Daily GK Updates - 17th July, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 1st dedicated corridor for freight trains :  Indian Railways is set to get its first publicly-owned dedicated corridor for freight trains on 15th August 2018.The 190-km railway line between Dadri in Uttar Pradesh and Phulera in Rajasthan, which fall under the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC).It will connect Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and then will terminate at Mumbai, Maharashtra.

2. India’s 1st skill training centre in Odisha : Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan laid the foundation stone of India’s first National Skill Training Institute in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha.The proposed institute will impart training to trainers and create a skill-based ecosystem to meet the industry demands.The Institute costing Rs 160 crore will come up over five acres of land and have state-of-the-art facilities.

3. Assam’s anti-witch hunting bill : President Ram Nath Kovind has approved the Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2015, converting it to an Act.The bill has been converted into an Act after almost three years it was passed by Assam’s state assembly on August 13, 2015.It imposes imprisonment of up to seven years, along with a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh, for branding someone as witch.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. “World’s first” remote LEAP microscope : IIT Madras has launched “world’s first” remotely operatable microscope that would enable a precise atom-by-atom view of a material.The Local Electrode Atom Probe (LEAP) was developed in a collaborative exercise involving eight top research institutions headed by IIT Madras.It was developed at a cost of Rs 40 crore.

2. Peru declares 60-day state of emergency : Peru declared a 60-day state of emergency on its Colombian border to ensure security from the menace of drug trafficking in a region.The state of emergency has been declared in Peru’s Amazonian province of Putumayo, which is separated from Colombia by the river of the same name.The president informed the first patrol was carried out by the Peru police and armed forces.

3. 8th India-Oman Joint Meeting Begins in Muscat : The Commerce Minister, Suresh Prabhu, co-chaired 8th session of India-Oman Joint Commission Meeting along with Minister of Industry of Oman, Dr. Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidy.The Commerce Minister launched investment friendly programmes with a business opportunity in the country.JCM include cooperation in space, SMEs, food security, including durable foods and visit of young entrepreneurs

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. BEL signs MoU with Saab for radar : Defence undertaking BEL has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Saab, Sweden for jointly marketing the L-Band 3D Air Surveillance Radar, RAWL-03.Bharat Electrical Limited (BEL) is engaged in the design, manufacture & supply of radars such as like weapon locating, surveillance & communication systems.RAWL-03 will be offered in both ship-borne and land-based configurations.

2. Forbes highest paid entertainers’ list : Floyd Mayweather with earnings of 285 million dollars topped the Forbes list of world’s 100 highest-paid entertainers.Forbes said the world’s 100 top-earning entertainers pulled in a combined $6.3 billion pretax over the past 12 months.Akshay is ranked 76th on the Forbes list of the World’s Highest Paid Celebrities 2018 while Salman is on the 82nd spot.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. SBI ‘kisan mela’ on July 18 : State Bank of India (SBI) will organise ‘kisan melas’ in 875 rural and semi-urban branches spread across Karnataka on July 18.It is an initiative of the bank to connect with farmers and resolve their grievances.The bank also plans to offer Kisan Credit Cards to farmers. The bank will also make farmers aware of the benefits of timely renewal of KCC account & usage of KCC Rupay Card.

DEFENCE:

1.BrahMos supersonic missile test-fired : India’s indigeneously developed surface-to-surace supersonic cruise missile BrahMos was successfully test-fired from Chandipur Test Range off the Odisha coast.BrahMos is a joint venture between DRDO and NPOM of Russia.BrahMos is the first Indian missile whose life has been extended from 10 to 15 years.BrahMos has been operationalised in the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force.