Current Affairs (18th July, 2023)

Current Affairs

On July 17 every year, the global community observes World Day for International Justice to honour the crucial role played by organizations like the International Criminal Court in delivering justice to individuals who have suffered from various crimes.
This significant day commemorates the adoption of the Rome Statute on July 17, 1998, which established the ICC and aimed to safeguard people from genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.

As contingent of 43 Indian Army personnel has departed for Mongolia to participate in the joint military exercise called 'Nomadic Elephant 2023'.
This exercise, conducted alternatively in India and Mongolia, aims to enhance military relations, exchange best practices, and foster inter-operability, camaraderie, and friendship between the two armies.
The previous edition of these joint drills took place in October 2019 at the Special Forces Training School in Bakloh, India.

China and Russia have made an announcement regarding their upcoming joint naval exercises, further strengthening their defence cooperation.
The two countries have been increasing their military contacts, which have included joint military drills in recent months.

President Joe Biden has revealed his plans to appoint Shamina Singh, a highly regarded Indian American business leader, to the President's Export Council.
Shamina Singh, who currently holds the positions of Founder and President of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and Executive Vice President of Sustainability at Mastercard, expressed her honour at being chosen for this distinguished role.

President Draupadi Murmu will present the "Bhoomi Samman" award for 2023 in New Delhi.
This award will be bestowed upon nine State Secretaries and 68 District Collectors, along with their respective teams, in recognition of their exceptional achievements in implementing the core components of the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme.
It marks the first time in the past 75 years that they will receive the prestigious "Bhoomi Samman" for their outstanding performance.
"Bhoomi Samman" Scheme serves as a remarkable example of collaborative federalism between the central and state governments, built on trust and partnership.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Abu Dhabi, India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed agreements to enhance cooperation in various sectors, including trade, energy, and climate action.
As part of these agreements, two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed between the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Central Bank of UAE.
The first MoU establishes a framework for using national currencies, the rupee and dirham, for cross-border transactions, including current account and permitted capital account transactions.
This move aims to promote the use of the rupee and dirham in trade settlements.
The second MoU focuses on cooperation in interlinking payment and messaging systems, facilitating real-time cross-border transactions.
Additionally, an MoU was signed between India's education ministry and Abu Dhabi authorities, outlining plans for the establishment of a new campus for the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-Delhi) in Abu Dhabi.

India and Indonesia have jointly announced their collaboration in developing a real-time payment mechanism and facilitating trade using local currencies.
The finance minister of Indonesia stated that discussions will be held between the two countries regarding potential cooperation in digital technology, payments systems operated by central banks, and the utilization of local currencies.
In addition, they have initiated an Economic and Financial Dialogue, with a primary focus on strengthening bilateral trade and investment, financial services, and infrastructure development, among other areas.