Daily GK Updates - 6th May, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. BRO to celebrate its 58th Raising Day : Border Roads Organisation will celebrate its 58th Raising Day on May 7 to mark the glorious services to the nation.BRO, a leader in the arena of infrastructural development in the border areas of the country, was established in 1960.Since its inception the organisation has gone from strength to strength, and numerous projects undertaken by them has been vital for the territorial integrity.

2. Delhi to host Festival of Bharat : Delhi will host a six-day-long Festival of Bharat between May 9 and May 14 as a 21st century tribute to the majesty and depth of India’s civilization.The event will be held at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) in New Delhi.Scholars, Grammy award winning artistes, rising new stars and prominent public figures will be in attendance.

3. ‘Star Khel Mahakumbh’ Launched At HP : BJP MP Anurag Thakur and cricketing great Sachin Tendulkar has launched ‘Star Khel Mahakumbh’ at Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh.The initiative has been designed in a manner as to attract participation of at least one lakh youth from across 5000 villages and 800 panchayats.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Korean Unification Flag signed at ITFF : The Korean Unification flag was signed by members of the joint Korean women’s table tennis team at the World Team Table Tennis Championship.The flag features a blue Korean Peninsula against a white background.The flag is being used in such tournaments where a unified Korean team is fielded off to participate

2. China Launches ‘APSTAR-6C’ Communication Sat : China has launched a new communication satellite “APSTAR-6C” at the southwestern Xichang Satellite Launch Center.The satellite will provide TV transmission, communication, Internet and multimedia services to customers across the Asia-Pacific region.Both the satellite and the rocket were developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. India seeks $4 bn assistance from ADB : India has requested Asian Development Bank to expand its sovereign and non-sovereign operations in the country by providing financial assistance worth $4 billion a year.India also requested ADB President Takehiko Nakao to support its endevour towards an inclusive & sustainable growth accompanied by rapid economic  transformation.ADB aims to promote social and economic development in Asia.

2. ADB projects India’s growth at 7.3% in 2018 : Asian Development Bank President Takehiko Nakao has noted that India’s growth in 2018 would pick up to 7.3%.

The Bank has also projected that India will remain the fastest growing Asian nation with 7.6% growth in 2019-20.The size of India’s economy is about USD 2.5 trillion currently, making it the sixth largest in the world.

3. India topped list of fastest growing economies : According to a Harvard University report, India topped the list of the fastest growing economies in the world for the coming decade.According to the report, India is projected to grow at 7.9% annually, ahead of China & US.The researchers also found India to be the best on Complexity Opportunity Index, which measures how easy it is to redeploy existing knowhow to enter new complex product

DEFENCE:

1. Royal Navy receives its minesweeping system : Britain’s Royal Navy has taken the delivery of its first unmanned autonomous minesweeping system.The system will restore the Royal Navy’s sweep capability, enabling it to tackle modern digital mines that may not otherwise be discovered in challenging mine hunting conditions/It can be operated from a land or ship-based control station & can be deployed from a suitable ship or port.

2. Dakota aircraft joined IAF again : A restored Dakota aircraft has joined the Indian Air Force more than 4 decades after the fleet was phased out following an illustrious service record.Dakota popularly known as Gooney Bird was the 1^st major transport aircraft inducted in the Indian Air Force.Restored Dakota rechristened as Parashuram will join Vintage Fly of one each of Tiger Moth & Howard raised at Hindan air force station

SPORTS:

1. Neeraj breaks own National record : Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has broke his own national record by clearing a distance of 87.43m to finish 4^th at the Diamond League series.Chopra, who recently won a gold at Commonwealth Games was up against the likes of Olympic champion Thomas Rohler & World champion Johannes Vetter.Chopra had set the earlier record of 86.48m when he won a gold medal in 2016 World Junior Championships.

OBITUARIES:

1.Renowned Marathi singer Arun Date dies : Veteran Marathi singer Arun Date, known for his popular song Shukratara has passed away.Date, famous for non-film ‘bhavgeet’ (lyrical poetry) songs, had crooned numbers like Shukratara & Ya Janmavar, which became very popular among people.He contributed to the Marathi music industry for more than 50 yrs.Date was the first recipient of the state government’s ‘Gajananrav Vatave Puraskar’.