Daily Current Affairs, 18th July 2019

1) Nelson Mandela International Day: 18 July

•The United Nations observes 18 July every year as Nelson Mandela International Day. The day acknowledges the Nelson Mandela’s contribution to the struggle for democracy internationally and the promotion of a culture of peace throughout the world. Nelson Mandela Day is an occasion for all to take action and inspire change.

2) World Day for International Justice: 17th july

•World Day for International Justice is observed all around the world on 17th July. The aim of the day is to promote international criminal justice and as a way of supporting the work of the ICC.

•It came about when 120 states adopted a statute in Rome. It was known as the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, All the countries that agreed to adopt the statute were accepting the jurisdiction of the ICC.

3) Cabinet approves setting up of NMC

•The Union Cabinet has approved National Medical Commission Bill, 2019. The bill provides for setting up of a National Medical Commission in place of Medical Council of India and repeal the Indian Medical Council Act 1956.

•The features of the bill include, the Common final year MBBS Exams will be know as National Exit Test(NEXT) which would serve as Licentiate Exam, for entrance to Post Graduate medical course and as screening test of foreign medical graduates.



4) Uttarakhand to host first ever Himalayan states conclave

•Uttarakhand will host the first ever Himalayan states conclave here on July 28 where the prime focus will be on sustainable development.

•The conclave will host the Chief Ministers of the Himalayan states – Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Mizoram and Nagaland, along with administrators and specialists.

5) Internet Saathi’ programme to be expanded to Punjab, Odisha

•Google India and Tata Trusts initiative is aimed at facilitating digital literacy among women in rural India named “Internet Saathi”. This initiative will be expanded to villages in Punjab and Odisha.

•This programme has now reached 2.6 lakh villages in 20 states. In Punjab, the programme will cover around 5,000 villages. In Odisha, it will cover over 16,000 villages.

6) Palau Becomes 76th Country to Join ISA

•Palau, an archipelago of over 500 islands in Oceania, became the 76th signatory country to join the International Solar Alliance.

•The International Solar Alliance is a group of 121 solar resource-rich countries with headquarters in Gurugram, India. The organisation aims to deploy over 1,000 gigawatts of solar energy and mobilise more than USD 1,000 billion into solar power by 2030, according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

7) Panel to prevent extinction of Great Indian Bustard and the Lesser Florican

•The Supreme Court of India has constituted a high powered committee to urgently frame and implement an emergency response plan for the protection of two Indian birds- Great Indian Bustard and the Lesser Florican. The 3 member panel constitutes Dr Deepak Apte, Dr Asad R Rahmani and Dr Dhananjai Mohan.

8) Govt’s ”Find the Incredible You” campaign wins PATA award

•The “Find the Incredible You” campaign of the Tourism Ministry, has won the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Award, 2019.

•The campaign won the award under the “Marketing – Primary Government Destination” category. The Ministry of Tourism, as part of its promotional initiatives, annually releases Global Media Campaigns under the ‘Incredible India’ brand-line in the television, print, digital and social media platforms.