Daily GK Updates - 9th April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Indian President awarded with the highest civilian honour of Equatorial Guinea:  President Ram Nath Kovind was conferred with the “Condecoracion”, the highest honour accorded to a non-citizen by the government of Equatorial Guinea. President Kovind was bestowed with the medal of the ‘Gran Colar de la Independencia’ by the President of Equatorial Guinea. The award was given for his contribution to the cause of development, security and world peace.

2. Patna tops in 4G connectivity – OpenSignal Report: Patna topped in 4G connectivity among 20 of India’s largest cities. It has emerged ahead of the cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, said a report from OpenSignal, a wireless coverage mapping company.

3. PM Ujjwala Yojana inaugurated in Delhi: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) scheme in Delhi on 7th April and distributed new LPG connections and cylinders to beneficiaries here. During the event, about 400 LPG connections were handed over to families belonging to below poverty line category. The PMUY was launched at Yamuna Sports Complex in the national capital.

4. Haryana Govt. to support TB patients: Haryana government has decided to provide special benefits, including nutritional support, to tuberculosis patients in an effort to eliminate the infectious disease by 2025. The government would provide nutritional support of Rs 500 per month during treatment to notified TB patients. Free services would be provided to TB patients in government hospitals of Haryana, including X-Ray.

5. Free chemotherapy in 10 Maharashtra districts: The Maharashtra state government will introduce free chemotherapy facility in 10 districts from June. This facility will be made available at district hospitals of Nagpur, Gadchiroli, Pune, Amravati, Jalgaon, Nashik, Wardha, Satara, Bhandara and Akola in the first phase. The initiative would help patients save in lodging and travelling expenses.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. India-Nepal petroleum products pipeline launched: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli launched the Rs 3.24 billion India-Nepal petroleum products pipeline from Motihari, Bihar to Amlekhgunj, Nepal on 7th April. This is the first international cross-country pipeline project in India. The Motihari-Amlekhgunj Pipeline project was approved by Indian Oil in September 2015.

2. Hungarian elections - PM Orban’s party wins: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz-KDNP coalition won the general elections in Hungary on 8th April. Former radical Jobbik party came second with 20% of the vote, and MSZP-P (Socialist-Dialogue) third with 12.13%

OTHER UPDATES

DEFENCE:

1. UAE, Malaysia conclude military exercise, Desert Tiger: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Malaysia concluded “Desert Tiger 5” joint military exercise aimed at sharing expertise and enhancing joint military actions. The Desert Tiger series is an annual joint exercise between the two countries.

SPORTS:

1. Vettel wins Bahrain Grand Prix: Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel won Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix in his 200th race start. It was Vettel’s second win in as many races this season, the 49th of his career.

2. Mehuli Ghosh clinches silver medal in Shooting at CWG: Indian shooters Mehuli Ghosh and Apurvi Chandela bagged silver and bronze respectively in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle competition at Commonwealth Games 2018. Singapore bagged the gold medal.

With this feat, India now stands third on the points table with 17 medals in total, including seven in shooting alone.

3. Weightlifter Pardeep wins silver at CWG: Indian weightlifter Pardeep Singh won a silver medal in the sport at Gold Coast Commonwealth Games 2018. Last year, Pardeep had claimed a surprise gold medal in his first senior competition in the 105kg category.

4. Shooters bag gold, bronze for India: Indian shooters Jitu Rai and Om Prakash Mitharwal won gold and bronze medals respectively at Commonwealth Games 2018. In the men’s 10m air pistol event at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games 2018, Rai shot a total of 235.1 points, thus, registering a new Games record. Mitharwal bagged the silver medal after shooting a total of 214.3 points.

India has won five medals so far in shooting alone.

5. Manika Batra won gold medal in Table Tennis: Manika Batra inspired India to a historic gold medal with her stunning singles victories, as she defeated defending champions Singapore 3-1 to claim the gold medal in TT at Commonwealth Games 2018. This is India’s first ever gold at the multi-sport event.