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19th July 2022

National News

 

Udhayakumar elected as Deputy Leader of Opposition in TN Assembly

AIADMK has elected MLA RB Udhayakumar as Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. The post was earlier held by former Tamil Nadu CM O Panneerselvam, who was expelled from the party earlier this month. Further, MLA SS Krishnamurthy has replaced Manoj Pandian as AIADMK's Deputy Secretary. Earlier, Pandian was expelled from the party for supporting Panneerselvam.

Centre flagged communal remarks on TV 163 times in last 3 year

The Centre flagged communally provocative remarks on TV channels on 163 instances in the last three years, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur has said. In these cases, the government acted by the issuance of "advisories, warnings, apology scroll orders and off-air orders", Thakur said. He added the government has an institutional mechanism to take action in such situations.

 

Delhi govt commemorated Happiness Utsav in honour of the curriculum's 4th anniversary 

According to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, the Delhi government celebrated Happiness Utsav to honour the fourth anniversary of its Happiness Curriculum for schools.  At a special session held for pupils on this occasion at Kautilya Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya in Chirag Enclave, life coach Gaur Gopal Das discussed the intricacies of happiness.  Students' mindsets have undergone a revolutionary shift as a result of Happiness Classes. We will teach thousands of Delhi residents how to live joyful lives through the Happiness Utsav.

India reaches a milestone of 200 Crore vaccinations for COVID-19 

India has crossed the 200-Crore milestone in its cumulative COVID19 vaccination campaign, which is a historic accomplishment. Preliminary reports indicate that 2,00,00,15,631 dosages had been given nationwide. It was accomplished over 2,63,26,111 sessions.  Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, the minister of health for the Union, also praised the nation for reaching this milestone in just 18 months by saying that this tremendous accomplishment will be inscribed in history.

International News

 

Cancel arms deal with Taiwan immediately: China to US

China has sought an immediate cancellation of the latest arms deal between the US and Taiwan, Chinese state media reported on Monday citing the country's Defence Ministry. On Friday, the Pentagon said that the US Department of State had given its nod for the potential sale of military technical assistance worth an estimated $108 million to Taiwan.

Sunak among final 3 contenders for UK PM, wins most support in latest voting round

Former British Chancellor Rishi Sunak is among the final three contenders for the post of British PM after lawmaker Kemi Badenoch was eliminated in the latest round of voting. Sunak won the most support from Conservative Party members of the British Parliament. Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss are the other two candidates still in the race.

Outgoing UK PM Boris Johnson chairs final Cabinet meeting

Outgoing UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson presided over his final Cabinet meeting on Tuesday where he defended his government's commitment to tackling climate change. "Who can doubt that we were right to be the first major economy to go for net zero," Johnson said at the meeting. Johnson was forced to resign after a number of scandals hit his party.

Twitter wins bid to fast-track trial over Musk's $44-bn deal, trial to be held in Oct

Twitter's lawsuit seeking to hold Elon Musk to his $44-billion takeover will go to trial in October, a judge ruled on Tuesday. This comes after Twitter won its motion for an expedited trial in its lawsuit against Musk. Twitter is seeking to enforce Musk's $44-billion acquisition of the company despite the Tesla CEO's intentions to back out of the deal.

 

British govt launched ‘Aviation Passenger Charter’ to help passengers know their rights 

The British government has launched an "Aviation Passenger Charter"  to help passengers know their rights if they are faced with problems at airports after the widespread disruption seen this year.  The new charter will help passengers know what to do if they are confronted by cancellations, delays or missing baggage. It has been developed by the British government in partnership with the aviation sector & travel industry.

States News

Telangana government and UNDP collaborate on the DiCRA 

Data in Climate Resilient Agriculture (DiCRA), the newest entry in the Digital Public Goods Registry, was announced by the State government in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).  The platform, which uses artificial intelligence to power it, aims to improve food security and food systems.  With UNDP Accelerator Labs and partner organisations, they are thrilled to support this first-of-its-kind digital commons to promote climate action not only for Telangana but for the entire world.

Rajasthan introduces the first digital Lok Adalat in India 

During the 18th All India Legal Services Authorities' convention, which was held here, National Legal Services Authority Chairman Uday Umesh Lalit unveiled the first digital Lok Adalat driven by artificial intelligence.  Rajasthan State Legal Services Authority's (RSLSA) digital Lok Adalat was created by Jupitice Justice Technologies, the organization's technological partner.  The oldest pending case in the nation was recently resolved by a district court in Bihar after 108 years of deliberation.  The NITI Aayog report also estimated that it would take 324 years to resolve every case now outstanding in India.

Appointments News

Ashish Kumar Chauhan named as the next MD & CEO of NSE 

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has announced the appointment of Ashish Kumar Chauhan as its new managing director and CEO. He will succeed Vikram Limaye whose 5-year term ended on 16 July 2022.  He was one of the founders of NSE where he worked from 1992 to 2000. He is best known as the father of modern financial derivatives in India due to his work at NSE.

Narinder Batra resigned as FIH, IOA president and IOC member 

Veteran sports administrator, Narinder Batra has resigned as President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), as well as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), citing “personal reasons”.  Mr Batra ceased to be President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) when the Delhi High Court, on May 25, struck down the post of 'Life member' in Hockey India, courtesy of which he had contested the IOA elections and won back in 2017.

Manoj Kumar assumes charge as KVIC's new chairman

Manoj Kumar, former expert member of marketing at Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), has been promoted to take charge as Chairman of the Government of India’s statutory body.  KVIC’s former Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena has moved on to take charge as the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. Manoj Kumar was earlier part of KVIC as the Expert Member (Marketing) and has professional experience in the areas of marketing and rural development.

BANKING, BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

Hindustan Unilever's net profit rises 14% YoY to ₹2,391 cr in Q1

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) on Tuesday reported a 13.85% YoY rise in its consolidated net profit to ₹2,391 crore for the March-June quarter. Its standalone net profit was at ₹2,191 crore. HUL's revenue from operations rose 19.46% YoY to ₹14,331 crore while its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) margin was at 23.2% in Q1 FY23.

Neobanking startup Niyo raises $30 mn from private equity firm Multiples

Neobanking startup Niyo has raised $30 million from private equity firm Multiples Alternate Asset Management. The company raised $100 million in its Series C funding round in February 2022, led by Accel and Lightrock India. Niyo, founded in 2015 by Virender Bisht and Vinay Bagri, offers banking services in partnership with banks such as Yes Bank, ICICI Bank, among others.

 

Successful testing of India's first 5G private network announced by Bharti Airtel 

The nation’s first 5G private network was successfully tested by Bharti Airtel at Bosch Automotive Electronics’ plant in Bengaluru. The trial occurs in advance of a 5G spectrum auction in the midst of a conflict between telecom and IT firms over the allocation of airwaves for private networks.  Using the government-allocated trial spectrum, Airtel deployed two industrial-grade use cases at Bosch’s facility for quality enhancement and operational efficiency.

Defence News

INS Sindhudhvaj decommissioned after 35 years of service 

INS Sindhudhvaj has decommissioned after 35 years of glorious service to the nation. Vice Adm Biswajit Dasgupta Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command was the Chief Guest for the ceremony. The submarine crest depicts a grey colour nurse shark and the name means flag bearer at sea.  Sindhudhvaj, as the name suggests, was the flag bearer of indigenization and the Indian Navy’s efforts towards achieving Atmanirbharta in the Russian-built Sindhughosh class submarines throughout her journey in the navy.

First mountain warfare training school established in NE by ITBP 

As part of its mission to train its troops in high-altitude combat and survival techniques, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), which is tasked with securing the Line of Actual Control with China, has established its first mountain warfare training facility in northeast India and its second overall.  The facility was built nearly 50 years after the founding of the first institution of its kind, the Mountaineering and Skiing Institute (M&SI), which opened in Auli, near Joshimath, in 1973–74.

Awards News

Australia Tennis star Lleyton Hewitt inducted into Hall of Fame

Two-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one, Lleyton Hewitt was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.  Before Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic ascended to the top of the sport, Hewitt held the top spot for 80 weeks, good for 10th-most in history. Even when those stars made their mark.  The Aussie icon won his first ATP title in Adelaide in 1998 and his last in 2014 at the Hall of Fame Open, defeating Ivo Karlovic. Hewitt won the 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon title.

Sports News

West Indies Cricketers Lendl Simmons & Denesh Ramdin Announce Retirement 

Former West Indies skipper Denesh Ramdin announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect. He played his last match for West Indies in a T20I in December 2019.  Meanwhile, West Indies batter Lendl Simmons also announced his retirement from international cricket. His decision came to the fore after his Caribbean Premier League franchise Trinbago Knight Riders posted a congratulatory message for the player.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes announces ODI retirement 

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has made a surprise announcement to retire from ODI cricket. "Three formats are just unsustainable for me now," he said. The 31-year-old will play his last ODI against South Africa at his home ground in Durham.  Stokes' ODI career will forever be remembered for his Player-of-the-Match performance in the 2019 World Cup final against New Zealand at Lord's. After making his ODI debut against Ireland in 2011, Stokes has scored 2919 runs, including three centuries, and taken 74 wickets in the format.

2025 World Athletics Championships: Tokyo's Olympic Stadium to host event 

The World Athletics Council has selected Tokyo (Japan) to host the 2025 World Athletics Championships.  At the World Athletics Council Meeting in Oregon, USA, the Council also announced that the 2024 World Athletics Cross Country Championships will be held in Medulin and Pula in Croatia and the 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships will be held in Tallahassee, Florida.  The 18th edition of the World Athletics Championships begins in Oregon USA while Budapest in Hungary will host the 2023 event.

Mairaj Ahmad Khan of India writes history by winning gold medal in skeet 

Veteran Indian shooter Mairaj Ahmed Khan made history by becoming the first person to ever win a men's skeet gold medal at an ISSF World Cup.  The 46-year-old from Uttar Pradesh shot 37 in the 40-shot final to finish ahead of Minsu Kim from Korea (36), who took second place, and Ben Llewellin from Britain (26), who took third place. In the bronze medal match, the Indians easily defeated the Austrian team of Sheileen Waibel, Nadine Ungerank, and Rebecca Koeck 16-6 to take the podium spot. But Khan unquestionably owned the day.

Obituaries News

Renowned Ghazal Singer Bhupinder Singh passes away

Legendary ghazal singer, Bhupinder Singh passed away due to suspected colon cancer and COVID-19-related complications. He was 82.  Singh was best known for songs such as 'Duniya Chhute Yaar Na Chhute' ("Dharam Kanta"), 'Thodi Si Zameen Thoda Aasman' ("Sitara"), which he sang with the late legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, 'Dil Dhoondta Hai' ("Mausam"), 'Naam Gum Jayega' ("Kinara").

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