Important Dates
2. International Youth Day being observed today
- International Youth Day (IYD) is celebrated on 12 August annually to create awareness among the international community towards youth issues
- The day also celebrates the potential of youth as partners in global society.
- UN General Assembly session adopted a resolution 'Policies and programmes involving youth' on 17 December 1999 to commemorate August 12 as International Youth Day.
- It was first observed on 12 August 2000
- Theme 2020: ‘Youth Engagement for Global Action’
Agreement
3. Flipkart signs MoU with ODOP scheme of UP Government
- Flipkart has signed an MoU with One District, One Product (ODOP) scheme of Uttar Pradesh Government to bring artisans, weavers and craftsmen into the mainstream business
- The MoU will be a part of 'Flipkart Samarth' initiative
- MoU will break entry barriers by extending time-bound incubation support that includes on-boarding, free cataloguing, marketing, account management, business insights and warehousing support.
- ODOP scheme was introduced in UP to boost MSME sector
National Affairs
4. Centre Launches Portal on Human-Elephants Conflict ‘Surakhsya’
- Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar launched beta version of Portal on Human-Elephants Conflict titled as ‘Surakhsya’ in New Delhi.
- The portal is launched on the eve of World Elephant Day by NIC.
- It is a collection of real time information portal that will manage the conflicts and helps in formulating policy of Action Plans for mitigation of conflicts.
- It will leverage HEC data to frame the data collection protocols, data transmission and data visualization tools.
Important Dates
5. World Elephant Day being observed today
- World Elephant Day 2020 is observed on 12 August annually to preserve and protect the giant animal elephant.
- It was adopted by Elephant Reintroduction Foundation and filmmakers Patricia Sims and Michael Clark in 2011.
- First World Elephant Day 2020 was first observed in August 12, 2012.
- In this context, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar also released a booklet on ‘Best practices of Human-Elephant Conflict Management in India’.
Science & Technology
6. Paytm launches Android PoS device for contactless order & payment
- Paytm has rolled out its first pocket Android PoS device for contactless ordering and making payments for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
- It will be available at ₹499 per month on a rental basis
- This is first such Android PoS device and is more reliable than portable Linux based devices
- It has a ‘powerful’ processor, all-day battery and inbuilt camera to scan QR
- It can also be used for billing, payments, etc
- It can even work with 4G sim, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
International Affairs
7. Russia announces World’s first Covid-19 vaccine ‘Sputnik V’
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has launched COVID-19 vaccine which is named as Sputnik V
- It is named after the Soviet satellite.
- This is the World’s first 1st COVID-19 vaccine and trials in 2 phases have already been concluded
- Industrial production of Sputnik V is expected to start from September after the completion of Phase 3 trials
- It is developed jointly by Gamaleya Research Institute and the Russian Defence Ministry.
National & International Appointments
8. Alexander Lukashenko wins sixth consecutive Belarus Presidential Election
- Incumbent Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko (65 years) has been re-elected for the sixth time in the Presidential Election of Belarus
- He won the elections by 80% of all votes in his favour
- He is serving as the President of Belarus since 20 July 1994, when the office of President was established in Belarus.
- Belarus is in Eastern Europe.
- Capital of Belarus: Minsk
- Currency of Belarus: Belarusian Rouble
National & International Appointments
9. Walter Roger Martos Ruiz sworn in as Prime Minister of Peru
- Walter Roger Martos Ruiz has taken over as the new Prime Minister of Peru (South American country) under Martín Vizcarra's administration
- He will succees Pedro Cateriano.
- Prior to this, he was serving as the Minister of Defense (October 2019 to August 2020)
- He was former major-general of the Peruvian Army and has served in a variety of leading military positions throughout his career.
- Peru’s Capital: Lima
- Currency of Peru: Sol (PEN)
National & International Appointments
10. Mohamed Ould Bilal appointed as new Prime Minister of Mauritiana
- Mohamed Ould Bilal has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of Mauritania by the Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani.
- He is a veteran public administrator
- He also served as the head of water agency, a presidential aide and a cabinet minister of Mauritania nation
- He will succeed Ismail Ould Cheikh Sidiya, who resigned recently.
- Capital of Mauritania: Nouakchott.
- Currency of Mauritania: Mauritanian ouguiya.
Obituaries
11. Renowned Urdu Poet Rahat Indori passes away
- Legendary Urdu poet Rahat Indori (70 years) passed away due to a heart attack after being treated for COVID-19.
- He was the Mushaira (poetry symposiums) star of India
- Last year his poem ‘Bulati hai magar jane ka nahi’ went viral on social media
- He is known for lyrics of songs like ‘M Bole to’ from Munnabhai MBBS, ‘Neend Churai Mei’ from Ishq
- His power line of a poem ‘Sabhi ka khoon hai shamil yahan ki mitti mein; Kisi ke baap ka Hindustan thodi hai’ is the most remembered line
Obituaries
12. Former Indian Footballer Laishram Manitombi Singh passes away
- Former Indian footballer Laishram Manitombi Singh (39 years) passed away at his village near Imphal, Manipur
- Manitombi was the member of Stephen Constantine-coached India Under-23 team that lifted the LG Cup in 2003 by defeating Vietnam with 3-2
- He also represented India in the 2002 Busan Asian Games
- He served as the captain of Mohun Bagan for consecutive two seasons (2003-2004) where he scored 3 goals, and led the club to win the Airlines Gold Cup in 2004
Obituaries
13. Renowned Tamil film lyricist P K Muthusami passes away
- Famous Tamil film lyricist P K Muthusami (99 years) has passed away at his residence in R Pudupatti village, Namakkal, Tamil Nadu
- He was about to complete his 100th birthday in 2020.
- He peened down memorable Tamil film lyrics like ‘Mannukku Maram Baaramaa ?’, which means ‘are the trees a burden on the earth?’ which is still relevant.
- His other lyrics composed by Muthusami include ‘Mapilai vandar’, ‘Chinna chinna nadai nadandu’ among others
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