Current Affairs One-Liner : 5th July 2023

• National:
• The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has launched the Bharat 6G Alliance to drive innovation and collaboration in next-generation wireless technology, The Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA) is a collaborative platform consisting of public and private companies, academia, research institutions, and standards development organizations.

• India Post and Canada Post have signed a bilateral agreement to start an International Tracked Packet Service (ITPS) between the two countries to facilitate e-commerce exports. The service became operational on July 1, 2023.
• Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal launched a campaign to transform 75 historic Lighthouses into Tourism Spots when he inaugurated three revamped lighthouses in Dwarka, Gopnath & Veraval that were transformed as tourist destinations at Dwarka, Gujarat.
• The first of its kind exhibition ‘Banking on World Heritage’ was inaugurated at IGNCA, New Delhi by the Minister of Culture and External Affairs, Smt. Meenakashi Lekhi on Friday 30th June. The exhibition displays banknotes of G20 member nations.
• According to a World Bank and World Trade Organization (WTO) report, India has doubled its share of global commercial services exports to 4.4% in 2022 from 2% in 2005.
• The merger between Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) Ltd and HDFC Bank Ltd has successfully obtained final board approval. With a valuation of around USD 40 billion, this unprecedented merger creates a financial services powerhouse.
• Election Commission of India (ECI) has opened a web portal for political parties to file their financial accounts online . Now parties can file three types of reports - Contribution Report, Audited Annual Account and Election Expenditure Statements.
• The Central Government has decided to provide financial assistance to the states and UTs in Border areas to set up protection and rehabilitation homes for the victims of trafficking particularly for the minor girls and young women.
• The University Grants Commission (UGC) has revised the eligibility criteria for Assistant Professors in higher education institutions. As per the UGC Gazette notification, PhD qualification for appointment as an Assistant Professor would be optional from 01 July 2023.
• According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), southern peninsular India recorded the warmest June since 1901 as the region saw the average maximum temperature of 34.05 degrees Celsius.
• The leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) adopted the New Delhi Declaration on July 4, 2023. The declaration focuses on cooperation in countering radicalization leading to separatism, extremism, and terrorism, and on cooperation in the field of digital transformation.
• President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu graced and addressed the closing ceremony of the 125th Birth Anniversary of Alluri Sitarama Raju at Hyderabad on July 4, 2023.
• Economy:
• Income Tax Department has cancelled the tax exemption status of the Centre for Policy Research (CPR), a leading public policy research institution. The status was revoked on June 30.
• States continue to pay higher interest rates to investors for their debt, with the latest weighted average cost rising to 7.46% at Tuesday’s auctions wherein nine states raised 16,200 crore.
• India’s services activity growth eased to a three-month low in June while the sector’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) declined to 58.5 from 61.2 in May 2023, slightly below the Reuters poll prediction of 60.2, according to the data released by S&P Global.
• World:
• The formation of a “more representative” and multipolar world order is in the global interest, leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation said at a virtual Summit chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 4.
• NATO members have reached a tentative agreement to ask Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to remain head of the 31-member transatlantic alliance for another year.
• Egypt and Turkey have appointed ambassadors to each other’s countries for the first time in a decade. This is the latest sign of warming ties between the two countries.
• UK has called for the expansion of the UN Security Council’s permanent seats to include India, Brazil, Germany, Japan as well as African representation.
• Sports:
• Lallianzuala Chhangte and Manisha Kalyan were named the AIFF Men’s and Women’s Footballer of the Year for 2022-23 respectively. Lallianzuala Chhangte is an Indian footballer who plays as a winger for Mumbai City FC and the Indian national team.
• Ajit Agarkar, the former Indian cricketer, has been appointed as the chairman of the Indian Senior Men’s Selection Committee by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
• Scotland has knocked Zimbabwe out of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup. Scotland successfully defended 234 after bowling out Zimbabwe for 203 in the CWC Qualifiers in Bulawayo.
• Important Days:
• The International Day of Cooperatives is celebrated on the first Saturday of July every year. In 2023, it falls on July 1st. The theme for International Day of Cooperatives 2023 is “Cooperatives for Sustainable Development”.
• Appointments:
• Lt Gen M U Nair has been appointed as the new National Cybersecurity Coordinator (NCSC) and the head of the National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC).
• Vice Admiral Atul Anand took over as Additional Secretary, Department of Military Affairs on July 03, 2023. The post was previously held by Lt Gen Anil Puri, who superannuated on February 28, 2023.
• Awards:
• Ajay Banga, who became the World Bank chief in June 2023, is the first-ever Indian American to lead the institution. He is the only honouree from India in this year’s list of ‘Great Immigrants’ by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
• Michael Rosen, former Children’s Laureate (2007 – 2009), poet and author of more than 200 books for children and adults has been awarded the 2023 PEN Pinter Prize for what the judges described as his ‘rare, invaluable gift: the ability to address the most serious matters of life in a spirit of joy, humour and hope’.

Questions:

Q.1 When is the International Day of Cooperatives celebrated in 2023?
a. July 2
b. July 1
c. July 6
d. July 5

Q.2 Who won the PEN Pinter Prize in 2023?
a. Michael Rosen
b. J.K. Rowling
c. Stephen King
d. None of these