Current Affairs - July 16, 2020 Current Affairs

TN Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy has launched a television-based learning programme for the Tenth standard students. The state run Kalvi television channel will initially air two-and-a-half hours of teaching programmes for the students during the week days.

In accordance with the United Nations'(UN) annual report "The state of food security and nutrition in the world- Transforming food systems for affordable healthy diets", nearly 690 million people, or 8.9% of the world's population, went hungry in 2019, an increase of 10 million since 2018 and of nearly 60 million since 2014.

Renowned ceramic artist, Jyotsna Bhatt passed away. Bhatt was born in Kutch in 1940, and she shifted to Mumbai to join the J.J. School of Arts. Bhatt was a key contributor to the field of contemporary ceramics in India.

According to the United Nations report on The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, the number of undernourished people in India has plummeted by 60 million in over a decade. Number of undernourished people in India declined from 249.4 million in 2004-06 to 189.2 million in 2017-19.

Ministry of AYUSH announced the names of the winners of the video blogging contest 'My Life, My Yoga'. This global contest on the digital platform was jointly hosted by the Ministry of AYUSH and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). The first winners in the professional category are Ashwath Hegde (male) and Rajni Gehlot (female).

Dutch Football legend Wim Suurbier passed away. He was a key member of the 1970s squad of Netherlands who played in two World Cup finals. Suurbier also achieved the rare feat of playing in consecutive FIFA World Cup Finals in year 1974 and 1978, that his country lost to West Germany and Argentina. He ended his national team career spanning 12 years with 60 caps.

A new book titled "If It Bleeds", a collection of four stories has been authored by Stephen King. The book has the story centres around a bomb at Albert Macready Middle School. It is a sequel to his bestselling work, "The Outsider".

Hawkins Cookers Chairman, Brahm Vasudeva passed away. Vasudeva was appointed as Vice Chairman and Managing Director on the board of the company in 1968 and became the Wholetime Chairman and Managing Director in 1984.

Madhya Pradesh has topped among the other states in the implementation of PM Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi).The scheme is presently benefiting the beneficiaries of 378 urban bodies of the state.

National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has provided credit support of Rs 1,607 crore to West Bengal during the COVID-19 pandemic so far.

World Youth Skills Day is observed on 15 July every year. The day is aimed to recognize the importance of equipping young people across the world with skills for employment and entrepreneurship. The day also aims to highlight the crucial role of skilled youth in addressing current and future global challenges

In Karnataka, NABARD has extended a grant assistance of 221.89 crore rupees to support 298 watershed projects in over three lakh hectares benefitting 66,500 families. The State has about 75 percent of rainfed area.

Mansukh Laxmanbhai Mandaviya, Union Minister of State (I/C) for Shipping approved Rs.107 Crore to improve the firefighting facilities on five jetties of Haldia Dock Complex of Kolkata Port. The modern firefighting facilities will enable safe and secure handling of the movement of petrochemical goods in the Haldia Dock Complex.

Former Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak has announced his retirement from the sport. Socceroos is the official nickname of the Australia national soccer team that represents Australia in international men's soccer.

China has successfully launched "APSTAR-6D" telecommunication satellite via a Long March 3B carrier rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center.The commercial satellite 'APSTAR-6D' has been developed by China Academy of Space Technology.

On July 14, 2020 the Bloomberg Billionaires Index has ranked Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries Ltd(RIL) as the World's 6th richest man with a worth USD 72.4 billion after surpassing Elon Musk, co-founder & CEO of Tesla and Alphabet Inc co founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page.

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) India joined hands with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry's (FICCI) Socio Economic Development Foundation (SEDF) to initiate UNICEF's "#Reimagine Campaign" for the support of most vulnerable populations and children during the ongoing COVID-19 response and its aftermath in India.

Government of India has appointed Dr. Vidhu P. Nair as the next Ambassador of India to Turkmenistan. Nair is presently serving as the Director in the Ministry of External Affairs. He is a Foreign Service Officer of 2002 batch.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released its World Wildlife Crime Report stating that the Seizure of the scales of the Pangolins, the most trafficked wild animal in the world has increased 10 times between the year 2014 and 2018.