Current Affairs Update 18 July 2018

Current Affairs is an important part for many exams. Be prepared for this section with ByScoop which brings all the important Current Affairs in one place. 18 July 2018.

Cabinet Approvals July 18, 2018

• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the following MoU and plans:
  • Signing of Memorandum of Understanding amongst BRICS Nations on the Regional Aviation Partnership
  • MoU between India and Cuba on cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy
  • MoU between India and Indonesia on cooperation in the field of pharmaceutical products, pharmaceutical substances, biological product and cosmetics regulatory functions
  • Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) signed in 2010 and approval of fresh MRA between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and the Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Ireland
  • MoU between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance, Bahrain
  • MoU between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and “National Board of Accountants and Auditors, Tanzania
  • Establishment of Medical College, Salempur at Deoria, Uttar Pradesh
  • Policy framework for streamlining the working of Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) in Pre-NELP and NELP Blocks
  • Continuation of the Schemes of (i) Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme; (ii) Post Matric Scholarship Scheme; and (iii) Merit-cum-Means based Scholarship Scheme for the students belonging to Minority Communities during 2017-18 to 2019-20
  • Special Package for Irrigation Projects in Vidarbha, Marathwada and other chronically drought prone areas of Rest of Maharashtra
  • Special Remission to Prisoners on the occasion of 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi

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India on second in industrial solar heat installations: International Energy Agency

• A recent report of the International Energy Agency (IEA) said that India stood second in terms of installation of equipment for solar heat for industrial process. 
• Oman has topped the list while China is on third spot. 
• Solar heat for Industrial Processes (SHIP) are systems like rooftop solar — only these are ‘collectors’ that pick up sun’s heat typically to heat water (in tubes placed on a reflecting surface) or air (trapped between flat plates). The fluids are then supplied to industries for their processes.

RS members can now speak in 22 Indian languages in House

• Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu announced that the Upper House now has facility for simultaneous interpretation in all 22 Indian languages after addition of five more languages.
• The 5 new languages added are  Dogri, Kashmiri, Konkani, Santhali and Sindhi. Earlier there was provision for interpretation of 17 Indian languages.
• Members will have to give a prior notice for the interpreter in the secretariat.

Udaipur ranked 3rd among world’s best cities for second successive year

• The city of Udaipur has been ranked third among the 15 of the World’s Best Cities by Travel + Leisure. 
• The top 2 cities are both in Mexico: San Miguel de Allende and Oaxaca. 
• Udaipur is also known as City of Lakes and the Venice of the East. Udaipur is the only Indian city to make a place in ranking. 

Bengali named language for 2018 Harvill Secker Translators Prize

• Bengali has been chosen as the language for this year’s Harvill Secker Prize. The prize aims to recognise the achievements of young translators.
• The entrants for the Harvill Secker Young Translators’ Prize 2018 will have to translate the short story “Half-Timer Pawre” by Shamik Ghosh from his collection “Elvis O Amolasundari”.
• Harvill Secker is an imprint of Vintage Publishing at Penguin Random House.

West Bengal 7th state to have direct selling regulations

• West Bengal has become the seventh state in the country to regulate direct selling through West Bengal Direct Selling Guidelines 2018.
• The other states to have notified direct selling guidelines are Chhattisgarh, Sikkim, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Mizoram.
• The Union Department of Consumer Affairs, had notified the Direct Selling Guidelines in 2016, a model framework on guiding principles for state governments to consider regulating direct selling and multi-level-marketing.

IIT Delhi and AIIA sign MoU aimed at giving ‘scientific validation’ to Ayurveda