Daily GK Updates - 25th July, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Meeting of Nat Council under POSHAN Abhiyaan : Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India has organised the 2nd meeting of National Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges under POSHAN Abhiyaan on 24th July 2018 in New Dehli under the Chairmanship of Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog.The month of September to be celebrated as National Nutrition Month every year.POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched on 8th March 2018.

2. Rajnath Singh inaugurates Traders Conclave : Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 3-day National Traders’ Conclave organised by the Confederation of All-India Traders, in New Delhi.The discussion on simplification of GST, policy for e-commerce, the relevance of FDI in retail business, digital payment & digitization of retail business etc. took place.The conclave is organised by Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).

3. Media banned inside Karnataka assembly : Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has issued an order to not allow access to media personnel inside the Vidhana Soudha- the state assembly building.To begin with, the movement of journalists and media personnel will be restricted inside the Vidhana Soudha on a day-to-day basis.This is the first time that such a move has been initiated in Karnataka state assembly.

4. WCD Ministry launches ‘#Childline1098’ Contest : The Ministry of Women and Child Development has launched a contest, #Childline1098, inviting people to share images of the Childline 1098 logo that they spot at unique locations and send it with a tagline.The contest has been organised to mark ‘World Day against Trafficking in Persons’ on July 30.The Childline has been operating at 450 locations across the country.

5. ‘The most ambitious book’ on Mahatma Gandhi : Renowned historian and author of several bestselling books, Ramachandra Guha has penned a new book on the father of the nation.Billed as the most definitive new biography of Gandhi, the upcoming book is titled “Gandhi: The years that changed the world (1914-1948)”.It will not only tell the story of Gandhi’s life, but also the history of our freedom movement and its many strands.

6. Odisha CM launches ‘Green Mahanadi Mission’ : Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has launched the ‘Green Mahanadi Mission’, a plantation drive under which 5 crore saplings will be planted in the Mahanadi river basin.The objective of the mission is to stop soil erosion on river banks and recharge the groundwater reserve. The volunteers will plant fruit-bearing trees like mango, jackfruit & jamun within 1 km radius of the river bank.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Graphic novel in Booker Prize longlist : A graphic novel was longlisted for the Booker Prize for Fiction for the first time on July 24, with Nick Drnaso’s novel Sabrina in contention for the prestigious award.The U.S. cartoonist was among the 13 authors longlisted for the prize which markets itself as the leading literary award in the English-speaking world.The winner receives £50,000 and the award.

2. Mars coming closest to Earth : The mars is making its closest approach to Earth in 15 years.The earth and mars will be just 35.8 million miles (57.6 million kilometres) apart.That means Mars and the sun will be on exact opposite sides of Earth.In 2003, Mars and Earth were the closest in nearly 60,000 years—34.6 million miles (55.7 million kilometres). NASA said that won’t happen again until 2287.

3. Conference of female parliamentarians : Ireland will hold an international conference of female parliamentarians in Dublin.Named “The International Congress of Parliamentary Women’s Caucuses”, the event will be attended by an estimated 300 delegates from over 27 countries and regions.It will be organized by the Irish Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (IWPC), a cross-party forum for female parliamentarians within the Irish parliament.

4. Myanmar to host Asean education meet : Myanmar will host the next Asean Education Ministers Meeting (ASED) that aims to boost its education sector by cooperating with India, China and the US among others.The Association of Southeast Asian Nations partner countries include India, China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Russia, US and Australia.The first ASED was held in Singapore in 2006, while the last in Malaysia.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Panel to review third party motor cover costs : Insurance regulator IRDAI has constituted a 16-member committee to examine motor third party insurance pricing aspects and make recommendations on the premium rates for 2019-20.This is for the first time the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India has formed such a committee.IRDAI Member – Non Life P.J. Joseph will be the Chairman of the committee.

DEFENCE:

1. IAF to participate in multinational exercise : For the first time, Indian Air Force will be participating in Exercise Pitch Black 2018, a multinational drill scheduled in Australia.Ex Pitch Black is a biennial large force employment warfare exercise hosted by Royal Australian Air Force.It involves over 100 aircraft from around the globe & will provide a unique opportunity to air-warriors to operate in a dynamic warlike environment.