• India has appointed Brajendra Navnit, a 1999 IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre as its Ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved his appointment for a period of three years from the date of assumption of charge.
• Navnit has succeeded JS Deepak, a 1982 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, whose tenure as India’s Ambassador to the global trade watchdog ended on May 31. This decision comes ahead of the crucial 13th ministerial conference of the WTO in 2024. Navnit’s extended term demonstrates India’s commitment to promoting its key priorities on the global trade stage.

• India's external debt rose marginally to USD 624.7 billion annually at end-March 2023, although the debt-GDP ratio declined. The external debt rose by USD 5.6 billion from USD 619.1 billion at end-March 2022.
• "The external debt to GDP ratio declined to 18.9 per cent at end-March 2023 from 20 per cent at end-March 2022," said the Reserve Bank's data on India's External Debt as at end-March 2023. Valuation gains due to the appreciation of the US dollar compared to the Indian rupee and major currencies such as yen, SDR, and euro were placed at USD 20.6 billion.

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• India's first indigenously developed 700 MW nuclear power reactor at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (KAPP) in Gujarat started commercial operations.  Presently, the unit is operating at 90 per cent of its total power. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is building two 700 MW pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) at Kakrapar, which is also home to two 220 MW power plants.
• The government has sanctioned building of 10 indigenously developed PHWRs in fleet mode at four locations -- Gorakhpur in Haryana, Chutka in Madhya Pradesh, Mahi Banswara in Rajasthan and Kaiga in Karnataka.

• The "Trophy Tour" of the 132nd edition of Durand Cup, India's oldest football tournament, was flagged off on 30 June 2023 at a function held at Manekshaw Centre, Delhi Cantt. It was flagged off by Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pandey, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhary and President of All India Football Federation (AIFF) Kalyan Choubey.
• This tournament will be organized from 03 August to 03 September 2023 in Kolkata. 24 teams including teams from Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh will participate in the 132nd edition of the tournament.

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• The power ministry notified the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme, 2023, to develop the domestic carbon market as the country aims at decarbonising the economy and has committed to cut emissions by 45% from the 2005 levels by 2030.
• As per the scheme, the Centre will constitute a 20-22-member national steering committee (NSC), headed by the power and the environment secretaries, to govern and have a direct oversight of the carbon market.

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• NCP leader Ajit Pawar took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government to take up this role. Ajit Pawar is the son of Sharad Pawar's elder brother Anantrao. He began his political career in 1982 when he was elected to the board of a sugar cooperative.

• On June 28, 2023, TS Singh Deo has been appointed as the first Deputy Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. Singhdeo's appointment has been made after the discussion held on Chhattisgarh elections.
• Ever since winning the election in 2018, there has been a tussle between Bhupesh Baghel and TS Singhdev over becoming the chief minister. The post of CM was fixed between Baghel and Singhdev for two and a half years each but it was not implemented. This year elections are to be held in November 2023 on all the 90 seats of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly.

• National Anti-Doping Agency, India (NADA India) signed a MoU with South Asia Regional Anti-Doping Organization (SARADO) on 3rd July 2023 in New Delhi. Ritu Sain, Director General and CEO, NADA India and Mohammad Mahid Sharif, Director General, SARADO signed the MoU on behalf of their organisations.
• It includes the anti-doping organisations of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. It’s aim is to enhance regional cooperation in the field of anti-doping in sports. It focuses on a variety of areas including anti-doping education and prevention programs.To train and skill sample collection personnel and anti-doping education officers.

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• Max Verstappen took a stunning victory in the Austrian Grand Prix 2023. The Austrian Grand Prix victory marked Verstappen's fifth consecutive victory and seven from nine races in the current season.
• The previous year's winner at this circuit, Charles Leclerc, finished second at the Austrian Grand Prix, crossing the finish line 5.2 seconds behind Verstappen. Sergio Perez, driving for the Red Bull team, finished third, 17.2 seconds behind the race leader.

• Alan Arkin, a versatile and prolific American actor who thrived in both comic and dramatic roles and won an Oscar for playing a heroin-using grandfather in the 2006 film "Little Miss Sunshine," has died at 89.
• Arkin appeared in scores of films, was nominated for an Academy Award four times and won a Tony Award, Broadway's top honors, in 1963 for his first major stage role in Carl Reiner's "Enter Laughing." His first major movie role also earned him an Oscar nomination - best actor for playing a Soviet sailor in the 1966 Cold War comedy "The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!.

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