APEDA signs MoU with SFAC in the field of Agriculture

NATIONAL NEWS

MoU signed between IIT-Kanpur and L&T technology on Cybersecurity.

• Indian Institute of Technology(IIT), Kanpur signed a MoU with L&T technology services (LTTS) on the research and infrastructural development in Cybersecurity programs.
• The Memorandum signed also includes setting up of a Centre of Excellence (CoE) at the IIT- Kanpur campus to conduct research works, and the MoU has signed for a long term period.
• It was signed between Dr Keshab Panda MD and CEO of LTTS and Manindra Agarwal, Deputy Director of IIT-Kanpur.

APEDA signs MoU with SFAC in the field of Agriculture

• Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) in the field of agriculture and related fields.
• The main aim of this MoU is to extend support for large number of Farmers in their Production and income basis.
• SFAC comes under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
• APEDA comes under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and was established by the Government of India in 1985.

Odisha’s Konark sun temple & Statue of Unity in Gujarat comes in Iconic Tourist sites list

• Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of state for Tourism and Culture said that the central government has approved the proposal from the CM of Odisha, on including Konark Sun temple in Odisha and Statue of Unity in Gujarat in the Iconic Tourists Sites list.
• There were already 17 sites identified as the iconic tourist sites by the government of India in 2019 which now includes these two sites and the number is now increased as 19 sites.
• FACT: Chief Minister of Odisha – Naveen Patnaik.
• Odisha’s Konark Sun temple is in the list world heritage sites by UNESCO.

Arundhati Bhattacharya resigns from Crisil board

• The Former chairman of State Bank of India(SBI), Arundhati Bhattacharya has resigned from the CRISIL board as the independent director.
• Since she has to take up the charge as the chairperson and CEO for the India operations of Salesforce, USA.
• She was the first women to be in the position of Chairperson of the SBI.
• FACT: CRISIL -  Credit Rating Information Services of India Limited
• Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
• CEO – Ashu Suyash

Satyarup Siddhanta enters ‘Limca Book of Records’

• Indian mountaineer Satyarup Siddhanta from Kolkata has entered the “Limca Book of Records” for he is the first Indian to climb the highest volcanoes of each of the 7 continents.
• He is also the first in the world to climb 7 peaks and 7 Volcanoes, who holds Guinness Book of World Records.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

WhatsApp launched Coronavirus Information Hub

• Facebook-owned, WhatsApp messenger app has launched the “WhatsApp Coronavirus Information Hub” combining with WHO, UNICEF and UNDP worldwide.
• It also donated $1 million dollars to Poynter Institute’s International Fast-Checking Network (IFCN) to curb fake information’s on COVID-19.
• IFCN is a forum for fact-checkers worldwide hosted by the Poynter Institute for Media studies, plays the role in this hub to curb the spread of rumours on WhatsApp in different formats.
• FACT: Founders of Whatsapp - Jan Koum, Brian Acton.
• Headquarters of Whatsapp – California, USA.
• UNICEF – United Nations Children’s Fund, headquartered at New York, USA
• UNDP – United Nations Development Programme, headquartered at New York, USA
• WHO – World Health Organisation, headquartered at Geneva, Switzerland

President of Iraq appoints Adnan al-Zurfi as Prime Minister

• President of Iraq, Barham Salih has appointed Adnan al-Zurfi as the Prime Minister in order to settle down the political crisis prolonging in there.
• Adnan was a former governor of the holy Shia city of Najaf & heads the Nasr parliamentary group of former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
• FACT: Capital of Iraq – Baghdad.

World Cities Summit 2020 to be held in Singapore

• The 7^th edition of World Cities Summit (WCS) is to be held from July 5 to 9, 2020 at Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, in Singapore.
• The theme for 2020 is “Liveable and Sustainable Cities: Adapting to a Disrupted World”.
• The summit was organised by Singapore’s Centre for Liveable Cities and the Urban Redevelopment Authority.
• From India, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is been invited by the Singapore Government.
• WCS is an International conference on Public governance and sustainable development of cities all over the world, which was initiated in the year 2008 and will be conducted once in 2 years.