CURRENT AFFAIRS JULY 18TH

1. Nelson Mandela International Day: 18 July

The United Nations observes 18 July every year as Nelson Mandela International Day.

• The day was officially declared by the United Nations in November 2009, with the first UN Mandela Day held on 18 July 2010.
• Nelson Mandela was born on 18 July 1918 in South Africa.
• Mandela passed away in the year 2013, at the age of 95.
• He was imprisoned for life for campaigning against the apartheid system of racial segregation established by the National Party's white-only government.

2. China gifts warship to Sri Lanka

China has gifted a warship to Sri Lanka, in the latest sign of its deepening military cooperation with the strategically located island nation in the Indian Ocean.

• The China-gifted frigate 'P625' arrived in Colombo last week.
• The Type 053 frigate was commissioned into China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy in 1994 as the Tongling.
• Also, China's rolling-stock manufacturer has announced that it would shortly deliver nine "new type" of diesel trains to Sri Lanka.

3. Palau becomes the 76th country to join International Solar Alliance

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

• The agreement was opened for signature during the COP22 at Marrakech on November 15, 2016.
• The International Solar Alliance is a group of 121 solar resource-rich countries with headquarters in Gurugram, India.

Points to remember

• Capital of Palau: Ngerulmud
• Currency: U.S. Dollar

4. Google India's 'Internet Saathi' programme to empower rural women

Google India's 'Internet Saathi' programme aimed to empower rural women on how to use the Internet has now added two more states - Punjab and Odisha.

• With this, the programme has now reached 2.6 lakh villages in 20 states.
• Launched as a pilot project in 2015, along with Tata Trusts, 'Internet Saathi' programme focuses on educating women on how to use the Internet.
• These women, in turn, impart training to other women in their community and neighbouring villages.

5. Christine Lagarde resigns as managing director of IMF

International Monetary Fund, IMF managing director Christine Lagarde has resigned ahead of a decision on her nomination to become head of the European Central Bank, ECB.

• Her resignation has been accepted by the IMF Executive Board, which will come into effect from 12 September.
• If the European Council approves Ms Lagarde's ECB nomination, she will become the central bank's first-ever female leader.

6. 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 focuses on digital and social media and the promotion of niche tourism products of the country.
• This year's awards attracted 198 entries from 78 organisations and individuals worldwide.
• The campaign won the award under the "Marketing - Primary Government Destination" category.
• PATA Gold Awards are given to tourism industry organizations and individuals making an outstanding contribution towards the successful promotion of the travel industry throughout the Asia Pacific Region.

7. 21st Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship begins in Cuttack

The 21st edition of Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship began at the Jawaharlal Indoor Stadium in Cuttack.

• Odisha Governor Prof. Ganeshi Lal inaugurated the event.

Points to remember

• Ghana, Guyana and Pakistan pulled out of the 21st Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships.
• This brings the number of participating teams down to 12.
• The final list of nations that are competing includes Australia, Bangladesh, Cyprus, England, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Scotland, South Africa, Singapore and Wales.

8. Hima Das wins fourth gold in 15 days

Star Indian sprinter Hima Das clinched her fourth gold in a fortnight as she won the 200m race with a creditable timing in the Tabor Athletics Meet in the Czech Republic.

• Hima won the race in 23.25 seconds, which had a mediocre field with most of the competitors representing clubs of the Czech Republic.
• Hima's compatriot VK Vismaya was second with a season of best 23.43 seconds.
• Hima has a 200m personal best of 23.10 seconds.
• This was 19-year-old Hima's fourth gold since July 2 when she ran her first competitive race in Europe.

9. Deepika Kumari clinches silver at 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games test event

India's top-ranked woman archer Deepika Kumari clinched silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games test event. 

• Ranked fourth in the qualification round, Deepika went down to Korean An San in straight sets.
• The second seed San produced fine shooting including a flawless third set to clinch the match 6-0 in her favour.
• This was Deepika's first individual final in a world event since she won gold at the third stage of the World Cup in Salt Lake City in June last year.

10. Anish Bhanwala claims the gold medal in 25m rapid fire pistol

At the ISSF Junior World Cup, Anish Bhanwala claimed gold in 25m rapid fire pistol competition in a tournament in Suhl, Germany.

• Indian shooters, Adarsh Singh came fourth with a score of 17, while Agneya Kaushik finished sixth with nine points.
• India has so far won eight gold, seven silver and three bronze medals in the tournament.