Today's Current Affairs 18th July 2023

INTERNATIONAL

Adani group commissions India's first transnational power project to Bangladesh

• Gautam Adani, the chairman of the Adani Group, met with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on July 15 to discuss the handover of the 1,600 MW Ultra Super Critical Godda Power Plant in Jharkhand to Bangladesh.
• Honoured to have met Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina on full load commencement and handover of the 1600 MW Ultra Super Critical Godda Power Plant. I salute the dedicated teams from India and Bangladesh who braved Covid to commission the plant in record time of three-and-a-half years,” Gautam Adani said in a tweet.
• The power plant is located in the Godda district of Jharkhand and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Adani Group. The first unit of the 1,600 MW Ultra Super Critical Godda Power Plant in Jharkhand began commercial operations on April 6, 2023. The second unit followed on June 26.
• APJL will supply 1,496 MW from the Godda USCTPP under the PPA with the Bangladesh Power Development Board, executed in November 2017 for a period of 25 years, via a 400 kV dedicated transmission system connected to the Bangladesh grid, the company said in a statement.

U.K. formally signs up to trans-Pacific trading bloc

• The UK has formally agreed to become the first European country to join a major Indo-Pacific trade bloc, in what marks Britain’s biggest trade deal since Brexit – despite forecasts placing its value at just £1.8bn a year.
• The government’s business and trade secretary Kemi Badenoch signed the accession protocol to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in New Zealand on Sunday, bringing the bloc’s combined GDP to £12 trillion – 15 per cent of the global share.
• Her signature gives formal confirmation of the agreement reached in March following two years of negotiations, and officials from Britain and the bloc’s 11 other members will now begin work to ratify the deal, which will require parliamentary scrutiny and legislation in the UK to bring it into force.

NATIONAL

PM Narendra Modi inaugurates new integrated terminal building of Port Blair airport

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the new integrated terminal building or NITB of the Veer Savarkar International Airport at Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
• Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union minister of state for road, transport and highways and civil aviation, general (retd) VK Singh and senior officials attended the ceremony.
• The terminal building is shaped like a shell, depicting the natural environs of the islands. The entire terminal will have 100 per cent natural lighting for 12 hours a day which will be achieved through skylights on the roof.
• Due to a surge in passenger traffic, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) constructed the NITB at an estimated cost of ₹707.73 crore.
• With a total built-up area of 40,837 sq metres, the new terminal building will have the capacity to handle 1,200 passengers during peak hours and around 40 lakh passengers annually.
• The three-storey building will be equipped with 28 check-in counters, three passenger boarding bridges and four conveyor belts.

Nokia and TSSC launch 5G skill development centre in Gujarat

• Finnish telecom gear maker Nokia and India’s Telecom Sector Skill Council (TSSC) will train 300 people in 5G, IoT and allied skills at the Nokia Centre of Excellence which was inaugurated at ITI Kubernagar, Gujarat,
• The primary objective is to offer job placements to at least 70 percent of learners within 4-6 weeks after completing the course. In the first year of the project, approximately 300 candidates will benefit from this program. Balvantsinh Rajput, the Cabinet Minister for Labour and Employment in the state, presided over the inauguration ceremony of the 5G skill development center.
• Nokia is leading the way in pioneering advancements in telecom technology and is committed to cultivating a highly skilled workforce to contribute to the development of the 5G ecosystem. As part of its India corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, Nokia is making substantial investments in infrastructure, equipment, and training for the five labs within the Center of Excellence (CoE). Additionally, Nokia aims to foster connectivity and digitization, leveraging these efforts to generate positive socioeconomic, educational, and health benefits in India.

SPORTS

Ajit Singh won gold medal in Para Athletics Championship in Paris

• Indian athlete Ajit Singh won the gold medal in the final of men's javelin throw F46 at the Para Athletics Championships in Paris.
• Ajit Singh topped the event with a throw of 65.41. He broke the previous championship record of 61.89 held by Chunliang Guo of China. Rinku, another Indian athlete, won the silver medal with a best throw of 65.38. Sri Lanka's Dinesh Priyanta Herath and Rinku finished joint second in the event. Sundar Singh Gujjar, representing India, finished fourth with a throw of 61.81.s
• Completing India’s gold medal haul, Ajeet Singh triumphed in the Men’s Javelin Throw F46 Final. Sunder Singh Gurjar showcased an impressive performance as well, finishing fourth in the same event and securing qualification for the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
• This outstanding performance by the Indian contingent marks their best-ever achievement in the competition, surpassing their previous record of nine medals in the 2019 edition held in Dubai.

OBITURY

Former Kerala CM Oommen Chandy passes away

• Former Kerala Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy 79, passed away in the early hours of Tuesday. Chandy, who was battling throat cancer, breathed his last at a private hospital in Bengaluru. Apart from his son, Kerala Congress President K. Sudhakaran shared the sad news in a tweet this morning. He was ill for a long time.
• The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has expressed deep grief and sorrow over the demise of former Chief Minister of Kerala, Shri Oommen Chandy. Modi also recalled his various interactions with him, particularly when they both served as Chief Ministers of their respective states.

APPOINTMENS & RESIGNATIONS

Neeraj Akhoury elected as President and Parth Jindal as Vice President of CMA

• Neeraj Akhoury, Managing Director of Shree Cement, has been elected as the new President of Cement Manufacturers’ Association (CMA).
• JSW Cement Managing Director Parth Jindal has been appointed as Vice President of CMA, the apex body of India’s large cement manufacturers.
• Both were unanimously elected at the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of CMA held on July 14, 2023, said a statement from the association.
• Akhoury, who has 30 years of experience in the steel and cement industries, takes over from UltraTech Cement’s Managing Director K C Jhanwar.
• “As a future direction, the Indian Cement Industry would like to reiterate its commitment to being India’s partner in nation-building for creating business value chains, supporting infrastructure growth and a sustainability agenda, with an emphasis on decarbonisation, aligned to India’s priorities and working in close collaboration with policy planners, ministries and stakeholders,” said Akhoury.
• The Cement Manufacturers’ Association (CMA) is the apex body of large cement plants in India, representing almost 90% of the total installed cement capacity. CMA was established in 1946 with the objective of promoting the growth and development of the Indian cement industry. CMA represents almost 80 per cent of the total installed cement capacity in India. (PTI)

IMPORTANT DAYSs

Nelson Mandela International Day

• Nelson Mandela International Day is observed annually on July 18, in commemoration of Nelson Mandela's birthday, to honour his life and legacy. It holds immense significance as it serves as a global call to action for individuals to engage in acts of community service and social activism.
• History - The United Nations officially designated July 18 as Nelson Mandela International Day in November 2009, with the first observance taking place in 2010, reported BQ Prime. The initiative was inspired by Mandela's powerful message in 2008, where he urged the younger generation to take up the responsibility of leading the fight against global social injustices, stating, “it is in your hands now."
• Nelson Mandela was a renowned South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist, who believed in the power of empathy and forgiveness to bring about transformative change.

 SUMMIT'S & MOU's

BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers meeting starts in Bangkok, Thailand

• Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Foreign Ministers first ever meeting today started in Bangkok, Thailand.
• On the second day of his Bangkok Visit, Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar meets with foreign ministers of BIMSTEC member nations in Bangkok.
• Yesterday Mr. Jaishankar Co-chaired the 12th Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) meeting in Bangkok along with Foreign Minister of Lao PDR Saleumxay Kommasith. In a tweet, the Minister wrote, he Stressed, during the MGC meeting, the importance of expediting projects that have faced challenges in the recent past, especially the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway.