- National:
- The Union Cabinet has approved amendments to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, that will pave the way for commercial mining of six critical minerals — lithium, beryllium, niobium, tantalum, titanium and zirconium — and deep-seated minerals like gold, silver and copper.
- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched Chandrayaan-3, India’s 3rd lunar mission on July 14, 2023. The mission aims to land a rover and a lander in the Moon’s highlands near its south pole to demonstrate advanced landing and roving capabilities.
- The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), with the technical assistance of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), has developed five guidelines aimed at enhancing mountainous road infrastructure in India.
- OPPO India has announced the establishment of an Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) in Kerala in collaboration with NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) as Knowledge Partners.
- The Reserve Bank of India and the Central Bank of UAE signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) on 15 July 2023 in Abu Dhabi.
- Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has signed a Technical Assistance and License Agreement (TALA) with General Electric Technology GmbH Switzerland for Gas Turbines.
- The Indian Army has signed a contract for the procurement of a Tactical Access Switch with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL).
- The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission is a joint project between NASA and ISRO to co-develop and launch a dual-frequency synthetic aperture radar on an Earth observation satellite.
- The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi is going to set up its first campus abroad in Abu Dhabi. A contract in this regard has been signed by the Ministry of Education and the Education and Knowledge Department (ADEK) of Abu Dhabi.
- Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin inaugurated the state-of-the-art Kalaignar Centenary Library in Madurai on July 15, 2023. The library is situated in Puthunatham road in Madurai and was constructed at the cost of 134 crores with an additional 60 crores spent for the purchase of books
- A three-year surveillance study from March 2017 to February 2020 in Kolkata has found an amoeba pathogen that previously did not cause any amoebiasis (a form of diarrhoea) in humans has now become pathogenic.
- The Union government has established a new oversight mechanism for official data, replacing the Standing Committee on Economic Statistics (SCES), set up in late 2019, with a Standing Committee on Statistics (SCoS).
- Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah chaired the Regional Conference on Drugs Smuggling and National Security in New Delhi.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Central Bank of UAE have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to allow exporters and importers from either side to invoice and pay in their respective domestic currencies — rupee and dirham
- The International Financial Services Centers Authority (IFSCA) and PIEDS BITS Pilani have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at BITS Pilani PIEDS Finxcelerator, Pilani Campus in Rajasthan
- World:
- China’s top diplomat Wang Yi has called for the European Union to provide greater clarity regarding the strategic partnership that binds these global powerhouses.
- UK business and trade secretary, Kemi Badenoch, signed the accession protocol for the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in New Zealand on Sunday, 16th July 2023.
- Sports:
- Indian badminton player Lakshya Sen reached the semi-finals of the US Open Super 300 badminton tournament. However, he lost to Li Shi Feng of China in a closely contested match with the scores 17-21, 24-22, 17-21.
- Ravichandran Ashwin has surpassed Harbhajan Singh to become the second-highest wicket-taker for India in international cricket, behind Anil Kumble who has taken 953 wickets in 401 matches.
- Marketa Vondrousova, a 24-year-old left-hander from the Czech Republic, defeated Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-4 in the final to clinch the 2023 Wimbledon women’s singles title.
- Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic in an epic Wimbledon final to claim his first Wimbledon title. Alcaraz recovered from dropping the first set and saving a set point in the second to win 1-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 against Novak Djokovic.
- Appointments:
- The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has selected Tata AIG General Insurance as the lead non-life insurer for the State of Maharashtra.
- Important Days:
- World Youth Skills Day is observed annually on July 15th to raise awareness about the importance of developing skills among young people worldwide. The theme for World Youth Skills Day 2023 is ‘Skilling teachers, trainers and youth for a transformative future’.
- Awards:
- The Madurai Kamaraj University is set to confer an honorary doctorate to 102-year-old Communist veteran and freedom fighter N Sankaraiah.
