Appointments:
- Pranay Kumar Verma has been appointed as India’s next High Commissioner to Bangladesh. He is currently serving as India’s Ambassador to Vietnam.
Defence
- Indian Coast Guard performs underwater flag demo as part of Har Ghar Tiranga campaign. The idea is to invoke a feeling of patriotism in the hearts of the people and to spread awareness about the Indian national flag.
- Har Ghar Tiranga campaign was launched by prime minister Narendra Modi on July 22. The campaign encourages citizens to hoist the National Flag of India at home to mark the 75th year of independence.
- Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to retire one of its four remaining squadrons of aging MiG-21 fighter jets in September. The remaining three will be phased out over the next three years.
- Indian Navy receives two MH-60 R multirole helicopters from the United States at Cochin International Airport. The third helicopter will be delivered in August this year. The delivery of all 24 MH 60R helicopters will be completed by 2025. The first three MH 60 'Romeo' helicopters were delivered by the United States in 2021 and are used by the Indian Navy in training its crew.
Science
- NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) plans to bring back Mars rock samples to earth in 2023. NASA has completed the system requirements review for its Mars Sample Return Program, which is nearing the completion of the conceptual design phase.
- In this phase, the team evaluated and refined the architecture to return the sample which is currently in the collection process by NASA's Perseverance Rover in Mars Jezero Crater.
International News
- India and Egypt signed MoU to set up a green hydrogen plant with an investment of $8 billion and has a capacity to produce 220,000 tonnes annually in the Suez Canal Economic Zone.
- The MoU was signed by government agencies as the first party and the New and Renewable energy Authority, the General Authority of the Suez Canal Economic zone, the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company, and Egypt's Sovereign Fund, and Renew Power Private Ltd India as the second party.
- USA and Japan decided to launch a joint international semiconductor research lab. The two countries agreed during the US and Japanese economic talks to work on joint research for next-generation semiconductors.
Sports
- Four-time world champion Formula One racer Sebastian Vettel announced retirement. The 35-year-old German drives for the Aston Martin team won his titles with Red Bull from 2010-2013 and has also represented the Ferrari team for six seasons.
- Indian skipper Rohit Sharma surpassed New Zealand player Martin Guptill to top the list of top run-getters in T20 internationals during the first T20 against West Indies at the Brian Lara stadium. He has scored 3443 runs in T20s to top the list.
Important Days
- July 30 - World day against trafficking in person
- This day is observed to raise awareness about the ordeal of human trafficking victims and ways to safeguard their rights.
- Theme - Use and Abuse of technology
National News:
- The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras launched the ‘Nilekani Centre at AI4Bharat’ to promote the state of Indian language technology with the intention to create a societal impact. This Centre, inaugurated by Nandan Nilekani, is being supported by Rohini and Nandan Nilekani with a grant of Rs 36 crore through Nilekani Philanthropies.
- Indus International School has introduced the novel and first Teaching Robot in India, the 'Eagle Robot', developed by the school, as part of a collaborative learning model at its schools. 21 Eagle Robots have been deployed across three of the Indus Schools, seven each in Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Pune.
- The Gujarat government has announced a dedicated ‘Gujarat Semiconductor Policy 2022-27’ with a view to generating at least 2,00,000 new employment opportunities during a period of five years.
- Haryana government to provide coaching for youth who want to serve as 'Agniveers'
- Haryana CM approves special package of incentives to Suzuki Motorcycles
- PNB gets RBI approval to invest Rs 500 crore in PNB Housing Finance Rights issue
- SEBI imposes penalty of Rs 3 lakh on BSE on Indus Water deal
Questions:
Q.1 Formula one racer Sebastian Vettel who announced his retirement recently belongs to which country?
a. USA
b. Germany
c. Austria
d. Netherlands
Q.2 USA along with which country has decided to launch a joint international semiconductor research lab?
a. China
b. India
c. Japan
d. Pakistan
a. USA
b. Germany
c. Austria
d. Netherlands
Q.2 USA along with which country has decided to launch a joint international semiconductor research lab?
a. China
b. India
c. Japan
d. Pakistan
