Daily GK Updates - 12th May, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Customs & Postal department holds joint conference : Indian Customs & Department of India Posts held a First ever Joint Conference in New Delhi to deliberate on streamlining imports & exports by post.Imports & exports by post are the 6th highest cited citizen grievances under Centralized Public Grievance Redress & Monitoring System.Customs & DGFT have worked together since a year to liberalise, reform & align laws relating to imports by post

2. India’s first Lithium-Ion charger : President Ram Nath Kovind unveiled India’s first, indigenous lithium-ion battery charger, developed by Ampere Vehicles in New Delhi.

The lithium-Ion charger project is supported by Technology Development Board of the Ministry of Science and Technology as part of the Make-in-India initiative.The unveiling event took place on the occasion of National Technology Day.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. NASA to fly a helicopter on Mars : NASA will send a small helicopter to Mars, in the first test of a heavier-than-air aircraft on another planet.The Mars helicopter will be bundled with the US space agency’s Mars rover when it launches in 2020.The helicopter is specifically designed to fly in the atmosphere of Mars, which is 100 times thinner than Earth’.

2. Trump axes funding for NASA system : The Trump administration has eliminated funding for NASA’s research program that tracks greenhouse gases around the world.The Carbon Monitoring System (CMS), a $10m (£7m)-a-year project tracks the world’s flow of carbon dioxide from space.The US’s environmental policy has shifted under Trump administration, which wants to bolster the US’s fossil fuel industry.

3. Cholera vaccination campaign began in Yemen : The 1^st vaccine campaign against cholera in Yemen has started, a year & a half after an epidemic was triggered by war & a health and sanitation crisis.According to WHO, there have been more than 1 million cases of cholera in Yemen & 2,275 recorded deaths since Nov 2016.The oral vaccination campaign started in four districts in Aden aims to target around 350,000 people.

4. KISS Humanitarian Award 2018 : Nobel Peace award winner & the founder of Grameen Bank Prof. Muhammad Yunus has been conferred with the prestigious KISS Humanitarian Award 2018.Prof Yunus is the second Nobel laureate to be conferred the award.KISS Humanitarian Award is an international award given to someone who has made an exceptional contribution to the society in various fields relating to social issues.

5. India and Myanmar sign 7 agreements : India & Myanmar have signed 7 agreements during the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Myanmar.The 7 agreements signed included one on land border crossing that will enable people from both countries to cross the land border with passport & visa for accessing health & education services.MoU on training of Myanmar foreign service officers was also signed during the meeting.

6. International Nurses day celebrated : International Nurses Day is celebrated every year on May 12 with a view to create awareness among the public about the role and responsibilities of nurses.This year the theme of the day is ‘Nurses: A voice to lead – Health is a Human Right’.International Nurses day also marks the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

OTHER UPDATES: 

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. SEBI asks listed firms to split CMD post : SEBI has asked listed companies to split the post of Chairman and Managing Director by April 2020.SEBI has also made it compulsory for them to have six independent directors on board, including a women director.The changes, which were first recommended by Kotak Bank chief Uday Kotak-led committee on corporate governance in 2017, have now been accepted and notified by SEBI.

2. RBI puts Dena Bank under corrective action : RBI has initiated prompt corrective action against Dena Bank in view of high non-performing assets, restricting the bank from giving new loans & new hiring.Prompt Corrective Action comes after Dena Bank posted a loss for the third year in a row with net NPA’s close to 12%.Though several banks are under the PCA framework currently, Dena Bank is the first lender to have fresh lending curbed.

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Kerala & NTPC sign MoU for solar power : The Kerala State Electricity Board has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Thermal Power Corporation for increasing solar power generation in the state.The MoU also includes an agreement to set up a 15 MW solar power unit at the NTPC complex in Kayamkulam.The possibility of setting up solar plants at reservoirs, open space & top of buildings will also be explored.

2. Tea industry records highest ever production : Achieving a historic feat, the Indian tea industry has recorded the highest ever production of 1,325.05 million kg as well as the export of 256.57 million kg during 2017-18.Total tea production in 2017-18 went up by 74.56 million kg or 5.96%, as compared to the corresponding figure in 2016-17.Growth in exports was majorly driven by 5 countries – Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, China & Russia.

3. Agreement in field of Renewable Energy : India and Peru have signed an agreement in the field of Renewable Energy at Lima, Peru.The pact was signed in the presence of Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and the Prime Minister Cesar Villanueva Arevalo.Vice President’s visit comes at a time when India is celebrating the 55th anniversary of the establishment of Diplomatic Relations with Peru.

DEFENCE:

1. SpaceX launched most powerful Falcon 9 yet : SpaceX blasted off its newest & most powerful Falcon 9 rocket, known as the Block 5, carrying the first high-orbit communications satellite for Bangladesh.The satellite will provide broadband connectivity to rural areas throughout Bangladesh.Block 5 Falcon 9 is eventually meant to carry astronauts to the International Space Station, with the first launch tentatively planned for Dec 2018.

SPORTS:

1. Indian judokas win 3 medals : Indian judokas won 3 medals on the opening day of Asian Cadet Judo Championships in Lebanon.Rohini S Mohite from Maharashtra won a gold medal in the 40kg category while Tababi Devi Thanjam of Manipur emerged as a champion in the 44kg category.India has sent a 40-member team for the 12th Asian Cadet Judo Championships.