Top Weekly Current Affairs – 2020 July 13 to 19

Current affairs is one of the inevitable and compulsive topic in almost every competitive examinations. It is inevitable for an aspirant to get updated on daily current affairs happening around the world. Daily newspaper reading and follow-ups are necessary for mastering these current affairs section. In this article, we have provided the top weekly current affairs from July 13 to 19, 2020 which will help all aspirants to improve scores in their competitive examination like PSC, SSC, RRB and Banking.

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Top Weekly Current Affairs for all Competitive Exams 2020 July 13 to 19

Here are the list of top current affairs of the week  July 13 to 19, 2020 which will be helpful for all competitive examinations like PSC, SSC, RRB, Banking etc.

Russia first nation to finish human trials for Covid-19 vaccine

• Russia became the first country to complete a human trial of the global pandemic Covid-19 vaccine.
• The trials on volunteers were conducted from 18th June 2020 at Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University.
• After applying the vaccine, all volunteers will have to remain in isolation in the hospital for 28 days.

India becomes second-largest foreign investor in UK

• India has become the second-largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the United Kingdom.
• According to the new data released by the UK government in the Department for International Trade (DIT) inward investment statistics for 2019-2020, India invested in 120 projects and created 5,429 new jobs in the UK.
• In the standings, India was followed by Germany, France and China, and Hong Kong.

Lee Hsien Loong becomes Prime Minister of Singapore

• The Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of the government of the Republic of Singapore and the country’s most powerful political figure.
• Lee Hsien Loong is the 3rd Prime Minister of Singapore.
• Lee Hsien Loong has won a fourth term as the Prime Minister of Singapore.

ISRO Chief K Sivan honoured with Von Karman Award 2020

• ISRO Chief of Dr Kailasavadivoo Sivan has been honoured with 2020 Von Karman Award recipient by International Academy of Astronautics.
• The award is the highest distinction of the Academy and it will be conferred upon him in March 2021 in Paris, France.
• The Theodre Von Karman Medal is awarded annually to an individual recognition of a person’s distinguished achievement in Engineering Mechanics.
• ISRO Chief K Sivan has been honoured with Dr A.P.J Abdul Kalam Award 2019 and IEEE Simon Ramo Medal, shared with Byrana N. Suresh for year 2020.

India’s 2018 Tiger Census Sets Guinness Record For Being World’s Largest Camera Trap Wildlife Survey

• India’s 2018 Tiger Census has made it to the Guinness Book of World Records for being the world’s largest camera trap wildlife survey.
• The results of the fourth cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation 2018 were declared to the nation on Global Tiger Day last year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• It had estimated 2,967 tigers or 75 percent of the global tiger population in India, compared to 2,226 in 2014.

Iran drops India from Chahbahar Rail Project

• The Iran Government has decided to drop India from the construction of the Chabahar Port-Zahedan Railway Line Project and now will be proceeding with the construction of the Project on its own.
• The agreement was signed by Iran and India four years ago to build a railway line.
• Mohammad Eslami, Iranian Transport and Urban Development Minister has already inaugurated the track laying process for Chahbahar-Zahedan line which will be of 628 km.

Sahithi’s Marquez award for Perumbadavam Sreedharan

• Writer Perumbadavam Sreedharan has been selected for the second Gabriel Marquez award instituted by Sahithi.
• The award acknowledged his sweeping contributions to literature as a novelist and short story writer.
• Other novels by Mr. Sreedharan, include Abhayam, Ashtapadi, Anthiveylile Ponnu, Kalvariyilekku Veendum, and Pradakshinavazhi. He has also written numerous short stories.

Vikram Doraiswami; the next Ambassador of India to Bangladesh

• Indian Foreign Service officer, Vikram Doraiswami has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Bangladesh.
• He is currently serving as additional secretary in-charge of international organisations and summits at the headquarters of the external affairs ministry in Delhi.
• He will succeed Riva Ganguly Das in Dhaka.

India’s first trans-shipment hub – Vallarpadam Terminal of Cochin Port

• A Trans-Shipment Hub handles containers and stores them temporarily. Later it transfers them to other ships for onward destinations.
• The Minister of State for Shipping Shri Manasukh Mandaviya reviewed the development activities of Vallarpadam terminal at Cochin.
• The terminal accommodates India’s first trans-shipment hub.
• The port has infrastructure to manage large ships and the hub is located is the most preferred gateway for South India and also a leading trans-shipment hub for South Asia.

BCCI has appointed Hemang Amin Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the BCCI

• Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has appointed Hemang Amin, the Chief Operating Officer of the IPL as the Interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the BCCI.
• Last week, the top body of cricket in India accepted the resignation of its CEO Rahul Johri. After which the post was vacant.
• Johri was appointed as the CEO of BCCI in 2016 when Shashank Manohar was the chairman of the body.

India launches World’s Most Affordable COVID-19 kit “COROSURE”

• The Union Minister of Human Resource and Development Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishnak launched the world’s most affordable COVID-19 kit “COROSURE”.
• The kit was developed by IIT Delhi.
• The test called “COROSURE” has been billed as the world’s most affordable RT-PCR based COVID-19 diagnostic kit.
• The base price of the kit is Rs 399.

Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa appointed ADB vice-president

• Election Commissioner, Ashok Lavasa has been appointed the vice-president Asian Development Bank (ADB).
• He will succeed Diwakar Gupta, whose term will end on 31 August.
• Lavasa, a retired 1980 batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre, was appointed as an Election Commissioner in January 2018.

India’s first cable-stayed Railways bridge “Anji Khad Bridge”

• The Railways Minister Piyush Goyal has announced India’s first cable-stayed Railways bridge “Anji Khad Bridge” to connect Katra and Reasi in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
• This bridge is being developed by Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL).
• This bridge is a part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project.

Cochin Shipyard to build two autonomous electric ferries for Norway

• The Cochin Shipyard has signed a contract with ASKO Maritime AS of Norway to build two autonomous electric ferries.
• The project is to be partially funded by the Norwegian Government.
• The project aims to provide emission free transport of goods.
• Cochin Shipyard builds Autonomous Electric Ferries as the first in the world.

Poba Reserve Forest in Dhemaji to be Upgraded to Wildlife Sanctuary

• Assam chief minister Sarbananada Sonowal announced that the Poba Reserve Forest, the vital biodiversity hotspot in Dhemaji district, would be upgraded to a wildlife sanctuary.
• The announcement was made during a meeting with senior officials of Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Majuli districts at Jonai.
• Poba Reserve Forest, declared in 1924 with an area of 10,522 hectares, is home to a large number of flora and fauna.

Gabon appoints first woman prime minister Ossouka Raponda

• Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda has been appointed as the first woman prime minister of Gabon.
• She is the 12th PM of the country and succeeds Julien Nkoghe Bekale.
• Prior to holding this position, Ossouka Raponda served as Defence Minister since February 2019.

The first plasma bank in Kerala at the Manjeri Medical College Hospital in the Malappuram district

• The first plasma bank in Kerala at the Manjeri Medical College Hospital in the Malappuram district was doing yeomen service to serious Covid-19 patients.
• Kerala is the first state in the country to have given a nod to plasma therapy.
• As part of donation, a blood test is done on a coronavirus patient who has turned negative. Two more tests are conducted to be sure about him/her being negative. Then after 14 days, the blood is tested for the presence of antibodies.

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