Nobel-winning economist Daniel Kahneman dies at 90

• Daniel Kahneman, an Israeli-American cognitive psychologist and Nobel laureate in economics, has died at the age of 90.
• Kahneman was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2002 for integrating psychological research insights into economic science, particularly focusing on human judgment and decision­making in uncertain situations.
• Kahneman was a fellow of the Center for the Study of Rationality at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a member of the university’s Department of Psychology, and a professor and researcher at several leading North American universities.

India's Disaster Management Authority head appointed UN Asst Secretary-General

• Kamal Kishore, the head of India’s National Disaster Management Authority (NOMA), has been appointed UN Assistant Secretary-General with the disaster risk reduction portfolio.
• In addition to his rank as an Assistant Secretary­General, Kishore will also be the Secreary­General ‘s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction heading the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).
• He succeeds Marni Mizutori of Japan.
• Kishore, who as the head of NOMA has the rank of secretary to the government, joined the organisation in 2015.
• In India during the Uttarkashi earthquake in 1991 and the Latur earthquake in 1993, he worked with the Action Research Unit for Development (TARU) on post-disaster reconstruction and resettlement.

Sri Lanka To Host Women's Asia Cup; while 2025 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships moved from Israel

• The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) announced the upcoming Women’s Asia Cup 2024, scheduled to take place in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, from July 19th to July 28th, 2024.
• The tournament will feature eight teams, one more than the previous edition in 2022. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh will be joined by the semifinalists of the Women’s Premier Cup 2024 UAE, Malaysia, Nepal, and Thailand.
• The tournament will also feature all female referees and umpires, following the successful implementation of the same in the previous edition.
• On the other hand the European Gymnastics (EG) has decided to cancel the hosting of the championships in Tel Aviv, scheduled for May next year, due to the current security situation in Israel.
• Several international sporting events have moved out of the region since the conflict began on Oct. 7, including home matches of the Israel and Palestine soccer teams, and the European Water Polo Championships of 2024.

Australian Grand Prix: Carlos Sainz storms to victory

• Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz raced to his first victory of the season with an impressive display during Australian Grand Prix, taking advantage o technical trouble for Max Verstappen in the opening laps that forced the reigning world champion to retire.
• Bidding for a record-equalling 10th victory in a row, Verstappen capitalised on his pole position advantage as the race got underway but soon reported issues behind the wheel, with a compromised second lap opening the door for Sainz to make a move for the lead.
• Sainz went from strength to strength in Verstappen’s absence, building up a solid lead over Lando Norris, team mate Charles Leclerc and home favourite Oscar Piastri as the race developed, eventually taking the chequered flag for the third triumph of his Fl career.

Bharat Biotech Begins Clinical Trials Of TB Vaccine On Adults In India

• Bharat Biotech International Ltd has started clinical trials of the Tuberculosis vaccine Mtbvac on adults in India.
• This is the first vaccine against Tuberculosis derived from a human source by the Spanish biopharmaceutical company, Biofabri.
• The Mtbvac is being developed for two purposes; firstly, as a more effective and potentially longer­lasting vaccine than BCG ( Bacillus Calmette Guerin) for newborns and secondly, for the prevention of TB in adults and adolescents, for whom there is currently no effective vaccine.
• The trials are carried out by Bharat Biotech in close collaboration with Biofabri.
• It is a giant step to test in adults and adolescents in the country where 28 percent of the world’s TB cases accumulate.
• TB remains one of the world’s leading infectious causes of death, especially in India.

Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi sworn in as judicial member, Lokpal of India.

• Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi sworn in as judicial member, Lokpal.
• The oath was administered by Justice A. M. Khanwilkar, Chairperson, Lokpal of India.
• Shri Pankaj Kumar and Shri Ajay Tirkey took oath as member, Lokpal.
• The new appointments took place as two existing Judicial Members namely Justice P. K. Mohanty and Justice Abhilasha Kumari and three Members namely Shri D. K. Jain, Smt. Archana Ramasundaram and Shri Mahender Singh have completed their tenure in Lokpal on 26th March 2024.
• Shri Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, before joining as Judicial Member, Lokpal of India, was serving as the Chairperson of 22nd Law Commission of India.
• Before that, he was Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court.

Morgan Stanley raises India's GDP growth estimate to 6.8 pc for 2025

• Highlighting India’s strength and stability as hallmarks of the current financial cycle, Morgan Stanley has raised its GDP growth forecast for the fiscalyear 2024-25 (FY25) to 6.8 per cent from its previous estimate of 6.5 per cent.
• It also revised its growth forecast for the current financial year (FY24) to 7.9 per cent.
• In FY25 the headline inflation could fall to 4.5 per cent from 5.4 per cent in FY24, while core inflation is projected to remain muted at 4.1 per cent, according to Morgan Stanley.
• Earlier S&P Global raised India’s FY25 growth forecast to 6.8 per cent on the back of strong domestic demand and a pick-up in exports. It expects India’s GDP growth to moderate in the coming fiscal year after better-than-expected 7 .6 per cent growth in FY24.

Md Yousuf, Wahab Riaz, Abdul Razzaq named Pakistan selectors

• Former skipper Mohammad Yousuf, left-arm pacer Wahab Riaz, all-rounder Abdul Razzaq and middle-order batter Asad Safiq were appointed as members of a seven­member national selection committee for Pakistan senior men’s cricket.
• The head coach, captain and analyst will be the other members of the committee, which will also pick the U-19 cricket team.
• PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said that there will be no chairman of the national selection committee and all seven members will have equal powers.
• He also said that two to three coordinators will be appointed later and help the committee but they will not have voting powers.

Pakistan Cricket Board

• CEO: Faisal Hasnain
• Founded: 1 May 1949
• Headquarters: Gaddafi Stadium, Ferozepur Road
• Women’s coach: Mohtashim Rasheed (interim)

Indian hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh appointed co-chair of FIH Athletes Committee

• Indian men’s hockey team goalkeeper PR Sreejesh will co-chair the FIH Athletes Committee along with Chile’s Camila Caram, the International Hockey Federation has announced.
• While Caram has been assigned Athletes Committee Representative in the Executive Board, PR Sreejesh will lead the planning and meetings along with Caram in their roles as co-chairs.
• The FIH Athletes Committee serves as a consultative body and makes recommendations to the FIH Executive Board, FIH Committees, Advisory Panels and other bodies.

Hockey India:

• Coach: Craig Fulton
• President: Dilip Tirkey
• Founded: 2009
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Secretary: Bhola Nath Singh

French, Brazilian presidents meet, announce $1.1 bn investment for Amazon

• The Brazilian and the French presidents announced a plan to invest 1 billion euros (USD 1.1 billion) in the Amazon, including parts of the rainforest in neighbouring French Guiana.
• French President Emmanuel Macron’s and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Incio Lula da Silva are meeting this week to revive the relationship between the countries after years of frictions with former President Jair Bolsonaro, deepen cooperation to protect the rainforest and boost trade.
• The French president decorated Indigenous leader Raoni Metuktire with the prestigious Legion of Honor medal for efforts at conserving the rainforest.
• Macron and Lula will launch a diesel-powered submarine built in Brazil with French technology at the Itaguai shipyard outside Rio de Janeiro. The French president will then head to metropolis Sao Paulo to meet with Brazilian investors.