NATIONAL:
1. 200 Crore Covid-19 Vaccinations
Why in news - India crossed the milestone of administering 200 crore (2 billion) Covid-19 vaccine doses on July 17, 2022,
Key Points –
• India crossed the milestone of the first 100 crores (1 billion) doses on October 21, 2021.
• Vaccination drive started on January 16, 2021.
• The government made precaution doses free to all adults for 75 days from July 15 to celebrate 75 years of India’s independence.
2. Bundelkhand Expressway
Why in news - Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Bundelkhand expressway on July 16, 2022 from Kaitheri village in Orai tehsil of Jalaun district of Bundelkhand.
Key Points –
• The 296-km-long expressway passes through seven districts -- Chitrakoot, Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Auraiya and Etawah.
• It would connect Chitrakoot with the Lucknow-Agra Expressway near Etawah.
• Cost incurred - Rs 14,850 crores. Completed in 28 months
• This is the fourth expressway project in Uttar Pradesh.
3. “Cultural and Tourism Capital” of SCO
Why in news - The holy city of Varanasi will become the “Cultural and Tourism Capital” of the SCO for 2022-23 of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
Key Points –
• It will be the first to be granted the title.
• SCO summit is to be held at Samarkand in Uzbekistan on September 15-16, 2022. (2023 summit - India).
• SCO (Hq - Beijing) is an 8-member economic and security alliance comprising China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.
GOVERNMENT SCHEMES:
1. “Swaraj” Television Series
Why in news - Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur debuted the trailer for the new television series Swaraj: Bharat Ke Swatantrata Sangram Ki Samagra Gatha in New Delhi.
Key Points –
• To be aired on Doordarshan from August 14, 2022.
• Contribution of unsung heroes of the freedom movement will be highlighted in the 75-episode drama.
SUMMITS & CONFERENCES:
1. Jeddah Security and Development Summit
Why in news - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, US President Joe Biden and GCC+3 attended the Summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on July 16, 2022.
Key Points –
• GCC countries – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE.
• GCC+3 – GCC plus Egypt, Iraq and Jordan.
• Joe Biden visited Israel, Palestine and Saudi Arabia from 13-16 July, 2022.
SECURITY:
1. INS Sindhudhvaj
Why in news - The Indian Navy’s submarine INS Sindhudhvaj was decommissioned after 35 years of service.
Key Points –
• It is the only submarine to be awarded CNS Rolling Trophy for Innovation.
• It was a Kilo-class submarine acquired from Russia in 1987.
• India is currently left with 15 conventional diesel-electric submarines.
• Under the ambitious 30-year-old plan that ends in 2030, India was to build 24 submarines (18 conventional and 6 nuclear-powered).
IMPORTANT DAYS:
1. World Day for International Justice 2022
Why in news - is observed on July 17 to commemorate the organisations that work to bring justice to the victims of international criminal acts.
Key points –
• Theme - Achieving Social Justice through Formal Employment.
2. Nelson Mandela International Day 2022
Why in news - Every year on July 18, the day is observed as a remembrance of the first democratically elected President of South Africa and his long years of struggle for justice against apartheid.
AGREEMENTS:
1. Safety Incident Detection
Why in news - Vedanta has partnered with Detect Technologies to implement safety incident detection. It deployed T-Pulse HSSE Monitoring System across all of its business units.
2. RIL and AFI
Why in news - Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) have entered into a long-term partnership to enable the holistic growth of athletics in India.
PLACES IN NEWS:
1. Al-Damazin
Why in news - At least 60 people were killed and wounded 163 in a tribal conflict in Sudan’s Al-Damazin (Blue Nile State).
Key Points –
• The clashes erupted between the Berti and Hawsa tribe.
• Blue Nile State is situated in eastern Sudan, on the border with Ethiopia.
• The state has the Roseires Dam, which holds the largest electricity-producing reservoir in Sudan on the Blue Nile River.
SPORTS:
1. Singapore Open 2022
Why in news – Indian ace shuttler PV Sindhu clinched the Singapore Open 2022 title by 21-9, 11-21, 21-15.
Key Points –
• She defeated China’s Wang Zhiyi in the final of the women’s singles category.
• This is Sindhu’s third title of 2022.
STATE/UTs:
1. Aurangabad, Osmanabad Renamed
Why in news – Maharashtra CM Shinde approved the decision to rename Aurangabad, Osmanabad and the Navi Mumbai International Airport.
Key Points –
• Aurangabad – Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar.
• Osmanabad – Dharashiv.
• Navi Mumbai International Airport shall be renamed after D. B. Patil.
2. e-FIR Service
Why in news – The e-FIR service and the Uttarakhand police app were introduced by UK CM Pushkar Singh Dhami.
BIHAR:
1. Managerial Competence in Health Services
Why in news – Health Minister Mangal Pandey said that an MoU would be signed on July 18, 2022 IIM Ahmedabad and Bihar State Health Society.
Key Points –
• Aim - to create a world-class healthcare infrastructure in the state.
• Bihar become the first state in India to take an initiative to enhance management capabilities by signing an MoU with the Tier-I management institute of India.
• Earlier, in November 2021, an MoU was signed between IIM Bodh Gaya and Bihar State Health Society.
2. Presidential Election 2022
Why in news - Voting has started in Bihar for the presidential election.
Key Points –
• The maximum vote value of an MLA is from Uttar Pradesh (208), Bihar MLA - 173.
• The vote value of an MP is 708.
• Total votes from Bhar (Ruling + opposition) – 81687.
• Bihar’s Position in all three houses –
Partywise Votes:
Ruling Alliance:
Opposition:
POINTERS:
• Who has become the new MD & CEO of National Stock Exchange – Ashish Kumar Chauhan.
• Who will host the 2025 World Athletics Championships – Tokyo.
• Which online platform has launched the 'Unmentioning feature' – Twitter.
• Who will be the head of newly formed NaBFID recently – Rajkiran Rai.
• Who has been included in the board of Google's parent company “Alphabet Inc” – Marty Chavez.
• The world's fastest graphics DRAM chip has been developed by which company - Samsung.
• NASSCOM Foundation has tied up with whom for the "Digivani Call Center" project - Google.
• Who has been declared by NDA as its Vice Presidential candidate - Jagdeep Dhankhar.
• Who has been appointed as the captain of the Indian women's cricket team for the Commonwealth Games 2022 - Harmanpreet Kaur.
• Which country has decided not to impose sanctions on India for buying S-400 missiles from Russia - America.