News Flash (25th July 2020): Top 10 Stories Of The Day

1. US to stop taking new foreign students for online-only classes

Students belonging to the new foreign college are no longer going to be allowed to come to the US this fall if their courses are online-only, the Trump Government announced. This comes days after the administration cancelled the order that kept foreign students from staying in the US if their classes go online. A large number of US educational institutions had filed lawsuits against the previous order.

2. Senior commanders of India, China agree to meet again to discuss disengagement

The two nations who have in a tussle over boarded issues have agreed that another meeting of senior commanders may be conducted soon to take steps to ensure complete disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in an official statement. The MEA said, “The two sides agreed that full restoration of peace and tranquillity was essential for the development of bilateral relations.”

3. After WHO’s request, India extends medical assistance of $1 mn to North Korea

Responding to a request from WHO, India has extended medical assistance of around $1 million to North Korea, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed. “India is sensitive to the shortage of medical supply situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and decided to grant humanitarian assistance of USD 1 million in the form of anti-tuberculosis medicines,” the ministry said.

4. Jaguar Land Rover develops contactless touchscreen technology to combat viruses

Jaguar Land Rover along with the University of Cambridge has built a contactless touchscreen technology to combat viruses and bacteria.  This ‘predictive touch’, a patented technology, makes use of artificial intelligence and sensors to predict a user’s intended target on the touchscreen. Lab tests and on-road trials showed the technology could lower down a driver’s touchscreen interaction effort and time by up to 50% 

5. Mumbai Police summons Kangana Ranaut to record statement in Sushant’s death case

Kangana Ranaut, who has been rather vocal about Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide, openly calling it murder at the hands of ‘Bollywood Biggies’, and ‘Movie Mafias’ has been summoned by Mumbai Police to record her statement in the actor’s death case. The actress’ lawyer Ishkaran Singh Bhandari tweeted on Froday, “I have sent a reply on her behalf, she is committed to helping in getting Sushant…justice. Hopefully, Mumbai Police will cooperate.” Kangana who is currently in Manali, Himachal Pradesh, might soon fly down to Mumbai

6. NBA to be held virtually using Microsoft Teams to help fans attend games

Microsoft Teams’ new ‘Together Mode’ is going to be used by the NBA to virtually conduct the games and help fans in viewing the games live. The ‘Together Mode’ makes use of the AI segmentation technology to place people together in a shared background like a conference room. NBA games are scheduled to begin from July 30, where each game court will have 17-foot-tall LED screens on three sides of the arena with over 300 fans.

7. Centre directs states to invite COVID warriors, survivors for Independence Day event

All states and UTs of India have been asked by the Ministry of Home Affairs to invite COVID-19 warriors like doctors, nurses, and sanitation workers to Independence Day celebrations “as a recognition of their noble service.” The MHA also added, “Some persons cured of COVID-19 infection may also be invited.” It has asked the authorities to not encourage or allow large gatherings and also stated that preventive measures like wearing of masks should be strictly followed. 

8. ‘Country of origin’ tag made mandatory, Govt releases new e-commerce rules

The government of India has rolled out a new set of rules for e-commerce entities under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, making the display “country of origin” mandatory for products and appoint a grievance officer. All e-tailers will now be required to mention the expiry date of goods and importer’s details. This is applicable to all registered e-tailers in India or abroad that offer services to consumers in India.

9. Ban imposed on wildlife trade in Vietnam to reduce risk of new pandemics

The Vietnam Government recently issued an order to ban the country’s wildlife trade immediately to reduce the risk of new pandemics. This is in the wake of the recent outbreak of coronavirus. After the ban comes into effect discontinuing imports of live wild animals and wildlife products, elimination of wildlife markets, and enforcing prohibitions on illegal hunting and trading of wild animals, including online sales, will strictly be followed.

10. US authorities take down Christopher Columbus statue amid protest

A statue of Christopher Columbus located in downtown Chicago’s Grant Park was taken down by authorities on Friday on a temporary basis, a week after a clash broke out between the protesters trying to topple the monument and the police. “This step is about an effort…to preserve a safe space for an inclusive and democratic public dialogue about our city’s symbols,” Lori Lightfoot, Mayor of Chicago Mayor.