Daily Current Affairs,18th July 2018

1) Nelson Mandela International Day: 18 July

•Nelson Mandela International Day 2018 is observed internationally on 18th July. This year marks 100 years since the birth of Nelson Mandela (18 July 1918).  The Nelson Mandela Foundation is dedicating this year's Mandela Day to 'Action Against Poverty', honouring Nelson Mandela's leadership and devotion to fighting poverty and promoting social justice for all.

•November 2009 - in recognition of the former South African President’s contribution to the culture of peace and freedom, UN General Assembly declares 18 July "Nelson Mandela International Day".

2) EU, Japan Sign Massive Free Trade Deal

•European Union (EU) and Japan have signed Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). It was signed at EU-Japan summit in Tokyo by EU Presidents Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. 

•It is biggest ever trade deal negotiated by the EU and creates free trade zone covering nearly third of the world’s GDP. The trade deal is set to eliminate the "vast majority" of the $1.1 billion in duties that EU companies pay to Japan, according to the European Commission.  

3) Indo-US Delegation Meeting On Defence Cooperation

•As part of Indo-US Bilateral Defence Cooperation, the 7th Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) meeting was held between India and the US delegation in New Delhi. The meeting was co-chaired by, Secretary (Defence Production), Dr Ajay Kumar and Under Secretary of Defence for Acquisition and Sustainment, DoD, US Government Ms Ellen M Lord. 

•The meetings are held twice a year, alternately in India and the USA with the aim to bring sustained leadership focus to the bilateral defence trade relationship and create opportunities for co-production and co-development of defence equipment. 

4) Brij Bhushan Saran Singh To Be Named India's Chef De Mission At Asian Games

•Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Saran Singh is set to be named the Chef de Mission of the Asian Games-bound Indian contingent. 

•The four deputy Chefs de Mission set to be appointed are BS Kushwaha (former secretary of Indian Kayaking and Canoeing Federation), RK Sacheti (Executive Director of Boxing Federation of India, DK Singh (Uttarakhand Olympic Association) and Colonel RK Swain (Secretary of Equestrian Federation of India). 

5) UNEP Partners With Google For Monitoring Impact Of Human Activity On Ecosystem

•UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has entered into a partnership with search engine giant Google to monitor the impacts of human activity on global ecosystems by using sophisticated online tools. 

•The partnership was launched during a High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York. The aim of the partnership is to develop a platform to enable governments, NGO’s and public to track specific environment-related development targets with user-friendly Google front-end. 

6) Javelin Thrower Neeraj Chopra Wins Gold At Sotteville Athletics Meet

•Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has clinched a gold medal at the Sotteville Athletics Meet in France. The Indian youngster secured the top spot in the podium with an 85.17m throw. 

•Moldova’s Andrian Mardare took the silver medal after he covered a distance of 81.48m. The bronze medal went to Lithuania’s Edis Matusevicius, whose best throw of the night was 79.31m.