Current Affairs 17 July 2020

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Current Affairs 17 July 2020

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1. WHO advises 140 tests per day per million population of COVID-19
  • The World Health Organization released its Guidance Note on Public Health Criteria to adjust Public Health and Social Measures. Under the guidance note, the organization advised comprehensive surveillance for suspected cases.
  • WHO advises that a country has to conduct 140 COVID-19 tests per day per million population. With the various coordinated efforts made by the Centre and the States/UTs, 22 States/UTs in India are already conducting 140 and more tests per day per million. 
  • With 865 labs in the government sector and 358 private labs, the total number of testing labs is 1223, as on date. In addition to the gold standard for a test, RT PCR, TrueNat and CBNAAT are also used to augment this facility. During the last 24 hours, 3,20,161 samples have been tested. The testing per million for India is consistently rising. Today it has touched 8994.7.
Foot Notes:
About WHO:
Founded: 07 Apr 1948
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
Founder: Brock Chisholm

2. Government to allow Invalid Pension to Armed Forces Personnel with less than 10 years of qualifying service
  • Government has decided to allow Invalid Pension to Armed Forces Personnel with less than ten years of qualifying service.
  • This pension is granted to the Armed Forces Personnel who is invalided out of service on account of disability which is accepted as Neither Attributable to Nor aggravated (NANA) by Military Service. 
  • It will be available to those Armed Forces Personnel who were in service on or after 4th January 2019. Earlier, the minimum period of qualifying service actually rendered and required for invalid pension was ten years or more.
Foot Notes:
About Indian Armed Forces:
Chief of Defence Staff: Bipin Rawat
Chief of Indian Armed Forces: President 

3. India-Israel sign agreements to expand cooperation on Cyber Security
  • India and Israel signed agreements to expand their collaboration in dealing with cyber threats. The agreement was signed between Director General of Israel’s National Cyber Directorate (INCD) and India’s Ambassador to Israel Sanjeev Singla.
  • The agreement also involved Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) that operates under Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and INCD. The agreement will expand the scope of exchange of information between the countries on cyber threats.
  • The agreement lays down cooperation in capacity building and mutual exchange of best practices in the field.
Foot Notes:
About Israel:
Capital: Jerusalem
President: Reuven Rivlin
Prime Minister: Benjamin Netanyahu
 
4. India forms “Air travel Bubble” with US, UK, UAE, Germany and France
  • Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced that India is to resume operation of international commercial flights with France and US. The Government of India has signed agreements with US, UK, France and countries in UAE. Negotiations with Germany is in its final stages. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has planned to bring down the air travel charges by 25%.
  • Under the agreements signed with the countries, United Airlines and Delta are to operation from the US. The Air France is to operate from France. No UK based airlines are to operate to India. Rather, Air India will fly to UK. Lufthansa of Germany will operate from Germany.Under the agreements signed with the countries, United Airlines and Delta are to operate from the US. 
  • According to the agreement signed, India is to allow only overseas citizens, Indian nationals and card holders and a certain category of people with business and diplomatic visas. People with valid tourist visa will not be allowed to enter India by the flights being scheduled.
5. Indian Railways’ 1st cable-stayed rail bridge “Anji Khad bridge” being constructed  in J&K
  • Indian Railways’ Anji Khad Bridge Project is a big milestone for a better and more connected India. The country’s “first cable-stayed” Indian Railways bridge, the magnificent Anji Khad Bridge will soon connect Katra and Reasi in Jammu and Kashmir. 
  • The ambitious project of Indian Railways is being constructed with superior technology and engineering excellence. The country’s first cable-stayed railway bridge is being developed by Konkan Railway Corporation Limited, which is a Government of India undertaking. 
  • The cable-stayed railway bridge is a part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project.
Foot Notes: 
About Indian Railways:
Railway Minister: Piyush Goyal
Chairman: Vinod Kumar Yadav
 
6. Tunisia’s Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh resigns
  • Tunisian Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh resigned. Ennahdha had earlier tabled a no-confidence motion against Fakh fakh, who took office in February after winning approval from lawmakers following four months of deadlock.
  • He is currently under investigation over allegations of conflict of interest of owning shares in companies that had received public contracts.
Foot Notes:
About Tunisia:
Capital: Tunis
President: Kais Saied
Prime Minister: Elyes Fakh fakh
 
7. Sports Adda named former Cricketer Brett Lee as brand ambassador 
  • Sports Adda has signed former Australian fast bowler and cricket legend Brett Lee, as its brand ambassador.
  • Sports Adda is Indian news and information website for cricket, football, and kabaddi.
  • As ambassador, Lee will be conducting a host of fun activities including contests, quizzes, Q&As, bowling master classes, and giveaways that will feature exclusively on the Sports Adda app, website, and social handles.
  • Lee has taken over 700 wickets in his international career across all three formats, and brings with him a wealth of knowledge - not only of bowling and playing at the highest level but also with his insight into the sport and stories from his playing days.
8. DRDO’s Research body developed fully indigenous P7 Heavy Drop System for IL 76 aircraft
  • As a part of Make in India programme, DRDO has developed P7 Heavy Drop System (HDS) which is capable of para dropping military stores (vehicle/ ammunition/ equipment) up to 7-ton weight class from IL 76 aircraft [Ilyushin Il-76 or Gajraj (elephant king)].  This HDS consists of a platform & specialised parachute system. It has been inducted in the Indian Army.
  • The design of this fully indigenous system has been developed by Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), a pioneer Research & Development (R&D) lab of DRDO based in Agra, Uttar Pradesh (UP).
  • It’s platform system manufactured by L&T (Larsen & Toubro) while parachutes manufactured by Ordnance Factory.
  • Parachute System is a multi-stage parachute system comprises of 5 Main canopies, 5 Brake chutes, 2 Auxiliary chutes, 1 Extractor parachute and platform is a metallic structure made up of Aluminium/steel alloys.
Foot Notes:
About DRDO:
Headquarter: New Delhi
Chairman:  Dr G. Satheesh Reddy
Motto: बलस्य मूलं विज्ञानम्; "Strength's Origin is in Science" 
Founded: 1958
 
9. Neela Satyanarayan, Maharashtra's first woman Election Commissioner, passes away at 72
  • Former IAS officer and Maharashtra's first woman Election Commissioner Neela Satyanarayan passed away.  
  • The 1972 batch IAS officer was admitted to the hospital after she was diagnosed with COVID-19.
  • She was an additional Chief Secretary of Revenue department and post-retirement, in 2009, she was made the state election commissioner. 
  • Mrs. Neela retired on July 5, 2014.
10. UN designates Pakistan Taliban Commander Noor Wali Mehsud as global terrorist
  • The United Nations on July 16, 2020 designated Pakistan-based terror group, Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan's leader, Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, as a global terrorist.
  • The Security Council Committee in pursuant to resolutions concerning ISIL (Da’esh), Al-Qaida, and associated individuals and entities has approved the addition of Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud’s name to the ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List.
  • Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud has been listed in pursuant resolution 2368 (2017) for "participating in the financing, planning, facilitating or perpetrating of acts or activities by, in conjunction with, under the name of, on behalf of, or in support of" entities associated with Al-Qaida.
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