Current Affairs- Today’s Headlines: August 18, 2022

– India has 18 of the 20 cities in the world with the most severe increase in fine particle pollutants (PM2.5) from 2010 to 2019, says report published by US-based Health Effects Institute (HEI)

– PM attends special screening of Doordarshan-produced serial-’Swaraj: Bharat Ke Swatantrata Sangram ki Samagra Gatha’

– Assam govt starts Vidya Rath-School on Wheels project to provide elementary education to children of poor families

– Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal launches ‘Make India No. 1’ mission to focus on education, health

– Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks to President Emmanuel Macron of France on phone

– 9th India-Thailand Joint Commission Meeting concludes in Bangkok; Indian delegation led by External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar

– India supplies nearly 60% of vaccines used worldwide: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

– India’s first portal on arrested narcotics offenders ‘NIDAAN’ (National Integrated Database on Arrested Narco-offenders) gets operational

– Cabinet approves interest subvention of 1.5% per annum on Short Term Agriculture Loan upto Rs 3 lakh

– Cabinet has approved enhancement of limit of ECLGS (Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme) by Rs. 50,000 cores for Travel, Tourism and Hospitality sector

– Cabinet approves providing access of Traditional Knowledge Digital Library database to users including patent applicants and researchers

– 10th Edition of Asian Textiles Conference TEXCON held in New Delhi

– Indian Railways tests its heaviest and longest goods train ‘Super Vasuki’; 3.5-km-long freight train had 295 loaded wagons

– PSU ONGC signs agreement with petroleum MNC ExxonMobil Corp for deepwater exploration in India’s East and West coasts

– Hollywood Director Wolfgang Petersen dies in Los Angeles at 81; known for films “Das Boot”, “In the Line of Fire” and “Troy”

– Delhi HC orders appointment of Committee of Administrators (CoA) to take over affairs of Indian Olympic Association

– 131st edition of Durand Cup, Asia’s oldest football tournament, starts in Kolkata