Current Affairs in Short: 10 July 2020

Asia Cup Cricket tournament postponed till June 2021

•  The Asia Cup Cricket tournament, which was initially scheduled to be held in September 2020, how now been postponed till June 2021 by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). The postponement comes in the wake of rise in COVID-19 cases in the region.
•  The Asian Cricket Council made the announcement through a tweet which read that the Executive Board of the ACC has decided to postpone the Asia Cup tournament that was scheduled for September 2020 after careful consideration and evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
•  The Executive Board of the ACC had met multiple times to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Asia Cup tournament. Though the board wanted to organise the tournament as per its original schedule, travel restrictions and country-specific quarantine requirements along with fundamental health risks and social distancing protocols posed substantial challenges to holding the tournament. 
•  The board noted that it would significant risk to the health and safety of the participating players, support staff and other commercial partners and fans. 
•  The ACC is currently working to ensure June 2021 as a suitable window for hosting the same. The tournament was supposed to be hosted by Pakistan Cricket Board, however, the board has exchanged its rights with Sri Lanka Cricket and now SLC will host the cup in June 2021, while PCB will host Asia Cup 2022.

Delhi Government dispensaries, polyclinics to start Rapid Antigen Detection Tests

•  The Delhi Government has decided that Rapid Antigen Detection Test will be conducted by all its dispensaries and polyclinics. The test will be conducted between 9 am and 12 noon on all working days. 
•  The step was taken to boost Covid-19 testing and ensure its easy accessibility. Delhi's Directorate General of Health Services announced that the dispensaries have been allowed to undertake Rapid Antigen Testing of the individuals with influenza-like illness (ILI) symptoms and also of asymptomatic people with direct and high-risk contacts. 
•  Rapid antigen testing will be undertaken in combination with RT-PCR test as per the guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research.

Rohingyas to remain at Bhashan Char, Bangladesh

•  The Rohingya refugees will remain at Bhashan char island, announced the Bangladesh government. The refugee community had been settled on the island in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. 
•  The district administrator stated that Bhashan Char has better facilities than overcrowded camps of Cox’s Bazaar, which is home to more than 7 lakh Rohingyas, who fled Myanmar’s Rakhine state in 2017 after a military crackdown. 
•  More than 300 Rohingya refugees were sent to the Bhashan Char in April after they were rescued off boats while trying to flee the Cox's Bazar refugee camp of Bangladesh. 
•  Bhashan Char is an uninhabited island where the government of Bangladesh has made shelter houses for one lakh Rohingya refugees at an estimated cost of Tk. 2,300 crore. However, as per environmentalists, the island lies in an ecologically sensitive area which is prone to cyclones, erosion and floods.
•  Many organisations had also raised the issue of forced relocation and lack of mobility on the island.

Government issues advisory against fraudulent websites claiming registration under PM-KUSUM Scheme

•  The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy issued a fresh advisory on July 10, 2020 against fraudulent websites claiming registration under PM-KUSUM Scheme. 
•  The PM-KUSUM scheme aims to assist in the installation of solar pumps, solarization of existing grid-connected agricultural pumps and installation of grid-connected renewable power plants.
•  The Ministry recently found two new websites that illegally claim to be a registration portal for the PM-KUSUM Scheme. The fraud websites are - www.kusum-yojana.co.in and www.onlinekusumyojana.co.in. 
•  According to the Ministry, those behind the websites are potentially duping the general public and misusing data captured through these fake portals.

Government directs CPCB to strengthen monitoring system of Ganga River 

•  The Union Government has directed the Central Pollution Control Board to strengthen the monitoring system in Ganga and it’s major tributaries. It has also directed the board to inspect the industries that are polluting the river regularly.
•  The order was issued during an inter-ministerial meeting held on July 10, 2020 in the presence of Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar and Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in New Delhi.
•  During the meeting, emphasis was laid on close monitoring of water quality in coordination with National Mission on Clean Ganga and it was also agreed that a suitable mechanism will be developed.
•  The Environment Minister urged the officials of both the ministries to work together to expedite approvals of key river projects after following due process. He also urged the officials to put in place an institutional mechanism to monitor the water quality of Ganga and it’s major tributaries.