Current Affairs Daily Updates: 19th August 2017

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Current Affairs Daily Updates: 19th August 2017
APPOINTMENTS
Putin appoints Nikolay Kudashev as Russia’s New Ambassador to India
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed career diplomat Nikolay Kudashev as Russia’s new ambassador to India.
  • The appointment of Kudashev comes nearly seven months after the death of Russia’s previous ambassador to India Alexander Kadakin.
BANKING AFFAIRS
Union Bank Signs Insurance Deals
  • Union Bank of India entered into a corporate agency agreement with Bajaj Allianz General Insurance and Cholamandalam MS General Insurance for distribution of their insurance products.
  • The public sector bank already with the corporate agency agreement with The New India Assurance.
Reserve Bank of India to shortly issue new Rs 50 currency note
  • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will shortly issue new banknotes of Rs 50 denomination in the Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series.
  • The banknote will bear the signature of RBI Governor Dr. Urjit R. Patel on the front side along with the guarantee and promise clause and the RBI emblem.
  • It will have Mahatma Gandhi’s portrait at the Centre and a see through register with denominational numeral 50. Micro letters ‘RBI’, ‘भारत’, ‘INDIA’ and ‘50’ and Ashoka Pillar emblem on the right will also feature on the front side.
IMPORTANT DAYS OBSERVED
World Photography Day being observed on 19th August
  • World Photography Day' observed today to inspire photographers across the planet to share a single photo with the world.
  • On this day, camera persons take stock of the different kind of photography that has come to the fore.
  • On August 19 in 2010, World Photo Day hosted its first global online gallery.
World humanitarian Day is observed on 19th August
  • World Humanitarian Day (WHD) is held every year on 19 August to pay tribute to aid workers who risk their lives in humanitarian service, and to rally support for people affected by crises around the world.
  • The theme for WHD 2017 will be #NotATarget.
  • This campaign follows on the UN Secretary-General’s report on the protection of civilians, which was launched earlier this year.
  • Laying out his ‘path to protection’, the Secretary-General calls for enhanced respect for international humanitarian and human rights law, and protection of civilians, including humanitarian and medical workers as well as civilian infrastructure.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Sri Lanka appoints First Tamil Navy Chief After Four Decades
  • Rear Admiral Travis Sinniah appointed as the chief of Sri Lanka's naval forces to head the Navy since the brutal civil war erupted in the country 45 years ago.
  • He succeeds Vice Admiral Ravi Wijegunaratne got retired.
  • He got appointed as the Navy Chief by President Maithripala Sirisena.
China launches First Cyber Court in e-commerce Hub
  • China launched its first cyber court specializing in handling Internet-related cases in the e-commerce hub of Hangzhou.
  • The Hangzhou Internet Court in Hangzhou will handle cases such as online trade disputes and copyright lawsuits.
  • Hangzhou is home to many Internet companies, including e-commerce giant Alibaba.
United States and Japan Vow To Boost Defence Cooperation with India
  • The United States of America and Japan agreed to advance their multilateral security and defense cooperation with countries like India, South Korea, and Australia, amidst China's growing assertiveness in the Asia Pacific region.
  • During the meeting, the ministers underscored the importance of cooperating to promote a rules-based international order, taking note of the United States continued the commitment to maintain a strong presence in the region and Japan initiatives demonstrated by its “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy”.
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Telecom Regulators of 23 Asia-Pacific countries to meet at Delhi
  • The Telecom regulators of 23 countries from the Asia-Pacific will meet in Delhi this month to discuss challenges in framing rules for the digital ecosystem and regional roaming.
  • The Regulatory heads of Australia, Afghanistan, Iran, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vanuatu, Fiji and some others are slated to attend the International meet.
  • Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha is scheduled to inaugurate the roundtable on August 21 that is being jointly organized by the International Telecom Union.
Chief Election Commissioner inaugurates two-day Chief Electoral Officers’ Conference
  • Chief Election Commissioner AK Joti and Election Commissioner OP Rawat inaugurated a two-day Chief Electoral Officers’ Conference in New Delhi.
  • He stressed on the need of providing E-services to stakeholders and emphasized the requirement to develop E-Payment gateways for various election services of Election commission.
  • He underlined the need for extensive training programs on Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) as the Commission has decided to conduct all future elections using it along with Electronic Voting Machines.
Smriti Irani to inaugurate Orient Craft Textile facility in Jharkhand
  • Union Minister for Textile and Information & Broadcasting, Smriti Irani to inaugurate Orient Craft Textile facility at Irba near Ranchi in Jharkhand.
  • The event will pave way for new investment as two projects will be inaugurated while foundation stone will be laid for 70 projects during the function.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY / DEFENCE AFFAIRS
Navika Sagar Parikrama is Circumnavigating the Globe on an Indian-Built Sail Boat INSV Tarini by Women Naval Officers
  • Navika Sagar Parikrama is a project wherein a team of women officers of the Indian Navy would circumnavigate the globe on an Indian-built sail boat INSV Tarini.
  • This is the first ever Indian circumnavigation of the globe by an all-women crew.
  • The voyage of Navika Sagar Parikrama will begin from Goa in the first week of September 2017 and culminate on their return in March 2018.