1) International Plastic Bag Free Day 2022: 03 July
•The International Plastic Bag Free Day is held on July 3 around the world to spread awareness that a plastic bag free world is possible and that sound environmental alternatives to single use plastic bags are available. 2022 is the 13th edition of the celebrations. The day is an initiative by Bag Free World for the purpose of getting rid of the single-use of plastic bags around the world and promoting environmental conservation by encouraging us all to stay away from the use of plastic bags and instead look for more eco-friendly alternatives.
2) Singapore’s T. Raja Kumar is new president of FATF
•T. Raja Kumar of Singapore has been appointed as the president of Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the anti-money laundering watchdog. Kumar has replaced Marcus Pleyer who was holding the post till now, and will discharge his service for next two years.
•Kumar has been working against global terror financing for quite a long time. Soon after taking over the charge, Kumar presented his objectives for the coming Plenary period (July 2022 -June 2024) to strength the FATF. During the Singapore Presidency, the FATF will continue its core work of identifying and analysing money laundering and terrorist financing methods and trends, developing and refining the FATF Standards, and evaluating and supporting the assessments of countries within the Global Network
3) Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi inaugurates Fifth Global Film Tourism Conclave
•At the Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach in Mumbai, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Union Minister for Minority Affairs, officially inaugurated the fifth Global Film Tourism Conclave (GFTC). In collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) organised the fifth GFTC with the subject “Unleashing the Power of Cinematic Tourism.”
4) Yair Lapid takes over as 14th Prime Minister of Israel
•Leader of Yesh Atid Party, Yair Lapid has been officially became the 14th prime minister of Israel, after replacing the Naftali Benett. He is a former journalist who serving as PM of Israel since 1 July 2022. Yair Lapid’s term could be the short one as he take over the caretaker government ahead of Israel’s election which was scheduled to take place on November 1.
5) RBI modifies the rules for banknote sorting and authentication
•The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) published guidelines ordering banks to test their currency sorting equipment every three months. Following the release of the new series of banknotes, the central bank updated the preexisting standards for authentication and sorting. The Reserve Bank stated that vendors will need to re-calibrate the equipment in the event of inconsistencies during the sorting.
6) Indian Army Organises Suraksha Manthan-2022
•The Desert Corps of the Indian Army organised the “Suraksha Manthan 2022”, on aspects of Border & Coastal Security at Jodhpur (Rajasthan). During the course of the discussions, aspects of interoperability, operational cohesion and logistics were ironed out in order to enhance overall security along the International Boundary (IB) and coastal sectors.
•A joint training calendar was also formulated to achieve a higher degree of interoperability and jointness amongst the security forces. Current security threats and challenges, along with joint mitigation response, were deliberated upon and such scenarios would now form part of the forthcoming exercises. It was further decided to create an enabling security environment and develop a tangible capability development road map to achieve the same.
7) FanCode onboards Ravi Shastri as brand ambassador
•Former team India coach and cricketer, Ravi Shastri has been appointed the new brand ambassador for FanCode, a live content, sports statistics and e-commerce marketplace. FanCode is set to host some of the best cricketing action with exclusive rights to India’s tour of the West Indies and ECB’s The Hundred; and Shastri will bring out FanCode’s ‘fan-first’ proposition by leading the upcoming campaigns for these properties.
8) Govt revamps Banks Board into Financial Services Institutions Bureau
•The government has transformed Banks Board Bureau (BBB), the headhunter for directors of state-owned banks and financial institutions, into Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB) by making some amendments. Guidelines for selection of general managers and directors of public sector general insurance companies have been made part of FSIB.
