Current Affairs - July 23, 2018 Current Affairs

The National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development said that it will extend professional support to stakeholders for designing climate related projects and take up collaborative studies and action research projects in area of climate change. It would also support capacity building and project preparation effort in developing countries in the region as also in Africa.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has developed an online tool "TreadWill" to help people cope with issues related to mental health. The tool has been developed by a team with collaborative support from the Computer Science and Engineering and Humanities and Social Sciences, HSS (Psychology) departments. TreadWill is a website designed to help people deal with stress, low mood, lethargy and other depressive symptoms through different online exercises, questionnaires and games. It will help in overcoming depressive symptoms and becoming more resilient against stressful events in the future.

Chinese President Xi Jinping offered a gift of $295 million to Sri Lanka, as Beijing tries to expand its influence in the island nation. President Maithripala Sirisena of Sri Lanka, a partner in China's Belt and Road project, made the announcement at a ceremony to mark the start of construction of a Chinese-funded kidney hospital in his home constituency of Polonnaruwa. China has gifted $295 million for the utilization of the project.

According to the Public Affairs Index 2018, Kerala is the best-governed state in the country, released by a Bengaluru think-tank, Public Affairs Centre. As per the report, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka and Gujarat are among the top five states delivering good governance. Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha ranked the lowest on the index, indicating higher social and economic inequalities.

Uttar Pradesh police have planned to set up 'Digital Armies' of the outstanding residents to keep a vigil on inflammatory posts and rumour-mongering. The aim is to restrict the incidents of violence due to the fake news on social media. As part of the initiative, all the 1,469 police stations in the State will have a WhatsApp group consisting of 250 volunteers including ex-servicemen, teachers, doctors, advocates and journalists. These group will, in turn, be connected to the group monitored byU.P. Director General of Police. This initiation comes in the wake of the Central government's directions to take effective steps to stop the spread of the rumours and fake news.

The 4th BIMSTEC Summit 2018 will be held in Kathmandu from 30 to 31 August. The main focus of the summit will be to increase connectivity between the BIMSTEC nations including roads, airways and transmission lines. The Bay of Bengal Initiatives for Multi-Sectoral, Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional economic bloc comprising 7 member states lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal constituting a contiguous regional unity. The group was formed in 1997 and it brings together Bangladesh, Bhutan India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. Nepal is the current chair of BIMSTEC.

India has planned to buy environmentally friendly TaxiBots, which can be used at the airports, developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). These Pilot-controlled and semi-robots will allow pilots to switch on the plane's engines only when it reaches the starting point of the runway hence reducing carbon emissions. IAI has announced that it had entered into an agreement with Gurugram-based KSU Aviation for the same. The use of TaxiBot at Indian airports in the next five years will bring about a saving of $1.5 billion to Indian carriers and reduce environmental damage of greenhouse gases by four million tons.

Australia announced plans to explore concepts such as firing salt into clouds and covering swathes of water with a thin layer of film in a bid to save the embattled Great Barrier Reef. The UNESCO World Heritage-listed reef, about the size of Japan or Italy, is reeling from two straight years of bleaching as sea temperatures rise because of climate change. The site contains the world's largest collection of coral reefs, with 400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 types of mollusc. Experts have warned that the 2,300-kilometre long area could have suffered irreparable damage. To resolve the issue, the Australian Government offered US$1.5 million to attract innovative ideas to protect the site. Out of 69 submissions, 6 schemes has been shortlisted that will be tested to see if they are feasible.

Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson Beckar became the world's most expensive goalkeeper upon joining the team of Liverpool from Roma. The deal was worth £75 million with £65 million as the amount and £10 million for add-ons. He replaced Loris Kunis who made 2 high profile mistakes in the Champions league in May.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF), the governing body of football in India named India and Bengaluru FC Captain Sunil Chhetri as the AIFF Player of the Year in the Federation's Executive Committee Meeting in Mumbai. The meeting was chaired by AIFF President Praful Patel. The All India Football Federation announced several other awards as well in the Meeting. Kamala Devi bagged the 2017 AIFF Woman Player of the Year.

Indian Institute of Public Health - Hyderabad (IIPH-H) is developing a drone delivery system for medical supplies, with a temperature-controlled payload box, to be delivered to a remote village in the State without delay. The aim of the Digital Drone-based Real-Time Advanced Medical Modular Logistics system (2DREAM) project is to reach the remote areas and deliver the temperature-sensitive payload in 30 minutes. IIPH-H has partnered with the prestigious US-based Johns Hopkins University to develop the temperature-controlled vaccine box.

India's Muhammad Anas Yahiya broke his own national record to win the 400 metres race at the Cena Noveho Mesta nad Metuji meet in Czech Republic. Muhammed Anas Yahiya set the new record when he won gold medal with a time of 45.24 seconds in the 400 metres race. His earlier national record was 45.31 which he set when he finished fourth at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. He became the second Indian sprinter to reach the finals of the one-lap event at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast after Milkha Singh.

O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana signed a MoU with Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health for an annual study programme. Nearly 30 students of Jindal Global University has taken the annual study-abroad programme at Harvard University. At the successful completion of the programme, Jindal students will earn academic credits, and the course will be reflected in the transcript. It provides joint conferences to be organised by the two institutions and paves the way for other research and educational activities.

Arman Ali will take charge as executive director of NCPEDP on 1st October 2018. Javed Abidi, who was the director of the NCPEDP, died on 4th March 2018 following a chest infection. He was 53 years old. Arman Ali's appointment was announced at a National Disability Consultation on the Rights of Persons with Disability. Representatives from 23 states and 2 Union territories participated in the event. Arman Ali is the executive director of Shishu Sarothi from 2009. Shishu Sarothi is the Centre for Rehabilitation and Training for Multiple Disability.

India won 8 medals in the Junior Asian Wrestling championship. The medallist comprises of 2 gold, 3 Silver and 3 bronze. Sachin Rathi won gold in the category of 74 kilograms. Deepak Punia won gold in the category of 86 kilogram category. Iran topped the championship with the 189 points. India secured 173 points and Uzbekistan with 128 points.

London's Walking Action Plan aims to enhance health and reduce air pollution in London which houses 8.8 million people by making streets more pedestrian friendly. This plan is part of a wider strategy for 80% of all trips to be made on foot, bicycle or public transport by 2041. People who walk or cycle to work have much lesser risk of death due to heart disease or stroke, compared to those who commute by car. According to the World Health Organization, over 92% of the world's population live in places where air pollution levels are beyond safe limits.