Today's Current Affairs 17th July 2023

INTERNATIONAL

Razorpay launches first international payment gateway in Malaysia through Curlec

• India’s renowned fintech giant and leading Full-Stack Payments and Business Banking Platform, Razorpay, has made a significant announcement regarding its first-ever international Payment Gateway for the Malaysian market as it acquires Malaysian fintech start-up ‘Curlec‘ for $20 million, which has been rebranded as ‘Curlec by Razorpay‘.
• The introduction of the Curlec Payment Gateway aims to bridge the gap between local and international payment gateways, while also addressing the unique digital payment challenges prevalent in emerging markets. Transforming into a Comprehensive Payment Solutions Provider
• By launching the Payment Gateway, ‘Curlec by Razorpay’ has evolved into a comprehensive provider of payment solutions, leveraging the synergy between cutting-edge technological capabilities and a profound understanding of the local payment ecosystem.

SPORTS

India finish 3rd behind China and Japan with 27 medals at Asian Athletics Championships

• India won 6 gold medals at the Asian Athletics Championships, Japan topped the table with 37 medals, including 16 Golds, India won 13 medals on the final day of the championship in Thailand.
• Unheralded Abha Khatua equalled shot put national record while finishing second in a surprise performance while Jyothi Yarraji and Parul Chaudhary clinched their second medals -- both silver -- as India ended their campaign with 27 medals at the Asian Athletics Championships campaign at the third spot in Thailand..
• The 28-year-old Khatua made a huge improvement of nearly a metre -- 93 cm -- from her earlier lifetime best of 17.13m as she sent the 4kg iron ball to a distance of 18.06m in her fourth throw to finish second behind Song Jiayuan (18.88m) of China. Her second-best throw of the day was 17.10m.

World number one Carlos Alcaraz won his first Wimbledon title

• Carlos Alcaraz beats Novak Djokovic in five-set thriller, wins maiden title at The Championships Wimbledon 2023 Men’s Final, Alcaraz fought from a set down in an instant classic to end Djokovic’s winning run in SW19, with the match played across almost five hours of breathtaking drama. Before the final, Djokovic had won 34 consecutive matches at Wimbledon and had not lost on Centre Court since 2013, but Alcaraz overturned history to win his second grand slam title. Djokovic had also won his previous 104 grand slam matches after winning the opening set.
• In doing so, the 20-year-old Spaniard brings one of the most dominant eras of tennis history to an end. Alcaraz is the first player outside of the sport’s ‘big four’ of Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray to win the Wimbledon men’s singles title since 2002. Djokovic has been bidding to join Federer by equalling his men’s record of eight singles titles, but was denied by an inspired Alcaraz.

 OBITURY

Eminent mathematician Dr Mangala Narlikar passes away at 80

• Eminent mathematician and scientist Dr Mangala Narlikar, wife of noted astrophysicist Dr Jayant Narlikar, passed away at her residence in Maharashtra’s Pune city on Monday after a prolonged illness, her family members said. She was 80. Narlikar had been battling cancer for the past few months,
• About: Dr Mangala Narlikar - Narlikar studied from the University of Bombay and received degrees of B. A. (Maths) in 1962 and M.A. (Maths) in 1964 with first rank and also won the Chancellor’s gold medal. She married, Jayant Narlikar, a well known cosmologist and physicist, in 1966. They have three daughters, Geeta, Girija and Leelavati, all of whom have pursued careers in science; one (Geeta) is a Professor of Biochemistry at the University of California, San Francisco, and the other two are in computer science.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Day for International Justice

• Every year, World Day for International Justice is celebrated on July 17 to respect the significant role played by The International Criminal Court and other organisations in serving justice to people who have been victims of a lot of crimes.
• History - According to The International Criminal Court - "July 17 is the Day of International Criminal Justice. It marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute on 17 July 1998, the founding treaty of the ICC, which seeks to protect people from genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. July 17 unites all those who wish to support justice, promote victims' rights, and help prevent crimes that threaten the peace, security and well-being of the world."
• The day is celebrated to create more public awareness about the mandate and the importance of justice in serious crimes. It also helps in creating awareness about the people who have been denied justice for long, due to several crimes, such as genocide and terrorism. It helps in understanding the importance of fighting for justice, advancing human rights and accelerating the prosecution of crimes.

Indian Council of Agricultural Research 95th Foundation and Technology Day

• The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) celebrated its 95th Foundation Day today 17 July at National Agriculture Science Complex, Pusa, New Delhi.
• Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and President of ICAR Society was the Chief Guest of the program. Shri Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry - Dairying and Shri Kailash Choudhary, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare also graced the occasion.
• Shri Rupala acclaimed ICAR for several remarkable achievements which have revolutionized the dairy and fisheries sector. He further mentioned that the time has come to earn carbon credits from agriculture which can be explored for additional income. He also inaugurated an exhibition showcasing innovative technologies developed by 113 ICAR research institute.

 SUMMIT'S & MOU's

India and UAE sign MoUs in banking and education sectors

• India and UAE signed three MoUs in the banking and education sectors. The MoUs in the banking sector pertain to the use of local currencies for cross-border transactions and cooperation for interlinking their payment and messaging systems, while the MoU in the education sector signed between the Ministry of Education of the Government of India, the Department of Education and Knowledge of Abu Dhabi, and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi relates to setting up of an IIT campus in Abu Dhabi. 
• The MoU signed by the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Shaktikanta Das, and the Governor of the Central Bank of UAE, Khaled Mohamed Balama for the use of local currencies for cross-border transactions covers all current account transactions and permitted capital account transactions. This arrangement would also promote investments and remittances between the two countries.
• The two central banks also agreed to cooperate on linking their Fast Payment Systems (FPSs) - Unified Payments Interface (UPI) of India with the Instant Payment Platform (IPP) of UAE, linking the respective Card Switches (RuPay switch and UAESWITCH) and exploring the linking of payments messaging systems. The UPI-IPP linkage will enable the users in either country to make fast, convenient, safe, and cost-effective cross-border funds transfers. The linking of Card Switches will facilitate the mutual acceptance of domestic cards and the processing of card transactions.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Jammu and Kashmir Rural Livelihoods Mission bagged SKOCH Award 2023

• The Jammu-Kashmir Rural Livelihood Mission (JKRL) has bagged the SKOCH Award under the theme “State of Governance India 2047” in Gold category.
• JKRL has received this award for its outstanding efforts in creating marketing avenues for the Self-Help Group in the U.T.
• The SKOCH Award marks a significant milestone for JKRM, being the first award received since the inception of the scheme.
• The award gives recognition to the JKRL for its hard work and dedication of the JKRL team, especially its Mission Director who has been instrumental in driving the Mission’s major goal of creating marketing opportunities from district-level avenues to national-level platforms.