Current Affairs Daily Digest – July 18 & 19 2021
Current Affairs Daily Digest – July 18 & 19 2021. Read and Download daily, monthly Current Affairs Daily Digest 2021 for competitive exams like UPSC, SSC, IBPS, SBI etc,. Download month wise Current affairs 2020 PDF and Current affairs quiz PDF .
1. Haryana to introduce ‘One Block, One Product’ scheme
The Haryana government will soon introduce the ‘One Block, One Product’ scheme, to encourage and promote small industries in the rural areas. Under the scheme, the state government plans to connect every block of the state with some industrial vision and the government is working expeditiously on this scheme.
2. Microsoft acquires cybersecurity firm RiskIQ for $500M
Microsoft has reached a deal to acquire RiskIQ, a San Francisco-based provider of cybersecurity services, including malware and spyware monitoring and mobile app security.
RiskIQ’s services and solutions will join Microsoft’s suite of cloud-native security products, including Microsoft 365 Defender, Microsoft Azure Defender, and Microsoft Azure Sentinel. While Microsoft hasn’t valued the deal, Bloomberg reported that the company is said to be paying more than $500 million for RiskIQ.
3. A new book titled ‘The India Story’ by Bimal Jalan
Former RBI governor Bimal Jalan writes a new book titled ‘The India Story’. The book focuses on India’s economic history and aims to provide lessons for the future of India’s political economy.
He traces India’s economic policies from 1991 to 2019 to offer insights on learning from the past, before moving ‘Beyond the Metrics of Economy’ to talk about the role of governance in implementing these policies. He also authored the books ‘India Then and Now’, ‘India Ahead’.
4. IIT-Madras develops AI algorithm called ‘NBDriver’
Indian Institute of Technology Madras Researchers has developed an Artificial Intelligence-based Mathematical Model called ‘NBDriver’ to identify cancer-causing alterations in cells.
The algorithm uses a relatively unexplored technique of leveraging DNA composition to pinpoint genetic alterations responsible for cancer progression, which is difficult using present methodologies.
5. India’s first monk fruit cultivation exercise begins in HP’s Kullu
The ‘monk fruit’ from China, which is known for its properties as a non-caloric natural sweetener, was introduced for field trials in Himachal Pradesh by the Palampur-based Council of Scientific Research and Industrial Technology Institute of Himalayan Bio-resource Technology (CSIR-IHBT) in Kullu.
6. Google Cloud launches second ‘Cloud Region’ in India
Google Cloud has announced the launch of its new Cloud Region in Delhi NCR, for customers and the public sector in India and across the Asia Pacific. With the new region, the customers operating in the country will benefit from lower latency and higher performance of their cloud-based workloads and data.
7. US, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan to form new quad grouping
The US, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan have agreed in principle to establish a new quadrilateral diplomatic platform focused on enhancing regional connectivity.
The parties consider long-term peace and stability in Afghanistan critical to regional connectivity and agree that peace and regional connectivity are mutually reinforcing.
8. Lewis Hamilton wins British Grand Prix 2021
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain), won the British Grand Prix 2021, for a record-extending eighth time. The event was held on July 18, 2021, at the Silverstone Circuit in the United Kingdom. This is the 99th career win of seven times world champion Hamilton and the fourth win of the current season after 10 races.
9. Nelson Mandela International Day celebrated on 18 July
The United Nations observes 18 July every year as Nelson Mandela International Day. The day acknowledges 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.
10. Africa: First continent to complete collection of digital land use data
Africa has become the world’s first continent to complete the collection of comprehensive, accurate, and harmonized digital use data and land-use change data under the Africa Open DEAL Initiative, under which DEAL stands for Data for the Environment, Agriculture, and Land Initiative.
The initiative of data collection and analysis was led by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations and the African Union Commission.
11. Indian Navy receives MH-60 Romeo helicopters from the US
Indian Navy on July 17, 2021, received two MH-60 ‘Romeo’ multi-role helicopters from the US Navy.
India’s Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu attended the ceremony held at the Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island, San Diego on July 16, 2021, wherein the US Navy handed over the first two MH-60R helicopters to the Indian Navy.
12. Pegasus spyware used to pry on Indian journalists, ministers
Pegasus spyware has been used to conduct surveillance on ministers, opposition leaders, journalists, government officials and scientists of India.
Phone numbers of around 40 Indian journalists were found in a leaked list of potential targets for surveillance. Forensic tests done on the list has confirmed that an unidentified agency has successfully snooped some of them using the Pegasus software.
