Daily GK Updates - 14th February, 2017

                     NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Indian kids fly 7,730 paper planes in a minute to set record: As many as 80 students of Moginand Senior Secondary School in Himachal Pradesh have set a world record by flying 7,730 paper planes in one minute. This record was set as a part of a campaign against drugs. The record was previously held by 87 students of a New Zealand school, where 3,622 paper planes were flown in a minute.

2.  India witnessed maximum bombings worldwide in 2016 – Report: India witnessed the maximum bombings worldwide in 2016, according to a report by the National Bomb Data Centre. While there were 406 bombing incidents, including IED and ordnance explosive blasts, in India, Iraq came second with almost half the number at 221. Notably, Pakistan witnessed 161 bombing incidents in 2016, followed by Afghanistan at 132 and Turkey at 92.

3. New District in West Bengal created: CM Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday made Kalimpong West Bengal's 21st district after separating it from Darjeeling. She also announced a ₹220 crore road link project which will connect Kalimpong to Sikkim via the old Silk Route. Kalimpong has seen separate statehood demands since the 1980s. Notably, when TMC government was formed in 2011, Bengal had 19 districts.

4. Czech brewery using Ganesha image on beer bottles sparks row: A Czech Republic brewery has sparked a row for using images of Lord Ganesha and other Hindu deities on bottles of Primator IPA, which has 6.7% alcohol by volume. Terming it as 'inappropriate' and 'disrespectful', Hindu officials have asked the Czech Republic brewery to remove images of Indian deity Lord Ganesha from beer bottles according to reports.

5. Eleventh edition of Aero India begins: The 11th edition of Aero India kicked off on Tuesday at the Indian Air Force Station in Yelahanka, Bengaluru. The event is being organised from February 14-18. The opening ceremony was attended by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and the three service chiefs. Industrialist Anil Ambani will fly a sortie in Rafale fighter jets at the event on Wednesday.

6. Sasikala gets 4-year jail in disproportionate assets case: The Supreme Court on Tuesday sentenced AIADMK General Secretary VK Sasikala to four years imprisonment in the disproportionate assets case. With this, she stands disqualified to take over as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and also she can't contest any election for a period of 10 years. Notably, the apex court has asked her to surrender immediately.

7. Not mandatory to stand if National Anthem part of movie - SC: The Supreme Court on Tuesday clarified that it was not necessary to stand during the National Anthem if it was a part of a movie or a documentary. The government guidelines state that standing during a movie would only create disorder and confusion. Notably, the court recently directed theatre owners to play the National Anthem before movie screenings.

8. IAF inducts first indigenously developed surveillance plane: The Indian Air Force on Tuesday inducted its first indigenously developed all-weather airborne early warning and control system at the Aero India 2017 in Bengaluru. Mounted on a Brazilian Embraer-145 jet, the surveillance plane has the capability to detect enemy aircraft and missiles. The AeW&CS system has been developed by the DRDO and has a range of around 200 km.

9. Lufthansa brings Airbus A350-900 to India: Airbus A350-900, which is part of Airbus' new fleet, has been brought to India via Lufthansa Airlines. The aircraft landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Saturday. The new model, which weighs 280 tonnes and can seat 325 passengers, has been personalised by Lufthansa to accommodate large TV screens and personalised playlists.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. US puts sanctions on Venezuelan Vice President for drug trafficking: US President Donald Trump's administration on Monday imposed sanctions against Venezuela's Vice President Tareck El Aissami, accusing him of involvement in international drug trafficking.

2. Indonesian authorities ban Valentine’s Day: Authorities reportedly banned students from celebrating Valentine's Day in various parts of the country. Authorities claimed that the romantic tradition encourages casual relationships and runs against cultural norms.

3. 2 mn deaths in China, India in 2015 due to pollution -  Study: A research by the US-based Health Effects Institute (HEI) has claimed that 2.2 million deaths out of the total 4.2 million deaths caused due to air pollution worldwide in 2015 were recorded from China and India alone. "India still appears to have some ministers who say there is not a strong connection between air pollution and mortality," said HEI President.                    

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1.  India's wholesale inflation rises to 2.5-year high: The Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation in January expanded to a 30-month high at 5.25% year-on-year, as against 3.39% in December. The rise was attributed to a surge in fuel prices, which jumped 18.14%, the fastest since October 2008. Notably, oil prices have been on a rise since OPEC decided to cut output for the first time in eight years.

SPORTS:

2. Sachin adopts a village in Maharashtra, sanctions ₹4 crore: Former Indian cricketer and Member of Parliament Sachin Tendulkar is set to adopt Donja village in Osmanabad, Maharashtra, under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna. The Rajya Sabha MP has sanctioned over ₹4 crore from his Member of Parliament Local Area Development fund for developing a school building, a water supply scheme, concrete roads and a sewage line in the village.

3. India's maiden sport-themed literary festival, SporTale to be organised: It will be held in Pune on February 21 and 22. The event will feature as many as 38 luminaries from the field of sports, media, cinema, books and photography. Virat Kohli, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, Shane Warne and Dipa Karmakar will be speaking at the event among others.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

4. Triangle-shaped molecule synthesised for the first time: A triangle-shaped carbon-based molecule has been synthesised for the first time since its prediction 70 years ago. 'Triangulene', made of six fused circular benzene molecules has an even number of atoms and electrons. Due to its unique geometry, two of its electrons are not able to pair up, which could make it magnetic and valuable for quantum computing, researchers said