Daily GK Updates - 26th February, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates projects worth Rs. 1000 Crores in Daman and Diu: Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation stones for projects worth 1000 crore Rupees in Daman in the union territory of Daman and Diu. PM distributed keys for scooters to differently-abled beneficiaries, 'SWABHIMAN' cards to pregnant and Lactating Women, 'Badhai Kit' to the newly born girl children under 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao'. PM also distributed cycles to school-going girls under Saraswati Cycle Yojna, extended loans under 'Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojna' and 'Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana' to beneficiaries.   The PM also distributed permits for CNG drove public transport vehicles for a cleaner environment in Daman.

2. PM Modi flags off “Run for New India” Marathon: Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the 'Run for New India' marathon in Surat, Gujarat. The Marathon is aimed at creating awareness about social causes and call upon all to resolve to build a New India. The Marathon is divided into 4 categories. Around 1.50 lakh runners participated in the 'Run for New India' marathon which was organized by the Surat Nagrik Samiti.

3. Eight ‘pheras’ proposed for Bihar couples: A Block Development Officer (BDO) in Bihar’s Supaul district has started a new initiative asking Hindu couples to take eight pheras at their wedding. An extra ‘phera’ as a cleanliness pledge. The BDO created a team of officials who have been going to weddings in the district, without a formal invitation, and asking couples to take the eighth phera.

4. National Conference on e-Governance held in Hyderabad: The 21st national conference on e-Governance will be held in Hyderabad. The government of India and Telangana Administrative Reforms department are jointly organizing the conference with the main theme around- technology for accelerating development. The two-day conference will deliberate on several aspects of the e-governance including its universalization and replication, governing e-governance, best practices, emerging technologies and synergizing role of national and state government.

5. Only 7.28% women in country’s police force, the proposed strength is 33%: According to latest government data, women constitute only 7.28% of the country’s police force. This comes despite the government’s repeated directions to all state governments and union territories to increase the strength of women police personnel to 33%. Interestingly, overall crimes against women rose from 3.29 lakh cases in 2015 to 3.38 lakh in 2016.

6. Govt releases list of high-risk finance companies: A list of nearly 9,500 Non-Banking Financial Companies(NBFCs) has been released by the Finance Ministry which have been categorized as ‘High-Risk Financial Institutions’. Adani Capital, Cello Capital and DLF Finvest are some of the companies listed by the Financial Intelligence Unit.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. Rome’s Colosseum lit up in red to show protest: The Colosseum in Rome was lit up in red to show solidarity with persecuted Christians, particularly a Catholic woman named Asia Bibi. She has been living on death row under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws since 2010, when she was condemned for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Islam. Her husband and daughter addressed a gathering at the Colosseum.

2. Sri Lanka to release all the fishermen as a goodwill gesture: Sri Lankan government decided to release remaining 20 Indian fishermen in their custody for charges of poaching in Sri Lankan waters. This will be the first time in recent years that no Indian fishermen are left in Sri Lankan custody. Fishermen from India and Sri Lanka are frequently detained for illegally fishing in each other’s territorial waters since the Arabian Sea does not have a clearly defined marine border and the wooden boats lack the technology to avoid being drifting away.

3. China elected as FATF Vice President: India congratulated China for being elected Vice President of the Financial Action Task Force. China’s election to the FATF assumes significance as Pakistan is set to be put in the watchdog’s grey list. The FATF, also known as ‘Groupe d’action financière’, is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1989 on the initiative of the G7 to develop policies to combat money laundering.

OTHER UPDATES

DEFENCE:

1. A&N Naval Command to host Milan 2018: The second week of March will witness Andaman & Nicobar Command hosting a multinational mega event MILAN 2018. MILAN is a congregation of littoral navies conducted biennially by Indian Navy at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The theme of this year’s MILAN International Maritime Seminar is ‘In Pursuit of Maritime Good Order - Need for Comprehensive Information Sharing Apparatus’. With the underlying theme of 'Friendship Across the Seas', MILAN 2018 will witness a diverse mix of professional exercises and seminars, social events and sporting fixtures.

2. CRPF starts bike ambulance in Bastar: The CRPF has launched a bike ambulance initiative in areas of anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh, for providing basic healthcare facilities to those living in remote jungle areas of Bastar region. Medical teams, accompanied by well-armed security personnel ride their motorcycles to help the sick and injured in about 70 villages. The battalion is based in Bijapur.

BUSINESS/ ECONOMY:

1. Airtel joins global alliance for net in air: Bharti Airtel said it has joined a new global collaboration to bring high-speed and uninterrupted in-flight data connectivity to mobile customers. The global partnership Seamless Alliance, whose other founding members include OneWeb, Airbus, Delta and Sprint, will work towards leveraging satellite technology. It will offer high-speed data connectivity even in the sky.

SPORTS:

1. High jumper Tejaswin breaks his own high jump record: Tejaswin Shankar broke his own national record by clearing a height of 2.28m. Shankar had set the record at the 2.26m mark at the Junior National Championships in Coimbatore in 2016 when he was a school boy. The height cleared by Shankar is the best this year amongst athletes from Commonwealth countries.

2. Sameer Verma beats ex-world no. 2 to win Swiss Open: Indian shuttler Sameer Verma beat former world number two Jan O Jorgensen and clinched the men’s singles title at the $150,000 Swiss Open Super 300 tournament. Verma, who joins Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy as the Indian shuttlers who have won the Swiss Open, had clinched the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold last year.

3. PyeongChang Winter Olympics concludes: The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics concluded with a spectacular closing ceremony. In the closing ceremony, the Olympic flag was handed over to Chinese organisers for the next Winter Games in Beijing in 2022. With the 2022 Games, Beijing will become the first city in the world to host both the summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games after hosting the Summer Games in 2008.