WEEKLY-GK-12-21-JULY

India to become world's most populated nation in 2023?

India is expected to become the world's most populated country in 2023, surpassing
China four years ahead of the earlier estimate by UN. As per the UN report, the world's
total population is expected to hit 8 billion by November 2022.

When to see Buck Moon 2022?

Buck Moon 2022 will be visible across the world on July 13, 2022. The supermoon is
known as buck moon as it is named after antlers that form automatically on the head
of antelope around this time of the year.

See first image of Early Universe by James Webb Space

Telescope
The first image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope was unveiled by US
President Joe Biden on July 12, 2022. It is the deepest and sharpest infrared image of
the universe, which contains light from galaxies that has taken many billions of years
to reach us.

Harmanpreet Kaur to lead India in Commonwealth Games 2022

Harmanpreet Kaur will lead the Indian women's cricket team in the upcoming
Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022. India is one of the five national teams that
qualified for the CWG on the basis of its ICC Women's T20I ranking

Jasprit Bumrah regains top spot in ICC ODI Bowler Rankings

Jasprit Bumrah has regained top rank in the ICC ODI Bowler Rankings 2022. He is the
only Indian bowler in top 10 ODI Bowler rankings. The next ranked Indian bowler is
Yuzvendra Chahal, who has slipped two places to the 20th place.

NASA reveals first images of unseen Universe

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NASA has released a wave of images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. The
images reveal unseen parts of the universe, paving the way for a new era of
astronomy.

Sri Lanka Declares Emergency as President Rajapaksa flees

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe declared a state of emergency in the
country after President Gotabaaya Rajapaksa fled the country. The Sri Lankan PM was
appointed as the acting President of the country by Parliamentary speaker.

Mohammed Shami becomes fastest Indian to take 150 ODI

wickets
Mohammed Shami has become the fastest Indian bowler to take 150 ODI wickets,
surpassing Indian pacer Ajit Agarkar's record. The bowler has equaled the record of
Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan. He took 80 matches to reach the landmark of 150
wickets, while Ajit Agarkar took 97 matches to achieve the feat.

Daler Mehndi arrested in 2003 Human Trafficking Case

Daler Mehndi has been sentenced to two years of imprisonment by a district court in
Patiala. He was arrested by the police on July 14, 2022 in relation to a 2003 Human
trafficking case.

Rohit Sharma to lead in T20 Series against West Indies, Kohli

and Bumrah rested
The BCCI on July 14, 2022 announced an 18-member squad for the upcoming 5-match
T20 series against West Indies. Rohit Sharma will be leading India in the series. The
squad also includes the names of KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav who are returning from
injuries and leaves out former skipper Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah.

Agricultural Park Project worth USD 2 Billion announced in

India at I2U2 Summit
An agricultural park project worth around USD 2 billion was announced during the first
I2U2 Leaders' Summit. The park project will be partly funded by the UAE with support
from US private sector and technical expertise from Israel.

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Kerala reports India's first suspected case of Monkeypox
Kerala has reported a suspected case of monkeypox in an individual who had recently
returned from the UAE. This is the first such reporting in India. The traveller's samples
have been sent for testing to NIV Pune.

Saudi Arabia opens up airspace to all air carriers

● The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) announced on July 14,
2022 that the country’s airspace will now be open to all carriers that fullfil its
requirements for overflights.
● This is in line with international conventions that say there should be no
discrimination between civil aircraft.
● The announcement of an open-skies policy means shorter flights from Asia to
Israel.This is a sign that relations between the two countries are warming.

Tokyo to host 2025 World Athletics Championships

● Tokyo, the capital city of Japan will host the 2025 World Athletics
Championships.
● This was decided by the World Athletics Council during its meeting in Oregon,
United States on July 14, 2022.
● The 2024 World Athletics Cross Country Championships will be held in Medulin
and Pula in Croatia and 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships will
be held in Tallahassee, Florida.

PV Sindhu reaches semifinals of Singapore Open 2022

● PV Sindhu beats China's Han Yue in the women's singles category to reach
semifinals in the ongoing Singapore Open 2022.
● The double olympic medalist produced a strong comeback after losing the
opening set in the ongoing Singapore Open 2022.
● She will now face Japan's Saena Kawakami, world No. 38, in the semifinals.

Italy Prime Minister Draghi offers resignation

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 ● Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi announced on July 14, 2022 said that he
would resign from the post after a party in his ruling coalition withdrew support
in a confidence vote.
● The senators from one of the biggest parties in Mario Draghi's coalition
government, the Five Star Movement, had abstained from voting in the
confidence motion, throwing Italy's government into crisis.
● Though the government survived by 172 to 39, Draghi announced that he would
not lead a unity government that had no unity.
Italy's President Sergio Mattarella has, however, refused to accept his
resignation.

NASA to resume ISS flights with Russia

● NASA announced on July 15, 2022 that it would resume flights to the
International Space Station with Russia.
● This comes despite attempts by the west to isolate Moscow over the invasion of
Ukraine.
● NASA said in a statement that it will resume integrated crews on US crew
spacecraft and the Russian Soyuz to ensure continued safe operations of the
International Space Station.

Jagdeep Dhankhar and Margaret Alva nominated as Vice

President Candidates
The former Governor of West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar has been nominated as the
BJP-led NDA's Vice President Candidate. His resignation from the post of West Bengal
Governor was accepted by President Ram Nath Kovind on July 17, 2022. On the other
hand, the opposition has decided to nominate Margaret Alva as their joint candidate
for the Vice-Presidential election. She is a former Rajasthan Governor.

Rishabh Pant becomes first Asian wicketkeeper-batsman to

score ODI, Test centuries in England
Rishabh Pant has become the first Asian-wicketkeeper batsman to score a century in
both ODI and Tests in England. His 125 runs not out and 133-run partnership with
Hardik Pandya led India to a five-wicket win against England in the final ODI. Rishabh

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Pant achieved this feat with his match-winning maiden century against England in the
final ODI at Manchester.

Black Fever cases reported in West Bengal

At least 65 cases of Black Fever or 'Kala Azar' have been reported in 11 districts
across West Bengal in the past weeks. The highest number of cases have been
reported from Darjeeling, Malda, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur and Kalimpong
districts. As per the state official, recent surveillance has led to the detection of 65
cases of Black Fever in 11 districts of West Bengal.

Ben Stokes announces retirement from ODIs

England all-rounder announced retirement from ODI (One Day International) Cricket on
July 18, 2022. The shocking announcement was made by the player via Social Media
in which he informed that the first ODI between England and South Africa in Durham
will be his last match in the format. Ben Stokes was also recently named the Captain
of England's Test Team.

Kerala reports India's second Monkeypox Case

India has reported its second Monkeypox case in the Kannur district in Kerala. The
officials from the Union Health Ministry confirmed the case on July 18, 2022. The
second case of Monkeypox has been reported in a 31-year male who is undergoing
treatment at Pariyaram Medical College in Kannur. The Health Minister of Kerala
informed that the patient's condition is satisfactory.

Sore Throat, Sneezing, Night Sweats among new COVID

Symptoms
Several countries across the globe including the United Kingdom have reported a spike
in COVID-19 cases due to the spread of the highly-contagious Omicron subvariants,
BA.4 and BA.5. The analysis of the new wave of infections reveal new COVID
symptoms such as sneezing and sore throat.

New GST Rates come into effect from July 18

The new GST rates were brought into effect on July 18, 2022. While many of the
goods, especially household items have become expensive, some have become

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cheaper. Now, 5 percent GST will be charged on pre-packed and labeled food items
such as wheat, rice, paneer, butter milk, jaggery and even labeled meat and fish.

Ghana declares first outbreak of deadly Marburg virus

Ghana has officially confirmed its first outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus. The
country confirmed two cases of the virus, both of whom passed away shortly after
falling sick. The two patients were unrelated and had shown Marburg virus symptoms
including nausea, fever, diarrhea and vomiting.

Eminent Singer Bhupinder Singh passes away at 82

Veteran Ghazal singer Bhupinder Singh passed away on July 19 at the age of 82 due to
a heart attack. He had been ailing for sometime and was undergoing treatment at a
Mumbai hospital for the past 10 days.

Ashish Kumar Chauhan appointed as new NSE CEO

Ashish Kumar Chauhan has been appointed by SEBI as the next CEO and Managing
Director of National Stock Exchange (NSE). He will be succeeding Vikram Limaye in
the position, whose term ended on July 15. He is currently serving as the CEO of
Bombay Stock Exchange.

Japan has world's most powerful passport, India ranked at 87

Japan has the world's most powerful passport, as per Henley Passport Index 2022.
The holder of the Japanese passport will get visa-free access to 193 countries. India
has slipped to 87th place with visa-free access to 60 countries.

Ranil Wickremesinghe elected as new Sri Lankan President

The six-time Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected as the new President
of Sri Lanka in a parliamentary vote on July 20th. He will succeed Gotabaya Rajapaksa
who submitted his resignation recently after the presidential palace was stormed by
protestors.

James Webb Space Telescope damaged permanently?

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The James Webb Space Telescope has reportedly suffered irreparable damage due to
a strike by micrometeorites. Six micrometeorites had struck the world's most powerful
telescope's primary mirror, causing damage that could be more serious than expected
earlier.

Climate Change causing severe heatwave in Europe?

As per experts, climate change is causing searing heatwave and wildfires in Europe.
UK broke its all-time high temperature record on July 19th, hitting 39.1 degrees
Celsius. The experts warn that the intense heatwave is causing high levels of
ground-level ozone that is harmful for human health

Droupadi Murmu set to become First Tribal Woman President

of India
Droupadi Murmu is set to become the 15th President of India. She had crossed 50
percent marks of the total valid votes cast at the end of the third round of voting. She
is expected to win the Indian Presidential race, beating the opposition candidate
Yashwant Sinha by a wide margin.

India's GDP Growth forecast cut to 7 percent by FICCI Survey

India's GDP growth rate for FY 2022-23 has been cut from 7.4 percent to 7 percent by
the latest survey by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(FICCI). India's GDP forecast for this fiscal is slower than RBI's projection of 7.2
percent.

Karnataka, Chandigarh and Manipur top India Innovation

Index 2022

Karnataka has topped Niti Aayog's India Innovation Index 2022 among major
states, followed by Telangana and Haryana. Chandigarh topped among city-states
and union territories, followed by Delhi and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Ranil Wickremesinghe takes oath as new Sri Lankan President

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Ranil Wickremesinghe took oath as the new Sri Lankan President on July 21, 2022.
The six-time Prime Minister was elected to the post yesterday by the parliament. He
had taken up the role of acting President of Sri Lanka after Gotabaya Rajapaksa
submitted his resignation from the post.

Indian Passport Holders can visit these 60 countries visa free

Indian Passport holders can visit 60 countries across the world without the
requirement of visa including Cambodia, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri
Lanka, Thailand, Macao, Bolivia. Check Full List here.

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