1) World Malala Day 2022 celebrates on 12th July
•International Malala Day is celebrated every year on July 12 on the occasion of young activist Malala Yousafzai’s birthday. The United Nations (UN) designated this date to be marked as Malala Day to honour the young woman who has been advocating for female education. The day is used as an opportunity to appeal to world leaders to ensure compulsory and free education for every child.
International Malala Day: History and significance
•On July 12, 2013, then 16-year-old Pakistani activist delivered a moving speech at the headquarters of the United Nations. She highlighted the need for access to women’s education globally and called the world leaders to reform their policies.
•Malala was widely appreciated for her remarkable speech. Since July 12 was her birthday, therefore the UN promptly declared that the day will be celebrated as ‘Malala Day’ to honour the young activist.
2) India becomes 68th country to join Interpol’s child sexual abuse database
•India has joined Interpol’s international child sexual exploitation (ICSE) database which will allow it to draw links between victims, abusers, and crime scenes using audio-visual data. The CBI, which is India’s nodal agency for Interpol matters, joined the database making India the 68th country to connect to it, according to a statement from Interpol.
3) First-ever exhibition and seminar on “AI in Defense” organised
•The Department of Defense Production, Ministry of Defense, will host the first-ever Artificial Intelligence in Defence symposium and exhibition in New Delhi, which will be officially inaugurated by Union Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh. The event will include a demonstration of the most innovative AI-enabled products that have been created by services, research organisations, industry, start-ups, and entrepreneurs.
4) UN: India anticipated to overtake China as world’s most populated nation next year
•According to a report released by the UN on World Population Day, India is expected to overtake China as the world’s most populous nation next year. The world’s population is anticipated to exceed eight billion people on November 15, 2022, according to a research by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. According to the United Nations’ most recent estimates, the world’s population may reach 8.5 billion people in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050, and 10.4 billion in 2100.
5) In Rurban Mission’s delta rating, Jharkhand ranks first
•According to a formal announcement, Jharkhand came out on top in the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Rurban Mission’s delta ranking for the month of June with a composite score of 76.19. As a result, the state has moved up to number eight in the mission’s overall ranking. The state’s score in the delta ranking increased by 1.93 points from the previous month, the most increase among the 34 states and union territories.
6) Ministry of Mines hosts 6th National Conclave on Mines and Minerals
•The 6th National Conclave on Mines & Minerals was held as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav legendary week celebrations in New Delhi, according to the Ministry of Mines. Shri Amit Shah, the Union Minister of Housing, was the chief guest at the colloquium that will be held at the Dr. Ambedkar International Center. The one-day conclave was officially opened by Union Minister of Mines, Coal, and Parliamentary Affairs Shri Pralhad Joshi in the presence of Minister of State for Mines, Coal, and Railways Shri Raosaheb Patil Danve, Secretary Ministry of Mines Shri Alok Tandon, and other senior ministry officials.
•The launch of three modules of the Mining Tenement System (MTS), awards for 5-Star rated mines for the years 2020–21, and the National Geo Science Awards–2019 were some of the highlights of the conclave. Other highlights included the presentation of the national level Rashtriya Khanij Vikas Puraskar to the best performing States in the field of mining. The conclave’s opening session included a technical presentation from the National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) and a discussion on mining automation. During the round table discussions, the CEOs of various mining businesses did come up with crucial ideas related to India’s mining industry.
7) Meghalaya to invest 300 crore in Childhood education programmes
•Meghalaya Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma has announced Government that the government has earmarked Rs 300 crore from the externally aided projects to make investments in early childhood education programmes. An estimated amount of Rs 8.33 crore has been spent on the construction of the DERT. The state and has come up with a road map to invest in early childhood education programmes.
•The Government aims to achieve the larger goal of making each individual product that will enable every individual to contribute for the growth and development of the State. The Government has been making investments to overhaul the education infrastructure, teachers training at the grassroots level to ensure an enabling environment for learning.”
8) India sets world record for building longest double-decker bridge in Nagpur
•The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and Maharashtra Metro achieved the world record for constructing the longest double-decker viaduct with a length of 3.14 km in Nagpur. The longest viaduct with highway flyover and metro rail supported on single column piers. The maximum metro stations constructed on a double-decker viaduct are recognized by the Asia Book of Records & India Book of Records. The development is the fulfilment of the promise by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s Government on building world-class infrastructure in New India.
9) Deutsche Bahn to be world’s first intermodal partner of Star Alliance
•Deutsche Bahn (DB) will be the world’s first Intermodal Partner of Star Alliance. With this, DB and the aviation industry are sending another strong signal for the environment-friendly evolution of the travel industry. Under the new cooperation, DB customers and passengers of Star Alliance member airlines will be able to start or end their long-distance journey comfortably on the climate-friendly train. Germany is the first market and DB is the world’s first partner in the new Star Alliance initiative.
•An industry-first, Star Alliance’s Intermodal Partnership model intelligently combines airlines with railway, bus, ferry or any other transport ecosystem, alliance-wide. It is designed to link loyalty systems and facilitate seamless airport/station/port transit. Star Alliance plans to expand intermodal partnerships in the future.
10) Pallavi Singh wins the Mrs Universe Divine Crown in South Korea
•India’s Pallavi Singh has won the Mrs Universe Divine Title at the finals held at Yeosu City, South Korea. She hails from Kanpur, India, and has made her country proud in this contest that saw participation from 110 countries. This is a proud moment for India. Pallavi Singh was the contestant from Asia in the Mrs Universe contest and has demonstrated the strong will and commitment of Indian women to excel in all walks of life.
•Pallavi Singh won the title of Mrs India held in Jaipur in 2020. She then won the title of Mrs Indo-Asia Universe in the Asia-level competition held in Delhi in October 2021. She was the contestant from India and Asia in the Mrs Universe contest, which saw her taking away the crown.
11) Ruling party in Japan records significant victory in legislative vote
•In a parliamentary election in Japan, the ruling party and its coalition partner achieved a significant victory. In the 248-seat chamber, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its minor coalition partner Komeito increased their combined share to 146, well exceeding the majority in the elections for half of the upper house seats. Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio expressed his gratitude for the decision. He pledged to handle the nation’s most pressing problems, such as the pandemic, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and the rising cost of life.
•The Japanese Prime Minister declared that in addition to a constitutional reform, he will continue to advocate for strengthening Japan’s national security. Additionally, he promised to boost the Japanese economy. Only two days had passed since the shooting death of former prime minister Shinzo Abe at a campaign rally before the election.
12) Meenakshi Lekhi launched ‘Swadhinta Sangram Na Surviro’ book
•Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture, Meenakshi Lekhi has launched a book in Gujarati commemorating the contributions of freedom fighters at a function. The book, ‘Swadhinata Sangram Na Surviro’, celebrates 75 freedom fighters and shares the stories of the sacrifices made by them for the country.
•The book is a part of the “Swadhinta Ka Amrit Mahotsav” to mark the 75th year of the country’s Independence. The book commemorates the contribution of our freedom fighters who battled imperialism & dedicated their lives for Maa Bharati. Poet and president of the book release function’s guidance committee, Bhagyesh Jha, said the book is an attempt to pay tribute to the freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives for the country’s freedom.
13) Akash Air gets Air Operator Certificate from DCGA to take off
•Billionaire investor Rakesh Juhunjhunwala-owned, Akasa Air has been cleared for take-off. The no-frills airline received its air operator certificate (AOC) from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday. The airline will start its operations at the end of July.
•The grant of the AOC is the final step of a comprehensive process laid down by the DGCA. The airline inducted its first Boeing 737 Max aircraft on June 21. It plans to start its service, connecting metro cities with tier II and III cities, after adding its second aircraft. The airline hopes to have 18 aircraft by the end of the financial year (FY) 2023.
