Daily GK Updates - 8th February, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Chennai Police launches mobile app ‘Digicop’ : Tamil films actor Vijay Serthupathi has launched a mobile app “DigiCop” at the Commissioner’s office, Vepery in Chennai. Using the App, people can track the status of stolen two-wheelers and cell phones (details of 18,000 mobile phones stored), know the nearest police station and traffic alerts. Serthupathi also released a DVD on CCTV awareness and several other police campaigns to make the police department people friendly.

2. Pradeep Singh Kharola appointed Civil Aviation Secretary : Senior IAS Officer Pradeep Singh Kharola (IAS officer -1985 batch- Karnataka cadre) has been appointed as the Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Kharola will take over from Rajiv Nayan Choubey. Currently, Mr. Kharola is the chief managing director (CMD) and Chairperson of Air India (from 9th January, 2018).

3. Dinkar Gupta takes over charge of DGP Punjab : Senior IPS officer Dinkar Gupta (1987 batch IPS officer) has taken over the charge of Director General of the Punjab Police at a simple ceremony at Chandigarh.He succeeds current DGP Suresh Arora.Earlier, Mr Gupta was posted as Director General of Police, Intelligence, Punjab.Mr. Gupta had also served as Senior Superintendent of Police of Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur districts for more than seven years.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.5th India-Bangladesh joint consultative committee meeting held in New Delhi : The 5th India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Committee Meeting was held in New Delhi.Sushma Swaraj (India’s External Affairs Minister) and Dr. A. K. Abdul Momen (Foreign Affairs Minister of Bangladesh) co-chaired the meeting. The last Joint Consultative Committee Meeting between the two countries was held in October 2017 at Dhaka (Bangladesh).

2. American members of US-India CEO forum announced : US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has announced Ajay Banga (MasterCard CEO) and Steve Mollenkopf (Qualcomm CEO) as the American private sector members of the US-India CEO Forum.The first meeting of the forum will be held in New Delhi (on 14th February).The US-India CEO Forum is critical to the fruitful commercial relationship and strong economic ties between the two great nations.

3. Francois Laborde Conferred France’s Highest Civilian Honour : Father Francois Laborde (92-year) was conferred the Légion d’Honneur (Legion of Honour), the highest civilian award of France, in recognition of his work for specially-abled children.He is the third person from the state to have been awarded the Legion of Honor after Satyajit Ray (film maestro- in 1987) and Soumitra Chatterjee(actor).Father Laborde had set up Howrah South Point, an organisation working for the development of specially-abled children, the destitute and the most deprived sections of the society.He was entitled by the Alexandre Ziegler (French Ambassador to India).

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1.Mirabai Chanu notched up gold at EGAT Cup in Thailand : World champion Indian weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu (24-year) notched up a gold medal (in 48kg category) at the EGAT Cup in Thailand. Chanu (from Manipuri) won the 48kg category gold with an effort of 192 kg in the silver level Olympic qualifying event. She lifted 82 kg in snatch and 110 kg in clean and jerk to finish on top of the podium.

2. Smriti Mandhana scores India’s fastest-ever T20 fifty : Indian left-handed batswoman Smriti Mandhana (22-year) scored 50 off 24 deliveries (India vs NZ - T20I in Wellington) to register the fastest T20I fifty by an Indian woman.She bettered her own record of a fifty in 25 balls, which she created in 2018 against England.