NATIONAL NEWS

India to Host ASEAN Countries Conference

• The Ministry of AYUSH in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Mission to ASEAN and ASEAN Secretariat, is organizing a Conference on Traditional Medicines for ASEAN Countries on 20 July 2023.

• The aim of the conference is to strengthen cooperation and knowledge sharing between India and ASEAN countries in the field of traditional medicines.

• The ‘Act East Policy’ launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a new impetus to the strategic partnership between India and ASEAN.

• The ASEAN conference will serve as a platform for sharing research results and experiences in the field of traditional medicine.

• It is to facilitate exchange of best practices and recent developments in the regulatory framework for the promotion of traditional medicine in ASEAN member countries.

• It will strengthen international cooperation in AYUSH through collaboration and establishment of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ASEAN countries and other countries.

World's Largest International Temple Convention and Expo

• The world's largest International Temple Convention and Expo (ITCX) will be organized from 22 July to 24 July 2023 at the Rudraksh Convention Center in Varanasi.
• The conference will focus on nurturing and empowering the governance, management and operations of the world and temple ecosystem.
• More than 450 temple functionaries from 25 countries are expected to participate in the conference.
• Along with Hindus, office bearers of Math-Temples and Gurudwaras belonging to Sikh, Buddhist and Jainism have also been invited.
• The three-day event is being organized as part of the Incredible India campaign in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Tourism.
• In this, development, empowerment of temple management, operation and administration will be discussed.

DGCA Approves Tamil Nadu's First Flying Training School

• The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) approved EKVI Air Training Organization Pvt Ltd to set up the first Flying Training Organization (FTO) in Tamil Nadu, India.
• This approval is for aviation education in India, as it is the 36th flight training school in the country and the first in Tamil Nadu.
• EKVI Air Training Organization Pvt Ltd will operate from Salem airport, providing an opportunity to aspiring pilots in the region to get professional training and fulfill their dreams of becoming skilled aviators.
• FTO's training programs will include comprehensive theoretical classes, flight simulator sessions and practical flight experience, providing students with a sound education that will prepare them for the dynamic aviation industry.

State Disaster Response Funds

• The Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, has released an amount of 7,532 crore to 22 State Governments for the respective State Disaster Response Funds (SDRF).
• The amount has been released as per the recommendations of the Ministry of Home Affairs
• The State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) has been constituted in each State under Section 48 (1) (a) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
• The fund is the primary fund available to State Governments for responses to notified disasters.
• The Central Government contributes 75% to the SDRF in general States and 90% in North-East and Himalayan States.
• The SDRF is to be used only for meeting the expenditure for providing immediate relief to the victims of notified calamities like cyclones, drought, earthquakes, fires, floods, tsunamis, hailstorms, landslides, avalanches, cloud bursts, pest attacks and frost & cold wave.
• Based on the 15th Finance Commission recommendations, the Central Government has allocated Rs. 1,28,122.40 crore for SDRF for the years 2021-22 to 2025-26. O
• out of this amount, the Central Government’s share is Rs.98,080.80 crore.
• The Central Government had already released Rs. 34,140.00 before the current release.
• With the current release, the total amount of Central share of SDRF released to the State Governments so far has gone up to Rs. 42,366 crore.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India-United States Conduct ‘Operation Broader Sword’

• The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) in collaboration with the Indian Government Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) conducted ‘Operation Broader Sword’.
• It is a special bilateral multi-agency enforcement operation targeting illicit pharmaceuticals, devices, or precursor chemicals shipped using the international mail system.
• Operation Broader Sword was built upon the success of Operation Broadsword, which targeted mail parcels containing illicit medical products from India and was carried out in 2020, at Chicago IMF.
• Operation “Broader Sword”, which was carried out in June 2023, targeted shipments of illicit, potentially dangerous, unapproved prescription drugs, combination medical devices, and synthetic drug precursors shipped through International Mail Facilities (IMF).
• The operation targeted packages entering the US from India through the New York (JFK International Airport) and Chicago (ORD International Airport) International Mail Facilities (IMFs) during June 12-23, 2023.

BANKING

PhonePe Launched a One-Stop Point-of-Sale Solution

• PhonePe launched its Point-of-sale (POS) device that enables merchants to accept payments via Debit Cards, Credit Cards and UPI, providing them with a simple and seamless settlement experience.
• The device comes preloaded with the PhonePe POS App and supports transactions through tap/swipe/dip and interoperable QR codes.
• The POS device, built on the Android platform, revolutionises the checkout experience for businesses.
• Its reliability and security are topnotch, backed by the PCI-PTS 6 certification, safeguarding both merchant and consumer data.
• With automatic batch closure and unified reconciliation, the device becomes a one-stop solution for hasslefree account settlement, streamlining merchant operations.
• The device is offered at a nominal monthly rental, and comes with world-class product quality and service from PhonePe.

SPORTS

Para Athletics World Championships 2023

• India’s Nishad Kumar has clinched a silver medal in the ongoing Para Athletics World Championships 2023.
• Paris will host the Para Athletics World Championships from 8 to 17 July at the Charlety Stadium.
• Over 1200 athletes from 107 nations are set to take part in this year’s competition.
• Nishad bagged this medal in the High Jump T47 Event.
• With this win, Nishad has become the second athlete at this event to grab a medal.
• The top-four ranked athletes at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in each of the individual medal events qualify for the 2024 Paralympic Games, also to be held in Paris.

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

2023 Forbes’ 100 Richest Self-Made Women List

• Four Indian-origin women, including Jayshree Ullal and Indra Nooyi, have made it to the Forbes list of America’s 100 most successful self-made women, with a combined net worth of a whopping USD 4.06 billion.
• Building supply distributor Diane Hendricks, with a $15 billion net worth, retained the top spot for the sixth year in a row.
• This year’s list has eight entrants, including television producer Shonda Rhimes and Insitro CEO Daphne Koller.
• Jayshree Ullal, president and CEO of computer networking firm Arista Networks, ranked 15th on the list, the highest among Indian-origin business leaders.
• Neerja Sethi, with a net worth of USD 990 million, has been ranked 25th on the list.
• Narkehe, co-founder and former chief technology officer (CTO) of cloud company Confluent is ranked 50th on the list with a net worth of USD 520 million.
• Nooyi, the former chair and CEO of PepsiCo, retired in 2019 after 24 years with the company, half of which she spent in the top job. The 67-year-old has a net worth of USD 350 million and is ranked 77th on the Forbes list.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

MD and CEO of SBI Cards

• The country’s largest pure-play credit card issuer, SBI Cards and Payment Services (SBI Card), has appointed Abhijit Chakravorty as its new Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
• He will replace Rama Mohan Rao Amara, who will cease to be MD from August 11, 2023.
• Chakravorty’s appointment would be effective from August 12, 2023 for a period of two years.
• Abhijit Chakravorty started his banking career as a Probationary Officer with State Bank of India (SBI) in 1988.
• He has gained over 34 years of rich experience in retail and corporate banking, overseas operations, and the IT vertical of the bank.

OBITUTARY

Spain’s Only Ballon d’Or Winning Player Luis Suarez

• Luis Suárez Miramontes, the so-called ‘Golden Galician’ who is the only Spanish man to win soccer’s most prestigious individual award, the Ballon d’Or, has passed away at the age of 88 in Milan, Italy.
• He began his career at Deportivo La Coruna, before moving to Barcelona in 1954.
• Throughout seven seasons, he played a total amount of 253 matches for Barcelona, scoring 141 goals.
• He also won 32 caps for Spain and was part of the squad which won the European Championship in 1964, making 32 appearances for the national team.
• He won two La Liga trophies (1958-59 and 1959-60) with the Catalan giants.
• He coached the Spanish National Team (La Roja) at the 1990 World Cup in Italy.
• In 1960 Suárez became the first and only male Spanish-born player to win the Ballon d’Or.