DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

By admin: July 7, 2024

U.K. PM Keir Starmer Appoints Rachel Reeves as the Country's First Female Chancellor

Tags: International News

Angela Rayner has been named Deputy Prime Minister, and Rachel Reeves has become the country's first female Chancellor of the Exchequer.

An Overview of the News

• Keir Starmer has been appointed as the new UK Prime Minister.

• Cabinet Appointments:

  • Yvette Cooper has been appointed as Home Secretary.

  • David Lammy has been named Foreign Secretary.

  • John Healey has been appointed Defence Secretary.

  • Shabana Mahmood has been named Justice Secretary.

  • Wes Streeting has been appointed Health Secretary.

  • Bridget Phillipson has been named Education Secretary.

  • Ed Miliband has been appointed Energy Secretary.

• The cabinet includes a record number of women, with 11 out of the 25 members being female.

About UK

• The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, often referred to as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is situated in Northwestern Europe.

• It includes four constituent countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

• Geographically, it is located off the coast of the continental mainland of Europe.

• Capital - London

• Prime Minister - Keir Starmer

Abhay Singh Clinches Men’s and Mixed Doubles Titles at Asian Squash Championships

Tags: Sports

Abhay Singh, representing India, won both the men’s doubles and mixed doubles titles at the Asian Doubles Squash Championships in Johor, Malaysia.

An Overview of the News

• Men’s Doubles Title:

  • Abhay Singh, paired with Velavan Senthilkumar, clinched the men’s doubles title.

  • They defeated Malaysia’s Ong Sai Hung and Syafiq Kamal with scores of 11-4, 11-5 in the final.

• Mixed Doubles Title:

  • Abhay Singh partnered with Joshna Chinappa to win the mixed doubles title.

  • They triumphed over Hong Kong’s Tong Tsz Wing and Tang Ming Hong 11-8, 10-11, 11-5 in a closely contested final.

Semi-Final Wins:

• In the men’s doubles semi-final, Abhay and Velavan defeated Japan’s Tomotaka Endo and Naoki Hayashi 11-9, 11-2.

• Abhay and Joshna secured their place in the mixed doubles final by beating Hong Kong’s Cheng Nga Ching and Lai Cheuk Nam Matthew 11-8, 11-10 in the semi-finals.

Dhruv Sitwala Wins 2024 Asian Billiards Championship Title

Tags: Sports

Dhruv Sitwala triumphed over Pankaj Advani in the 2024 Asian Billiards Championship final held in Riyadh.

An Overview of the News

• The match concluded with Dhruv Sitwala winning 5 frames to Pankaj Advani's 2.

• Pankaj Advani, aiming for a hat-trick of titles, fell short in the final against his compatriot Dhruv Sitwala.

Match Summary: Dhruv vs. Advani

• Start: Dhruv begins strong with 103 points; Advani starts scoreless.

• Mid-game: Advani improves with 36 points, Dhruv maintains dominance with 100 points.

• Turning point: Advani scores 101 points in the third round; Dhruv struggles with 2 points.

• Advani's surge: Advani scores 100 points in the fourth round; Dhruv scores 11 points.

• Closing stages: Dhruv scores 100 points in round five; Advani scores 64 points.

• Final rounds: Dhruv scores 101 and 100 points; Advani scores 23 and 0 points.

About Pankaj Advani

• Pankaj Advani, born on July 24, 1985, is an Indian billiards and snooker player.

• He holds a remarkable 27 IBSF world championship titles.

• In billiards, he has won 18 world titles, including 17 IBSF World Billiards Championships.

• In snooker, he has won the IBSF World Snooker Championship three times.

• He also has victories in the IBSF World Six-Red Championship twice.

• Advani holds the record for the most IBSF world championships.

• He was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2004.

• In 2006, he received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna.

• Advani was honored with the Padma Shri in 2009.

• He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2018.

Capt Anshuman Singh Posthumously Awarded Kirti Chakra

Tags: Awards

Capt Anshuman Singh of the Army Medical Corps was posthumously awarded the Kirti Chakra for exceptional bravery.

An Overview of the News

• He was awarded for exhibiting exceptional bravery and resolve during a major fire incident.

• The award was presented by President Droupadi Murmu during an investiture ceremony.

• Capt Singh's wife, Smriti, and his mother, Manju Singh, accepted the award.

Captain Anshuman Singh's Heroic Rescue and Sacrifice

• Captain Anshuman Singh was a doctor with the Army Medical Corps, 26TH Battalion Punjab Regiment.

• On July 19, 2023, he rushed into a burning structure in the early hours of the morning.

• Captain Singh managed to rescue four to five people trapped inside the building.

• Unfortunately, he succumbed to the injuries he sustained in the fire.

About Kirti Chakra

• It is an Indian military decoration.

• It is awarded for valour, courageous action, or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield.

• Both civilians and military personnel are eligible, including posthumous awards.

• It is the peacetime equivalent of the Maha Vir Chakra.

• The Kirti Chakra is the second-highest peacetime gallantry award, after the Ashoka Chakra and before the Shaurya Chakra.

• Prior to 1967, it was known as the Ashoka Chakra, Class II.

Russian Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko Becomes First Human to Spend 1,000 Days in Space

Tags: International News

On June 3, 2024, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko was announced by Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, as the first person to spend a total of 1,000 days in space.

An Overview of the News

• Kononenko's record was reached during his ongoing mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), which began on September 15, 2023.

Mission Details

• Total Time in Space: By the end of his current mission on September 23, 2024, Kononenko will have spent a total of 1,110 days in orbit.

• Multiple Missions: Kononenko accumulated his time in space over five separate missions to the ISS. His first mission was Expedition 17, which launched in April 2008.

Previous Records

• In February 2024, Kononenko broke the previous record of 878 days in space set by his colleague, Gennady Padalka.

About The International Space Station (ISS)

• It was commissioned in 1998 and has been fully operational since 2011.

• The first astronauts were sent to the ISS in 2000.

• It is operated by 16 countries, led by NASA, including America, Russia, Japan, Brazil, Canada, and 11 European countries.

• The ISS is the most complex international scientific and engineering project and the largest manned spaceflight structure.

• It orbits Earth at an average altitude of 400 kilometers, completing an orbit every 90 minutes at a speed of about 28,000 kilometers per hour.

• The ISS appears as a bright moving light in the night sky, similar to the planet Venus.

Russia

• Capital and largest city - Moscow

• Official and national language - Russian

• President - Vladimir Putin

• Prime Minister - Mikhail Mishustin