Daily Current Affairs 15th July 2022

RBI, Banking and Economy

• OneCard is India's 104th unicorn
  • OneCard, a mobile-first credit card firm, became the 104th unicorn in India after it raised $100 million in a series D round of funding led by Temasek.

• Israel sells Haifa Port to Adani Ports & Israel's Gadot Group
  • Israel will sell Haifa Port, a major trade hub on its Mediterranean coast, to winning bidders Adani Ports of India and local chemicals and logistics group Gadot for 4.1 billion shekels ($1.18 billion).
  • Adani will have a majority 70% stake and Gadot will hold the remaining 30%.

• Trade deficit widens to record $26.18 billion
  • Trade deficit in June, is widened to a record high of $26.18 billion amid a rise in imports of items, such as crude oil, gold and coal.
  • Imports jumped 57.55 per cent to a record $66.31 billion.
  • Exports grew 23.52 per cent year-on-year to $40.13 billion in June.

NATIONAL

• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao to be extended to all districts
  • Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, the Centre’s flagship programme for women’s empowerment, which focuses on education of girl child and improving sex ratio, will now be extended across the country.
  • The programme is operational in 405 districts at present.

INTERNATIONAL

• U.S., Israel sign joint pledge to deny Iran nuclear weaponry
  • U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed a joint pledge to deny Iran nuclear arms.
  • The United States stresses that integral to this pledge is the commitment never to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, and that it is prepared to use all elements of its national power to ensure that outcome.

• Italy's president refuses PM Draghi's resignation
  • Italian President Sergio Mattarella rejected a resignation offer of Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
  • Draghi decided to formally resign after the second largest force in his coalition -- the Five Star Movement (M5S) -- boycotted a confidence vote on the government's relief bill to combat soaring prices in the Senate.

STATES

• Kerala reports India’s first monkeypox case
  • India's first monkeypox case was reported in Kollam, Kerala on July 14, 2022.
  • The monkeypox case has been reported in a 35-year-old man who arrived in Kerala on July 12th from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

• India’s first e-waste eco park to come up in Delhi
  • India’s first e-waste eco park will be developed in Holambi Kalan in Delhi in an area of about 21 acres.
  • ‘e-waste eco park’ refers to the establishment of a place where this e-waste is dismantled, refurbished, recycled, and manufactured in a manner that is scientifically and environmentally sound.

REPORTS AND INDEXES

• "World's 50 Greatest Places of 2022" by Time Magazine
  • India’s first UNESCO World Heritage City, Ahmedabad has been included in the list of the "World's 50 Greatest Places of 2022" by Time Magazine.
  • Ahmedabad and Kerala have been featured on TIME Magazine's List of World's Greatest Places of 2022.

• India's Economic Outlook - July 2022 Report
  • Leading consultancy Deloitte India has released India's Economic Outlook - July 2022 Report.
  • According to it, the Indian economy is projected to grow 7.1–7.6 per cent in 2022–23 and 6–6.7 per cent in 2023–24.

• Global Ad Spends Forecasts: Dentsu International
  • The Dentsu International released a report titled, “Global Ad Spends Forecasts”.
  • According to it, the Indian advertising market will remain the fastest-growing in the world over the next two years.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Samsung develops the world’s fastest graphics DRAM chip
  • South Korean tech giant Samsung has developed a new graphics dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) chip.
  • It is the world’s fastest graphic DRAM chip to ever exist with faster speed and improved efficiency than any previous chips.

DEFENCE

• CURTAIN RAISER LAUNCH OF Y - 3023 (DUNAGIRI)
  • Dunagiri, a Project 17A frigate, will be launched into the Hooghly river at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited, Kolkata on 15 Jul 22.
  • Christened after a mountain range in the state of Uttarakhand, ‘Dunagiri’ is the fourth ship of P17A Frigates.

EVENTS

• 22nd Bharat Rang Mahotsav, 2022
  • National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi is organizing a festival "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav - 22nd Bharat Rang Mahotsav, 2022 (Azadi Segment)" to remember and pay tribute to our freedom fighters, under "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav 2022".