Daily GK Updates - 4th February, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  NEET 2017 to be counted as first attempt: CBSE

The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) Under Graduate 2017 for admission to medical colleges across the country will be considered as the first out of three available attempts for all candidates. The Medical Council of India has clarified that the attempts made by candidates for All India Pre-Medical Test/NEET prior to 2017 should not be counted. All candidates who could not fill up the application form due to the condition of three attempts at AIPMT/NEET will now be able to fill up their application form. The exam will be conducted in 10 different languages on 7th May.

2. Air India to start 3 flights a week non-stop from Delhi to Washington:

Air India (AI) will start three non-stop flights a week from New Delhi to Dulles International Airport in the suburb of Washington DC (USA) this summer.

The move will bring 30,000 people from India to America every year for economic, commercial and family purposes. The direct flights will attract students from India to come and study at universities in Virginia and other parts of the United States.

3 President Pranab Mukherjee to open annual Udyanotsav of Rashtrapati Bhavan:

Today, President Pranab Mukherjee has opened the annual ‘Udyanotsav’ of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. The highlights of this year’s ‘Udyanotsav’ include two new varieties of roses named after President Mukherjee and his late wife Suvra Mukherjee. Mughal gardens in Rashtrapati Bhavan to be open for public from today.

About 14,000 Tulip bulbs in seven different colors have been planted in Mughal Gardens. Flower Carpets in magnificent designs will be on display in the Central Lawns revealing the skill and craft of the gardeners of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Note: The Mughal Gardens will remain open for general public from 12 February to 19 March, (except on Mondays) between 9.30 AM to 4 PM. About 4.68 lakh people had visited Mughal Gardens last year.

4. Indian Navy launches underwater harbour defence and surveillance system: Indian Navy has launched an Integrated Underwater Harbour Defence and Surveillance System (IUHDSS) in Mumbai, Maharashtra to enhance the security of valuable naval assets against asymmetric threats. It was inaugurated by Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, Flag Officer Commanding- in-Chief, Western Naval Command. It is third IUHDSS to be installed in India. 

5. Railway Ministry, Italy’s FS group sign MOU for technical cooperation
The Union Ministry of Railways and Italy’s public sector rail company Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane Group (FS Group) has signed MoU for technical cooperation in rail sector especially in the area of safety and modernisation. The MoU comes in the backdrop of emphasis given Railway Ministry on safety in railway operation. The Railway Board has been directed to collaborate with the international experts to identify the best practices for rail safety.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World’s smallest pacemaker unveiled in US: Scientists for the first time have successfully implanted world’s smallest pacemaker dubbed as Micra Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS) in a patient in United States. The pacemaker about size of large vitamin capsule is for patients with bradycardia, a condition characterised by a slow heart rate, usually fewer than 60 beats per minute.

2. NASA’s Juno spacecraft completes fourth flyby of Jupiter: NASA’s solar-powered Juno spacecraft completed closest flyby of Jupiter mysterious cloud tops for the fourth time. All eight of Juno’s science instruments were switched on during the flyby. During its closest approach it was roughly 4,300 km above Jupiter’s cloud tops and travelled at a speed of about 208,000 kmph. Currently, Juno is locked in a 53-day orbit around Jupiter. It is expected to perform three dozen flybys over the next one and a half years. During its flybys, Juno probes beneath the cloud cover of Jupiter and studies Jupiter’s auroras to learn more about its origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere

3. February 4: World Cancer Day: The World Cancer Day (WCD) is observed every year on 4 February across the world to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. The theme (tagline) between 2016 and 2018 WCD is “We can. I can”. It reflects on what everyone can do to raise awareness of cancer and asks to take pledge and action in fight against cancer. Special three-year campaign for the World Cancer Day 2016-2018 seeks to explore how everyone- as individuals or as a collective – can do their part to reduce the burden of cancer globally.

4. Mexico, Turkey agree to speed up negotiations for free trade agreement

 Mexico and Turkey have agreed to speed up negotiations for a free trade agreement in the wake of protectionist threats from US President Donald Trump.

Both countries have agreed to give a faster impetus to the search for an agreement.

He also proposed to strengthen the MIKTA forum, a political and trade forum that includes Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey and Australia. US,Canada and Mexico are preparing to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as demanded by Mr Trump, who calls the pact a catastrophe for his country.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1.  India lead New Zealand 2-0 in Davis Cup: In the Asia /Oceania Group-I Davis Cup tie India has taken a 2-0 lead against New Zealand at Pune. Yuki Bhambri defeated Finn Tearney, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 and Ramanathan beat Jose Statham 6-3, 6-4, 6-3. Today, Leander Paes will play alongside Vishnu Vardhan to seal the tie for the hosts. Leander Paes eying a world record 43 doubles wins in the Davis Cup history.

2.  Pankaj Advani wins his 29th National Snooker Championship title: Pankaj Advani (31-year) has won the Indian National Snooker Championship with a 6-0 win over Pandurangaiah of Railways. Now, he has become the only Indian men's cueist to be the holder of all national billiards and snooker titles at the same time - Billiards, 6-red Snooker and 15-red Snooker. The final top 3 standings of the National Snooker Championships are Pankaj Advani , Pandurangaiah ,Malkeet Singh.

AWARDS:

3. Lucideus wins Best IT Startup of India award

An IT risk assessment and digital security services provider startup company Lucideus has bagged the government’s ‘Best IT Startup of India’ Lucideus is behind the security for BHIM (Bharat Interface for Money) app, an Aadhaar-based mobile payment platform. The company bagged the award under the IT and ITES (IT-Enabled Services) category at the National Entrepreneurship Award 2016 organized here by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. (Note: Lucideus has been co-founded by its CEO Saket Modi and was incubated out of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay.)

OBITUARIES:

4. . Former CBI chief Joginder Singh passes away

Former Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chief Joginder Singh (77 years) has passed away after prolong illness. Singh,1961 batch IPS officer of Karnataka cadre was chosen to head the premier investigative agency CBI on July 31, 1996. He oversaw the investigation of several high-profile cases including Bofors scam, Bihar's fodder scam, the JMM MPs bribery scandal, Urea scam, telecom deals by the then Union minister Sukh Ram and others. He was a prolific writer and penned over 25 books on various subjects after retiring from the service.