• Zimbabwe has launched gold coins to be sold to the public in a bid to tame runaway inflation that has further eroded the country’s unstable currency.
• The unprecedented move was announced by the country’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, to boost confidence in the local currency.
• Trust in Zimbabwe’s currency is low after people saw their savings wiped out by hyperinflation in 2008 which reached 5 billion, according to the IMF.
• The central bank disbursed 2,000 coins to commercial banks.
• The first batch of the coins was minted outside the country but eventually they will be produced locally, according to the governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, John Mangudya.
• Any individual or company can buy the coins from authorised outlets such as banks, according to an announcement by the country’s central bank.

• Nobel laureate Amartya Sen will not be accepting the Banga Bibhushan award, the highest civilian honour conferred by the West Bengal government,
• The Banga Bibhushan was introduced by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in 2011.
• It is the higher one among the Banga Samman honours, the other being the Banga Bhushan.
• While Amartya Sen have declined the award, another Nobel laureate from the state, Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee — who shared the 2019 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences with Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer — is said to have accepted the honour.
• Banerjee is among 16 Banga Bibhushan and 20 Banga Bhushan recipients this year.

• The central government has introduced some changes in the nation’s flag code by permitting the Indian national flag to fly both day and night and be machine-made besides using polyester fabric.
• The development came as the government will launch a ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ (hoisting of flag in every home) programme as part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to celebrate the 75th Independence Day of India from August 13 to 15.

What Are the Changes?

• The display, hoisting and use of the Indian national flag is ruled by the Flag Code of India, 2002 and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.
• The Flag Code of India has been additionally amended through an order on July 20, 2022. The clause (xi) of paragraph 2.2 of Part-II of the Flag Code of India, 2002 shall now be read as follows- (xi) “where the Flag is displayed in open or displayed on the house of a member of the public, it may be flown day and night”.
• Earlier, the national flag of India was allowed to be flown from sunrise to sunset, irrespective of the prevailing weather conditions.
• Similarly, paragraph 1.2 of Part-I of the Flag Code of India, 2002 shall now be read as follows- 1.2. “The National Flag shall be made of hand spun and hand woven or machine made, cotton/ polyester/ wool/ silk khadi bunting.”
• Previously, machine-made and polyester flags were not allowed to be used.

‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ Programme

• The ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ is being celebrated to commemorate the 75 years of a progressive independent India. As part of this celebration, the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ programme has been launched to motivate citizens to hoist the tricolour in their homes for three days that is from August 13 to 15.
• According to the official statement, over 20 crore tricolours would be hoisted atop the houses for three days, from August 13 to 15. Government and private establishments will also be involved.

• Global spiritual master and founder of The Art of Living, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has been conferred with Suriname’s highest civilian honour, the ‘Grand Cordon – honorary order of the yellow star (Ere-Orde van de Gele Ster) by The President of Suriname, Mr Chandrikapersad Santokhi for his humanitarian work.
• He has become the first Asian to receive the award.
• The award is usually given to the heads of state, this is the first time it has been awarded to a spiritual leader.

• Recently, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur called on Vice-Chairman of the Niti Aayog, Suman Bery, in New Delhi.
• CM discussed various important issues pertaining to the state with him and apprised him about the efforts of the state towards strengthening of air connectivity in the state.
• He said that a joint venture agreement has been signed between the state government and Airports Authority of India (AAI) for construction of Greenfield Airport in Mandi.
• He also requested for a special assistance grant of Rs 1,000 crore during the current financial year for strengthening air connectivity in the state.

• Himachal Pradesh Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar inaugurated a week-long Minjar Mela at the historic Chowgan in Chamba.
• This was Arlekar’s first visit to Chamba as Governor.
• Arlekar also talked about famous art works of the district — Chamba Rumal and Chamba Chappal.
• The Governor inaugurated the fair by hoisting the Minjar flag amid traditional ‘Kunjadi Malhar’ singing — a seasonal song of the Chamba region. He also inaugurated exhibitions organised by various departments and social organisations.
• Chamba Municipal Council president Neelam Nayyar presented Minjars to the Governor.
• The Minjar, which is a silk tassel worn on the costumes by men, women and children during the fair, symbolises maize and paddy shoots.
• A procession was also taken out, which passed through the main market of the city to Laxminath temple and reached the Pink Palace.
• In Minjar Mela, traditional singers sings ‘Kunjadi Malhar’ in the evenings. Kunjadi refers to Kunja birds (Great Egrets) which fly over the Chowgan ground in the evenings during monsoon and Malhar is the raga for monsoon.
• During the time of the royals or before the Partition, Abdals — a community of Muslim singers who had migrated to Chamba state from Avadh — used to sing ‘Kunjadi Malhar’ in the evenings.

• Tokyo Olympics javelin throw champion Neeraj Chopra ended India’s 19-year-long wait for a medal at the World Athletics Championships after he clinched the silver medal at the 2022 meet with historic throw of 88.13m.
• This was India’s second medal at the World Championships and the first podium finish since Anju Bobby George won a bronze medal in long jump at Paris in 2003.
• It was only the fifth time that the javelin throw final was won with a 90m-plus throw in the 18 editions of the World Championships.

• Recently, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) said it would be doing away with the practice of reverse auctions — when companies bid to offer the lowest price — while awarding contracts for setting up wind ¬energy projects.
• India has committed to installing 60,000 MW of wind power projects by 2022, but has met only two thirds of the target.
• According to Indu Shekhar Chakravarty, Secretary, MNRE, there were complaints from the industry that e¬-reverse auctions are leading to tariffs being artificially lowered leading to unhealthy competition.
• While reverse auctionswere the norm for all renewable energy projects, including solar and wind projects since 2015, the government’s change of stance signals that the rock¬bottom prices associated with clean energy projects — per unit solar power costs have fallen to ₹2.40 a unit — do not reflect the true costs of renewable energy.

Reason for dip in health

• The cost of large tracts of land required to install wind turbines is among the reasons cited for the dwindling health of the sector.

• China launched the second of three modules to its permanent space station, in one of the final missions needed to complete the orbiting outpost by year’s end.
• The 23-tonne Wentian (“Quest for the Heavens”) laboratory module launching on the back of China’s most powerful rocket, the Long March 5B, from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on the southern island of Hainan.
• China began constructing the space station in April 2021 with the launch of the Tianhe module, the main living quarters, in the first of 11 crewed and uncrewed missions in the undertaking.
• The Wentian lab module, 17.9 metres (59 feet) long, will be where astronauts can carry out scientific experiments, along with the other lab module yet to be launched – Mengtian (“Dreaming of the Heavens”).
• Wentian features an airlock cabin that is to be the main exit-entry point for extravehicular activities when the station is completed.
• It will also serve as short-term living quarters for astronauts during crew rotations on the station, designed for long-term accommodation of just three astronauts.
• Mengtian is expected to be launched in October and, like Wentian, is to dock with Tianhe, forming a T-shaped structure.
• On board the space station are Shenzhou-14 mission commander Chen Dong and team mates Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe. They are slated to return to Earth in December with the arrival of the Shenzhou-15 crew.

• Israel has announced a plan to restore and develop the southern course of the Jordan River.
• The plan aims to increase the amount of water and cut pollution in the Israeli section of the river, with the establishment of a new desalination facility that will treat the polluted and salty water and make it suitable for agricultural purposes.
• The rehabilitation of the southern Jordan River is more essential than ever and is possible due to the restoration of Israel’s relations with Jordan, which allow both sides to address the issue jointly, along with international support.
• The Israeli section of the river will develop into a clean habitat with rich biodiversity and a tourist attraction.
• Presently, only about 70 million cubic meters of water flow in the southern course per year, mostly polluted and salty due to the activity of a nearby sewage treatment plant.