Daily GK Updates - 24th February, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.PM Narendra Modi inaugurates National War Memorial in New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the National War Memorial near India Gate, New Delhi. The memorial is a commemoration of the sacrifices made by Indian soldiers since Independence with the names of 25,942 martyrs (scope to add more names) etched in stone forever. The main structure has been built in the form of four chakras with the eternal flame and obelisk located in the inner-most chakra (Amar Chakra). The layout of the Memorial comprises four concentric circles, Amar Chakra Circle of Immortality, the Veerta Chakra Circle of Bravery, the Tyag Chakra Circle of Sacrifice, and the Rakshak Chakra or Circle of Protection.

2. PM Modi delivered the keynote address at 'Rising India Summit 2019' in New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address at the 2nd edition ‘Rising India Summit 2019’ in New Delhi. The theme for this year's event is "Beyond Politics: Defining National Priorities". People of eminence and exceptional achievements from various walks of life come together in New Delhi to celebrate India’s successes and deliberate the future.

3. Ashwini Kumar Choubey launches a national programme to eliminate viral hepatitis : The Minister of state for health Ashwini Kumar Choubey has launched a national action plan ‘Viral Hepatitis’ aimed at eliminating viral hepatitis at Mumbai.The programme is also in line with the country's global commitment towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.3. The objective of the programme is to combat hepatitis and achieve countrywide elimination of Hepatitis C by 2030. Amitabh Bachchan is the goodwill ambassador for hepatitis, WHO South-East Asia Region.

4. PM Modi launches PM-KISAN scheme by transferring 1st instalment of Rs 2,000 to farmers : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the ‘PM-KISAN scheme’ (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana) at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh.Through press of the button, electronically transfer the first instalment of 2 thousand rupees to selected farmers. The amount will be transferred directly to the bank account of beneficiaries through Direct Benefits Transfer.  The amount will be given in three instalments of 2 thousand rupees each, which will benefit more than 12 crore farmers of the country.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Olivia Colman wins best actress Oscar award for "The Favourite" : Olivia Colman won the best actress award for "The Favourite", at the 91st Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. The British actress got the award for her performance as Queen Anne in the period comedy-drama. Rami Malek won the best actor for a biographical film "Bohemian Rhapsody". An American biographical comedy-drama film," GreenBook" won the Best Picture. Filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron has won the Best Director Oscar for 'Roma' which is an American and Mexican drama. Pop diva LadyGaga got the Best Original Song Academy Award for "Shallow" from her feature debut "A Star is Born".

2. Afghanistan begins export to India via Chabahar port :  Afghanistan has begun exports to India through Iran’s Chabahar port, as the landlocked country turns to overseas markets to improve its economy. Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani has inaugurated the new export route ‘Chabahar route’ in Zaranj city, western Nimroz province. According to Indian ambassador, ‘Vinay Kumar’ Afghanistan’s exports to India have increased by 40% after the launch of air corridor between Kabul and New Delhi.

3. World's largest bee spotted the first time since 1981 : A team of researchers spotted the world's giant bee which is as big as a human thumb, in Indonesia.Wallace's giant bee (scientific name -Megachile pluto) is the world's largest bee species. It was first discovered in 1859 by the prominent scientist Alfred Russel Wallace and was presumed extinct.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1.Manpreet Singh honoured with AHF's Player of the Year : The Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) has honoured Indian skipper Manpreet Singh with the 2018 Player of the Year award. Women team's striker Lalremsiami (18-year-old) has bagged the Rising Player of The Year prize. Manpreet led the Indian team to an unbeaten streak at the Asian Champions Trophy in Muscat, joint winners with Pakistan. He also contributed to the team's silver medal win at the FIH Champions Trophy in Breda.

2. Apurvi Chandela wins gold in women's 10m air rifle : Apurvi Chandela has won the gold medal in the women's 10-metre air rifle event at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi.This is India's first medal of the ISSF World Cup 2019. She set a new world record by registering a score of 252.9 points in the final. Silver medallist Zhao Ruozhu (China) scored 251.8 points and Xu Hong (China) settled for the bronze medal with 230.4 points.