Sports and Games
World Archery Championships: Indian women’s compound team wins
- The Indian women’s compound archery team clinched a gold medal at the World Archery Championships held in Berlin, Germany.
- This victory marked India’s first-ever gold at the archery world championships in any category.
- The triumphant team comprised Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Parneet Kaur and Aditi Gopichand Swami.
- In the final round, the Indian trio emerged victorious with a score of 235-229 against the Mexican team.
Grand Master Gukesh
- Teen chess champion Gukesh D ended Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand’s 37-year reign as India’s highest-ranking chess player in the live world (FIDE) rankings.
- The 17-year-old defeated Mistradin Iskandarov in the second round of the FIDE World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan, and scored a live rating of 2755.9, while Anand’s rating was at 2754.0.
- With this, Gukesh replaced his idol to move up to World No. 9 in the classic open category, while the five-time World Champion Anand slipped to the 10th spot.
- Anand, who first made it to the World’s top 10 in July 1991, has remained India’s top-ranked player in all published lists since January 1987.
World Dwarf Games 2023
- Thambi Balasubramaniam from Pudukottai district, Clinches Gold in Badminton category at the World Dwarf Games 2023 in Berlin, Boosting Tamil Nadu’s Sports Ambitions.
Appointments – Who is who?
Union Home Secretary
- Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla was given a one-year extension till August 22, 2024, according to a Personnel Ministry order. This is his fourth extension in the post.
- He was to retire in November 2020 after attaining 60 years of age.
- His tenure was first extended on October 17, 2020 till August 22, 2021. Bhalla’s term was extended for one-year each in 2021 and in 2022. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved extension in the service of Bhalla for a further period of one year beyond August 22, 2023 i.e. up to August 22, 2024.
About Home Secretary
- Appointment by – Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
- Term length – Two years, term can be extended
Major General Ignatius Delos Flora
- Ignatius Delos Flora becoming the first woman to reach the rank of Major General in the Military Nursing Service from Kanniyakumari, Tamilnadu.
First woman cavady of Theppakadu elephant camp
- In recognition of the dedicated service and special efforts of V Belli in successfully rehabilitating orphaned elephant calves, the Tamil Nadu government has appointed her as the first woman cavady (assistant to Mahout) in the Theppakadu Elephant Camp.
- Belli has been working as a temporary caretaker.
- Belli and her husband Bomman were in the news after a documentary film on how they reared orphaned baby elephants won an Oscar award.
