Daily Current Affairs- 3 July 2024

Daily Current Affairs- 3rd July 2024

INTERNATIONAL

Indian Army commences Joint Military exercise Maitree with Thai Army

• The Indian Army has commenced its joint military exercise Maitree with the Royal Thai Army at Fort Vachiraprakan in Tak Province of Thailand. The exercise will be held from 1 to 15 July 2024. The last Maitri exercise was held at the Foreign Training Node, Umroi, Meghalaya, from 16 to 29 September 2019.
• About - The bilateral Maitree exercise was started between the Indian Army and the Royal Thai Army in 2006. Since then, it has been regularly conducted between the two armies, In the latest edition of the Maitre, 76 army personnel from the Ladakh Scouts and other divisions of the Indian Army are participating in the exercise, The 76 personnel of the Royal Thailand Army, mainly from its 1st Battalion, 14 Infantry Regiment of 4 Division, are participating in the exercise. 

India-Mongolia Joint Military Exercise ‘Nomadic Elephant’ To Begin in Meghalaya

• The 16th edition of the India-Mongolia joint military exercise “Nomadic Elephant” is set to commence on July 3 in Umroi, Meghalaya, according to the Indian Army, The two-week training event, concluding on July 16, aims to enhance interoperability between the two nations’ armies in semi-conventional operations within semi-urban and mountainous terrains under UN mandate.
• About - Exercise ‘Nomadic Elephant’ is an annual training event with Mongolia which is conducted alternatively in Mongolia and India. The 15th edition of the Joint Military Exercise ‘Nomadic Elephant’ was conducted in Mongolia’s Ulaanbaatar, according to the Ministry of Defence’s earlier press release. Soldiers of the Mongolian Armed Forces Unit 084 and Indian Army soldiers from the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry Regiment had participated in the exercise in 2023. 

China Builds New Presidential Palace in Vanuatu

• China has constructed a new presidential palace in Vanuatu, symbolizing the strengthening relationship between the two nations, the government of cash-strapped Vanuatu will soon settle into a suite of new buildings funded by China, a move likely to reignite concerns about Beijing's reach in the South Pacific nation.
• At an official handover ceremony conducted in front of a towering China Aid billboard, Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai announced the opening of the nation's sweeping new presidential palace. 

Dick Schoof sworn in as the new Dutch Prime Minister

• The Netherlands has a different Prime Minister for the first time in 14 years as Dutch King Willem-Alexander swore in the country’s new government, more than seven months after elections dominated by a far-right, anti-Islam party.
• Dick Schoof, former head of the Dutch intelligence agency and counterterrorism office, signed the official royal decree at Huis Ten Bosch Palace, saying he “declared and promised” to uphold his duties as the country’s prime minister. The 67-year-old was formally installed alongside 15 other ministers who make up the country’s right-leaning coalition. 

NATIONAL

International Toy Fair to Begin on July 6 with Over 100 Foreign Buyers

• More than 300 domestic companies and over 100 foreign buyers from the US, Germany and other countries are expected to participate in the four-day international toy fair beginning on July 6 in the national capital, More than 250 Indian brands will display their products during the fair, which is being organised at Pragati Maidan Delhi.
• Toy Association of India senior vice-president Naresh Kumar Gautam said that the 15th Toy Biz International B2B Expo 2024 is the largest fair in South Asia. It is a big platform for Indian toy makers to showcase their products and capabilities to the global audience.

 SPORTS

India Finishes on Top at U23 Asian Wrestling Championship 2024

• In wrestling, India finished on top at the Under 23 Asian Wrestling Championship 2024, in Amman, Jordan. The young Indian grapplers clinched a total of eight medals in freestyle wrestling, including four gold, two silver and two bronze medals.
• Abhimanyu in the 70 kg category, Jointy Kumar in 92 kg, Sahil Jaglan in 97 kg and Anirudh Kumar in the 125 kg category bagged the gold medals. Rohit in 65 kg and Jaideep at 74 Kg contributed with silver medals, while bronze medals were secured by Shubham in 57 kg and Amit in 79 kg. This is an all-time performance by the Indian contingent at the prestigious event. Kazakhstan took second place while Kyrgyzstan won third. 

APPOINTMENS & RESIGNATIONS

SARS Commissioner re-elected as WCO Council Chairperson

• The highest decision-making body of the World Customs Organization, the WCO Council, has re-elected the South African Revenue Service (SARS) Commissioner Edward Kieswetter as its Chairperson for a second term.
• Following his re-election (2024 - 2025), Kieswetter said the WCO is becoming ever more important, given the technological and big data innovations that facilitate trade, the growth of eCommerce, as well as global uncertainties taking place in the geo-political landscape.

 IMPORTANT DAYS

International Plastic Bag Free Day

• International Plastic Bag Free Day is celebrated on July 3 every year. This day aims to raise awareness about the harmful effects of plastic bags on our environment. It encourages people to stop using plastic bags and find eco-friendly alternatives.
• Rezero, a member of Zero Waste Europe (ZWE), initiated the first International Plastic Bag Free Day on July 3, 2008. The occasion was initially celebrated in Catalonia alone but gained wider recognition the following year when ZWE introduced it to the European Union. 

SUMMITS & MOUs

MoD inks MoU to set up testing facilities in Unmanned Aerial System, Electronic Warfare & Electro Optics domains in Tamil Nadu

• Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed an MoU to establish three state-of-the-art testing facilities in Chennai under the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor - one each in Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), Electronic Warfare (EW) and Electro Optics (EO) domains.
• The MoU, under the Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS), was exchanged between senior officials of MoD and Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Limited in the presence of Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane in New Delhi on July 02, 2024. 

Global India AI Summit 2024 to be held In New Delhi

• Minister of Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw will inaugurate the Global India AI Summit 2024 in New Delhi on Wednesday (3rd July 2024). The two-day summit is to feature a diverse array of sessions designed to delve deep into critical aspects of AI application, governance and for nurturing talent and scaling AI innovations.
• This summit marks a pivotal moment for India as it underscores its commitment to fostering responsible artificial intelligence (AI) development on a global scale. The Ministry said that international delegates, AI experts, and policymakers will participate in the summit. On the occasion, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Jitin Prasad, will also be speaking at the inauguration.