Daily Current Affairs and GK | 11 and 12 July 2021

Topic: Important Days

1. World Population Day: 11 July

• World Population Day is celebrated every year on 11 July.
• The main aim of the day is to spread awareness about the population issues around the world. On this day many issues like family planning, poverty, sexual equality, maternal health, etc are also discussed.
• World Population Day was established in 1989 by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme.
• The theme for World Population Day 2021 is “Rights and Choices are the Answer: Whether baby boom or bust, the solution to shifting fertility rates lies in prioritising all people’s reproductive health and rights”.
• India has the world’s second-largest population after China. World Population is expected to reach 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050.

Topic: Books and Authors

2. Kareena Kapoor announced her new book Pregnancy Bible.

• Kareena Kapoor Khan has announced her new book titled Kareena Kapoor Khan's Pregnancy Bible. She called it her ‘third child’.
• She has written about her physical and emotional experience during her pregnancy.
• It will be published by Juggernaut Books. It has been approved by the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India.

Topic: Sports

3. Novak Djokovic wins his sixth Wimbledon Tennis title.

• Novak Djokovic has won his sixth Wimbledon Tennis title by beating Matteo Berrettini of Italy.
• Djokovic reached the record of 20^th Grand Slam trophy. He is now equal with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the list of most singles Grand Slam titles in men’s history.
• Novak Djokovic has already won the Australian Open and French Open this year. He needs Olympic gold medal and US Open title to win Golden Slam.
• Golden Slam means winning a gold medal at Summer Olympic Games and four majors in a calendar year.
• Neal Skupski of Britain and Desirae Krawczyk of the US has won the Mixed Doubles title by defeating the British duo of Joe Salisbury and Harriet Dart.
• Ashleigh Barty of Australia won the Women’s singles title by defeating Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic.
• Elise Mertens of Belgium and Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan have won Women’s Doubles title. Croatian pair Nikola Mektić and Mate Pavić have won the Men’s doubles title.
• Novak Djokovic is a Serbian tennis player. He is ranked at world number 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals.
• Wimbledon is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments. It is the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament. It is held in Wimbledon, London.

Topic: International News

4. Ethiopia’s ruling party wins national parliamentary election.

• Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity party has won the national parliamentary election.
• Ethiopia’s ruling party has won 410 seats out of 436 in the federal parliament. Elections were held in Ethiopia last month.
• Prosperity party’s victory assured the second term for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. He came to power in April 2018.
• Ethiopia:
  • It is a part of the Horn of Africa, located in the east of Africa.
  • It shares a boundary with Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, and South Sudan.
  • It is the second-most populous country in the African Continent.
  • Abiy Ahmed is the current Prime Minister of Ethiopia.
  • Addis Ababa is the capital and Birr is the currency of Ethiopia.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Sports

5. Italy wins Euro Cup 2020 by defeating England.

• Italy won the Euro Cup 2020 by defeating England. Italy had lost the Euro Cup finals in 2000 and 2012.
• Italy beat England by 3-2 in a penalty shootout to win their second European Football Championship final.
• It is the first time that the final has been decided by penalties since 1976. England had won the last Euro cup final in 1966.
• Euro Cup 2020:
  • It is commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020.
  • It was organized by the Union of European Football Associations.
  • It was hosted by 11 countries and 24 teams participated in it.
  • Patrik Schick was the top scorer for the Euro Cup 2020.
  • Gianluigi Donnarumma has been awarded the Best Player award.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: International News

6. 21^st Session of India-Italy Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation concluded.

• The 21^st session of the India-Italy Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation (JCEC) was held on 09th July 2021.
• Both sides discussed issues related to bilateral trade and investment and economic cooperation in the areas of Food Processing, Textiles, Leather, Railways, and Startups.
• India-Italy officials also reviewed the outcomes of the India-EU leaders Summit.
• India raised the issue of mutual recognition of the COWIN Vaccine Certificate and opening up of Travel restrictions.
• The main agenda of this meeting was to build an Energy partnership between both countries. Indian and Italian companies presented their plan for promoting green economy, clean technology, and renewable energy.
• In 2020, India and Italy had adopted the plan of action to promote energy transition, leveraging technology and climate partnerships.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

7. Axis Bank signed MoU with the Indian Army to offer service salary package.

• Axis Bank inked an MoU with the Indian Army for providing Defence services salary package benefits and features.
• Axis Bank will offer personal accidental cover of up to ₹56 lakh to all Army personnel. It will also give an educational grant up to ₹8 lakh.
• It will also offer a disability cover benefit of up to ₹46 lakh. It will provide air accident cover of ₹1 crore and free additional debit card for a family member.
• The MoU signing ceremony was held at Army Headquarters. The MoU reflects the Axis Bank’s commitment to serve the Defence Forces.
• Axis Bank:
  • It is the third-largest private bank in India.
  • It is headquartered in Mumbai.
  • Its MD & CEO is Amitabh Chaudhry.

Topic: Agriculture

8. India exported GI Certified Fazil Mango to Bahrain.

• India exported a consignment of GI-certified Fazil mango variety from West Bengal to Bahrain. This season, India is expanding its footprint of mango exports to newer countries.
• The consignment of Fazil mango has been exported by APEDA registered DM enterprises, Kolkata and imported by Al Jazira Group, Bahrain.
• APEDA has taken several measures to boost mango export from non-traditional regions and states.
• APEDA organized a week-long mango promotion programme in Doha, Qatar.
• India export mainly Alphonso, Kesar, Totapuri and Banganpalli varieties of Mango. India export mango in three forms: fresh mango, mango pulp, and mango slice.
• Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA): It was established by the Government of India under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act passed by the Parliament in December 1985.

Topic: Appointments

9. N.S. Srinivasa Murthy appointed as Honorary Consul General of Vietnam for Karnataka.

• Bengaluru based Industrialist N.S. Srinivasa Murthy has been appointed as Honorary Consul General of Vietnam for Karnataka.
• The appointment is part of Vietnam’s efforts to deepen cooperation with various states.
• He is the first honorary consul general of Vietnam from India. He is the third Consul General to be appointed globally this year.
• His appointment is for a period of three years. He owns N. K. Subbiah Setty & Sons which is into the manufacture of agarbattis (incense sticks).
• Vietnamese Ambassador in India Pham Sanh Chau said that they are looking for honorary Consul Generals for five states and this was the first approved Consul General.
• Vietnam:
  • It is a South-East Asian country.
  • It shares a boundary with China, Laos and Cambodia.
  • It is known for its beaches, rivers and Buddhist pagodas.
  • Its capital is Hanoi and the currency is Vietnamese dong.
  • Nguyen Xuan Phuc is the President of Vietnam. Pham Minh Chinh is the Prime Minister of Vietnam.

Topic: International News

10. India and Nepal sign a Letter of Exchange (LoE) to revise 2004 India- Nepal Rail Services Agreement.

• India and Nepal have signed a Letter of Exchange (LoE) to revise 2004 India- Nepal Rail Services Agreement.
• This will facilitate the import and export of goods through railway freight services.
• A virtual ceremony was held on 09 July 2021 to exchange signed copies of LoE between both governments.
• With the entering into force of the LoE, all authorized cargo train operators will be able to utilize the Indian railway network to carry Nepal’s container and other freight.
• Nepal:
  • Nepal is a landlocked nation. It shares a border with Indian states like Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, West Bengal, and Bihar.
  • Its capital is Kathmandu and the currency is Nepalese Rupees.
  • Bidya Devi Bhandari is the President of Nepal and Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli is the Prime Minister of Nepal.

Topic: Reports and Indices

11. US became fourth-largest crude oil supplier to India in 2020.

• As per BP’s latest report, US has become the fourth-largest crude oil supplier to India in 2020.
• As per BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy, US had supplied 10.7 million tonnes of crude oil to India in 2020.
• Iraq supplied 47 million tonnes. Saudi Arabia and UAE supplied 38 million tonnes and 22 million tonnes, respectively.
• Crude oil supplied by US accounted for nearly 5% of India’s total imports of 204 million tonnes in the year 2020.
• US also became the fourth-largest natural gas supplier to India in 2020.
• West Asian countries account for 64% of India’s imports of crude oil. Two American continents account for 18%.
• Saudi Arabia was the biggest crude oil supplier to China. China was the biggest oil importer in the world in 2020. It imported 557 million tonnes.
• India imported about 36 billion cubic metres (bcm) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2020. Qatar was top most supplier. It supplied 14 bcm. Japan remained the top LNG importer in the world.
• BP (formerly The British Petroleum Company plc) is a British multinational oil and gas company.

Topic: National News

12. India’s first Private LNG Facility plant at Nagpur inaugurated by Shri Nitin Gadkari.

• India’s first Private Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Facility plant at Nagpur was inaugurated by Shri Nitin Gadkari.
• The plant has been set up by the Baidyanath Ayurvedic Group on Kamptee Road near Nagpur Jabalpur Highway.
• Mr. Gadkari said that central government is promoting Ethanol, Electric, CNG and LNG as an alternative to conventional fuels.
• He said that experiments to produce bioethanol from agricultural products have succeeded.
• Large scale production of bioethanol from Paddy Straw is underway in East Vidarbha which is known for Paddy cultivation.
• He also underlined the importance of ‘Flex engines’ which are capable of using both Petrol and Ethanol for transportation.