Daily GK Updates - 9th June, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Facial recognition system: Varanasi airport : Varanasi’s Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport will become India’s first airport to have an automated smart facial recognition system at its entry, security and boarding points.The initiative, which is part of the DigiYatra scheme, will ensure quicker entry into airports by facilitating automated check-ins.It will be functional within the next 4 months as per Airport Director AK Rai.

2. Tree museum in Vadodara : A landfill site in Gujarat’s Vadodara has been converted into a tree museum.The municipal corporation planted over 12,000 saplings of nearly 100 varieties in an area of 50,000 square metres.ardening on the site, which is reportedly worth ₹250 crore, began in 2016 after locals complained of the bad smell emanating from the landfill.

3. HP to scrap semester system in UG courses : The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to do away with semester system in undergraduate (UG) courses and revert to annual examination system.HP Govt had set up a review committee headed by former vice-chancellor to review RUSA (Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan) and it has recommended reverting back to annual examination system.The RUSA was introduced in the state in 2013.

4. Sikkim got its longest tunnel : Minister of State for Defence, Dr, Subhash Bhamre has dedicated a highway tunnel at Theng near Chungthang in north Sikkim to the nation.The tunnel will benefit the tourism and rapidly propel the growth of the state.

The double-lane tunnel stretching about 600 meters has been constructed by the Border Roads Organisation at cost of over 42 crore rupees.

5. CRPF jawan posthumously given PM’s medal : CRPF constable Harvinder Singh has been posthumously honoured with the PM’s police medal for saving the lives of Vaishno Devi pilgrims in 2016.Singh had been helping pilgrims reach the shrine when he saw some women and children trapped under a landslide.While saving them, he was hit by a huge rock, later succumbing to his injuries.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. PM Modi heads to China for SCO Summit : PM Narendra Modi departed for China’s Qingdao to attend the two-day long 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit.Modi will also hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO summit.The SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation that focuses on strengthening mutual trust and neighbourliness among the member states.

2. Peace Mission 2018 : India and Pakistan will take part in a joint military exercise for the first time, courtesy the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.The exercise, which is aimed at countering terrorism and will be conducted in Ural region of Russia.Member states of the SCO will participate in the joint military drill ‘Peace Mission 2018’ to promote mutual trust, cooperation and coordination against terrorist.

3. Indonesia wins UNSC vote : Indonesia was elected a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for a two-year term.Maldives and Indonesia had contested for a seat in the UNSC.Indonesia won the seat after securing 144 votes against 46 for the Maldives.The other newly elected non-permanent members of UNSC are Germany, Belgium, Dominican Republic and South Africa.

OTHER UPDATES:

DEFENCE:

1. 1st Indian-made artillery gun ready : India’s first indigenous, long-range artillery gun ‘Dhanush’ has cleared its final test and is ready to be inducted into the Indian Army.Earlier this month, fifty rounds of shells each were fired from six Dhanush guns, which are reportedly called ‘desi Bofors’.The gun also passed the tests in cold, humid, and hot conditions.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:

1.Scientists in India discover a planet : Scientists at Ahmedabad’s Physical Research Laboratory have discovered an exoplanet, propelling India into a select group of countries which have found planets outside the solar system.The ‘super-Neptune’ is about 27 times the mass of Earth and six times its radius.It is most likely ‘uninhabitable’ due to the proximity to its star, 600 light-years away from Earth, scientists found.

2. Solar car to protect Taj from pollution : Students of ACE College of Engineering & Management in Agra have developed a four-seater solar car to help reduce air pollution which is damaging the Taj Mahal.Priced at ₹50,000, the car can attain a maximum speed of 30 kmph.The vehicle can be used at night and is also sturdy enough for rural areas, college officials said.

OBITUARIES:

1.Brazilian tennis great Maria Bueno dies : Brazilian tennis great Maria Bueno passed away after a battle with mouth cancer, according to a statement by the hospital. She was 78.Bueno was a former top-ranked player who spent most of her career on the court before the professional era.She won 19 Grand Slam titles overall, seven in singles, 11 in doubles and one in mixed doubles, between 1959 and 1966.