Answer: Whether baby boom or bust, the solution to shifting fertility rates lies in prioritising all people’s reproductive health and rights.”
• On July 12, National Simplicity Day is observed to commemorate Henry David Thoreau, an author, poet, and philosopher.
• World Malala Day Observed on July 12. At age 17, Malalawas the youngest recipient ever of the Nobel Peace Prize.
• Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has recently secured trademark registrations in three countries – Bhutan, UAE and Mexico – a big stride towards protecting the identity of brand “Khadi”
• On the occasion of World Population Day Uttar Pradesh government released the new population policy for 2021-2030.
• India’s first cryptogamic garden with nearly 50 species of lichens, ferns, and fungi has been opened in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun district. The garden was inaugurated by social activist Anoop Nautiyal, and it is situated in the district’s Chakrata town and at a height of 9,000 feet.
• All BRICS countries have agreed to the STI-led BRICS Innovation Cooperation Action Plan (2021-24) proposed by India during the 12th meeting of the BRICS S & T Steering Committee.
• Afghanistan witnessed a series of terror attacks in the last few weeks as the US looked to complete the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan by August-end, ending a nearly two-decade of its military presence in the war-ravaged country.
• The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched a global Mobility Aids Action Group to examine and improve the transport journey of mobility aids, including wheelchairs
• The 21st session of the India-Italy Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation was held virtually.
• Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the country’s First Private LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) plant in Nagpur.
• Chief Minister N Biren Singh hailed the moment to be “historic” and stated that the people of Manipur are “immensely grateful” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• In a bid to boost tourism in the state, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s is going to develop 46 Kempegowda heritage sites located in Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Chikballapura, and Tumakuru districts.
• Assam government to set up “department of indigenous faith and culture” & the aim of this program is to protect demography and indigenous culture. The New Department of indigenous faith and culture will mainly focus on areas dominated by illegal immigrants.
• Qatar Airways and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that Qatar Airways will become the first airline in the Middle East to join the IATA Turbulence Aware platform.
• Axis Bank will pick up a 9 per cent stake in Fettle Tone LLP, a promoter of Max Bupa Health Insurance Company, for Rs 90.8 crore to strengthen is insurance business.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed a monetary penalty on 14 banks, including State Bank of India (SBI), Bandhan Bank, IndusInd Bank, Bank of Baroda (BoB), Central Bank for non-compliance with certain provisions of directions issued by them.
• The ICC board has decided to relieve Manu Sawhney as the CEO with immediate effect, ending a long-running saga at the very top of the organization’s management. The decision was taken by the ICC board at an emergency meeting, chaired by Greg Barclay, the ICC chairman.
• Twitter has finally appointed an India-based grievance officer, which is mandatory for all social media companies under the new Information Technology (IT) Rules of the country.
• In honour of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the country’s Liberation War as well as India’s diplomatic ties with Dhaka.
• Axis Bank, India’s third largest private sector bank, reinforced its commitment to the Defence sector by signing an MOU with the Indian Army, to offer a defence service salary package with best-in-class benefits and features under its ‘Power Salute’ initiative.
• A New Book titled ‘The Art of Conjuring Alternate Realities: How Information Warfare Shapes Your World’, Authored by Shivam Shankar Singh and Anand Venkatanarayanan. The Book is Published by HarperCollins.
• On June 11, 2021, Novak Djokovic ( Serbian )  beat seventh seed Matteo Berrettini 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 to win his sixth title at Wimbledon and a record-equalling 20th Grand Slam title.
• On July 10, 2021, Ashleigh Barty lifted her second Grand Slam crown after defeating eighth seed Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 in the women’s singles final of this year’s Wimbledon Championships at the Centre Court, London.
• Pawan Singh, has been selected as the first ever Indian juror for the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games.
• On July 10, 2021, Lionel Messi-led Argentina beat Neymar’s Brazil 1-0 to win the Copa America final match, held at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
• On July 10, 2021, The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) formed a seven-member working group for domestic cricket.
• On July 10, 2021, doyen of ayurveda medicine and managing trustee of Vaidyaratnam P S Varier’s Arya Vaidya Sala, Dr Panayambally Krishnakutty Warrier, Passed away.

• Supreme Head of the Indian Orthodox church Moran Mar Baselios Marthoma Paulos II passed away.