Current Affairs 10th July 2020| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Ministry of Culture to reprint 108 volumes of Mongolian Kanjur under NMM

• The Ministry of Culture has taken up the project of reprinting of 108 volumes of Mongolian Kanjur under the National Mission for Manus, NMM.
• The first set of five volumes of Mongolian Kanjur published under the NMM was presented to the President Ram Nath Kovind on the occasion of Guru Purnima, also known as Dharma Chakra Day, on 4th July.
• A set was then handed over to Mr. Gonching Ganbold, Ambassador of Mongolia to India by Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel.
• The National Mission for Manus was launched in February 2003 by the Government of India with the mandate of documenting, conserving and disseminating the knowledge preserved in the manus.
• One of the objectives of the mission is to publish rare and unpublished manus so that the knowledge enshrined in them is spread to researchers, scholars and general public at large.
• It is expected that all the 108 volumes of the Mongolian Kanjur will be published by March, 2022.
• Mongolian Kanjur, is considered to be the most important religious text in Mongolia. In the Mongolian language ‘Kanjur’ means ‘Concise Orders’- the words of Lord Buddha.

About Mongolia:

• Capital: Ulaanbaatar
• Currency: Mongolian tögrög

18th meeting of high-level Group of Ministers on COVID-19 held in New Delhi

• The 18th meeting of the high-level Group of Ministers, GoM on COVID-19 was held in New Delhi through video conferencing under the chairpersonship of Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.
• The GoM was briefed on the current status of COVID-19 in India. The global comparison between the five most affected countries clearly depicted that India has one of the lowest cases per million which is 538 and deaths per million which is 15 compared the global average of 1453 and 68.7.
• Dr Harsh Vardhan stated that as we move forward, the focus shall be on the management of COVID-19 through strict containment measures and surveillance; utilizing full testing capacity and focus on monitoring of co-morbid and elderly population.
• He pointed out that the aim is to reduce the Case Fatality Rate low by early identification and effective clinical management.
• Dr Harsh Vardhan was joined by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep S. Puri, Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Shipping and Chemical and Fertilizers Mansukh Mandaviya, Member Health in NITI Aayog Dr. Vinod Paul joined the meeting through video conference link.

PM Modi inaugurates Asia’s largest solar energy project in MP’s Rewa

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that solar energy is going to be a major source of energy needs not only today but in the 21st century as well, because solar energy is Sure, Pure and Secure.
• While  inaugurating through video conference Asia’s largest solar energy project in Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa, the Prime Minister stated that Rewa has really created history. Rewa has been identified as Ma Narmada and a white tiger. Now the name of Asia’s largest solar power project has also been added.
• The Prime Minister stated that the people of Madhya Pradesh and the industries will get electricity from this solar plant, even the metro rail in Delhi will get its benefits. Like Rewa, work is going on on big solar power plants in Shajapur, Neemuch and Chhatarpur, he added.
• Referring to the energy needs of the country, Mr Modi stated that as India is moving towards the new era of development, our hopes and aspirations are increasing, so our energy and electricity needs are also increasing. In such a situation, self-sufficiency of electricity is very important for a self-reliant India.
• The Solar Park has been developed over a total area of 1500 hectares, by the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited (RUMSL). RUMSL is a Joint Venture of Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and Madhya Pradesh UrjaVikas Nigam Limited (MPUVN).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

WHO to set up independent panel to review handling of COVID-19 pandemic

• The World Health Organization (WHO) was setting up an independent panel to review its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the response by governments.
• Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark and former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf have agreed to head the panel.
• The announcement follows strong criticism by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration of the global agency’s role in the crisis.
• The panel will provide an interim report to an annual meeting of health ministers in November and present a “substantive report” next May.

About WHO

• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
• Director: Tedros Adhanom

Bangladesh govt launches ‘Digital Haat’ for sacrificial animals before Eid-Ul-Azha

• The government of Bangladesh has launched a ‘Digital Haat’ for online sale and purchase of sacrificial animals ahead of the festival of Eid-Ul-Azha.
• The initiative has been taken to save the cattle farmers and traders from financial loss amid the Corona pandemic and also to stop further transmission of the infection in the country.
• The government is going to promote this haat through its website and social networking sites at its own cost. The site is free for use by the interested people.
• The government has also decided to transport sacrificial animals from the north and west of the country to Dhaka and Chattogram through the rail route.

About Bangladesh

• Capital: Dhaka
• Currency: Bangladeshi taka
• PM: Sheikh Hasina

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

BSE partners with LIC Mutual Fund for BSE eKYC services

• BSE has now partnered with LIC Mutual Fund to power its eKYC services on BSE StAR MF, the market leading MF platform.
• The digital KYC process will facilitate our Members to ensure zero contact, hassle-free customer on boarding process, especially during this COVID situation.
• The entire process is very user friendly and simplifies the user experience to perform the entire KYC process seamlessly.
• BSE had launched its eKYC platform during lock down period as a service for IFAs, DFIs, Mutual funds and stock brokers to add new investors in their customers list without physically going to meet the investors.

About BSE

• HQ: Mumbai
• Vikramajit Sen, (Chairman); Ashishkumar Chauhan, (MD & CEO)

About LIC Mutual Fund

• HQ: Mumbai
• Chairman‎: ‎ V. K. Chopra

Karur Vysya Bank partners with Tata Motors to offer car loans at attractive terms

• Karur Vysya Bank has entered into an arrangement with Tata Motors to fund buyers of Tata passenger vehicles.
• The Bank informed the exchanges that both existing and new customers will be eligible to avail loans from KVB.
• KVB is offering a special product for buyers of Tata Motor passenger vehicles under which 100% on-road finance with a 6 month holiday period is provided at attractive interest rates. The scheme is applicable only for 3 models, viz., Tata Tiago, Tata Nexon and Tata Altroz. The loans are available to both the salaried and self-employed.
• Loans are offered for both salaried and self-employed persons and repayment period is upto 60 months with attractive rates of interest.

About KVB

• Headquarters: Karur
• CEO: P. R. Seshadri, K Venkataraman

IRDAI forms panel on ‘Indian Pandemic Risk Pool’

• The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has formed a working group to examine the feasibility of ‘Pandemic Risk Pool’.
• Suresh Mathur, Executive Director, Irdai, will be the Chairman for the 9-member working group with industry representatives as members.
• Apart from studying the need for such as pool, the group will also recommend the structure and operating model.
• The Covid-19 pandemic, which started as a public health crisis, has led to a significant disruption in the economic activity mainly due to measures taken to stop the spread of the disease.

About IRDAI

• Headquarters: Hyderabad
• Chairperson: Subhash Chandra Khuntia

SEBI rejigs advisory committee on mutual funds

• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has revamped its committee that advises the capital markets regulator on matters related to regulation and development of mutual fund industry.
• The 20-member advisory committee on mutual funds is headed by Usha Thorat, former deputy governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), a latest Sebi update showed.
• Earlier in 2013, the panel had 15 members and was headed by Janki Ballabh, former Chairman of SBI.
• The members of the committee include officials of various fund houses like Franklin Templeton Asset Management (India) Pvt Ltd President Sanjay Sapre, Kotak Mahindra AMC MD Nilesh Shah and Canara Robeco AMC CEO Rajnish Narula, SBI Mutual Fund Independent Trustee Sunil Gulati and Motilal Oswal Mutual Fund Independent Trustee Director Brij Gopal Daga.
• Moreover, the committee comprises representatives from the government, media and a SEBI official.
• The advisory committee is mandated to advise the regulator on issues related to regulation and development of mutual fund industry.
• It can advise the regulator on disclosure requirements and measures required for a change in the legal framework to introduce simplification and transparency in mutual fund regulations.

About SEBI:

• Founded: 12 April 1992
• Headquarters: Mumbai
• Chairperson: Ajay Tyagi

NSE launches new gold standard for delivery

• The National Stock Exchange has announced NSE Refiner Standards (NRS) for BIS-Standard gold to be delivered for settlement of the gold futures contracts traded on its platform.
• Currently, the NSE accepts serial-numbered gold bars produced by London Bullion Market Association-approved refiners for settlement of the gold contracts traded on the commodity derivatives segment of the exchange.
• NSE will now empanel refiners producing gold bars as per Bureau of Indian Standards for delivery.
• This initiative is in line with the government’s efforts towards Atmanirbhar Bharat and ‘Make in India’ programme. It will facilitate more participation by domestic market players in the exchange traded deliverable bullion commodity derivatives.
• Ravi Varanasi, Chief Business Development Officer, NSE, stated the new guidelines offers a fair chance to Indian refiners adhering to the BIS notified standards to be a part of the exchange settlement framework.
• The NSE has also laid down detailed guidelines for empanelment of refiners (both quantitative and qualitative), compliance requirements, technical evaluation, process and sourcing audits including a fallback mechanism.

About NSE:

• Location: Mumbai, India
• Chairman: Girish Chandra Chaturvedi
• MD & CEO:  Vikram Limaye

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

Mastercard to invest Rs.250 cr to help Indian SMEs amid COVID-19 crisis

• Global leader in payment technology Mastercard announced an additional 250-crore investment to help small businesses in the country, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The investment, which is over and above the USD 1 billion committed for the Indian market till 2025, will be focussed on helping small businesses go digital, making access to credit easier and also supporting women entrepreneurs.
• For women entrepreneurs, it will focus on increasing their business acumen, offering marketing know-how and introducing their work to buyers.

About MasterCard

• CEO: Ajaypal Singh Banga
• HQ: US

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

Rajasthan launches campaign to ensure purity of milk, dairy products

• A week-long campaign has been launched in Rajasthan to ensure purity of milk and its products.
• Samples of milk and dairy products will be collected under the campaign ”Pure for Sure” from July 8-July 14.
• Information related to samples will be provided by the food safety officers on the FSSAI app. Food Testing Laboratory available at the divisional level will be utilized for this campaign.
• Food safety officers have been directed to send the campaign report to the headquarters on daily basis

About Rajasthan

• Capital: Jaipur
• Governor: Kalraj Mishra
• Chief minister: Ashok Gehlot

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik launches eight web solutions for public services under 5T initiatives 

• Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched eight technology driven solutions under 5T initiatives for Home and General Administration departments and extended the deadline for online delivery of public services to October 2 from August 15 in view of the pandemic.
• The 5T model of governance along with Mo Sarkar has improved the quality of governance and eased delivery of public services.
• Odisha is the first State in the country to have put in place an advanced system which uses space technology and artificial intelligence to safeguard Government land in the Capital city and ensure planned development.
• The technology solutions for public services launched include Bhubaneswar Land Use Intelligence System (BLUIS), which has been developed to monitor changes in all government land in the Capital city by leveraging high resolution satellite imagery.
• E-Pravesh is a web and mobile based application with facial recognition technology to ease and authenticate entry of visitors to Lok Seva, Rajiv Bhavan and Kharavela Bhavan.
• E-Bhawan is an online system designed to provide government officials, public representatives and citizens easier access to booking rooms and other facilities provided by Bhawans in other states.

About Odisha

• Capital: Bhubaneswar
• Governor: Ganeshi Lal
• Chief minister: Naveen Patnaik

Himachal Pradesh: Nadaun Police Station ranked as one of best Police Stations of India

• Nadaun Police Station of Hamirpur district in Himachal Pradesh has been ranked as one of the best Police Stations of the country.
• Certificate of Excellence was provided to this Police Station by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
• Director General of Police Sanjay Kundu presented this Certificate of Excellence received by him from Union Home Minister to the Chief Minister in Shimla.
• Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur congratulated the State Police in general and Nadaun Police Station of district Hamirpur in particular for being ranked as one of the best Police Stations of the country and the best Police Station of the State.
• The ranking of police stations is carried out by Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India and the same was released by the Union Home Minister in a ceremony during DGPs Conference, recently.

About Himachal Pradesh:

• Governor: Bandaru Dattatreya
• Capitals: Shimla (Summer), Dharamshala (Winter)
• Chief minister: Jai Ram Thakur

Tripura: Wildlife researchers rediscover ‘Ypthima watsoni’ butterfly after 61 years

• In Tripura, a team of wildlife researchers has rediscovered ‘Ypthima watsoni’ butterfly commonly known as ‘Looped three-ring’ after 61 years near a village called Phuldungsei in Jampui Hills under the North Tripura district.
• These researchers constantly survey the butterflies in North-East India to document current populations, distributions, and status of butterflies for the past five years.
• As part of the long-term monitoring and diversity inventory program, Suman Bhowmik conducted preliminary surveys at different locations of Jampui Hills from 5-7 August 2019, there the species was sighted near Phuldungsei village.
• Bhowmik stated Looped Three-ring Ypthima watsoni, 1893 belonging to subfamily Styrene and family Nymphalidae of insect order Lepidoptera has not been recorded for approximately 61 years since its last deion from India.He stated the species was last seen in the year 1958 in Manipur.
• Bhowmik stated this rediscovery is also important in the context of updating the status and distribution of the butterfly fauna for Tripura.

About Tripura :

• Capital: Agartala
• Governor: Ramesh Bais
• Chief Minister: Biplab Kumar Deb

Raksha Mantri inaugurates six new bridges in Jammu and Kashmir

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated six bridges in border areas of Jammu and Kashmir, and asserted that development of remote areas in the region will continue to be a key priority for the NDA government.
• The defence minister dedicated the bridges through video conferencing in presence of Chief of the Army Staff Gen M.M. Naravane, Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar, Director General of Border Roads Organisation Lt Gen Harpal Singh among others.
• Four bridges were constructed on the Akhnoor-Pallanwala road in Akhnoor, while two bridges were built on the Tarnah Nallah in Kathua district, the Defence Ministry The total cost of construction of the bridges was Rs.43 crore.
• The inauguration of the bridges, built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) comes at a time when India and China are engaged in a border row in eastern Ladakh.
• According to the ministry, the annual budget of the BRO ranged from 3,300 crore to Rs.4,600 crore during 2008 to 2016. However, the allocation was hiked to Rs.8,050 crore in 2019-2020.
• The budget for the BRO for 2020-2021 is likely to be 11,800 crore, the ministry stated, adding the higher allocation will expedite the construction of strategic roads, bridges and tunnels along our northern borders.

Tamil Nadu tops market borrowings among States so far, in 2020-21

• Tamil Nadu has so far raised 30,500 crore in the fiscal 2020-21 and has topped market borrowings among States in the country. Tamil Nadu has accounted for 17% of the borrowings done through the issue of bonds, known as state development loans, according to data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• With borrowings of Rs.25,500 crore, Maharashtra accounted for 14%, followed by Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh at 17% each, as per the data.
• On July 7, Tamil Nadu borrowed an additional amount of 500 crore rather than the Rs.2,000 crore originally planned. The State had planned to raise Rs.2,000 crore through the issue of bonds of Rs.1,000 each with tenures of 35 years and 3 years respectively. Tamil Nadu had an option to raise a further Rs.250 crore in each of these securities, through what is known as the ‘green shoe’ option.
• Tamil Nadu raised 1,250 crore at the interest rate of 6.63% for the 35-year bonds and Rs.1,250 crore at the rate of 4.54% for the three-year bonds in the auction conducted by RBI on July 7.
• The State has been borrowing additional amounts due to the drop in rates. On June 23, the State raised 1,250 crore through the issue of 30-year bonds at 6.7%.
• Tamil Nadu has also preferred the market borrowing route for raising funds to meet the increased expenditure and falling revenue situation amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

About Tamil Nadu :

• Capital : chennai
• Governor: Banwarilal Purohit
• Chief Minister: Edappadi K. Palaniswami

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

EESL signs pact with Noida Authority to install EV charging stations

• State-run EESL has signed an agreement with New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (Noida) to promote electric vehicles (EVs) and install public EV charging stations and related infrastructure.
• The partnership will also facilitate the creation of an infrastructural ecosystem to accelerate e-mobility uptake as the nation emerges from the lockdown post-COVID-19 pandemic.
• The agreement was signed by Noida Authority General Manager A K Tyagi and EESL Executive Director (Growth) Amit Kaushik in the presence of Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari.
• EESL will make an upfront investment on services pertaining to the agreement along with operation and maintenance of public charging infrastructure by qualified manpower.
• Noida Authority will be responsible for provision of space for charging infrastructure.
• Noida Authority has been sanctioned 162 public EV charging stations under the FAME India Scheme phase-II of Department of Heavy Industry (DHI).
• EESL is the selected organization for deployment of public charging stations in Noida city. So far, EESL has installed 20 EV chargers, 13 of which are commissioned and 7 are under commissioning.

About EESL

• HQ: New Delhi
• Rajeev Sharma(Chairman)

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS

Crisil appoints Shyamala Gopinath as Additional Director

• The board of directors of Crisil has approved the appointment of Shyamala Gopinath as an Additional Director (Independent) of the company with effect from July 10. Gopinath was Deputy Governor at Reserve Bank of India for seven years till June 2011.
• She is currently on the boards of HDFC Bank (as part-time non- executive chairperson and independent director), BASF India Ltd (independent woman director), Colgate-Palmolive (India) Ltd (non-executive & independent director) and Tata Elxsi (independent non-executive director).

About CRISIL:

• CEO: Ashu Suyash
• Headquarters: Mumbai

Priyanka Chopra Chosen Ambassador for Toronto International Film Festival

• Priyanka Chopra announced that she has been invited to be an ambassador to the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). PeeCee, who starred in the American television show Quantico and Hollywood flicks like Baywatch and Isn’t it Romantic?, shared the news.
• Bollywood filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has also been chosen for TIFF 2020.
• Other ambassadors include Ava DuVernay, Darren Aronofsky, Taika Waititi, Nicole Kidman, Martin Scorsese, Nadine Labaki, Alfonso Cuarón, Tantoo Cardinal, Riz Ahmed, Rian Johnson, Jason Reitman, Isabelle Huppert, Claire Denis, Atom Egoyan, Viggo Mortensen, Zhang Ziyi, David Oyelowo, Lulu Wang, Rosamund Pike, Sarah Gadon, and Denis Villeneuve.
• TIFF will take place between September 10 and 20 this year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it will hold socially distanced physical screenings, drive-ins, virtual red carpets, and digital screenings

Vectus Group signs star couple Saif and Kareena as brand ambassadors

• Vectus Industries Limited (Vectus Group), a water storage and piping solutions provider company, has roped in Bollywood star couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan as its brand ambassadors.
• The brand has already launched its first marketing campaign ‘Vectus- India ki waterline’ with the actors on all media formats including print, electronic and digital media aggressively.
• Vectus Industries Limited manufactures high-quality plastic pipes and water storage tanks, including underground and over-ground tanks, for more than three decades. Apart from all these exclusive product lines, Vectus also manufactures Bath accessories as well as Household and Agricultural plastic products. The company has registered its strong pan-India presence with its 14 manufacturing plants, 5 depots, and more than 5000 dealer’s network.

Rahul Johri moves on as BCCI CEO

• Rahul Johri has stepped down as BCCI CEO. He had put down his papers after the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) made way for the Sourav Ganguly-led set-up the run the world’s richest cricket board.
• According to media reports, Johri decided to quit last December after BCCI elected a new administration led by Ganguly. Johri was to exit in April but continued and amidst lack of clarity over whether he had been given an extension.
• Johri joined BCCI  in 2016.  Prior to that, he was Executive Vice President and GM South Asia at Discovery Networks Asia Pacific.

About BCCI:

• President: Sourav Ganguly
• Women’s coach: W. V. Raman
• Men’s coach: Ravi Shastri
• Secretary: Jay Shah
• Headquarters: Mumbai

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Sachin Awasthi adds another feather to his cap Honored as the Top Publicist in Global Humanitarian Award 2020 in London

• President of National Media club, Sachin Awasthi bagged Top Publicist honor under Global Humanitarian Award 2020. He is one of the 100 awardees nominated from 35 different countries and 9 continents.
• He has also been commended by Honourable Prime Minister on his initiative Clean-Ganga Awareness Yatra from Haridwar to Varanasi
• The award was delivered in London via webinar in the presence of Former President of the Republic of Kosovo, Fatima Sejdio; Former Prime Minister of Nepal, Mr. Madhav Kumar and the President of National Assembly of Andalusia, Spain, Pendro I. Altamirano.
• Working tirelessly to make people aware of Prime Ministers, ‘Swaccha Bharat Abhiyan’, his organization National Media Club inaugurated the Swachh Bharat – Sundar Bharat Mission in the year 2014, released the country’s first toll-free number for cleanliness in the presence of former Union Minister and present Governor of Rajasthan, Kalraj Mishra, several MPs and journalists.
• He also hosted a cleanliness drive at Banke Bihari Mandir along with Raju Srivastava, a Prime Minister’s Swachhata Navratnas. The drive was praised via twitter by honorable Prime Minister.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

India-EU summit to be held through video conference on July 15

• The 15th summit between India and the European Union (EU) will be held via video conference on July 15.
• India will be represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The EU will be represented by Charles Michel, President of European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
• During the summit, the leaders will discuss global cooperation and solidarity to protect lives, to mitigate the socio-economic consequences and to strengthen preparedness and response capacities.
• The summit is aimed at delivering concrete benefits for the people in the EU and India, the leaders will discuss ways to boost cooperation in areas of security, climate, environment, trade and investment, digital economy and connectivity.
• The summit, which was supposed to take place in March, was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to visit Belgium’s capital Brussels for the summit but cancelled his visit after two staff members of the EU tested positive for Covid-19.

About EU

• Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium
• Members: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

India ranks eighth for cancer preparedness among 10 Asia-Pacific countries: EIU

• India was ranked eighth as regards cancer preparedness among 10 Asia-Pacific countries, according to a new report.
• The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report on “Cancer preparedness in Asia-Pacific: Progress towards universal cancer control”, sponsored by Roche, examines the findings from the EIU’s Index of Cancer Preparedness.
• The report describes the complexities of the challenge of cancer facing 10 Asia-Pacific countries — Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.
• The report has ranked India at the eighth position.”India ranks eighth for cancer preparedness in the region with an overall score of 51.6 out of 100, below the regional average of 66.5, while Australia (92.4), South Korea (83.4) and Malaysia (80.3) lead the region,” the report stated.
• The report ranked only Vietnam (44.5) and the Philippines (42.6) after India.
• It stated further progress can be made as India records below-average scores across all three pillars in the index — policy and planning, care delivery and health system and governance.
• While Indonesia and Malaysia have demonstrated a strong growth in health spending and China has the biggest reduction in out-of-pocket health expenditure in the analysis, it is still only high-income countries that meet the World Health Organisation-recommended spending for universal health coverage, the report stated.

About Economist Intelligence Unit:

• Founded: 1946
• Headquarters: London, England
• Managing Director: Robin Bew

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Israeli scientists use waste in battle against virus

• Israeli scientists have come up with a “simple” and low-cost method to turn waste into ethanol for use as sanitisers in the battle against the novel coronavirus.
• Professor Hadas Mamane of Tel Aviv University (TAU) and her team have been working for the past five years on recycling waste and transforming it into alcohol.
• Now, in response to the global demand for hand sanitisers, they have focused on the production in Israel of ethanol to replace the need to import alcogels.

About Israel:

• Capital: Jerusalem
• Prime minister: Benjamin Netanyahu
• Currency: Israeli Shekel

IITH, NVIDIA to establish joint AI research centre

• The Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH) is collaborating with NVIDIA, a multinational technology company, to establish India’s first ‘NVIDIA AI Technology Centre’ (NVAITC) to accelerate research on Artificial Intelligence and its commercial adoption.
• IITH already houses two NVIDIA DGX-1TM systems and an NVIDIA DGX-2TM system dedicated to research being undertaken at the institute. The NVAITC will accelerate research for the 220 faculty at IITH, which is already among India’s foremost research institutions.
• This collaboration will focus on advancing AI research in the areas of agriculture and Smart Cities besides Language Understanding.
• The projects that would be taken up include increasing crop yield using AI algorithms and applying AI-based solutions to support safer transportation systems and better ways of managing traffic, among others.
• The Telangana State government recently announced 2020 as the ‘Year of AI’. NVIDIA is already a partner of the government in this endeavour.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHORS

Stephen King’s new book, If It Bleeds, to be out in July

• Stephen King is back with his new book titled, If It Bleeds.
• Published by Hachette India, the story centers around a bomb at Albert Macready Middle School.
• The work is dotted with The Shining author’s humour, propensity for horror and his masterful ability to craft suspense. The book has already been published in the USA in April. It will be available in India from July 10.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

Top-ranked squash player Raneem El Welily ends her career

• Top-ranked women’s squash player, Raneem El Welily, announced her retirement.
• El Welily first took the top ranking in 2015, and won her only world championship two years later. She was a three-time runner-up.
• She will retain the top ranking when current world No. 2 Nouran Gohar replaces her compatriot next week.

Asia Cup Cricket tournament postponed till June 2021

• The Asia Cup Cricket tournament, which was scheduled to be held in September this year, has been postponed till June next year by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) owing to an upsurge in COVID-19 cases in the region.
• The Asian Cricket Council tweeted that after careful consideration and evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Executive Board of the ACC decided to postpone the Asia Cup tournament. Pakistan was to originally host the Asia Cup this time but due to security reasons, the tournament was later rescheduled to be held in Sri Lanka.

About Asian Cricket Council:

• Headquarters: Colombo, Sri Lanka
• President: Nazmul Hassan Papon

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Ivory Coast’s Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly passes away

• Amadou Gon Coulibaly, Ivory Coast’s prime minister and the governing party’s candidate for an October presidential election, passed away.
• The 61-year-old, who had heart surgery in 2012, became unwell during a weekly cabinet meeting.

About Ivory Coast

• Capital: Yamoussoukro
• President: Alassane Ouattara
• Currency: West African CFA franc

DAILY CA 9^th  JUL

• Cabinet Approves Rs 1 Lakh Crore Fund For Agriculture Infrastructure
• Centre to release postal stamp of former PM PV Narasimha Rao to mark centenary
• PM Modi to inaugurate 3-day India Global Week 2020
• Union Cabinet extends Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Anna Yojana till November; 80 crore people to be benefitted
• Cabinet approves 12 thousand 450 crore rupees investment in three public sector general insurance companies
• Maldives, Sri Lanka eliminate measles & rubella ahead of 2023 target
• SBI to invest up to Rs.1,760 crore in Yes Bank
• Mamata Banerjee launches West Bengal’s ‘Self Scan’ app
• Andhra Pradesh celebrates Farmers’ Day to commemorate birth anniversary of Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy
• CIDC initiates skill Development Programme in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
• Gujarat govt constitutes a five-member commission to protect rights of tribal
• Andhra Pradesh Government brings Covid-19 treatment under Dr YSR Aarogyasri, State’s free healthcare scheme
• Gujarat extends Solar Power Policy period till December 2020
• Maharashtra gives banking mandate to IDBI Bank, district co-op banks
• Google Rebrands Social Network Google Plus As Google Currents
• India growth forecast cut again at Citi as coronavirus cases surge
• CBDT, SEBI sign MoU for data exchange
• IIT Alumni Council and CSIR-IGIB sign MoU for joint research on COVID-19 and patient data analysis
• Jayant Krishna to take over as first Indian CEO of UKIBC from Aug 3
• Mylab launches ‘Compact XL’ to automate molecular diagnostic test for COVID-19
• Mahaveer: Book on 1962 Indo-China War by K. Srikumar along with his wife, Rupa Srikumar
• Veteran Bollywood actor Jagdeep of Sholay fame dead

DAILY CA 10^th  JUL

• Ministry of Culture to reprint 108 volumes of Mongolian Kanjur under NMM
• 18th meeting of high-level Group of Ministers on COVID-19 held in New Delhi
• PM Modi inaugurates Asia’s largest solar energy project in MP’s Rewa
• WHO to set up independent panel to review handling of COVID-19 pandemic
• Bangladesh govt launches ‘Digital Haat’ for sacrificial animals before Eid-Ul-Azha
• BSE partners with LIC Mutual Fund for BSE eKYC services
• Karur Vysya Bank partners with Tata Motors to offer car loans at attractive terms
• IRDAI forms panel on ‘Indian Pandemic Risk Pool’
• SEBI rejigs advisory committee on mutual funds
• NSE launches new gold standard for delivery
• Mastercard to invest Rs.250 cr to help Indian SMEs amid COVID-19 crisis
• Rajasthan launches campaign to ensure purity of milk, dairy products
• Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik launches eight web solutions for public services under 5T initiatives
• Himachal Pradesh: Nadaun Police Station ranked as one of best Police Stations of India
• Tripura: Wildlife researchers rediscover ‘Ypthima watsoni’ butterfly after 61 years
• Raksha Mantri inaugurates six new bridges in Jammu and Kashmir
• Tamil Nadu tops market borrowings among States so far, in 2020-21
• EESL signs pact with Noida Authority to install EV charging stations
• Crisil appoints Shyamala Gopinath as Additional Director
• Priyanka Chopra Chosen Ambassador for Toronto International Film Festival
• Vectus Group signs star couple Saif and Kareena as brand ambassadors
• Rahul Johri moves on as BCCI CEO
• Sachin Awasthi adds another feather to his cap Honored as the Top Publicist in Global Humanitarian Award 2020 in London
• India-EU summit to be held through video conference on July 15
• India ranks eighth for cancer preparedness among 10 Asia-Pacific countries: EIU
• Israeli scientists use waste in battle against virus
• IITH, NVIDIA to establish joint AI research centre
• Stephen King’s new book, If It Bleeds, to be out in July
• Top-ranked squash player Raneem El Welily ends her career
• Asia Cup Cricket tournament postponed till June 2021
• Ivory Coast’s Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly passes away

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