Today's Current Affairs 28th July 2023

NATIONAL

Tech capital Bengaluru becomes 1st Indian city to join World Cities Culture Forum

• Bengaluru has joined the World Cities Culture Forum (WCCF), on Thursday, July 27, and becomes the first Indian city to achieve the feat. Founded by the office of the Mayor of London in 2021, WCCF is a global network of nearly 40 cities, which provides a way for policy makers in these cities to share research and intelligence, and explore the vital role of culture for their future prosperity.
• CCF has said that the Bengaluru city leaders will work alongside counterparts from other places, including Buenos Aires, London, New York and Tokyo for the city’s growth and investment. WCCF will also work closely with Unboxing BLR Foundation, a not-for-profit initiative which aspires to make Bengaluru a vibrant, inclusive and global city. According to its website, Unboxing BLR is an initiative “to curate, facilitate and catalyze activities that will enable the citizens and communities of Bangalore to engage better with their city,” and was founded in April 2022.

SPORTS

Aditya Samant becomes India's 83rd chess Grandmaster

• Indian chess moved ahead on the board, so to speak, as Aditya S Samant became the nation’s 83rd chess Grandmaster,
• An International Master (IM), the 17-year-old became a GM when he commenced his ninth round game against compatriot Aryan Chopra at the BielChess MTO 2023 tournament in Switzerland
• Samant had drawn his eighth round game against Bu Xiangzhi. He only had to play the ninth round, no matter the result, to get the GM nor
• To become a GM, a player has to get three GM norms and cross the live rating of 2,500 Elo points. The Maharashtra youngster had already crossed the 2500 Elo mark in the live ratings and had secured two GM norms. As such, the third and final norm was all he required to become India's latest Grandmaster.

OBITURY

Renowned Marathi Writer Shirish Kanekar Passes Away

• Shirish Kanekar, Veteran Marathi writer and columnist passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra at the age of 80. He was born on June 6, 1943 in Pune, Maharashtra. He worked at Marathi and English language publications like Loksatta, Indian Express, Samana, and Free Press Journal. He was popular for his newspaper columns on Cinema, Cricket and Politics.Pune, Maharashtra.
• His notable works include: Humorous articles like ‘Kanekari’, Fillambaji’, and ‘Shirishasan’; Bollywood movies such as “Nut Bolt Bolpat,” “Kanekari,” and “Cricket Vedh”; Books such as Irsalaki; Surparambya. His collection of stories titled ‘Lagaon Batti,’ was recognised and honoured with the Maharashtra Literary Parishad Award for Best Comedy- Joshi Award.
• Shirish completed LLB from Mumbai University. After that, he worked as a journalist with English news publications like Indian Express, Daily, Free Press Journal, and Syndicated Press News Agency. He has written columns for newspapers like Loksatta, Maharashtra Times, Lokmat, Saamna, Pudaari, Weekly Manohar, and Weekly Lokprabha. His collection of stories, Lagav Batti was awarded the Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad. He also received the Joshi Award.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Hepatitis Day

• Every year on July 28th, the world observes World Hepatitis Day to raise global awareness about hepatitis. The main objective of this awareness drive is to address the concerning statistics, which indicate that someone dies from hepatitis or related conditions every 30 seconds worldwide. Therefore, it is crucial to have precise information about the disease and take necessary actions. The campaigns and activities conducted on World Hepatitis Day 2023 aim to educate people about the disease and its various aspects.
• World Hepatitis Day is observed each year on 28 July to raise awareness on viral hepatitis, and this year’s theme is ‘one life, one liver’. Each year, this day focuses on a specific theme to increase knowledge about the current situation of hepatitis worldwide and bring about positive changes. Various events such as campaigns, seminars, and lectures are organized, inviting people from all over the world to participate and learn more about the disease.
• About: Hepatitis - Hepatitis virus has five commonly known strains: Type A, B, C, D and E. All of them affect the liver but there are some key differences in origin, transmission and severity of the disease. Hepatitis can be preventable with immunization and manageable, but there is no cure at present.

World Conservation Day / World Nature Conservation Day

• World Conservation Day or World Nature Conservation Day is observed globally on 28 July every year. The day aims to raise awareness about the importance of conserving nature and biodiversity It emphasizes that a healthy environment is important for a stable and healthy society.
• World Nature Conservation Day promotes the idea that a healthy environment is the foundation of a prosperous mankind. The day serves as an opportunity to create positive opinions and attitudes towards climate change.
• The theme for World Nature Conservation Day 2023 is "Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet."This theme highlights the vital role of forests in supporting both human livelihoods and the overall well-being of the planet.
• History - The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) was established in 1948 to address environmental concerns caused by industrialization and human activities. During the 1960s and 1970s, the IUCN shifted its focus to species and habitat conservation in response to the destruction of ecosystems.
• The IUCN Red List for Threatened Species was created to assess the conservation status of various species, indicating their vulnerability to extinction.
• In 2000, the IUCN introduced nature-based solutions, which use ecosystems and biodiversity to address climate change, food security and poverty alleviation.
• World Nature Conservation Day is observed annually on 28 July to raise awareness about the importance of nature conservation and sustainable practices.

 SUMMIT'S & MOU's

India AI And Meta Sign MoU To Collaborate On AI Technologies,

• ‘India AI’ and Meta entered into a collaboration aimed at advancing research and development in AI & Emerging Technologies, as per a press release from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on July 26, 2023. The partnership will use Meta’s AI research models such as LlaMA, Massively Multilingual Speech, and No Language Left Behind to create datasets in Indian Languages to enable translation and large language models. Special attention will be given to low-resource languages (languages with fewer available resources to support their development and inclusion in AI systems).
• About: India AI - India AI is the national AI portal of India established by the IT Ministry, National eGovernance Division and NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Service Companies), under the Digital India Corporation. On its website, India AI describes itself as a “knowledge portal, research organisation and an ecosystem building initiative” that promotes “collaborations with various entities in India’s AI ecosystem.”

PM Modi inaugurated the Semicon India 2023 conclave in Gujarat

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Semicon India 2023 conclave at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat today, July 28. He also address the gathering on the occasion. The three-day conclave is being organized by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to showcase India's semiconductor strategy and development in the field of Semiconductors.
• The theme of the Conference is ‘Catalysing India’s Semiconductor Ecosystem’. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Union Minister of Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnav, and Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar, will be present at the inaugural ceremony. More from our correspondent:-

G-20 Conference on Green & Sustainable Growth Agenda for Global Economy to begin in New Delhi

• NITI Aayog will convene a two-day G20 conference on the Green and Sustainable Growth Agenda for the Global Economy in New Delhi today, July 28. The aim of this conference is to examine prospects and challenges for green and sustainable growth globally.
• NITI Aayog CEO, BVR Subrahmanyam will give opening remarks of the conference, while the goals and process of the workshop will be elaborated upon by G20 India Sherpa, Amitabh Kant, and Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog Suman K. Bery.
• The Aayog in a statement highlighted that the first day of the workshop will focus on themes related to energy, climate, technology, policy, and reshaping global finance for sustainable growth. The second day will discuss several themes related to multilateralism as well as adjustment, resilience, and inclusion in an uncertain world. The Aayog further said that around 40 leading thinkers will attend this conference.

India, Lao People's Democratic Republic signs MoUs for implementation of five Quick Impact Projects in different fields

• India and Lao People's Democratic Republic signed five Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) for the implementation of five Quick Impact Projects in the fields of education, health, water facility and IT were also signed. The MoUs were signed during the 3rd round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between the two countries today in Vientiane, Lao PDR. The Indian side was led by Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs Saurabh Kumar and Deputy Foreign Minister of Lao PDR Phoxay Khaykhamphithoune led his side.
• According to the Ministry of External Affairs, relations between the two countries are historical and cordial. During the consultation, both sides comprehensively reviewed the spectrum of bilateral relations and discussed ways to enhance cooperation in development partnership, economic and trade ties, agriculture, health, education, defence, and heritage conservation. The two sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, as well as cooperation in multilateral fora such as the United Nations, ASEAN, and Mekong Ganga Cooperation.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Byculla railway station gets UNESCO’s Asia Pacific Cultural Heritage award

• The prestigious UNESCO Asia Pacific Cultural Heritage award was received by Byculla Railway Station located in Mumbai, this award was declared in November 2022, highlighting the station’s significant contribution to cultural heritage conservation. The recognition came after the station underwent extensive restoration work, bringing it back to its original glory.
• An NGO of BJP politician, namely ‘I Love Mumbai’ and spoke person Shaina NC took up the restoration work of the Byculla railway station, with the help of heritage conservation architect Abha Lamba and Minal Bajaj Trust, which partnered in the conservation work.
• About: Byculla Railway Station - Byculla is railway station on the Central line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway. It is located in the neighbourhood of Byculla. The station is a Grade-I heritage structure, It is considered to be one of the oldest railway station that is still in operation. With a history dating back 169 years, the station stands as a testament to the rich heritage of India’s railway system.

BANKING AND ECONOMY

India and ADB sign $295 million loan to upgrade state highways in Bihar

• The Indian government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have joined hands once again to enhance infrastructure in Bihar. Through a $295-million loan, the project aims to upgrade approximately 265 km of state highways in Bihar, incorporating climate and disaster-resilient designs and road safety measures.
• The initiative aligns with the Bihar government’s vision to improve all state highways to standard two-lane widths and prioritize road safety. Additionally, the upgraded roads are expected to boost connectivity in impoverished rural regions, improving access to essential services like health, education, and markets, ultimately enhancing the well-being of the people.