• Labour party leader Keir Starmer to become UK Prime Minister first time
• Markets regulator SEBI has issued new guidelines effective August 1, 2024, to streamline operations and enhance ease of doing business for credit rating agencies (CRAs), including specific timelines for rating appeals, prompt communication of ratings, maintaining records for 10 years, daily updates on non-cooperative issuers, and ensuring compliance through half-yearly internal audits to uphold investor protection and foster market development
• To combat rising dengue cases and raise awareness, the BBMP Health Department has launched the Dengue Warrior contest, inviting citizens and students to create and upload short videos on dengue prevention measures by July 25; top participants will be recognized and awarded based on the engagement their videos receive on social media
• The Philippine Army has confirmed that the “deadly” Typhon Weapons System, deployed by the United States for joint military exercises, will soon be withdrawn from the country
• Odisha has restricted the cutting of existing palm trees and plans to plant around 1.9 million such trees to reduce casualties from lightning strikes
• For the first time, a large-scale migration of Common Grass Yellow was observed during the three-day butterfly survey which concluded at the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) recently
• The Karnataka state government has formed a nine-member committee to investigate and address the contamination of the Kaveri River, following concerns raised by MLC Dinesh Gooligowda about the negative impact of sewage, solid waste, and industrial pollutants on marine life and public health; the committee, tasked by the Forest Department, will submit a comprehensive report within ten days and will be dissolved thereafter
• The Australia-India Strategic Research Fund is a bilateral program that supports collaborative research projects between Australia and India, aiming to strengthen scientific relationships and address common challenges through joint efforts in areas such as Artificial Intelligence, renewable energy technologies, and urban mining, and is jointly managed and funded by both governments to facilitate access to global science and technology systems and increase the uptake of leading-edge scientific research and technology.
• A painting created at least 51,200 years ago was discovered in the limestone cave of Leang Karampuang in the Maros-Pangkep region of the Indonesian island.
• Ahom era ‘Moidams’, resting place of royal families, in Assam’s Charaideo district have been recommended for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List by its international advisory body International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).
• Meta has introduced a new AI tool that can generate or retexture 3D objects in under a minute. It is a combined AI system that can generate high-quality 3D assets, with both high-resolution textures and material maps, all within one minute.
• India-Mongolia Joint Military Exercise NOMADIC ELEPHANT is scheduled to be conducted from 03rd to 16th July 2024 in Umroi, Meghalaya.
• The President of India, in exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution of India, appointed Shri Sheel Nagu, Judge of the High Court of Madhya Pradesh as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office.
• The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti, has joined forces with the National STOP Diarrhoea Campaign to launch a two-month awareness initiative, “Swachh Gaon, Shudh Jal – Behtar Kal,” starting from July 1, 2024, aimed at promoting safe water and sanitation practices in rural areas. This collaboration seeks to reduce childhood mortality and foster health and hygiene. The campaign includes activities such as community engagement, water quality testing, sensitization workshops, leakage detection and repair drives, public awareness campaigns, and educational initiatives focused on preventing diarrhoeal diseases and improving overall public health in rural India
• Researchers have determined that the world’s oldest known figurative cave painting dates back 51,200 years by using a new dating technique, according to a recent study. Located in the Leang Karampuang cave on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, the painting in red pigment shows a pig with its mouth partially open and three part-human, part-animal stick figures, or therianthrope
• On July 5, 2024, the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) and TransUnion CIBIL launched the SEHER program to empower women entrepreneurs in India by increasing financial awareness and aiding in accessing and managing credit. With 63 million MSMEs in India, 20% of which are women-owned, the program aims to create 30 million new women-owned enterprises and generate 150-170 million jobs. SEHER focuses on financial literacy, credit awareness, and provides support through entrepreneurship promotion, access to finance, market linkages, training, mentoring, and business development services.
• The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) of the Government of India has issued guidelines for funding under the National Green Hydrogen Mission. The guidelines focus on developing a quality and testing ecosystem, supporting new and upgraded testing facilities, and ensuring safe and secure operations in the Green Hydrogen (GH2) sector. The scheme has a budgetary outlay of Rs. 200 crores until FY 2025-26 and will be implemented by the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE). The National Green Hydrogen Mission, launched on January 4, 2023, with a total outlay of Rs. 19,744 crores until FY 2029-30, aims to achieve self-reliance in clean energy, reduce carbon footprints, decrease fossil fuel imports, and position India as a leader in Green Hydrogen technology.
• The Rudram-1 missile, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Air Force (IAF), was successfully test-fired. This air-to-surface missile, integrated with Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets, is India’s first indigenous anti-radiation missile. It features inertial and GPS navigation systems, a passive homing head for accurate targeting of radiation-emitting sources, and can be launched from altitudes of 500 meters to 15 kilometers with a maximum range of up to 250 kilometers. The missile can reach speeds of up to Mach 2 and enhances the IAF’s capability in Suppression of Enemy Air Defence (SEAD) operations by targeting and neutralizing enemy radars and communication sites from long standoff ranges.