ANS : C 

• India defeated Kuwait by 5-4 in the penalty shootout of the final of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.
• The match ended 1-1 in regulation time of the summit clash, which led to players from both the sides to take penalty shots from the spot for the coveted title.
• Defending champion India and Kuwait had also played out a 1-1 draw in their last group match.
• Chhangte was named AIFF Men’s Player of the Year.

ANS : D 

• The Board of Control of Cricket (BCCI) appointed Ajit Agarkar as the chairman of the Senior Men’s Selection Committee.
• The decision was made by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), consisting of Sulakshana Naik, Ashok Malhotra, and Jatin Paranjape.
• After interviewing several applicants for the position the CAC unanimously decided to appoint Ajit Agarkar as the chairman.
• The Senior Men’s Selection Committee now consists of Ajit Agarkar (Chairperson), Shiv Sundar Das, Subroto Banerjee, Salil Ankola, and Sridharan Sharath.
• The former India all-rounder represented the country in 26 Tests, 191 ODIs, and four T20Is, in addition to playing 110 first-class, 270 List A, and 62 T20 matches.
  • As a former fast bowler, he was part of India’s victorious squad in the inaugural T20 World Cup held in South Africa in 2007.

ANS : D 

• Asics India Private Limited, a sports gear company, has appointed actor Shraddha Kapoor as its new brand ambassador.
• The company said it will focus on the theme of ‘Sound Mind, Sound Body’ and the actor will endorse the brand’s footwear and women’s sportswear segment.

Recent Appointments : 

• Vice Admiral Atul Anand taook over as Additional Secretary, DMA
• Govt re-appointed Brajendra Navnit as India’s ambassador to WTO in June 2023.
• Debadatta Chand appointed managing director & chief executive officer of Bank of Baroda

ANS : A 

• Quick Heal Technologies Ltd, global cybersecurity solutions provider, has announced the appointment of Vishal Salvi as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with immediate effect.
• Vishal Salvi, a former executive at Infosys, has over 29 years of experience in the cybersecurity and information technology domains in India and globally.
• Prior to joining Quick Heal Technologies, Vishal Salvi held the position of Global Chief Information Security Officer, Business Head of the Cybersecurity Service Line and Senior Vice President at Infosys.

ANS : C 

• Indian football team midfielder Lallianzuala Chhangte was named the AIFF Men’s Footballer of the Year for 2022-23 while Manisha Kalyan won her second consecutive Women’s Footballer of the Year award. 
• The 26-year-old Lallianzuala Chhangte beat Nandhakumar Sekar and Naorem Mahesh Singh of East Bengal to win the award.
• Lallianzuala Chhangte bagged the award on the back of some stellar performances for the Indian national team and Mumbai City FC, his club.
• The winger made 12 appearances for the national team during the 2022-23 season, scoring two goals and providing one assist.
• The Mizoram player was also the highest scorer among Indians in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 season with 10 goals and six assists in 22 appearances. 
• AIFF Men’s Footballer of the Year 2022-23: Lallianzuala Chhangte
• AIFF Women’s Footballer of the Year 2022-23: Manisha Kalyan
• AIFF Men’s Emerging Footballer of the Year 2022-23: Akash Mishra
• AIFF Women’s Emerging Footballer of the Year 2022-23: Shilji Shaji

ANS : B 

• The National Centre of Seismology (NCS) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences recently installed six seismogram towers in Joshimath to monitor land subsidence and develop a robust solution.
• These towers will facilitate in compiling data for a study on whether the region has natural or man-made hydrological changes causing land subsidence.
• The study will help prepare seismic micro-zonation maps, which are very useful in urban planning because they help predict the impact of earthquakes.
• After this, the Chamoli region, where Joshimath is located, will have its own building design code for future development.
• It will also help in long-term planning for the sustainable development of high seismic zones in the Himalayan region.
• The result of this study will come in December 2023.

ANS : A 

• Marta will be playing her last Women’s World Cup, scheduled to be held in Australia and New Zealand.
• The 37-year-old Marta made her World Cup debut in 2003 and is Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 117 goals.
• She has won the Copa América three times, but is yet to lift the World Cup.
• Marta, has won the FIFA World Player of the Year award six times.

ANS : B 

Bandhan Financial Services Fund :

• Bandhan Mutual Fund launched an open-ended equity scheme, Bandhan Financial Services Fund.
• This new scheme offers investors the opportunity to benefit from the multi-year growth opportunities in the financial services sector.
• This new fund will open on July 10 for subscription and will close on July 24, 2023.
• Sumit Agrawal is the fund manager for this scheme.
• The Bandhan Financial Services Fund will use a 3-factor model for stock selection.
• The fund manager will prioritize the stock’s Earnings Trajectory, Management Quality, and Competitive Positioning, thereby focusing on both the quality and growth aspects of the portfolio.
• Investment in Bandhan Financial Services Fund can be made through licensed mutual fund distributors and online platforms, as well as, directly on the mutual fund’s website.

ANS : C 

• The head of the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization, Qu Dongyu, was re-elected Sunday for a second term as head of the U.N. agency.
• Qu, a former Chinese government minister who was nominated for the post by Beijing, will serve a new four-year term from August 1.
• Qu, a biologist by training, was vice-minister of agriculture before taking over as head of the U.N. agency in 2019.
• FAO directors can hold the role for a maximum of two consecutive terms.

ANS : B 

• To promote use of nano fertilisers across the country, leading cooperative IFFCO will procure 2,500 agri-drones and train 5,000-odd rural entrepreneurs as part of its national campaign launched.
• Already, IFFCO has signed an agreement for procurement of the drones, to be used for spraying of its products nano urea and nano di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), in a phased manner.
• Along with drones, the cooperative will also procure 2,500 electric three- wheelers (loader types) to carry drones to farmers’ fields.
• It is expected that one agri-drone would be able to cover 20 acres per day for spraying IFFCO nano fertilizers and bio-stimulants like Sagarika, Agro- chemicals etc with backup.