Current Affairs 18 July 2020

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 18 July 2020, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2020 events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, PTI, Indian Express, Business Standard and all Government official websites.

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Top 20 Current Affairs of 18 July 2020

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

First online NISHTHA programme launched for 1200 Key Resources Persons of Andhra Pradesh by MHRD

i.Union HRD (Human Resource Development) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Minister of State (MoS) for HRD Sanjay Dhotre have jointly launched the first online National Initiative for School Heads and Teachers Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA) programme for 1,200 key resources persons (KRPs) of Andhra Pradesh (AP), virtually from New Delhi.
ii.It is to be noted that, originally NISHTHA was launched in face-to-face mode in August 2019, but COVID-19 pandemic lockdown has affected the conduct of this programme, therefore, NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) has customised NISHTHA for an online mode through the DIKSHA and NISHTHA portals.
About Andhra Pradesh:
Chief Minister (CM)– Yeduguri Sandinti Jaganmohan Reddy
Capital– Amaravati
Governor– Biswabhusan Harichandan
<< Read Full News >>

Shipping Minister Mansukh Mandaviya virtually flagged off 1st container ship,‘MV Shejyoti’ from Kolkata Port to Agartala via Chattogram port (Bangladesh)

i.On July 16, 2020, Union Minister of State for Shipping (I/C) Mansukh Mandaviya flagged off the first trial container ship from Kolkata (West Bengal) to Agartala (Tripura) through Chattogram Port of Bangladesh in a virtual ceremony. 
ii.This will not only provide an alternative and shorter route for India to connect it’s North East Region (NER) through Bangladesh but will also further boost India-Bangladesh maritime relations.
iii.This has been done under the Agreement on use of Chattogram and Mongla Ports for movement of India’s transit cargo through Bangladesh, the standard operating procedure (SOP) for which was signed and exchanged between both nations during the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visit to India in October 2019. 
About Bangladesh:
Capital– Dhaka
Currency– Bangladeshi taka
President– Mohammad Abdul Hamid
<< Read Full News >>

NTPC signs MoU with NIIF to Explore Business Opportunities in Renewable Energy  in India

i.On 16th July 2020, NTPC (formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation Limited) signs the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Investment and Infrastructure Fund(NIIF), acting through National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited(NIIFL) to seek investment opportunities in areas like renewable energy, power distribution and other areas of mutual interest in India.
ii.Sangeeta Kaushik, GM (BD-Domestic), NTPC and Rajiv Dhar, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer(COO) of NIIFL signed the MoU through a video conference.
About NTPC:
Largest power generation company in India.
Chairman & Managing Director(CMD)– Gurdeep Singh
Headquarters– New Delhi 
About NIIFL:
Managing Director and CEO– Sujoy Bose
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra.
<< Read Full News >>

CBSE collaborates with IBM to integrate AI in High School Curriculum of 2020-2021

i.On 16th July 2020, The Central Board of Secondary Education(CBSE), announced integration of Artificial Intelligence(AI) in the high school curriculum for the 2020-2021 academic year. 
ii.The curriculum was developed in collaboration with IBM (International Business Machines Corporation).
About Central Board of Secondary Education(CBSE):
Chairman– Manoj Ahuja
Head Office– Delhi
About IBM (International Business Machines Corporation):
Executive Chairman– ​​​​​Virginia M. Rometty
Chief Executive Officer– Arvind Krishna
Headquarters– Armonk, New York, United States of America
<< Read Full News >>

Harsimrat Kaur Badal virtually addressed the Digital Indo- Italian Business Mission on Food Processing’ 

i.On July 15, 2020, Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, Harsimrat Kaur Badal addressed the opening session of two day long Digital Indo- Italian Business Mission on Food Processing held virtually. This webinar consisted of digital conferences; trade fair, and B2B (business to business) meetings where 23 Italian companies virtually exhibited their products and services for end users and other industry players in India.
ii.The focus areas of the mission were Fruits & Vegetables, Cereals, Milk & Dairy processing, Packaging & Bottling.
iii.During the meet India and Italy were stated as natural partners with regards to the Food Processing Industry.
About Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI):
Harsimrat Kaur Badal Constituency– Bathinda, Punjab
Minister of State (MoS)– Rameswar Teli
<< Read Full News >>

ICWA-RIAC conference: India & Russia to explore Joint Projects in Asia and Africa

i.On 15th July 2020, India and Russia explores to activate the joint projects in Asia and Africa in the webinar on “India-Russia Relations in the Context of Post-Pandemic Global order”. The discussions were chaired by TCA Raghavan, Director General of ICWA and organised by Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA).
ii.The potential of digital technologies to activate economic relations and the reforms on the current negative trends.
About Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA)
President– Venkaiah Naidu (Vice President of India)
Director General– Dr. T C A Raghavan
Headquarter –  New Delhi, India
About Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC):
President– Igor Ivanov
Director General– Andrey Kortunov
Headquarter – Moscow, Russia
<< Read Full News >>

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

India’s CERT and Israel’s INCD inked MoU to expand cooperation in cyber security

i.Due to a rapid increase in digitization during the last 5 months of global lockdown, India and Israel have signed an agreement to further expand their collaboration in dealing with cyber threats. 
ii.The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), a unit of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and Israel’s National Cyber Directorate (INCD). 
iii.It was signed by the Director-General (DG) of INCD, Yigal Unna, and India’s Ambassador to Israel, Sanjeev Singla.
About Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In):
Headquarter– New Delhi
Director-General (DG)– Dr. Sanjay Bahl
About Israel:
Capital– Jerusalem
Currency– Israeli Shekel
President– Reuven “Ruvi” Rivlin
<< Read Full News >>

Cushman & Wakefield’s 2020 Global Manufacturing Risk Index :India Ranked 3rd in cost and operating conditions ;China Tops

i.In accordance with the “Cushman & Wakefield’s 2020 Global Manufacturing Risk Index (MRI)” India ranks 3rd in the Baseline Scenario,3rd in Cost Scenario & 30th in Risk Scenario.
ii.In Baseline scenario, China topped and United States (US) ranked at 2nd Position.
iii.In cost scenario, China topped and Vietnam ranked at 2nd Position.
iv.In the risk scenario, Canada topped and United States (US) ranked at 2nd Position.
About Cushman & Wakefield:
President– John Forrester
Headquarter– Chicago, Illinois, United States (US)
<< Read Full News >>

Global Skills Index 2020 Report: India Ranked 34^th in Business Domain, 51^st in Data Science Domain & 40^th in Technology Domain

The report of Global Skills Index 2020, an in depth view at the state of the skills across the world prepared by “Coursera”, World’s largest online learning platform shows that India Surges ahead of the peers in the business and technology skill sets because of the growing young population.
About Coursera:
Founders– Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng
CEO– Jeff Maggioncalda
Headquarters– Mountain View, California, United States of America
<< Read Full News >>

BANKING & FINANCE

NABARD Sanctioned Rs 795 crore to West Bengal for Reconstructing Infrastructure Damaged by Cyclone Amphan

i.National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development(NABARD) has sanctioned Rs 795 crore to West Bengal to reconstruct infrastructure which was damaged by Cyclone Amphan(May). 
ii.The state government appealed for Rs 1,028 crore from NABARD to repair the damage under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF).
iii.NABARD has already provided Rs 145 crore under RIDF to the state as special liquidity support to enhance rural infrastructure considering the COVID-19 pandemic.
About NABARD:
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairman– G R Chintala
About West Bengal:
Capital– Kolkata
Chief Minister– Mamata Banerjee
Governor– Jagdeep Dhankhar
<< Read Full News >>

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

ICRA projects India’s GDP growth to contract by 9.5% in FY21 from earlier 5%

i.ICRA Limited (formerly Investment Information and Credit Rating Agency) projects  India’s Gross Domestic Product(GDP) to contract by 9.5%(-9.5%) in FY21 from 5% earlier forecasted as ongoing lockdowns in some states have affected the recovery seen in May and June 2020.
ii.India’s economy to contract by 25% in the 1st quarter of FY21, in the 2nd quarter to contract by  12.4%, in the 3rd quarter to contract by 2.3% and in the 4th quarter to contract by 1.3%.
About ICRA:
Registered Office– New Delhi, India
President– Ramnath Krishnan
<< Read Full News >>

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS        

Oscar Winner Kate Winslet will Receive 2020 TIFF Tribute Actor Award on 45th Edition of TIFF 

On 16th July 2020, The Toronto International Film Festival(TIFF), announced that Kate Winslet will be receiving the 2020 TIFF Tribute Actor Award at the virtual event of the 45th edition of TIFF. 
Kate will receive the honour in the virtual gala on 15th September 2020, following her film, Francis Lee’s Ammonite in which she played a fossil hunter Mary Anning.
About Kate Winslet:
i.Kate Winslet debuted in the film Heavenly Creatures directed by Peter Jackson.
ii.She was known for her role as Rose DeWitt in James Cameron’s Titanic (1997).
iii.She won the Oscar for the best actress for the film The Reader.
iv.She received multiple Golden Globes for her movies like Revolutionary Road, Mildred Pierce and Steve jobs.
45th edition of TIFF:
i.The festival will commence on 10th September 2020 run till 19th September 2020.
ii.For the first time in TIFF history, TIFF will launch a digital platform for the 45th edition this year to connect the audience amid the global pandemic situation.
iii.The festival plans to screen around 50 films in the first 5 days in theaters thorough social distanced screening.
iv.The TIFF Tribute Actor Award is presented to a leading performer in their field for their outstanding contribution to cinema.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS      

Gabon Appointed its First Woman Prime Minister: Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda 

Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of Gabon appointed Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda(56), as the First Women Prime Minister of Gabon succeeding Julien Nkoghe Bekale, On 16 July 2020. She is the sixth PrimeMinister under Bongo’s Presidency since 2009.
About Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda:

• Roponda is an economist in public finance from Gabonese Institute of Economy and Finance.
• Raponda has served as Budget Minister since 2012.
• She was elected as First Woman Mayor of Libreville (Capital of Gabon), from Bongo’s 

Gabonese Democratic Party in 2014.

• She has served as the defence minister of Gabon since 2019.

Note: The Longest served Prime Minister of Gabon was Leon Mebiame served for 15 years under Omar Bongo’s Presidency.
About Gabon:
President- Ali Bongo Ondimba
Capital & Currency- Libreville & Central African CFA franc  

RBI Approves reappointment of Shyam Srinivasan as the MD & CEO of Federal Bank

On 16th July 2020, The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) approved the reappointment of Shyam Srinivasan as the managing Director and Chief Executive officer of Federal bank Limited with effect from September 23, 2020 till September 22, 2021.

• Under Regulation 30 of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), RBI approved the reappointment of Shyam after the completion of the current term which ends on 22nd September 2020, along with the remuneration proposed by the Federal Bank.

Limit of tenure:
i.In June 2020, RBI proposed to limit the tenure of the CEO’s and Whole Time Directors(WTDs) from the promoter and non-promoter groups to 10 years and 15 years respectively.
ii.The RBI also proposed to limit the upper age limit of the CEOs and WTDs of the Banks to 70 years.
About RBI:
Governor– Shaktikanta Das
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
About Federal Bank:
Tagline– Your Perfect Banking Partner
Managing Director & CEO– Shyam Srinivasan
Headquarters– Aluva, Kerala
Related News:
i.Federal bank, MoneyGram tie-up for direct-to-bank deposits in India
ii.RBI extends regulatory benefits under SLF-MF scheme dated 27.4.2020 to all banks.

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS       

L&T Tech Services to Acquire 100% Stake in Orchestra Tech for about Rs 187 Crore

i.L&T Technology Services(LTTS), the engineering services arm of Larsen and Toubro Group, informed that it will acquire a 100 % stake in Texas-based Orchestra Technology(Tech). 
ii.The acquisition is an all cash deal of USD 25 million, or about Rs 187 crores. 
iii.The amount will be paid in two tranches of USD 11 million (Rs 82.6 crore) and USD 14 million (Rs 105 crore). The deal is expected to close by December 2020.
About Orchestra Tech:
Founder and CEO– Anuj Jain 
About LTTS:
Headquarters– Vadodara, Gujarat
CEO & Managing Director– Keshab Panda
<< Read Full News >>

 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

IIT-M Incubated Start-up, Modulus Housing Developed a Portable Hospital Unit, ‘MediCAB’ to Treat COVID-19 Patients

Indian Institute of Technology Madras(IIT-M)-incubated start-up, Modulus Housing has developed a portable hospital unit, ‘MediCAB’, a decentralized approach to detect, screen, identify, isolate and treat COVID-19 patients. It can be installed anywhere within 2 hours by four people.

• The startup has collaborated with Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology(SCTIMST). This collaboration helps the startup to get inputs on certification and customizations necessary for the project.
• Recently, MediCAB has been launched in the Wayanad district of Kerala to treat COVID-19 patients.

About Modulus Housing:
It was founded by  two IIT alumni in 2018. It was  supported by IIT Madras Incubation Cell
Headquarters– Chennai, TamilNadu
Chief Executive Officer– Shreeram Ravichandran
About IIT-M:
Director– Bhaskar Ramamurthi

OBITUARY

Ramesh Tikaram-India’s 1^st Para Badminton Arjuna Awardee and Athlete Passed Away at 51

Arjuna awardee, para athlete and para-badminton player, Ramesh Tikaram passed away at 51 due to coronavirus in a Bengaluru hospital. He organized the World Cup for Para badminton in Bengaluru in 2002.

Note – He was the India’s 1^st Para Badminton Player to receive the Arjuna Award.
About Ramesh Tikaram:
He excelled in athletics before shifting to badminton. Tikaram was selected to represent India at the Barcelona Paralympics in 1992. 
Post Held– He became the founder secretary of the Badminton Sports Association of India for the Challenged, now known as the Para Badminton Association of India in 2000.
Medals and Awards
i.As an athlete he won many medals in shotput and Javelin throw including an international meet in Nottingham in 1995. 
ii.He won gold in the Multi-Disability championship in Sydney for shot put.
iii.He received the award for his excellence in para athletics and badminton in 2002.
About Arjuna Award
It is given by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in sports including badminton and Athletics among others. It was initiated in 1961. It carries a cash prize of Rs 5,00,000, a bronze statue of Arjuna and a scroll.
Other Related News:
Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist, Weightlifter K. Sanjita Chanu to get Arjuna Award 2018 after IWF clears doping charges.

Maharashtra’s First Woman SEC Neela Satyanarayanan Dies

Neela Satyanarayanan (72), first woman State Election Commissioner (SEC) of Maharashtra and a praised Marathi author died of COVID-19 on July 16, 2020. She died at Seven Hills Hospital at Marol in Andheri (East), Mumbai where she was undergoing treatment for COVID-19.
About Neela Satyanarayan

• Neela Satyanarayanan was born on 5 February 1948 in Mumbai.
• She is a 1972- batch IAS officer from Maharashtra.
• She worked as the chief secretary (Revenue) and retired in 2009.
• She was appointed as the First women election commissioner by Congress-NCP government in 2009 and she served till 2014.

Achievements in Other Fields:

• Neela has written 17 novels and an autobiography “One Full, One Half”, an experience of raising a child with down syndrome. 
• She has penned about 150 songs and composed music for several Marathi movies.
• She has also received several awards in the field of literature.

About Maharashtra:
Capital- Mumbai 
Chief Minister- Uddhav Thackeray

IMPORTANT DAYS

Day of International Criminal Justice 2020 – July 17

i.Day of International Criminal Justice is annually observed on 17th July to recognise the importance of the international criminal justice system in prevailing the justice for the victims of the crimes, wars and genocide and to promote their rights.
ii.Day of International Criminal Justice is also called as international criminal justice day and World Day for International Justice.
About International Criminal Court(ICC):
President- Chile Eboe-Osuji (Judge)
Permanent Premises– Hague, Netherlands.
<< Read Full News >>

STATE NEWS

Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat Inaugurated ‘Smriti Van’ on Harela festival

On July 16, 2020 Uttarakhand Chief Minister(CM) Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurated ‘Smriti Van’ at Asthal village of Dehradun district in memory of late Jeet Singh Negi, famous folk singer of the state on the occasion of Harela festival.

• To mark the celebration of Harela festival 2020 CM urged to plant a sapling each

Harela festival
i.Harela(means the day of green) festival, a Hindu festival is celebrated by  people from the Kumaon region of the state of Uttarakhand and in some parts of Himachal Pradesh.
ii.The festival is celebrated thrice every year, the first Harela during Chaitra Navratri, the second during Sharad Navratri in the month of Ashwin and third, Shravan Harela, is celebrated on July 16 this year(2020).
iii.The Shravan Harela marks the onset of the rainy season.(Monsoon). 
About Uttarakhand:
Capital– Dehradun(Winter), Gairsain (Summer)
Chief Minister– Trivendra Singh Rawat
Governor– Baby Rani Maurya
Other Related News:
i.Centre Sanctions Additional Rs 1,691 crore for the construction of highways by the Border Roads Organization (BRO) in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and Uttarakhand during 2020-21.
ii.Uttarakhand Develops India’s First Lichen Park to Conserve Jurassic Era Plant in Munsyari(Munsiyari).

AC GAZE

2022 Dakar Youth Olympics postponed by four years to 2026 : IOC

The International Olympic Committee(IOC) has postponed the 2022 Dakar(Senegal) Youth Summer Olympics by four years to 2026 due to Covid- 19  pandemic and this would be the first Youth Summer olympic Games to be organized in Africa.

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